Chapter 794

First Volume, Chapter 794: Beixi County, Where Every Inch of Land Is Worth Its Weight in Silver

At these words, Qin Cheng Clan furrowed her brows slightly: "What? Is the County Magistrate tired of us mother and daughter being in the way, planning to kick us out?"

Lin Quqi turned pale and hurried to explain: "Madam, you've frightened me to death! This entire Beixi County was built up by Brother Qin himself—indeed, one could say Beixi County is already within Brother Qin's grasp."

"To be honest, when I first came to Beixi County as County Magistrate, I was deeply resentful, feeling I had wasted my official career and could never fulfill my ambitions. But who could have imagined Beixi County would grow to this state today? Even if I were humble, Beixi County is now the premier county of Shedynasty."

"Coupled with its unique geographical position and political environment, I, a mere County Magistrate, wield more influence in speech than the vast majority of Zhou Fu officials."

"I am deeply grateful for Brother Qin's favor."

Qin Cheng Clan had merely been teasing; she knew full well that Lin Quqi was a trusted subordinate personally nurtured by Qin Feng, utterly loyal to the Qin Family and Beixi County.

Yet seeing Lin Quqi react so strongly, Qin Cheng Clan found it amusing.

Lin Quqi, fearing misunderstanding, continued: "Madam is not only Brother Qin's mother, but also the Mother of Beixi County. Had you not raised him so well, how could Brother Qin have achieved what he has today?"

"The reason we asked you to move out of the County Yamen is because the Yamen is too humble. You may not know, but many in the city now voice complaints."

Complaints?

Hearing this word, Qin Cheng Clan frowned slightly—Beixi County's stability weighed heavier than Taishan; if anything went wrong, she could never face Qin Feng.

Lin Quqi sighed: "Among the Folk, there's a saying: Madam is of noble birth, your husband is the current Minister of War and Grand Commandant, once even granted the title of First-Rank Noble Lady."

"And you've raised a genius like Brother Qin—what lofty status do you not hold?"

"Yet now you reside within this County Yamen—it's truly unjust."

So that was it. Qin Cheng Clan relaxed and smiled lightly: "It's not nearly as serious as you make it out to be."

Shen Qingci added with a smile: "Mother, the County Magistrate isn't exaggerating. You rarely go out, so you don't hear the Folk's voices."

"Many in the County City are already declaring they'll build you a Tianji Camp Compound. Hehe, if the County Magistrate hadn't repeatedly suppressed the idea, fearing it would burden the people and waste resources, it would've been built long ago."

Realizing this wasn't flattery from Lin Quqi, but a genuine sentiment among the Folk, Qin Cheng Clan felt both moved and comforted.

Yet moving out of the County Yamen was still problematic.

Qin Cheng Clan spoke with solemn gravity: "Building a Tianji Camp Compound will cost at least several thousand taels of silver. Such a sudden expenditure could jeopardize the County Yamen's finances."

"Besides, I'm quite comfortable living here in the County Yamen—there's no need to move out."

Hearing this, Lin Quqi could only laugh and sigh in exasperation.

Several thousand taels of silver?

Be aware: Beixi County's annual tax revenue now exceeds one million! Most of that funding has already been deposited into the County Yamen's treasury.

In fact, the funds Lin Quqi can now mobilize exceed those of many Ministry of Revenue Officials.

These few thousand taels of silver? They'd vanish into water without even a ripple.

Yet… Lin Quqi genuinely admired Qin Cheng Clan's frugality.

If anyone else had a son famed throughout Heaven, their head would surely be in the clouds—how many would remain as grounded as Qin Cheng Clan?

After Lin Quqi's repeated pleas, Qin Cheng Clan finally agreed to move out of the County Yamen—but she insisted repeatedly: no grand construction. Just find an existing courtyard in the city.

Though Beixi County has expanded repeatedly, with its population growing ever larger, the Inner City is now worth its weight in silver—there is absolutely no way to allocate vast tracts of land to build a Tianji Camp Compound and waste such precious resources.

Lin Quqi readily agreed, escorted Qin Cheng Clan back to the Back Courtyard, then took Xu Mo straight to the warehouse and ordered the Registrar to retrieve the city's land planning directory.

This land planning directory was personally drafted by Qin Feng during his stay in Beixi County.

It recorded every plot of land in the city, designating fixed commercial zones and one-third as public land.

The remaining land was all opened to the public under "market economy" principles.

In other words, whoever paid the most could buy any plot in the Inner City.

Given Beixi County's current economic scale, "worth its weight in silver" was no exaggeration—many out-of-town merchants had no choice but to buy land just to establish themselves in Beixi County.

Idle, undeveloped land had already been bid up to ten taels of silver per square foot.

Foreign merchants seeking entry into the city must spend tens of thousands of taels of silver just on land acquisition.

At first, Lin Quqi strongly criticized this land speculation, believing it deliberately raised barriers for merchants and would stifle economic growth.

But reality proved the opposite.

High barriers meant foreign merchants took Beixi County's development more seriously; moreover, these land plots were fixed assets—even if a merchant left Beixi County, they could resell the land and recover much of their investment.

Simply through land trading, Beixi County filtered out countless low-quality merchants who came to exploit the system, leaving only high-quality ones, creating a self-sustaining commercial cycle.

Lin Quqi flipped through the land planning directory repeatedly.

Public land—even Lin Quqi had no authority to dispose of; he had to report to Qin Feng before deciding its use. As Qin Feng said, this was Beixi County's strategic reserve land—unless the heavens collapsed, no one could touch it.

Lin Quqi turned his attention to commercial land.

"In the Inner City, commercial land costs ten taels per square foot—this alone eliminates wastefulness and prevents the construction of sprawling mansions."

"Second City land costs only one tael per square foot, but Second City is primarily residential and designated for military use—how could Madam possibly be moved there?"

Beixi County has now been expanded in four distinct layers.

The Inner City at the center is the original site of Beixi County and its current core, integrating politics, military, people's livelihood, and commerce.

The massive Tianji Camp has begun relocating gradually from the cramped Inner City to Second City.

Second City serves only two purposes: the vast majority of civilians reside there, and the main army is garrisoned there.

The outermost two layers are Wengcheng, specifically built to defend against enemy attacks.

Precisely because Beixi County is impregnable, merchants from all over flock here—they know that doing business in Beixi County means peace of mind.

Of course, another major draw for merchants is trade.