The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

Even though members of the imperial family like Prince Chungshun are still at their peak, who among them doesn't have worries?

Now things are much better; Prince Chungshun has shown them the right path!

It doesn't matter if you don't have a fiefdom within the Great Qian territory, you can go to the outer sea and fight for one yourself!

With the acquisition of Jeju Island in the outer sea, the Chungshun Prince's Mansion no longer needs to worry about its title being downgraded in the future.

Furthermore, as a vassal state, he could even be granted a title by the current emperor, ensuring that the lineage of Prince Chungsun would be permanently stationed on Jeju Island in the outer seas.

This is the century-old foundation of the Prince Chungshun's Mansion!

How could I not feel envious and jealous?

Little did they know, this was exactly the result Prince Zhongshun wanted!

"Jia Jieyuan, what do you think?"

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, Prince Zhongshun looked at Jia Huan with a smile on his face.

As for the title "Jia Jieyuan," it is naturally an honorific.

"It's alright, it basically achieved the goals we set!"

Jia Huan chuckled and said, "Of course, if we want to further develop Jeju Island, the supply of money, food, and materials is still essential. Developing wasteland is just that troublesome!"

"Of course!"

Prince Zhongshun said generously, "The Prince's Palace invests nearly 500,000 taels of silver a year!"

"As for food and supplies, the quantity is enormous, so there's definitely no chance of anything going wrong!"

"But the territory I allocated to Jia Jieyuan on the island hasn't been developed enough, has it?"

These words drew sidelong glances from the royal family members who were secretly attending the meeting, and they were filled with envy.

Has Chung-shun gone mad? With so many of his own brothers, he's actually giving the benefits to an outsider?

Of course, everyone is shrewd and reserved. No matter what they are thinking, they don't show it on their faces, only their eyes change slightly.

"Your Highness must have heard the news by now. I have already informed my family, my in-laws, and the other families among the four great families of Jinling!"

Jia Huan said calmly, "Starting next year, my support will gradually increase!"

Prince Zhongshun's eyes lit up; he was afraid that Jia Huan wouldn't make a move!

"Now that we've established a foothold in Jeju Island, shouldn't we continue to expand?"

After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly brought up a long-held idea: "I'm worried that if this goes on for too long, it might be exposed directly, which wouldn't be good!"

Upon hearing this, the previously noisy meeting room immediately fell silent!

The members of the royal family present were somewhat bewildered, but quite excited.

If given the opportunity, they would naturally want to get involved.

Previously, they wouldn't have believed it, but now, with the example of Prince Zhongshun before them, they had no choice but to believe it.

They did consider the possibility that Prince Zhongshun had conspired with Jia Huan to deceive them.

Their goal, of course, is the vast amount of money and food resources they possess!

But upon closer inspection, it seems unlikely!

They weren't fools. As fellow members of the imperial clan, if Prince Zhongshun did something to wrong them, they would face the Imperial Clan Court. Even Prince Zhongshun couldn't handle that.

In addition, they also knew that the Rong Mansion and the Prince Zhongshun Mansion were at odds!

Especially Jia Huan, who had previously embarrassed Prince Zhongshun quite a bit, so their relationship couldn't possibly be too close.

Regardless, they are willing to take the gamble on such a great opportunity!

The rewards for success would be enormous; who wouldn't want to build a family business that lasts a century?

Instead of letting their descendants become ordinary people due to the downgraded hereditary title over time, which would be a source of resentment.

The fact that the current throne was not obtained legitimately has made the royal family members even more unhappy.

"It can be started now!"

Jia Huan said calmly, "However, the cost is quite astonishing. I wonder if Your Highness is prepared?"

"We were prepared long ago!"

Prince Zhongshun chuckled and said, "Recently, I approached the Emperor and asked for the management rights of several imperial estates!"

"With those imperial estates in place, we no longer need to purchase grain and most of our daily necessities from outside, saving a considerable amount of money!"

"As for other necessary supplies, the Prince's residence is already making preparations!"

"The Xue Family Trading Company was of great help in this matter; it seems the power of the imperial merchants should not be underestimated!"

There was a certain profound meaning behind his words.

"That's normal!"

Jia Huan seemed oblivious to the implied meaning and said leisurely, "It's just that the continuous flow of supplies to Tianjin via the Grand Canal can't be hidden any longer!"

"Do you have any solutions?"

Prince Zhongshun frowned. This was indeed a troublesome matter, and a slight misstep could lead to a major disaster.

The most troublesome thing, of course, is that the current leader will find out and then directly take the credit.

Having had the experience of picking peaches once, I naturally won't hold back when it comes to picking them again.

This is also one of the reasons why Prince Chungsun wanted to expand his overseas territories immediately.

A territory consisting solely of Jeju Island is still too insecure.

Once the Emperor discovers this, he can send troops to seize the island. Would Prince Chungshun dare to resist?

The saying goes, "A cunning rabbit has three burrows," meaning one must have other territories in the open sea to offset the impact from the present situation.

"If we open up more coastal port cities, the situation will improve significantly!"

Jia Huan chuckled and said, "Just like in the south, there are many coastal ports, but we don't know much about the situation there!"

Prince Zhongshun's eyes lit up, and he asked directly, "Is there a specific location?"

"By looking at historical records from the Northern Song Dynasty, you'll know how to make your choice!"

Jia Huan chuckled and said, "It's not up to me to decide this. It's best if His Highness discovers it himself and sends someone to personally investigate the site!"

"You mean the area of ​​Dengzhou in Ludi?"

Prince Zhongshun pondered for a moment and said, "It's not an easy thing to build a port city. I doubt the cabinet will approve it!"

"Your Highness, once the imperial court intervenes, regardless of efficiency, the losses alone are beyond our means. We should just abandon the forging!"

Jia Huan cast his dissenting vote directly, saying irritably, "Although the court and local governments haven't yet reached the dire conditions of the Ming Dynasty, it would be quite good if even half of the money allocated by the court actually reached its intended purpose!"

"I suppose Your Highness has heard about the true nature of local officials!"

"To put it bluntly, I just don't trust local officials. They're unreliable unless they're one of my own!"

Prince Zhongshun nodded subconsciously. Although what Jia Huan said was unpleasant, it was the absolute truth.

If they were in the imperial court, he would rebuke Jia Huan for exaggerating, asking how the government of the Great Qian Dynasty could be so corrupt.

But this is on our own turf, and we can discuss it privately without needing to be so high-sounding.

If he didn't know what was going on outside, Jia Huan probably wouldn't want to keep arguing with him, since it was simply impossible to explain.

"So, does Jia Jieyuan mean to appoint one of our own people to local official positions?"

"This is just the first step!"

Jia Huan said slowly, "The key is that these local officials sent out must be obedient and follow orders!"

"Instead of being a two-faced scoundrel, that's just not interesting!"

"You can rest assured about that, Scholar Jia!"

Prince Zhongshun chuckled and said, "If any of my officials dare to outwardly comply but inwardly defy me, I have ways to make them suffer eternal damnation, and that includes their entire clan!"

"But simply appointing our own people to these positions won't make any difference!"

What do you mean by "ineffective"?

Jia Huan said irritably, "As long as the port and docks have enough cargo throughput and the local government can collect enough tax revenue, developing the area will be a piece of cake."

"The world is bustling with activity, all for profit; the world is in turmoil, all for gain. This saying is no joke!"

"As long as there are enough benefits, let alone one new port town, even ten can be built to a certain level within a year!"

Seeing that Prince Zhongshun hesitated, he said with a smile, "Tianjin Port is the best example!"

"In the past, Tianjin was just a slightly more prosperous town. It only developed because the Grand Canal transited through there."

"But what's the current situation at Tianjin Port?"

Jia Huan said leisurely, "It was only because of the overseas trade with Goryeo that Tianjin Port developed into a very prosperous port city in a short period of time. How much silver did the imperial court spend during that time?"

"It's just a matter of sending officials and local troops to maintain order!"

These words made Prince Zhongshun nod repeatedly; the example Jia Huan gave was truly representative.

"That's nice to say!"