Now I really have to marry the princess.

Chapter 112 I have come to borrow money from Your Highness.

Yang Zhengdao walked through the east corridor and came to Jiang Cheng's empty side hall again.

He knocked on the door and called out, but no one answered. So he pushed the slightly ajar door open a crack to see if anyone was there.

To everyone's surprise, what they saw was a pair of boots on the table.

Good heavens! This guy really came here to slack off and have a vacation, and he's just sleeping soundly in the county office without any regard for his image.

Jiang Cheng, being a former member of the Hundred Cavalry Division, was startled awake by the slightest sound Yang Zhengdao made.

Then he saw the roof of the side hall, and only then did he remember that he was now the county magistrate. He breathed a sigh of relief and slowly got up.

"County Lieutenant Yang, please come in."

Yang Zhengdao came in, sat down at the desk, and couldn't help but tease, "You seem to have a very easy time getting this salary."

Jiang Cheng gave an awkward smile: "Young Master, you've returned. Is something the matter?"

Yang Zhengdao then explained his idea of ​​building distributed fertilizer ponds and then managing the sewage discharge in Chang'an County in a unified manner.

Jiang Cheng's expression grew increasingly strange as he listened, until finally he couldn't help but chuckle.

"I thought Dalang would build bridges and pave roads, but I never expected him to have such ingenious ideas. He is truly a hermit of the Three Realms."

Yang Zhengdao naturally understood Jiang Cheng's teasing tone; one of the three places he was referring to was the toilet.

He smiled faintly: "Confucius said, 'Food and sex are human nature,' but going to the toilet in the east is also a basic human need. In your opinion, County Magistrate, is this plan feasible?"

"The sage's words give you the freedom to act."

"This humble official has been eagerly seeking your guidance!"

Jiang Cheng pondered for a moment before speaking seriously, "Clean up the filth and tidy up the neighborhood is indeed a great achievement. I wonder when you, eldest son, will undertake this task?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhengdao felt a surge of confidence.

Jiang Cheng was sent by Li Er to oversee things for him. Since Jiang Cheng had no objections to his plan, then the matter was settled.

He laughed heartily and replied, "From this day forward!"

Jiang Cheng's eyes narrowed: "All construction projects and miscellaneous corvée labor are prohibited from employing able-bodied men except between October and February. Didn't Zhang Wenhuan inform the eldest son that corvée labor is not required during the busy farming season?"

Seeing Jiang Cheng's strong reaction, Yang Zhengdao smiled without saying a word and took out a scroll of notices from his bosom to present to him.

Jiang Cheng took the notice, and as soon as he unfolded it, he exclaimed in shock: "Hiring?"

"Exactly!" Yang Zhengdao gestured for Jiang Cheng to look down.

What he presented to Jiang Cheng was a recruitment notice, seeking two hundred workers for a one-month period, with a daily wage of ten coins.

After reading the notice, Jiang Cheng put it down and frowned.

But he still picked up his pen: "Since the sage has given an oral decree, whatever you ask, I will grant you the document and seal."

After Jiang Cheng used the seal, he did not hand the proclamation directly to Yang Zhengdao.

He pondered for a moment, tapped the table with his finger, and said earnestly, "My dear son, I know you've made some money, and I imagine even the Emperor understands your thoughts. But you're still bound to face criticism, and the Censor might impeach you for privately currying favor and trying to win people's hearts."

Yang Zhengdao immediately realized that Jiang Cheng had misunderstood.

He's hardly a public-spirited or kind-hearted person.

Paying to work is out of the question.

Moreover, he was fully aware of the taboos and intricacies involved.

The most famous example of substituting private favors for public favors is the practice of giving out large sums of money and taking in small sums.

The Tian family of Qi used a small measuring cup when collecting taxes, a large measuring cup when lending grain to the people, and a small measuring cup when the people returned the grain.

More than a hundred years later, the people of Qi only knew the Tian family and not the Jiang family. This was the Tian family's usurpation of Qi at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period.

However, the pretext of offering personal favors was just that—a pretext. Li Er wouldn't actually suspect him of having ulterior motives simply because he paid for the repair of a cesspool.

The biggest taboo is actually incurring public wrath.

Many officials during the Zhenguan era came from aristocratic families, and there were many people who were richer than Yang Zhengdao.

If you pay out of your own pocket to work in order to do your job well, what are we supposed to do?

Therefore, Jiang Cheng's worries were not unfounded.

If he dares to pay for the cesspool repair today, someone will instigate an imperial censor to impeach him tomorrow.

Yang Zhengdao offered no explanation. He remained calm and took out another scroll of notices from his robes and presented it to Yang Zhengdao.

This is a fundraising appeal.

Jiang Cheng received the notice and was once again astonished: "Six thousand strings of cash!!"

He put down the notice, frowned in thought, and after a moment, asked with a serious expression, "According to what you've said, the two hundred ponds needed for each ward in Chang'an County, along with materials, workers, and equipment, would only require three to four thousand strings of cash. Why is six thousand strings needed?"

Yang Zhengdao's intention was naturally to increase the budget and sell the cement at a higher price.

He explained with a smile, "Magistrate Jiang need not worry about the expenses. This time, the pond will not be built with bricks and mortar, but with a new material called cement. Compared to brick and mortar, this material is more durable, impermeable, and does not leak. Once completed, it will be safe for a hundred years."

Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes, remaining noncommittal.

Yang Zhengdao had no choice but to bring up his shareholder, and he lowered his voice and said, "The Crown Prince is also aware of this new material."

Jiang Cheng smiled and shook his head, continuing to read the list, his brows furrowing once again.

"Brother, your fundraising notice proposes to raise funds to sell all the manure produced in Chang'an County over the next three years, with the highest bidder winning."

While this move appears fair, the starting price of six thousand strings of cash—

He paused slightly, then asked with a smile, "Brother, do you know how much a load of manure costs on the market?"

Yang Zhengdao smiled. He had naturally learned about this from Huang Yanshi, and he had also roughly calculated the costs.

Before Yang Zhengdao could answer, Jiang Cheng began to answer his own question and started to calculate the accounts for Yang Zhengdao.

"A load of fertilizer costs no more than five coins, and the employer gets three coins, so the profit is no more than two coins."

"According to the registers of the Ministry of Revenue from the fourth year of the Zhenguan era, the population under the jurisdiction of Chang'an County was over 16,000 registered households, plus the population of attached households..."

The number of itinerant merchants, monks, Taoist priests, officials, and foreign residents should be close to 150,000.

"If a person produces about one jin a day, that's over 60 million jin a year, which is about 540,000 dan. So, the profit would only be a little over 1,000 guan a year. Let alone three years, even six years would probably not be enough for anyone to take up this job."

Yang Zhengdao's calculations were not as precise as Jiang Cheng's, but Jiang Cheng had a misconception.

The fertilizer that Jiang Cheng mentioned, costing five coins per load, was unfermented wet manure.

Fertilizer that has undergone fermentation in a septic tank will naturally be priced much higher, at least double, and can sell for eight to ten coins.

Moreover, fermented fertilizer is easier to transport than unprocessed wet manure, and labor costs are also reduced.

Assuming a selling price of eight coins and a labor cost of two coins, the profit from one load of fertilizer would triple, resulting in an annual profit of three thousand strings of cash.

That's why Yang Zhengdao wrote it over three years. After deducting the investment of six thousand strings of cash, he still made a profit of three thousand strings of cash.

Yang Zhengdao did not expect any merchants or scions of wealthy families behind them to take on this fundraising appeal from the beginning.

He originally intended for Tun Qiaoqiao to take on the business, and under fair bidding conditions, Yang Zhengdao could rightfully earn the money.

However, since Shangguan has raised questions, the more the better.

He hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting and asked, "May I ask, County Magistrate, what do you think is the appropriate sales period?"

Jiang Cheng tapped the table: "In business, one naturally pursues profit. If six years is only enough to cover the cost, then ten years would be more appropriate."

ten years!!

Yang Zhengdao was overjoyed.

They gave him an extra seven years. Even if he made a profit of 3,000 strings of cash a year, it was still more than 20,000 strings of cash given away for free.

Magistrate Jiang is such a good man!

He wanted to confirm the matter immediately: "County Magistrate Jiang is thorough and meticulous; I beg you to correct my mistake."

Jiang Cheng picked up the pen, hesitated for a moment, and then crossed out the word "three" on the notice and added a "ten" instead.

In the afternoon, Yang Zhengdao handed over the original copy of the proclamation that Jiang Cheng had used to seal to Huang Yanshi, and instructed Huang Yanshi to proceed with the next steps.

He then left the county office and went to the East Market.

That's right, the legal working hours for civil servants in the Tang Dynasty were only in the morning.

According to the Tang Huiyao, all officials, both inside and outside the capital, were to attend to their duties at sunrise and retire at noon. If there were any matters to be handled, the officials in charge would review them. Those with many duties were exempt from this rule.

However, there is a crucial supplementary statement: "Those who are busy with many tasks are exempt from this restriction."

Therefore, being an official in the Tang Dynasty meant flexible working hours. In busy offices, one not only had to continue working in the afternoon but also had to work overtime in the evening.

The downtrodden working-class poet Bai Juyi once wrote a poem to lament: "Returning from office late at night, I go out to present a memorial before dawn."

Yang Zhengdao, the county magistrate of Chang'an who was in charge of the affairs of the officials, was naturally not among those "busy with many tasks".

He was supposed to be busy in the afternoon.

He also needs to further refine this plan and have his assistants calculate the construction period, materials, and costs in detail.

But he has more important things to do right now.

He needs to find Tun Qiaoqiao as soon as possible to confirm how much money he has available.

When we arrived at Weiluju, it was already afternoon, and there were only a few customers buying hot pot base.

Knowing that Yang Zhengdao had not yet eaten, Tun Qiaoqiao ordered a hot pot to be prepared in the private room.

Yang Zhengdao quickly ate some hot pot mutton, then left Tan Feng and Gao Kan behind and went into the backyard with Tun Qiaoqiao.

As soon as she entered the house, Tun Qiaoqiao blushed and said shyly, "Master, it's daytime."

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhengdao smiled.

As soon as she entered the house, Tun Qiaoqiao blushed and said shyly, "Master, it's daytime."

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhengdao smiled.

He hadn't originally intended to, but after Tun Qiaoqiao said that, his throat became a little dry.

Looking at the person in front of me, she wore a light lotus-colored, narrow-sleeved ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) that hugged her body very tightly.

So shy and timid, with her head bowed and eyes lowered, yet she couldn't help but secretly raise her eyes and steal a glance.

The pool of water in his eyes could ripple with emotion.

"Qiaoqiao, come here, turn around!"

Tun Qiaoqiao did as she was told and circled around in front of Yang Zhengdao.

Finally, he stopped with his back to Yang Zhengdao.

She was anticipating the slap, yet her cheeks burned with shame.

She knew that slap would definitely come, but she didn't know when it would land—perhaps a few breaths later, perhaps in the next instant.

The torment of waiting tormented her, causing her to involuntarily squeeze her legs together and twist her waist.

The slap still landed. She suppressed the pounding in her heart and only gave a soft "hmm".

This seems to be the standard procedure for the two to meet, and it is also Yang Zhengdao's tribute to Tun Qiaoqiao.

A man's lustfulness needs no reason.

But a man only needs one reason to be infatuated with a woman.

Even among a thousand beauties, Tun Qiaoqiao's pair of watermelons are uniquely clever and perfectly round.

Through the soft silk of the ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), Yang Zhengdao casually untied the ribbon and pulled Tun Qiaoqiao into the inner room.

Leaning back on the soft couch, Tun Qiaoqiao said in a sweet voice, "Master, today is your first day in office. What brings you here to see your humble servant?"

Yang Zhengdao felt the firm, full texture under his fingertips and a wicked smile appeared on his lips: "Of course I'm here to check your accounts."

Tun Qiaoqiao's eyes were glazed over as she murmured, "Whatever Master wants to investigate, this servant will investigate for you."

Yang Zhengdao suddenly felt that Tun Qiaoqiao had also gone astray, daring to say such bold things.

They absolutely must be punished severely.

"How much money can you take out of the account right now?" He had barely finished asking the question when he slapped Tun Qiaoqiao. "Hmm! Four thousand five hundred and fifty thousand guan."

"Can you take them all out?"

"Hmm! If it doesn't affect business operations—hmm! We can spare three thousand kan."

"We're still halfway there!" Yang Zhengdao sighed, realizing that the foundation was still too weak.

The slap that should have landed didn't, leaving Tun Qiaoqiao feeling a sudden emptiness in her heart. She subconsciously whimpered, "Master, you—"

"Oh, I forgot!" Yang Zhengdao's hand fell again.

"Hmm! The bathhouse still has three thousand members—hmm! The members' pre-deposited money is available."

"They also spend money over there, so let's leave another thousand strings of cash."

"Hmm! Master wants six thousand strings of cash—hmm!? We're still a thousand strings short!"

"Not just that! Six thousand strings of cash is just the starting price. If someone tries to interfere, we'll probably need to prepare ten thousand strings of cash to be on the safe side."

"Hmm! Do I need to raise the money?"

"No need! Let's get down to business! Get up! We need to check the accounts!"

"Ah—they're checking the accounts?!"

Two quarters of an hour later, Yang Zhengdao left the East Market and headed to the East Palace.

He planned to borrow some money from his brother-in-law.

In this era, there were no national bonds, funds, or large fixed deposits. The money that the Eastern Palace Tea Business made was probably all piled up in the treasury.

Such interest-free bridge financing is certainly something to take advantage of.

Yang Zhengdao originally planned to sell the manure together over the next three years at a starting price of 6,000 guan, but it seemed that no one would be interested.

Now that Jiang Cheng has changed it to ten years, the starting price of six thousand strings of cash will still tempt many people.

According to Jiang Cheng's calculations, he could earn a thousand strings of cash a year. If he offered ten thousand strings, surely no one would be willing to lose money and compete with him.

Yang Zhengdao wanted to secure this manure-selling business because he had gotten a backdoor on the fundraising list.

Once the fundraising notice is accepted, the bidder has priority to renew the contract upon expiration. If the county magistrate holds another bidding process, the successful bidder will have to pay a down payment of 6,000 guan.

This money, which was used to transfer fees in later generations, is what we now know as transfer fees.

Eating, drinking, and relieving oneself are long-term business.

Moreover, as the population of Chang'an grows, the profits from the manure trade will also increase.

The current population of Chang'an is only 300,000, but in less than 20 years, the population of Chang'an will reach 600,000, and in the future, Chang'an will have a population of one million.

Because Yang Zhengdao did not send a formal letter of greeting in advance, he may not be able to see Li Chengqian today.

Riding his horse all the way to the imperial city, Yang Zhengdao arrived at the Xianyuan Gate of the East Palace, where he handed over his calling card and asked the eunuch to announce his arrival.

After waiting for a while, a eunuch hurriedly came out and led him inside.

The eunuch, perhaps having received instructions from Li Chengqian, also explained to Yang Zhengdao that Li Chengqian's studies for the day had just ended.

Upon entering the Lizheng Hall, Li Chengqian was already seated inside.

He was holding a book, seemingly reviewing his lessons.

Li Chengqian is still young and has not gone astray yet. He is the image of a diligent, studious, dignified, and courteous crown prince.

After Yang Zhengdao paid his respects, the eunuch brought over a dish of candied fruit and a cup of cheese.

Li Chengqian joked, "County Commandant Yang! How's your first day on the job? What brings you to the Crown Prince's Palace?"

Yang Zhengdao cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, I have come to borrow money from you."