I only wished to take up my fiefdom, but my elder brother forced me to rebel.

More than forty merchants stood up in unison.

Some people retreated to the wall, some protected their personal ledgers, and a few were already preparing to run out the door.

Lu Yuan handed his sword to Qi Yue.

"Sit down, everyone."

"I have invited you all to my residence today to conduct business."

"Whoever operates a law-abiding business will be allowed to make money by me."

"Whoever is instructed to threaten the court with a strike is the next Wei Santong."

The merchants gradually returned to their seats.

Qi Yue crouched down to search, and quickly found a Han family waist token, five hundred taels of silver notes, and a list full of merchants' names in Wei Santong's arms.

Su Bo'an took the list.

"Your Highness, it shows who owes Hung Hing Company money and whose goods have been seized."

"Wei Santong was prepared."

A grain merchant looked grim.

"We were all encouraged by him to come."

"He told the common people that as long as the Crown Prince was forced to release the Sun family, Hongxing Shipping would waive 10% of the payment for goods."

Other merchants also shared their accounts.

Wei Santong arranged for people to spread rumors everywhere, claiming that Lu Yuan was going to confiscate all the businesses in the capital, and that after the Sun family fell, the Crown Prince would demand 100,000 taels from each of them.

Lu Yuan instructed the clerk to write down the confession.

"The Ministry of Justice will investigate the Han family's affairs."

"Let's continue with the business."

Su Bo'an had his servants bring over three long tables.

On the first table were snowflake salts, on the second table were several jars of strong liquor, and on the third table was a piece of solidified cement.

Lu Yuan first set the rules.

"Snowflake Salt is divided into eight commercial districts, each of which is jointly operated by three to five businesses."

"The term is three years, and the price will be determined by the imperial court."

"No hoarding, no price gouging, and no adulteration."

"The one with the highest deposit will be given priority, but small and medium-sized businesses can subscribe together."

The restaurant owner was the first to offer a price.

"Eight hundred thousand taels of silver from the Jiangnan commercial district."

A shipping agent immediately raised the price.

"One million taels! My family owns sixty cargo ships that can deliver snowflake salt to various coastal states."

Commercial districts in the capital region, Henan, Hebei, Jiangnan, and Lingnan also responded quickly.

After the Hongxing ship collapsed, it left behind many trade routes, and whoever obtained the snowflake salt could fill the gap.

The total amount of the deposits for the eight trading districts plus the payment for the first batch of goods was 580,000 taels.

Lu Yuan opened the wine jar again.

"This wine can be drunk and also used to disinfect wounds."

"The supplies needed by the army are provided by the imperial court, while alcoholic beverages for civilians can be sold by various merchants."

The wine merchant's face immediately turned red after tasting it.

"Strong enough! One jar mixed with three jars of ordinary liquor still tastes better than what's available in the market."

"For the northern trade routes, offer 600,000 taels!"

"Seven hundred thousand taels for the Northwest trade route!"

Several companies rushed to submit their offers.

However, Lu Yuan did not sign the contract on the spot. Instead, he ordered someone to put the cement block on the ground and then had his personal guards hammer it with an iron hammer.

Only some edges of the cement block fell off.

Du Changhe, sent by the Ministry of Works, showed the merchants blueprints, letting them know that cement could be used to build granaries, roads, docks, and river embankments.

The first person to spot the business opportunity was a person who ran a carriage and horse trading business.

"Paving the road with cement would reduce wear and tear on carriages and horses by about half. Does Your Highness want us to fund the construction of the kiln?"

Lu Yuan nodded. "The Ministry of Works provides the formula and government approval. Each company contributes silver to expand its cement kilns and receives a corresponding regional sales share."

"When the imperial court was building river embankments, official roads and granaries, it would also prioritize purchasing materials from the merchants in which it had invested."

Even the owner of the bank participated in the auction this time.

Some people were interested in river engineering, some in docks, and others wanted to contract the official roads in various states.

Lu Yuan immediately proposed a franchise fee, stating that only those who paid the fee would be eligible to cooperate.

At first, everyone was puzzled, but they were all seasoned business people.

I did the math in my head and knew its value, but in the end I reluctantly accepted it.

After paying the franchise fee according to the rules, they began placing orders in a rush.

The scene was incredibly lively!

After Su Bo'an calculated the accounts three times, he took the account book to Lu Yuan.

"Your Highness, the total cost of snowflake salt, spirits, cement, and franchise fees is 13 million yuan."

The business people in the main hall were also surprised by this.

They originally came to collect a debt, but in the end they gave all the silver notes they brought to the Crown Prince.

The grain merchant stood up and inquired.

What should we do about the outstanding payment owed to us by Hung Hing Shipping?

Lu Yuan placed the Sun family's account books on the table.

"Once the Ministry of Justice has investigated, all your goods will be returned."

"The money obtained from the confiscation of the goods that the Sun family has already sold will be used to compensate them."

"But I will also investigate who is inflating the price of disaster relief grain."

The grain merchant bowed to the farmers, saying, "This humble farmer is willing to supply grain to Henan Province at the original price."

Other businessmen also began to express their opinions.

Some people were willing to provide medicinal herbs, some were willing to lend their vehicles, and others voluntarily covered the cost of transporting disaster relief food.

Lu Yuan instructed the clerk to write down everyone's name.

"After signing the contract today, the bank drafts will be sent to the national treasury."

"Starting tomorrow, people from the Crown Prince's Palace will come and take everyone to the workshop to inspect the goods. I'm not afraid of you making money, but the money must be earned cleanly."

In the evening, inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Lu Cangqiong was settling accounts in the palace with Liu Neng and Ling Yiyang.

Liu Neng cut all the expenses that could be eliminated, including those for sacrifices, palace banquets, and carriages, but he was still short more than a million taels of silver.

Zhou Fu strode into the hall.

"Your Majesty, you are so happy!"

Lu Cangqiong didn't even look up.

"Did your wife give birth to a son?"

Zhou Fu was both amused and exasperated.

"I'm just a eunuch, how could I have a wife and children?"

"It's His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Lu Cangqiong immediately stood up.

"Yuan'er has gotten married again?"

"Which family's girl is it this time?"

Zhou Fu quickly waved his hand.

"His Highness is not married."

"He just sent thirteen million taels of silver notes to the palace!"

Liu Neng got up from the chair.

"How many?"

"Thirteen million taels!"

"Eunuch Zhou, the national treasury is short of silver; you cannot use such words to amuse His Majesty."

Ling Yiyang didn't believe it either.

"How much tax revenue did the Great Yong Dynasty collect in a year?"

"The Crown Prince amassed thirteen million taels in half a day; did he seize the property of ten Sun families?"

Zhou Fu placed the wooden box filled with silver notes on the imperial desk.

"The banknotes are all here."

"The Ministry of Revenue and major banks have verified that all payments can be made."

Lu Cangqiong grabbed the silver notes and counted them one by one.

After counting it once, he asked Liu Neng to recalculate it.

Liu Neng's breathing became more and more rapid as he counted, and in the end he held onto the silver notes tightly, refusing to let go.

"That's a whopping thirteen million taels!"

"Now we have money for disaster relief in Henan, and money for military equipment in the north!"

The officials inside the hall all surrounded Zhou Fu.

"How exactly did the Crown Prince manage to do that?"

"He raised so much silver in half a day, what did he sell?"

Why were those merchants willing to pay?

Zhou Fu took out the account book that Lu Yuan had sent.

"Please don't be anxious, everyone."

"His Highness the Crown Prince said that this thirteen million taels is only the first installment."