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

The Minister of Revenue pushed the account book onto the imperial desk, looking at the wooden box that Zhou Fu had brought, his face full of suspicion.

"The goods haven't been delivered yet, but we've already received so much money."

"If the merchant reneges on the agreement, who should bear the losses?"

A deep look of doubt appeared in Lu Cangqiong's eyes.

"Zhou Fu, explain yourself clearly. How exactly did the Crown Prince manage to do that?"

Zhou Fu took the account book into the main hall.

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince summoned merchants from the capital today. Instead of selling goods directly, he divided the Great Yong into eight commercial districts."

The word "commercial district?" left everyone stunned.

Zhou Fu continued, "Yes, each commercial district will select three to five businesses to operate snowflake salt for a period of three years."

"To obtain a distribution license, you must first pay a franchise fee and sign a contract."

"If the regulations are violated, the business district qualification will be revoked, and the franchise fee will not be refunded."

Liu Neng, the Minister of Revenue, frowned.

"A franchise fee? That's quite novel! Your Highness is so learned; it puts us humbled!"

After hearing this, the others also felt a sense of awe.

Zhou Fu turned to a page in the ledger, "His Highness the Crown Prince also helped the business resolve issues related to payment for goods, transportation, and local checkpoints."

"The trading company is only responsible for paying the deposit, building warehouses, and repairing trade routes."

"When the imperial court issues a license, local officials can inspect the goods without charging any additional fees."

An official from the Ministry of Rites sneered, "It's really just a case of getting something for nothing."

Zhou Fu looked up at him.

"Sir, if you don't believe me, you can check the deed."

He distributed several contracts to various officials.

The paper contained the terms of the trading area, share, price, delivery date, and the imperial guarantee.

Every item is clearly stated, including who will compensate for shortages and who will bear the losses during transportation.

After reading it, the Minister of Revenue frowned more and more deeply.

Did the businessman actually pay?

"It's already been given."

Zhou Fu continued, "The franchise fee for the eight business districts totals five million eight hundred thousand taels."

"The total amount of liquor distribution and the first batch of payment is 3.2 million taels."

"The cement workshop received a total of 4.2 million taels of silver in subscription and advance payment for goods."

"Some of these businesses had never even seen the goods; they had only seen samples."

"After hearing His Highness the Crown Prince's rules, I immediately signed the contract and paid the money."

The hall was very quiet.

Liu Neng held a wooden box full of silver notes in his hand, and an undisguised smile appeared on his face.

"They paid the money without even seeing the goods? Have they gone mad?"

Zhou Fu bowed to Lu Cangqiong and said, "His Highness the Crown Prince said that merchants do not just buy goods, but also want to buy the qualification to make money continuously."

"The imperial court designated commercial areas, set prices, the Ministry of Works was responsible for formulating and producing the products, and the Crown Prince's Palace was responsible for supplying them."

"After signing the contract, no new distributors are allowed in the same business district for three years."

"The wider the trade routes, the easier it is to sell goods, and the easier it is for businesses to make money."

"As for the credibility of the imperial court, that will be guaranteed by His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince."

The Minister of Revenue held the contract, his expression changing several times.

"If that's the case, then the deposit isn't the cost of the goods, but rather the price paid by the businesses vying for the right to operate."

"Exactly."

Zhou Fu replied.

Lu Cangqiong looked at the officials in the hall.

"Is this what Yuan'er meant by doing business?"

No one answered.

They had just been joking about thirteen million taels of silver, but now the banknotes were right next to the emperor's desk and the contract was right in front of them.

The tax revenue collected by the imperial court each year was less than the amount of silver the crown prince could raise in half a day.

Lu Cangqiong picked up a silver note, and the smile on his face could no longer be hidden.

"The Ministry of Revenue!"

"Your subject is here."

"Immediately purchase grain from various regions and prioritize its distribution to the disaster-stricken prefectures and counties in Henan Province and the Gyeonggi region."

"Issue my decree again to implement work-for-relief programs. Disaster victims who repair river embankments, build granaries, and pave official roads will receive grain on a daily basis and silver on a work-for-service basis. Anyone who dares to withhold grain under the guise of disaster relief will be punished by me first."

The Minister of Revenue immediately knelt down.

"Your subject obeys the decree!"

The Minister of Works also stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, the workshops producing snowflake salt, cement, and spirits are insufficient to supply the eight major commercial districts. If we are to deliver on time, the Ministry of Works needs to expand the kilns and salt fields."

"I'll give you three months."

Lu Cangqiong looked at Du Changhe.

"The recipes, blueprints, and craftsmen will all be allocated by the Ministry of Works. Anyone who dares to delay will be sent to Henan Province to repair the river embankment."

Du Changhe immediately bent down.

"I guarantee that the expansion will be completed on schedule."

Just then, an official from the Court of State Ceremonial entered the hall.

"Your Majesty, something has happened to the Northern Liang delegation!"

Lu Cangqiong stopped smiling.

"explain."

"A guard from the Northern Liang delegation just arrived at the Court of State Ceremonial with great speed, saying that the Northern Liang princess has gone missing. They suspect that the princess has been kidnapped in the capital and demand that the Great Yong hand her over immediately."

The expressions of the officials inside the hall all changed.

The Northern Liang army is gathering at the border, but the princess has disappeared in the capital.

If not handled properly, it could become an excuse for the Northern Liang to send troops.

Lu Cangqiong stood up and gave the order.

"The Ministry of Justice and the Five City Garrison Command should immediately search for the person."

"Seal off the neighborhood where the princess was last seen, check every house, and make sure you find out where she went."

"If anyone dares to use this opportunity to provoke conflict between the two countries, they will be prosecuted as traitors!"

The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies accepted the order and withdrew.

Meanwhile, in front of a wooden frame on Changjie Street in the capital, Sun Wanjin and his wife were shackled and hung on a public display rack set up by the Ministry of Justice.

The two men had injuries on their faces, and their clothes were soaked with sewage.

When Madam Sun saw a group of merchants passing by, she quickly struggled to get up.

"Gentlemen, we beg you to save the Sun family!"

"You can get your money back for the Hongxing ship's cargo, just let us out!"

The group of merchants paused, but no one stepped forward.

Madam Sun recognized one of them and hurriedly called out, "Master Wang! Last year, when your shop was raided, my family spoke up for you. You can't just abandon me!"

Wang Dongjia immediately turned his face away.

"I have no connection with the Sun family."

"You're talking nonsense! That batch of silk in your family still belongs to my father—"

"Don't call me again."

Wang Dongjia retreated to his companion's side, saying, "If His Highness the Crown Prince misunderstands that I am pleading for a family that is plotting rebellion, my whole family will be implicated."

Other businessmen didn't go.

The people on the street gathered on both sides, pointing and commenting on the display.

Some say the Sun family deserved it, while others believe that Hongxing Shipping has been undercutting prices and engaging in unfair practices over the years.

Others watched the couple, wondering how much longer they could hold on.

Sun Wanjin lowered his head, realizing for the first time that the connections he had built up in the capital over the years were worthless in the face of the Crown Prince's order, not even enough to buy him a face covering.

"Boss Wang, please come back!"

Madam Sun's body was shackled and suspended on a wooden frame, unable to move, and she could only stretch her neck and shout towards the street corner.

Upon hearing this, the people in the caravan quickened their pace.

The men pushed the cart full of goods to the back without even looking back.

"Run! Run!"

"We absolutely mustn't get involved with them!"