Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

Fu Su was taken aback and looked at Hu Yi with some surprise.

She asked doubtfully, "Do you perhaps have a better idea?"

A hint of confidence flashed in Hu Yu's eyes. She tilted her nose slightly and snorted, "Of course, my method is a hundred times better than yours."

Fu Su glanced at the blank silk cloth on the opposite table with a strange expression, and couldn't help but find it a little funny.

"So where is your answer?"

"He is..."

Hu Gang was about to ask where Bai Su was when she suddenly remembered that her mother had specifically instructed her not to let Bai Su know about their royal family identity. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she held them back.

"You...you have no right to know."

Fu Su was taken aback: "Then I'll wait three days for that answer you gave me that's a hundred times better than mine."

Watching Fu Su's retreating figure, Hu Yu clenched his small fists: "Just wait and see, you can't beat me."

......

......

"What? Forced labor?"

Bai Su looked bewildered at the red-clad girl in front of her, who was looking down and secretly watching her.

Hu Yu's fair cheeks flushed slightly as she whispered, "Well... um, I have a distant relative who's a minor official in Xianyang, and he's run into some trouble lately. Could you help me out?"

Bai Su scratched her cheek, struggling to look away from the girl's tight, slender legs: "That sounds like a lot of trouble. Can I refuse?"

"No, you have to help me."

Hu Yu slammed his hands on the table, his eyes filled with shame and anger as he stared straight at him.

She boasted to her sister that she would definitely beat her in three days. She had already bragged about this, so if she were to be proven wrong by her sister in person, wouldn't that be incredibly embarrassing?

Bai Su looked at him strangely, panting heavily, and glared at her own stubble: "Why should I help you? Think about it, I don't owe you anything."

"You don't owe me anything? You've already taken advantage of me, and now you're denying it so quickly after you've had your way with me?"

Hu Yu bit her lip hard, her face full of aggrieved expression.

Ever since she kissed Bai Su that day, she spent the whole night nervously smiling to herself. Every time Bai Su's face appeared in her mind, her heart would pound.

Unexpectedly, Bai Su didn't care about her at all, and she felt a pang of grievance.

Passersby stopped in their tracks, looking at the two with strange expressions, pointing and whispering. Their disdainful gazes were as if they were looking at a heartless man who had ruined a girl and then turned his back on her.

Bai Su was immediately speechless. Who had she offended? It was clearly the other woman who had kissed her first. If anyone had been taken advantage of, it was Bai Su.

However, seeing Hu Yi's aggrieved expression and the tears welling up in his eyes, he immediately gave a wry smile: "Alright, alright, I'll help you, okay?"

"Hehe, you said it yourself, you can't lie to me..."

A smile immediately spread across Hu Yi's face, a smug expression on her face, clearly indicating that she had been faking it.

“Of course, I, Bai Su, have always been honest and never lie during the day.” Bai Su nodded.

"Huh, why is it daytime?"

Hu Yu blinked his heterochromatic eyes, catching the blind spot in Bai Su's words.

"Because it's always inevitable at night..."

Bai Su coughed lightly, glancing away slightly, not daring to look into Hu Su's pure eyes.

After all, I just want a hug, I absolutely refuse to take my clothes off.

I just want to rub against it, I absolutely won't go inside...

Lying at night is something that is unavoidable for a man.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Work-for-Relief

"What is 'work relief'?"

Hu Yu blinked blankly, his face full of confusion.

I know the meaning of each word individually, but when they're put together, I can't understand them at all.

After pondering for a while, Bai Su said, "Simply put, the government provides food, clothing and other necessities, and gives the people a certain amount of remuneration every month to encourage them to work voluntarily."

He was not at all surprised by what Hu said about the local people engaging in armed fights and refusing to perform forced labor.

After all, many of the jobs involved in building canals and roads were arduous and dangerous. You could work for the government for a month for nothing and end up not getting a single penny.

No one would want this, so it's understandable that some people would resist corvée labor and thus engage in armed conflict.

"The food and drink are fine, but providing such large-scale compensation is something the current imperial treasury can't sustain."

Hu Yi frowned slightly, feeling that Bai Su's idea was a bit unrealistic.

Although Mother moved all the wealthy people from the six kingdoms to Xianyang, greatly enriching the imperial treasury in a short period of time, it was ultimately just a business deal.

The roots of the chives have almost been cut off, and they won't grow back anytime soon.

With the country newly unified, the imperial court had far too many expenses, and the national treasury was still somewhat insufficient.

If we really did follow Bai Su's suggestion and gave money to every citizen who came to serve, the national treasury would probably be in deficit within a few years.

After all, the construction of official roads and irrigation canals was almost always unprofitable in the early stages, with no visible results.

It will take many years for the situation to stabilize before the benefits gradually become apparent.

Bai Su shook his head and smiled confidently, "Copper mines have been scarce in the Central Plains since ancient times. The court's expenses are very high now, and copper coins are not enough. Since we can't issue money, we can use grain and cloth instead."

"Switching to grain and cloth would ease the pressure somewhat, but it would still be troublesome," Hu Yu frowned, her delicate eyebrows furrowing.

Bai Su chuckled: "Then we just need to increase the amount of grain and cloth."

Hu Su was stunned for a moment, then looked at Bai Su in surprise: "Change...change more? Could it be that you, young master, also know the magic of turning stones into gold and scattering beans into ice?"

Bai Su was somewhat amused and exasperated: "I'm just an ordinary mortal, how could I possibly know any magical arts?"

"Then what does the young master mean..." Hu Yu became more and more puzzled, not quite understanding what Bai Su was up to.

Bai Su stroked his chin and pondered, "Right now, hasn't the imperial army conquered the Baiyue region and brought that malarial forest under its control? There are two treasures there that can help you resolve your worries."

A hint of surprise flashed in Hu Yi's heterochromatic eyes: "What? There's actually treasure in that godforsaken place!"

She had inquired with some generals who had returned from battle and learned that the Baiyue region was a swampy land infested with miasma, inhabited by barbarian tribes, and without even a proper capital city.

What decent treasures could such a barren and desolate place possibly have?

Bai Su smiled mysteriously: "Don't underestimate this place. It contains two priceless treasures that even the First Emperor was moved by."

"What kind of treasure is it?"

A hint of curiosity flashed across Hu Yi's face. What kind of thing could move even his mother so deeply?

Under her expectant gaze, Bai Su held a brush and drew two patterns on a piece of silk.

"This is the treasure you were talking about?"

Hu Su looked at Bai Su with a strange expression, wondering if he had been tricked.

I thought they'd pull out some treasure, but it turned out to be just a tattered cloth with two strange patterns drawn on it: one was rice, something we see every day, and the other was a strangely shaped tree.

"Don't underestimate this thing; it's a treasure that can affect the lives of people all over the world."

Bai Su explained, "This rice is called Champa rice. It comes from Lingnan and is more drought-resistant and easier to grow than rice varieties from the Central Plains."

"The yield of rice in the Central Plains is only 200 jin per mu, but this variety can yield 300 jin per mu."

"What's even more impressive is that this rice variety matures early, allowing for three harvests a year in the south, and even in the Yangtze River region where there isn't enough sunshine, it can still yield two harvests a year. Wouldn't you call it a treasure?"

Hu Yi's eyes widened upon hearing this, and he subconsciously swallowed: "What? The yield is one-third higher than that of rice varieties from the Central Plains, and it can be harvested three times a year!"

She was immediately startled, never expecting that this rice seed would be so powerful.

You have to understand that most rice varieties in the Central Plains are harvested only once a year. With this, the imperial court's grain supply could be increased several times over. Just thinking about it is terrifying.

Bai Su smiled at her blank expression, not particularly surprised.

After all, this is something that can indeed change the fate of a nation.

Since ancient times, the population of the Central Plains has always faced a bottleneck. Once it exceeds 60 million, it has almost reached its limit. No matter how the emperor reforms the system, it is difficult to change the situation of turmoil in the country.

This problem was finally solved during the Song Dynasty. Although the territory was smaller than before, the population exceeded 100 million for the first time.

Of course, this is not some reigning emperor, who is so wise and powerful.

The introduction of Champa rice from Lingnan to the Central Plains on a large scale greatly increased grain production.

As a result, many of the problems we faced in the past were naturally solved.

"No wonder you said it's a priceless treasure." Hu Yi's eyes were full of surprise.

"Not one, but two..."

Bai Su continued, "The clothes worn by the people of the Central Plains are mostly hemp cloth, and the hemp they use is called 'ju' in the Book of Songs. This material is distributed in the Yellow River area, while in the Yangtze River area, flax is the main material."

"The amount of hemp planted in the Central Plains each year is limited; it's impossible for it to increase out of thin air."

"The thing I painted is called abaca, which comes from the Baiyue region. Its leaves have a lot of fiber and can also be used to make linen."

"Moreover, banana hemp is widely distributed in the Baiyue region, practically everywhere, but no one has ever known how to extract usable substances from it."

"I will write down the recipe for making abaca for you. All you need to do is set up a caravan and take some common goods from the Central Plains to the Baiyue region. You can then exchange them for a steady stream of hemp cloth, cart after cart."

After saying that, Bai Su sighed softly.

His business was incredibly lucrative; within just a few years, he could amass a fortune and become the richest man in the area.

Unfortunately, he was too lazy. The Baiyue region was so far away, and the official road had not yet been repaired. The journey would be too bumpy and arduous, so he was too lazy to go. Fortunately, he gave the prescription to Hu Yi.

After all, she's my sister-in-law, so I should at least take care of her.

As the saying goes, money lost can be regained, and he'll have plenty of ways to make money in the future, so this one won't make a difference.

"No wonder you said this is a priceless treasure; you've really given me a wonderful gift."

Hu Yu excitedly grabbed Bai Su's arm and leaned his body on his shoulder.

Bai Su stared blankly at the girl's heterochromatic eyes and fair, delicate face.