Chapter 794:  Princess’s Kindness

Translator: Atlas Studios    Editor: Atlas Studios

Yu Youyao picked up her teacup and lowered her head to take a sip. “Even the terrain of Liancheng is similar to that of Quanzhou. There’s a saying that there are eight mountains and one river. Most of the forests are naturally grown trees. Therefore, Liancheng has a tradition of raising silkworms since ancient times. Many silkworm farmers live by raising silkworms.”

They were finally here! Lord Li, who had been led in a big circle by Princess Shaoyi and was exhausted, felt like the dust had settled and he finally heaved a sigh of relief.

Whatever Princess Shaoyi said, he would just listen.

How could a mere seventh-grade county magistrate like him defeat a dignified princess under King Yue Fei’s watch?

If County Head Shaoyi was doing this for personal gain, he could still deal with her.

However, County Head Shaoyi was n.o.ble and upright for the sake of the hundreds of thousands of refugees outside the city. If he did not know his place, could it be that he had to wait for the refugees to rush into the city to fight him?

A wise man submitted to his circ.u.mstances!

After figuring this out, Lord Li relaxed a little. “Liancheng has been raising silkworms since the Han Dynasty. Every family has planted trees, and they have raised silkworms to supplement the family’s expenses. It’s just that…”

He did not finish his sentence, but Yu Youyao knew very well. “I’ve heard previously that King Yue Fei has found someone who’s proficient in raising silkworms and taught the refugees the technique. I think this method is very good. However, seeing that the spring silkworms are about to be raised and the technique has been learned, it’s time to come up with a plan.”

Lord Li actively responded, “What is the Princess’s opinion?”

Yu Youyao smiled and said, “Nanzhao County in Henan is known as the home of silkworms, but in fact, the advantage of raising silkworms in Liao Province is even greater than in Henan. Among them, Dandong is the best, and Liancheng is second. However, be it Dandong or the scale of raising silkworms in Liancheng, the production of silk is not as good as in Nanzhao County.”

How could Lord Li not know that the local n.o.bles were united and controlled the silkworm business? They bullied the individual investors and exploited the silkworm farmers, hindering the development of the silkworm industry.

Yu Youyao did not mention this and only said, “Liancheng is close to the northernmost sea area, and its population is far inferior compared to being located in the hinterland of the Central Plains like Henan and Shandong. It’s not an exaggeration to say that it’s vast and spa.r.s.ely populated. The difference in human resources is also the fundamental reason for the low production of silk.”

It wasn’t just Liancheng. The entire Liao Province, even the three northeastern provinces, were vast and spa.r.s.ely populated.

Few people meant low productivity.

With low productivity, agriculture and industry could not develop.

If the North wanted to develop, population was the most important. This was probably part of the reason why Yin Huaixi spared no effort to accommodate the refugees everywhere.

Lord Li lowered his head. Princess Shaoyi had understood the entire Liancheng, and even the three northeastern provinces, so in front of her, he always felt that he had nowhere to hide. Last night, he had been thinking about nonsense for the entire night, but in front of Princess Shaoyi, he did not dare to say a word.

Yu Youyao chuckled. “King Yue Fei has his own considerations when accepting refugees. Liancheng has a natural advantage in raising silkworms. The arrival of the refugees will cause a certain amount of trouble for the government, but it’s also an opportunity for Liancheng to develop. As long as we imitate Nanzhao County to develop the population and expand the scale of raising silkworms, the silkworm chrysalises can be eaten in spring and autumn in a year. The residue can be fed to fish, animals, and birds. At most, Liancheng will be stable in a year.”

The silkworm was actually an insect that spat out silk. It had a large appet.i.te, unlike the mulberry silkworm that could be raised at home.

Most of them were placed on trees to be raised, so a large number of people were needed.

The advantage of raising silkworms in Liancheng was so great that it could accommodate 300,000 refugees. This was a conservative estimate.

Princess Shaoyi was not lying. Instead, she had proposed a way to resolve the issule regarding the livelihood of the refugees and placed all the benefits of accepting them in front of him. If he still did not accept it, he would be a fool.

However!

Lord Li was in a difficult position. “The Princess is kind and dedicated to the people. I’m very impressed, but as for the four families…”

Expanding the scale of raising silkworms not only violated the interests of the four families, but also the interests of the entire process behind the four families. As a seventh-grade county official, he could not afford to offend them.

Yu Youyao understood and said, “Even the silk industry in the city is controlled by everyone. The silk produced by the four families has priority over military supplies. All these years, they’ve worked hard to expand the scale of silk raising and resolve the livelihood of the refugees. I can’t ask the four families to work hard anymore. Lord Li is busy settling the refugees, so he won’t be able to do anything. I won’t make things difficult for you.”

Lord Li’s eyelids twitched. He had a bad feeling.

Indeed!

Yu Youyao changed the topic. “Why don’t we do this? I also have two manors in Liancheng that raise silkworms. I’ll take the lead and join forces with the local retail investors to form a certain scale of raising silkworms. We’ll exchange our experiences and techniques. As long as there’s communication, we’ll definitely gain something. The production of silk can also increase, and the scale of raising silkworms can also be expanded. A large number of people are needed to raise silkworms. When the refugees learn the technique, they can rely on the mountains and trees to live.”

“This, this, Princess, you…” Lord Li’s legs went limp. When the retail investors gathered together, it was enough to attack the entire business of Liancheng. It was obvious that they wanted to go against the four families!

Even if he did not have to step in for this matter, as a parent official of Liancheng, he would still be affected.

Yu Youyao waited for a while, but before he could say anything, she continued, “There’s no need for the four families to work hard to sell the silk of the retail investors. I’m familiar with King Yue Fei, so I’ll directly trade them to the You army. The You army has the privilege of being free of salt tribute and can buy some military supplies on their own. The silk produced by the retail investors is still affordable.”

Lord Li was sweating profusely. Not only did he have to go against the four families, but he also had to cut off their wealth.

It had to be known that there was a quota for the Imperial Court to buy military supplies.

King Yue Fei had received orders from the retail investors. It was obvious that the Imperial Court’s purchases would be relatively reduced, and the transactions between the four families and the Imperial Court would also decrease.

The four families could no longer exploit the individual investors by buying at a low price and selling at a high price to obtain huge profits.

A large number of silk produced by their families had to be suppressed in their hands. Even if they found a way, the price of silk would definitely fall when a large number of silk entered the market.

It was obvious how great the losses were.

Even if the people behind the four families were powerful, could they still cause trouble on the heads of the va.s.sal lords who had a large army? Did they think that there were too many heads and not enough to cut off, or were they afraid that their heads wouldn’t fall fast enough?

If some people in the court benefited less, they would definitely be dissatisfied and vent their anger on the four families. The four families would also have to spend additional money to organize everything inside and out.

It was simply a double loss.

Yu Youyao chuckled. “I’m doing this to give the refugees a livelihood. However, King Yue Fei has offered deals with retail investors, so it’s inevitable that the four families will suffer losses. I have a merchant ship under my name, and the Xie family has been transferred to the North to also do the silk business. When the time comes, I’ll step in to buy the silk of the four families so that they can avoid losses.”

Lord Li was speechless. This was giving them a taste of their own medicine.