Chapter 57: Golden Cicada Wants to Shed Its Shell

  The next day, Xia Yu and Xiao Jing Tang had another long talk. After learning about the grudges between Yang Xu's father and son and their family, Xia Yu became even more confident. He began to reveal his plans to Xiao Guan Shi: "Uncle Xiao, in these few years in Qingzhou, my business has been booming. On one hand, it's because of your excellent management, on the other hand, it's also because we've relied on the powerful Qi Wang."

  But being beside such a powerful figure has its advantages and disadvantages. The King of Qi is now taking risks to raise funds for the construction of his palace, and if something goes wrong, we will become scapegoats. We have a big family business, it's not worth taking this risk. Besides, I plan to stay in our old home after getting married, our ancestral house can't be abandoned forever.

  "We have to go back, what about the King of Qi? It's not easy to climb this big tree, and it's just as hard to leave it. I've already told the King of Qi that going to Beiping will take several months, coming back home to get married will take another few months, and after getting his permission, I can find someone to help me manage his business. I plan to take this opportunity to move our main industries and funds back to Jiangnan, slowly distancing ourselves from the King of Qi."

  Xiao Jing Tang is a down-to-earth and honest businessman. When Yang Wen Xuan was in a hurry to make a profit by taking the shortcut of Qi Wang Road, he felt it wasn't right and had advised Yang Xu against it. Now that Xia Zhen said this, Xiao Jing Tang couldn't help but feel overjoyed: "No wonder people say that men only become like real men after they get married. Look at our young master, now that he's just decided to get married, his way of thinking has become much more solid and steady than before."

  Xiao Jing Tang repeatedly expressed his approval, and the master and servant made plans before taking action. The Yang family's accounts began to be cleared up, and some unprofitable businesses were put up for public auction.

  Lin Yang pawnshop's Lin Bei Xia Lin, the big shopkeeper, was overjoyed because Yang Wenxuan had a change of heart and was willing to let him buy back the shares he now held in Lin Yang pawnshop and withdraw from its management. In his excitement, Lin the shopkeeper drank half a jar of fine wine, ran to the ancestral temple, knelt and wept with joy for half the night, and the next day set about enthusiastically raising funds.

  The most profitable shops under Yang Wenhuan's name couldn't be sold with ordinary methods. Even if Yang Wenhuan was loyal, it didn't make sense for him to sell all his businesses to raise funds for the transaction in Beiping. Although the amount was huge, it wouldn't bankrupt Yang Wenhuan. If they did it so openly, people would definitely suspect something. But what proper method could be used to get rid of these hot potatoes? After a long discussion, the two men still couldn't come up with a solution.

  That afternoon, Xia Jie was sitting in the study room, thinking hard about how to hand over his main industry to others with a reasonable excuse. Suddenly, someone came to report that a large batch of stone materials had been transported from Xieshi Village, and asked Master Xia to go to the Wangfu for delivery. Xia Jie had to temporarily put aside his worries, and took Peng Ziyu and Xiao Huo to rush to the New Qi Wangfu.

  What's been the most eye-catching thing in Qingzhou City recently?

  It wasn't Feng Jianxiao, the inspector of the provincial government office, who died from a sudden illness, nor was it Yang Wenyuan, the young master of the Huangjin Wang family, who decided to return to his hometown next spring to get married. Nor was it Miss Miao Yi, the young mistress of the Shengchun Tang pharmacy, who was preparing to recruit a son-in-law.

  Feng Jianxiao died suddenly, and the only ones who felt sad were his landlord who was on the verge of tears and a few colleagues from the provincial government; Yang Wenxuan is getting married, and the only ones who feel lost are Miss Sun Meiyi and some people who have emotional entanglements with him but have not dared to contact him actively, so they still haven't surfaced yet; while Miss Sun Meiyi is marrying into the family, the only ones who care are the shopkeeper and apprentices of the Sun family.

  The steward and apprentices of the Sun family had secretly set up a bet, betting on whether Miss would give birth to a son after marriage, changing the fate of the Sun family's two consecutive generations of mother hens taking charge and inviting sons-in-law into the family. In this bet, it was inevitable to mention Geng Yunwai. It is said that Madame Xue Lian gave birth to Miss Miao Yi, which means that Madame is fertile, but after Madame married Geng Yunwai, she had no children, which clearly shows that there is a problem with Geng Yunwai.

  As a result, Geng Yun was secretly ridiculed by the servants in the mansion again. Geng Xin was not completely unaware of these things, and the sudden murderous intention that sprouted in his heart grew stronger. He wanted to avenge the humiliation given to him by the Sun family for many years, he wanted to hold his head high and be a man!

  Once a criminal idea is born, it grows like a seed full of life, quickly taking root and sprouting.

  For the entire Qingzhou, what is currently attracting the most attention is the renovation of the house by Prince Qi.

  King Qi renovated his house, which led to many people wanting to demolish their houses. The houses were not demolished, of course. Those wealthy merchants and owners of grand mansions had invested so much heart and soul into their homes. If their mansions were reduced to rubble, the loss would be immeasurable. They would have to pay King Qi a large sum of money, begging for his mercy and generosity, which was still a fair deal.

  The construction of the Qi Wang Fu continued with great fanfare, and the surrounding residents watched as the tall buildings rose, spending their own money, but their hearts were bleeding. However, the ordinary people of Qingzhou City were overjoyed, as the construction of the Qi Wang Fu not only provided them with a large number of direct employment opportunities, but also brought in huge revenues for many industries in Qingzhou, and even small vendors benefited from it, with stalls selling snacks and daily necessities popping up all around the new palace.

  Xia Liu arrived at the location of the new Wang Fu, first saw his own manager, then busied himself with checking and verifying goods with the Wang Fu staff, after all these things were done, he took a look at the already impressive scale of the Wang Fu, Su Xing led Peng Ziyu and Xiao Huo to stroll around nearby.

  The prince's mansion, in terms of architectural style, interior decoration and personnel configuration, is very similar to the imperial palace in Beijing, only smaller in scale and fewer in staff. The prince's mansion has a long history office, trial office, dietary office, worship office, treasure house, good record office, medical office, substitute office, public office, as well as accompanying readers, professors, etiquette guides, ceremonial dressers, attendants, palace maids, inner guards, and so on, all of which are complete.

  However, the Qi King was born with a deficiency and no matter how he built it, the specifications and momentum of his palace could not be compared to the Yuan Imperial Palace of the Yan King. So, he focused on making it as luxurious and grand as possible. The entire new Qi King's palace plan covers an area of 15 hectares, with more than a thousand buildings, halls, towers, and pavilions, and its scale is grand.

  The Wangfu is now taking shape, and the two four-pillar three-door stone archways in front of the gate are made from the Yang family's Shi Liao Factory. The carved stone pillars, bases, and archways were erected as soon as they arrived, under the direction of the foremen.

  These two stone archways are each composed of twenty-eight giant stones, with a base in the shape of a tortoise, divided into three layers: upper, middle and lower. The lower layer is carved with patterns of animal feet and lotus flowers, the middle layer is carved with peony and lotus flower patterns, and the upper layer is carved with decorative flower patterns of lions, qilin, twining peonies, and lotus flowers. At the corners are carved patterns of coiled dragons. The stone pillars on the base are over two zhang high, with open carvings of coiled dragons; the horizontal tablets at the top of the pillars are carved with a pattern of two dragons playing with a pearl.

  The horizontal inscribed board with auspicious phrases such as "Le Shanyifeng", "Xiangxian Yongyu", "Xiaoyou Kuanren" and "Daya Buqun" are said to have been specially invited from the professor of the Han Zhongfu Academy in Shaanxi, Fang Xiaoru, who wrote these characters. After bringing them back, they were carved onto the stone board. A stone archway is so particular about this, it can be imagined how grand and magnificent the construction project of the entire Wang Fu is.

  Xia Liu stood outside the "Wu Chao Gate", watching as the magnificent and elegant stone archway was being built. Coincidentally, Li Gong, a minor official from Qingzhou Prefecture, and Zeng Ming also stood there to watch the commotion. Li Gong indignantly said: "The Qi Wang Fu was built less than twenty years ago, and now it's being rebuilt again at the expense of the people's sweat and blood. Our great Ming dynasty has just been established, how much wealth can we afford to let the princes squander like this?"

  Zeng sighed and said, "It's not just that, the prince also cleverly made up excuses to collect people's wealth, causing public resentment. Unfortunately, you and I are insignificant and cannot reach the emperor's ears. Those officials who have the qualifications to submit memorials to the imperial court all only know how to protect themselves, otherwise, they would definitely impeach him!"

  Li Gong coldly snorted: "How dare you? If it weren't for the Emperor's gracious permission, would the King of Qi dare to rebuild his palace?"

  Zeng Jian smiled wryly and said, "That's also true. The Emperor has always been frugal and never extravagant. As the Son of Heaven, his meals are simple - just a bowl of rice, two small dishes, and a head of garlic. He never has any delicacies from the mountains or seas. I heard from my friends in Jinhua that last year they presented him with a bag of fragrant rice, which he enjoyed very much. However, he was worried that if this rice were to be listed as tribute grain, it would disturb the local people. So, after eating one meal, he returned the remaining rice to Jinhua and ordered the local officials to bring some seeds back instead. The Emperor himself planted them in the imperial gardens with his attendants, for his own consumption. He is so strict with himself that he can be a model for all under heaven. But why is it that when it comes to the princes...he spoils them like this?"

  Two minor officials sighed endlessly, and Xia Yu listened to them with a somewhat guilty conscience. Although he didn't offer any advice, it was uncertain what absurd things King Qi might do next. This time, the people being extorted were all rich men, and the ordinary commoners in the area had not been affected. However, when he heard the two officials discussing this matter, he still felt a sense of guilt as if he had committed a crime.

  He didn't have the mood to continue watching, so he hastily bid farewell to Peng Qi and Xiao Ding, and left the Wang Fu construction site. After exiting the front gate and turning right, not far away on the street side was a row of colorful stalls selling snacks, clothes, and all sorts of accessories and trinkets.

  "Huh? So beautiful!"

  Just as they walked to a stall, Xiao Qi's eyes lit up and she suddenly rushed over. This stall sold all kinds of hair accessories for girls, and the small business couldn't afford any expensive materials, so it was cleverly used in the style and color, making the accessories look very bright and beautiful.

  In ancient China, a comb was an essential item for both men and women to keep their hair clean. However, for women, it also served as a decorative piece for their hair, so they used combs with various designs and styles.

  The small comb that Xiaohua saw was made into a butterfly shape, very exquisite, and at first glance, it seemed to come alive. The edge of the comb was painted with floral patterns and colors in the shape of a butterfly, while the two wings of the butterfly were used for combing hair, clever and skillful, making people applaud and cheer.

  But just as Xiao Qi stretched out her hand, a soft and delicate hand like jade also reached out, and the two hands touched the comb at the same time.

  P.S: Hmm, just got back, checked and uploaded, now continue writing. Friends who haven't voted yet, I'll despise you ^_^

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