Transmigration: From Farmer To Empress
Chapter 1159 - 1164: Green-faced (4)

Chapter 1159: Chapter 1164: Green-faced (4)

Seeing Cai Wei had arrived, Zhao Yun said with a blossom of joy, "Miss, you’re finally here! Our shops were all built more than ten days ago, and those shops you promised to Tuoba Liang have already opened for business. We haven’t started anything here yet; we’re just waiting for you to make the decisions!"

Cai Wei laughed and said, "What’s the hurry? The house was just built and needs to be aired out for a few days before moving in, otherwise, the dampness inside is not good for one’s health!"

Zhao Yun said, "It’s too late to say that now, Miss. I, the people from the Du family, and the more than a hundred people sent by the Crown Prince have all moved in!" Being far away in Lingbei, Zhao Yun was still unaware that Nangong Yi had ascended to the throne, so she continued to refer to Nangong Yi as the Crown Prince.

"Nangong Yi sent people over?"

Without explaining that the Crown Prince was now the Emperor, Cai Wei asked excitedly, "Who did he send, and how long have they been here?" She was delighted—Nangong Yi had indeed helped her as he had casually mentioned. With these people, plus some things she had stored in her space, her shops would quickly open a large batch!

Zhao Yun said, "Most of them are skilled workers—doctors, chefs, embroiderers, shoemakers, a wide variety of professions. Half of all possible trades are represented! It’s just, now that we have people, Miss, when shall we open the shops?"

Cai Wei said, "I plan to start with an inn soon, so you’ll also have a place to stay. Then open a jade shop, a medical center, a rice shop, a fabric store, and also a few restaurants..."

Zhao Yun took out the commercial street plan for Cai Wei to see. On the plan, about one-third of the shops were marked with check marks. Cai Wei understood that these checked shops must be the ones picked by Tuoba Liang. Thankfully, Tuoba Liang had been decent enough not to just pick the central prime locations; he had chosen evenly among the shops he was entitled to.

Zhao Yun said, "Miss, you first need to decide where you want to locate the shops you just mentioned. Additionally, how do you plan to manage the several hundred remaining shops? Are you going to keep them all to open our shops?"

Cai Wei said, "We can lease them out as a start, and after a couple of years, when the trade here has developed, we can gradually take back the houses and open our own shops. Later, I’ll meet the people Nangong Yi sent and, based on their expertise, tell them to quickly start their own shops."

"Hmm, that sounds good."

Zhao Yun said, "But, in Lingbei, where the land is vast and the population sparse, I fear business might not be very good. Miss, it’s best to be prepared mentally!"

Cai Wei laughed and said, "My investment in Lingbei isn’t just to earn silver. As you’ve seen, the People of the Meng Slaves live in a state of primitive ignorance—stupid, backward, with extreme inequality among people, and the status of women is particularly worrisome. To change a nation’s intrinsic nature and advance it, the best method isn’t martial suppression, compelling them toward civilization, but rather to make them prosperous. Only when people’s lives are abundant and they no longer struggle for their livelihood will they think of improving their own spiritual realm, and society will slowly develop in a harmonious direction; otherwise, without even the basic needs met, who has the energy to push for social progress?"

"Of course, money still needs to be earned. Although Lingbei and our Great Jin Dynasty are separated by Tianlun Mountain, they are not isolated from Liaodan. We can vigorously develop trade between Lingbei and Liaodan. With glass as a backup and our careful management, the Meng slaves will soon become wealthy."

Her words deeply impressed Zhao Yun, who said, "Miss, I hadn’t realized you held such profound righteousness and cared for the world so deeply. It’s truly admirable, no wonder the Crown Prince is fond of you. To be honest, I also quite dislike the ignorance and backwardness of the Meng slaves, especially the extreme inequality among people. Although I disapprove, I’ve never thought about changing their social state, just ranted about it and then dropped the subject. I couldn’t imagine you would have such an ambition, Miss. I’m really in awe of you."

With a smile, Cai Wei said, "Don’t admire me just yet; let’s first find a few reliable people. I want to teach them the craft of making roasted meat skewers. In Lingbei, there are many cattle and sheep, but from what I see, most of the beef and mutton they eat is just boiled in water, or at best, carelessly roasted. Therefore, my roasted meat skewers will surely be a hit in Lingbei!"

"That’s a great idea, Miss!"

Zhao Yun agreed and said, "The culinary skills of the Meng slaves are simply too poor, it makes one want to vomit. As long as a restaurant from our Great Jin Dynasty opens here, it will surely squeeze out those Meng slave eateries!"

"Hehe, that’s exactly what I think!"

As the two of them went to look for people, along the way, anyone who saw Zhao Yun, whether they were from the Meng slaves or from our Great Jin, without exception paid their respects to Zhao Yun with a bow, and addressed her, "Miss Zhao Yun!"

Cai Wei laughed and said, "I didn’t expect that just one month after Sister Zhao Yun’s arrival, she would already have such overwhelming popularity. It seems Sister Zhao Yun’s personal charm knows no national borders!"

Zhao Yun said, "Miss is joking, what popularity, what personal charm, it’s all because the older sister has granted me the authority to manage the affairs of Lingbei, and everyone is giving me a little face out of respect for the older sister."

Cai Wei teased, "If you say the people of Great Jin respect Sister Zhao Yun out of regard for my thin face, that might be convincing, but for those Meng slaves to still be so respectful to Sister, claiming it’s out of respect for my face, seems a bit far-fetched."

Zhao Yun pursed her lips and said, "Perhaps they see everyone respecting me, so they follow suit."

Cai Wei chuckled, "Sister Zhao Yun is intelligent and wise, with a unique personality. Anyone would respect Sister, and if there were any blind fool who dared not to, they would certainly be beaten by Sister’s admirers until they were searching the ground for their teeth."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun’s ears turned red, and she unnaturally twisted her face to the side, changing the subject, "If we are going to open many shops in the future, relying solely on the few people sent by His Highness the Prince will be far from enough to boss around. I wonder if the Miss has any plans?"

Zhao Yun had diverted the topic, seemingly not wanting to talk about her matters with the Young Prince. Cai Wei wasn’t in a rush as she planned to stay in Lingbei for several days, and this amount of time was more than enough for her to uncover the truth!

"You don’t need to worry about that, in the future, criminals from the court will be sent to Lingbei to serve as slaves, they will be under your command. I’m afraid you’ll have to worry about not having enough space to accommodate them all!"

Upon hearing there were people to boss around, Xiang Yun immediately brightened, "Having people to boss around is great, I was worried about having too many shops and not enough of our hundred or two hundred people to handle the workload!"

As the two continued talking while walking, Cai Wei suddenly noticed a few strange men. These individuals looked and dressed no different from the Meng slaves, except the expressions in their eyes were noticeably off.

In her past life, Cai Wei had a background as a bodyguard, so she was extremely sensitive. When those men appeared to casually walk by within her field of vision, Cai Wei immediately became alert.

However, she didn’t take these few men too seriously. After noticing them, she just let out a cold laugh and continued her conversation with Zhao Yun, all the while, her clear and cold pupils took on a few hints of a sharp killing aura.

If they’re looking for death, let them come...