Oh~~~ It's all about money!

"Working like this, I can easily pull in fifty thousand taels a year. And that is merely the beginning, because my goal is to make them compete."

Xia Lin's words filled Prefect Guo with deep skepticism. The largest county under his jurisdiction was Nanchang County, which was also the closest county to Hongdu Prefecture. As a top-tier county, its annual revenue was around two hundred and forty thousand taels. With a population of seven thousand, that averaged out to about thirty taels per person annually. On what grounds could this Xia Daosheng, running a tiny township based on some ink business, rake in fifty thousand a year?

On what grounds? On his good looks? Or his talent for composing poetry? It made no sense at all.

"This 'competing'—what does that mean?"

"It means rivalry. Making them fight it out until sparks fly." Xia Lin began to unfold his strategy and plan step by step: "There hasn't been a single day of peace among the aristocratic families for thousands of years. To you, this thing looks like a mere trivial trick, and indeed it is, but if one family has it, the others naturally must have it too. Once they have it, they will want to show off their skill. If you publish a commentary on the Analects, I must publish a commentary on Mencius. If you print three thousand copies, I will print five thousand."

Old Guo was still quite dizzy from listening, and merely nodded vaguely at him: "Go on."

"There are dozens of great aristocratic and scholarly clans across the realm: the Five Surnaces and Seven Heralds, the Eight Families of Guanzhong, the New Clans of Jiangnan, the Four Surnaces of Lingnan. Layer upon layer of them—what do they care about the most? Naturally, it is... well, the right to speak and the right of interpretation. Why was Confucius revered as a sage? Wasn't it because of his merit in bridging the past and the future? With this technology available, the moment one family starts, the others are bound to follow. If they don't follow, in time the scholars of the world will read another family's books and think in another family's terms. Before long, wouldn't that aristocratic family wither away?"

Xia Lin picked up the cup of water on Old Guo's desk, took a sip, and said with a smile: "I rushed right over the moment I arrived, and I haven't had a drink yet. Lord Guo, you don't mind me taking a sip, do you?"

Old Guo tilted his head and looked at him: "You motherfucker, you've already drank it and now you ask? Who on earth did you learn this from, you little rascal?"

"Hehe..." Xia Lin only chuckled, then continued: "This is a catfish placed into a fish tank. Once it goes down, all the other fish have to start swimming. Those who run fast grow strong, while those who lose become fish food. Tell me, are these people going to run or not?"

Old Guo blinked rapidly: "Then how can you be certain they'll buy from you? You might sell, but what if they refuse to buy?"

"They can, of course they can. But you also know what a specialty is. A specialty is something that loses its authentic flavor the moment it leaves its native soil. If someone asks, the answer is that the soil and water shape the people. If they ask further, it's due to favorable weather, geographical advantages, and human harmony. And if they still persist in asking, one can only attribute it to divine favor and a climate ideal for timber and crafts."

"Hahahaha..."

Old Guo laughed so hard he lost all composure, clutching his stomach and rocking back and forth. This little rascal was shrewd to the point of making one's scalp tingle; how could this fellow possibly be a mere township magistrate? He was a thoroughly unprincipled profiteer through and through.

When his emotions finally settled a bit, Old Guo asked, "Is there a secret formula?"

"If there were no secret formula, how would I dare dabble in this business?" Xia Lin chuckled again: "Not only does this ink have a secret formula, but the paper does too. Not just the paper, but the molds have secret formulas. Even with the molds, it doesn't end there—the tools also have secret formulas. Layer upon layer, encrypted at every level. If they want to learn, I can teach them, but whether they can master it is their own affair. Besides, my goods aren't expensive; in the end, manufacturing is inferior to buying, buying is inferior to renting, and renting equipment and venues means spending money on consumables."

Old Guo sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth, listening to this. The entire scheme flowed as smoothly as drifting clouds and flowing water. Where on earth did this kid cook this up... That clever brain of his truly wasn't something ordinary people possessed.

"Will they really come?"

"Of course. If only one family has this craftsmanship, perhaps they won't bother coming. But if everyone has this craftsmanship, then I reckon... hehe, not a single one of them will escape." After saying this, Xia Lin wagged his finger and added, "Besides, I run an open-door business. I don't engage in monopolies; I give them all the craft recipes. Whether they succeed or not depends entirely on them."

"What? You'll give it all away?"

"Naturally."

Old Guo furrowed his brows deeply, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk: "That doesn't sound right. If you give it away, how are you going to make money?"

"Lord Guo, think about it. How many recipes were left behind from the two Jin dynasties? At least three hundred dishes, right? Anyone can learn the recipes, but even when following the pattern closely, how many people can actually cook a single dish well? Furthermore, this operation is tedious and complex. You have to build workshops, select craftsmen, and cast molds. When you add it all up, the investment is immense. Yet, Xinping Township already has everything ready-made." Xia Lin began counting on his fingers: "The coal of Yongshan Township, the stones of Leping Township, the clay of Gaoling, the copper and iron of Dexing, and the iron of Shanshang Township. Wow... this place is truly a blessed land of geomancy, my lord. Other places simply cannot compare."

"You surveyed the mines?" Old Guo leaned forward, asking with curiosity: "Are there really that many?"

Xia Lin smiled, nodded gently, and then lowered his voice: "Lord Guo is welcome to visit Xinping Township for an inspection and guidance next time."

"Haha, good, good, good."

Actually, Old Guo didn't entirely believe that the traditionally barren Xinping Township had so many resources hidden around it, but since the fellow had invited him to see for himself next time, he naturally accepted the gesture with pleasure. Moreover, walls had ears when speaking in this place; no one knew whose ears their words might fall into. Some matters were truly best kept quiet. If the whole world found out, the fallout might be more than Old Guo could handle.

Having listened to Xia Lin's explanation, the fire burning in his belly had mostly subsided, but he still had to maintain his dignity. After a moment, Old Guo resumed his deadpan, strictly-business expression, tossing a token onto the table with a loud *clatter*: "If there is a next time and you fail to notify me in advance, I will definitely make you regret it."

"It was indeed my negligence this time, but circumstances were urgent. In the future, I will surely release three carrier pigeons in advance."

In truth, Old Guo knew there probably hadn't been time to report this matter anyway. What he wanted was simply an explanation; now that he had saved face and gained substance, Old Guo wasn't going to quibble over details. As long as the annual taxes were delivered, Xia Lin could make whatever chaos he pleased with the rest. After all, as long as the money arrived on time, Old Guo would gladly go and act as his promotional agent himself.

Naturally, Xia Lin had no idea how glorious Old Guo's appearance had been at the grand court assembly this year. When Old Guo laid eyes on the other regional commanders back in the capital, he had been so puffed up with pride he practically looked down at everyone through the back of his knees. Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Hangzhou, Suzhou—not worth mentioning, oh dear, simply not worth mentioning... The only heroes under heaven were Lord Guo and His Majesty alone.

"Take this military tally with you. From now on, you are also a man who commands troops. You must act with caution. Once you bear military authority, every breath you take cannot be marked by whimsy or stubbornness. Otherwise, once military law is invoked, even I won't be able to protect you."

When Old Guo spoke these words, he truly was lecturing Xia Lin like an uncle or elder guiding a younger generation. After all, handling matters with military authority versus without it required entirely different approaches. If someone managed to seize upon a vulnerability, it really could cost a man his head.

"Thank you, Lord Guo, for the reminder. I will proceed with caution."

"Get lost." Old Guo waved a hand. "Do not let me lay eyes on you in Hongdu Prefecture for the remainder of this year."

"Your subordinate will take his leave now." Xia Lin bowed deeply to Old Guo. "If Lord Guo has some free time, you must definitely visit Xinping again. Xinping is going to have quite a few new projects rolling out this year."

"New projects?" Old Guo raised an eyebrow. "Tell me about them."

"The most luxurious tier is eighteen taels and eighty wen."

"Hiss—" Old Guo drew a sharp breath. "Isn't that a bit expensive?"

"It is well worth the price."

This single remark planted a seed deep within Old Guo's heart. However, with the year only just beginning, he was also tied down by official duties. Once summer arrived and his schedule cleared up, he secretly intended to go and see what exactly those eighteen taels and eighty wen entailed.

Stepping out of the prefectural governor's residence, Xia Lin sat by the roadside and finished a massive bowl of noodles, then leaned against a stone pillar by the path to daydream and bask in the sun. After mulling things over, he realized there was no one he particularly wished to seek out and nowhere special to go in this place, so he decided to take a stroll, buy some local specialties, and head back.

Yet, as his thoughts drifted, he suddenly remembered his promise to the little princess—that whenever he came, he would find a way to let her know. With that, he stood up and began looking around.

If he were to pay a visit in person, the Prince would undoubtedly chase him out with a stick. After all, rumors had long swirled between him and the little princess, and crucially, he had already accepted the Prince's hundred-thousand-tael "breakup fee." Once money like that had been taken, showing up so blatantly was no longer quite proper, but since he had made a promise to her, he naturally had to fulfill it.

After much pondering, he spotted a child of eight or nine years old by the roadside.

"Hey, kid, come here."

Xia Lin beckoned to the boy and produced a small piece of shattered silver. "Take this money. Go outside the Prince Teng's Estate and shout for someone for me. Just shout: *'Ruyi, ruyi, follow my heart's desire.'* When someone comes running out from inside, if it's a man, turn around and run for your life; if it's a woman, tell her someone is waiting for her at the Chunjiang Restaurant."

The child took the money and left, and Xia Lin watched with his own eyes as the boy bolted in the completely opposite direction, vanishing into the crowd in the blink of an eye.

"Damn your mother..."

Realizing he had been scammed, Xia Lin muttered foul curses under his breath, then reluctantly strolled over on his own to the vicinity of the Prince Teng's Estate. Yet, lacking the nerve to shout openly, he simply intended to wait and see if any familiar faces happened to pass by the gates.

As luck would have it, just at that moment, he saw the Prince Teng's carriage pull up to the entrance. Two people were alighting from it: one he couldn't quite make out clearly, but the other he recognized instantly. It was none other than the little princess's personal maid, whose name was Qiuhua—she seemed to have graduated from the same training program as Chuntao.

Noticing that the surroundings were deserted, Xia Lin called out from the side: "Qiuhua! Qiuhua!"

Qiuhua halted, looked around in all directions, and then spotted Xia Lin sitting in the corner. Her expression first registered profound shock, and then she glanced toward the person beside her. At that moment, the other woman turned her head as well, and upon seeing her, Xia Lin froze in stunned silence. Wasn't that the little princess herself?

He truly hadn't expected that after merely a year apart, the change in her was so drastic she seemed like an entirely different person.

With dusk approaching, there were few pedestrians about, and apart from the two guards standing at attention by the estate gates, there was no one else in sight. The little princess reacted as if she had been struck by lightning; she sprinted toward Xia Lin with the wild momentum of the Monkey King just as he burst forth from the stone womb and dashed across the seashore, leaping straight onto his neck without a single word of hesitation.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa—if people see this, I'm going to be beaten to death with clubs!"