IDWBE -Chapter 114 The Auction

“Very good. As discussed before—fifty taels of silver for first place, thirty for second, ten for third. And keep the competitions going.”

The purpose behind Lin Yi’s events was simple: improve tools for production and daily life. Even the slightest modification to a plow—if it allowed a bit more land to be tilled—counted as progress.

This was, after all, a thoroughly agricultural society.

Lin Yi had received higher education. He had “eaten pork and seen pigs run,” as the saying went—he understood the modern world.

But he would never transplant modern systems wholesale into this place.

Every system arises from its own historical context.

If the old has not yet faded and you forcibly graft the new onto it—without coherence, merely through mechanical imitation or blind advocacy—you only produce a clumsy caricature.

Better to start with small things and cultivate the spirit of the people.

For example: awareness of hygiene; a serious attitude toward studying arithmetic and chemistry; and, in daily production, an enterprising spirit of innovation.

He wanted to first improve the social ethos.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Xie Zan refilled his own tea and took a sip before continuing. “That blacksmith from Nanzhou is quite remarkable. The blades he forges can slice through iron like mud. Lord Bian has already funded a smithy for him.”

“Blades are secondary,” Lin Yi said while peeling a lychee. “Those are for battlefields. Sanhe doesn’t need them urgently. Better that they forge more sickles, shovels, chisels, and hammers—those are practical. Any kind of competition can be held. Brick firing, porcelain making, carriage building, bow crafting, carving, shipbuilding—these are all skilled trades. As long as someone does it well, I won’t be stingy with silver.”

“Your Highness is wise!”

“Spare me the flattery. Use your brains. Sanhe must not only retain people—it must retain talent.”

He paused, then added, “Also, have Lord Bian and the blacksmiths work together to figure out how to keep cannons and muskets from exploding.”

Ever since learning from Consort Wen about the true background of Jizhao Nunnery, he had felt faintly uneasy.

No matter what, he needed some means of self-defense.

He possessed a strange confidence: once equipped with cannons and long guns, even bronze skin and iron bones could be blasted to pieces.

“Rest assured, Your Highness,” Xie Zan replied seriously. “I will do everything in my power.”

In truth, this hardly needed mentioning.

This was already the primary focus of their group of old men.

Especially He Jixiang—the former Commander of the Capital Garrison—who understood the importance of firearms better than anyone.

Under Lin Yi’s encouragement, competitions in Baiyun City multiplied.

Not only official ones—but private ones too.

The entertainment industry, previously devastated, gradually revived.

A merchant fleeing from Hongzhou brought advanced business concepts and opened the first brothel in Baiyun City.

He even organized the city’s first Courtesan Queen Competition.

Suddenly, Baiyun City brimmed with new vitality.

Singing girls and dancing beauties—lively and bustling.

Lin Yi was so moved he nearly wept with joy.

He instructed those around him that such a brothel owner was a rare talent—he must be well protected. Under no circumstances should anything happen to him!

Thus, even yamen constables helped maintain order at the competition.

Autumn harvest began one after another.

Large ships returned to Baiyun City in endless succession, clogging the riverway.

Neither local residents nor refugees had ever witnessed such a grand spectacle. The banks of the West River were packed tight with onlookers.

“Who uses a rat as a banner?”

“That rat on the flag is huge!”

People pointed and laughed at the flags fluttering from the ships.

“Nonsense!” locals who knew the Prince’s banner well retorted coldly. “That’s an otter! Not a rat!”

“Exactly! Are you blind? Can’t tell the difference between a rat and an otter?”

“But what’s the difference?” others protested. “They both have whiskers!”

Arguments erupted everywhere.

Along with spices, ivory, coral, pearls, and other South Sea specialties, the ships also brought long lines of South Sea natives bound by rope.

They were publicly auctioned in Baiyun City.

Prices ranged from five hundred copper coins to three taels of silver, depending on gender and strength.

Young women and adult men fetched the highest prices.

Young women could serve as maids—or satisfy certain wealthy patrons’ desires.

Adult men were the best source of strong labor. With harvest underway, the fields were filled with these natives working tirelessly.

As for the elderly and children—they too had their uses, such as drying grain or minding children.

Lin Yi himself had not expected that the “auction method” he introduced in Sanhe would be used so skillfully.

Driven by curiosity, he attended an auction personally.

He noticed that some so-called “South Sea natives” clearly were not natives at all—their appearances differed greatly. It was unclear where they had been abducted from.

He suspected they might have been captured along the coast of Ayu Kingdom, but he had no proof.

His conscience stirred. He had wanted to ban the keeping of natives in Sanhe.

But he feared acting too rashly would damage maritime trade.

So instead, he repeatedly issued regulations through the Provincial Administration Office:

Even the keeping of natives must comply with Sanhe’s Basic Law.

Buying them was one thing—but wages must be paid.

Killing or beating them at will was forbidden. They too had the right to file complaints.

Those with scholarly aspirations could attend school; those strong in martial ability could join the garrison.

In short, everything must follow the principle: “Once you arrive, you are a person of Sanhe.”

For Lin Yi, using “natives” to bolster Sanhe’s labor force was a reluctant measure.

At this moment, Du Yinniang, Tian Shiyou, Ge Laoshan, Liang Gen, Qiu Wujin, along with Shan Qi and Xie Zan, all sat at the Prince He Residence dining table.

Lin Yi held his teacup in silence.

Suddenly Shan Qi spoke: “Gentlemen, according to Liang Law, private minting of currency is punishable by immediate execution.”

Seeing that the Prince remained silent, his confidence grew.

Powerful families like Liang Gen and Qiu Wujin must not be allowed to grow unchecked!

Liang Gen and Qiu Wujin abruptly knelt before Lin Yi, startling him.

He stood up and waved dismissively. “Your disputes with the yamen—I have no interest in meddling.”

With that, he left the room, taking Dahei, who had been gnawing a bone under the table.

Everything was moving in the best possible direction.

At last, he had time to continue writing his novel.

After a period of tireless effort, his 300,000-character epic Proud War God was finally complete.

“My admiration for Your Highness is like the surging river—endless and unceasing!”

Hong Ying was ecstatic.

He had become the book’s very first reader!

Through it, he finally understood what was meant by “Where does compassion arise?” and “The great doctrine spreading across the world”—truly grasping profound mysteries.

For three sleepless days and nights, he read the novel seven times.

He simply could not put it down.