IDWBE -Chapter 197 Land Reclamation

Butcher Jiang strolled back and forth outside the female prison gate, hands behind his back, glancing inside from time to time.

When a female constable came out, he hurried forward. “Miss, where’s my daughter? Why hasn’t she come out?”

The constable shook her head. “I passed along your message. Your daughter doesn’t want to see you right now—she says she’s busy. You’d better wait until she has time next.”

“What?”

Butcher Jiang leapt in anger. “Doesn’t want to see me? What kind of talk is that?”

The constable nodded. “I delivered the message. If she doesn’t want to see you, that’s not my business.”

Then she stood straight at her post at the gate.

“Ah, truly, grown daughters don’t obey their fathers!”

Butcher Jiang fumed.

Baiyun City had changed so much over the years, especially on the west bank of the Xi River. He rarely came here and didn’t expect that after arriving, he would be completely confused.

Everywhere were houses and workshops, one after another, streets and alleys in endless numbers.

After finally finding the place, his daughter refuses to see him—how infuriating!

If it weren’t for the two Third-Rank female constables at the gate, he would have barged in and scolded his daughter properly.

He had raised her from diapers to now, and now she treats him like an enemy—so heartless.

He looked at the female prison again and, resigned, turned away in anger.

Passing the Xi River Bridge, he stood on the bridge with his smoking pipe, watching the busy boats ferrying cargo up and down the river. He thought about the crates—maybe gold, maybe silver.

Better prospects than selling meat.

But what else could he do besides butchering and selling pork?

He sighed, tucked the pipe in his belt, and strolled home leisurely, hands behind his back.

Passing through Baiyun City’s main square, it was as lively as ever.

At the far north of the square stood a huge wooden platform. For the Sanhe Guard, it was the reviewing platform. Whenever troops went on expeditions, He Jixiang or Shen Chu would give speeches to the soldiers and the residents to boost morale.

For the Provincial Administration Office, it was the execution platform, where criminals sentenced to death were beheaded publicly.

At ordinary times, it was the territory of performers—actors, storytellers, and acrobats.

The hourly rental price varied. The most expensive was at night. Only traveling troupes from the north could afford five hundred copper coins for two hours.

The price before sunset wasn’t cheap either. At that moment, a troupe performing Southern plays held the stage, surrounded by ring after ring of people, mostly refugees from the south, because no one else could understand their language.

Young and old alike cheered continuously.

The iron plate for collecting coins clanged as copper coins dropped onto it.

Butcher Jiang, seeing the plate heading toward him, turned and walked away.

At the southeast corner of the square, a bulletin board also drew a crowd.

Curious, he squeezed over.

Although illiterate, he squinted at the black-and-white writing on the board.

“What does this mean?”

He poked a familiar man beside him, Sun, who specialized in making baskets.

Sun, in his forties, was thin to the bone, with barely any flesh to pinch. The only remarkable thing was the beard he had grown after getting wealthy.

He stroked his beard and said, “It’s a government notice.”

Butcher Jiang rolled his eyes. “Of course it’s a notice! What does it say?”

Sun replied, “The office wants everyone to reclaim the marshlands to the east. Whoever clears it will own it and can get a house deed and land deed.”

Butcher Jiang’s eyes lit up. “Such a good deal?”

Sanhe was vast. Normally, any unclaimed land could be cultivated or built on freely, though without approval from the Provincial Office, there’d be no legal deeds.

But Baiyun City was different. With the city’s expansion over the past two years, land was increasingly scarce. People wanted to live close to the city center.

Without the Provincial Office’s approval, building a house was nearly impossible.

Only the eastern swamps remained undeveloped, less than ten li from the office.

“It’s not that easy,” Sun laughed. “In a swamp, people and animals sink out of sight. How much soil do you need to fill it? Labor and transport all cost money. Clearing one acre costs one or two silver coins!”

Butcher Jiang sighed. “True, without some wealth, it’s really hard to manage.”

Most people thought the same—why bother reclaiming a swamp when there were wide open lands to the west, past Baiyun Mountain, that could be burned and cleared easily?

Reclaiming a swamp? Thankless work!

But within days, as workers and laborers moved east to continue road construction, the people of Sanhe couldn’t sit still any longer.

The road would lead from west to east directly to the Xi River’s estuary.

What did this mean? Those benefiting from the road understood perfectly.

Let’s go!

People of Sanhe began bringing their families, leading mules and donkeys, following the road crew to reclaim the land.

Lin Yi sat on a tree root, watching one reclamation crew after another. He mused, “The world is bustling for profit; the world is restless for gain.”

“Truly a timeless truth!”

The longer Shan Qi observed the prince, the more he admired him. Though he seemed unlearned, his words often revealed astonishing truths, exposing the essence of things in a single phrase.

“Sigh, still too poor,” Lin Yi said. “Otherwise, I’d build another bridge over the Xi River.”

The current Xi River Bridge was already insufficient. For coordinated development on both banks, another bridge was necessary.

“In a few days, the Maritime Office will transport 100,000 taels of silver,” Shan Qi said with a smile. “That will help ease the urgency.”

“Keep 10,000 taels to pay off debts,” Lin Yi said resignedly. “Give a little to each family—mainly to remind them I haven’t forgotten. Good loans should be repaid; borrowing again isn’t hard.”

Shan Qi suggested, “Sanhe Bank could contribute some silver too.”

“No need. The bank is a hen that lays eggs sooner or later,” Lin Yi laughed. “Killing the hen for a single egg is pointless. Is the Golden Rooster Mountain gold mine still unprofitable?”

He never imagined mining could lose money! Each month, heaps of silver were spent for just a little gold dust.

“Your Highness, the Golden Rooster Mountain mine is poor. It’s hard to extract,” Shan Qi said, lowering his head.

Lin Yi decided firmly, “Contract it out. Leaving it idle loses money anyway. Let it go to the highest bidder.”

Better than keeping it for himself.

“Your Highness is wise!” Shan Qi exhaled in relief.

It was hot outside, and Lin Yi didn’t want to linger, so he headed back.

At the gates of the palace, he saw Ye Qiu and Jiang Sixi, master and apprentice, staring at each other silently.

Lin Yi smiled, ignoring them, and went inside.

Jiang Sixi burst into tears after Lin Yi entered. “Master! You must avenge me! That Han Deqing beat me—it’s an insult to you! He didn’t even respect you!”

“Worthless,” Ye Qiu muttered after a long pause.

“Master!” Jiang Sixi knelt, snot and tears streaming. “I’ve embarrassed you!”

“From today, I’ll officially teach you the Bixie Sword Technique!” Ye Qiu said calmly. “Once learned, you may travel the world.”

“Ah!” Jiang Sixi cried even louder. “I was such a fool. Lord Han’s beating woke me up. I shouldn’t have argued with him further.”

Then he dashed off like a bolt.

If he learned the Bixie Sword Technique with one legitimate wife and two concubines, how could he maintain proper household authority later?