IDWBE -Chapter 285 The Porters

Xie Xiaoqing shook her head.

“I know—you don’t understand. You think that just because you practice hard-body martial arts, you’re impressive? Not to mention that you’re only at the Third Rank now—even if you reach the Fourth Rank in the future, so what? Leave aside the Barbarian King and the Four Great Guardians. If you ever see the porters of Tuigu Temple, do not even think about getting close to them.”

“What are porters?” the monk could not help asking.

“Tuigu Mountain is full of towering peaks and steep ridges. Even someone like me, a Ninth Rank, cannot walk there as if on flat ground. I must take one careful step at a time, afraid I might suddenly lose my breath and suffocate. But the porters can run across Tuigu Mountain as if flying. Remember this well—never let them get near you. Their heads and hands are harder than iron. Calling them copper skin and iron bones would not be an exaggeration. If they ever come to Liang, you would need to reach the Fifth Rank before you’re qualified to contend with them.”

“Thank you for the warning, Miss,” the monk said.

At first, he felt these porters must be terrifyingly powerful. But hearing that they were only comparable to Fifth Rank fighters, he relaxed somewhat.

Not to mention the Sanhe army—even among the civilian laborers, there were quite a few Sixth Rank fighters.

Autumn was approaching, and the sun set earlier by the day.

Seated in the main hall of the Provincial Administration Office, He Jixiang issued one decree after another. Ten days later, once-prosperous Jinling City gradually began to recover some of its former vitality.

To the citizens of Jinling, the so-called “Southern Barbarians” were far less terrifying than they had imagined.

In fact, they were almost unbelievably good.

Every day, soldiers and constables swept the streets and sprinkled water to settle the dust. Once the sun rose, patrols began their rounds.

Petty thugs fled at the mere sight of them.

Never had the streets been so peaceful.

Some merchants tried, as was customary, to offer gifts in gratitude. To their astonishment, every offer was refused.

And they dared not force the matter—if pushed too far, the soldiers would draw their blades with cold expressions.

Terrifying, wasn’t it?

Never in history had they encountered such a thing.

Money that couldn’t be given away?

What an absurdity!

Saving money should have been a good thing, yet it left many uneasy. They treated officials with excessive caution.

So when officers later came to collect a dozen copper coins as a garbage disposal fee, people were overjoyed.

Pedestrians bustled through the streets; trade routes that had been cut off resumed.

Gradually, Jinling began to flourish again.

After order was restored, Sanhe’s civilian laborers were finally allowed into the city.

But even then, numbers were restricted.

Only one thousand per day, entering and exiting with wooden passes, and absolutely no lawbreaking.

In truth, it meant keeping their heads down.

If conflict arose with locals—even if they were in the right—they would still be beaten with boards.

After all, Prince He had instructed them to take care of the people of Wuzhou. They were unfamiliar with the law and rather sensitive in pride.

“Damn it, this is suffocating,” Butcher Jiang muttered. His injuries had mostly healed, and he could walk freely again. “I really wanted to slap that restaurant owner. He dared to cheat me! Ten copper coins for a plate of pig’s trotters! How’s that any different from robbery?”

As a butcher himself, who understood meat prices better than he?

Zhu Rourong said, “Why don’t we join forces and buy up all the pigs in Jinling? Let’s see who dares act arrogant then.”

“Join forces with you?” Butcher Jiang snorted. “I’m afraid you’ll cheat me to death.”

“I’ll put up a thousand taels,” Zhu Rourong said with a grin. “Starting tomorrow, we’ll send clerks to the countryside to sign contracts with pig farmers. They won’t be allowed to sell to anyone but us.”

For a time, Sanhe had encouraged livestock farming—cattle, sheep, pigs—with subsidies. Meat production had surged, shifting from shortage to surplus.

Then Sanhe Bank introduced what Prince He called a “meat futures system.”

It took Butcher Jiang and Zhu Rourong over a year to understand it fully.

The system made them a fortune.

Afterward, they applied the concept further—what Prince He called “integrated contracting.”

Raise pigs, and we’ll pay a deposit in advance.

Regardless of whether prices rise or fall, we purchase at the contracted price.

Back out?

The yamen would decide!

Black ink on white paper—trying to deny it?

“Going to the countryside to buy?” Butcher Jiang asked.

“Of course,” Zhu Rourong replied confidently.

“Then I’ll put up a thousand taels too!” Butcher Jiang gritted his teeth. “If you screw me over, I’ll fight you to the death!”

“Suit yourself.”

Zhu Rourong snorted and went straight into an inn, booking an upper room.

After days of sleeping in the open, even he—stingy as he was—wanted a soft bed.

No sooner had he entered than Butcher Jiang followed.

After gulping down several bowls of tea, Butcher Jiang sighed. “It’s getting colder. I really want to go home.”

He no longer dared to walk around bare-chested.

At times like this, he especially missed Sanhe.

No matter the season, people like Li Sanniang and Liu Duo would never make a single coin off him there.

“This is nothing,” Zhu Rourong yawned. “In a few days, we’ll need padded jackets.”

“Then I’m definitely heading back. I can’t stand it.”

Butcher Jiang sprawled across the bed, eyelids drooping.

“If you want money, think about how much silver you’ll earn.”

With that, Zhu Rourong turned over and quickly fell asleep.

For Lin Yi, Jinling was also an entirely new environment.

Though somewhat unfamiliar, he greatly enjoyed it.

Few here recognized him. He could stroll about with a birdcage in hand, freely experiencing the city’s common life.

“Your Highness, there’s a teahouse ahead. Shall we rest a while?” Xiao Xizi, dressed as an ordinary servant, followed behind.

Lin Yi, somewhat tired of carrying the birdcage, handed it over and clasped his hands behind his back. “We’ve barely walked anywhere. Jinling’s huge. We’ll take it slow—what’s the rush?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Xiao Xizi discreetly moved the birdcage behind him, where a hidden guard promptly took it away.

Lin Yi wandered casually. Passing into an alley, he even saw women leaning in doorways, selling smiles. For a moment, he nearly acted on impulse to “alleviate poverty.”

When he reached the Fengshui River and saw an endless stream of painted pleasure boats, he ultimately refrained from boarding.

He heard someone singing:

“Jinling’s glory spans a thousand ages,
Its famed courtesans known throughout the land.”

A group of laughing men boarded a pleasure boat.

Lin Yi sighed. “Open for business even at noon. Now that’s dedication.”

Xiao Xizi said eagerly, “Your Highness, shall we also go in for some tea? This humble one has never seen such a place. Please take pity on me and let me broaden my horizons.”