Chapter 296

"So, what will you do? Do you plan to make them pay the same docking fee as we do?"

"Don’t worry. I have no intention of helping the Crown Prince’s faction, as I said from the beginning. However, the proposal to charge them five times our docking fee doesn’t seem appropriate. My furen and I have thought about this for a while, and we believe it’s better to charge based on the type of goods."

"For example, we have people who can bring in goods such as fabrics, salt, and iron quite well. However, we aren’t as capable of bringing in sugar, fresh produce, and jade."

"So, we’ll charge double for those goods to encourage them to bring in more, which will eventually lower their prices."

"But for goods similar to ours, we’ll charge them five times the docking fee. This will significantly increase their costs for bringing goods into the city, and will encourage them to compare and see that it would be better to import different items instead."

"In the end, this benefits us as we won’t have to compete with them. In the future, we’ll be the only ones importing salt and fabric."

As soon as Official Yan heard this idea, his eyes lit up. Even without asking for the opinions of others, he believed everyone would agree.

Although the other side’s docking costs would increase to five times theirs, some of their goods had substantial value. When combining this with the docking fees, they might still have an advantage in the competition.

If the rates were equalized to five times, there would be no comparison. In any case, they would already feel oppressed. They might just dock elsewhere and use carts to transport goods. But this plan would yield different results.

Official Yan couldn’t help but admire the couple for thinking this through secretly. He now understood why the late Sage Gui admired them so much, even bequeathing his valuable collection of books to them before his death. Perhaps the old man regretted dying before he could exchange enough knowledge with this remarkable couple.

"This is a truly good idea. I will explain this concept to everyone else. Official Mu and his wife have excellent ideas. In the future, if I have any problems, I will certainly seek your assistance," Official Yan seized the opportunity to flatter the couple a little.

He was involved in the porcelain business, as the Yan family had long been skilled in this craft. This was their most lucrative enterprise, and they had highly skilled artisans. Every year, they received orders from the palace to supply various pottery items for use there.

His position as an official partly contributed to this success. Having connections in the palace was essential, which is why many sought high-ranking positions as it made everything much easier.

After seeing Official Mu’s profitable idea, Official Yan felt the other man was even more knowledgeable than himself. It wasn’t inappropriate for him to want to befriend the couple more closely.

"If my wife and I’s humble ideas aren’t laughable to you, we’d be happy to help."

"You’re too modest," Official Yan continued the conversation for a few more words before taking his leave. He also had to prepare for the Emperor’s visit. Fortunately, his wife managed this well, and they had stockpiled plenty of rice and dried meat, so they weren’t too troubled.

The only issue was building shelters for the refugees. Originally, they planned to build separate shelters for each family, but they hadn’t anticipated the Emperor’s visit today, so they had to expedite the work.

This was similar to Mu Heng and Yueqian’s situation. Initially, they intended to build several tents for each family and separate ones for the sick to ensure better conditions and privacy. However, they were unaware that the group they were to care for consisted mainly of the elderly, children, and the sick or injured. Thus, Yueqian decided to solve this issue by housing them all in the same tent.

Fortunately, they had plenty of soldiers to help, so time wasn’t an issue. During the day, they would open the sides of the tents to ensure good ventilation, preventing the residents from becoming even more ill due to poor air circulation.

This method didn’t take much time, but it might cause conflicts among people under normal circumstances. However, this group consisted only of the weak, so they lacked the ability to fight each other. The key was to manage and control the situation well and ensure that newcomers didn’t cause problems.

It’s important to remember that these people came from the same village and surrounding areas. Many weren’t with their families right now, having sent their weakest members ahead. But once all the refugees arrived, many would want to reunite with their families, inevitably causing chaos.

Yueqian and Mu Heng had to tighten their control. They used the excuse of closely monitoring the weak, while keeping the strong together. Though they might worry about their families, they had to trust them.

To welcome the Emperor, Yueqian and her husband needed to be present at the refugee grounds. They had already secured this area. Next to them was the Chang family’s area, which they had secured after Yueqian’s family. It seemed the Chang family truly liked them. Even Furen Chang had likely heard about the help her daughter had received earlier, thus expressing clear friendliness.

"Official Mu, Furen Mu," a middle-aged woman with a still beautiful face greeted them. Yueqian smiled back warmly. Previously, the Chang family had sent a welcome gift for Xihao, a valuable statue of Buddha. Yueqian had already accepted their goodwill. This powerful family accepted the monk’s prophecy and supported their son, so how could they not get along?

"Furen Chang, how are you?" Yueqian greeted her in return. The middle-aged woman laughed heartily.

"A lot has happened lately, but because of that, my daughter finally received a royal marriage decree with her fiancé. So, we’ve had more good news lately. Of course, I’m very grateful to you."

"Furen Chang, please don’t give me so much credit. Miss Chang is a wonderful and accomplished woman. Even without the imperial decree, her fiancé loves and cherishes her greatly," Yueqian praised the poor girl a bit. Fortunately, with a deputy general as her fiancé, her future seemed bright.

"May she be loved until old age. In the capital, everyone envies you, Furen Mu." Being the pricipal wife, she understood the chaos within the household.

Moreover, her daughter’s fiancé was a deputy general, who already had several concubines in the manor due to his frequent travels and battles. He often returned with women he met along the way. In normal circumstances, the main wife had to remain calm, as those women were seen as temporary companions and not highly significant. However, every woman desired to become the primary wife.

If the principal wife of the manor is weak, she will become a steppingstone for others to bully. Thus, her frail daughter must become much stronger in the future, or she will continue to be mistreated.

Yueqian smiled slightly, not daring to boast too much about her own good fortune, lest people become jealous. Nonetheless, she didn’t deny that she was currently very envied by other women.

Her husband had no concubines and had bravely declared that he didn’t want any imperial marriage decrees. There was no other man like Mu Heng. So, Yueqian genuinely accepted the compliment of being lucky.

"By the way, I heard that you didn’t know beforehand that you would be responsible for the first group of refugees?"

"That’s right. But fortunately, I was always prepared. In situations like this, you must always be ready to help," Yueqian explained. She didn’t blame anyone, knowing that those responsible for this would have their own excuses to avoid accountability.

"Yes, that’s right, but it’s quite frustrating. It takes several days for the soldiers to arrive, and they didn’t even think of sending a message ahead?" Furen Chang also felt something was amiss, so she continued to complain. Yueqian didn’t pursue the topic further and instead shifted the conversation.

"And how about you, Furen Chang? Are you ready to receive the refugees?"

"Of course. I actually think the refugees will arrive in a day or two. However, there is still a lot of work to do. Initially, I planned to build individual shelters for each family to make them more comfortable. But after seeing your large tents, I realized they are easier to manage. During the day, we can open them up to see what the people inside need and if they require assistance."

"If we let them stay in separate tents, any fights or issues would be harder to see. That’s why I plan to change the tent structure, but I’m not sure if it will be ready in time." Furen Chang saw the benefits of the large tents and wanted to adopt the idea.

"But such large tents offer little privacy. The people might not be happy about that," Yueqian pointed out.

"At first, I thought so too. But for the sake of order, I will have to explain this to everyone. Previously, they were under government care without even shelter from the rain. When it rained, they had to scramble for tarps or find other places to stay. The government didn’t care much about them then."

"Now that it’s our responsibility, people demand this and that without any regard for rules. Besides, this is just temporary refugee grounds. In a few days, when the water recedes, they’ll have to go back anyway, right? We can’t build houses for everyone," Furen Chang vented her frustrations to her heart’s content, making Yueqian feel more at ease with her.

The two neighbors exchanged thoughts like women often do. Meanwhile, Mu Heng was inspecting the area with Official Chang, and the two men got along well. Official Yan, seeing them, also joined them for a conversation.

"Mother, are you talking with Furen Mu?" A sweet voice greeted her mother as a lovely young girl appeared. She also formally greeted Yueqian. The beautiful woman quickly waved her off from doing so.

"No need for formalities, just act naturally with me, Miss Chang."

"But you still call me Miss Chang. Weren’t you going to call me Mei’er?" The young woman gave a slight reprimand, prompting her mother to lightly tap her on the arm.

"Such impudence."

"Ouch, that hurt."

"I only tap lightly. How could it hurt that much?" Furen Chang glared at her daughter. Watching their closeness, Yueqian couldn’t help but sigh.

Being separated from her daughter, she wondered when they could joke around like this again. Fortunately, she still had Xihao nearby. Otherwise, her maternal heart would be too heavy to bear.

"Furen Mu, help me. My mother is the cruelest," Chang Mei clung to Yueqian’s arm, using her as a shield. This made the other party’s mother want to beat her daughter even more, but unable to act, she merely warned the girl sternly.

Chang Mei laughed brightly, satisfied after her mother’s defeat. The beautiful woman then looked at Yueqian with hesitation, unsure if she should speak, but ultimately decided to say what was on her mind.

"Furen Mu."

"Hmm?"

"I, actually, I want to start a business," Chang Mei whispered to Yueqian softly, not wanting her mother to overhear.

"What kind of business?""Well, earlier my fiancé gave me a piece of embroidered cloth as a gift, and I found it incredibly beautiful. So, I thought..." The young woman clasped her hands together in embarrassment, looking at Yueqian like a daughter pleading for a treat from her mother.