Chapter 0163: Emperor Jian’s Frivolous Diversions, Xie Chengze’s Growing Disappointment
“Madam, you jest. This requires no martial skill whatsoever,” the soldier chuckled. “Men, women, and children alike can all partake. Please don’t underestimate yourself—you might even surpass the men in skill!”
“Truly?” The lady’s interest was piqued, and she glanced expectantly at her husband.
The wealthy merchant opened his mouth to speak, but the soldier cleared his throat, ready to launch into his spiel about “a happy wife bringing prosperity to her husband.” “Sir, as the saying goes—”
“Wait, wait, wait—!” The merchant had no desire to hear that speech again. As a businessman, he knew better than to tempt fate. If Liaozhou frowned upon those who treated their wives poorly, he wouldn’t risk offending local customs. He directly pulled out his money pouch and tossed it to his wife. “Go enjoy whatever catches your eye. When you’re tired, wait for me in the carriage.”
The lady beamed with delight, retrieving ten taels of silver and handing them to the soldier. “Then find me the finest Ice Skating Instructor. And these two extra taels are your reward.”
Clearly, the remark about “surpassing the men” had pleased her immensely.
“Right away!” the soldier exclaimed cheerfully. His Highness was absolutely correct—there would always be generous merchants offering tips, and in such moments, one must—
“Line up! Line up! The lady has rewarded us with two taels! Welcome the lady to the rink!” he announced loudly.
At once, the soldiers maintaining order and those available for skating lessons snapped to attention, facing the lady and chanting in unison: “Welcome to the rink, madam! May you have a wonderful time!”
The fanfare was extravagant—all about delivering that emotional satisfaction!
The commotion drew crowds, all eager to see what this “Ice Skating” was all about.
Emperor Jian had taken the VIP passage, where attendants awaited him with a pair of custom-fitted, premium ice skates.
Many officials followed suit, each assigned a dedicated instructor. After some basic lessons, they tentatively wobbled onto the ice, attempting to skate on their own.
With his martial arts background and excellent balance, Emperor Jian quickly grasped the technique. Hands clasped behind his back, he glided effortlessly across the rink.
From time to time, he taunted the still-learning officials: “Oh, Minister Liu, you’re hopeless! Your legs are shaking worse than a sixty-year-old granny from the village!”
“Minister Jiang, be bold! Why are you cowering like a mouse? How will you assist my son in the future if you’re this timid?”
“Minister Wang, how many times have you landed on your backside now? It’s just like your official career—up and down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down—”
Ministers Liu, Jiang, and Wang inwardly groaned: How utterly insufferable!
After his skating stroll, Emperor Jian wandered over to the children’s area to play with spinning tops on ice. He learned to whip the tops into motion and competed with a group of children to see whose top spun the fastest and longest. Those who beat him were rewarded with a few copper coins to buy ice lanterns from the market stalls.
Hours flew by in this manner. As another firework bloomed in the sky, signaling that it was time for everyone to head home and rest, the soldiers began their shift change. They informed the departing crowds that a Puck viewing competition would be held on the afternoon of the New Year’s Festival, and all were welcome to attend.
Yet another novelty they’d never heard of.
In the VIP passage, dedicated staff were explaining the rules of puck games to the wealthy merchants, who listened with great enthusiasm. Their interest peaked especially upon learning they could place bets on the matches.
By the end of the day, Sheng Yiren calculated they had earned a full seven thousand taels—and that was just from one evening, not even including the rental fees from the merchant stalls along the sidelines.
Only half of the wealthy merchants and commoners had arrived so far, with many more still on their way.
Xie Chengze stroked his chin thoughtfully. This was merely the small change; the real windfall would come from the afternoon’s betting and auction. By then, the rich merchants would surely compete to outspend each other, lavishly throwing money at his little venture.
It was no wonder he had Sheng Yiren send invitations in the royal name to the wealthiest merchants.
Though the imperial court was poor, the merchants were not. Back when the previous emperor, leveraging his proximity to Jingcheng, stormed the capital to overthrow the tyrant, he seized the imperial palace and, with the support of the Su and Cao families, declared himself emperor. He then began quelling rebellions across the land, funding the military campaigns entirely with the former dynasty’s treasury.
As for the merchants’ silver, it remained firmly in their hands. Cunning and shrewd, they excelled at amassing and protecting their wealth. Taking advantage of the emperor’s distant reach, they colluded with local officials to evade taxes, each growing immensely wealthy.
They hoarded their gold and silver, refusing to let it circulate in the market. This led to vast wealth disparities between local and regional businesses, hindering Jian’an’s fiscal and economic development.
Since they were unwilling to let their silver flow to the court, Xie Chengze had no choice but to find ways to coax—well, persuade—them to spend it willingly.
Let the rich lead the way to prosperity: divert wealth from the southeastern coast to the northern regions, and use these funds to develop the coal mining industry. Only then could the northern populace gradually grow wealthy.
However, he still had to consider the resulting shortage in agricultural productivity. He hoped that after promoting arithmetic education, some inventive geniuses would emerge to create more advanced farming tools. This would free up farmers’ hands, allowing them to engage in industrial activities without compromising agriculture.
Ah, ensuring that the people of Jian’an wouldn’t rebel and securing a stable, leisurely life as the second-generation “Salty Fish Emperor” was truly a long and arduous task!
Xie Chengze sighed deeply, so worried that he felt two eyebrows might have fallen out. Turning his head, he saw Emperor Jian still playing with abandon, which made him sigh even more despairingly and feel disheartened. “Play, play, all he does is play! Look at other fathers, working tirelessly to secure a future for their children. And him? He’s completely absorbed in frivolous pursuits, showing no understanding of his child’s hardships!”
Beside him, Xie Zimiao was licking a sugar ball and nodded her little head vigorously in agreement, like a chick pecking at rice. “That’s right! To earn money, I boil dung balls every day. And him? All he knows is how to play!”
Emperor Jian, absorbed in his frivolous pursuits, sneezed four times in a row.
Huh?
One sneeze means someone is thinking of you, two means they’re cursing you, three means they’re gossiping about you—so who was gossiping about him?
It must be that little nag Xie Chengze again. Heh-heh, not listening, not listening, just gonna keep playing~
——
On New Year’s Day, every household hung lanterns and decorations. Children dressed in new clothes ran to the ice rink to play. Adults gathered to make dumplings, adding a few copper coins inside for luck. After eating their fill, they went to the ice rink to admire the ice sculptures and watch the wealthy set off firecrackers.
Yes, that’s right—watch the wealthy set off firecrackers.
I’ve heard that firecrackers are quite a rarity—they once scared away those fierce and brutal Xiongnu at the border! So during the New Year Festival, as long as these firecrackers are set off, the Xiongnu would flee in terror, not daring to invade Jian’an again.
And this string of firecrackers actually costs a full thirty taels of silver. It’s said that the more firecrackers you set off, the more prosperous your business will be this year, and the more profit you’ll earn. For the sake of good fortune, many wealthy merchants, rolling in riches, would buy several strings and set them off outside the ice rink just to hear the explosions.
The Jiang family alone bought twenty strings of firecrackers in one go.