Chapter 174
Yuanying was always decisive and efficient. He didn’t intend to waste time arguing with influential figures in Henan Province. After sending out invitations, he proceeded with venue arrangements. Whether people attended or not, the seatings were arranged in such a way that just a quick glance would tell who was present.
Those who didn’t want to be associate will not be included!
Li Yuanying had been preparing for the “Pearl of the Orient” project for almost half a year. The gathering will be scheduled at Feng Thai restaurant while the letter to Chang’an is being delivered.
As morning approaches, carriages and horses began to arrive in Tengzhou. Most after careful consideration, decided to send an influential representative to attend. The common folks thus saw many distinguished-looking nobles arriving and the streets and alleys were bustling with activity.
Yuanying listened to reports about the situation and was satisfied that everyone was giving him face. He and Wei Shu divided the work, they were each responsible for the male and female guests, ensuring that all were well taken care of!
Wei Shu, now experienced, wasn’t intimidated. Once she received the list, she started assigning work to the staff. Yuanying had it even easier, simply dumping everything to others, without a care in the world!
Lu Zhaolin and Luo Binwang were much more tired, mainly because Yuanying said that they were handsome and talented. Lu Zhaolin, coming from a prominent family, was very knowledgeable about the affairs of various aristocratic clans, so he was tasked to represent Tengzhou in welcoming important guests.
Yuanying showered them with compliments, so Lu Zhaolin and Luo Binwang felt that they couldn’t refuse him. They resigned themselves to their duties, busily handling everything perfectly. As for the more detailed arrangements, Wu Mei, Di Renjie, and others were responsible for overseeing everything!
Yuanying ate and slept well. He was fully refreshed before finally arriving with Wei Shu and Gao Yang just in time for the main event.
Seeing Yuanying looking healthy and well-fed, Gao Yang felt a little sorry for Lu Zhaolin: “You seem to have it easy. Lu Zhaolin and the others haven’t slept for days figuring out the guest lists.”
Yuanying finding her reaction stange glanced at Gao Yang. “It’s not like you’re doing anything. What are you complaining about?” If the others didn’t want to work, he wouldn’t force them. But since they were willing, he naturally let them take charge. This is good training opportunity!
“If they seize this opportunity, they wouldn’t flustered when they become real officials in the future. Even if they don’t, they’ll still have the skills to host banquets at home. Learning won’t hurt.”
Gao Yang was speechless. After a while, she scoffed, “You talk so much, why don’t you learn too?”
“I don’t need to. There will always be people doing it for me. If I ever really fall so low that no one will, then no one will even come to my invitations. Why bother getting the shame!” Born into a life of luxury and beauty, he never had to face the harsh realities. He had everything that others could only dream of, and it never crossed his mind that he would one day have to do things himself.
Gao Yang wanted to argue on Lu Zhaolin’s behalf and she wanted to retort that “he don’t need to too” but the words lacked conviction, so she reluctantly shut up. Upon arriving at the restaurant, Gao Yang immediately saw Lu Zhaolin standing gracefully among the guests. The young man was exceptionally handsome, neither arrogant nor humble, appearing like a jade tree from afar.
Perhaps noticing their arrival, Lu Zhaolin looked up. Meeting Gao Yang’s gaze, his eyes narrowed slightly, he then flashed them a bright and generous smile.
If Lu Zhaolin was like a gentle breeze and a bright moon, then Luo Binwang was like a cold star in a dark night—equally outstanding, yet completely different. Everyone who saw them exclaimed, “What excellent young men!”
They say seeing is believing. Many came to discover the many talented people under Li Yuanying’s command. Regardless of their abilities, their appearance alone surpasses many!
Although men care less about appearances, good looks regardless of gender, always make a good impression. After being properly welcomed by the team, the guests felt a deeper curiosity about the “Pearl of the Orient” project mentioned in the invitation.
Li Yuanying touted this port construction plan grandly, but many remained hesitant.
Mainly because they felt that there was nothing at sea; so what’s the point of such a large port?
The Grand Canal, dug by the Sui Dynasty, connected the north and south; isn’t this wide and smooth canal much safer than sea travel? At sea, one might easily encounter storms or hit a giant rock! As for trading with small countries, those places were in turmoil so no one was interested in risking their money.
Most had decided to give Li Yuanying face by attending but when it comes to funding, they would only contribute a token amount, absolutely no more!
Upon Li Yuanying’s arrival, the guests fell silent.
Yuanying disliked lengthy speeches. He glanced around and ordered a large screen to be brought out.
The screen depicted the entire harbor which is soon to be under construction: spacious docks, neat warehouses, and straight well-connected roads. Just seeing this rendering, everyone felt the harbor was truly magnificent! Below the docks, countless ships were entering, bringing goods from all over, some from the north, some from the south—a bustling scene indeed!
This time, Yuanying wasn’t begging for money. He instead plan to issue 3 types of tickets in stages. First is the “Pearl of the Orient No. 1 Ticket,” which the public can freely purchase now. “Pearl of the Orient No. 2 Ticket” & “Pearl of the Orient No. 3 Ticket” will be released later and those who purchased ticker 1 now will have priority!
The Pearl of the Orient No. 1 Ticket wasn’t just an ordinary piece of paper; it’s limited edition, with few large denominations and more smaller denominations, allowing everyone to purchase according to their means.
All the large denomination tickets were cut from a harbor planning map. When pieced together, the front displays the entire harbor and the back contained specific purchase information. Each person was limited to one ticket only. The medium and small denomination tickets were more in quantity and when pieced together according to their serial numbers also form pictures of the harbor—ingenious design!
Not only was the design cleverly crafted, the paper is specially selected by Deng Qing. It is moisture and heat-resistant, the ink didn’t fade easily, and the papermaking formula was unique, effectively eliminating the possibility of counterfeits.
Yuanying showed the full picture, explaining that he had prioritized them because his fiefdom was in Henan Province.
This wasn’t about wasting money on a piece of paper; rather, it represented the “Pearl of the Orient” project borrowing money from everyone. If anyone bought some and later no longer wanted it, they could sell it back to Prince Teng at his mansion (acting as an exchange center) at the original price, or transfer it to someone interested!
If you held onto it, once the port was completed and profitable, Prince Teng’s team will return the principal and then provide a corresponding share of dividends over the next five years. For a small fee, everyone could potentially buy a golden goose that lay eggs!
If no one was interested, he would swallow his pride and solicit bids elsewhere. He only knows a few people, like Duke Li Jing of Wei, Minister Zhangsun Wuji, Minister Fang Xuanling, and a bunch of princes and princesses; he didn’t know others well.
“See Li Dejian standing there? That’s the eldest son of the Duke of Wei, the top guy training new navy group for Tang! And next to him is Du He, the son of Duke Du Ruhui of Lai and the husband of Princess Chengyang—the second-in-command of the new Tang navy. From now on, everyone’s ships can sail with the navy leading the way. They’ll train and protect at the same time—how reassuring, right?”
After finishing his eloquent speech, Yuanying directly announced the start of the subscription process. Today, only large and medium-denomination coupons are available for purchase. The remaining small-denomination coupons will be issued to all citizens through the exchange. Small and medium-sized households can purchase small-denomination coupons as long as they can afford one string of cash, and can redeem their principal at the exchange at any time. There will be no deception or delays!
Even the large-denomination coupons didn’t require much money, far less than everyone had anticipated. Those who had initially thought they would be ripped off were relieved, but felt a strange sense of loss: why was Li Yuanying asking them to pay less than the wealthy and powerful families of Hu County? Did Li Yuanying consider them less valuable than the merchants of a county?
Although the Emperor wouldn’t hold listing ceremony for them, and Yuanying hadn’t taught them how to grow watermelons, they still felt a little looked down upon for paying such a small amount!
Since Li Yuanying promised a full refund at any time, everyone present generously paid for a large-denomination coupon, giving Li Yuanying ample face.
Some were a step too slow and could only set their sights on medium-denomination bonds. Buying just 8 or 10 bonds is too humiliating, so many simply bought an entire sheet – a whole harbor planning map!
With such a grand Prince Teng Mansion right there, everyone believed Li Yuanying wouldn’t embezzle their money; it wouldn’t be worth the effort over such a small sum!
Tang Xuan and the others quickly got busy, they were registering the on-the-spot purchases at the banquet and also preparing for the upcoming wave of purchases for the general public. Although the exchange wasn’t officially open to the public yet, news about the bonds would quickly spread!
The common people might not know much about Prince Teng but these powerful families had been established in Henan Province for many years. If the wealthy are willing to purchase these bonds, how could those with modest fortune not be tempted? While the amount of money wasn’t small, it wasn’t impossible. It was simply a matter of depositing the money at the exchange and retrieving the principal when needed.
Therefore, there would certainly be a large number of people coming to subscribe!
It’s imaginable that the Tengzhou Exchange wouldn’t be idle for the first five years after the port is completed and open to the public. The academy needed to quickly cultivate a group of mathematical talents!
Even if the Pearl of the Orient project is finalized, there’s ticket No 2 and ticket No. 3 right? They had to make a good start!
The group’s hypothesis was correct. For a period of time afterward, a frenzy for subscribing to the Pearl of the Orient Certificate swept through Tengzhou.
The exchange was packed with people every day, either inquiring about matters or making transactions.
The money in the vaults visibly increased, alarming Du He so much that he couldn’t sleep. He patrolled the vaults daily, fearing the wealth might tempt people to steal!
Fortunately, Yuanying didn’t let the money sit idle. As soon as the money arrived, he immediately had Dai Ting and Dong Xiaoyi put it to action: one was responsible for generating further profits, the other for coordinating supplies and overseeing the construction.
Yan Liben and Li Chunfeng both thought Yuanying’s actions were brilliant.
Only someone as wealthy and powerful as Li Yuanying could pull off such a spectacle!
It’s worth noting that upon arriving in Tengzhou, Yuanying embarked on massive construction projects, building academies and expanding the outer city, demonstrating that he had no shortage of money, while simultaneously never doing anything to harm the people.
The people weren’t fools; they saw these things for themselves. Therefore, the name of Prince Teng and influential figures of Henan Province gave the common people high level of trust in his trading company.
The reason Li Yuanying is able to get something from nothing! Truly, he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world!
Li Chunfeng was deeply impressed. However, his job was just to choose an auspicious date, and now that the date is chosen and construction had begun, he had to return to the capital.
“After returning to Chang’an, I may need to report to His Majesty what I saw and heard in Tengzhou.” ( Li Chunfeng )
“Of course. Although I’ve already written it all down in my letter, brother will certainly want to hear more details. Tell him everything, and let him be happy too.” (Li Yuanying)
Yuanying felt that he had acted openly and honestly, and had nothing to hide; it was fine to tell his brother whatever he wanted!
Li Chunfeng said no more and set off for the capital.
Only then did Yuanying’s two earlier letters reach Chang’an. One was sent to the Eastern Palace, and the other went straight to Cuiwei Palace for Emperor Taizong (Li Er).
Emperor Taizong was leaning against a low table, eating watermelon and reading memorials. He immediately ordered his attendants to bring Li Yuanying’s letter to him.
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Shandong tycoon: Why are you only making us spend this little money? Are you looking down on us?!
Young Prince: ?