Chapter 212: I'm So Clever, It's Scary

Chen Xi wasn’t just talking nonsense. Given how much pain Lu Su was already feeling, it wouldn’t be long before he set his sights on Manxiang Brothel. If the brothel continued to stand out so much by then, there wouldn’t be much Chen Xi could say in its defense. After all, while these establishments existed everywhere, few dared to open so openly on a main street.

Such places usually had their own designated areas, often tucked away in alleyways. But now, being so brazen as to operate on a main street was rather wild. This sort of outlier must already be a thorn in the side of other brothels, taking too much of their business.

The last time Manxiang Brothel was targeted, it was partly because of Chen Xi and Guan Ping. Though he had compensated them by helping them relocate, Lu Su, in a moment of confusion, assigned them this prime location without much thought. Now, Chen Xi couldn’t just ignore the situation. While they hadn’t done anything wrong, their location was simply too conspicuous. So, Chen Xi planned to give them a chance to adjust. Whether they took his advice was up to them—he would just do his part.

“Zichuan, I’ll be heading out now. The situation in Xiliang has gotten a bit strange. It’s a bit too far, and many of the reports are becoming unclear. Han Wenyao and Ma Shoucheng have been stirring things up non-stop,” Guo Jia said, unsteadily rising from the stone table, feeling a bit tipsy.

Guo Jia’s casual description of a hundred-thousand-strong war in Xiliang as mere “stirring things up” would probably leave Ma Teng and Han Sui speechless if they ever heard it.

“What about Chang’an?” Chen Xi asked curiously. What was going on with these two? Weren’t they supposed to be fighting under the banner of loyalty to the emperor, battling Li Jue and Guo Si, and then retreating back to Xiliang after getting beaten up?

“Same as before, but Guo Si and Li Jue are now at odds over military power. If His Majesty seizes the opportunity, he could manipulate the situation and have them destroy each other,” Guo Jia said, a gleam of insight flashing in his eyes before dimming just as quickly.

Chen Xi rolled his eyes. Indeed, this was a perfect opportunity for the emperor to regain control, using cunning to have his enemies eliminate each other. But Liu Xie wasn’t the kind of person capable of that. If he were, the world wouldn’t be in such chaos.

The brief flash of disdain on Chen Xi’s face didn’t escape Guo Jia’s notice. He realized how ridiculous his own words sounded. Some things seemed simple, but without the courage to act, they were impossible to accomplish.

“Alright, enough about that. I need to deal with the situation in Xiliang and Chang’an. As for Cao Mengde and Yuan Gonglu, I’ve left them to Fa Xiaozhi. He’s been improving a lot lately—within three years, I might not be able to hold him back. Have you arranged a good position for him?” Guo Jia said, feeling a bit sentimental about Fa Zheng, whom he had mentored.

“Don’t worry, he won’t be left out,” Chen Xi replied with a smile. “Oh, by the way, could you help me notify two people?”

“I’ll be sure to notify Zizhong and Lady Zhen,” Guo Jia nodded. He understood that the new commercial rules in Fenggao were taking shape, and missing out on this opportunity would be a significant loss.

“I think they’ve already prepared the rules. Once I review them, it should be good to go. It’s about time to open up First Street as well,” Chen Xi said with a smile. Mi Zhu probably hadn’t even considered this when the tax revenue hadn’t yet recovered, and even after it did, he was likely still in shock. However, Lady Zhen had surely prepared well in advance.

“First Street?” Guo Jia’s eyes widened, and his steps, which had been moving toward the door, halted. Now, many merchants wanted to set up shop in Fenggao. Among the five major merchants, all but the Wu family’s main figure were already here. If Chen Xi was planning to develop First Street, the value of that land alone could surpass the agricultural tax revenue for the first half of the year.

“Interested?” Chen Xi asked, a playful grin on his face.

“If I said no, would you believe me? The land prices on Second Street have risen so much that, overall, they’re nearly catching up to the agricultural taxes for the first half of the year. Zijing keeps complaining about selling too early—First Street… Tsk tsk!” Guo Jia didn’t mind Chen Xi’s teasing; land was far more lucrative than taxes.

After speaking, Guo Jia frowned as if something had just occurred to him. “But speaking of which, Ziyang found out while reviewing the records that the land on First Street had already been sold long ago, even before Fenggao was built. Was that your doing? At that time, no one else had the foresight to pull off something like that.”

As he said this, Guo Jia stared intently at Chen Xi. Although he had already guessed that Chen Xi was the mastermind, the fact that Chen Xi had pulled this off more than a year ago, when the future was still uncertain, was truly mind-boggling.

“I showed mercy—I didn’t purchase the land on South First Street, did I? I paid for the land on North First Street,” Chen Xi replied nonchalantly.

“You paid over a thousand coins, right?” Guo Jia said, rubbing his temples as if he had a headache. He muttered, “We, on behalf of the state, are willing to buy it back for ten thousand coins. We could even offer more.”

Chen Xi looked at Guo Jia with disdain, making Guo Jia feel a bit embarrassed. If North First Street were worth just ten thousand coins now, that would be a steal—a price for blackened cabbage, not even fresh.

“Oh, I forgot to mention,” Chen Xi said, finishing his drink and smiling at the embarrassed Guo Jia. “I didn’t actually spend any money on that land. Back when Fenggao was being built, those places were where I set up my bun shops and voucher exchange points. Once Fenggao was completed, I used the vouchers to secure those spots.”

Guo Jia nearly spat out blood. So, Chen Xi had pulled this off without spending a single coin, essentially securing the land for free. Considering the scale of Fenggao’s construction with tens of thousands of workers, Chen Xi’s bun shops must have been quite profitable. And since they were large establishments to accommodate the workers, the land must have been dirt cheap back then. When Fenggao was completed, the vouchers probably just matched the amount spent on the land.

“I’m pretty clever, huh?” Chen Xi said with a grin.

“Clever!” Guo Jia replied helplessly. “Once you sell First Street, you’ll surpass the five great merchants in wealth, and it’ll all be in cash. I wouldn’t be surprised if Zijing ends up strangling you.” Guo Jia muttered.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. I won’t be that ruthless. I’m just giving you a heads-up—think about long-term benefits. Look at it this way: land that cost just over a thousand coins back then is now worth over a million coins. Isn’t that great?” Chen Xi smiled warmly at Guo Jia.

Guo Jia fell silent. He understood the deeper meaning behind Chen Xi’s words. He also realized why Chen Xi wanted everyone to know that he had secured ownership of First Street a year and a half ago. It was a warning: without an extremely long-term vision, don’t even think about challenging Chen Xi or opposing the policies he implemented. They simply didn’t have the foresight.

When Guo Jia left Chen’s residence, he felt noticeably downcast. Chen Xi’s calm demeanor this time had put enormous pressure on him—it was all planned too far ahead.