Chapter 97
Ming Yu breathed a sigh of relief and chatted a bit about other topics. Noticing the Emperor looked a little tired, he then excused himself with the Crown Prince.
Ming Yu had grown up in the palace and had not yet built a manor, so the Emperor arranged for him to stay at the Prince’s residence—this was a place for young, unmarried princes. Since Ming Yu had been slow-witted in his youth, the Emperor entrusted him to Consort Hui for supervision, allowing him to stay in one of her palace’s side halls.
Imperial Concubine Hui was usually indifferent and distant with Ming Yu, and the servants, too, were neglectful, which led to Ming Yu’s near-drowning incident. The Emperor was furious over this. It was this near-drowning that brought the real Ming Yu here, marking the start of his new life.
Afterward, Ming Yu moved to the prince’s residence. Once he came of age, he was granted a title as a Wang, and there was no longer a need for him to establish a manor.
Other princes, if they had any desire for a title, had been granted one. These were generally those of lesser importance, with no great ambitions, just wanting to live as idle lords. For these princes, staying in the capital was less free than living in the countryside. Ming Yu fell into this category.
There were also princes with powerful mothers, those with capability and ambition, who worked in the court, helping the Emperor with his burdens. This path allowed them to showcase their abilities. If they stood out, when the Emperor passed, they might have a chance to contend for the throne. Either way, staying in the capital gave them access to the latest information, which was a distinct advantage.
These princes usually moved out of the palace to establish their own manor once they came of age.
Ming Yu didn’t have a manor in the capital, so he was settled in the prince’s residence.
The Crown Prince accompanied Ming Yu to the prince’s residence, as the Emperor was hosting a family banquet that evening, and he had more matters to discuss with Ming Yu, so there was no need for him to leave the palace.
“Fourteenth brother, you’ve brought back a lot of goods from the Western Regions again. Do you need to proceed like last time?” After sitting down, a palace servant brought tea and snacks. Ming Ye took a sip of tea and asked.
This was his main reason for visiting Ming Yu. Last time, Ming Yu had partnered with him to sell goods from the Western Regions, and they made a fortune. Even after giving half of the profits to the Emperor, they still made a huge sum.
Now Ming Yu had brought even more goods into the capital. If planned well, the profits this time could surpass the first round. At that time, no one understood the value of these items. It was only through Ming Yu’s plan that they made a large profit. So, Ming Ye came to ask how they should proceed this time and to prepare early.
Ming Yu sat down, already knowing why the Crown Prince was here and had already prepared a plan.
“This matter really needs careful consideration. I hope we can create even more value this time,” Ming Yu said after a moment of thought.
“More value?” Ming Ye didn’t understand what Ming Yu meant. Every item from the Western Regions was priceless in the capital. Not to mention furs, carpets, gemstones, and pepper—just the glass mirrors were worth a fortune. How could Ming Yu possibly want to create more value?
“Yes, not just in the capital, but we need to reach further, to places like Jiangnan, where there are many wealthy families. We should consider long-term development,” Ming Yu said, tapping the table with his fingers.
Ming Ye furrowed his brow. “But right now, these goods are already in high demand in the capital. If we impact Jiangnan, these goods will barely make a dent. How can we meet the needs of the public?”
Ming Yu shook his head. “A single caravan can’t make much money on its own. We need to plan for long-term development.”
“Fourteenth brother, what do you mean by that?” Ming Ye didn’t quite understand.
Ming Yu had been thinking about the development prospects of the Western Qi Corridor. For any place to develop, it needed people. To attract people, there had to be something appealing about it.
He had already reported this to the Emperor, and he understood the Emperor’s concerns. Right now, the treasury was tight, with expenses for war and disaster relief. How could the court spare money for a barren and remote area?
Since the court couldn’t provide the funds, Ming Yu would have to find a solution himself. But where could he find the people and money?
“Brother, are you familiar with the Western Qi Corridor?” Ming Yu directly brought up the topic.
Ming Ye thought for a moment and vaguely remembered hearing about the Western Qi Corridor in a letter from Ming Yu. The Emperor had shown him that letter, but he didn’t understand what the Western Qi Corridor had to do with their current discussion about goods from the Western Regions.
Before Ming Ye could ask, Ming Yu explained, “The Western Qi Corridor is a strategic area in the western part of the kingdom. If we, Great Yan, can control this chokepoint, it will change the current state of war.”
After saying this, Ming Yu spread a map on the table in front of Ming Ye.
Although Ming Ye didn’t understand why Ming Yu had shifted the topic, he still listened and followed Ming Yu’s finger to the narrow strip of land on the map.
With the map, it was easier to explain clearly. “This route directly leads to all the countries in the Western Regions. If our Great Yan controls it, the merchant caravans heading west will face no danger.”
“Ha!” Ming Ye sharply inhaled. He was familiar with Ming Yu’s caravan situation. If Ming Yu didn’t have the Hu people leading the caravan, it wouldn’t have been able to travel back and forth for trade so smoothly. This was because Suixi Kingdom lay between Great Yan and the other countries in the Western Regions, and they could never allow Great Yan to trade with the others; that would pose a great threat to them.
Now, Ming Yu had discovered such a trade route, and importantly, it wasn’t under the control of Suixi Kingdom. This meant that anyone could take part in the trade.
The merchants always put profit first, and for even the smallest gains, they would resort to any means necessary. Now that there was a simple and safe trade route, these people would probably rush to join, as the profits could be enormous—hundreds or even thousands of times the initial investment!
Ming Ye recalled how several officials from the court had inquired about the caravan. These people had substantial assets, and some of them were involved in business. They were already scheming to take advantage of the caravan, though due to the current situation at the borders, they were uncertain and were waiting to see how things developed.
Thinking about this made Ming Ye anxious. If everyone rushed to take part in this caravan trade, what would happen to their profits? It was a simple truth: a pie only had so much room, and it wouldn’t be the same if one person ate it versus many sharing it.
If word got out about this Western Qi Corridor, all the caravans in the world would likely rush to it. This could not be a good thing for them.
“I want to spread the word and bring all the caravans to Liangcheng, to participate in the development of the Western Qi Corridor,” Ming Yu finally proposed. He wanted to attract more investors to fund the development of the corridor.
“Are you crazy?” Ming Ye suddenly stood up, shocked. “If all the merchants go trade in the Western Regions, what will happen to our caravan? Are we supposed to watch as the money we’ve worked hard for is taken away?”
What was Ming Yu thinking? No normal person would have such an idea, right? Who in the world would want to earn less and share profits with others?
Clearly, Ming Ye saw how tempting the profit was. Even without making it public, others would find ways to infiltrate. If it were announced, what would happen? How could they still profit?
Ming Yu had already expected Ming Ye’s reaction. Smiling, he said, “Don’t worry, brother. What if I tell you that by doing it my way, our profits could be hundreds or even thousands of times more than they are now?”
“What?” Ming Ye couldn’t tell if Ming Yu was joking. Was he serious about increasing profits by a hundred or thousand times? Was he kidding?
Ming Yu pulled Ming Ye back down to sit. It was as though he could see through Ming Ye’s thoughts, and with a serious expression, he said, “I’m not joking.”
Ming Ye looked at Ming Yu, calming down, and nodded. “Then explain clearly what you want to do.”
Ming Yu gathered his thoughts. He had already had a rough idea, but now his plans had become clear.
“I’ve already gotten Father’s approval to have the Western Qi Corridor placed under Liangcheng’s jurisdiction. This will turn Liangcheng and the Western Qi Corridor into an economic trade zone. The Western Qi Corridor must be developed to attract more caravans for trade. At that point, we’ll establish an import-export regulatory zone in Liangcheng. First, we can monitor the goods coming in and out to ensure they aren’t prohibited items. Second, we can set tariffs at the borders. A tax rate of 20-30% would be enough to ease the financial difficulties currently facing the Great Yan.”
Ming Yu spoke slowly, and at first, Ming Ye didn’t fully understand what he was saying. However, as the conversation went on, Ming Ye’s heart began to race uncontrollably.
He knew very well the kind of profit that Ming Yu’s trade convoy could generate. The convoy would bring silk, porcelain, and tea from the Great Yan to the Western Regions. Items that were rare were always highly valued, and these products from the Great Yan were no exception. When goods from the Western Regions were brought back to the Great Yan, they would be in high demand, making the profits incredible. This kind of benefit would surely attract many keen merchants to gather in Liangcheng. And they wouldn’t have to do much—they would just have to guard the checkpoints. The taxes, even just ten to twenty percent, could easily replace the profits of dozens of trips to the Western Regions.
With the national treasury currently empty, if this customs plan succeeded, the Great Yan would undergo a major transformation.
However, Ming Ye was still worried. After all, the enemy, Suixi, was still nearby, watching with keen interest. They would never let the Great Yan and the other nations of the Western Regions form such close ties without taking action. If war broke out, would the merchants still be willing to go?
Ming Ye voiced his concerns, and Ming Yu frowned, as this was exactly what he feared. “That’s why, the Western Qi Corridor must have a military presence, with fortifications and defensive cities built. We need to prepare for any unforeseen situations.”
This brought the discussion back to the initial point—stationing troops and building fortifications would require a vast amount of manpower and resources, which the court simply didn’t have.
Confidently, Ming Yu said, “So, I have an idea. I want willing merchants to raise funds. If they want to trade to the West, they must pay a deposit. Only those who contribute this deposit will be allowed to leave the gates for trade. With this deposit, we can then send soldiers to protect the merchants. Of course, the guards would need to be paid for their efforts.”
For now, this seemed to be the most reliable solution. The army would protect the merchant convoys, which would make Suixi think twice. They already had the means to deal with cavalry, and if the foreign merchants dared to come, they would have no chance of returning.
“And with this deposit, we can start preparing early. We’ll recruit soldiers and build cities. When we start collecting taxes, we won’t be short on money. Even keeping just ten percent of the tax revenue will be enough for future development. The rest, brother, you can hand over to the court. Isn’t that a great achievement for you?”
Ming Yu’s words made it clear that he intended to give all the credit to the Crown Prince, leaving no credit for himself while focusing on developing his own territory.
Ming Ye felt deeply moved. Only his fourteenth brother could think so much about him. Ming Yu’s plan was logical and sound. If it came to fruition, Ming Ye’s position in the court would be unshakable.
However, he had never thought of such a solution. This was practically a form of coercion, and in this society that prided itself on being fair and just, only Ming Yu could come up with such a crafty idea.
“Well… merchants are always greedy for money. If they don’t see any profit but are required to pay a large sum upfront, will they really agree to it?” Ming Ye was a little skeptical about the plan’s feasibility.
Ming Yu chuckled and said, “How will we know if we don’t try?”
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