What Use Is This Fiefdom to Me

According to the market prices in Central Capital, the indentured servant price for an ordinary adult is around fifty taels. If they possess skills or outstanding looks, the price increases further.

Once the indentured servant price is paid, they become family servants. However, family servants are still entitled to a monthly stipend. There have been instances in the past where masters exploited their servants too much, leading to servant rebellions and the complete incineration of entire households. Therefore, the Great Xuan Law stipulates that those who purchase family servants must provide an annual salary no less than six taels of silver. This means the statutory wage is at least five fen of silver per month.

According to Wang Li, the Count's Mansion requires at least thirty servants, inside and out. This includes those for cleaning, laundry, cooking, and tending to the backyard and plants. The front yard needs household guards, and there must be a groom, gatekeeper, attendant, and personal follower, otherwise, what face would the Count have?

Furthermore, can the servants of the Count's Mansion be compared to those of ordinary wealthy landowners? Naturally, they must have some status and background. It would be best to recruit servants from families of officials who have been implicated in crimes. These individuals can read and write, and have been taught all the proper etiquette. How much do you think such people are worth?

What? One hundred taels? That's the bottom price; they'll cost at least two hundred taels by the time they're actually acquired! Don't complain about the price; many people place orders with the Internal Affairs Department in advance. Given your connection, you can cut the line!

Once people arrive at the mansion, each person needs several sets of summer and winter clothes, right? Not to mention the monthly stipend, there must be some rewards for the four seasons and eight festivals. If the master's family has any joyous occasions, it shouldn't be too shabby, as it reflects the reputation of the Count's Mansion...

In Wan'an County, only Uncle Ping and Xiao Huan have truly signed indentured contracts. Everyone else is a hired hand. Otherwise, if the master's family faces hardship and the servants flee, the Great Xuan Law will not spare them. Therefore, new household retainers must be recruited in Central Capital City. And this is just the basic setup.

From now on, we will be living in the capital. There will be expenses for hosting and seeing off guests. If I go to an entertainment house to listen to a song, I'll have to give some tips.

Moreover, Chen Xuan will be getting married in the future, her dowry—bah, bah, bah, don't think about that!

With such a large house, if I don't marry three wives and four concubines, who will live in these embroidered towers and small courtyards!

It all reflects the reputation of the Count's Mansion!

The family does have some savings, with an annual revenue of four to five thousand taels. But that's the result of Chen Xuan's personal management. If Chen Xuan leaves Wan'an, that amount might not be achievable.

Besides, as a Count residing in the capital, still spending money from the Wan'an County household makes Chen Luo uncomfortable; he feels like he's living off his wife.

You might ask why Wan'an County, Chen Luo's fiefdom, would be without money. Chen Luo thought the same, but after asking Wang Li, he learned that a so-called fiefdom with real power actually grants three powers.

Official Appointment Power: Chen Luo can designate one person from the list of candidate officials provided by the Imperial Court's Ministry of Personnel to serve as the Magistrate of Wan'an County for a term of three years. All promotions, rewards, and punishments will be the same as for other officials. This provision seems to give high-ranking nobles an opportunity to interfere in court affairs, but upon closer consideration, even without this clause, influential individuals have many ways to cultivate their own officials, whether through taking disciples, intermarriage, or early investment.

Fiefdom Military Power: Chen Luo can establish a personal army in his fiefdom, Wan'an County. According to the Count's regulations, the total number of troops can be up to three thousand. They are not allowed to leave the fiefdom without a decree, but there is a quota of fifty personal guards who can accompany and protect him. This provision is also of little use to Chen Luo; why would he need to support an army now? He's not trying to conquer the world, and he can't even leave his fiefdom. At most, he can plan around the fifty personal guards he can take with him.

Fiscal and Tax Power: Of the tax revenue collected in Wan'an County, one-tenth goes to the Qingzhou Treasury, one-tenth goes to the Great Xuan Treasury, and the remaining eighty percent is entirely Chen Luo's private property!

This provision seems to solve Chen Luo's problem, but it doesn't. There is a strict rule for fiefdom nobility: their destiny/fortune cannot fall below a certain standard. Once it drops below the standard set by the imperial court, the fiefdom will be repossessed, and the noble title will be revoked. However, if the destiny/fortune cannot be low, then livelihood investment cannot be saved.

According to Wang Li, most nobles with fiefdoms, in order to increase their destiny/fortune and win hearts, reduce taxes to a maddening extent...

Then Chen Luo has a question: how do those feudal nobles make money?

Wang Li chuckled.

Some fiefdoms have specialty products that can be developed; some fiefdoms are located at transportation hubs, where they can set up toll booths and collect so much in tolls that their hands go numb; others don't have either of the above, so they deliberately employ frontmen to amass wealth for them. When their destiny/fortune is about to drop below the standard, they conduct a harvest, openly and honestly, thereby both accumulating wealth and improving popular sentiment and destiny/fortune...

One word: brilliant!

Chen Luo scratched his head. Should Wan'an County do the same?

Specialty products? None.

Location? There are probably six roads that bypass Wan'an County.

Should I employ a couple of frontmen? No, Chen Xuan would probably beat me to death!

Chen Luo sighed: What's the use of this fiefdom to me!

Strictly speaking, from Chen Luo's previous life's perspective, a comprehensive business development approach wouldn't be difficult. For example, invite many great scholars for lectures, invite Dao Lords to perform rituals, and create some strange and fantastical legends to establish a cultural tourism town, then sell land at high prices. Or, invest heavily to build a high-standard school and create an educational hub.

Chen Luo, from his previous life, hadn't eaten pork, but he had seen pigs run by hundreds of times. This entire process would definitely work!

However, this plan requires upfront investment, and the returns take time.

If only a bank would approve a loan.

Or, should I ask Wei Yan for a loan?

He's a senior, after all; it shouldn't be difficult for him to give a junior some startup funds, right?

Chen Luo thought about it, then shook his head and dismissed the idea.

Even though this is a Xianxia world, it is still a feudal dynasty, and population mobility is too low. While short-term profits can be substantial, in the long run, the burden will inevitably fall on the original inhabitants of Wan'an County.

At that time, it will be difficult to increase destiny/fortune.

What, you say demolition? What a joke, these people cannot accept high-rise apartments. The county is so small, who would want to play the "two for one" game with you.

The fortune plan is stillborn!

The east showed a hint of crimson, and the sun's rays extinguished the darkness that enveloped the land. Unknowingly, Chen Luo had thought all night but still had no plan.

It's hateful. After graduating from university in his previous life, he went to the mountains as a volunteer teacher with noble ideals, and he was too isolated from modern cities, so he couldn't even come up with ways to make money!

Fortunately, he had read many transmigration novels and was familiar with some indigenous methods.

"As a great man once said, there is no right to speak without investigation!" Chen Luo stood up from the rooftop.

"I'll go to the streets and get a feel for the market conditions," Chen Luo thought. "Although this is a Xianxia world with world-shaking personal power, ordinary people still make up the majority."

"Perhaps glass and perfume, these transmigration advantages, still have a huge market!"

"Especially glass; I even made it with the children from the mountains."

Chen Luo was full of confidence when suddenly a beam of light shone, making it difficult for him to open his eyes. Chen Luo followed the light and saw that on the roof of the main hall, several rows of roof tiles were shimmering in the sunlight.

Yesterday, when he climbed up, it was dark, so he hadn't paid much attention. Now, Chen Luo looked closely—

These transparent tiles, installed on the roof as skylight windows, could they be...

Glass!

The best spring scenery of the year, vote to help me walk the flower path.

o(￣ε￣*)

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