Sure enough, after their initial astonishment, the common people could not help slapping the tables and cheering.
"Well said! If you don't hold the office, don't meddle in its affairs. The heir is a true man of Northern Liang!"
"Long live the heir!"
"So that's how it is! With one sentence, the heir has laid bare the nature of the world. That must be the highest principle for an official who serves as a parent to the people. I don't know whether anyone else has lived up to it, but the heir has!"
"So the land was a gift from the heir to us common folk. That's so touching! The heir is so romantic!"
"Romantic, my ass! The heir is giving the people more food to eat. What are you daydreaming about, you lovestruck fool?"
"No wonder the heir set the price of refined salt so low. He must be losing a lot of money. It turns out it was all a gift to us."
"Boo-hoo, the first gift I've ever received was actually from the heir."
"Although the heir used to be ignorant and unskilled, that was because he had never been in charge of affairs and naturally couldn't overstep his bounds. Now that he's governing Northern Liang City in someone else's stead, he's thinking of us right away. What a difference!"
"The heir is merciful!"
"I don't care what the heir's salt is like. From now on, I'll only buy his salt."
The common people were filled with a mixture of emotions. Many of them had never received a gift in their lives. Who could have imagined that this time they would receive one from the heir? It was a wonderful surprise.
Some of the more sentimental people even shed tears.
Zhang Long and Zhao Hu, who stood to one side, were utterly awestruck. The strategist really knew how to talk! A few sentences had moved the common people to tears. That was incredible!
Watching the excited crowd, Jia Xu smiled to himself. The time had come.
"Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, bring out the premium refined salt the heir has given the people!"
"Yes!"
When the premium salt was brought out, its flawless whiteness instantly made the people's eyes light up. It did not have a speck of impurity; it was more than ten times better than refined salt.
Heavens, this was genuine premium salt, yet the heir was selling it to the people for less than the price of coarse salt.
If that was not a gift, what was?
In the past, only the wealthy could afford to eat it, but now people like them actually had the chance.
Ding, ding, ding!!!
For a time, the system notification sounds in Lin Yi's mind began going off wildly. At the same time, the sound of copper coins clattered incessantly, as the people went mad buying salt.
The people's buying frenzy stunned the world and even left the venomous strategist Jia Xu dumbstruck.
When the day's profit was tallied, Jia Xu, the temporary shopkeeper, nearly had his eyes pop out of their sockets. Surely this was too much!
He could not help muttering, "My heavens, I thought we'd make money, but this is far too much!"
In a single day, Benefit to All Under Heaven had made more than ten thousand strings of coins in profit, equivalent to ten thousand taels of silver. It was terrifying.
Although he had never lacked money, he had never seen anyone earn so much in a single day.
And this was only the first day!
Many places had not even heard of the premium salt yet, and it had already brought in so much. If they opened a large number of shops later, their daily income might reach a hundred thousand, or even several hundred thousand.
Gulp!
Jia Xu swallowed and looked at his lord. "My lord," he said slowly, "we've truly struck it rich this time. We've made an absolute fortune!"
If they really made several hundred thousand strings of coins a day, his lord would not even need to conquer the realm. He could just buy it outright.
They had money, after all.
"Pah! Look at you, acting like a nouveau riche. Look how calm Ma Chao is!"
Lin Yi glared at him. The man was far too easily rattled, getting so worked up. Ma Chao was much calmer. He had come to help with the counting, and he was the calmest of them all.
"Heh, I'm just a vulgar fellow. I can't compare to him!" Jia Xu said with a smile, not bothered in the slightest.
Lin Yi was speechless. A shameless man really was invincible under heaven.
Just as Lin Yi was about to speak, Ma Chao, who stood to one side, spoke solemnly. "My lord, we need to improve the Xiliang Iron Cavalry's meals. With this money, I'm confident I can take the Xiliang Iron Cavalry to the next level!"
Damn!
Lin Yi rolled his eyes. He had thought Ma Chao was impervious to salt and oil, but the man had already set his sights on the money. And here Lin Yi had thought he had no wants or desires.
Still, if spending some money could take the Xiliang Iron Cavalry to the next level, he did not mind.
Even an emperor did not stint on food for hungry soldiers!
He nodded and said irritably, "All right, all right. Once the first batch of money has been settled, I'll hand it all over to you."
Since he had chosen to trust Ma Chao, he would continue to do so. In any case, Ma Chao's loyalty was beyond question. It remained to be seen whether his abilities were worthy of the name Ma Chao the Splendid.
Besides, after such a perfect start today, he would not have to worry about a shortage of money in the future. A little money was just a drizzle.
"My lord is mighty!"
Ma Chao's eyes lit up. He had not expected his lord to agree so readily. With his lord's full support, he was even more confident he could forge a force of soldiers that surpassed the Xiliang Iron Cavalry.
That was right. Though the Xiliang Iron Cavalry was formidable, in his eyes it could become even stronger.
Jia Xu could not help laughing from the side. "Ha ha, Ma Chao, you'd better curry favor with me. This strategist is now the shopkeeper of Benefit to All Under Heaven. All I have to do is let a little slip through my fingers, and it'll be enough to keep your soldiers well fed and watered!"
Tsk, tsk. He was a man who held the purse strings now.
He had nothing else, but he had money!
The chief steward's residence!
"More than ten thousand strings of coins in one day?"
Wang Ziwen looked at the intelligence in his hand, a strange look flashing through his eyes. His first reaction was disbelief.
Only after having someone verify it repeatedly did he believe the news was true. Even so, countless questions filled his mind.
"How is that possible? How did that brat do it?" Wang Half-City, the wisest man in Northern Liang, could not help asking the question that struck at his soul.
If the heir had robbed someone of more than ten thousand strings of coins, that would have been understandable. After all, he had tried it once before, and the result had indeed been excellent.
But earning more than ten thousand strings of coins in a day through business was not so simple. Business was a matter of willing buyers and willing sellers. Surely the heir could not force people to buy.
"Chief steward, the heir seems to have mastered a method of producing salt, so he bought the Ran Clan's poisonous salt mine in Baiyuan Commandery," the scout replied.
The Ran Clan's poisonous salt mine!
A method of producing salt!
Wang Ziwen gathered his thoughts and instantly arrived at a frightening piece of intelligence: that brat Lin Yi had made his fortune. From now on, his monthly income would probably be several hundred thousand strings of coins, or even a million.
You little rascal, your father is so poor he can barely keep the pot boiling, yet you're earning hundreds of thousands of strings of coins a month.
And our young heir easily solved a problem even the Ran Clan couldn't handle. It seems he really can't be underestimated.
The scout hesitated, then said quietly, "Chief steward, should we intervene? That poisonous salt mine is said to be unfathomably deep. Its value may be beyond measure!"