Chapter 802: Ways to Make Money
Zhu Cunji yearned to grab that pesky bird, wring its neck—a half-turn, then another, a full two twists—then smash it to the ground and stomp on it ten times.
However, this bird belonged to Mr. Li.
Even if he didn’t respect the monk, he had to respect the Buddha. So, he forced himself to hold back, his pent-up fury, denied release, pulsed visibly, a shimmering, restless energy.
"Mr. Li, you absolutely must help me," Zhu Cunji pouted. "I, this heir, have ordered so many steam trains and railway tracks from your blacksmiths; you’ve made a considerable fortune. Now, you really ought to help me find ways to make money too. Only then can I continue ordering more steam trains from you in the future, ensuring we both profit."
"Hmm, that's fair," Li Daoxuan said, rather bored. Having a prince to tease and play with was quite amusing.
Smiling, he said, "Your Highness, if you want to make money, the best way is to promote the movement of people between Sanyuan County and Xi'an."
Zhu Cunji asked, "Promote the movement of people? How exactly?"
Li Daoxuan replied, "You need to find a way to make people from Xi'an want to go to Sanyuan County, and at the same time, make people from Sanyuan County want to come to Xi'an... As long as they want to travel, won't that create movement?"
Zhu Cunji listened, a bewildered look on his face. "How is that to be done?"
With that, his tone shifted: "Prince, what are you most skilled at?"
Zhu Cunji grinned. "Eating, drinking, and having fun."
Beside them, Wang Tang gasped, *The things this fellow excels at are truly useful, aren't they? If I called you a good-for-nothing, would you even dare to object?*
Unexpectedly, the Heavenly Lord showed no intention of criticizing Zhu Cunji. Instead, he patted Wang Tang's shoulder, signaling him to suppress his restless urge to retort.
He smiled faintly at Zhu Cunji. "These four skills you excel at are precisely what can stimulate the flow of people between these two places."
"Huh?" Zhu Cunji exclaimed. "These four talents have such a purpose?"
"Absolutely!" Li Daoxuan declared. "Prince, do you remember the Huaqing Palace Hot Spring Resort I established in Lintong?"
"Of course I do!" Zhu Cunji affirmed. "That hot spring resort is truly magnificent! I, this heir, visit it often for a soak."
"Exactly!" Li Daoxuan said. "Just go to Sanyuan County and spread the word! Tell the gentry, wealthy households, officials, and nobles of Sanyuan County that Xi'an's Lintong boasts a delightful hot spring resort, and they can come enjoy it frequently. And for them to come, they'd first take the train from Sanyuan to Xi'an, then walk from the Xi'an North Station to the East Station, and transfer trains there to reach Lintong."
Zhu Cunji realized with a start. "So that's it! Mr. Li's hot spring resort can even help me attract people from Sanyuan County to take the train, hahahaha! I suddenly understand! Not only can I promote the hot spring resort, but I can also tell them about Xi'an's various temples, pagodas, and all sorts of other fun attractions, practically tricking them into boarding the train to come enjoy Xi'an."
Li Daoxuan secretly delighted. *This guy will certainly work hard to promote my ventures.*
"Precisely!" Li Daoxuan continued. "See? Now we've put your 'play' expertise to good use, haven't we? Think further: out of eating, drinking, and having fun, what other aspects can you leverage?"
Zhu Cunji immediately thought of more. "I can also promote Dongguanxiang, so they'll come buy delicious food! Oh, and the movie 'A Small Soldier from Dalinghe Border Army'—I can entice them to watch that too..."
In a short while, Zhu Cunji came up with many promotional ideas, but every single one of them was geared towards bringing customers to Li Daoxuan. After all, most of Xi'an's clothing, food, housing, transportation, dining, drinking, and entertainment were now under Li Daoxuan's control.
After a long period of thought, he said, "It's relatively easy to lure people from Sanyuan County to Xi'an, since there's so much to do and see here. But how do I coax people from Xi'an into going to Sanyuan County?"
Li Daoxuan grinned slyly. "Are there any interesting places in Sanyuan County?"
Zhu Cunji pondered for a long time before suddenly remembering. "The Sanyuan City God Temple, built in the eighth year of the Hongwu reign... now it's... *cough*... a bit dilapidated."
Li Daoxuan said,
"Dilapidation is no problem. Spend a little money, hire some laborers, and renovate the Sanyuan City God Temple. Paint it beautifully, display various ritual artifacts, and invite some impressive-looking Daoist priests to preside there..."
Zhu Cunji’s eyes lit up. "Then publicize that the City God there is very efficacious!"
Li Daoxuan shook his head. "That won't work. The Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan's reputation is too formidable here in Xi'an; everyone is already seeking divine blessings in Xi'an. Just promoting the City God as efficacious won't cut it; you'll have to change your approach."
Zhu Cunji asked, "Huh?"
Li Daoxuan suggested, "You'll have to concoct a story, claiming that the Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan and the City God are sworn brothers, working together to subdue demons and monsters..."
Zhu Cunji's face darkened. "This... I, this heir, wouldn't dare fabricate such a story."
"You wouldn't even dare to make this up, yet you claim to believe in the Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan?" Li Daoxuan chuckled. "Look at those Daoist priests; they're incredibly eager to invent stories for their own deities."
Zhu Cunji shook his head vigorously. "No, no! Daoist priests make up divine stories because their deities don't manifest, and it's uncertain if they even truly exist. But the Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan? I, this heir, have personally witnessed his divine manifestations; I wouldn't dare invent stories about him."
This actually made Li Daoxuan burst out laughing. "Alright then, let's try a different story. Just say your Imperial Ancestor once visited the Sanyuan City God Temple, sat on a meditation cushion there, and made a wish to the City God. That very meditation cushion, you claim, is still preserved in your family's possession. Then just take any cushion, place it in the Sanyuan City God Temple... Would you dare to fabricate that story?"
Zhu Cunji gave a low chuckle. "I dare to invent stories about the Imperial Ancestor."
He immediately understood. "The Imperial Ancestor worshipped there and even used that meditation cushion! Countless people will want to come and see it, hahahaha."
"That's right," Li Daoxuan continued. "Are there any other local specialty snacks in Sanyuan County?"
True to his talent for eating, drinking, and having fun, when asked about this, Zhu Cunji immediately rattled off a list. "Sanyuan County has Sanyuan Geda Mian, Sanyuan Pao You Gao, Sanyuan Liaohuatang... I get it, ha ha, I get it! Gather all the vendors selling these items in one place, just like Mr. Li organized the Dongguanxiang in Xi'an, and set up a street market. Then I'll publicize it in Xi'an, encouraging the wealthy to take the train to Sanyuan County, enjoy these snacks, and visit the City God Temple."
He shouldn't have mentioned those; just hearing about them made even the Heavenly Lord start to drool. *Oh, my, Sanyuan County actually has delicious food? I'll have to take a train and try some myself.*
Zhu Cunji grew increasingly insightful. "Hahahaha, Sanyuan County is also the hometown of Li Jing, a famous minister of the Tang Dynasty! I can just find any old dilapidated house there, claim it's Li Jing's former residence, and trick everyone into taking the train to visit, hahahaha. By the time they get tired of Sanyuan County's attractions, my railway will have already reached Yaozhou, and then I can coax them into traveling there for more fun!"
Li Daoxuan gently patted his shoulder. "Your Highness truly is a genius! The AAAA-rated scenic area can now be developed."
Comments