Chapter 387: Chapter 363, Lottery Draw_1
Due to the Xiangyang Glass Factory’s commencement of glaze sales, the last couple of days have seen an unprecedented buzzing in Ningmen Prefecture City, with merchants traveling from south to north and officials from noble families closely monitoring the event.
In a second-floor, street-facing private room of a restaurant on the main street of the Prefecture City, Daohua, Dong Yuanyao, and Su Shiyu, who had finished their shopping spree, were now taking a tea break there, somewhat surprised by the constant stream of passersby on the street.
Daohua, “Xiao Yeyang’s decision to build Daxia’s first glass factory in Ningmen Prefecture has indirectly assisted my father.”
Putting other matters aside, the influx of people from all quarters was certain to stimulate local economic growth.
As the economy grew, so would the tax revenue.
Dong Yuanyao and Su Shiyu did not respond to these words.
As for who helped whom, that remained to be seen!
Their elder brothers followed the Little Prince, and there were some things they could infer even if the Little Prince did not mention them.
The source of the Little Prince’s glass recipe was something both Dong Yuanxuan and Su Hongxin were clear about. Especially since they both had good relations with Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao, neither of whom were the type to be deeply scheming or secretive. With even a slight probe, they could uncover a thing or two.
Su Shiyu glanced at Daohua, who was looking out the window, and thought of her grandfather’s words.
“Outsiders always say that the Yan Family rose to power by riding on the Little Prince’s coattails, but in my view, this statement is rather biased.”
“Not to mention the life-saving favor, let’s talk about the recent incident of Governor Guo losing his grain seeds. If not for the Yan Family, Governor Guo would undoubtedly have faced demotion.”
“Moreover, in the recent floods and epidemic in Jiguang, the Yan Family was a great help. Governor Guo was in charge of disaster relief. Without the Yan Family’s remedy for the epidemic, who knows how many would have died in Jiguang? Even if it wasn’t his fault, he would still be blamed for negligence.”
“Although these things seem unrelated to the Little Prince, who is the Guo Family? They are the maternal family of the Little Prince, a direct relation. If the Guo Family encountered problems, it wouldn’t look good for him either. The Yan Family, in this way, indirectly assisted the Little Prince.”
“Regarding this glass factory now, that goes without saying. With the Glass Factory listed under the Ministry of Works, it’s equivalent to the Little Prince already serving the Emperor. As long as the glass factory operates well, with silver and reputation to gain in the future, who would dare to underestimate the Little Prince?”
“The Yan Family may have taken advantage of the Little Prince’s influence, but the Little Prince has also gained quite a lot from the Yan Family side.”
“Over the years, although the Little Prince has been in Zhongzhou, the people in Beijing have not lost interest. Whether it’s the Emperor or Prince Ping, would they allow someone to just take advantage of the Little Prince for nothing?”
“Those who say the Yan Family has basked in the glory of the Little Prince are just envious and jealous.”
With these thoughts, Su Shiyu’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she continued to sip her tea in contemplation.
Seeing that her grandfather supported her brother’s association with the Yan brothers, it seemed he had high hopes for the Yan Family and recognized their worth.
Particularly this time, he had taken the initiative to allow her to accompany Madam Dong and Yuanyao, clearly hoping she would form a good relationship with the Yan sister.
Dong Yuanyao put down her teacup, “My father said that the Little Prince choosing to build a glass factory in Ningmen Prefecture was a particularly good decision. Although Ningmen Prefecture is not wealthy, it is situated at the junction of Jiguang, Fenxi, and Zhongzhou provinces and is traversed by a tributary of the Dayuan River, making waterway transportation extremely convenient, which is very favorable for the sale of glassware.”
Daohua nodded, “That is true indeed.” Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she pointed at the street, “Look quickly, isn’t that Advisor Jiang?”
Dong Yuanyao and Su Shiyu looked over and indeed saw Jiang Zhengyuan strolling by, followed by several officials from other prefectural governments, all dressed in everyday clothes.
Daohua wondered, “It’s just selling some glaze, why would it draw these people here in person?”
Dong Yuanyao shook her head, “Of course, it’s worthwhile.” She then lowered her voice, “My father said that Daxia wouldn’t just build two glass factories. The current attention is to see the revenues of the glass factory, to judge if it’s worthwhile to vie for setting up glass factories elsewhere in the future.”
Daohua showed sudden comprehension, “Ah, so there’s that aspect to it.”
Dong Yuanyao, “Indeed. Not just the Jiang Family, but also my grandfather wrote to urge my father to pay more attention to the glass factory’s affairs.”
Daohua, “No wonder my elder brother said that Xiao Yeyang has been annoyed lately. With so many eyes on him, it’s no surprise he’s vexed. It’s a good thing he is a member of the Imperial Family; otherwise, he couldn’t control the glass factory by himself.”
Dong Yuanyao nodded in agreement.
But Su Shiyu smiled, “Pressure is needed for growth. The determination from Beijing to give the Little Prince control over the glass factory is also likely a test to temper him.”
Dong Yuanyao smiled, “My father said the same. He said that when the Little Prince first came to Zhongzhou, he couldn’t hide his thoughts, but in the past two years, he has become much more reserved.”
Daohua chuckled, “Well, people have to grow up. One can’t remain as capricious as a child forever.”
Su Shiyu laughed, “That’s true.”
Dong Yuanyao, “All right, let’s drop the subject. Let’s hurry up and eat. After the meal, we need to rest well and then get up early tomorrow to grab the promotional free glass tea sets.”
Daohua shook her head, “I’m afraid we won’t be able to grab one.”
“Hmm?”
Dong Yuanyao and Su Shiyu both looked over simultaneously.
Dong Yuanyao, “Why not? It’s a free gift, and with our relationship with the Little Prince, this shouldn’t be difficult, right?”
Daohua, “…I think that the glass teaware to be gifted, Xiao Yeyang will either give it to merchants who have come from afar or to ordinary commoners who can’t afford it. In any case, it will not end up in the hands of officials and aristocratic families.”
Dong Yuanyao frowned, and Su Shiyu looked puzzled as well.
“There’s no need for that!”
Daohua smiled, shrugged her shoulders, and said no more.
…
On the first day of August, Dong Yuanyao and Su Shiyu had noodles with Daohua for longevity, and then could hardly wait to pull her to the Glass Factory in the outskirts of the city. Yan Yihuan and two others also followed.
By the time they arrived, countless people had already gathered outside the Glass Factory.
But it was not crowded.
At the moment, display cases had been set up on the left side of the Glass Factory’s gate, with red lines drawn before each; no one was allowed to cross the red lines.
On the right side of the gate, a long line of people had formed, slowly making their way toward the cardboard box at the front.
“What’s this all about?”
Dong Yuanyao and Su Shiyu were both puzzled.
Daohua smiled and said, “It should be a lottery draw. If you draw something special, you could get the glass teaware for free.”
Dong Yuanyao’s eyes lit up, “This is fun, let’s go queue up too.” Saying so, she ran toward the line, pulling one person with each hand.
Though they were not short of money, getting a free set of glassware was still quite nice, especially since there were so many participants. If they got one, wouldn’t it prove their luck was better than others?
Others had the same idea.
Yan Wenkai, Dong Yuanxuan, and several others had asked for the day off specifically for today and were now in line as well.
The turnout was significant today, and Yan Zhigao, the Magistrate of Ningmen Prefecture, was also there.
Seeing Xiao Yeyang allowing everyone to participate in the draw regardless of their status, Yan Zhigao nodded almost imperceptibly.
“The Little Prince may be somewhat prideful, but he has a compassionate heart for the common people,” Yan Zhigao said in a low voice to his advisor.
The advisor laughed and nodded, “My lord, shall we also try our luck?”
Yan Zhigao smiled, “Yes, I was thinking the same.”
During their conversation, both of them joined the line.
Not everyone was like Yan Zhigao, willing to set aside their pride and join in with the common folk. Jiang Zhengyuan and some other officials found the lottery draw interesting but stood on the sidelines, dignified, and only sent their servants to participate in the draw.
At one point, someone tried to cut in line, but the guards maintaining order promptly threw them out and ordered them not to come near the Glass Factory again.
Seeing this, everyone lined up properly.
For good reason—because they recognized the person trying to cut in line as a servant from the Jiang Family.
If the Little Prince didn’t give face to the Jiang Family, he certainly would give even less to others.
The lottery box didn’t contain anything else but paper balls with numbers written on them.
Just before it was Daohua and the others’ turn to draw, Xiao Yeyang walked out from the Glass Factory.
Xiao Yeyang cast a casual glance at the crowd gathered outside the gate, nodded at Jiang Zhengyuan and the others, then walked toward the lottery box to personally supervise everyone drawing their paper balls.