Chapter 66

Chapter 67: Gourds on the Same Vine

"Second Master, should we delay the construction of the tenants' houses?" After finishing his report, Zheng Lu lingered, hesitating for a long time before speaking.

"Why? Wasn't this decided long ago?" Zhao Cheng asked, puzzled.

"Second Master, it was decided, but this time you built a brewery, expanded the workshop, and recruited so many people, which incurred significant expenses. We had to divert some of the funds allocated for housing. The workshop still needs to buy materials and tools, which will require a lot of money!" Zheng Lu said in a low voice.

"Oh, I see. How much money do we have left in the estate's accounts?" Zhao Cheng asked.

"Last year, the estate had a surplus of over 190,000 guan. Just the costs for building dikes and roads, including wages, rewards, meals, and land compensation, amounted to nearly 80,000 guan, exceeding the budget by almost half. We spent another 50,000 guan on tools and stone materials. We invested 20,000 guan in the brewery, and 20,000 guan more for the expansion of the workshop. After the summer harvest and planting, we need to prepare for road construction and the building of two bridges, which will cost around 50,000 guan. The current funds are not enough to cover these expenses, let alone the estate's regular expenses!" Zheng Lu counted on his fingers, explaining to the prince.

"Hmm!" Zhao Cheng nodded in acknowledgment. The welfare and rewards were decided by him, and the brewery and workshop expansions were his decisions as well, but the expenses were charged to the estate's accounts. Now, with the new wine just hitting the market and the workshop still under construction, although they would definitely make money, it would take until the end of the year, and the workshop might take even longer. The investment in land would take even more time to yield returns, which was like a distant solution to an immediate problem.

"Zheng Lu, calculate how much more money we need if we proceed with all the projects!" Zhao Cheng thought for a moment and asked.

"Second Master, I've already calculated it. The cost to build one house is 3 guan, so three houses would cost 9 guan. According to your plan, we need to build four villages, each with 500 households, plus the costs for road construction, well digging, and tree planting, which will require 30,000 guan. The estate's regular expenses will also need at least 30,000 guan!" Zheng Lu replied.

"Alright, Jianxi, allocate 150,000 guan from the inner treasury and give it to the chief steward. There's one more thing you need to do!" Zhao Cheng took a satchel, pulled out a map, and drew a circle. "Do not rent out the five hectares of land by the river; it should be designated for our workshop. Also, expand the simple dock on the Bian River to accommodate thousand-stone ships. Is this amount enough?"

"Second Master, it's enough, it's enough!" Zheng Lu smiled, relieved. The main concern was the lack of funds, but now the prince had provided 150,000 guan, making it easier to proceed.

"Prince, the inner treasury doesn't have much money left!" Jianxi said with a worried face. The prince's money came and went quickly!

"You know nothing. Money is a dead thing when it sits idle. It needs to be put to work to earn more. How can you be more obsessed with money than I am!" Zhao Cheng kicked him and said.

"Ha ha, Second Master, the estate has too many affairs now. I can't manage the workshop. Should we let Zheng Fu help temporarily?" Zheng Lu asked hesitantly, unsure if the prince was still angry.

"Hmm, let him go. Tell him to be meticulous and thorough in his work. If anything goes wrong again, it won't be as simple as feeding horses!" Zhao Cheng pondered for a moment and said. Zheng Fu had been moved to the stables to feed horses for over a month after being beaten. Zhao Cheng had observed him several times and found that Zheng Fu worked diligently without giving up, which he admired.

"I will thank Second Master on behalf of Zheng Fu!" Zheng Lu bowed deeply, grateful. He and Zheng Fu had a long-standing friendship, and he was relieved that the prince not only agreed but also reinstated him as the chief steward.

After finishing his report, Zheng Lu happily followed Jianxi to get the money. Zhao Cheng stared at the blank area on the map, originally planning to complete the basic infrastructure and build several workshops this year. However, it seemed that this plan would be delayed. Funding and talent were the bottlenecks for his rapid development. If these issues were not resolved, his efforts would be in vain. The most pressing issue was funding. With money, he could attract talent. If people couldn't even get enough to eat, talking about saving the country and its people in a "bright future" would only make them think he was crazy, let alone expect them to risk their lives for him.

Xiao Mei was also re-evaluating the young prince. She had been in the estate for over a month, and everyone praised the prince for his bold actions, generosity, and kindness to his subordinates. She thought it was just flattery and didn't fully believe it.

Today, they discussed the estate's affairs without avoiding her. She saw that he didn't hesitate to spend 100,000 guan on building houses for the tenants, not for his own enjoyment. Although the Night Gate engaged in assassinations, they also claimed to be righteous and had done some good deeds, but the amounts were usually limited to a few hundred guan. Most of the money was used for their own living expenses. Even her master might not have such a grand vision, and he was still a child.

"Thinking about your master again? You'll see him tonight, so stop complaining that I'm hiding him!" Zhao Cheng put away the map and looked at Xiao Mei, who was lost in thought, and smiled.

"Who's thinking about him? I'm just worried about his injuries." Xiao Mei rolled her eyes and said.

"Hehe, you say you're not, but your eyebrows are smiling!" Zhao Cheng pointed at Xiao Mei's face and teased.

"Nonsense, you little brat, you never say anything honest!" Xiao Mei felt her face heat up and turned away.

"Ha ha, Sister Mei, I want to ask you. Now that everyone outside has left and your master has recovered, why are you still here? Are you really planning to sell yourself to pay off a debt?" Zhao Cheng waved his hand, stopping his teasing.

"Sigh, you want us to leave, but who would want to stay with two killers around!" Xiao Mei sighed, her face darkening.

"You can stay as long as you like. One of your Night Gate members has been a steward here for half a year. There's nothing to fear. If he hadn't tried to kill me, he might have become the chief steward by now." Zhao Cheng picked up a fishing rod, baited it, and cast it into the water.

"What?! One of our Night Gate members tried to assassinate you, and I didn't know? What did he look like?" Xiao Mei asked, surprised.

"About six feet tall, very pale skin, small but sharp eyes, and a left corner of his mouth that droops when he smiles. He was skilled with a short knife."

"No need to say more. He was one of our Night Gate members. I see why I haven't seen him in a long time. He must have been killed by you!" Xiao Mei said, her face serious.

"I want to make it clear. I wouldn't have killed him if he hadn't tried to kill me. Don't blame me and seek revenge for him." Zhao Cheng quickly reassured her.

"Tsk, you little brat, you're so cunning, unwilling to take any loss. If someone is better and kills you, it's just part of the job. I won't cause you trouble over him!" Xiao Mei ruffled his hair, her actions seeming more affectionate, like a sister scolding a mischievous little brother.

"Sister Mei, if you keep calling me 'little brat,' it damages my royal image and honor! You can call me Second Master if you don't want to call me 'little brat'!" Zhao Cheng neatly fixed his disheveled hair and said seriously.

"Ha ha," Xiao Mei laughed loudly, but suddenly tears streamed down her face.

"Sister Mei, what's wrong?" Zhao Cheng asked, puzzled. He didn't think he had said anything wrong, but he moved away, his body on high alert.

"See how scared you are. I was just thinking about the past!" Xiao Mei was amused by his nervousness, put her arm around his shoulder, and let him lean on her. "You don't know, we were all orphans, suffering from a young age. I was adopted by the Night Gate at five. Every day was spent eating, sleeping, and learning martial arts, practicing various killing techniques. At eight, my master took me to dig up a corpse from a new grave and ordered me to bring it back alone. I was terrified, but I managed to drag it back. The next day, I found that several of my fellow disciples were missing. It wasn't until I grew up that I learned they had failed their tasks and were secretly executed."

"Ah! The rules of your Night Gate are really strict!" Zhao Cheng felt that Xiao Mei had no ill intentions and moved to a more comfortable position.

"That was just the beginning. From then on, my master arranged the corpse in various poses, and I had to stab it in vital points every day until it rotted and there was no place left to stab. From that day on, I never laughed genuinely again!" Xiao Mei looked down at Zhao Cheng, who was listening intently, and smiled bitterly.

"At ten, I killed my first person, but I didn't feel any fear. I started receiving frequent tasks, following orders to kill people. No one told us if they were good or bad, and I never asked. Years later, I realized that out of the fifty of us who entered the Night Gate, only my master and I were left. The harsh training had turned us into emotionless beings, but I still felt sad, perhaps because of the saying 'when the rabbit dies, the fox mourns.'"

"No, it shows that you still have feelings. You are different from them!" Zhao Cheng said.

"Maybe. A few years later, my master achieved great success, and after the old master died, he became the leader. I became the right guardian, responsible for training new killers. I tried to follow my master's methods, but I couldn't. At that time, the Night Gate took on the task of assassinating Zhang Kangguo, a significant mission. My master and I personally took on the task, but we were betrayed!"

"We are like gourds on the same vine. Although I am a prince, my situation is not much better than yours. One wrong step, and it's all over!" Zhao Cheng forced a smile.