Chapter 827: Contract
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“As long as there’s interaction, there will definitely be gains. This way, everyone won’t have to hide , and their horizons will be broadened. In the future, the silk business channels of the three provinces of Liaodong will spread throughout the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, and even overseas countries. How to increase the production and quality of silk and let everyone earn money together is the serious thing.”
Everyone had a rich business of raising silkworms, and they also had unknown methods. If their methods could be combined, it would form an outstanding Silkworm Scripture.
The refugees were all newbies. Although they had learned the technique of raising silkworms, they were not experienced enough. With a comparable method of raising silkworms, they could make up for their lack of experience.
This had a huge impact on the silkworm industry in the three provinces of Liaodong.
The silkworm raising techniques that the nobles had mastered were slightly inferior to the individual investors to begin with. After exchanging experience, the overall quality of the individual investors’ silkworm raising had increased, and the impact on the nobles was fatal.
Other than Princess Shaoyi, probably no one else had the confidence. Hearing this, Steward Zhang couldn’t help but say, “Do you want to choose a few refugees who have learned the silkworm raising technique well to participate?”
Steward Qian also said, “The original intention of the princess joining forces with retail investors who raised silkworms was to find a source of livelihood for the refugees. If the refugees want to rely on raising silkworms to take root in the three provinces of Liaodong, they also need the help of the retail investors.”
Yu Youyao smiled. “We’ll do as you say. You’re also the one who arranged for the refugees to be taught silkworm raising skills. You’ll have to discuss and decide how to choose these people.”
Steward Zhang and Steward Qian agreed.
A group of refugees who were the best at learning the silkworm raising techniques had already moved to Fuzhen and Lianzhen. With the help of the local silkworm farmers, they began to gather and breed eggs.
Yin Huaixi had also arranged for more than a hundred soldiers who had retired from the army to bring their families and raise silkworms with the refugees.
Most of these soldiers were natives of Liaodong. They could be used as a bridge between the refugees and the local people to prevent the local people from bullying the refugees and causing unnecessary conflict.
Most of the soldiers had retired from the army because of injuries and illnesses, but they had been to the battlefield and were a deterrent to the refugees. At the same time, they could also deal with the wild beasts in the mountains and be a guarantee for the safety of the refugees.
When the other refugees migrated over one after another, Yu Youyao would arrange for the refugees to collect the young silkworms and let them grow.
On Liancheng’s side, everything was carried out in an orderly manner because of Yu Youyao.
Meanwhile, the contract was also going very smoothly.
Steward Zhang had invited Lord Li and Military Advisor Huang, who represented the Yue Fei’s Residence, as witnesses. The retail investors had also elected three people as representatives to establish the contents of the contract.
Then, Steward Zhang took Princess Shaoyi’s seal and stamped it.
Everyone present was very excited.
There were six copies of the contract. One copy was kept in the government office. As for the remaining copies, Princess Shaoyi and the Yue Fei King’s Residence each had one copy. The three representatives of the retail investors also had one copy each.
After the contract was signed, Steward Qian announced the matter of booking the Moon Pavilion. “Take this opportunity to get to know each other and interact. From now on, we’ll be in the same boat. The princess has said that as long as there’s interaction, there will be gains. We have to broaden our horizons. In the future, the business channels of our silk industry will be the entire Great Zhou and even the overseas countries. It’s more important to increase the production and quality of silk and earn money together. We can’t hide.”
His words made everyone present clap excitedly.
Those who could be chosen as representatives were naturally not stupid. Just these words alone could tell how ambitious and important Princess Shaoyi was to the silkworm industry in Liaodong.
This was also because they valued and affirmed them. The three retail representatives were extremely excited and quickly expressed their stance.
“Steward Qian, don’t worry. We’ll definitely convey the princess’s instructions to the other retail investors.”
“We retail investors have been bullied by the local nobles for generations. The princess is benevolent. She is willing to stand up for us retail investors and give us a way out. The princess is our benefactor. Since it’s the princess’s wish, we naturally obey.”
“We’re exchanging our precious skills and experiences, and we’re also learning from the precious skills and experiences of others. How can we hide something that benefits both sides?”
“…”
Lord Li watched this scene quietly and felt that Princess Shaoyi’s methods were brilliant.
An exchange meeting would completely integrate the retail investors who were to be in a state of disunity. It would integrate the manpower, the hearts of the people, and the resources controlled by the retail investors.
The retail investors followed Princess Shaoyi’s lead. Princess Shaoyi’s status and influence in the silkworm industry in the three provinces of Liaodong had been preliminarily confirmed.
Two days later, it was time for the entire Moon Pavilion to be booked.
At dawn, Steward Qian brought the three people who had been chosen from the refugees and were the best at raising silkworms into the city.
Among the three of them, one was a middle-aged woman in her forties with a weathered face. Others called her Auntie Mei. The other was a young man in his twenties who looked very ordinary. His name was Yu An.
There was also a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl with a delicate and thin appearance. Her large almond-shaped eyes were embedded in her thin face, and they were very bright.
This girl’s name was Hong’er. She had escaped from the wilderness with her parents and siblings. Her father had starved to death on the way, and her younger sister did not survive.
Her mother had brought her and her brother to Liancheng.
It was not easy for orphans and a widow to survive. Her mother could only bring her brother and follow the team organized by King Yue Fei to the nearby mountains to pick some wild vegetables and fruits.
King Yue Fei did not raise refugees for nothing and arranged all kinds of work.
Only families with orphans and widows were allowed to participate in the harvesting. There was also a limit to the number of people. They took turns to go to the nearby mountains. There was a harvest every three days, and each family could only participate once every three days. Excessive harvesting was not allowed.
In addition, there were more than a hundred types of tasks, such as washing, clam digging, fishing, stone-cutting, wasteland reclamation, and planting trees.
Those who were literate, knowledgeable in mathematics, and proficient in craftsmanship would have to be registered with the military administration. They would have separate arrangements, and their treatment would be better.
Liancheng wanted to develop the silkworm industry. In particular, those who were proficient in silk, weaving, embroidery, and dyeing were all chosen in advance and arranged to be taught better skills.
Young girls who had difficulties at home were also chosen to learn these skills.
It was also because of this that Hong’er understood the importance of having a skill in a specialized area. When King Yue Fei sent silkworm farmers over to teach the other refugees who did not have a skill to learn the technique of raising silkworms, she was overjoyed and quickly signed up.
Hong’er wanted to use her silkworm raising technique to bring her mother and brother to take root in Liancheng.
She was smart and had learned how to raise silkworms well. When nine types of leaves were placed together, she could tell them apart at a glance. She knew the possible pathological changes that could occur to silkworms, prevention techniques, and so on like the back of her hand.
The reason why she did not move to Fuzhen or Lianzhen to breed eggs with the first batch of refugees was because Steward Qian had asked her to help teach the other refugees how to raise silkworms.
Hong’er felt that she was already very lucky to be treated differently by Steward Qian.
She did not expect that Steward Qian and Steward Zhang would choose her to enter the city to participate in a private silkworm exchange gathering held in the name of Princess Shaoyi.
She was very excited.