The Humble Family's Daughter Has A Spatial Pocket!-Chapter 1205 - 1027, Hu City

"I never realized it before, but since mother left, I have discovered that her presence really helped me a lot."

After a year, Daohua felt utterly exhausted.

If her mother-in-law were here, not to mention other things, just watching over the three little ones was already a huge help, not to mention that her mother-in-law often gave her valuable advice.

Xiao Yeyang personally wrung a hot towel for Daohua, allowing her to wipe her face: "You’ve worked hard during this time."

As the lady of the Prince Residence, she not only had to maintain relationships with Beijing but also entertain the ladies from Xiliang, and take care of her uncle and three children. This task was no easier than his outside work, both mentally and physically exhausting.

His ability to focus on his endeavors outside was largely thanks to Yiyi managing the household affairs and maintaining good relationships with various parties.

Daohua quickly washed up and went to Nuan Pavilion to check on the children.

Daozi and the twins were lying properly on the kang, each covered with their own little blankets, with Daozi telling them the tale of ’Havoc in Heaven.’

The twins, not knowing if they could understand, stared intently at their brother with wide eyes, occasionally making chirping sounds.

Daohua didn’t enter but watched from the doorway for a while, instructed the nanny and maid to take good care of them, then returned to the inner room and saw Xiao Yeyang flipping through a book at the bedside, she couldn’t help but ask: "What have you been reading these days?"

Xiao Yeyang lifted the warmed quilt, inviting Daohua to get in, then showed her the book.

"Records of the Western Regions!"

Daohua flipped through it, a book detailing the conditions of the Western Regions, "Why are you reading this?"

Xiao Yeyang lay down, arms under his head: "Xiliao has been relatively calm in recent years. The tributes they send every year are always on time. Xiliang, bordering Xiliao, inevitably has some dealings between its people. Do you remember Bamubian Town?"

Daohua nodded.

Xiao Yeyang: "Since Xiliao and Daxia stopped fighting, more and more people have been doing business in and around Bamubian Town. I asked Ma Teng about it; the annual transaction volume is not a small number."

"I was thinking, since such trade cannot be prohibited, why not bring it into the open? This would not only facilitate trade but also allow the Imperial Court to collect taxes."

Daohua: "So, you’re thinking of opening Hu City?"

Seeing that Daohua guessed his intention immediately, Xiao Yeyang pulled her hand and kissed it: "The one who knows me, Yan Yiyi, indeed!"

Daohua gave him a sidelong glance, withdrew her hand, placed the book under the pillow, and also got into the quilt.

As soon as she lay down, Xiao Yeyang wrapped her in his arms.

Xiao Yeyang was a natural heater, and every winter, Daohua liked to use him for warmth, happily leaning in his embrace to listen to him speak.

"Xiliang is located on the frontier, and coupled with its geographical conditions, even though high-yield grain varieties have been fully promoted, the people can still barely maintain subsistence."

"To enrich the lives of the people, it’s not only necessary for the Government Office to take action, but it’s also crucial to attract more foreign merchants to conduct business here."

"Only when goods circulate can the people profit, when the people are prosperous, the Government Office can collect more taxes, and thus better build Xiliang."

Daohua watched Xiao Yeyang with a smiling face: "If you think it’s good, then go ahead and do it, I support you anyway."

Seeing Daohua’s eyes sparkling with admiration, Xiao Yeyang was moved, leaned down to kiss her cheek, and continued talking:

"In the past two years, the official roads in Xiliang have been gradually perfected, and many more stations have been refurbished. After the eradication of bandits, the security within the region has also significantly improved."

"The caravans travel back and forth more conveniently. I believe that once the news of Hu City opening spreads, it will attract many merchants to come."

Daohua nodded, "The treasures like horses, spices, and gems from Xiliao are very popular in Daxia, and Daxia’s silk and porcelain are also in high demand in Xiliao. With the opening of Hu City, surely many merchants will set up there."

Xiao Yeyang: "For other goods, it might not matter, but horses and tea, these two types of goods can only be handled by merchants designated by the Imperial Court."

"We still need to consult with the Emperor Uncle; opening multiple Hu Cities isn’t easy. After considering, I’ve decided to first use Bamubian Town as a model and then add more based on the situation."

Daohua fell silent: "Opening Hu City, anyone with a keen sense of business can sense the profitability involved, fearfully attracting a wave of people competing to come."

Xiao Yeyang smiled, "What about it? I will discuss with the Grand Secretary and come up with a specific set of regulations. Anyone participating in Hu City must be approved by the Government Office, and pay a certain amount of tax based on their trading volume."

Seeing that Xiao Yeyang had thought things through thoroughly, Daohua didn’t say anything more and slowly fell asleep in his arms.

Watching Daohua’s eyebrows relax and the corners of her mouth slightly raise in her sleep, Xiao Yeyang smiled, kissed her forehead gently, pulled over the blanket, and also fell asleep.

Early in February, after Xiao Yeyang and several officials made an on-site inspection of Bamubian Town, the memorial regarding opening Hu City in the fringe town of Xiliang was sent to Beijing.

...

Beijing, Imperial Palace.

The Emperor read Xiao Yeyang’s memorial, summoned Grand Secretary Yang Chenghua and several Chiefs of Staff for discussion. After intense deliberation, the ministers thought that opening Hu City would be beneficial for economic and cultural exchanges between Daxia and the Western Regions countries and agreed to the proposal.

The Emperor also agreed internally, and the next morning he brought it up for deliberation at the morning court.

This news sparked another round of intense discussions among the civil and military officials, some supporting and others opposing it.

The Crown Prince and his siblings kept silent, knowing well that since the Emperor mentioned this matter at the morning court, the decision was mostly settled, and speaking further was meaningless.

At this moment, they were all thinking about how this could possibly benefit them personally.

Clearly, trading in Hu City would be profitable.

The Crown Prince thought about how the An Family had already left Xiliang, and he had no more connections there, which left him feeling quite dejected.

Thinking about Xiao Yeyang’s mother returning to Beijing and directly challenging the An Family in public multiple times, making them lose face, he felt a throbbing headache.

While the Crown Prince was pondering these worries, the Emperor officially announced the approval to open Hu City in Xiliang.

Some aristocratic families saw the potential profits in Hu City, and were interested in taking on this task, unfortunately, the Emperor did not intend to assign officials to be in charge, which amounted to an implicit approval for Xiao Yeyang to handle it completely.

Although they didn’t receive the task, right after the court adjourned, the news about starting Hu City in Xiliang spread at an extremely fast pace.

Aristocratic families and officials all had supported merchants, clearly, they all wanted to get a share of the profit from Hu City.

...

Xiao Yeyang knew the Emperor would most likely agree, so before the imperial decree was issued, he had the Grand Secretary and several officials draw up the regulations for Hu City. He also had craftsmen expand and re-plan Bamubian Town.

Before entering March, the first batch of merchants arrived in Xiliang.

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