When one is poor, one should cultivate one’s own virtue. Only when one prospers can one benefit the world.
In his previous life, Jin Feng spent more than twenty years as a poor student. He finally graduated, but before he could prosper, he died.
After arriving in the Great Kang, he had always been struggling to survive and had no energy to seriously think about issues like the world or the common people.
Such issues were too macro, too high-level.
They were not something a lowly little figure like him should ponder.
Later, when the Jinchuan Chamber of Commerce developed, he could barely be considered prosperous, and then he met the Ninth Princess.
Having been reborn once with great difficulty, Jin Feng’s greatest wish was still to live a more relaxed and comfortable life. He did not want to be bound by endless governmental affairs.
Discovering that the Ninth Princess was different from other nobles and truly cared about this country, Jin Feng placed his hopes on her.
He hoped she could change the Great Kang.
But now Jin Feng realised that what the Ninth Princess valued in her heart was the Great Kang and the imperial family’s rule, not the common people.
Many people believed this was similar to the principle that kindness should not command troops. Governing a country required standing at a sufficiently high vantage point, coordinating the overall situation, adjusting balances among various parties, and maintaining stability.
Jin Feng had never engaged in politics and did not understand these things, but he had always firmly believed that truth was always simple and plain.
Only when ordinary people lived and worked in peace and contentment would society prosper and remain stable. This was an eternal truth.
The theory of divine right of kings, plainly speaking, was using superstition to intimidate the people, telling them that the king’s power was granted by heaven, that he was sent by heaven to rule them, and that resisting the king was resisting heaven and would bring retribution.
Ancient people were ignorant and easily frightened.
But such lies could not be effective forever.
When the people were starving to death, how could they still care about retribution?
Battlefields were filled with all sorts of bloody scenes and were places heavy with murderous aura.
Perhaps influenced by this aura, or perhaps by Witch Zhe’s final words before his death, Jin Feng’s thinking had recently changed somewhat.
It seemed he had seen through things, or perhaps he was somewhat giving up in despair.
His previous life was one thing, but having lived again, if he still could not live freely and unrestrained, if wanting to do some good for the masses still required hesitation and caution, and if speaking the truth still needed careful weighing, then what was the point of being reborn?
So Jin Feng did not concern himself with the Ninth Princess, nor with Xue Henglu who was still being beaten.
He took Zhou Youda and left.
Whether the Ninth Princess could figure it out, he could not be bothered to care.
If she could figure it out, they would continue cooperating. If not, there was nothing he could do.
As for whether Xue Henglu would be beaten to death, Jin Feng cared even less.
He was in the right in this matter. If the emperor truly failed to distinguish right from wrong and wanted to punish him, then Jin Feng no longer wanted to indulge him.
The performance of the escort team in this war had given Jin Feng confidence.
If equipped with war horses, the escorts’ combat strength could rise another level.
Moreover, the fortifications around Xihe Bay were basically all complete.
These were not simple defences of trenches and earthen walls, but fortresses built with concrete.
Escorts, war horses, black armour, fortresses, more advanced weapons, the hearts of the people…
Fighting away from home in other places, Jin Feng dared not claim invincibility, but around Xihe Bay, or even throughout the entire Jinchuan territory, he no longer feared anyone.
Previously, the grain issue had constrained him.
Now, the grain stockpiled in Xihe Bay was enough for the entire Jinchuan County to eat for two years without running out.
The last problem was solved. Even if the Dangxiang’s most elite cavalry attacked, he dared to engage them.
With grain in hand, the heart remains steady.
With these changes, Jin Feng became much bolder in his words and actions.
A playboy like Xue Henglu was no longer taken seriously by him.
He brought Zhou Youda back to the camp tent and sent someone to call Han Feng over.
The three of them discussed together how to settle the refugees.
Jin Feng genuinely sympathised with these refugees from the bottom of his heart and wanted to help them.
However, giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him to fish.
No matter how wealthy, Jin Feng did not want to simply play the scatter-wealth boy.
The three talked for more than two hours. Jin Feng decided to invest in building several brick kilns and a large textile factory around the Zhou family’s old residence first, to solve the people’s employment problems.
With jobs, the people would naturally have hope, and their hearts would settle.
Xichuan was the capital of Chuanshu, with convenient transport. Building factories here, Jin Feng would definitely not lose out.
At least he would not need to transport cloth thousands of li from Xihe Bay, saving a huge amount of transport costs.
If Zhou Youda could, as agreed, help him guard the spinning wheel and textile machine technology, Jin Feng would consider investing in building other factories later.
After roughly outlining the framework, Jin Feng took out ten thousand taels in banknotes from his bosom and handed them to Zhou Youda.
“Mr Zhou, here is ten thousand taels. Take it and use it first. If it is not enough, come find me again.”
“Mr Jin, I… I thank you on behalf of the people!”
Zhou Youda looked at the banknotes, his eyes immediately reddening. He solemnly bowed to Jin Feng.
Jin Feng was the only person in these days willing to help him.
And he gave ten thousand taels at once.
“This is what I should do. I did not know before. Now that I know, I cannot stand by and do nothing.”
Jin Feng patted Zhou Youda’s shoulder. “Go ahead and do it with peace of mind. If the money is not enough, just say so.”
Zhou Youda was about to speak when the Ninth Princess entered with Qin’er.
As expected of someone trained in the palace, no matter what had happened before, the Ninth Princess had now regained her usual composure.
Upon entering, she first curtsied to Jin Feng. “Sir, you are right. The common people are the foundation of the Great Kang. Wen’er was wrong before. Thank you, sir, for your guidance!”
The tent did not block sound. Before entering, the Ninth Princess had heard the two men’s conversation.
Without waiting for Jin Feng to speak, she continued from where he had left off. “Mr Zhou, this palace has no money to build factories for you, but can only erect two stone steles. Please help me find some craftsmen.”
“What kind of steles does Your Highness wish to erect?” Zhou Youda asked.
“Memorial steles!”
The Ninth Princess said, “Sir is right. You are the greatest heroes of this war. Heroes should not remain nameless, nor should they be discriminated against!
This palace wishes to erect steles to tell everyone what happened here, to tell everyone how the brands on your faces came to be! You are victims, you are heroes, and you should not be treated this way!”
“Your Highness…”
After hearing the Ninth Princess’s words, Zhou Youda’s eyes reddened again.
Because of the brands on their faces, Zhou Youda and the others had recently faced too many cold stares and suffered too many grievances.
No one had ever thought that they too were victims, and moreover meritorious.
Now finally someone was willing to speak for them.
Han Feng’s eyes also grew moist.
He held a pivotal position in the escort bureau. Although no one dared discriminate against him, recently many people had looked at him strangely, making Han Feng feel very uncomfortable.
“Your Highness, grand words are not spoken casually. Are you confident?” Jin Feng asked.
Such large memorial steles could not be erected casually. They required the seal and signature of Qing Xinyao, the provincial governor, and also needed approval from the Ministry of Rites before construction.
“Since this palace dares to say it, naturally there is confidence!”
The Ninth Princess held her head high, her face full of assurance.
“Then count it as you doing a real deed!”
Jin Feng nodded slightly.
Who in this world did not care about reputation?
Who, if they could be a hero, would willingly be misunderstood as a coward?
Only with the steles erected could the shame of Zhou Youda and the others be thoroughly washed away.
It was indeed a matter of great significance.
Hearing Jin Feng’s praise, the Ninth Princess quietly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
