Chapter 1530: 抢卖抢买

Everyone involved in this project now takes pride in the unprecedented progress being made. Even officials like Huang Shiluo, who used to be idle and inefficient, now meticulously track the workload daily, wishing every quarter-hour could be stretched into two.

As his son, You Xuhe, put it, working on this major project keeps everyone too busy for infighting. Island Lord He – or rather, Supervisor He, as he should now be called – has everyone involved spinning like tops, unable to stop for a single moment.

Yet, imperceptibly, everyone, from the monarch and his ministers to the noble offspring, has been bound to the same war chariot—

The one driven by He Xiao.

The chariot is moving too fast for them to disembark.

You Rongzhi occasionally worried about where this war chariot would ultimately lead.

However, reason and reality told him there was no need for excessive suspicion. After all, He Xiao was merely an outsider to this country. He held no official position, commanded no military power, and had only a few dozen subordinates in Tianshui City. Moreover, he had completely alienated the Regent of Qingyang, needing the monarch's protection just to survive.

Perhaps he was working so diligently and desperately on the capital expansion project purely for the purpose of making money and ensuring his safety?

After all, although King Yao did not allow He Xiao to handle the project funds directly, he had to offer some form of compensation for such immense effort and the management of such a large-scale project, didn't he?

Therefore, trade between Yao and the Yangshan Archipelago was further liberalized. Products in previously exclusive categories were almost all opened to Yangshan, significant tax reductions were granted, and some items were even fully entrusted to Yangshan for external agency.

You Rongzhi didn't know exactly how many orders Yangshan had secured from various official and private businesses. He only knew that its merchant caravans were constantly busy, moving in and out of various parts of Yao.

There probably haven't been two foreign merchants who have fared this well in Yao since its founding, have there?

He Xiao's diligence and talent were tangible and universally praised. However, any suspicions about He Xiao were baseless and unsubstantiated.

You Rongzhi shook his head, pushing these petty thoughts out of his mind. His head ached. He was too tired to think further, wanting only to find a place for a quick nap before the meeting later.

In the blink of an eye, the model district was largely complete.

Over the past few days, it had been constructed rapidly under the gaze of thousands, with noticeable progress almost daily. This area had become a tourist attraction for both Tianshui City residents and visitors.

Only the outlines of the houses were complete; the streets and alleys in front, the walls and courtyards behind, and the district's greenery were not yet finished. Exposed yellow earth was everywhere.

But no one dared ask for more. Although over five thousand artisans and laborers worked day and night, the speed of construction was still jaw-dropping.

After all, building houses requires more technical expertise than building roads.

Wang Zirui, curious, asked for the reason. He Lingchuan told him that a large amount of stone and some wood were sourced nearby by dismantling existing structures.

These materials were certainly not enough to cover the entire new city, but they were barely sufficient for one district.

After all, they were building single-story houses and shops, so the processes were not complex, and the material requirements were not stringent. Moreover, Yao's capital actually had plenty of work crews.

To expedite progress, He Lingchuan even suspended the construction of Youhu Villa, diverting all materials to the new city project.

No one had any objections to this.

Everyone knew He Lingchuan was acting for the greater good. The owners of Youhu Villa were almost all involved in the new city construction themselves, so they were in no hurry.

Youhu Villa had its special purpose, which was now being realized. Why would these owners be in a hurry to move in?

Then, this newly built model district went on sale.

The new city was filled with yellow mud, piled construction materials, and bustling human voices everywhere. Yet, the district went on sale the day after its roofs were sealed.

It was very close to the new city's official government offices, making its location quite desirable.

Under He Lingchuan's "suggestion," only thirty percent of the residential plots and shops were offered to officials. The rest were put up for public sale through announcements made throughout Yao's capital.

Since Tianshui City had not been expanded for a long time, there were originally no official professional real estate agencies; all transactions were managed by the local government. For this new city development, the Yao court specifically established a "Housing Section," dedicated to managing the sales, transfers, and taxation of new city residential plots, whether new or resold.

Less than two hours after the announcement was made, the Housing Section became bustling, and the officials' quotas were filled.

Four hours later, the overall sales rate for residential plots in the model district exceeded fifty percent.

He Lingchuan knew that commoners wouldn't react so quickly. Although the publicity for Tianshui's East City had been ongoing for over half a month, they would most likely adopt a wait-and-see attitude.

Therefore, it was certainly the high-ranking officials and nobles who were the first to benefit!

Especially officials involved in the Eastward Expansion Project were well aware of the Yao court's determination to build a successful new city and had great confidence in its future prospects.

Buying it meant not only no loss but also substantial profit!

People are willing to pay for future prospects, so officials bought their full quotas and used other means to snap up the remaining residential plots.

Buying, holding, or managing properties on behalf of others—these were all common practices.

They typically conducted business and profited in this manner.

He Lingchuan had anticipated this, so nearly half of the model district's plots were reserved for others, and could still be sold for more—

—in another day and a half.

These "others" were still not commoners, but wealthy merchants and influential gentry of Tianshui City.

They maintained close ties with the powerful and would know what the influential were busy with almost immediately.

If all the powerful were scrambling to buy something, it was surely a good thing.

No need to think twice; just follow suit!

While ordinary people were still skeptical and hesitant, two unusually striking black characters appeared on the Housing Section's notice board:

SOLD OUT!

Less than two days, and it's all sold out?

Many people cursed, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The officials are lying! It's all yellow mud there; I even went to see it myself! How could it be sold out?"

"Who would rush to buy now? Isn't that foolish? Why not wait until everything is built, huh?"

The authorities offered no explanation. They simply remained silent for seven days, letting the news continue to spread.

During these seven days, the number of visitors to the new city increased by more than five times!

The newly constructed main road was unexpectedly bustling with traffic. It became evident that although the main road project, overseen by You Rongzhi and He Xiao, was rushed, it was wide, straight, and smooth, making carriage rides incredibly stable.

Unlike the main roads in the old city, which caused constant jarring and sometimes even made you jump for no reason!

These two roads alone greatly satisfied passengers.

Needless to say, the new city was once again the top topic of discussion among Tianshui City residents.

At this time, the poorer relatives and servants of the powerful and wealthy families spread news of their masters' frantic purchases in the model district to the common folk. People began hearing reports like, "Boss Du of Deshui Chamber of Commerce bought ten plots of land in the new city in one go," and "Dozens of shops along Liuding Street in the new city were all snatched up by a certain family."

If you believed all of it, the land in the new city wasn't cheap; not everyone could afford to buy it. The authorities had also stated that the new city could only accommodate two hundred thousand people, and anyone exceeding that number should go back where they came from!

But if you said you didn't believe it, would nobles be willing to spend six or seven hundred thousand taels to buy houses in Youhu Villa? Were they foolish, throwing money away for fun?

Doesn't that imply they've taken a liking to it and are confident in the new city's potential?

As the topic gained more traction, people's curiosity and anticipation for the new city grew daily.

After seven days of contention between optimists and pessimists, the voices that were bearish on it and considered it unreliable were gradually suppressed.

The residential plots in the first district were snapped up in less than two days. Upon hearing this, King Yao let out a long sigh of relief, feeling half the burden lifted from his heart, which had been heavy for over ten days.

Qiu Long smiled, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, this is even better than expected!"

Even though the ledger submitted by the Housing Section was right in front of King Yao, he still first asked, "Has it all been deposited?"

"Yes, every penny!" Qiu Long reported. "It was all paid in full on the same day; no one defaulted."

It was a hot commodity; who would dare delay payment? Delaying payment meant losing it.

King Yao's eyes sparkled with a smile, but he still said, "A small district is nothing significant. The buyers are all court officials, and they're rolling in money! The real test will be the sales of the subsequent phases."

Qiu Long explained, "This time, only thirty percent was allocated to officials. The remaining seventy percent was bought by Tianshui City residents."

King Yao glanced at him with a smile. "Don't pretend here," he said. "I know exactly what kind of officials I have under me."

Qiu Long could only say, "Your Majesty sees everything clearly."

King Yao then asked, "Where is the main focus of the expansion now? You Rongzhi reported a couple of days ago, something about building on the Sandie Slope, I think?"

Joking aside, as a monarch with countless daily affairs, why would he need to bother remembering such minor details?

But Qiu Long, by his side, had to have an excellent memory, in case his master asked at any moment:

"A set of huánbiǎo!"

King Yao nodded, "Yes, that's right, excellent, excellent."

There was a slope between the new city's official government offices and the main street. The offices were on the upper part of the slope, and the commoners' street was on the lower part, with the Sandie Slope naturally separating the two.

There were no plans to build houses on this slope, nor could a temple be built there—a temple's position could not be lower than that of official government buildings.

But the slope looked empty and unattractive, so You Rongzhi reported his intention to construct a set of huánbiǎo on the slope. These are decorative structures, typically massive stone pillars or steles, intricately carved to display magnificence and majesty.

Tianshui City already had two sets: one in front of the government offices and one in front of the royal palace. This differed from other countries He Lingchuan had visited; Yuan and Chiyan also had structures similar to huánbiǎo, but these were only erected before palaces and tombs.

This was because, in Yao, huánbiǎo not only symbolized the flourishing of royal power but also served as a testament to the nation's strength.

Therefore, his proposal to build huánbiǎo on this slope was perfectly aligned with Yao's national conditions and public sentiment, presenting no issues at all.

This type of costly but largely non-functional display project could only be afforded and built by Yao across the entire Shanjin Plain.