Shipin Dalizheng

Tang Tiantian was taken to the new workshop where Rong Tang was located to choose a site. She saw several men measuring the land with a ruler without stopping for a moment. Butler Tao was circling around Rong Tang like a bee, making gestures and gestures, but he shut up when he saw Tang Tiantian.

Rong Tang stood up and handed the measuring tape to Butler Tao. He walked over. In Tang Tiantian's eyes, he was just a young man covered in dust, with his skin a little red due to sun exposure, walking towards her with vigor and a strong rustic air.

In Rong Tang's eyes, Tang Tiantian was as beautiful as a Western doll. Although she was beautiful, she was totally out of place in the current environment.

"Miss Tang, what do you want from me?"

When she met him in person, Tang Tiantian panicked. Rong Tang was a few months younger than her, but when she faced him, she felt such a strong sense of oppression for some reason, as if the person in front of her was an old fox with many years of experience and would be eaten to the bone.

She stuttered and hiccuped as she followed, "I, I..."

"Are you afraid that I'll break off the engagement and have a bad influence on you?"

"No, it's not..."

"Or do you want to cancel the engagement, but are too embarrassed to open your mouth?"

"This...I..."

The more anxious I am, the less I can say. I have so many things in my mind, but why can't I say them smoothly?

Rui'er saw that the young lady was sick again, and she was so worried about her that she couldn't help but speak for her, "Prince Rong, my young lady can't be nervous. She won't be able to speak when she is nervous. I said it for her. My mistress wants to separate from my master, but the lady of the Bo Mansion seems to have objections. Now my mistress is hesitant, worried that it will affect the young lady and your marriage. I can't bear to see my mistress sad, so I came to ask you if you feel... feel..."

“I feel ashamed!”

"Yes."

"What if I feel like it?"

Tang Tiantian blurted out: "Then um..."

Rui'er covered Tang Tiantian's mouth tightly, not letting her say anything about breaking off the engagement. They had already slept in the same bed, so this engagement couldn't be broken off.

Rong Tang found it funny, but Tang Tiantian left a really good impression on him. In this male-dominated society, under the multiple oppressions of patriarchy and husband power, a daughter who could empathize with her mother and support her in withdrawing from an unhappy marriage was itself a remarkable idea.

Of course, this was also due to the support of her maternal uncles, and her financial foundation, so she had no worries about her future. Those who were thrown out by their parents' families after getting married, even if they were tortured to death by their husband's family, would not have such confidence.

He decided not to tease her anymore.

"Don't worry, Miss Tang. I won't cause any trouble to Madam Tang because of this matter. Unless the Tang family comes to cancel the engagement, I won't."

Rui'er opened her eyes wide. This Prince Rong was really good at saying sweet words. He must be a veteran in the entertainment industry!

Rong Tang, who inexplicably bore the reputation of a playboy, had no idea how great an impact his words "I won't cancel the engagement" would have. He just didn't want to damage the girl's reputation.

Tang Tiantian was shocked for a moment, but her previous nervousness had passed and she was able to speak normally.

She clenched her fists, as if to cheer herself up.

"Prince Rong, I have something to talk to you about. Can we find a place to sit down and talk?"

"Of course, come back to my house."

Rong Tang was just being polite, but Tang Tiantian and her servant's expressions became very interesting. This wasn't a big deal, as she had gone to her fiancé's house.

At this moment, Tang Tiantian felt that it was hasty for her to come here without her mother's consent, but once the words came out of her mouth, it was like an arrow on a bow.

Arriving at the courtyard west of the village, Tang Tiantian saw people busy working everywhere. A large new courtyard was almost completed. Her uneasy heart settled down again, and she kept mentally preparing herself, "With so many people here, he won't do anything bad, he won't do anything bad..."

"What bad things?"

Rong Tang’s question almost made Tang Tiantian lose her mind. She covered her mouth in horror. Did she say it out loud?

Then she saw Rui'er couldn't bear to look at her.

Rong Tang found it funny, wondering if he had acted too much like a man, causing a little girl to be afraid of his beastly nature.

"Chuncao, prepare some refreshments for Miss Tang. I'll wash up first."

Tang Tiantian was nervous again. She was just talking, but why was she washing up? What else was she going to do after washing up...

Finally, Rong Tangqing came to the opposite side of her in a refreshed state and leaned back comfortably. "Miss Tang, if you have anything to say, please speak quickly. If you speak slowly, it will be dark soon and you will have to stay in Rongjia Village."

These words were indeed very intimidating. Tang Tiantian no longer dared to be nervous, let alone stutter, and spoke quickly and logically.

"Prince Rong, I want to discuss a cooperation with you, it's about the water dragon carriage. The plan to manufacture the water dragon carriage has been blocked at the Ministry of Revenue. Right Vice Minister Liang insisted that there is no money and insisted on postponing it for a few years. In the next few years, all manpower and resources will be used to manufacture fans. Once we have earned enough money and the treasury is full, we can start again."

Rong Tang slowly sat up straight. It was his fault for not considering things carefully. The water hose cart, which was beneficial to people's livelihood, had a small profit margin, but required dozens of times more manpower and material resources than a fan. Those officials who were just sitting in office and doing nothing didn't care whether the people had water in their fields or whether the fields would reduce production.

"But secretly, the Liang family approached the Minister of Works, offering to pay a high price for the blueprints, saying they would open their own workshop to manufacture the water dragon cart. The Minister of Works didn't agree, and even if he had, it would have been useless. My brother had altered the blueprints, and no one else could understand them. The Ministry of Works was willing to allocate half of its craftsmen to manufacture the water dragon cart, but the cost was enormous, and the Ministry of Works had no money of its own. It often needed approval from the Ministry of Revenue, and without it, there was no start-up capital."

The materials needed to make a water dragon cart are much more than those needed to make a fan, such as wood and iron. If the people want to make one, they definitely have to go through the government.

"That's why my uncle didn't come to see you, but he's trying to persuade some merchants to invest, offering them a certain share of the profits, and most importantly, giving them priority for trading. I heard from them that the Minister of Works has also agreed. As long as the money is in place, the Ministry of Revenue can be bypassed and run independently."

Rong Tang's mind was working quickly and he had already figured out a way to deal with it.

"First, tell me about the specific project you want me to cooperate on."

Tang Tiantian gritted her teeth and said, "I want to invest all the money I deposited with you as a dowry into building the water dragon workshop, and give all the shares to my brother."

When talking about the dowry, her face turned a little red.

Rong Tang was surprised, "You gave it all to your brother? Isn't it your dowry money?"

Tang Tiantian's face flushed red as she lowered her head. "I'm useless. My brother works day and night to save my face, and he doesn't rest for more than three hours a day. I don't want to burden him too much. Once he becomes one of the owners of the workshop, I'll have a way out."

"The Water Dragon Car Workshop is no different from other businesses. Profits are likely to be very low. You invested twenty thousand taels, and you might not get your money back for many years. Is that okay?"

He thought that if he just wanted to make money, he might as well start a fan workshop. It would take many years to popularize it throughout Dai Viet, and there would be many years of high profit returns.

"It's not all about making money. My uncle said that those unscrupulous merchants would charge exorbitant prices after making them. I hope that my brother's workshop can have the right to set prices so that the villagers can afford them. Even if we don't make money, even if we lose money in the future, at least as a craftsman, he has earned the respect of the world."

Rong Tang was filled with awe. For a girl who grew up in the inner chambers, it was truly remarkable that she had such a profound awareness. In his interactions with Tang Fuyun and the Sima family, he also felt that these people not only possessed a spirit of craftsmanship, but also a compassion for farmers.

"Okay, the Rongjia Village workshop will use your money. I'll add any shortfall. But there's one thing: I'll recruit all the workers, and you can send an accountant to oversee the accounts."