Shipin Dalizheng

Rong Tang took two steps back and asked Rong Dajiang, "What's going on?"

Rong Dajiang sighed, "They're not from our town. Their village is fifty or sixty miles away, and they walked here in a group. I've heard about those villages too. They're very poor. They just came to buy a waterwheel, but the three villages couldn't come up with five taels of silver. And our waterwheel only cost more than thirty taels. How can we sell it?"

More than a dozen villagers had expressions of worry on their faces. They had tried their best to raise funds, but some only had so much.

The oldest man, his vest tattered, sighed, "Prince Rong, it's not that our village is taking advantage of you, but we really have no other choice. Our villages all live by the river. We do have a water source, but the riverbank is surrounded by rocky cliffs, making it difficult to get water. On weekdays, we can just fetch water for food and drink, but when it's dry, watering the fields becomes a big problem. Every year, villagers fall into the river and drown while carrying water. A few days ago, there was another... But if we don't carry water, the farmers will die. Please, Prince Rong, save us and give us three on credit... No, no, one will be fine, we can take turns using it among the three villages."

Rong Tang asked, "Your three villages all share the same river. Are the situations similar?"

After asking carefully, I found out that their village was upstream of the river, all in the deep mountains, and they had to walk along the river to get in and out. Looking at the worn-out straw sandals on his feet, I knew how difficult the journey was.

Before Concubine Rong could think of a response, another elderly villager said, "My old woman was talking in her sleep in the middle of the night, saying that Maitreya Buddha had given her instructions and that she should come to Rong Shizi and that he would definitely help her. She also said that Rong Shizi owed him a debt... but not to me, the old woman, but to the Buddha. Please don't take offense at this old man's nonsense..."

The old man's voice became softer and softer as he spoke, until it was almost inaudible, for fear that Rong Tang would blame him.

Think about it, you can't even get five taels of silver, so you come to buy someone else's waterwheel that costs dozens of taels of silver. Not only do you have no money, but you also bring up the Buddha in your dream to scare people. Aren't you asking for trouble?

Rong Tang tightened the beads in his hand. What had he said the day before yesterday? As expected, the gods and Buddhas should not be treated lightly. He had to repay this karma as soon as possible.

"Father, it doesn't matter if we don't have enough silver. I just made a vow before the Buddha to do one good deed every day. So I don't need silver for the waterwheel. Consider it my donation to you. There are three villages, right? One for each village."

Of course, this is not perfect, and it lacks a sense of ritual. "Rong Qianqi, carve three statues on these three water wheels: the Arhat Subduing the Dragon, Guanyin Bodhisattva, and Maitreya Buddha."

The villagers of the three villages were stunned and couldn’t believe their ears. What? Doing good deeds every day?

The oldest man hurriedly asked, "Prince Rong, is this true? Are you not lying to us?"

Rong Tang put his hands behind his back and said, "What good would it do me to lie to you? Forget it. It must have been difficult for you to come so far. Let's go to the village and have a meal before we leave. Uncle Dajiang, give them 20 kilograms of food each, and I'll have Chuncao buy it back for you later."

Rong Dajiang agreed, and felt comforted. It turned out that Prince Tang was still soft-hearted.

Rong Tang finally took the old man aside and asked quietly, "Does your wife worship Buddha all year round?"

The old man, still in shock from his great surprise, quickly replied, "I don't worship all year round. I just offer a handful of wild fruits from the mountains every year on the Buddha's birthday."

Rong Fei silently retreated a distance, allowing the dozen or so mountain villagers and Rong Dajiang to discuss how to transport the three water carts away.

Later, Rong Dajiang decided that it was unrealistic to carry it back, so he simply made a large raft and transported it over by water. By the time it took to make the large raft, Rong Qianqi was able to finish carving the Buddha statue.

Of course, Rong Tang didn't have time to wait for them to move the water cart away. He had other things to do, so he took Rong Zhan, Rong Wanli, and Rong An into the city.

Xue Dongjia made a new set of clothes overnight. The color was low-key, but the material was very good. No one would dare to say that he was poor when he wore it.

Xue Dongjia was very satisfied with the result. "With the demeanor of Rong Shizi, he is worthy of being called a prince."

Then he thought to himself, I have seen several princes and emperors from afar, but none of them seemed as good-looking as Prince Rong. Prince Rong is really handsome.

It’s not the kind of handsomeness that comes from good looks, but the kind of handsomeness that comes from the whole aura.

In the room where they were trying on clothes, Rong Tang asked about buying autumn and winter clothes.

Xue Dongjia casually said, "Prince Rong is asking about autumn and winter clothes so early. Does your family need to order them in advance?"

Rong Tang said, "Of course the mansion wants it too."

Xue Dongjia pondered the matter, realizing the "also" signified they had other needs. He thought, "Prince Rong wants to buy winter clothes for the veterans of Fuxin Village as well? With so many people, cotton-padded clothes aren't cheap, and they'll need a fortune. Don't blame me for being nosy. A great favor can be a great vengeance. Prince Rong may feel pity for them, but he can't cover their food, clothing, and shelter. The loss of money is a minor matter. Once they're used to it, others will think it's all their fault."

Rong Tang could tell that her good intentions were all for himself, otherwise she would have taken advantage of the situation to negotiate another big deal.

"It's not like they have to cover everything. Now that they've earned some money, it shouldn't be difficult to buy winter clothes after the crops are harvested and enough food is saved. Boss Xue just needs to prepare all the materials in advance and send them over all at once when they need them, so they don't have to worry about not having enough at the last minute."

However, Mr. Xue guessed that if there was something he really couldn't afford, Prince Rong would probably have to pay for it.

He sighed in his heart. There were many foolish people in the capital. They believed whatever others said and turned such a kind-hearted young man into a villain who killed his father and brother.

"By the way, if possible, please take some time to go to the prison of the Ministry of Justice and look after my family for me."

Xue Dongjia asked curiously, "Who are you looking at?"

Then she smiled bitterly, "I run an embroidery workshop, and I don't have much face in the capital. I'm afraid that what I say won't carry as much weight as the maids in the mansion."

Rong Tang said, "Then I'll tell Butler Tao to take my name card and go with you to visit Minister Xiao and his family, who were recently imprisoned. We'll mainly ask the women in the household if they need anything."

Xue Dongjia's imagination was suddenly running wild. Which young lady of the Xiao family did Rong Shizi have a crush on? Just as he was thinking hard, Rong Zhan's voice rang out, "What does the Madam want to see the master for?"

Rong Xiu said dryly, "I, I just want to ask, is there anything the prince needs my help with? I, I have time."

Rong Tang was just getting dressed and about to go out when he heard this. "Since Madam Tai is free, why don't you go to the prison of the Ministry of Justice with Master Xue? There's no need to rush to bring anything else. Just prepare two lunch boxes."

"I'll go, I'll go."

Rongxiu's voice trembled, and there was a hint of flattery in it.

After packing up, Rong Tang and the other two left the Bo's Mansion. Xie's house was only two streets away from the Bo's Mansion, so they decided to walk there and stop by on the way back to see how the store on Qianmen Street would be renovated.

Even though Rong Tang had been here for a while, he had never really experienced the bustling city of Shangjing. He didn't feel tired just strolling around like this, taking in the unique scenery and people along the way.

Passing by several shops, he saw plaques reading "Du Ji Candy Shop" and "Du Ji Wine Shop" next to each other. The shops looked clean and bright from the outside, but there were not many customers coming and going. It seemed that their business was not as good as his shop in the suburban county.

What's even more ridiculous is that there is a wooden board hanging outside the door with the Twelve Zodiac Song written on it, and it is noted that any child under the age of ten who can recite it will receive a free zodiac candy, and only the first ten children who can recite it each day will receive one.

This was a copy of his marketing strategy in the suburban county, but it didn't work. Seeing that it was still early for the banquet, he stood still, wanting to watch the fun for a while.