We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

No matter how good the Spring Festival is, it only lasts seven days.

After the festival, the Feng State court resumed operations, factories began to work one after another, and soldiers began their daily training.

As the lord, Li Che naturally cannot take a break.

Although there were several cabinet ministers in the court, there were not many things that needed to be handled by him personally.

But there are also a few things that Li Che needs to do personally.

The most important thing is the trade cooperation with Daqing.

When Li Lin went to the imperial capital, he brought sweet potatoes and Champa rice, intending to present them to Emperor Qing.

But as soon as he arrived in the imperial capital, the King of Shu started to go crazy.

After the rebellion was quelled, Emperor Qing locked himself in the Yangxin Palace and refused to see anyone, so Li Lin was unable to deliver the two kinds of grain in person.

He had no choice but to entrust the sweet potatoes and Champa rice seeds to Huo Tao, and repeatedly reminded him of their importance.

Later, Li Lin returned to Yan State, and the situation in the court gradually stabilized. Huo Tao then personally presented the two grain seeds.

At first, Emperor Qing didn't take it too seriously, thinking it was just a new kind of grain, so he asked the eunuchs to hastily accept it and prepare to find a time to plant it in the spring.

But he soon realized that this thing was presented by his sixth brother, and it must have come from Fengguo, and it was very likely overseas grain.

He remembered that Li Che seemed to have mentioned to him that the grain production overseas was huge and could easily feed millions of people, so although the overseas countries were weak, they were still able to survive to this day.

Thinking of this, Emperor Qing immediately took it seriously.

He personally appointed Huo Tao's eldest son Huo Duanren, who was responsible for sowing and guarding the grain seeds with hundreds of highly loyal imperial guards.

He also allocated a piece of land in the royal summer resort and ordered the Jinyiwei to guard it strictly and no outsiders were allowed to approach.

After obtaining these grain seeds, Emperor Qing recalled the things he had seen in Fengguo, and the gloom in his heart caused by the King of Shu was mostly dispelled.

No matter how many faults Emperor Qing has, there is one undoubted advantage he has, which is that he cares very much about people's livelihood.

Watching Daqing grow stronger little by little is Emperor Qing's greatest motivation now, and everything Fengguo has seen is in line with Emperor Qing's expectations for the future of Daqing.

That's why Emperor Qing, for the sake of Li Che, cleared out the remaining followers of the Crown Prince and even imprisoned the King of Shu and weakened the other princes.

As soon as the New Year passed, Emperor Qing sent many officials from the Ministry of Revenue to Feng State to finalize the transaction cooperation.

Emperor Qing sent people over, so Li Che had no choice but to greet them in person and discuss the matter of cooperating in building a factory.

The officials of the Ministry of Revenue were all old foxes, cunning and stingy. Doing business with them was really a hassle. Li Che was often so angry that he wanted to overturn the table, close the door and let Xiaosong and Xiaotuan go.

But fortunately, Emperor Qing gave a death order that cooperation must be achieved no matter what.

In the end, both sides made concessions and cooperation was achieved.

Fengguo provided technology and craftsmen and immediately set off for the imperial capital to build a factory.

All costs required to build the factory were borne by the Ministry of Industry, the cost of hiring workers was borne by the Ministry of Revenue, and 20% of the profits were distributed to the state.

Taking this opportunity, Li Che proposed to increase trade efforts and give Fengguo merchant caravans greater tax incentives and conveniences.

The officials of the Ministry of Revenue obviously did not expect that Li Che would have such a trick, but this matter was not something they could decide, so they just said they would go back and report to Emperor Qing and let His Majesty make the final decision.

Li Che was not worried that Emperor Qing would disagree. After all, the money earned by the Fengguo merchant caravan was not his, but the money of the aristocratic families.

Nowadays, the Fengguo merchant caravan has more and more types of goods. In addition to the glass, iron ore, liquor and other items that were once sold, there are also new things such as fireworks, lighters, and Chaoyangshao.

The areas outside the Great Wall are rich in products, such as ginseng, sable fur, deer antlers, northern pearls, beeswax, linen, etc., which can be sold at a good price when transported to the Central Plains.

However, Li Che ordered the export of these specialties to be restricted, simply because most of them were raw materials without any processing or value-added, and every time one was sold, there was one less, so if too many were sold, they would become worthless.

It would be better to restrict sales, use hunger marketing, praise its status and value to the sky, and then sell it to those rich people who are not short of money.

It is somewhat similar to what happened in later generations: the plate should be large, the quantity should be small, and a piece of grass should be placed in the blank space; spread some sauce, sprinkle some residue, and sell it to Mr. Shanghai for 88,000.

After Li Che's operation, the Fengguo merchant caravan made several more trips to various places in Daqing, and a lot of funds were actually brought back, which finally filled the hole in building warships.

Not only that, merchants from all over the country also realized the potential of Fengguo's products, and some merchants began to travel thousands of miles to Fengguo to purchase goods.

This is definitely great news for Li Che, and the "Heaven on Earth" project should be launched.

Although winter is the slack season for farmers, Feng State has no shortage of craftsmen. With Li Che personally supervising the construction, the Tianshangrenjian project progressed rapidly.

According to Li Che's idea, this "Heaven on Earth Building" should have a bathhouse on the first floor, a place for drinking and partying on the second floor, and an independent rest area on the third floor.

The area must be large enough to accommodate at least a thousand guests at the same time.

As a result, the project volume became extremely large, and money was spent like water, which caused many officials in Feng State to complain.

Especially the cabinet minister Wen Zaiyin. This old gentleman is a loyal and righteous man, but he is also a bit pedantic, and his code of conduct is completely influenced by Confucianism.

Previously, Li Che repaired the city walls, built Fengguo University, and constructed clipper battleships, which could be said to be for national affairs.

But now they are building this damn 'Heaven on Earth'... To put it nicely, it's an elegant place, but to put it bluntly, isn't it just a brothel?

Spending so much manpower and material resources to build a large bathhouse, isn't this the root cause of the country's demise?

The old man immediately became unhappy and repeatedly advised Li Che to stop the construction project, saying that he should not waste people's money and time on such a large-scale construction project.

Li Che had no choice but to try his best to explain that although the construction of this building cost a lot, it was not for his benefit alone, but was for the purpose of attracting investment to Feng State.

If Li Che really wanted to live a life of luxury and debauchery, why did he build Tiantian Renjian in the outer city? Wouldn't it be better to build it directly next to the palace?

However, such arguments are obviously difficult to convince Wen Zaiyin and others.

Li Che felt quite helpless. He knew that explaining "attracting investment" and "stimulating the economy through the tertiary industry" to these old-fashioned people whose minds were full of ideas of "self-discipline and restoration of rituals" and "thrift and frugality" was like talking to a cow.

It seems that they will not be able to understand the profoundness of bathing culture unless they experience it for themselves.

The construction of "Heaven on Earth" was completed very quickly. With the magical material like cement, the speed of Fengguo's infrastructure construction has already achieved some of the charm of the previous Dongda University.

In just over a month, the three-story building was completed, and the bathhouse on the first floor was also built. Only the decoration of the second and third floors remained to be completed.

After being drowned out by the voices of advice and remonstration during another court meeting, Li Che waved his hand:

"Forget it, forget it. All the nobles say this building is a place of luxury and pleasure, and I, the king, have no right to argue."

"How about this? After three days of rest, I'll invite you all to take a bath on the first floor of the rudimentary 'Heaven on Earth Building'. Seeing is believing. After experiencing it for yourself, we can discuss this matter further!"

Taking a bath? Going to that expensive paradise on earth?

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire court was in an uproar.

Wen Zaiyin and others turned pale. How could a minister bathe in the same pool with the king?

It's simply disgraceful!

But in Li Che's view, this kind of thing is very common.

After all, in my previous life in the Northeast, there was nothing that couldn't be solved by a barbecue. If one barbecue wasn't enough, I'd have two. If two barbecues weren't enough, I'd go to the bath center.

There is a reason why bathing culture is so popular.

The bathhouse is empty and everyone is naked, which not only prevents eavesdropping but also makes it easier to get close to each other.

Three days later, it’s a day off.

Although they were extremely reluctant, they could not disobey the king's order, so the civil and military officials in the court came to the Heaven on Earth Building with full of doubts and a hint of curiosity.

The building has three floors, and its appearance is grand and majestic, with carved beams and painted buildings, which looks very luxurious.

If someone who has never been to Chaoyang City saw this building, he would probably think that this is the Prince Feng's Palace!

Thinking of this, Wen Zaiyin and others suddenly felt that the building in front of them was shrouded in a shadow of idleness.

The door slowly opened, and a warm and moist current mixed with the fragrance of herbs hit my face, instantly dispelling the winter chill.

As soon as they stepped into the first floor hall, everyone was stunned and froze in place as if they were under a spell.

The view suddenly opened up, and several huge square pools appeared before my eyes.

The water in the pool is crystal clear, emitting wisps of white mist that rises up and envelops the entire lobby in warmth.

The bottom of the pool is paved with white marble that is as smooth as jade, reflecting a soft halo under the light from the overhead lights.

What’s even more surprising is that the floor under your feet actually continuously emits comfortable heat.

It is obvious that an astonishingly large-scale fire dragon heating system has been laid underground to ensure that this place is as warm as spring, which is completely different from the cold winter outside the building.

Just when everyone was shocked by the scale of the bathhouse, an even more jaw-dropping scene occurred.

Li Che began to undress as if no one was around. He took off his black royal robe, lining, boots and socks one by one, and soon his muscular upper body was naked.

He walked down the steps to the poolside without any airs, with only a bath towel wrapped around his lower body, and slowly immersed himself in the warm, misty water.

With a "plop" sound, water splashed lightly.

Li Che breathed a sigh of relief and almost burst into tears.

That’s the feeling! It makes me miss it so much!

He leaned against the smooth pool wall and laughed loudly at the ministers who were still standing stupidly by the pool:

"Why are you all still standing there? Quickly undress and join me!"

All the ministers were horrified and squeezed their buttocks tightly.

Li Che's face darkened as he explained:

"Once you enter this room, you don't need royal robes or court dress. Today, regardless of status, we can be frank and talk freely like old friends. Isn't that wonderful?"

Although Li Che was usually quite unorthodox, his words shocked all the ministers.

This... this is simply subverting the moral code!

Old scholars like Wen Zaiyin blushed crimson, were at a loss, and didn't know where to look.

Leaving them naked before their lord was more painful than killing them.

"Hahaha! Lao Liu is right. It's just a bath, why is there so much to it?"

A hearty laugh broke the awkward atmosphere, and it was King Yan who responded first.

He quickly stripped off his clothes, revealing his bronze body covered with scars.

Then it fell into the water with a 'plop' sound, splashing a huge splash, which made Li Che laugh.

"That's right! Twitching like a sissy!"

Jie Ming, Qu Jinshan and other generals responded with loud laughter, taking off their clothes and jumping into the water without hesitation.

For a moment, the pool was filled with splashes and rough laughter and scolding echoed.

Huo Duanxiao and Zhuge Zhe looked at each other, a hint of helplessness flashed in their eyes, and they both took off their clothes quickly and walked into the water.

Only a small group of elderly civil officials, led by Wen Zaiyin, were left by the pond. They exchanged glances with each other, their faces full of struggle.

Wen Zaiyin looked at Li Che chatting and laughing with a group of unscrupulous generals in the pond, and finally he sighed deeply and began to unbutton his complicated official robe as if resigned to his fate.

Seeing this, the others could only follow suit with bitter faces, wrapping their lower bodies tightly with large white bath towels, and using another towel to cover their chests in an attempt to make things even more obvious.

The generals looked at their embarrassment and couldn't help but burst into laughter:

"Could it be that someone's daughter is here to take a bath?"

"Hahaha! Lao Wen, you're covering yourself up tighter than a new bride getting into a sedan chair!"

"Master Wang, if you use that towel any harder, my neck is going to break!"

"Master Li, this tube top is quite unique. Where did you buy it? I'll buy one for my concubine too."

Wen Zaiyin and others blushed, but they were too lazy to argue with these rough men.

He just gritted his teeth, carefully tested the water temperature with his toes, and then slowly went into the water.

The warm pool water instantly enveloped the whole body, and the heat flowed through the skin and penetrated into every part of the body.

What’s even more amazing is that the edge of the pool is carefully paved with round and smooth pebbles of different sizes.

When the body leans on it, the raised pebbles press perfectly on the sore acupuncture points on the waist and back, and an indescribable feeling of comfort runs through the body like an electric current.

"Well......"

I don't know which civil official it was, but he couldn't help but let out a low moan of satisfaction.

The fatigue brought by days of paperwork disappeared quickly like ice and snow melting under the massage of the magical pool water and pebbles.

The tense nerves relax, the stiff muscles stretch, and an unprecedented feeling of laziness arises spontaneously.

It seems a bit comfortable...

Li Che looked at the relaxed expressions on the faces of the people in the pool, and a smile appeared on his lips:

"How is it? Are you enjoying the food here?"