Making you a son-in-law is not about making you conquer the world.

"Buying wood?"

The city lord frowned and asked in confusion, "Why buy wood?"

"Does Father want to hear the truth?"

Lin Ping replied mysteriously.

The city lord nodded, then said with a hint of impatience, "Of course, I want to hear the truth."

"Since salt is too expensive, a thousand taels of silver won't buy much. It would be better to buy some wood to boil more seawater."

Lin Ping smiled obsequiously and began his analysis in a serious tone.

"This Lin Ping isn't a spendthrift! He even has a heart for helping those in distress!"

The city lord nodded slightly, looking at Lin Ping with a questioning gaze, even suspecting that the rumors were wrong.

"That's right, let's buy some wood."

Jiang Xiuwen casually agreed, showing great approval of Lin Ping's viewpoint.

As the price of salt soared, the price of timber naturally followed suit. Stockpiling more timber not only made money but also allowed people to refine more seawater, thus alleviating the burden on ordinary people.

"So you think this thousand taels of silver should be used to buy wood?" the city lord asked in a questioning tone.

As the city lord, Luo Shaoyan was many times smarter than Jiang Xiuwen, and he considered problems from a different perspective.

In other words, a thousand taels of silver wouldn't buy much wood; it would only be adding fuel to the fire and wouldn't solve the fundamental problem. The city lord was trying to test Lin Ping with this.

If Lin Ping truly possesses a brilliant mind and an ambition to save the people from suffering, then he is not suited to be a son-in-law.

Even though wood isn't very useful, it can still make money, which shows that Lin Ping has some brains.

He would never do that!

Lin Ping raised the corner of his eye, grinned, and replied with a playful smile, "So we should buy soapberries! Buy up all the soapberries in Jiangcheng, so that those women have no soapberries to use, increasing their time for washing clothes. They'll spend all day washing clothes by the Huai River, what a wonderful sight that would be!"

As he spoke, Lin Ping squinted his eyes, imagining the scene, and even drooled.

In ancient times, there was no soap or laundry detergent. Laundry women used natural soapberries to wash away sweat and oil stains from their clothes. Although the effect was not good, it was better than nothing.

If even soapberries were unavailable, it would certainly increase the time spent washing clothes, causing people to squat on both banks of the Huai River all day, creating a beautiful scene.

what?

Everyone stared at Lin Ping in shock.

Good, good, good, as expected of the legendary spendthrift son.

Lin Ping certainly didn't disappoint anyone!

"How could I have married such a wastrel? Not only does he squander money, but he also frequents brothels and uses all sorts of tricks to force girls to wash clothes on the banks of the Huai River. My husband... sigh, well, well, it's all for the best. At least I, Jiang Yunying, won't feel guilty."

A ripple of emotion stirred within Jiang Yunying.

This marriage is nothing more than a transaction, and Jiang Yunying will not have anything happen between her and Lin Ping, but she is, after all, a woman, and occasionally she fantasizes about a passionate love.

Well then, Lin Ping's words and actions only strengthened her resolve to never be troubled by love for the rest of her life.

She lived her entire life solely for the City Lord's Mansion.

"You scoundrel, spouting utter nonsense!"

Jiang Xiuwen was furious again. It seemed that he couldn't vent his temper unless he hit someone, but he didn't dare to. His chest felt like it was being gnawed by hundreds of ants.

The city lord thought the opposite; the rumors were true, and Lin Ping was indeed good for nothing except squandering his fortune.

"Let's do as Lin Ping says. Tomorrow, go to Accountant Wang and withdraw one thousand taels of silver. Go into town to buy some soapberries, and also visit your parents..."

The city lord looked exhausted, not because he was disappointed by Lin Ping's performance, but simply because he was thinking of the suffering people.

The pause at the end was quite meaningful. Even though Lin Ping had married into the city lord's family, he should have brought Jiang Yunying home to visit on the third day. The city lord didn't want to make things difficult for his daughter, which is why he hesitated to speak.

Lin Ping naturally knew the reason behind it and didn't dare to force anyone. He didn't want to have too much contact with the Iron-Faced Princess!

Since you, the city lord, feel guilty, then I, Lin Ping, will take advantage of your kindness.

"Father, your son-in-law has a few small requests!"

Lin Ping gestured with his hands, a malicious smile on his face.

"Please tell me and listen."

The city lord answered calmly.

He knew that the city lord's mansion was in the wrong for taking advantage of Lin Ping, and he would give in to their demands unless they were too unreasonable.

"My son-in-law has been frail and sickly since childhood, and he likes to be accompanied by several servants when he goes out. How about this, you give my son-in-law a personal attendant!"

Lin Ping said shamelessly.

Who is Changsui?

They weren't just ordinary lackeys; they were skilled at currying favor in officialdom, specially prepared for the young masters of wealthy families, or even newly appointed top scholars. Their status was only slightly lower than that of the head steward, on par with the accountant, and they received at least five taels of silver per month.

Lin Ping was merely a son-in-law who had married into the family; he was hardly worthy of having a personal attendant.

"How about four servants?" the city lord asked in a consultative tone.

The servants in the city lord's mansion are roughly divided into five levels. The highest level is the head steward, the second level is the accountant, the teacher, and the attendant, the third level is the servant, the fourth level is the guard, and the fifth level is the long-term worker and the short-term worker.

Maids were divided into three ranks: first-class maids were of higher status than servants but lower than attendants; second-class maids were equivalent to servants; and third-class maids were equivalent to guards.

The head steward, accountant, and tutor are self-explanatory. The attendants are equivalent to administrative assistants, helping the master arrange his schedule and receive guests. The servants are responsible for the master's daily life and have the right to go out with the master. The guards are responsible for cleaning the mansion, chopping wood and boiling water. The long-term and short-term workers are just contract workers with even lower status.

Therefore, having four servants was already quite a show of force, and even Jiang Yunyu only had two by his side, which was enough to show the city lord's preferential treatment of Lin Ping.

Lin Ping shook his head firmly and said shamelessly, "I can't go without a servant. After all, I am the son-in-law of the city lord's mansion. If I walk down the street without a servant, people will point and whisper: 'Look, the son-in-law of the city lord's mansion goes out without a servant. He must be so poor that he can't even afford to hire one.'"

Lin Ping became more and more engrossed in his story, appearing quite as if he were putting himself in the shoes of the City Lord's Mansion.

"No money? How can you manage without money? If you don't have money, countless eyes will seize on your weaknesses!" The city lord was persuaded by Lin Ping's words, gritted his teeth and said, "I'll give you a personal attendant..."

These words almost made him vomit blood. The city lord's mansion only had two personal attendants, and both of them followed the city lord. This was a move to steal his people!

Of course, these two attendants were dispensable to the city lord, merely there to make a show of things. If he wasn't away on official business, he wouldn't see them for several days at a time.

Lin Ping was secretly delighted, his nostrils flaring even higher. He was truly arrogant and outrageous, laughing as he said, "Young master, you still need two more foremen as guards!"