Chapter 17 Indeed a Feast with No Good Intentions

"It really is a feast with no good intentions," Ye Tao sighed, reflecting on Tan Weishi's banquet. It turned out that Tan Weishi had been put in a difficult position. After the tour of her embroidery garden, many people whom she usually addressed with familial terms like uncle, aunt, and the like, from whom she usually cadged gifts, wanted to use her connection to invite Ye Tao to build gardens for them. After numerous hints and overtures, Tan Weishi finally decided to pass the pressure on to Ye Tao. That's why she had specially invited Ye Tao, subjected him to flattery all evening, and forced him to come up with an acceptable schedule to meet these requests for garden construction.

Ye Tao simply presented the preliminary plans for the Danyang city reconstruction project he was developing. He explained the idea of transferring the functions of some workshops and other types of "commercial land" in the center of Danyang City to the nearby villages and towns under construction. This would make the positioning and functions of Danyang's commercial, military, and residential areas more distinct and concentrated. He also revealed his intention to develop several plots of land vacated after the demolition of the workshops into new high-end residential areas in Danyang City... This perfectly aligned with the desires of those nobles who wanted to build gardens but were hesitant due to Danyang City's increasing congestion and the difficulty of finding suitable locations.

However, only the Zuo family, which already had considerable business dealings with Ye Tao, was far more interested in this matter than just building a few gardens. The Zuo family had many properties and business partners in the areas that Ye Tao said were to be functionally transferred. Zuo Changming, a perceptive young executive of the Zuo family who happened to be present, keenly sensed the opportunities within.

"Young Master Ye, I wonder... when will the demolition and relocation be implemented?" Emerging from Embroidery Princess's embroidery garden, Zuo Changming immediately intercepted Ye Tao, invited him to a nearby tavern for a chat, and asked the question directly.

"Young Master Zuo, are you also interested in this matter?" Ye Tao found it somewhat strange.

Zuo Changming nodded, "Of course. Although the Zuo family is not in the construction business, one can imagine the profit to be made from the demolition and construction. And with so many new businesses and newly built gardens gathering in this emerging area, if it can be implemented step by step according to the plans that Young Master Ye just mentioned, then just the land alone will probably increase several times over in the next few years, which wouldn't be too surprising. And my Zuo family happens to have a lot of property in those areas, so it's only natural to be concerned about it, isn't it?"

Zuo Changming had made it very clear that the Zuo family would intervene in this matter. The extent of their involvement would depend on the capital they could mobilize and the time they had to prepare. Zuo Changming planned not only to prepare his existing properties but also to quickly acquire large tracts of land before the news spread, in order to gain more benefits and a greater say in this grand plan.

Ye Tao smiled slightly and said, "It has already begun... Tomorrow morning, a resolution should be passed in the imperial court that all real estate involved in this plan will not be allowed to be transferred from this day forward. All related industries must obtain approval from the Ministry of Works and the Danyang City Garrison before any transfer of ownership."

Zuo Changming was stunned, and then realized why Ye Tao had revealed this information in such an informal setting today. Ye Tao already knew that even if the news was released now, those who wanted to exploit loopholes wouldn't have enough time to complete everything in just one day. Even though this ban on transfers wouldn't stop some private transactions, at least no one would dare to act recklessly on the surface.

Zuo Changming paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Young Master Ye... are you sure that what you are doing is appropriate? Please forgive my bluntness, but in view of the Zuo family's many years of friendship with Old Master Qi, and the fact that Qiye's Tiansuo Clock Shop, which is jointly owned by Old Master Qi and your Ye family, is now a very promising business, I would like to offer a few words of advice. Young Master Ye, although you have the protection of Her Highness Princess Zhaohua, this matter is not being handled very fairly. Can the Ye family handle the demolition and reconstruction of such a large area on its own? And without the support of so many merchants and clans, large and small, in Danyang, is it even possible for this very insightful plan to be implemented?"

Ye Tao smiled wryly and said, "My Ye family has no intention of interfering in this matter at all. Apart from the fact that I personally have to risk my life to hand over piles and piles of design drawings in two months, and can get 200,000 taels of silver in labor fees from the Ministry of Works, my Ye family will not participate in anything else. Even Boss Dai of Daiyue Pavilion, who is related to my Ye family, will not be allowed to have his unrivaled super construction team appear on the construction sites in the city. Saying that my Ye family is hogging the benefits... my Ye family certainly can't handle it, and never intended to. Ye's Workshop and Boss Dai's construction team will mainly be responsible for the construction of Iron City and those three simple towns."

Zuo Changming asked strangely, "Then why are you going to such lengths? Even if that's the case, what do you think everyone will think once the news is announced? It's hard to imagine that you would be willing to do something so thankless."

Ye Tao smiled and said, "It's not too late in the day yet. Would Young Master Zuo be willing to take a walk with me to those places?"

Besides the workshops and warehouses, the most important thing on that entire piece of land was the various residential buildings scattered throughout. Many of the workers and low-level managers who worked in those workshops lived in that area. Although these places were completely different from the slums in some parts of Danyang City, they couldn't be said to be very neat and presentable either. Although he didn't understand what Ye Tao wanted to do, Zuo Changming nodded and agreed to Ye Tao's suggestion.

Accompanied by a few attendants, Ye Tao and Zuo Changming walked side by side in Qingning Ward, where the most residential buildings were concentrated. To Zuo Changming's surprise, Ye Tao seemed to enjoy observing this kind of street scene.

In this era of lacking entertainment, especially lacking nighttime entertainment, many families had already rested at this hour, but the courtyards of many more houses still emitted flickering lights. The occasional calls of domestic poultry, cats, and dogs added to the atmosphere of life in Qingning Ward.

"During this relocation, most of these families will move to other places. Those with some savings, those who have some status in those shops and workshops, may settle in other parts of Danyang. But more people will move to those newly built towns as those workshops relocate. However, whether it is the workshops or these families, for this relocation, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, and the Imperial Household Department will give considerable compensation for these houses, for the land of those workshops, for the losses from the suspension of work, and for the relocation costs of some special workshops, and so on. Moreover, this compensation will never be a mere three or two coins to send someone on their way. Whether it is the workshops and shops with or without a background, and even more so for any ordinary family, the people from the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Household Department will investigate each household and then give each household reasonable compensation and the price to purchase the land, in accordance with the regulations being formulated... For this relocation, Her Highness the Princess has made a huge determination. The silver accumulated in the Imperial Household Department over the years, in addition to meeting the construction of Iron City and the usual expenses, will mostly be invested in this huge project at once, striving to complete the construction of the entire urban sphere of influence in Danyang and its surroundings, and also to complete the reconstruction within Danyang, when Iron City is completed. The first batch of silver invested is as much as seven million taels, mainly used to properly resettle those people, and some shops and workshops that are easier to negotiate with," Ye Tao said slowly, "As for those workshops held by the Zuo family, such as... that brocade weaving workshop less than five hundred feet away from here, and all the workshops and shops with a background that are more difficult to deal with at a more moderate price, they will be negotiated with one by one. I don't know if the people from the Princess's Palace, the Imperial Household Department, and the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue will take advantage of their power when doing such things. That's something I can't know, but at least the Princess's intention is to talk to everyone on equal terms."

Zuo Changming stopped and looked at Ye Tao with some disbelief. If what Ye Tao said was true, then what Tan Weishi was doing was something that no ruler in the entire country or even on the entire continent had ever done before. To redeem at a reasonable price instead of issuing orders to achieve the same goal was equivalent to Tan Weishi giving up the opportunity to use compulsory measures, which seemed to be taken for granted in such a large project, and to take the simplest and most efficient method.

Ye Tao pursed his lips and said, "Young Master Zuo doesn't seem to understand why the Princess would do this, does he?"

Zuo Changming didn't say anything, obviously acquiescing.

Ye Tao said, "Imagine, after the news is released, with the strength of the major merchants and clans, coupled with the fact that seven or eight out of ten of the people living here work in the shops and workshops of the major merchants and clans, under this situation and pressure, how many people will be forced to sell their real estate at an unreasonable price, or at a price that will inevitably be lower than the compensation standards set by Her Highness the Princess? Then, you wealthy and powerful families will have more capital to bargain with, but how will this warm scene of thousands of lights be able to manage?"

Zuo Changming remained silent. He knew that what Ye Tao said was true. That was his own plan as well. Naturally, the Zuo family wouldn't treat those who had worked for the Zuo family's industries for many years too badly. Zuo Changming planned to persuade the head of the Zuo family to bear the relocation costs of many of them, but many families wouldn't be so generous, and oppression and coercion would inevitably occur.

Just as Zuo Changming was about to say something, Ye Tao continued, "Actually, Her Highness the Princess has not cut off everyone's opportunity to make money. Taking all the land rights into her hands first is because the construction of the entire project conflicts with the current division of many neighborhoods, and everything must be completely demolished and rebuilt. However, Her Highness the Princess does not object to everyone cashing out all the real estate and the relocation compensation that could have been negotiated, and then investing in the entire grand plan. Then, the profits will be divided at the end. Although it may be less than directly profiting from the appreciation of the land on your own, after all, the Imperial Household Department will allocate nearly twenty million taels of silver for this relocation project, which bears a lot of pressure and risk. Naturally, it is reasonable to take a large share in the final profit, isn't it?"