With the grand ceremony concluded, nearly five hundred new Dao Foundation cultivators emerged among the Dao soldiers, who immediately set out to return to the Northern Mountain Gate. However, while they had arrived clad in nothing more than simple robes, they departed in full suits of armor, each carrying four flying-sword guns on their backs and sitting atop several dozen artillery shells.
Just then, a messenger arrived to report that Li Chengfeng of Zhao had come to visit and was already waiting in Zhike Town on the border.
Wei Yuan treated Li Chengfeng exceptionally well. After all, through him over this period, Qingming had sold millions of bolts of cloth and taken in tens of millions of jin of silk. In addition, they had acquired a hundred thousand sets of medicinal herbs for refining Lesser Origin-Nourishing Pills and taken in nearly two hundred thousand refugees.
Wei Yuan flew to Zhike Town and found Li Chengfeng dressed in plainclothes, accompanied by only two aides, strolling about and observing the town.
By now, Zhike Town was no longer just a small settlement, but a city of considerable scale.
It bore an ever-growing array of functions. The town served as the first stop for arriving refugees to be registered and vetted before being distributed to various cities across Qingming.
Incoming merchant caravans were also required to register at Zhike Town first, and in most cases, they unloaded their cargo right there. The goods Qingming offered for public sale were similarly stored in Zhike Town, allowing these caravans to load the merchandise they needed and head straight back without traveling any farther.
If an unfamiliar group bypassed Zhike Town and entered Qingming, they would immediately face attack upon discovery. With Qingming's Peerless Dao Domain in place, it was virtually impossible for any group larger than ten people to slip in undetected.
Over time, Zhike Town grew steadily in scale and prosperity.
At present, the town Li Chengfeng beheld had a permanent population of ten thousand, with tens of thousands more transient refugees and merchants. Hundreds of trading firms of every size lined the streets, alongside rows upon rows of restaurants and taverns. Wares of every kind were displayed in dazzling abundance, and whenever immortal-grade goods appeared, crowds of pedestrians would pack the avenues shoulder to shoulder.
Disguised as ordinary traveling merchants, Li Chengfeng and his two trusted aides threaded through the streets and alleys, observing everything along the way. Li Chengfeng then intentionally turned away from the bustling commercial avenues, heading into narrower side streets.
Yet even the back alleys were paved with blue flagstones, flanked by covered drainage channels.
Most households lived in four- or five-story buildings, fronted by enclosed courtyards planted with strange, wondrous vegetation. The people hurrying past on the streets looked brisk and purposeful, their faces glowing with vitality and good cheer.
A troop of young children dashed past Li Chengfeng, giggling, chattering, and chasing one another, each clutching assorted sweets and snacks.
Li Chengfeng stopped several of the children and asked with a genial smile, "What are those treats you're carrying? Would you be willing to part with them? I'll buy them from you for one tael of immortal silver."
The children exchanged glances, clearly well aware of the value of immortal silver. Without hesitation, they handed their snacks to Li Chengfeng, took the silver, and scampered off.
In Li Chengfeng's hands were deep-fried pastries made of flour and sugar, sugar figures pulled from syrup, and finger-sized roasted sausages, among other delicacies.
Li Chengfeng showed them to his two aides and asked, "Do you see anything here?"
The older aide fell into thought, then shook his head.
The younger aide, having fewer reservations, spoke up: "I had always heard that everyone in Qingming has enough to eat, but looking at this, not only are they fed, they're eating remarkably well!"
The older aide scoffed softly and countered in an unhurried voice, "The sage said, 'Fear not scarcity, but inequality.' When has the world ever truly lacked grain? If there is no shortage, why are there still so many displaced refugees? In this world, the strong preying upon the weak and seizing by trickery or force is the norm; inequality is the eternal reality of human existence.
"No matter how much grain exists, it cannot withstand the hoarding and price-gouging of powerful clans and wealthy houses. Though Qingming is renowned for its food, it cannot escape this law. No matter how vast the harvest, it will only end up in the hands of a few. How could there ever be a place where no one goes hungry?"
Li Chengfeng pondered this, glancing around. "The residences of commoners in this town are practically rivaling the Five Capitals. It seems Wei Yuan knows this place serves as Qingming's facade, so he gathered the territory's wealth specifically to build it up."
The older aide nodded. "It must be so. How could there truly exist a land where no one starves?"
The younger aide refused to concede. "What if Wei Yuan upholds universal love and regards all people as equals? Wouldn't it suffice to distribute grain directly to every household?"
The older aide let out a cold laugh. "Distribute grain for free? Consider what consequences that would bring! If people can eat their fill without doing a shred of work, who would still be willing to labor? And where would the grain come from then? Would it fall from the sky?
"Furthermore, if you distribute grain to every household, how do you do it, and how much? Does an able-bodied youth of sixteen eat the same amount as a five-year-old child?
"If it is handed out equally per person, then doing more or doing less yields the exact same reward. Who would be willing to exert themselves an ounce more? In the end, everyone would compete to shirk and slack off, and then everyone would starve!"
The younger aide wanted to object, but the more he thought through the implications, the more alarmed he became, leaving him at a total loss for a rebuttal.
Meanwhile, Li Chengfeng examined the four-story buildings with great interest, quietly scanning their internal structures with his divine sense. To him, the dispute between his two aides was little more than a clash of tempers, hardly worth listening to.
In his view, it mattered little how much grain there was, so long as his stores were sufficient to sustain the armies on campaign and withstand natural disasters and human upheavals. As for how the common folk divided their food or whether they hoarded it, none of that was important. At most, one could set up congee stalls during famine years to offer relief—and that was that.
Such matters were for petty officials and clerks to fret over. For someone with his sights set on the throne, what mattered was how to crush powerful enemies on the field of battle.
As he was lost in thought, Wei Yuan's voice suddenly rang out beside the three of them: "This gentleman's insight into human nature is as clear as a blazing fire; it is truly admirable. I have several doubts that have long eluded me—I wonder if the gentleman would be willing to resolve them for me?"
The three turned around to see Wei Yuan standing at the mouth of the alley. Clad in plain black robes with subtly patterned black boots, his brow was clear and bright, a faint smile playing on his lips. Spotting them, he walked steadily forward.
Seeing that Wei Yuan was looking straight at him, the older aide recognized his identity. Not daring to show any slight, he hastily bowed and said, "If Lord Wei has questions, I will speak without reservation, holding nothing back."
Wei Yuan said, "If we determine grain rations based on each household's differing circumstances, disputes will inevitably arise—just as you noted, fear not scarcity, but inequality.
"Yet if everyone receives the exact same, that too is unjust, and people will end up merely putting in the time without doing any real work. Does the gentleman have a way that accommodates both sides to teach me?"
The older aide stroked his beard and said, "I have only a humble opinion, not a foolproof method."
Wei Yuan said solemnly, "Please, speak."
"I have heard that all arable land in Qingming belongs to the Realm Lord, and private individuals do not own fields, instead relying on distributed grain to sustain themselves. In my humble estimation, the grain distributed could be divided into three portions. The first portion goes to all without distinction, like rain falling equally on all things, but the quantity must be small—just enough to keep people from starving, but not enough to fill their bellies.
"The second portion would be granted as compensation and stipends for various duties and posts. In this share, those who do more receive more, and the capable are rewarded well, encouraging diligence and ability.
"The third portion would be used for adjustments and flexible deployment—to aid the disabled, reward the descendants of those who performed meritorious service, and so forth.
"With these three portions complementing one another, a roughly workable framework can be established.
"The core principle is that the idle must never be allowed to eat their fill. Otherwise, it will chill the hearts of capable scholars and meritorious servants, until eventually everyone grows lazy and not a single soul will lift a finger to do more."
Wei Yuan gave a formal bow. "You are a man of great talent, sir!"
Wei Yuan had in fact run numerous analyses and simulations in the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World regarding the distribution method this aide proposed, and the ultimate outcome had tended toward equal shares for all.
Wei Yuan had originally considered the proposal from the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World quite reasonable and highly virtuous, yet he had failed to anticipate that final layer the older aide had pointed out.
Pondering it carefully now, Wei Yuan realized that the outcome would almost certainly match what the older aide described: universal indolence, with no one willing to work. Even if forced to labor, many would merely go through the motions without exerting real effort.
At present, Qingming's primary workforce consisted of Body Casting cultivators and template Dao Foundation cultivators. Currently, the Body Casting cultivators were striving desperately for their cultivation paths, since they had a full ten percent chance of advancing to the Dao Foundation stage, and every one of them believed they would be among that ten percent.
Meanwhile, the template Dao Foundation cultivators dared not slack off in the slightest as they worked on Foundation Solidification, each harboring the dream of breaking through to the middle stage.
Yet the absence of problems right now did not mean problems would not arise in the future. In truth, once the first cohort of template Dao Foundation cultivators completed their Foundation Solidification, the issue of paying stipends would have to be addressed.
At the earliest, that would be four or five years from now. Looking further down the line, the blood oaths sworn by the earliest cultivators who pledged their service to Qingming would expire in seven or eight years. How to retain them then would be another thorny challenge.
Looking at the older aide, Wei Yuan felt a sudden urge to recruit him.
Seeing this, Li Chengfeng immediately spoke up: "Mr. Shi and I have known each other for twenty years, and he has the grace of having instructed me as a teacher. I cannot possibly part with him under any circumstances."
Wei Yuan felt a touch of regret, but said, "Naturally, I cannot snatch away what the Fourth Highness cherishes."
Li Chengfeng smiled. "Qingming is flourishing by leaps and bounds; what kind of talent could you possibly lack? Lord Wei need only raise a call from the heights, and scholars from across the world will flock to you."
Wei Yuan offered a self-deprecating smile. "The Western Regions are a land of barren mountains and treacherous waters—who would be willing to come here? The Fourth Highness jests."
At this moment, the older aide wore a rather odd expression, thinking to himself that he had only joined Li Chengfeng's retinue half a year ago. Where had all this deep history come from?
After exchanging pleasantries, Wei Yuan asked directly, "May I ask what brings the Fourth Highness here today?"
Rather than answering straightaway, Li Chengfeng posed a question of his own: "Lord Wei, what do you think of the King of Jin, and what do you think of the King of Zhao?"
Chapter 712