Chapter 495: Chapter 496: Scheming

As for the Silver Taels to build the ships, the two of them had previously found ten thousand gold coins in the cellar at Gaoling Village.

’These things are just sitting in the space, collecting dust. We might as well take them out for this.’

Ancient Wenheng said, "I’ve already sent people to look, but no one has dared to take on a job like this."

It was mainly because no one had ever seen a ship like this before. They weren’t confident and were afraid to take on the responsibility.

Jin Qianqian hesitated for a moment. "We shouldn’t just limit our search to this area. What do you think about giving the blueprints to the Emperor? The whole world is his; it would certainly be easier for him to find someone than it is for us."

Ancient Wenheng had considered this as well. "That’s one option, but I’m afraid those officials in the Capital don’t do their jobs properly. They might end up just burying the whole matter."

The more he learned, the more Ancient Wenheng understood the darkness of the official world.

If there were actually competent people in the imperial court, Lu City wouldn’t have suffered so much.

On the surface, everything seemed peaceful and prosperous, but in reality, it was already rotting from the inside.

Fortunately, the young Emperor seemed to be competent and was showing signs of fighting back.

But the results weren’t very obvious yet, so they could only wait and see.

If the shipbuilding project was really suppressed, and they tried to do it themselves later, that would be a crime of deceiving the Emperor.

Jin Qianqian sighed. "Then how are we supposed to build it? Even if we do manage to build the ship, they’ll just find some other fault with it."

Ancient Wenheng said, "So, that’s where you come in."

Jin Qianqian looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

Ancient Wenheng explained, "Private ships can be built. You just need to register them with the government office.

Here’s what I was thinking..."

After Ancient Wenheng finished explaining, it dawned on Jin Qianqian. "That’s quite an idea. After all, I’m already an Imperial Merchant, so it’s perfectly normal for me to open up new trade routes.

But that would mean we’d have to fund the entire investment ourselves, and that’s no small sum of money.

I estimate that even if I sell off all the gold ingots we have, it would barely be enough to build two ships. That’s nowhere near enough."

Ancient Wenheng pursed his lips. "If we’re going into business, we’ll definitely need to find partners."

Jin Qianqian dipped her finger in tea and wrote the word ’Zhou’ on the table. "You’re talking about him."

Ancient Wenheng smiled. "My wife knows me best."

"But the amount of money we’re talking about isn’t small, is it?"

"You don’t have to worry about any of that, my dear," Ancient Wenheng said. "Actually, we’ve already discussed it. I’m only telling you all this today because I wanted to see what you thought. If you hadn’t brought up these points yourself, I wouldn’t have mentioned it."

Jin Qianqian stood up and put her hands on her hips. "So you’ve been talking all this time just to set a trap for me?"

Ancient Wenheng quickly stood up, walked over, and hugged her. "Darling, I only thought of this because I couldn’t make the decision myself.

But you can still say no. This whole thing is very complicated. To be honest, I don’t want to drag you into it."

Jin Qianqian wasn’t having it. She pinched the flesh at his waist. "A little too late for that! I can’t believe how bold you’ve gotten, daring to scheme against me."

Ancient Wenheng yelped in pain and begged for mercy. "You’ve got it all wrong! If I was really scheming against you, would I be telling you all this right now?

I’m telling you about this because there’s a profit to be made, and I won’t let you take a loss on it."

Jin Qianqian just huffed and turned her head away.

Ancient Wenheng held her tighter and whispered in her ear, "This sea trade is a huge opportunity. Don’t you remember those foreign goods we came across back in Sea City?

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As long as our ships are built to be sturdy enough, we can even sail to distant oceans.

Besides, even though we don’t have a major port here, we’re very close to several other countries. This would open up a whole new shipping route and could bring us a substantial profit."

Jin Qianqian gave him a suspicious look. "You’re a government official now. Aren’t you afraid someone will impeach you?"

Ancient Wenheng replied, "Do you think the hands of those aristocratic families are so clean?

Besides, we’re just blazing the trail. Once everyone sees there’s a profit to be made, they’ll naturally want in.

By the time any new laws are established, we’ll have already earned a fortune for our two sons. After that, we’ll just go with the flow."

Jin Qianqian said, "I need some time to think about this."

Ancient Wenheng had his own selfish reasons for doing this. Opening up sea trade was the best way to connect with the outside world.

It was a pity that during the previous dynasty, several major merchants had pooled their resources to venture into sea trade.

It’s unknown whether it was because of the ships’ construction or a typhoon at sea, but not a single person returned from the voyage. The loss of both life and fortune left everyone terrified of the idea.

Back in Sea City, some foreign merchant ships had arrived, but those crews guarded their technology jealously. Everyone wanted to know how they managed to sail all the way to the Rong Dynasty in ships that weren’t very large.

People had asked, but it was as if they’d all made a pact. They wouldn’t say a word, no matter how much gold they were offered.

Ancient Wenheng guessed that they must have had nautical charts, and that their ocean-going vessels must have been specially constructed.

Back then in Sea City, he had spent several days at the port, sketching and making notes, revising his blueprints countless times.

Eventually, by combining the blueprints from the space with contemporary technology, he managed to produce a few designs. Now, all he needed was a master craftsman.

That night, after dinner, Jin Qianqian put their two children to bed, then bolted the door and brought Ancient Wenheng into her space.

"What made you think to come in here today?" Ancient Wenheng was so busy these days that he hadn’t been inside the space for a long time. He couldn’t help but take a good look around.

The patch of land they had cleared to plant medicinal herbs was now flourishing.

The ginseng they had planted first were now bearing small, red berries.

The few Lingzhi mushrooms piled in the corner had grown two sizes larger.

"Wait here a second. I’ll show you just how many Silver Taels we have on hand." Jin Qianqian quickly retrieved the previously hidden gold ingots and the silver notes they had brought with them.

"Take a look. We’re not as rich as you might think," Jin Qianqian said, gritting her teeth. "Ocean-going ships are money pits. I’m willing to contribute this entire chest of gold.

But if we have to build them ourselves, even if I put up our entire fortune, it would only be enough for three or four medium-sized ships.

And that’s not even counting the money for shipwrights, sailors, and stocking the cargo. We have none of that."

She was also envious of the profits from sea trade, but their family’s wealth, built up over just a few years, was nowhere near enough.

"You said Brother Zhou could get involved. How many Silver Taels does he have to contribute?"

Ancient Wenheng made a hand gesture. When he didn’t say anything, Jin Qianqian started guessing blindly. "Eighty thousand taels?"

Ancient Wenheng shook his head.

Jin Qianqian tried to contain her excitement. "Eight hundred thousand taels?"

Ancient Wenheng kept shaking his head.

Jin Qianqian’s expression changed instantly. "Eight thousand taels?"

Ancient Wenheng paused for a moment before giving a silent nod.

Jin Qianqian stared at him as if he were an idiot. "Are you kidding me?"

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