Read Novel Full Chapter 922 - 47: Uncle Gao Is Back (Part 2)
Chapter 922: Chapter 47: Uncle Gao Is Back (Part 2)
"The main reason he bought these back was to taste whether the foreign meat is good and what’s different from the meat in Great Zhou."
"Japanese pork isn’t as good as Great Zhou’s." Uncle Gao said with disdain, "The pigs in Japan aren’t castrated, there’s a stench. When I went there, I had them castrate the pigs, and only then did the pork taste good."
He Lianfang said with slight surprise, "The pigs over in Japan aren’t castrated?"
"They don’t know pigs need to be castrated." Uncle Gao drank another bowl of wine, smacking his lips, "Compared to Great Zhou, Japan is no different from savages. Apart from having gold and silver mountains, there’s nothing really good there. His Highness really didn’t need to have me bring back chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cows, and sheep from Japan."
"He also sent people to buy foreign fruit trees, so just listen to him and bring back the chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cows, and sheep from Japan." He Lianfang remembered something Zhao Yao had said earlier, "Didn’t he say something about Japanese wagyu beef being delicious and specifically instructed you to bring some wagyu back?"
Uncle Gao furrowed his brows slightly, "I’ve tasted Japanese beef, there’s nothing special about it. Besides, I’ve never heard of this wagyu."
"Find out carefully when you go back." He Lianfang thought of Zhao Yao’s dedication and seriousness about food and chuckled, "When it comes to food, it’s better to just listen to him. Otherwise, he’ll get upset with you."
"Alright, I’ll make sure to find out when I go back, can’t let His Highness down." After saying this, Uncle Gao’s face suddenly became serious, "How’s the capital?"
He Lianfang raised the corners of his mouth and said with interest, "The capital should be quite lively now."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Gao immediately became interested, his eyes flashing with a gossiping glimmer.
"How lively?"
He Lianfang told Uncle Gao about Zhao Yao’s proposal of land tax reform, unifying the deduction system, and officials and gentry paying taxes together. Uncle Gao was dumbstruck after hearing it.
"This... land tax reform and all that, was really proposed by His Highness?"
He Lianfang nodded slightly, "Indeed, he proposed it."
"How did His Highness come up with it?" Uncle Gao, although not an official in court, knew that land tax reform and unifying the deduction system were beneficial to the common people. "Is the Emperor really going to implement this across the whole of Great Zhou?"
"Mm, I suppose the decree has already been issued."
Uncle Gao looked shocked, "This land tax reform and unifying the deduction system is good for the common people, but it will offend the aristocratic families, the influential, and the wealthy merchants." He smiled playfully, "Will those ministers in court agree? Won’t the aristocrats and the privileged kick up a fuss?"
He Lianfang sneered, "Zhao Zheng won’t let them throw a tantrum."
Uncle Gao showed a hint of regret, "It’s a pity I’m not in the capital. Otherwise, I could watch a good show."
"What’s there to see, it’s nothing more than Zhao Zheng toying with those people."
Uncle Gao remembered the bet between He Lianfang and the Emperor and asked in a low voice, "How’s His Highness’s great undertaking of securing the throne progressing?"
"Everything is going to plan." He Lianfang added, "He still doesn’t know."
"Are you really planning to wait until the capital’s throne-grabbing drama concludes before letting His Highness know?"
He Lianfang gently nodded, "Mm."
"No, have you thought about what to do if by then His Highness is still unwilling?" Uncle Gao felt that keeping Zhao Yao in the dark was not a long-term solution. "If His Highness finds out you all were plotting against him all along, given his temperament, have you considered what the outcome might be?" His Highness might seem mild-tempered, but that doesn’t mean he has no temper. The more someone seems mild-tempered, the scarier they can be when angry.
"By then, he’ll have no choice but to want it." He Lianfang narrowed his eyes slightly, a deep glint flashing in them, "At that time, it’ll be just him, and he’ll have no choice but to obediently inherit that position."
"True enough." When the capital’s throne-grabbing show is over, and all the princes in the capital are gone, leaving only Prince Han, he won’t have a choice. "Have you considered that His Highness might blame you?"
He Lianfang said indifferently, "Let him blame me if he wants. By then, I would have already won."
Uncle Gao understood He Lianfang’s inner turmoil and knew that no matter how much he tried to persuade, it wouldn’t work, unless He Lianfang decided to let it go himself.
"I hope by then, His Highness, seeing your dedication and help, won’t hold it against you too much."
"He won’t kill me." He Lianfang understood Zhao Yao’s personality. By then, Zhao Yao would be angry, but not angry enough to kill him.
"His Highness isn’t a ruthless person." Uncle Gao pondered and asked, "Has His Highness really not noticed anything you’ve been doing? With his intelligence and acumen, it’s impossible for him not to sense anything at all, right?"
"No, he only cares about his infrastructure and doesn’t mind other things." He Lianfang actually hoped Zhao Yao could sense his intentions, but Zhao Yao really hadn’t noticed a thing. "He’s never questioned the tasks he entrusted to me."
"His Highness really trusts you." Uncle Gao thought about how much Prince Han trusted the General and figured that when the time came, His Highness might struggle to accept that the General had been deceiving him all along. "General, once His Highness finishes his business in Lingnan, you should come clean with him."
"I’ll tell him everything after he ascends the throne." Before Zhao Yao ascends the throne, He Lianfang won’t say anything. "I know what I’m doing."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Gao found it hard to say more.
At this moment, Zhao Yao, who was busy building a factory on North Mountain, suddenly sneezed.
After acquiring slaves from Japan, Zhao Yao wasted no time in building the factory. The factory was supposed to be built last year, but due to a lack of manpower, it had to be postponed.
Zhao Yao was building a factory related to the military industry on North Mountain. He also planned to build food factories, textile factories, and medicinal factories later. However, these factories wouldn’t be built on North Mountain; he planned to establish an industrial park on West Mountain in the future.
The military factory was very important, so at the start of construction, Zhao Yao had to personally oversee it to ensure nothing went wrong.