The sensation caused by cement in Wuyuan County was even greater than Duan Jin had imagined.

First the docks, then the market—even the main thoroughfares in town were paved with concrete.

The merchants in the county could no longer sit idly by.

Over the past few days, Duan Jin had received quite a few calling cards—not only from within the county, but also from many outside areas.

Even the businessman from Jiangning who had originally paid the deposit showed up—not for urgent delivery, but to discuss a larger business partnership.

Duan Jin could vaguely guess what was going on. Back then, Manager Wang had signed a contract with him, paid a twenty-tael deposit, and Duan Jin had generously sent out two barrels of cement. 

Now, they must have discovered just how useful this product is.

So he gave the order: “Find an auspicious date and invite all of them over.”

Seeing the look on his face, Xiao Yunqing knew someone was bound to take the bait and asked, “What’s your plan?”

Duan Jin replied mysteriously, “Your Highness will find out in due time.” Hearing this, Xiao Yunqing let out a soft sigh.

Although the two of them had already made their feelings clear that day, Duan Jin had continued to address him as “Your Highness” these past few days, never using his nickname or courtesy name—though he remained deeply considerate in his words and actions, Xiao Yunqing still felt that something was missing. 

It was completely different from the stories of talented scholars and eccentric geniuses he had read before.

Two days later.

Merchants from the county seat and other prefectures all arrived as scheduled—there were at least a dozen of them.

The reception hall at the county magistrate’s office wasn’t very large to begin with, and with so many people pouring in at once, it immediately felt cramped. Duan Jin had the hall rearranged, removing some unnecessary decorations and adding a few chairs, which barely provided enough seating.

At the third quarter of the Si hour, everyone had arrived.

Duan Jin stood up, looked around, and clasped his hands together, saying, “To all the shopkeepers and business owners here, thank you for making the long journey. Now that we’re all gathered here today, I’m sure you all know why.”

The moment Duan Jin spoke, the hall fell silent. More than a dozen pairs of eyes fixed on him—some filled with anticipation, some with caution, and some with calculation, but most of all, with eager anticipation.

Seated at the very front was a shopkeeper surnamed Qian, who operated under the banner of the Imperial Merchants. His attire was even more gilded than Duan Jin’s had been when he first met the Young Prince. At that moment, he was twirling a jade ring of exceptional quality on his finger as he said leisurely, “Magistrate Duan, I’m an impatient man, so I’ll cut to the chase. I’ve come today simply to ask: would you be willing to sell the cement formula, Your Excellency? As for the price, we can negotiate.” 

No sooner had he finished speaking than Manager Wang from the Xiangfeng Trading Company in Jiangning Prefecture, standing beside him, immediately chimed in: “That’s right, Magistrate Duan. Even a thousand taels is no problem—just name your price.”

Ever since he’d brought back those two barrels of cement last time, the Zhuang family had personally tested it and praised it highly, instructing him to do whatever it took to secure the formula. So, without even taking a moment’s rest upon his return, he had come straight back.

The others chimed in one after another: “Right, right, right! Your Honor, just name your price—we’ll pay whatever it takes!”

The hall was suddenly filled with a buzz of voices as the merchants chattered excitedly, each already picturing themselves outmaneuvering the others to secure the formula and make a fortune.

Duan Jin didn’t rush to speak. He waited until the commotion had gradually died down, then picked up his teacup, took a sip, and spoke in a measured tone: “I’ve heard what you all have to say. However, I didn’t invite you here today to sell the formula.”

The hall fell suddenly silent.

Manager Qian’s expression froze, Manager Wang’s brows furrowed, and the local merchants exchanged bewildered glances, none of them understanding.

Duan Jin stood up and began to pace slowly across the hall: “The formula is the lifeblood of Wuyuan County. If I were to sell it, it would be tantamount to handing over the future of every citizen in this county to others. This is something I cannot do—nor would I dare to do.”

He turned to face the room, his gaze sweeping over each person. “However, my refusal to sell the formula does not mean I cannot do business with you all. What I wish to discuss with you today is about another kind of transaction—‘Li Quan.’”

“Rights?” Manager Wang frowned and repeated the three words.

Duan Jin sat back down and explained it to them in detail. “What I mean is this: you need not purchase the formula, nor do you need to build your own kilns to produce cement. Cement will be produced uniformly at the official kiln in Wuyuan County, with consistent quality and a uniform price. All you need to do is purchase the cement from me and transport it to your respective prefectures and counties for sale. I will offer you a preferential price—20 percent cheaper than what individual customers pay. At the same time, I will sign a contract with each of you, specifying your respective sales territories.”

Fearing that the others might not understand, he gave an example: “For instance, once Manager Qian secures the distribution rights for the capital, cement will be sold exclusively to him from now on, and I, Duan, will no longer sell it privately to anyone else in the capital. The cement market in the capital will belong entirely to Manager Qian.”

After he finished speaking, silence fell once more over the hall. Manager Wang pondered for a moment; he realized that in this arrangement, he would only be responsible for sales, not production.

Merchants from various regions, though they held distribution rights, were responsible for developing their own markets and handling sales. The upside is that they face no local competition, allowing them to set prices entirely at their own discretion.

But they had, after all, personally witnessed the wonders of this product, so it was well worth taking the risk. He spoke up: “Magistrate Duan, I dare to ask—how exactly does one purchase these exclusive rights?”

Duan Jin gave a slight nod and pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve, on which were listed the management rights fees for various prefectures and counties. “I have tentatively set the fees as follows: exclusive management rights for a prefecture range from 300 to 500 taels per year, depending on the size of the region and market potential. Management rights for a county range from 30 to 80 taels per year. Upon signing the contract, half of the fee is to be paid upfront, with the remaining half due six months later.”

“Three hundred taels?!” A small local merchant gasped. If he’d known it would be this expensive, he wouldn’t have bothered joining the fray.

At that price, he guessed only Zhao Demao and the three Li brothers in the county would be able to afford it.

For Manager Wang, this price wasn’t excessive. If he could secure the entire market in the prefectural capital, he’d recoup his costs within a month.

So he said nothing and went straight to the point: “Magistrate Duan, how much do you charge for the administrative rights to Jiangning Prefecture?” Duan Jin replied, “Jiangning Prefecture is a large prefecture with a vast market. I’ve set the price at five hundred taels a year.”

Upon hearing this quote, Manager Qian of the Imperial Merchants curled the corner of his mouth slightly, revealing a hint of disdain: “Magistrate Duan, five hundred taels a year—that doesn’t sound expensive. But if I were to secure the administrative rights to a prefecture—or even the capital—how much cement could I sell in a year? How much silver could I earn? Have you run those numbers for us, Your Excellency?”

This was a rather impolite remark, carrying a subtle hint of provocation.

Duan Jin was not the type to be pushed around. His expression darkened: “Since you’ve all submitted your calling cards to me, you must have done your research and thought this through carefully beforehand. If the cement were subpar, why would you even come to me? As for how much you can sell or earn in a year—what does that have to do with me?”

“The merits of my product are plain to see. If it doesn’t sell or doesn’t turn a profit, then it can only be said that Manager Qian’s title as an Imperial Merchant is nothing but an empty title—and it’s about time someone else took over the role.”

“——” It had been a long time since Manager Qian had been spoken to so bluntly to his face. For a moment, his face flushed red, but when he caught a glimpse of the young prince seated in the hall out of the corner of his eye, he swallowed his words.

Xiao Yunqing was also present today, but after greeting everyone upon their arrival, he remained silent, causing the crowd to forget his presence.

“Hmph!” Manager Qian flung his sleeve aside. That scoundrel Duan Jin was so cunning—he actually used his guest’s status as a prince to oppress them, a bunch of pitiful merchants. If it weren’t for his own status as an imperial merchant, he would have given him a good piece of his mind. 

Manager Wang cut him off immediately: “Magistrate Duan, I, Wang, claim the authority for distribution rights in Jiangning Prefecture!”

Following his lead, several others who had already made up their minds each claimed the judicial authority for the prefectural cities where their main businesses were located.

Seeing that the prefectures with the largest markets were about to be completely carved up, Manager Qian, no longer concerned with appearances, seized the initiative and snatched the administrative rights to Yangzhou Prefecture for five hundred taels.

Duan Jin turned to retrieve the new contract. The young prince, seated nearby, couldn’t help but curve the corners of his mouth upward and wink at him. It felt so good to have a prince presiding over the proceedings! His beloved no longer looked like he was holding back! 

Xiao Yunqing had never been so bold as to exchange glances in front of such a large crowd; his voice trembled slightly, and his face began to flush, and he immediately lifted his teacup to take a sip.

Duan Jin felt as if he were basking in a spring breeze; in such a short time, he had pocketed two thousand taels. Keep in mind, this was merely the administrative fee—the construction costs would be billed separately later.

Although Zhao Demao wanted to buy the administrative rights, he couldn’t bring himself to purchase those for an entire prefectural city. After pondering for a moment, he ultimately chose to buy the administrative rights for the neighboring county.

Several other small merchants from the county were huddled together, whispering among themselves, and each had purchased the administrative rights to a small county under the prefecture’s jurisdiction. As for Xie Sanlang, although his family’s business wasn’t as large as the Zhao family’s, he had no trouble producing several hundred taels worth of banknotes.

Moreover, thanks to his previous friendly business dealings with Duan Jin, he had great confidence in this newly launched cement, so he gritted his teeth and spent three hundred taels to purchase the administrative rights to Miyang Prefecture.

As the merchants gradually dispersed, the hall of the county government office returned to its usual quiet.

Duan Jin stood at the doorway, watching the last merchant’s carriage disappear around the corner. He exhaled a long breath, as if a string that had been taut for a long time had finally been released.

Liu Cheng, thinking of all the banknotes they had collected that day, beamed with joy: “Your Honor, with all this money, we’ve struck it rich!”

The rest of the staff at the county office also wore beaming expressions.

Duan Jin nodded slightly, then instructed Liu Cheng, “Go fetch Chief Engineer Zhu. We need to discuss expanding production. Now that the rights have been sold off, we must ensure cement output keeps pace—we can’t let people pay for goods they never receive.”

Liu Cheng nodded repeatedly and hurried off.

Once the cement deal was finalized, Duan Jin turned his full attention to another major issue—the crops.

After all, no matter how well the docks were repaired, how smooth the roads were paved, or how high the silver piled up in the county treasury, if the common people couldn’t grow their crops properly and didn’t have enough to eat, he, as the county magistrate, would be derelict in his duty.

Fortunately, the sorghum growing on that saline-alkali land in Bailang Village gave him great confidence.

With ample fertilizer, the nearly 300 mu of sorghum have shot up like sprouting shoots and have now become a stunning sight. The stalks are as thick as fingers, and the leaves are broad and thick, a deep, glossy green that shimmers with a lustrous sheen in the sunlight.

However, as the sorghum flourished, another creature quietly set its sights on it.

Aphids.