He has a spatial ability and saves three children on his escape route.

Chapter 180 Raising Funds

Two years later, the distributors need to estimate their annual sales volume. Wen Yuxia will only send wine for free once a year. If it is not enough, the distributors will have to pay for the shipping before the Wen family will send wine.

Wen Yuxia nodded with a faint smile, then changed the subject: "Chairman Zhang, the workers will be starting work in the next day or two. How long will it take you to raise the funds?"

Chairman Zhang chuckled and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, handing it to Wen Yuxia. "The amount donated by everyone has been recorded. I can advance the money."

Wen Yuxia glanced at the donations. The merchants of Wuji County were quite conscientious; over fifty people had donated a total of 7,200 taels of silver—enough to feed the laborers for several months if they were frugal.

“President Zhang, please bring the banknotes and the list of donors and come with me to the county government office so that we can hand over the money to the Crown Prince in person,” Wen Yuxia said softly.

Upon meeting the Crown Prince, Zhang Hongbin was flattered and even addressed him with respect: "Mr. Wen, please wait a moment, I'll be right back."

"Okay," Wen Yuxia said with a faint smile.

Zhang Hongbin hurried to the backyard, and a moment later he came out wearing a brand new robe, looking refreshed and cheerful, saying with a smile, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Wen. Let's go now."

Wen Yuxia led Zhang Hongbin to the county government office and said to the yamen runner at the gate, "Please inform the Wen family of Fancheng that they request an audience with the Crown Prince."

Wen Yuxia did not reveal her identity as a princess. On this outing, she dressed as a woman, and outsiders called her Boss Wen. She referred to herself as a member of the Wen family of Fancheng.

Wen Yuxia and Xia Yichen had been to the county government office together. Xia Yichen had instructed the yamen runners that Wen Yuxia did not need to announce her arrival when she came with her entourage. The yamen runner said with a smile, "Boss Wen, the Crown Prince is in the council hall. He wants you to go directly there."

“Okay, I’m coming right now,” Wen Yunxia said as she walked inside. Zhang Hongbin, afraid that if he was even a step too slow, he would be stopped by the constables, so he followed closely behind Wen Yunxia.

Upon entering the council hall, Xia Yichen was seen standing in front of a map, deep in thought. Hearing footsteps, he turned around and saw Wen Yuxia raise an eyebrow slightly, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes. Pointing at the map, she said, "Mu Hua, you've come at the right time. Quickly, give me some advice."

Wen Yuxia stepped forward and curtsied, saying in a clear voice, "Your Highness, this is Zhang Hongbin, the president of the Wuji County Chamber of Commerce." Zhang Hongbin, standing beside her, hurriedly knelt down and bowed, saying, "This old man greets Your Highness."

"President Zhang, please rise," Xia Yichen said with a smile, extending a hand to help him up.

Zhang Hongbin stood up, handed over the silver notes and donation list, and continued, "This is a small token of the Wuji County Chamber of Commerce's appreciation; please accept it, Your Highness."

An Yi stepped forward, took the silver notes and donation list, and handed them to Xia Yichen. Xia Yichen glanced at the amounts written on the list, nodded slightly, and said casually:

"After the dikes are reinforced, the river channel widened, and ditches dug to divert water, I will have a stone tablet erected at the dike site, with your names engraved on it, so that the people will remember your good deeds."

Upon hearing that the donors' names would be engraved on a stone tablet, Zhang Hongbin immediately stated that in addition to his own donation, he would also donate on behalf of his three sons and five grandsons.

Seeing Zhang Hongbin pull out 1,100 taels of silver notes from his pocket, Wen Yuxia secretly chuckled to herself. Xia Yichen had played this move brilliantly; by simply erecting a stone tablet, he had gotten Chairman Zhang to donate an extra 1,100 taels of silver.

Xia Yichen calmly said, "President Zhang, please register the names of the donors on the list."

Zhang Hongbin's hand trembled slightly as he held the pen. A mere thousand taels of silver would ensure that his descendants would be remembered in Wuji County. The money was well spent.

After Zhang Hongbin left, Xia Yichen wrote another memorial to the Emperor, informing him that he had raised over 8,000 taels of silver and that more donations were expected. He requested the Emperor to send officials from the Ministry of Works to Wuji County as soon as possible to assist him in dredging the river.

Wen Yuxia said with a faint smile, "Brother, eight thousand taels won't last for more than a few months. You have to be prepared to pay out of your own pocket."

Xia Yichen calmly said, "The leisure town is generating good revenue, and I plan to use my share of the profits to subsidize the funding gap for river management."

Thanks to the dividends from the three-tiered leisure town and the 50/50 split of his and Wen Yuxia's businesses, such as the mahjong parlor and billiards room, Xia Yichen earns a substantial income every month.

The benefits of the leisure town, the funds raised by Wen Yuxia through chambers of commerce in various counties, and the imperial court's policy of reducing taxes for a year all gave Xia Yichen the confidence to resolutely manage all the waterways of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Wen Yuxia was slightly taken aback, then stated, "Even if funds are insufficient, I am willing to donate."

After speaking, Wen Yuxia picked up a charcoal pencil and marked dozens of places on the map where ditches could be dug, and carefully marked the villages that the ditches passed through in each county town.

He then said, "Widening the river channel and reinforcing the dikes should be directed by professionals. Before anyone from the Ministry of Works arrives, we can have the laborers dig the ditches first."

She suggested adopting a segmented contracting model for digging ditches. The ditches passing through various villages would be dug by the village heads, while sections outside their designated areas would be dug by the village closest to that section.

Before the Ministry of Works arrived, the county did not need to provide accommodation for the laborers, nor did it need to arrange for people to cook for them; it only needed to distribute grain to the village chiefs of each village.

Xia Yichen said with satisfaction, "An Yi, go and see if Magistrate Meng has returned. If he has, have him come over."

These past two days, Magistrate Meng has been busy, visiting all the wealthy households in the county and town. Right now, he's happily heading towards the council hall, carrying three thousand taels of silver.

"Your Highness, I have raised three thousand taels of silver in the past two days," Magistrate Meng said, looking at Xia Yichen with a plea for praise, presenting him with the silver notes and a list of donors.

Xia Yichen glanced at the donation list. On the list that Magistrate Meng had brought back, most people had donated less than fifty taels of silver.

Xia Yichen said calmly, "Mu Hua raised over eight thousand taels of silver today, while Magistrate Meng, you've only raised three thousand taels. You need to give them a boost."

A donation of fifty taels of silver would allow one's name to be engraved on the last row of the stone tablet; a donation of one hundred taels would place it on the second-to-last row; and for every additional fifty taels donated, the name would move up one row on the tablet.

Magistrate Meng was dumbfounded. He had thought raising three thousand taels of silver would be a great achievement, but he never expected Wen Yuxia to have raised more than eight thousand taels. Even more unexpectedly, Xia Yichen had even set up a stone tablet to extort money.

"This humble official will immediately send someone to inquire whether they are willing to make additional donations," Magistrate Meng said, looking at Xia Yichen with admiration and trying to curry favor.

"Magistrate Meng, tell them that the spots on the stone tablet are limited. It's first come, first served. If you wait until the last minute, even if you donate thousands of taels, you still won't be able to have your name on the tablet," Wen Yuxia said with a faint smile.

Xia Yichen turned to look at Wen Yuxia, his eyes filled with admiration. "Magistrate Meng, do as she says." "This humble official will go and do it right away," Magistrate Meng said hurriedly as she left.