Chapter 258: Great Development Begins
"It's snowing. This shouldn't happen." Mei Changsu whispered as he looked at the snowflakes in the yard. However, when he saw Fei Liu happily playing in the snow, he couldn't help but smile. He would never connect such things related to celestial phenomena with humans.

"Master, there is news from Princess Nihuang. Princess Nihuang defeated eight candidates with one sword. However, Princess Nihuang admitted that she was not as skilled as Shen Zheng in a one-on-one battle." Li Gang appeared.

"Failed." Mei Changsu's heart was also in turmoil. Is Nihuang, who grew up with him, going to get married?

"However, Shen Zheng has spread the news that he and Princess Nihuang were only competing in martial arts, and he withdrew from the matter of choosing a son-in-law before the competition." Li Gang said. Mei Changsu did not become very happy when he heard this, and he also felt a little bit sorry for Princess Nihuang.

Although he had feelings for Princess Nihuang, he also knew that he was not a good match for her. A person who might leave at any time would not and could not give Nihuang a future, so he naturally would not think too much about it.

However, Shen Zheng is a man of integrity and high ability. He is proficient in both civil and military affairs, and his age is also suitable. He is indeed the best candidate. And from the information we have learned, Shen Zheng also has feelings for Nihuang. This time, he failed, and something must have happened.

"How did Princess Nihuang defeat the eight candidates with just one sword?" Mei Changsu calmed down a little and began to understand the strangeness of this matter.

Princess Nihuang is a martial arts expert. She is ranked in the top ten of the Langya Master List and is the only female. It is natural that she can defeat this group of candidates.

But it was a bit difficult to do it with just one sword, and he knew that Princess Nihuang's real martial arts skill was with the gun. To defeat eight people with one sword, she must be a martial arts master with high skills, unless someone gave up in the face of difficulty.

"According to the descriptions of several people who were still conscious, as well as some bystanders and some information we have, Princess Nihuang was separated from the other side by a wall. She swung a long sword and released boundless sword energy. The sword energy turned into a phoenix and broke through the wall. The eight great fighters had nowhere to hide and were defeated in one blow. They were convinced." Li Gang said.

"The sword energy turns into a phoenix." Mei Changsu was a little puzzled. Although Nihuang's internal strength was strong, it was not of the fire attribute. It would be normal for Meng Zhi to swing such a powerful sword, but it was unlikely for Nihuang, as the internal strength attribute was different.

However, he also knew that no one had seen what a phoenix was, so what they said was probably exaggerated.

"Master, there is one more thing. After this incident, young Prince Mu repeated a phrase several times, "Beauty is like jade, sword is like rainbow". I wonder what it means." The Jiangzuo League is very powerful. The incident happened not long ago. Apart from the duel between Shen Qingzhou and Nihuang, only two people knew the cause and effect of this incident. It was as if they had seen everything else with their own eyes.

"Beauty is like jade and sword is like rainbow, what a vivid saying. Did the young prince say this himself? Understand it carefully. Never mind, let's just let this matter go." Mei Changsu was a little bit unconvinced. It didn't seem like the young prince could say such eloquent words.

"Master, Princess Nihuang failed in the son-in-law selection meeting this time, will anything happen?"

"That's good. Although the original plan failed, the princess did not choose Lord Shen. I think His Majesty must be very happy." Mei Changsu understood these things very well.

Right now, the person who least wants Shen Qingzhou and Princess Nihuang to be together is Emperor Liang. Now, Nihuang can still be plotted, but if she is with Shen Zheng, the Shen family's business will inevitably tilt towards the southern border. This combination of money and military is what he is more worried about.

"What is Lord Shen doing now?" Mei Changsu asked.

"Lord Shen has just issued an order. Today's sudden heavy snowfall, if there are victims, you can report it to the government. The government will compensate them as appropriate, and will also organize some women to clean up the snow piles and receive rewards. A group of merchants are surrounding the government office, planning to donate money for this snow disaster." Li Gang said.

"Snow disaster?" Mei Changsu asked curiously. The snow was heavy, but it would only last for a short while. It shouldn't be that serious.

"Master, those merchants deliberately made a big noise, just to donate money to the government office. Many brothers in the alliance also went." Li Gang said. "Yes, Shen Zheng is too fair. Although those merchants had spent a lot of money to buy a lot of useless land, they also received compensation from Shen's merchants. This year, Shen's merchants are going to launch new products, so they can get other things."

The Shen family business recently announced that it would launch a new product called Xueling Plum Blossom, which is a kind of perfume worth a fortune. It will be released on a small scale, and the merchants who have suffered the most losses will definitely have priority access.

The Shen family business became the most powerful business in the world by selling items such as soap, mirrors, glass bottles, and white sugar. Most of the items were affordable, and some of them were very high-end products. Although the quantity was small, they were quite popular among princes and nobles.

When new products appear, they are bound to become popular for a while, and they can bring a lot of traffic when they are placed in stores.

"The sect leader is wise, but Lord Shen's actions are indeed admirable. He advocates for many common people, regardless of whether they are kings or nobles. Many poor families have received his help. Although those merchants and businesses help the people because they benefit from it, they have also done good things." Li Gang said.

Many upper-class people did not feel deeply about Shen Qingzhou's actions, but ordinary people could feel it. For example, if it snowed before, it snowed. Now, if there is a disaster, you can ask the government for help.

"As an official, Lord Shen is indeed refreshing." Mei Changsu nodded. He had read Shen Qingzhou's official career. It was fine for him to do this in the marginal areas before, but now that he has arrived in Jinling, the next step will be a test. Shen Qingzhou can do it casually now because he has not really involved the top leaders.
At this moment, there are slums in every city, including Jinling, but it is the imperial capital after all, so it is not as obvious as in other places.

A group of women are cleaning the streets and roads. Although their hands and feet are a little red, they are full of energy. The snow has stopped falling, but the cold air it brings cannot be avoided for the time being.

"Zhang, you come."

"Aunt, what's wrong?"

"Good news. With the help of this snow, Lord Shen from the government office has issued an order to recruit some poor households to work in a health and environmental protection department. They should sweep the streets on weekdays. They can earn a few strings of cash a month. Isn't your Zhang Da injured? I've reported you to the department."

"Thank you, aunt."

"No need to thank me, I'll go to the next house and do my best." The lady from the neighborhood committee asked Shen Qingzhou to fix everything.

Of course, due to the times, they were all women, and it was not convenient for unmarried girls to go out and meet people. But I heard that they were going to set up a textile workshop, and it seemed that only female workers were allowed to work there, so that would be fine.

Shen Qingzhou has a lot of plans, and he has already started to spread the word among the lower levels. There are some things that he doesn't want to do in Tanzhou. It's meaningless. After Jinling becomes popular, other places will follow suit.

After Princess Nihuang recovered, she learned that Shen Qingzhou had gone to the government office again to make arrangements. Suddenly, she wanted to laugh in her heart. She had to deal with what she had done herself.

However, she also found out that the government office had a major development plan that would be implemented starting tonight.

(End of this chapter)