Chapter 214

As Gui Zhong thought about this, he remembered the two Du Region citizens that the Wang had taken under his wing, even appointing one of them as the Governor of the distant town of Red Earth City. At that time, he had had a chance to discuss with the Wang. It seemed that His Highness held the other parties in high regard, didn’t he?

The old man’s gaze changed slightly. The dark, intimidating presence that suggested he might lash out at anyone vanished, replaced by a look of curiosity. Moreover, it was clear that these two didn’t recognize him either; their eyes also silently assessing him.

"You two must be Governor Mu and his wife." The small horsewhip in his hand was habitually swept up and draped over his shoulder.

His tone had softened a bit, no longer filled with the same emotion. However, this didn’t mean he held them in high regard. If they didn’t meet his expectations, he would handle them like anyone else.

"Yes, Elder. Today we are not here to cause any trouble at the Prince’s palace gate. The Second Prince invited us to this banquet, so we came here. I am a humble Governor; how could I dare to create any problems?" Mu Heng replied, his tone was a mix of respect and confidence that he wasn’t in the wrong.

His demeanor was definitely that of a steady man. However, Gui Zhong was not fond of fighters; he was a scholar, not a warrior. So, even if Mu Heng had the steadfastness of a mountain, it might please the Wang, but not Gui Zhong.

"Oh, so it’s no surprise then. You are Governor Mu with those intriguing ideas. I heard that the idea of establishing the employment association was yours?”

“I am studying this concept as well. However, Bai Region has many conservative individuals. They fear losing control over the people if the governance system changes like this."

"They believe that the villagers who work for hire will work inefficiently, and they will no longer respect the nobles. Thus, we cannot implement it like in the Du Region. As you can see, even though you have sent them the conceptual books, the state of the Bai Region remains unchanged."

When discussing a topic of his interest, Gui Zhong seized the opportunity. He didn’t care where they were talking, whether it was in a study room or at the gate of the Second Prince’s palace. If he wanted to speak, he would do so.

Mu Heng shook his head slightly. He understood the mindset of Bai Region well, and he had discussed this idea with his beautiful wife many times. Initially, they had to manage numerous issues in the Du Region by themselves until the government took over the administration. Only then did they let go of the association. Otherwise, the association would have generated considerable profit for him by now.

Seeing the other party’s interest, Mu Heng engaged in the conversation seriously.

"The problem doesn’t lie in the concept but in finding people brave enough to implement it." As soon as the young man began to speak, Gui Zhong, who was usually feared by many, reacted unexpectedly.

No one knew how he managed to carry with him the writings by Mu Heng, with Yueqian’s assistance. Nevertheless, he immediately opened it, revealing several pages attached to the original book. These pages contained his own detailed explanations and a brief summary of his understanding. It seemed he genuinely wanted to discuss the details with Mu Heng.

"In reality, the situation in the Du Region wasn’t much different. It wasn’t that the nobles didn’t want to oppose it, but because I started it as a private venture, independent of the government, establishing the association wasn’t too complicated."

"After a large number of people joined, generating significant revenue for the association’s owners, everyone saw the actual results, not just theoretical predictions. Eventually, the government took over the association. Therefore, I think the starting point of the issue is different, and we can’t expect the nobles here to understand it the same way."

"If you are interested in urban development plans, Red Earth City now has various associations. However, they have been employed by the government through my administration as the Governor."

"In the coming days, there will be discussions on future plans. His Majesty has permitted and supported the further development of Red Earth City to accommodate future changes. If you are interested, perhaps you could be invited to join the discussions."

Mu Heng spoke clearly about his intentions. Even though he didn’t know Gui Zhong well, he wasn’t foolish enough not to realize how capable the other party was.

As long as this person was interested in studying the plans for establishing associations and wanted to use these ideas for city development, Mu Heng believed that he would not be a selfish individual. The other party must be a developer, a knowledgeable person who genuinely wanted to help the people.

However, Gui Zhong did not immediately respond. Instead, he quietly flipped through his book, seemingly searching for gaps to fill in with information. Just then, a group of people came rushing out to greet him.

Leading the group was a particularly striking woman dressed in an elegant fiery red outfit. Her face was bright and youthful but showed signs of stress, indicating the happiness she had experienced living in the palace. Beside her walked a little boy in a dark blue outfit, looking adorable and bearing a strong resemblance to the Second Prince.

"Father," the beautiful woman said joyfully.

Seeing this, Gui Zhong waved his hand once. He did not show any gentle expression. It seemed as though he was seeing a problematic figure before him. Even the book he was reading had to be regretfully tucked back into his sleeve. Moreover, he uttered his first words, which immediately caused the woman to pause.

"Is this how the consort of the prince welcomes guests? Guests personally invited by the prince were stopped at the entrance. If not for encountering me, what would have become of the prince’s reputation?!"

"As the hostess, you drink, eat, party, and have fun at the event. Do you think you can do whatever you want because it’s your birthday? Holding such a grand and troublesome event while the people are struggling. Tomorrow, you should set up a soup kitchen. After filling your own stomachs, how can you let the people remain hungry? On your birthday, I guess there will probably be only people praising you."

The old man scolded her at length, not giving her a chance to explain. He also pushed Mu Heng forward to follow him, indicating that he had taken a liking to Mu Heng.

"Friend Mu, follow me. Today, if anyone doesn’t let you in, they will have to face my horsewhip!" He declared sternly, clearly not forgetting Mu Heng and even calling him a friend.

This humorous demeanor left the Second Prince’s consort with no choice but to swallow her frustration. She had come out to welcome her father upon hearing of his arrival, but instead, she ended up being scolded in front of everyone.

"By the way, what we were discussing earlier, is it true? What has Red Earth City started doing? Do you have a city plan to show me? And what about..." The old man casually dragged Mu Heng inside, leaving Yueqian behind.

Even though Mu Heng wanted to look after his wife a bit more, men and women had to separate once inside. Therefore, it was better for his wife to join the consort’s group. He signaled Yueqian before leaving.

"See, my father is unpredictable, sometimes good, sometimes bad," the consort sighed. Although her expression was one of weariness, her eyes were full of love and admiration for him.

It was clear from just looking that the family of Gui Zhong and the consort had a deep and harmonious love for each other. It was rare to find a noble family where a father and child were so affectionate and considerate towards one another.

From Gui Zhong’s reprimands to the consort, it seemed he was merely reminding her of the best course of action, even if it appeared to undermine her in public.

Whether it was ordering her to build a soup kitchen and distribute food to the people, since the second prince was the future king, it was better to always have a good reputation. If there was any criticism that would obstruct the prince, she could easily lose his favor and be discarded.

The advice took everything into account. As a wife, she had to support her husband’s reputation. The wife was also a husband. Her decisions were his decisions, so if she failed, it would reflect poorly on the Second Prince as well. To secure the throne, they had to be cautious.

 Initially, he wasn’t very interested in such matters, but his beloved daughter was chosen as the consort for the Second Prince, and she deeply loved her husband. As her father, he had no choice but to provide some of his guidance as best as he could.

"Master Gui Zhong is just worried," the young women from the noble family consoled her.

Of course, everyone knew that this father and daughter were like this. Who wouldn’t understand what kind of personality Master Gui Zhong had? Even the Second Prince, when he was in front of the other party, had to be cautious.

For anyone else, physically harming a royal would be punishable by death. However, Gui Zhong’s use of his whip was so common that it was almost accepted. Perhaps only the Emperor and the Wang had never felt its sting. Everyone else had experienced the painful consequences of his dangerous whip at some point.

Not only the Second Prince but also the Crown Prince were not exempt. Ministers and anyone in high positions were all equally disregarded by Gui Zhong.

"By the way, the man that Master Gui Zhong took inside is...?" One noble’s daughter asked with interest.

Just seeing Mu Heng walk past made her heart flutter easily. She was the eldest daughter of a noble family close to the Second Prince, thus a high-ranking lady. She had encountered many types of men but had never been interested in any of them until she saw Mu Heng just now. His heroic demeanor even caught the attention of Master Gui Zhong. How could she not look at him?

"Hmm? Are you interested in him too?"

"Oh, so Miss Wei is also interested in looking at men?"

"This is the first time I’ve seen the Eldest Young Miss Wei show interest in a man."

"I heard Gui Zhong mention in passing that he seems to be the Governor of Red Earth City who just arrived in the capital."

"Is that so? Then that means this woman is the capable Furen Mu?" The Eldest Young Miss Wei glanced slightly at Yueqian, as if she was not particularly interested.

Wei Ludan’s face bore a cold expression in many parts, which was typical of her personality, so it was hard to tell how she felt about Yueqian.

Seeing an opportunity to introduce herself, the beautiful lady from the Du Region did not let it pass. Despite disliking their previous conversation, she still smiled like a foolish woman.