Chapter 142: Yuanjing, I Swear You Can Pick As Many As Five or Six Hundred Women You Want

Brother Daqiang had a famous saying:
"A man relies on attraction when dealing with women, and a man must maintain a sense of mystery."
It was just a pity...
The principle that Brother Daqiang could understand at the age of twenty was something many people probably failed to comprehend even in their entire lifetimes.
Li Yuanjing had already mastered this approach to perfection.

After he and Wang Baiyu entered the room, he instructed Wang Baiyu to tidy up the bookshelves and clean the interior. Meanwhile, he sat down directly at the sandalwood desk to write and sketch, completely ignoring Wang Baiyu.
One must bear in mind:
Although Wang Baiyu was still young, merely fifteen years old, and her parents had both passed away, she was, after all, a member of the Fragrant Lotus Cult!
Furthermore:
Her bloodline was quite noble; her mother was at the level of a candidate saintess, and her father was even a quasi-saint-son figure.
Before Li Yuanjing could ensure that he completely understood Wang Baiyu and thoroughly figured out her background, he would never act rashly.
Of course:
Li Yuanjing also kept his guard up.
That mysterious erotic painting album was something he always kept on his person.
Once there was any abnormality from Wang Baiyu's side—including from Xun Keqing's side—Li Yuanjing would never show the slightest mercy!

Not long after:
Seeing that Wang Baiyu remained well-behaved, only stealing timid, blushing glances at him, the corners of Li Yuanjing's mouth curled into an arc as he began to focus on his work.
At this moment:
Although the construction project of Quanzi Village was already on track, and Li Yuanjing had made a fortune during the period following Zhang Zhiji—not only acquiring over thirty thousand taels of silver but also reaping both fame and fortune, so that he was temporarily not short of silver—and although the personnel structure of Quanzi Village, consisting of matchlock gunners, swordsmen and shield-bearers, and grenade throwers, had already taken shape, Quanzi Village still could not be considered fully on track.
First and foremost was:
Even up to this point, Quanzi Village had yet to achieve the optimal utilization of its people and truly form a more stable community of interests.
After all:
Whether it was the textile workshop or the brick kiln factory, the scale was still too small to make full use of everything.
Not to mention:
At this time, Li Yuanjing had no time for inventions and creations; Quanzi Village severely lacked strike-hard, punch-packing core products.
Moreover, the death of Liu Yun had temporarily shelved the grain transaction plan Li Yuanjing had previously reached with him, leaving Quanzi Village with not much stored grain at present.
However, synthesizing the macro-level news Li Yuanjing had recently received:
The main force of the refugee army had been lingering near Laoqi Pass recently, putting on an appearance of wanting to attack Laoqi Pass and step into the hinterland of Qizhou.
Even though there was a high probability that the main force of the refugee army was just making a show to mislead the imperial court and the main force of the imperial army, this had already created panic in the surrounding areas.
Li Yuanjing deduced:
After the weather warmed up in the new year, there was a high possibility of a refugee wave erupting in Qizhou!
This was undoubtedly the best opportunity for Li Yuanjing to supplement the manpower of Quanzi Village!
Therefore!
Li Yuanjing had to race against time and make good use of every single second, so that when the opportunity arrived, he could truly reap the maximum benefits!
And the breakthrough Li Yuanjing could find right now was naturally still the textile workshop.
After all:
Arranging work for women not only carried relatively much less pressure, but its effectiveness was by no means inferior.
Not to mention now, even in later generations, in many ordinary households, it was the women who managed the family affairs.
At this time:
Following the massive construction during this period, four large workshops, each over a hundred square meters, had been built near Li Yuanjing's house. Each workshop could accommodate sixty to seventy looms.
Even with just a two-shift system, it was enough to arrange five to six hundred female workers.
This was already enough to allow Li Yuanjing's influence to begin covering the villages surrounding Quanzi Village.

Having written down the specific operational plan he had thought through, Li Yuanjing immediately called out to Wang Baiyu:
"Xiaoyu, go and call the old village chief over."
"Ah? Yes."
Wang Baiyu had been stealing glances at the handsome, sharp profile of Li Yuanjing's face as he worked attentively.
It was only a moment after Li Yuanjing called her that she reacted, her little face unable to suppress a blush as she hurriedly gave a well-behaved response and backed out of the door.

"Hey-yo Yuanjing, I, this old man, have been waiting for these words of yours for a long time."
"Now our two workshops are already filled with looms, enough to recruit over three hundred people. Our village certainly cannot digest that many. I've already made arrangements with the folks in Pijiang Village and the surrounding villages within a ten-li radius."
"Yuanjing, rest assured and wait. By tomorrow morning at the latest, I guarantee five or six hundred women of all ages will come, ready for you to pick..."
Inside the public house, the old village chief patted his chest and guaranteed with excitement.
Li Yuanjing responded with a chuckle, but suddenly gave a start.
There seemed to be something not quite right about the old village chief's words...
What did it mean to have five or six hundred women ready for him to pick...
Fortunately, the old village chief was riding a wave of enthusiasm and did not notice the flaw in his own words. Coaxed by a few more sentences from Li Yuanjing, he strode off in high spirits to get things done.

After pondering for a while, Li Yuanjing suddenly remembered something and beckoned Wang Baiyu over:
"Xiaoyu, that large room next door is still vacant, isn't it?"
"Ah?"
"Yes, Master..."
Wang Baiyu hastily nodded with a shy expression.
Li Yuanjing smiled, suddenly grasped her small hand tightly, and looking into her large eyes, said:
"Xiaoyu, go and call Chen Chunyan and Wang Cuihua over, and tell them I have important matters to discuss with them."
"Yes..."
Wang Baiyu's small face turned completely red. She gave her response and wanted to leave, yet didn't dare.
Li Yuanjing smiled and suddenly gave her petite, lovely rear a firm pat, saying:
"Go on."
"Yes..."
Only then did Wang Baiyu, with a blushing pretty face, quickly back out of the door.

"Greetings, Master..."
Soon, Chen Chunyan and Wang Cuihua arrived in the room, hurriedly dropping to their knees to respectfully pay respects to Li Yuanjing.
Wang Baiyu stood by obediently, not daring to look around too much.

Li Yuanjing thought for a moment and said:
"I heard that there are still several large rooms next to my public house that are currently vacant?"
Chen Chunyan hastily and respectfully replied:
"Yes, Master. This maid and Cuihua originally wanted to keep these large rooms as a reception hall and guest rooms for you when you meet guests, not expecting that you would only have time today..."
Li Yuanjing nodded and smiled:
"Sister-in-law, both you and Wang Cuihua have put effort into this matter."
Upon hearing these words from Li Yuanjing, Chen Chunyan and Wang Cuihua could not help feeling inspired and energized, as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
Seeing them standing tall with puffed-out chests one by one, Li Yuanjing smiled and said:
"How about this, the reception hall and guest rooms won't be necessary. I remember there are four large rooms, right? The room on the very eastern end will be for you and Cuihua to use as your public office. The two rooms on the western side will serve as public rest rooms for the female workers, after all, the weather is too cold.
As for the room right next to mine?"
Li Yuanjing suddenly smiled and blinked at Wang Baiyu, then said to Chen Chunyan and Wang Cuihua:
"Let it be designated as Xiaoyu's public office when she is here attending to me. In addition, starting from today, all of Xiaoyu's treatment and benefits shall be in accordance with the treatment of a secondary wife in the Li household!"
"Ah?"
Chen Chunyan and Wang Cuihua were instantly stunned, their gazes involuntarily turning to Wang Baiyu.
"Master, this, this..."
Wang Baiyu was even more overwhelmed with agitation. Her originally fair and delicate face was flushed with a surging red hue, and she didn't know where to put her hands and feet.
Who could have imagined...
Li Yuanjing would actually publicly grant her the treatment of a secondary wife.
One must bear in mind:
At this time, Li Yuanjing and Yumang had not yet married, and he didn't even have a single secondary wife. If she could truly pull this off...
She would become Li Yuanjing's very first secondary wife, which was the legendary second-room concubine.
And once her belly was cooperative enough to bear a son or daughter for Li Yuanjing...
Would she ever need to worry about wealth and glory for the rest of her life?
"What?"
"Are you all deaf? Didn't you hear what I said?"
Seeing the three women dumbfounded, Li Yuanjing immediately put on a stern master's face.
"N-No. Master, we understand."
Chen Chunyan and Wang Cuihua were both startled and hurriedly knelt down to kowtow in respect.

After Chen Chunyan and Wang Cuihua went out, Wang Baiyu saw them off to the doorway.
Seeing how Chen Chunyan and Wang Cuihua's attitudes toward Wang Baiyu instantly changed, trying every possible way to curry favor with her, the corners of Li Yuanjing's mouth curled into an arc once again.
It was no wonder everyone wanted to climb higher; this kind of dimensional reduction strike was truly rather wonderful.

And just as Li Yuanjing was shrewdly laying out his plans:
With the old village chief's vigorous publicity, the women of all ages in the villages within a ten-li radius of Quanzi Village were also completely set abuzz.
"What?"
"Quanzi Village has started recruiting female workers? If you work well, you can not only get five or six large coins a day, but room and board are also provided?"
"Guihua, it's more than that. I heard that if someone has a little one at home and it's inconvenient to take care of the child, Quanzi Village even has people specially assigned to look after the little ones for us. They say it's called, what is it, a kindergarten or nursery..."
"Oh, my good heavens. No wonder people always say that Master Li is a literary star descended to earth; he is simply a clear-sky righteous lord for us ordinary folks."
"Second Sister, what are you still waiting for? I heard Quanzi Village is only recruiting three hundred people this time. Let's hurry over to Quanzi Village and take a look, otherwise, we're going to get beaten to it by those vixens."
"What?"
"There's such a thing? Let's go, let's go quickly! We mustn't let those vixens wrong Master Li..."