In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 477 Level 4

The Xia Kingdom nominally possesses the land of the Nine Provinces, but as early as last year, Liangzhou and Mingzhou, two of the upper three provinces, had already fallen into war. Later, Liangzhou was occupied by Yang Zheng and separated from the Xia Kingdom's territory.

Although Mingzhou has not yet been occupied, the state is engulfed in flames of war, with various rebel armies fighting each other within the state. The imperial court's control over Mingzhou is practically nonexistent.

In other words, although the imperial court may seem to own the nine provinces, Liangzhou and Yuzhou have long since ceased to belong to the imperial court.

With uprisings breaking out in Haizhou, Yuzhou, and Qiongzhou, these three prefectures, which were originally relatively stable, have also fallen into war. In addition, Yuezhou has been occupied by the White Lotus Sect. In just a few days, the only places that the imperial court can control and that are still relatively stable are Jingzhou, Qingzhou, and Youzhou.

By this point, even the most obtuse person could see that a change of dynasty was just around the corner.

…………

…………

Chenjia Village, inside a small courtyard.

Chen Dao slapped his palm into the air, and with a muffled sonic boom, an invisible ripple visibly spread through the air.

"He's reached the fourth rank."

Chen Dao withdrew his hand and exhaled a breath of stale air.

The effects of the Qi-Nourishing Chicken remained extraordinary. With the help of one Qi-Nourishing Chicken every day, his strength improved rapidly, and he advanced to the fourth rank.

Not only Chen Dao, but Chen Cheng's progress is also quite rapid. Yesterday, Chen Cheng had already advanced to the fifth rank. Coupled with his innate divine strength, he would not be at a disadvantage even when facing a fourth-rank martial artist.

"The Cloud Shadow Palm technique is gradually falling behind my pace."

Chen Dao muttered to himself, "The Cloud Shadow Palm is a mid-grade martial art. Mid-grade martial arts can only be cultivated to the peak of the fourth grade at most. Without a higher-level martial art, it would be difficult for Chen Dao to break through to the fourth grade."

Finding higher-level, superior martial arts techniques has become an urgent matter for Chen Dao.

But this was obviously not an easy thing. How much effort did Chen Dao put in to obtain a mid-grade martial arts technique?

High-grade martial arts techniques are even rarer, currently known to be possessed only by the royal family and those prominent clans. And they obviously wouldn't trade their own high-grade martial arts techniques, therefore…

It is almost impossible for Chen Dao to obtain a high-grade martial arts technique.

"It's difficult!"

Chen Dao sat down on the recliner, his brow furrowed in worry.

Outside Chenjia Village, because the soldiers guarding the village entrance recognized Zheng Qiuyan, Zheng's sizable caravan was able to enter Chenjia Village smoothly.

After crossing the village entrance, the hard texture underfoot immediately caught Zheng Qing's attention. He looked down at the blue bricks paving the ground and a look of surprise flashed across his face.

Along the way, Zheng Qing passed through many villages, which were often extremely desolate, with potholed dirt roads and puddles of water.

And here in Chenjia Village...

The road was paved with bluestone!

This undoubtedly shocked Zheng Qing greatly. You should know that even in the bustling county town, only the two main roads connected to the city gates are paved with bricks and stones!

After a brief moment of surprise, Zheng Qing looked up and around, only to find that this stretch of road was extremely lively, with all kinds of shops lining both sides of the road, filling every available space.

Salt shops, grain shops, sugar shops, cloth shops—all kinds of shops are available.

Outside these shops, there are also numerous street stalls, where many customers are gathered to buy various foods and snacks.

For some reason, the word "prosperity" subconsciously popped into Zheng Qing's mind!

The word "prosperous" shouldn't be used to describe a remote village, but everything in Chenjia Village gave Zheng Qing an extremely prosperous feeling.

"Is this Prefect Zheng's first time visiting Chenjia Village?"

Li Qingyun, who was standing next to Zheng Qing, asked with a smile. He had set off with the Zheng family caravan when it arrived in Ding'an County yesterday, not to curry favor with Zheng Qing, his superior, but because he had something to discuss with Chen Dao and Xu Zhiwen.

"Yes."

Zheng Qing nodded subconsciously and exclaimed in amazement, "This Chen Family Village is truly extraordinary."

Zheng Qing has seen many villages, but Chenjia Village is probably the only one he can describe as unique.

In Zheng Qing's memory, most of the villages in Qingzhou were poor, and the villages were deserted and desolate.

In contrast, Chenjia Village is lined with shops, and the pedestrians passing by all look radiant, a stark contrast to the villagers in other villages.

It's no exaggeration to say that Zheng Qing, upon entering Chenjia Village, felt as if he were in the capital of Taicang County.

"indeed."

Li Qingyun nodded in deep agreement, “Most of the people living in Chenjia Village are employed by Chen Xiaoyou, and they receive at least 500 coins a month. Does the prefect think that 500 coins is too much or too little?”

"A lot."

Zheng Qing gave this answer: 500 coins for wages would have been roughly the middle income level for ordinary people before the cold disaster, but in the current year of the devastating cold disaster, it is already a very good income.

Even among the common people living in Taicang County, very few could earn a stable income of 500 coins per month.

"good."

Li Qingyun nodded and said, "In the past, 500 coins would not have been considered a high income, but now, under the influence of the cold disaster, 500 coins is a considerable income for the vast majority of people."

Each person received 500 coins, and a family with three able-bodied men received 1500 coins. The price of grain in Chenjia Village was extremely low, so after purchasing the necessary grain, the villagers could still save a considerable amount of the 1500 coins. As a result, the villagers of Chenjia Village were very wealthy and had considerable purchasing power.

Many merchants recognized the business opportunities in Chenjia Village and opened shops there, making the village extremely prosperous. Anything available in the county town could also be found in Chenjia Village.

"I see."

Zheng Qing nodded. Although he did not directly manage Zheng's Trading Company, he had gained some understanding of business through his exposure to it.

In doing business, having capital and the ability to acquire high-quality, low-priced goods are key. Once you have the goods, the ability to sell them and whether ordinary people can afford them are equally crucial.

No matter how much or how good or cheap your goods are, if the people can't afford them, they will just pile up in the warehouse. Only when the people have purchasing power can merchants sell their goods and earn the profits they deserve.

Taking Taicang County as an example, since the cold disaster struck, the commerce of Taicang County has become increasingly sluggish, and the reason is very simple.

The cold weather led to reduced harvests for the people, leaving them with no money, and naturally, merchants were unable to sell their goods.