The Host is Clearly A Scumbag (Quick Travel)

Thanks to the shadow guards following Li Sheng, news of their business venture reached the Emperor within half a day.

Previously, when Emperor Li learned that his son had imitated martial arts novels and became sworn brothers with Mingting, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

However, the shadow guards reported that the Crown Prince was genuinely happy at Mingting's home, and his family also treated Li Sheng with great kindness.

After much contemplation, Emperor Li silently acquiesced to this matter.

Now, with their coal stove venture, if commoners could truly stay warm during the harsh winters, it would be a tremendous boon.

"Minister Su has truly raised an outstanding student!"

Emperor Li soon received a sample of the stove and briquettes.

The heating efficiency was excellent, and it could also cook meals and boil water. One stove has multiple uses, which would greatly benefit the people.

Since the two youngsters had already worked everything out, Emperor Li was curious to see how well the Crown Prince could handle this endeavor.

He specially approved the sale of a coal mine near the capital's outskirts to the Crown Prince.

From then on, Li Sheng was busier than ever.

Mingting only provided the technology and stayed out of everything else. With the Emperor personally overseeing the project, Li Sheng had no choice but to push himself relentlessly.

Seeing the little Crown Prince being fooled by Mingting, traveling back and forth between the capital and coal mine, inspecting the quality of briquette, spot-checking the stoves, establishing sales channels, and even educating people on proper ventilation to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, causing him to be so busy... Fengtian couldn't help but sigh.

[Boss, the little Crown Prince isn't so bad after all!]

'The Crown Prince's character is indeed good.' Mingting had also taken this chance to evaluate Li Sheng.

His second mission target was the Crown Prince, but there were many ways to repay kindness. Mingting had prepared two plans.

If Li Sheng had been a pleasure-seeking, hopeless fool, Mingting would have become a powerful minister controlling the court, ensuring political stability while letting the Crown Prince enjoy a life of luxury. He would have simply groomed a competent heir for him.

But now, seeing that Li Sheng was a benevolent and people-minded prince, Mingting opted for the second plan.

He intended to subtly guide and mentor the Crown Prince, assisting him in becoming a wise ruler remembered throughout history.

Li Sheng didn't know that his efforts had earned Mingting's approval.

He barely had time to catch his breath before Mingting invited him to experience a heated kang bed at home. (T/N: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kang_bed-stove.)

With his entrepreneurial spirit thoroughly ignited, the young Crown Prince immediately took charge of this project as well.

He summoned craftsmen to build kang beds for the Emperor, Empress Dowager, and Empress, aiming to promote them widely so that the capital's residents, its outskirts, and neighboring northern provinces could enjoy a warm winter this year.

Once everything was on track, Li Sheng finally found time to rest, so he ran to Mingting's home again.

Although Mingting's house was only a two-courtyard residence with a small area, the warmth and liveliness of Jiang Xiao'e and the others made it a place Li Sheng loved.

Emperor Li had only one son, and Li Sheng's birth mother had passed away early. The current Empress was his maternal aunt.

Even though his aunt treated him very well, the royal family had its own rules, and he rarely experienced this kind of familial warmth.

Watching Daya and Xiaosong acting like a spoiled child in Jiang Xiaoe's arms, he couldn't help but envy them.

And then there was Mingting.

Li Sheng felt that Mingting was truly a man of remarkable intellect.

Li Sheng had already learned that Mingting was the child prodigy who invented the water-powered spinning wheel and the spinning machines.

He had heard Emperor Li privately praise Mingting many times and had initially been skeptical, thinking that the child prodigy would be arrogant and aloof.

But upon discovering that his sworn brother was that very prodigy and having in-depth contact with Mingting, Li Sheng found Mingting to be both brilliant and fascinating.

He was erudite yet open-minded, nothing like the rigid bookworms Li Sheng was used to think. It was no wonder he cherished this friendship so deeply.

"Brother Ting, that spinning machine is truly remarkable!"

Watching Jiang Xiao'e weave cloth at home, Li Sheng took the initiative to talk to Mingting about the spinning machine that had been giving the elder statesmen headaches recently.

It's not that the spinning machine invented by Mingting is not good. Instead, it's really too good, which was precisely why the emperor and his ministers were troubled.

The spinning machine drastically improved efficiency. In the past, even the most skilled weavers could produce at most five bolts of cloth in three days.

But now that there are spinning machines, even the most skilled workers cannot catch up with the speed of spinning machines even if worked without rest.

This should have been a good thing, but with increased efficiency came drawbacks.

For instance, commoners who relied on weaving for income would suffer devastating losses.

Or, as cloth supply surged, prices would inevitably plummet.

The fall in cloth prices would drive down the cost of raw materials, discouraging farmers who grew cotton and flax because their earnings would shrink.

When common people's incomes decrease and life becomes tight, they naturally cut back on spending, becoming reluctant to buy things. This, in turn, triggers a chain reaction of consequences.

This is precisely what the elder statesmen fear the most.

These issues have recently made the Tai Ji Palace of Emperor Li exceptionally lively, and Li Sheng has been listening to many discussions on the matter.

When he sought Mingting's advice on this problem, Mingting picked up a brush and wrote four characters on paper.

State-Owned, Private-Owned.

Mingting first explained the differences between these two concepts, and after Li Sheng understood, he continued: "State-owned enterprises are controlled by the state, with profits going to the national treasury. The wages of female workers and the price of cloth can be determined according to the actual situation."

"The spinning machines should not be widely promoted at first, and only be used in state-owned enterprises. Let the state set prices. Once the rules and systems mature and fabric prices stabilize, then we can open it up to private enterprises."

"Wait, did you say female workers?"

Li Sheng was a little surprised.

"Yes, primarily female workers. Not only should we hire women, but we should also regulate daily working hours, grant them several days off per month, and sign contracts to protect their rights. We should even provide holiday benefits..."

"Wait, slow down." Li Sheng, who heard this for the first time, felt overwhelmed.