After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

The group filed in, then froze in surprise.

Dozens of spinning wheels were placed in the factory, each one larger than a regular spinning wheel.

A woman sat in front of the spinning wheel, cranking it with her hand, making a buzzing sound.

Manager Sun leaned closer and took a look, his eyes widening in surprise.

There were eight spindles lined up on that spinning wheel!

Eight spindles rotate at the same time, and eight threads are spun out simultaneously!

He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things.

Liu Quan, standing nearby, exclaimed in surprise, "What...what is this thing?"

Lai Fu laughed and said, "This is the young master's improved multi-spindle spinning machine. One machine is equivalent to eight of the old ones."

Zhou Youcai walked quickly to a spinning wheel and bent down to examine it closely.

The structure of that spinning wheel was indeed similar to that of a traditional spinning wheel, except that the wheels were larger and the transmission was more complex. The spindles were arranged in a row and connected by a horizontal bar. A hand-cranked wheel turned all eight spindles together.

He subconsciously reached out and touched the spun thread.

It is of uniform thickness and has a smooth feel, making it three times better than ordinary cotton yarn.

Zhou Youcai straightened up, looked at Laifu, and asked in a slightly dry voice, "How much of this thing can you spin in a day?"

Lai Fu said, "A skilled worker can spin more than thirty taels of yarn a day."

Zhou Youcai gasped.

On a regular spinning wheel, a skilled operator can spin a maximum of four or five ounces a day.

The price of this spinning wheel increased seven or eight times!

He turned to look at the other shopkeepers and found them all stunned.

Laifu then took them to the weaving workshop.

Pushing open the door to another factory building, you'll find more than twenty looms inside.

A weaver was sitting in front of a loom, holding something in his hand. The shuttle was running back and forth in the frame, so fast that it was dazzling.

Zhou Youcai walked up to a loom and stared at the shuttle moving back and forth for a long time.

Then he looked up at Laifu again: "How much can this shuttle weave in a day?"

Lai Fu laughed and said, "If you're skilled, you can make two and a half to three horses a day."

Zhou Youcai fell silent again. After a long while, he slowly spoke: "In our workshop, a weaver can only produce one bolt of cloth a day at most, and that's only if they're quick and efficient."

Manager Sun leaned closer and whispered, "President Zhou, if we use these new gadgets, what are we afraid of in Songjiang Prefecture?"

Zhou Youcai didn't reply, he just stared at the loom, motionless.

After leaving the factory, Laifu led them to the back.

Behind it was a vast open space that stretched as far as the eye could see.

People are digging ditches in the field, one after another, stretching straight into the distance.

Lai Fu pointed ahead: "This entire area is wasteland reclaimed by the young master, totaling 200,000 mu. Next spring, it will all be planted with cotton."

Looking at the boundless land, Zhou Youcai finally understood why Yang Shen dared to say five million taels a year yesterday.

This isn't doing business; this is trying to recreate Songjiang Prefecture!

He couldn't wait to see Yang Shen.

It turns out that everything they said yesterday was true.

"Butler Laifu, please take me to see Chairman Yang!"

Lai Fu glanced behind him and said, "Please wait a moment, everyone. I will go and report."

Upon seeing this, Zhou Youcai's initial goodwill turned into displeasure. What kind of distinguished guest was he entertaining?

When he was president, he already acted so arrogantly?

But it doesn't matter. As long as there's hope of making money, I'd rather crawl on my knees than put on airs.

A moment later, Laifu returned and said, "Everyone can go now, but I must make it clear first, the young master has distinguished guests, so please don't say anything out of turn!"

Zhou Youcai laughed and said, "What are you afraid of? Could it be someone from the government?"

Lai Fu's expression changed, and he said, "In short, just don't say anything out of line!"

No one paid any attention and followed Laifu toward the central public housing unit.

Inside the room, the Hongzhi Emperor was reviewing account books, while Yang Shen stood with his hands at his sides.

"Your Majesty is extremely busy with state affairs; there is really no need for you to personally come and check the accounts."

The Hongzhi Emperor gave a light snort and said, "It's my own business, so I'd feel more at ease if I checked it myself."

Xiao Jing stood to the side and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, shouldn't you avoid this place? Don't let those merchants offend Your Majesty..."

The Hongzhi Emperor ignored him and stared at the account books, asking, "Judging from your cash flow, the profits are clearly very high, so why is there no surplus?"

Yang Shen replied, "Your Majesty, many businesses are currently in their initial stages, and many workshops need to be expanded. The initial investment is not a small amount."

"So you're saying you've invested the money I earned?"

"Your Majesty is wise; that is indeed the case!"

How much income do you expect by the end of the year?

"Brick kiln, wool spinning, plus the newly started cotton spinning, I estimate the income will be around 100,000 taels. Your Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince will hold 60% of the shares, which is 60,000 taels."

The Hongzhi Emperor's face immediately flushed, and he asked, "Didn't you say you invested it all? How can there still be 60,000 taels left?"

Yang Shen smiled and said, "Your Majesty, our industry cycle is very short. Even with investment, we can see benefits in a month at most. This 60,000 taels is just the cash Your Majesty received. In addition, the value of the income from land reclamation is even greater. The 200,000 mu of wasteland reclaimed is worth around 500,000 taels. All of this is Your Majesty's assets."

The Hongzhi Emperor was quite satisfied. He closed the account book and said, "I have another question. Why did you decide to consolidate the cloth guilds? When it comes to making money, they can't compare to you. Besides, I've heard that they've been plotting against you behind your back."

Yang Shen glanced at Xiao Jing.

This seemingly harmless old eunuch actually controlled the Eastern Depot, and his influence was pervasive.

There is no privacy whatsoever in his presence.

"In my eyes, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies. As long as I can make money, this is nothing."

"Oh?"

The Hongzhi Emperor was somewhat surprised and asked again, "Do you think there's still room for improvement in the profit margins of cloth?"

Yang Shen nodded and said, "Not only do we have it, but we have a very large one. In my opinion, the cloth business is just starting out. What I need to do next is to expand its scale."

"If that's the case, why don't you just make one yourself?"

"Although this cloth shop is a makeshift operation, it has already reached a certain scale. If I were to start a new cloth shop, they would be left with nothing. They would definitely try their best to retaliate. It would be better to just take it over directly, so that everyone can make money and achieve a win-win situation."

The Hongzhi Emperor was quite satisfied with this answer.

He just couldn't understand how a fifteen-year-old could have such far-sighted insight.

Or is it that all of this was Yang Tinghe's idea?

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Xiao Jing quickly said, "Your Majesty, this old servant will take you to the back to rest!"

The Hongzhi Emperor waved his hand and said, "I am the owner, why should I leave? I also have a share in the cloth business. I will stay here and oversee it. Minister Yang, you can arrange it as you see fit."

Yang Shen had no choice but to bow and say, "Your subject obeys the decree."

He then cleared his throat and called out, "Laifu, come in!"