After that, Lin Beifan left all the matters to Heshen and then went off to enjoy himself.
Heshen felt extremely helpless and utterly frustrated.
The issue with the national treasury was still unresolved, and now there were a bunch of other troublesome matters piled up—it was practically the death of him!
But no matter how upset he was inside, he could only endure and get on with it, holding his nose.
Subsequently, Heshen gathered tens of thousands of people on the open ground next to Capital City, where they began constructing cement houses.
In just a few days, rows of cement houses sprang up from the ground.
At the same time, it was advertised that these houses were for sale.
This situation quickly attracted the attention of the common people from Capital City, who came to watch in their spare time.
“Are the houses here for sale?”
“Of course, they are for sale. We built them specifically to sell!” an official said with a smile.
“This house looks a bit strange…”
“That’s because these houses are all built with cement! Let me tell you, this cement is a type of building material invented by His Majesty. Building houses with cement is very fast, and they are big and sturdy too. Don’t believe me? Come and see for yourselves!”
The townsfolk walked into the house to give it a try.
“This house is really solid, just like one built with green bricks!”
“It’s true, even a hoe can’t break through!”
“What a great house!”
At this moment, someone asked, “Such a nice house, how much does it cost?”
The official held up two fingers: “Only 20 taels of silver!”
The crowd exploded in disbelief.
“What? Such a great house for only 20 taels?”
“That’s too cheap! My house, built with green bricks, cost me 60 taels of silver!”
“My house, although it’s made of red bricks, also cost 40 taels of silver!”
“Only 20 taels, how can there be such a good deal?”
“Because His Majesty is compassionate and knows that life is not easy for everyone, he is offering to sell these to you at half price!” the official said with a smile.
“Ah, I see!” the crowd exclaimed in realization.
At that moment, someone spoke up with difficulty, “The house is nice, and 20 taels is quite cheap, but I can’t come up with that much money all at once!”
“Don’t worry about that!”
The official said with a smile: “His Majesty has already considered this issue! His Majesty said that you can move in first and then pay in installments! Whenever you finish paying, the house will belong to you!”
“Is there really such a good deal?” the people were shocked once again.
“Would His Majesty, whose words are as precious as gold and jade, deceive you?”
The official took out an imperial edict and posted it: “This is an imperial decree personally issued by His Majesty. Take a look for yourselves!”
Everyone truly continued to read on.
The imperial proclamation stated plainly that these were welfare houses being provided to the common people. Each person could only purchase one unit, and each house cost 20 taels of silver.
If one did not have enough money, installment payments were an option, with regular monthly payments ranging from 30 to 100 wen.
Once the payments were completed, the house would be entirely privately owned.
If the money could not be paid by the deadline, a two-month grace period would be given.
If it still wasn’t possible to pay, the house would be reclaimed by the state.
Below, there are many detailed rules covering almost every aspect; everything has been taken into account.
Everyone is very tempted by the offer, as the houses are incredibly cheap, available for just 20 taels.
It’s not a problem if you don’t have the money; you can pay in installments and move in early.
Each month, you pay an amount ranging from 30 to 100 wen, depending on your choice, so the pressure isn’t too great.