Chapter 100: The Emperor's Fury, Dismissing Officials, Imprisoning the Chancellor, Court and Society in Turmoil【Seek Monthly Votes】

He went into the holy hall.

As the Eternal Prosperity Great Emperor's voice rang out, the place instantly fell into utter silence.

But who could have imagined that the Eternal Prosperity Great Emperor would show up at this moment?

At this moment, outside the school, several figures appeared: the Eternal Prosperity Great Emperor, Wei Xian, and Liu Yan; two eunuchs stood behind them, the Eternal Prosperity Great Emperor stood with his hands behind his back, his face showing no expression, and it was unclear whether he was pleased or angry.

"Students pay their respects to Your Majesty; may Your Majesty live ten thousand, ten thousand, myriad myriad years."

In an instant, everyone rose to perform the grand salute. Though they held no official positions, they were students of the Da Xia Academy, considered disciples of the Son of Heaven; calling themselves students was no issue.

Even Gu Jin Nian, at this moment, involuntarily rose to perform the salute.

However, for Gu Jin Nian, it was.

It's really quite a coincidence.

Just as I put on an act and said a sentence, the emperor showed up.

And most importantly, I didn't get to finish the second half of the sentence.

"Jinian, tell me your method; let me see how simple it is."

The Eternal Prosperity Great Emperor said expressionlessly.

"Your Majesty, I still have one sentence left unsaid."

Gu Jin Nian's face showed some difficulty.

"What words?"

The Eternal Prosperity Great Emperor asked.

"The method is simpler, but I can't do it."

Gu Jin Nian spoke with his head down; instantly, the students inside the hall lowered their heads and stifled laughter.

But the Eternal Prosperity Great Emperor was somewhat displeased.

However, he understood Gu Jin Nian; this kid acts cautiously, and if he truly had no solution, he wouldn't speak nonsense.

He simply wasn't willing to say it.

"Come out."

The Eternal Prosperity Great Emperor shouted angrily.

At that moment, Gu Jin Nian said nothing and walked out.

After walking about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, he arrived at a quiet place, and his uncle's voice sounded.

"From now on, when speaking outside, you must choose your words carefully; don't just say whatever comes to mind. If you say something wrong and it's remembered, trouble will eventually arise. You are the heir apparent, my nephew; many eyes are on you—don't you realize that?"

Having pulled Gu Jin Nian out, the Eternal Prosperity Great Emperor's first words were a lecture.

He wasn't afraid that Gu Jin Nian would cause trouble; he was worried that Gu Jin Nian would speak recklessly, easily inviting disputes and trouble.

"Mm-hmm."

"Uncle's lecture is correct."

Gu Jin Nian nodded.

Seeing Gu Jin Nian's demeanor, the Eternal Prosperity Great Emperor was actually quite pleased inside; for some reason, seeing Gu Jin Nian put him in a good mood, but he still harbored some unnamed anger, so he took this opportunity to reprimand his nephew.

"I heard you established something called the Kirin Pavilion; you should weigh this matter carefully, don't let it become factionalism for personal gain, otherwise even your uncle won't be able to help you."

The Eternal Prosperity Great Emperor continued, bringing up this matter.

Upon hearing this, Gu Jin Nian couldn't help but frown.

"Uncle, my Kirin Pavilion aims for mutual help and learning, and does not allow members to rely on family influence; it is purely for mutual growth, hoping that one day we can contribute bricks and tiles to the Da Xia Dynasty."

"Who told you this? This person has ill intentions, purely trying to drive a wedge between us uncle and nephew. Uncle, tell me who said it; rest assured I'll say externally that it was Eunuch Wei Xian who told me, guaranteeing I won't cause you trouble."

Gu Jin Nian looked righteous, "Good grief, a traitor among us? We're just a bunch of clueless brats, randomly throwing together something, and the emperor already knows—definitely someone leaked it secretly."

But as soon as Gu Jin Nian said that, Eunuch Wei Xian beside him froze, his usually gentle smile instantly stiffening.

"Good grief, not causing trouble for His Majesty, but causing trouble for the eunuchs? You really are a fine nephew of His Majesty."

"Hmph, need anyone else to complain? Your people, after joining the Kirin Pavilion, happily scurry back home, proclaiming they want to sever ties with their own biological fathers, claiming they won't rely on family influence."

"Their fathers gave them a stern beating, probably didn't tell you; that's how this reached my ears."

"Jinian, you're still young now; however reckless you are, I won't bother you, but once you leave the academy, you'll come of age, be ennobled as a marquis, your mind will mature—I know you'll satisfy the Gu family, and you won't be able to hide it from me."

"For now you can use your age as an excuse, but later you won't be able to; after all, I am the emperor—even if I wanted to favor you, I'd need a reasonable pretext, otherwise blatantly favoring you would be detrimental to you."

"Do you understand?"

The Eternal Prosperity Great Emperor spoke with earnest sincerity.

Perhaps in another seven or eight months, after Gu Jin Nian graduates from the Da Xia Academy, he will take the imperial examinations; once the exams are over, there's no need to say anything—he will surely be the top scholar.

After that, he will enter the court as an official.

For now, making a fuss doesn't matter; he's still young.

But once he comes of age, is ennobled, achieves fame, and enters the court as an official, there's no room for joking.

Why is nobody causing trouble for Gu Jin Nian now? Even if they cause trouble, it's aimed at the Gu family?

Simply because Gu Jin Nian is a child who hasn't come of age.

But when Gu Jin Nian truly comes of age and enters the court as an official, his every move and word could become a point of attack for others in the future court.

Therefore he must prepare in advance to avoid any mishaps.

"Nephew understands; please rest assured, Uncle."

It must be said that these words are sincere and heartfelt; Gu Jin Nian understands, so he also didn't speak carelessly.

The conversation ends here.

The Eternal Prosperity Great Emperor glanced at the surroundings, then slowly spoke.

"Jinian, regarding the officials' resignations, what are your thoughts?"

The Eternal Emperor spoke, asking thus.

Upon hearing that, Gu Jin Nian immediately wore an angry expression.

"They should be killed."

"These bastards, each one gobbling the lord's stipend but not sharing the lord's concerns, and instead daring to provoke you, Uncle."

"All of them should be killed."

"These people, aren't they just taking advantage of your desire, Uncle, to be a wise ruler, and thus acting recklessly and arbitrarily?"

"If we don't kill a bit of their vigor, how can we make them know that Da Xia belongs to you, Uncle?"

Gu Jin Nian spoke, and his words struck right at the Eternal Emperor's heart.

But the Eternal Emperor knew it was merely flattery.

Purely sucking up.

Thus his heart was glad, for a nephew is still a nephew, and he knows how to cherish his uncle.

But the serious talk still needed to be said.

"Enough, stop babbling here, and share your insightful opinion."

The Eternal Emperor said, such flattery is fine for a couple of lines, but mainly he wanted to hear what Gu Jin Nian thought.

"Ha? What insightful opinion?"

Gu Jin Nian looked at the Eternal Emperor and asked thus.

"Stop pretending to be clueless; your mind is indeed agile, like the Li family. Since you have ideas, speak them, and stop putting on an act here."

The Eternal Emperor directly said, urging Gu Jin Nian to voice his inner thoughts.

Now.

In the court, the dismissal of officials had become very tense; the Eternal Emperor knew that if it escalated, a disaster would ensue, yet he absolutely refused to step back himself.

But if he let the officials step back, he could see that these people would not retreat either.

After all, once they retreat, the Da Xia scholars would berate them to death; scholars care most about reputation, and the officials care too—so for them, neither advancing nor retreating is acceptable.

And for the emperor himself, neither advancing nor retreating is possible.

Thus he truly wanted to hear Gu Jin Nian's insight; though he held little hope, he thought Gu Jin Nian was brilliant and might offer a clue.

As for Gu Jin Nian.

Seeing his uncle ask like this, he no longer concealed anything.

"Since that's the case, when discussing state affairs, the nephew shall call himself a student."

Gu Jin Nian spoke, and when it came to state affairs, he had to say this line.

Although the sentence seemed meaningless, it concealed a great principle.

"If spoken well, you commend me twice; whether I'm a student or your nephew makes no difference."

"If spoken poorly, I'm merely a disciple of the Son of Heaven, not your nephew; you may have opinions about me, but you cannot have opinions about your nephew, and it's you who made me say this."

The balance is just right.

"Speak, no more idle talk."

The Eternal Emperor was amused by Gu Jin Nian's anger; this fellow seemed constantly on guard as if caring too much about the ruler‑subject relationship.

But he understood it was a good thing.

Throughout history, many nobles and princes have perished because of "arbitrariness."

He always felt that his past meritorious deeds were great, and still thought the emperor remained that good brother of old.

"Your Majesty."

"The student believes that governing a great nation is like cooking a small delicacy."

Gu Jin Nian no longer joked, his expression exceedingly solemn as he said.

This was his thought.

"Oh?"

"What do you mean?"

The Eternal Emperor, upon hearing this, instantly became interested.

Treating governance as cooking a small delicacy? That's truly the first time he's heard it.

Somewhat interesting.

"Your Majesty, the Da Xia Dynasty has an enormous population; in a commandery, a prefecture, a county, even a village, the forces within are intricately tangled and unfathomable."

"The court is the seat of central authority, governing the realm; every decree carries immense weight."

"Just as each year the regions tribute delicacies to Your Majesty, if the emperor favors a certain fruit, it appears a minor matter, yet court officials, to show filial respect, will command the locales to cultivate that fruit."

"Moreover, since it is tribute, through multiple selections, perhaps only about a hundred fruits are contributed, each likely chosen from tens of thousands of fruits."

"Thus, when the court wishes to act, it cannot be done with sweeping force; it must be like cooking a small delicacy—gradually unfolding, emphasizing the gentle warmth, subtly influencing over time, slowly reforming, taking ten, twenty, even thirty years to perfect."

"In this way, it will not provoke backlash, or even if it does, it can be managed."

Gu Jin Nian spoke.

What he meant was essentially the words of a sage, also a classic Confucian saying.

When a nation becomes immensely large, it must never act rashly; inaction is better than action, and any matter must be prepared three to fifty years in advance.

Tackle it bit by bit; never claim to have thought of something and act on it immediately.

Everyone is different; what you think is good is because you consider it from your perspective, which is a good thing.

Just like the treasure notes introduced during the founding era of the Da Xia Dynasty.

Replacing copper coins with paper money for trade not only reduced minting costs but also facilitated circulation; for the economy it was beneficial, and for the state likewise.

But did they consider the people's thoughts? Did they consider currency devaluation? Did they consider other nations causing trouble? Perhaps they did, but they always used a "should," "might," "perhaps" mindset to downplay, since once an idea emerges and seems good, the first impression convinces oneself.

However, after it was truly implemented, what was the result? It almost caused a major incident.

After three and a half years of implementation, not only did it fail to boost the national economy, it actually set it back several years and brought a heap of trouble—was this a loss? We must not rush.

We must go slow.

Moreover, we must do it little by little, because a small decision by the court, once carried out, is a huge matter for every village, county, and prefecture.

"What do you mean?"

"I established the Eastern Depot, but was I too hasty?"

Emperor Yongsheng opened his mouth, his face calm as he asked.

"Your Majesty, a bit."

Gu Jin Nian was somewhat tactful.

Because it really was urgent—this side might be about to go to war any moment, the nation's fortune has just increased, and besides, these subjects are all formerly ministers who followed the dragon.

With you so impatient, it would be strange if they didn't turn against you.

At the very least, wait until you've purged people to the sidelines, or until half of them are dead, then bringing this up would be fine.

Put bluntly, it's still a return to what was just said.

It's not that they lack self-awareness, but because they followed you to conquer the realm, everyone worked hard, and they treated you with respect and courtesy—yet you, well-fed and idle, play a trick like "when the birds are gone, the good bow is put away"? Of course there would be an uproar.

"Hmph."

"If you have a clear conscience, why fear the establishment of the Eastern Depot? In my eyes, they are all guilty thieves, panicking."

Emperor Yongsheng was getting a little angry.

"After all you've said, you mean you're at fault, right?"

Gu Jin Nian said nothing, honestly keeping his mouth shut.

In his anger, there was no need for him to say anything.

Indeed, seeing Gu Jin Nian silent, Emperor Yongsheng became somewhat silent.

"Please continue."

Emperor Yongsheng opened his mouth, looking somewhat depressed.

"The court officials are indeed at fault."

"They act too extremely, openly defying Your Majesty."

"However, the matter at hand, in my opinion, should be to resolve the conflict, not to argue over who is right or wrong."

"Therefore, I hope Your Majesty will first calm down; you are the Son of Heaven, and these civil officials are watching for you to make a mistake—if you err, they will gain fame for all ages."

Gu Jin Nian also offered a word of comfort to Emperor Yongsheng.

"That makes sense."

"Then how should we resolve this conflict?"

"But let me say this first, Jin Nian: I will not back down."

Emperor Yongsheng opened his mouth, but he still made it clear beforehand: if Gu Jin Nian came as a persuader asking him to step back, that would be impossible.

"Your Majesty."

"Actually, I believe Your Majesty is not at fault, the officials are not at fault; the whole matter is simply a misunderstanding."

Gu Jin Nian nodded, suggesting the emperor admit fault—unrealistic—but having the officials admit fault is also impossible.

So Gu Jin Nian changed the concept.

"A misunderstanding?"

"What do you mean?"

This time, not only Emperor Yongsheng was curious, but the two eunuchs were curious as well.

They too had witnessed this matter firsthand.

There's really no misunderstanding.

The emperor wanted to supervise them.

The officials refused supervision.

That's all there is to it—what else is there to understand? Feeling the three curious gazes, Gu Jin Nian spoke neither hastily nor slowly.

"May I ask Your Majesty, is the purpose of establishing the Eastern Depot to better supervise the officials, grasp intelligence, sweep away all lawbreakers in one net, rectify court discipline, and grant the world a clear sky?"

Gu Jin Nian opened his mouth and asked thus.

"Yes."

Emperor Yongsheng nodded directly; that was exactly his thought.

"Then may I ask Your Majesty, is the reason the officials refuse because letting eunuchs hold power is improper, and furthermore eunuchs would deceive superiors and inferiors, misleading the state and the ruler?"

Gu Jin Nian continued to ask.

"Yes."

Emperor Yongsheng nodded; that is indeed the case, with no problem at all.

"Then it can be easily resolved."

Gu Jin Nian nodded.

Afterwards he spoke.

"I suggest to Your Majesty, divide authority within the depot, adapt to the person—after all, blocking is worse than guiding."

Gu Jin Nian expressed his idea.

"Divide authority within the depot? Adapt to the person?"

Emperor Yongsheng listened, frowning slightly.

"Your Majesty, first do not set up the Eastern Depot, change its name—for example, call it the Supervisory Bureau."

Just change the name, so these ministers won't be scheming in their hearts, and then what Your Majesty intends to give the East Factory's authority should be supervision, investigation, apprehension, verdict, and deployment, right?

Gu Jin Nian guessed.

Although he didn't know the specifics, but an organization like the East Factory should be similar to a merger of the Suspension Lamp Office and the Pacify Prefecture Office.

"Correct."

The Yong Sheng Emperor's eyes showed a hint of surprise; he didn't expect Gu Jin Nian to guess so thoroughly.

At the same time, he became increasingly interested in the strategy proposed by Gu Jin Nian.

"In that case, since the ministers don't want eunuchs to hold power, just delegate authority."

Gu Jin Nian was very direct.

"Delegate authority?"

The Yong Sheng Emperor frowned.

"If he could delegate authority, he would have done so long ago; it's precisely because he doesn't want to delegate authority that he's caused such a major conflict with the officials."

"Gu Jin Nian should understand that, right?"

"Why have himself delegate authority?" "Yes."

"Delegate authority."

"Delegate some authority that seems important but is actually utterly unimportant."

"Your Majesty, please listen to me."

Gu Jin Nian knew the Yong Sheng Emperor was doubtful, but this matter must be made clear, otherwise it would remain vague and confusing.

"Supervision, investigation, apprehension, verdict, deployment."

"To ordinary people, apprehension and deployment seem to hold the greatest power."

"But actually, that's not the case."

"Your Majesty, who in the Ministry of Justice truly decides a person's life or death?"

Gu Jin Nian countered the Yong Sheng Emperor.

Upon saying that, the Yong Sheng Emperor furrowed his brows tightly, he was deep in thought.

Meanwhile, Wei Xian and Liu Yan beside him frowned even more.

"Who decides a person's life or death, if not the Minister of Justice? Who else could it be?"

However, the next moment, the Yong Sheng Emperor's answer left the two of them stunned.

"Chief Clerk of the Ministry of Justice."

The Yong Sheng Emperor gave the answer.

It left the two of them stunned.

"Chief Clerk of the Ministry of Justice? A mere sixth-rank official? Authority greater than the Minister of Justice? Isn't that nonsense? But since it's the emperor saying it, how could they dare to refute?"

"Your Majesty is wise."

"It's precisely the Chief Clerk of the Ministry of Justice."

"Any case from anywhere must be submitted to the Ministry of Justice, and the first handler is the Chief Clerk of the Ministry of Justice; if he deems the case problematic, he can directly return it, having the localities supplement the case files, thereby re-establishing the conclusion."

"In other words, if one bribes a Chief Clerk of the Ministry of Justice, a murder case requiring a life for a life can be delayed as long as possible, and if the Chief Clerk isn't afraid of taking responsibility, he can completely influence the judgment process of the senior officials."

"Of course, Your Majesty, this is merely a hypothesis of mine; the Ministry of Justice's system is extremely strict, basically such a thing won't happen, major cases must be submitted to an Assistant Minister within fifteen days."

While explaining his logic, Gu Jin Nian also added a sentence, lest the Emperor think he was implying the Ministry of Justice had problems, causing trouble for the Ministry, which would be bad.

Immediately after, Gu Jin Nian continued speaking.

"Whether it's the East Factory or the Supervisory Bureau, it's not the Ministry of Justice, but an institution that reports solely to Your Majesty."

"Therefore, the most important authority is actually not apprehension, not verdict, nor deployment."

"But rather supervision, investigation, and drafting."

Gu Jin Nian spoke up, and his words thoroughly enlightened the Yong Sheng Emperor.

In an instant.

The Yong Sheng Emperor stood frozen in place.

His eyes were filled with astonishment.

Gu Jin Nian's words gave him a feeling of sudden enlightenment; it's not that Gu Jin Nian's political talent is strong, but rather his thinking ability is terrifying.

Simply by continually breaking down a matter, finding the key point, and then invisibly changing everything.

That is what shocked the Yong Sheng Emperor.

Previously, he was shocked because Gu Jin Nian's talent was outstanding, feeling astonished in the face of heavenly and earthly portents.

But at this moment.

The Yong Sheng Emperor was shocked by Gu Jin Nian's political ability; this is not something brought by Confucianism or Daoism, but an innate wisdom of a person.

It is true wisdom.

"Separate powers to control."

"Supervisory authority, drafting authority, investigative authority, to be held by eunuchs."

"Deployment authority, apprehension authority, verdict authority, to be held by Great Scholars."

"Thus, they will supervise the Great Xia Dynasty on my behalf; if they discover problems, they can directly draft proposals, then go investigate and interrogate; after interrogation, if there are no problems, they will let it go; if there are problems."

"Directly transfer to the Supervisory Bureau, the crime evidence, personal and material evidence placed before them; these Great Scholars, even if they wanted to shield those officials, would dare not act recklessly, so superficially they obtained deployment authority, apprehension authority, and verdict authority."

"But in reality, they are merely the final executors."

"Just to earn the reputation of being impartial and iron-faced."

"Excellent."

"Excellent."

Truly marvelous.

Emperor Yongsheng was very clever; after all, as the emperor of a nation, when Gu Jin Nian simply laid out the logic, the emperor was able to guess the whole thing himself.

Indeed.

This is Gu Jin Nian's solution.

What was the emperor's purpose in establishing the Eastern Depot? To supervise the officials, so they know where they stand, to gather intelligence, and ultimately to strengthen imperial authority.

And why did the officials refuse? They didn't want a sword hanging over their heads—not that they were unwilling to be supervised.

If they truly refused, what are the Suspended Lantern Office and the Town Government Office for?

It's just that if you let your people supervise me, we naturally wouldn't agree; that's normal.

So as a compromise, let the Great Scholar take charge.

Why let the Great Scholar manage it?

Although the Great Scholar must uphold his conscience, at the very least, who is the Great Scholar? He's a scholar, backed by aristocratic families.

To put it bluntly, small cases are one thing; whoever gets caught is just unlucky.

But if a real major case arises, it's not about letting you cheat and hide; give me time to act and maneuver—there's no problem with that, right? In any case, letting the Great Scholar handle it guarantees no bias toward the emperor and no excessive favoritism toward one's own.

Having a eunuch take charge is out of the question; that's pure favoritism toward the emperor.

Thus Gu Jin Nian's plan becomes much simpler.

Turn the Eastern Depot directly into a new agency; calling it the Eastern Depot isn't ideal, since officials already have an innate aversion to that institution.

Rename it the Inspection Court, and then split the powers.

Drafting authority, supervisory authority, and review authority go to the eunuchs.

Why?

It's simple: these are tasks for subordinates, hard and laborious work.

But the authority to dispatch, to arrest, and to convict should be given to the Great Scholar—doesn't that feel great?

Is there a feeling where a single sentence of mine can decide life or death?

If there is, that's right.

The problem is, although drafting authority appears to be in the eunuchs' hands, in reality it resides with the emperor.

Once drafted, it's considered a case opened; once a case is opened, the eunuch investigates, clarifies everything, then brings the person in for interrogation, during which the secretly gathered evidence is placed before you.

You can't help but panic.

Just confess honestly.

Alright, with all the testimonial and physical evidence present and the confession made, hand it over to the Inspection Court.

After the Great Scholar of the Inspection Court reviews the testimonial and physical evidence, and then reads the criminal's confession letter.

What else is required of me? Just follow the procedure to arrest and convict.

What? Should we delay? Damn it, the evidence is all there—delay? Do you think your life is that long?

Testimonial evidence completed.

Physical evidence inspected.

The criminal admits the charge.

The Inspection Court's supervising official disagrees—why? My mind is clouded; I simply disagree.

Look at that, I claim my life is long—hey, wanting the emperor to see my mind, am I being cheeky?

Thus, the Great Scholar of the Inspection Court is the emperor's blade, and one who obeys gains a good reputation, while disobedience leads to death or a lifetime of infamy.

Doesn't that perfectly align with Emperor Yongsheng's purpose in establishing the Eastern Depot? Of course, Gu Jin Nian deliberately kept a safeguard; the split also serves another reason.

Namely, we cannot let the eunuchs dominate alone.

It's fine for eunuchs to handle drafting and supervisory review, but they must possess ironclad evidence to make the Inspection Court a blade.

To put it bluntly, without iron evidence, the Inspection Court still has room to maneuver.

That's a fallback plan; otherwise, the eunuchs' disaster wouldn't be a minor issue.

In any case, balance is the true way.

In fact, Gu Jin Nian simply extracted the logic of the Prosecutor's Office and the Court; ancient power liked to bundle, such as the Ministry of Punishments, the Suspended Lantern Office, the Town Government Office—essentially the same authority, just differing in jurisdiction.

That is not good.

A single entity dominating is certainly unacceptable; power separation is the true way.

As for whether there are loopholes? There certainly are.

What in this world has no loopholes? Who can guarantee every eunuch will obey?

And who can assure the Great Scholar is always a good person?

Uncertain matters.

"Your Majesty, you are overpraising me."

Gu Jin Nian gave a faint smile.

But he continued speaking.

"Your Majesty, there is no problem with eunuchs holding supervisory authority, but drafting authority requires a group of assistants."

Gu Jin Nian spoke up.

In fact, the greatest power is this drafting authority; without drafting, nothing exists, and once drafted, regardless of whether any crime occurred, you're already marked.

Therefore, this is the greatest authority.

"Oh? Who will assist?"

Emperor Yongsheng asked.

"Commoner youths."

Gu Jin Nian spoke lightly.

At the end, he added another sentence.

"A low‑born youth who wants to rise."

"A scholar with no official post, from a poor family, preferably one who never passed the imperial examinations."

Gu Jin Nian said.

This drafting authority must go to a low‑born youth, and specifically one without an official post or any examination success.

Otherwise, anyone who has passed the exams would, to some degree, have acquaintances.

The main point is that scholars with connections have complicated motives; the unrelated low‑born, each eager to make a name, work earnestly, and because they lack a background, they can act freely.

In any case, they are the lowest tier.

Although the power is great, someone just one rank above them can dismiss them outright.

It forms a perfect closed loop.

"Good."

Emperor Yongsheng instantly understood Gu Jin Nian's meaning and agreed at once.

Then Emperor Yongsheng brushed away his worries and showed a heartfelt smile.

"Jin Nian, I never expected you could help me solve such a great matter—good, good, good."

"However, I still want to test you."

"Regarding the establishment of the Eastern Depot, what I most desire and what is hardest to achieve?"

Emperor Yongsheng was very pleased.

Gu Jin Nian's words resolved a monumental contradiction.

Yet he still wanted to test Gu Jin Nian.

To see whether Gu Jin Nian could guess it.

"Your Majesty, it should be."

"Intelligence."

"Manpower."

Gu Jin Nian answered almost without thinking.

The Eastern Depot's establishment is not only aimed at officials but at intelligence.

And it encompasses all intelligence of the Da Xia Dynasty.

The Lantern Office is also an intelligence agency.

The Town Government Office is also an intelligence agency.

In reality, however, these two places have long become institutions of aristocratic families.

Many matters the emperor truly does not know.

But after establishing the Eastern Depot, the emperor knows everything.

This is why Emperor Yongsheng insists on establishing the Eastern Depot.

"Is it truly to target officials? These officials can be dismissed at will; why need a special agency to dismiss them? Isn't that redundant? If an official has no issues, say it bluntly— even if you have no problem, what about your family? A seventh‑rank official in front of the prime minister's door."

"Can you control yourself and control others? Looking for trouble is not hard."

"It depends on whether you are willing."

"Therefore, targeting officials is not the main point."

"Strengthening imperial authority is also not the core."

"Intelligence."

"That is the core."

Upon saying this, Emperor Yongsheng fell completely silent.

The things that the entire court cannot see through.

He did not expect Gu Jin Nian had actually seen through it.

Of course, perhaps some officials have seen through it, which is why they oppose so firmly.

But Gu Jin Nian's insight is what he truly did not anticipate.

At this moment.

Emperor Yongsheng truly can no longer look at him with the same eyes he once did toward Gu Jin Nian.

"My own nephew."

"It's truly unbelievable."

"Regarding manpower, do you have a good plan?"

After calming down, Emperor Yongsheng asked in this way.

"The biggest problem of the Eastern Depot."

"Actually does not lie in its implementation."

"It will be established sooner or later."

"At worst, wait for the entire court's old officials to age and die; then we can handle it ourselves."

"But the real problem is manpower."

"Relying on eunuchs certainly won't work; how many can be sent abroad?"

"If we hire people, the cost is huge, perhaps beyond what the treasury can bear."

"That is what bothers him."

"If this problem could be solved, yesterday he would truly make an example—kill a chicken to warn the monkey—and even directly replace a batch of ministers; then why not."

Otherwise, if we didn't kill him yesterday, do we really think he's spineless? What a joke.

"The student doesn't have it."

Gu Jin Nian shook his head.

"You have."

Emperor Yongsheng spoke directly.

"Truly doesn't have."

Gu Jin Nian still answered that way.

"Stop fooling me, say it."

Emperor Yongsheng actually had no clue, but knowing Gu Jin Nian liked to hide things, he decided to test him.

The conversation reached this point.

Gu Jin Nian felt a bit forced.

"Actually it's not that there's none; it's just the cost is a bit high, fearing Your Majesty can't produce that much silver."

Gu Jin Nian spoke up; even his own uncle had gotten to this point.

Even saying there's none would indeed be bad.

Yet Emperor Yongsheng's expression remained calm, though his heart was startled.

"Good fellow, you really have it? 'How much?'"

Emperor Yongsheng asked.

He had previously calculated that to have his intelligence network cover the entire Da Xia Dynasty, at least five million taels of gold per year were needed.

It is the minimum.

Definitely not more nor less.

So he was curious how much gold Gu Jin Nian wanted.

"At least two hundred thousand taels of gold per year, perhaps."

"However, the time span is quite long; covering the Da Xia Dynasty would take about three years."

"To control the Eastern Wilderness would take three to five years."

"Around ten years, each year no less than two hundred thousand taels of gold; there is a chance of exceeding that, but the probability is not high."

Gu Jin Nian did the math in his mind, then gave a relatively conservative estimate.

If not conservative, one hundred thousand taels of gold would suffice.

Of course, with budgets you must inflate the numbers; if it's insufficient, you'd have to cover it yourself? That's impossible.

"Two hundred thousand taels of gold?"

"Control the Eastern Wilderness?"

At that moment, Emperor Yongsheng could no longer sit still; he stood up immediately, staring at Gu Jin Nian with an incredulous gaze.

His own budget is five million taels of gold per year.

And that's only for the Da Xia Dynasty.

Gu Jin Nian's goal is actually to control the Eastern Wilderness? How could Emperor Yongsheng not lose composure? How the hell is that possible?

If Gu Jin Nian wants to achieve this, he would directly make him a king.

In the capital thereafter, anyone who dared to glance at Gu Jin Nian would have his sleeve rolled up, ride a warhorse, slap him twice, then ask Gu Jin Nian if he's angry; if not, each civil and military official would give him two slaps.

Not for any other reason, just to make Jin Nian happy.

Silver taels are no longer an issue now.

It's about controlling Eastern Wilderness intelligence.

What does that even mean? Emperor Yongsheng's heart was pounding.

If someone else said that, Emperor Yongsheng would gladly slap them twice, but Gu Jin Nian is different.

The more he interacted with Gu Jin Nian, the more he realized Gu Jin Nian is overflowing with talent, unfathomable—a damn genius.

He's so much like Yongsheng.

They're both unparalleled geniuses.

Seeing Emperor Yongsheng's reaction, Gu Jin Nian frowned a bit.

Two hundred thousand taels of gold sounds a lot.

But intelligence is that important; every emperor knows that.

No need for that reaction, right?

Can't you think bigger? For a great nation, intelligence is the most valuable, beyond monetary measure.

"Your Majesty."

"One year, two hundred thousand taels of gold really can't be less; any less and the student wouldn't think of a solution."

Gu Jin Nian gave his answer.

Two hundred thousand taels of gold, that's the price.

"How to do it?"

Emperor Yongsheng asked directly.

"It's hard to explain; even writing an article takes a month, the process is very complex, all in my mind; if Your Majesty wants to know, you must wait for the student to write it slowly."

Gu Jin Nian shook his head; he couldn't explain clearly for a while, truly couldn't, this time it's not about hiding anything.

"To put it simply."

Emperor Yongsheng was somewhat impatient.

He doesn't need to know the details; he just wants a rough estimate that can convince himself.

"Merchant guild."

"Establish a merchant guild, in the form of a guild, to create a massive intelligence network."

"The world bustling, all come for profit."

"The world teeming, all go for profit."

Gu Jin Nian uttered the key phrase.

Merchant guild.

Yes.

It's just like something that always appears in certain online novels.

To gather information, one must go to the tavern.

It may look a bit foolish, but it's not wrong; much information comes from a bunch of people chatting nonsense.

A mixture of truth and falsehood.

For example, today the Minister of Rites favored that concubine; everyone certainly doesn't know, but the steward must know, right?

The steward's mouth is tight.

But he can't resist the sycophants following him.

Even if no sycophants are involved, the concubine's maid would know, right? Applying makeup late at night—could she not know what you're up to? Once the maid knows, telling the lover a word isn't excessive, right? When the lover goes on business elsewhere, hearing people chatter, adding a remark isn't excessive, right? As for truth or falsehood, people don't care; it's just entertainment.

Only those who pay attention hear it, and that changes things.

And what if that attentive person is the manager?

Many things, if you dig deep, you'll find that obtaining information isn't hard; you just haven't encountered it.

"You mean, establishing a merchant guild to disguise the purpose, appearing to do business while actually gathering intelligence?"

Emperor Yongsheng asked.

"Replying, Your Majesty, we truly conduct business, and while doing so, we also collect intelligence."

"If we specialize in gathering intelligence, wouldn't we have to spend silver to support them? Who could afford that?"

"Their primary job remains making profit through business; they merely record the rumors they hear and forward everything to the capital, where scholars and eunuchs will sort and study them."

"If any unsavory matters are discovered, investigate immediately."

Gu Jin Nian shook his head.

"Run the merchant guild well, everyone makes money, the superiors task the subordinates with watching for information—that's their duty. If you don't pay attention to information, I'll replace the manager and see whether you're comfortable or I am."

Moreover, gathering intelligence seems sophisticated, sounds impressive.

What is it really? It's just listening to people's nonsense, keeping the useful bits, later verifying them; if true, file them.

If found false, just ignore it.

The eunuchs in the palace, together with the scholars, are responsible for classifying the messages, gathering each seemingly useless piece of information together, then letting these ambitious low‑born hopefuls study them carefully.

If they spot a problem or make a connection, they quickly report it, credit you with a merit; accumulating enough merits can send you to some place as a county magistrate, which counts as your reward.

"Is that reasonable?" "I understand."

"I understand."

"Establishing a merchant guild, conducting trade, even if it doesn't earn much silver, it can still bring some, serving as a subsidy, plus the court's annual subsidy of two hundred thousand taels of gold; this provides manpower and saves a great deal of expense. Is that the idea?"

Emperor Yongsheng fully grasped it.

But there was one point he got wrong.

Who said you can't earn silver?

However, Gu Jin Nian didn't say that; he said the thing is meaningless.

Wait a moment.

In an instant Gu Jin Nian frowned, looked at Emperor Yongsheng and said.

"Your Majesty, that's not what you mean?"

Gu Jin Nian instantly realized there was a problem; so the Emperor's idea was simply to have people gather intelligence? Damn, that was hasty.

Then it shouldn't be two hundred thousand taels of gold, but five hundred thousand.

No, a million taels would also work.

This time truly reckless.

"I naturally think that way; earlier I was just testing you."

"Ahem."

"Very well."

"Gu Jin Nian, acknowledged."

Emperor Yongsheng cleared his throat, a little embarrassed, but immediately adopted a solemn expression, ready to issue the decree.

"Student, received the decree."

Gu Jin Nian instantly rose and saluted.

"I will entrust you with all Da Xia intelligence matters, granting you full authority; each year a fixed allocation of two hundred thousand taels of gold, and if special needs arise, you may request additional funds from me."

"If this matter is handled properly, and within ten years you can master Da Xia intelligence, I will appoint you as the head of Da Xia's ministers; if within thirty years you can master Eastern Wilderness intelligence, I will grant you a princely title; should I not be alive, I will leave a posthumous edict, and you may be at ease."

Emperor Yongsheng spoke, and the promised benefits made the two eunuchs' hearts race.

Master Da Xia intelligence within ten years and become head of the ministers—that's essentially the prime minister.

Master Eastern Wilderness intelligence within thirty years and be made a king? Since the founding emperor, Da Xia has not granted a king of a different surname.

This… is a tremendous gift.

No, it's no longer a gift.

It's an indescribable favor.

Just because Gu Jin Nian isn't a prince—if he were, the Crown Prince and Prince Qin would stop quarreling; otherwise it would be a disgrace.

However, Gu Jin Nian appeared very calm.

Perhaps because he's a transmigrator, he's become accustomed to the boss's grand promises.

So he really doesn't feel much, and there's another reason: he's already a super aristocrat—just super‑super‑super.

Not very meaningful.

Nevertheless, thanks still need to be given.

"I receive your command, thank you, Your Majesty."

For this assignment, Gu Jin Nian didn't refuse; after all the groundwork, he just wants to seize it.

This is enormously beneficial for him.

The Da Xia Imperial Chamber of Commerce, huh.

It will be a great instrument for him to manipulate world opinion in the future.

"Your Majesty, I have two requests."

Gu Jin Nian continued.

"Speak."

Emperor Yong Sheng, in a delighted mood, asked directly.

"First, build a site within the capital, preferably near the Da Xia Academy, covering at least five hundred mu. The students' fathers will dispatch soldiers to guard it; aside from Your Majesty, no one may enter without the students' permission. Also, the Ministry of Works should send three thousand skilled craftsmen to assist the students."

"At least five hundred people, none older than twenty‑five."

This is Gu Jin Nian's first demand.

"Approved."

Emperor Yong Sheng agreed immediately; it was no trouble at all.

"Second, this Chamber of Commerce must bear the royal title; Your Majesty should have no objection. Of course the students won't do anything improper—just normal trade. Moreover, any profit the Chamber makes shall belong to me."

This is the second point.

Since they're establishing a Chamber of Commerce, the royal family must be involved; otherwise forcing a new Chamber from scratch would be as hard as reaching the heavens.

"That's fine; I'll also grant your Chamber ten years of tax exemption."

Emperor Yong Sheng boasted loudly.

"Whatever the Chamber is, he values intelligence."

To put it bluntly, how much silver can Gu Jin Nian earn from trade? As long as he guarantees an annual expenditure of two hundred thousand taels of gold, and doesn't exceed it too much, Emperor Yong Sheng will be extremely pleased.

As for how much to earn, he doesn't think he can earn any silver.

If he truly makes a profit, how much? A thousand taels? Ten thousand? One hundred thousand? Even a million taels a year—what of it? Just to make Gu Jin Nian happy, he grants tax exemption outright.

He's truly a money‑mad.

"Fine, Your Majesty. Then write it into the imperial decree and have it sealed."

Gu Jin Nian smiled.

Tax exemption?

Then thank you.

"Fine, as if I'd ever backtrack."

"Just earning some silver; no matter how much you make, I won't care."

"You're underestimating me."

Emperor Yong Sheng spoke, a bit irritated: "Am I really that kind of person? Just a little silver?"

Heh heh.

"Enough, Jin Nian, I have other matters; I'm returning to the palace."

"Your matter will be arranged next month; the move is too big and will attract attention, so take it slowly."

Emperor Yong Sheng said he was heading back to the palace.

As for the matter, indeed, it cannot be rushed; take it slowly, no hurry this month.

"Long live Your Majesty."

Gu Jin Nian smiled faintly.

Wei Xian immediately produced two hundred silver notes, each worth a thousand taels of gold, a thick stack.

After receiving them, Gu Jin Nian felt even happier.

He felt the future getting better and better.

Thus.

Emperor Yong Sheng left.

Taking Wei Xian and Liu Yan with him.

After exiting the Da Xia Academy, Emperor Yong Sheng couldn't help but smile.

"Wei Xian, Liu Yan."

"Did you notice anything?"

Emperor Yong Sheng spoke, smiling.

The two, seeing the emperor so happy, felt very pleased.

Except they didn't discover anything.

So they gave no reply.

"This Jin Nian…"

"…is becoming more and more like me."

Hahaha.

Great Emperor Yongsheng laughed out loud.

Very cheerful.

Wei Xian and Liu Yan were slightly silent, but soon smiles appeared on their faces.

He forced himself to speak.

"Right, right, right."

"Your Majesty said right, right, right." — added a revision for Alliance Leader Lin Tianyu!

11,500 characters.

There will be more today, but as per the old rule, probably around 11:55 pm.

We still owe a few chapters, I forgot which, I'll ask Wu Ya later.

Brothers, please give monthly tickets!!!! Please give monthly tickets!!!! (End of chapter)