Chapter 211: Earning 1.8 Billion Taels of Silver Daily

Da Xia Capital.

At the north city gate, watching the swarming masses, the North Gate Commander swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

He had never seen such a situation in all his years of service.

Fortunately, the higher-ups quickly responded, allowing the people to pass.

Upon learning that most of the people were heading to the Da Xia Evernight City, the North Gate Commander breathed a sigh of relief and said nothing more.

After the city gate opened,

the masses swarmed toward the Da Xia Evernight City.

"Everyone, keep a close watch and make sure nothing happens."

the North Gate Commander said, while also being very curious, not understanding why the crowd was going to the Evernight City.

But soon, he spotted a few familiar figures and immediately called them out.

"Weren't you all on sick leave? Why are you here?"

The North Gate Commander spoke, seizing a few subordinates; these men had taken sick leave yesterday, and he hadn't expected to catch them here.

"Boss, don't hold us back; if we wait any longer, we won't be able to snatch the Jiangzhong Dragon Rice."

The captured soldiers' faces turned bitter as they looked at their commander.

"Jiangzhong Dragon Rice? What is that?"

The commander frowned, and the other soldiers were each extremely curious.

"After eating this, it boosts qi and blood; for us martial artists, it has tremendous benefits, and the most terrifying part is that it is an aphrodisiac."

The latter spoke, sounding extremely excited.

"What?"

"Aphrodisiac?"

"Is it real?"

In an instant, everyone became excited.

"I don't know if it's real or not; my younger brother ate it and said the effect was huge, and more importantly, my brother had an erection last night."

"Putting that aside, would my own brother deceive his older brother?"

He said so, looking extremely excited.

"Good fellow."

"Buy some for me there."

The North Gate Commander immediately replied.

"Alright, I'll buy some for you, boss. If you can, tell the brothers to go buy together. In the Evernight City, each person can only buy a little; you can't buy more than that."

"Even if I split a bit for you, it won't be much."

He said so.

He seemed a little embarrassed.

"Okay."

"You few go buy it there; as long as I have some, it's fine. Each of you buy a bit more and then share it with me later."

The latter spoke, and upon hearing 'aphrodisiac', quickly ordered his subordinates to buy it.

Thus.

A large force rushed toward the Evernight City.

This time, it wasn't just the common folk; some surrounding merchants also came, not for Jiangzhong Dragon Rice or official salt, but for mirrors.

Around the early morning, near the hour of Chen.

Inside the palace.

Court officials gradually emerged, their expressions calm, appearing in groups of three or five.

The Six Ministers gathered together to discuss state affairs.

But after everyone left the palace, something odd happened in an instant.

They discovered that many people were missing from the streets; although the capital was usually bustling and the main roads had fewer shops, it shouldn't have been this empty.

At first they only thought it was a little off.

But as they walked further inside, they were astonished to find that the more prosperous the area, the fewer people there were, as if the entire capital had been emptied.

This surprised the officials.

"What is going on?"

"Why do the capital's citizens seem to have vanished into thin air? Could something have happened?"

It was the voice of Minister of Personnel Hu Yong.

As Hu Yong's voice rang out, He Yan, who was walking alongside, couldn't help but speak.

"If my guess is correct, these citizens must have gone to the Da Xia Evernight City opened by the Lord."

He Yan spoke; he had heard the palace servants mention this matter today.

"Da Xia Evernight City?"

Hu Yong was curious, then said, "I've heard of it; it's opened by the Lord, but is the Evernight City really that entertaining? Why can it attract the whole city's citizens?"

Hu Yong was truly curious; this was the first time he had seen such a situation.

"It's simple: the Lord's methods are unparalleled; he managed to obtain the official salt permit, priced at 200 wen per dou. Would the citizens go for that?"

He Yan spoke, seeming somewhat dissatisfied with the matter.

But thinking about it, the official salt tax is an important revenue for the court, and now it seems Gu Jin Nian will interrupt it.

After all, who would buy official salt at 200 wen per dou when it costs a liang of silver per dou?

The price is fourfold cheaper, and although they claim it's limited now, the limit isn't strict enough; aside from that, at this rate none of the Capital's common folk would buy official salt.

And some of the nearby city residents will probably come to buy it; as long as it's not far, they can just make a quick trip.

He Yan's displeasure is understandable.

Of course, she was merely displeased; she dared not say much. Aside from that, considering Gu Jin Nian's current prestige and position, what does a trivial amount of official salt matter? Especially the Jiangzhong Dragon Rice, which could increase Da Xia's Treasury tax revenue tenfold, so He Yan did not object—she only thought it was too fast and that they should wait until Jiangzhong Dragon Rice truly grew.

Gradually phasing out official salt now is being handled too hastily.

Of course, that's just her personal view; the Ministry of Revenue is, after all, very sensitive to gold and silver, so a bit of displeasure is reasonable.

But she certainly wouldn't dare say it.

"Lord He, your statement is wrong; this is not just official salt. In Da Xia's Nightless City there is also Jiangzhong Dragon Rice and crystal mirrors—both are good items."

At that moment, Wang Qixin spoke up, unable to hold back a remark, since this industry concerned him.

"Alas, good or bad, this official salt certainly yields no profit."

"Jiangzhong Dragon Rice is indeed good, but the problem is its price is still somewhat high; the truly lucrative business must be low‑margin, high‑volume sales."

"As for the mirrors, I glanced at them yesterday; they are indeed fine, and I had my lady at home purchase one."

"But a mirror—one per household is enough, and how many people can actually afford a mirror?"

"Certainly, with vigorous promotion it could indeed bring a hefty profit, but Minister Wang should know that the mirror's manufacturing process is not simple, right?"

"It's hard to mass‑produce, so ultimately the supply is limited."

"And look at Da Xia's Nightless City; I've heard it employs over ten thousand workers, and their monthly wages aren't trivial."

"With back‑and‑forth, I'm afraid Lord Hou will incur a substantial loss."

"Of course, it all depends on how much Jiangzhong Dragon Rice can be sold; if it sells well, there's profit, if not, there's little profit at all."

He Yan spoke; as Minister of Revenue, she is sensitive to business matters and could instantly calculate that Da Xia's Nightless City revenue would not be very high.

In fact, saying this is inconsequential; after all, He Yan is Minister of Revenue, so she naturally understands commerce better than most.

However, Yang Kai's voice rang out.

"That statement is erroneous."

Yang Kai stroked his beard and slowly said,

"First, Da Xia Department Store is only one of the industries."

"Second, there is also Da Xia Restaurant, as well as many other industries."

"Da Xia's Nightless City will become the most iconic industry in Da Xia Capital."

"I can make a bold prediction: Da Xia's Nightless City will bring in gold daily; if Jiangzhong Dragon Rice does not appear, the Treasury will surely be outmatched by Da Xia's Nightless City."

Yang Kai spoke; his words were certainly exaggerated, but there was nothing he could do—He Yan had spoken so unfriendly. When he said that, it instantly startled the officials: earning more than the Treasury? Such a thing? "Not inferior to the Treasury?"

"Hehe, Minister Yang, in scholarship I'm inferior to you, but in this business my words may not be absolute truths, yet I am at least ninety percent confident."

"I have also had someone investigate Da Xia's Nightless City thoroughly; it currently appears crowded, seeming like business is thriving."

"But ultimately it's still because of official salt; on that point I cooperate with Lord Hou, and that is also because the court permits it."

"I can see that Lord Hou intends to use official salt to attract the Capital's common folk, causing them to gather."

"However, these commoners go with the mindset of getting a bargain; a large crowd does not necessarily mean profit."

"Jiangzhong Dragon Rice is Lord Hou's biggest trump card; twenty taels of silver per stone, yielding considerable profit."

"But the problem is, everyone knows that Jiangzhong Dragon Rice costs only two taels of silver per person; a stone of grain is 120 jin, each jin weighing sixteen taels, enough to feed a family of eight."

"In other words, a stone of grain feeds a large household for four months; how much profit can a stone yield? I have heard that in Jiangzhong County the purchase price is ten taels of silver per stone."

"The entire Capital has a population of forty million; selling four million stones would mean a profit of forty million taels of silver, and those four million stones would feed the Capital's people for a year."

"With a yearly profit of forty million taels of silver, after deducting labor and other costs, how much profit remains?"

"This is something every household must purchase."

"Compared to the Treasury, how much profit can it generate?"

He Yan spoke, looking at the others as she said.

Upon hearing this, the crowd nodded in agreement; it made a lot of sense.

And Wang Qixin's voice rose unintentionally.

"The Da Xia Department Store's profit sources are certainly not limited to these three items; the Da Xia Restaurant can also turn a profit."

Wang Qixin spoke; although Minister of Revenue He Yan was correct, for some reason it sounded very displeasing, so he couldn't help but say a couple of words.

"What profit can there be?"

"Certainly, Jiangzhong Dragon Rice is a good product; over a year, combined with mirrors, earning five million taels of silver in profit is not difficult."

"However, Lord Hou goes to great lengths—seizing land, mobilizing such massive momentum, and adding the sale of official salt; the significance becomes minimal."

"It would be better to sell official salt directly at half the price; in a year that would generate well over five million taels of silver in revenue."

He Yan continued, she was not disparaging Gu Jin Nian's Nightless City, but merely felt its significance was limited.

"One cannot say that either."

"At the very least it solved employment for tens of thousands, which is a good thing."

Hu Yong spoke up, offering a reminder.

"That is indeed the truth."

He Yan nodded; that was indeed good—at least the jobs of ten to twenty thousand people were solved, which is also a good thing.

However, it depends on who does it; after all, Gu Jin Nian, as Da Xia's Lord, has received land from the court and permission to sell official salt, which actually makes it not worthwhile.

"You know nothing."

In the end, after He Yan said that, Minister of Works Wang Qixin couldn't help but shout.

"There's no way; if you can't argue, that's all you can do."

"Hey, Minister Wang, I'm just speaking plainly; why do you make such a fuss?"

When he heard Wang Qixin speak like that, He Yan felt a bit depressed.

"The lord is doing some real work, yet didn't expect you to say that; it's rare to have much to say with you."

Yang Kai also spoke up, somewhat annoyed, and after speaking left together with Wang Qixin.

This time the officials were all curious.

They were a bit unclear what this meant.

Meanwhile.

Da Xia Imperial Palace.

Inside the Hall of Nurturing the Heart.

Wei Xian reported the matter of the Da Xia Nightless City in detail to Emperor Yong Sheng.

"Your Majesty, according to Minister of Revenue He Yan, Lord He Yan's view, this Da Xia Nightless City can only be considered a non‑loss trade, and temporarily non‑lossful."

"Lord He Yan says that for now it can indeed earn some silver by relying on River Dragon Rice, but once the price of River Dragon Rice stabilizes, the Da Xia Nightless City will lose all its advantages."

"As for mirrors, I, your servant, have also consulted the Minister of Works; indeed they cannot be mass‑produced. Currently the Ministry of Works is mainly busy forging Dragon Boat Treasure Ships, plus the Heavenly Fallen Gold."

"There is little time or energy left to make mirrors, so after a year the Da Xia Nightless City will incur losses."

Wei Xian spoke, conveying He Yan's meaning to Emperor Yong Sheng.

After hearing this, Emperor Yong Sheng nodded.

"I have said, Gu Jin Nian is good at everything, but this business is not suitable for Gu Jin Nian."

"Immediately fetch money from my inner treasury, and after a few days deliver it to the Crown Prince."

Emperor Yong Sheng said, he actually doesn't care about profit or loss; after all, where does earning money lead?

The main purpose is intelligence gathering, but involving the Crown Prince and his party is undesirable; letting these people lose money would cause some trouble.

"Your servant understands."

Wei Xian nodded.

Meanwhile.

Inside the Da Xia Nightless City.

The terrifying crowd flow made the whole Nightless City unbearably busy; if yesterday's crowd was already exaggerated, today's crowd is even more terrifying.

The lines grew like a dragon; fortunately, Gu Jin Nian used a paper‑clip method to queue back and forth, which somewhat eased the queuing pressure.

However, unlike yesterday which only had simple restaurants and department stores, today many shops have opened, and these shops only sell simple sweet soup, desserts, or some small trinkets.

Just these kinds of items; to put it bluntly, where in Da Xia Capital can't you buy them?

Yet here, long lines also form; there are always people willing to spend a bit of silver on food and drink.

As for price, in the Capital a bowl of sweet soup costs one wen, while here a bowl costs five wen.

It's a bit more expensive, but the queue remains especially long, even frighteningly so.

Can't accommodate the crowd.

Most commoners don't buy; a bowl of sweet soup for five wen they are unwilling to purchase, but many who are willing do.

The whole Da Xia Nightless City has several thousand shop stores; most are empty, and only two shops are operating.

In an instant, countless merchants who came to join the bustle fell silent.

They stared at these few shops, carefully calculating some things.

Dozens gathered; they initially came to join the bustle and also wanted to buy a few mirrors to take home.

But seeing thousands queue just to buy a bowl of sweet soup left them stunned.

As businessmen, how could they not know what this terrifying foot traffic signifies? After watching here for an hour, they instantly stood under a tree and began discussing.

"Eight queues: the first queue sold 2,400 bowls of sweet soup in one hour."

"The second queue sold 2,100 bowls in one hour."

"The third queue sold 2,600 bowls in one hour."

Each of them spoke, recording how many commoners bought sweet soup in that hour.

In total, they sold close to 20,000 bowls of sweet soup, amounting to an income of 100,000 wen.

The cost of this sweet soup is frighteningly low; one hour yields 100,000 wen, that is, an income of 1,000 taels of silver.

One hour, 1,000 taels.

Opening five hours a day makes it 5,000 taels of silver.

"Hiss, just selling sweet soup brings in 5,000 taels of silver a day; if…"

"For instance, bird's‑nest and shark‑fin items? Or some tonics? How much silver could be earned in a day?"

"The Da Xia Nightless City is here; all commoners from Da Xia Capital will come, and many from the surrounding prefectural cities also come to join the bustle."

"If you open a shop here, whatever business you do, cheap or expensive, both ordinary folk and nobles will come to see."

"The scenery is decent, the crowd is huge, suitable for outings; opening a shop here will surely bring daily riches."

Several of them spoke; they are Wen merchants, each with fortunes of ten thousand strings of cash; having toured the Da Xia Dynasty, they learned the Nightless City had opened and deliberately came to see.

Now seeing it, they were shocked by the terrifying crowd flow.

"Yes, it will surely bring daily riches; my rouge shop, located in a bustling market, can profit three hundred thousand taels a year."

"And that market, compared to here, can't even match a hundred‑one."

"Moreover, this is the capital; there are countless nobles, innumerable rich people, many scholars and many young ladies of wealth; if you open a shop here."

"In a year, profit of a million taels of silver would be nothing extraordinary."

He said, becoming more excited as he spoke.

"The profit of rouge and powder is indeed astounding, but jade items also yield considerable profit; if my jade shop were opened here, it would surely be substantial as well."

They spoke.

At that moment, a figure swooped in quickly.

"It's bad, it's bad. We're a step late; the shops in Da Xia Nightless City are indeed for rent and sale, and the local merchants of the capital have already passed."

"They say the Lord has already gone to negotiate. Let's hurry over; if we're late, there won't be any shops left to rent."

A figure ran over; it was their friend, who had just gone to inquire with the relevant personnel to see if the shop could be bought.

Now coming over, he seemed extremely urgent.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed; without further chatter, they hurriedly followed.

Da Xia Restaurant.

Top floor.

Inside a huge hall.

Three to four hundred people gathered here, and more kept arriving one after another; they were merchants from various regions, or from the capital.

Some had sensed it early and formed ideas yesterday, while others developed rental or purchase ideas through the currently open shops.

Over four hundred gathered.

They sat in their seats, and ahead a massive map of the Nightless City was laid out before them; the map was extremely clear, showing every street and location, with special markings indicating which shops could be sold and which could not.

For these people, it was understandable at a glance.

And at that moment.

A voice rang out.

"The Lord has arrived."

As the voice sounded, everyone stood up; they were merely merchants, and even those from great families felt a vast distance—tens of thousands of li—when facing the Da Xia Lord.

Moreover, he was Da Xia's First Lord.

Soon, Gu Jin Nian slowly stepped forward, his gaze calm, and went straight to the front, taking the chief seat.

"Everyone, please sit."

Gu Jin Nian spoke, and after saying that, the crowd slowly took their seats.

Then Gu Jin Nian got straight to the point.

"You all have come here simply because you value the population of Da Xia Nightless City."

"Here is the recent ledger of the major shops. Currently fifteen shops are open, only sweet‑drink stalls, each bringing in a thousand taels of silver per hour."

"If they were rouge shops, silk shops, weapon shops, taverns, bird‑nest and shark‑fin stalls, qi‑blood tonics, or medicinal‑herb stalls, you should understand the revenue differences."

"Moreover, this is the capital; while ordinary citizens are many, the wealthy and powerful are even more numerous."

"For you merchants, this is an invaluable opportunity."

"Thus the shops are divided into three tiers. Tier one, near the main buildings—such as near the Da Xia Department Store or Da Xia Restaurant—and later‑opened entertainment areas, rent fifty hundred thousand taels of silver per year, increasing ten percent annually."

"If purchased, it costs ten million taels of silver per unit."

"Tier two, just below the main buildings but still on the main thoroughfares—such as the four main streets of Da Xia Nightless City—rent twenty‑five hundred thousand taels of silver per year per unit, increasing ten percent annually; if bought, five million taels per unit."

"Tier three consists of scattered shops throughout Da Xia Nightless City, rent fifteen hundred thousand taels of silver per year, also increasing ten percent annually; if purchased, two million taels of silver per unit."

"Today is an auspicious opening day for Da Xia Nightless City. If you buy a shop, I will have a Nightless City guide map made in a few days, marking your shops and distributing it free to visiting citizens, thereby boosting your shop's visibility."

Gu Jin Nian spoke, stating these prices.

Da Xia Nightless City.

The first profit certainly isn't official salt, nor river‑dragon rice, nor mirrors.

Those items are merely for attracting foot traffic.

The real profit lies in shop rentals and sales—that's the true huge profit. For the Nightless City to truly rise, it cannot rely on a single person.

It needs more people to come: your family opens a rouge shop, my family a bird‑nest shop, his family a stationery‑four‑treasures shop; together we prosper and all earn silver.

For Da Xia Nightless City, this is a good thing.

For them, it's profitable, also a good thing.

That is the real profit.

With this profit, the entire Da Xia Nightless City project can be perfectly advanced.

Then more shops can be opened.

At the same time, foot traffic increases.

Moreover, the more beneficiaries, the better Da Xia Nightless City's reputation becomes—just as these four hundred merchants are all well‑known figures from various regions.

After investing here, when they return home they'll brag about Da Xia Nightless City, attracting more people, building word‑of‑mouth, and subtly causing future visitors to the capital to want to see Da Xia Nightless City.

Seeing the world is exactly that purpose. In this situation, Da Xia Nightless City will only get better, and the Nightless City merely needs to periodically introduce something to maintain basic foot traffic.

Official salt and river‑dragon rice will certainly not make Da Xia Nightless City look empty; there are also various cheap items and odd yet inexpensive things like mirrors.

However, after Gu Jin Nian announced the prices, everyone fell silent.

Three tiers.

Ten million taels or five hundred thousand taels of silver per year.

Five million taels or two hundred fifty thousand taels of silver per year.

Two million taels or one hundred fifty thousand taels of silver per year.

If it's an annual lease, the ten‑percent yearly increase is a bit exaggerated.

Everyone was somewhat silent.

Yet Gu Jin Nian remained utterly calm, looked at the crowd, and slowly began to speak.

"Everyone."

"I have a few matters to tell you; after I'm done, whether you buy or not is up to you."

"First, you have been in business for many years; you should know that when a venture truly brings in a flood of gold daily, it also brings certain troubles, right?"

Gu Jin Nian spoke, and his first sentence instantly made everyone understand what it meant.

Someone wanted to come over and get a share.

The thing traders fear most isn't failing to make money, but making too much silver; once profits swell, countless troubles arise as local aristocratic families or officials come.

Their purpose is simple: to pick a trouble for you, to prevent you from doing business, and they won't take any silver because they've set their sights on your shop.

The more reasonable ones ask for a thirty‑percent stake as investment.

The harsher ones demand everything, force you to stay as a worker, and let them earn money for free.

In Guangping County there is the Eight Clouds Wine Hall, wildly popular; every dignitary who visits Guangping County must dine there, and the manager earns a profit of several hundred thousand taels of silver each year.

And that's still a thin‑margin, high‑volume operation for the manager.

But later, the authorities teamed up with aristocratic families, sent thugs to cause a disturbance, people died, the manager was imprisoned, the shop was handed over, and he was forced to stay working in the wine hall.

He received only a few dozen taels of silver each month; otherwise he'd be dispatched to the frontier—what could he do? Thus Gu Jin Nian's words indeed sparked a glint in their eyes.

Although the price is steep, with such terrifying foot traffic and Gu Jin Nian's golden signboard, who would dare trouble them? If a business loses money, that's the owner's problem—any trader can bear that. But if a business makes profit and someone snatches it away this way, that's infuriating.

"Second point."

Seeing the crowd already stirring, Gu Jin Nian's voice continued.

"Soon, the price of Jiangzhong Dragon Rice will drop below ten taels of silver."

"At the same time, items like mirrors will also see their prices depressed."

"Moreover, I, the Marquis, can guarantee that this Jiangzhong Dragon Rice is sold only in Da Xia Nevernight City; it cannot be bought anywhere else."

"In fact, nothing from Da Xia Nevernight City can be sold elsewhere, ensuring customers won't be diverted away."

"Third, the first batch of purchasers will enjoy a twenty‑percent discount when Da Xia Nevernight City expands to other parts of the empire."

"Finally, for any shop purchased within Da Xia Nevernight City, the canal transport fee for your goods will be offered at half the external rate, and we will ship them by dragon boat and treasure ship."

"Anywhere within Da Xia, transport will be by dragon boat and treasure ship, at half the normal canal transport fee."

Gu Jin Nian spoke, presenting them four benefits.

First, protection.

Second, further suppress the Department Store's profit and control foot traffic to prevent diversion.

Third, when Da Xia Nevernight City opens branches, a twenty‑percent discount applies for continued purchases.

Fourth, the canal transport fee itself is a huge profit; Gu Jin Nian cannot let others take it, so he will claim it—after all, Da Xia's dragon boats and treasure ships no longer require spirit crystals.

When those words were spoken, over four hundred people present stood up completely, each with a dramatically changed expression.

"Marquis, is this true?"

"Transport fee halved, and delivered by dragon boat and treasure ship?"

"Marquis, you can't say that lightly; if it's delivered by dragon boat and treasure ship, I'll buy right now."

"Never mind the rest; just the transport fee halved, I'll buy."

Everyone was shocked; they were genuinely stunned.

Normally, canal transport fees account for about twenty percent of cost; if Gu Jin Nian can cut that fee by half, it's like gaining an extra ten percent profit, plus delivery by dragon boat. That enables many trades—say, items unavailable in the capital—delivered by dragon boat, essentially a blood‑money deal; a ten‑fold price increase wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Add Gu Jin Nian's protection, stable foot traffic, no diversion, and future branch discounts of twenty percent—each is a huge advantage.

But the main point remains the transport fee.

"What I, the Marquis, say is never false; this is a contract, written plainly and clearly."

"However, there are three matters I must clarify to you all."

"First, customers come first; the shop must never bully its patrons. If it does, severe punishment will follow without mercy."

"Second, all goods sold must be reported to the Nevernight City Administration Office; profits must be adjusted by the office to ensure you earn silver, but you must not act obnoxiously—business is long‑term, avoid ruining the market."

"Third, any issue must be handled by the Administration Office; no conflicts may arise, and you must obey the office resolutely."

"If you are willing, then subscribe."

After Gu Jin Nian finished speaking, he rose and left, leaving Wang Fugui to handle the subscriptions.

As Gu Jin Nian walked away,

In an instant, silhouettes rose one after another, eagerly subscribing to shops.

Not buying a shop truly would be a problem.

And so.

More and more people, hearing the news, came here to purchase shops.

In another room of the wine hall, a three‑dimensional map of Da Xia Nevernight City was displayed.

Su Huaiyu stood aside, tallying the accounts.

"Within the Nevernight City there are four major zones: the Department Store, Da Xia Wine Hall, Da Xia Tourist Area, and Da Xia Street Market."

"Excluding the Street Market, the other three zones contain a total of 1,500 shops: first‑tier shops number one hundred, second‑tier four hundred, third‑tier one thousand."

"The Da Xia Street Market comprises one thousand small shops and three thousand mobile stalls."

"A single spot in the Da Xia Street Market yields an annual rent of up to twenty million taels of silver, a lasting income."

"If all the shops are sold, the total revenue could reach five hundred million taels of silver."

Su Huaiyu spoke, saying thus.

"Fine, then we'll wait for today's situation."

"By the way, these twenty golden shops can be auctioned once all first‑tier shops are sold out."

Gu Jin Nian nodded, then reminded Su Huaiyu of this matter.

"Understood."

Su Huaiyu nodded.

And that's that.

It had been over three hours.

A voice sounded from outside.

"Marquis, Lord Wang and Lord Yang have arrived."

As the voice sounded, Gu Jin Nian was somewhat surprised; Yang Kai and Wang Qixin had been coming over these past few days whenever they were free, really quite eager.

But upon thinking, it also makes sense, after all this business concerns their interests.

Soon.

The two entered the room, their expressions somewhat unsightly.

"I pay my respects to the two lords."

Gu Jin Nian spoke.

"Marquis."

The two clasped their fists, their expressions not particularly happy.

"What's the matter with you two?"

Gu Jin Nian withdrew his gaze from the map, looking curiously at the two.

"What else can it be?"

"That He Yan, today outside the Imperial Palace, openly disparaged the Sleepless City, saying that Marquis, your Sleepless City is just a joke, earning not a single silver."

"I and Lord Yang disagreed, and scolded him a few sentences."

Wang Qixin spoke, somewhat unhappy.

"Lord Wang need not do so." Yang Kai gave a bitter smile, then looked at Gu Jin Nian and informed him of the specific matter.

After hearing this, Gu Jin Nian couldn't help but smile.

Regarding what He Yan said, Gu Jin Nian felt no surprise, nor anger; instead, he felt He Yan was correct.

"Marquis, you aren't angry at all?"

Wang Qixin, seeing Gu Jin Nian's lack of reaction, felt somewhat uneasy and asked.

"What's there to be angry about? Moreover, Lord He didn't say anything wrong."

Gu Jin Nian laughed.

Upon saying this, Wang Qixin and Yang Kai's expressions subtly changed.

"Huh? No mistake?"

"What does that mean? Really can't earn any silver?"

Seeing the two's expressions change, Gu Jin Nian involuntarily spoke slowly.

"Lord He is correct, but Lord He simply doesn't know where the true profit of Da Xia's Sleepless City lies."

Gu Jin Nian spoke, appearing extremely confident.

Upon saying this, the two's expressions changed.

"What does Marquis mean by this?"

"Could it be that you're saying Da Xia's Sleepless City has other profitable methods?"

The two were very curious; in fact, along the way they had also studied each other's notes to see if He Yan's words were wrong.

As a result, they kept researching and found that He Yan's words were indeed correct.

If they relied only on selling rice or mirrors, the benefits would indeed be small, and profits would dwindle further until nothing remained.

Now hearing Gu Jin Nian say this, it feels like there are other explanations.

Gu Jin Nian was just about to speak.

Just then, Wang Fugui's voice sounded.

"Brother Jin Nian."

"Finally, it's done."

Wang Fugui's face was full of joy, his forehead drenched in sweat, holding a thick stack of contracts in his hand, giving a feeling of painful happiness.

Seeing Wang Fugui walk in, Wang Qixin and Yang Kai were somewhat curious, not understanding what this was: "I pay my respects to the two lords."

Wang Fugui, seeing the two, immediately spoke out.

"Wang Fugui, what is this in your hand?"

"What is this thick stack?"

The two were curious and asked Wang Fugui.

"Replying to the two lords, this is a land deed."

Wang Fugui spoke, after saying this he handed the land deed to the two for viewing; as partners, they could naturally examine it.

"Land deed?"

The two frowned, then took the land deed, carefully examined the first deed, and Wang Qixin directly exclaimed.

Hearing Wang Qixin's exclamation, Yang Kai frowned slightly; as a Minister, why make such a fuss over trivial things?

He frowned, but said nothing, instead lowering his head to look.

"Damn it."

Upon seeing the land deed's contents clearly, Yang Kai couldn't help but shout.

Not for any other reason, the land deed actually wrote ten million taels of silver.

This is damn terrifying, right? Just a shop.

Sell damn ten million taels of silver? Are you being that exaggerated? That ten million taels of silver could build a huge mansion.

Even a small princely mansion would be insufficient, right?

Moreover, as the two flipped through the deeds one by one, their faces grew more shocked, their gazes increasingly dazed.

"Is this true?"

Yang Kai spoke, looking at Wang Fugui, his voice trembling terribly.

"How much silver did these two land deeds sell for in total?"

Wang Qixin spoke, looking at Wang Fugui and asked like that.

"Replying to the two Ministers, Sir."

"All the shops in the first batch have been sold out, though most were paid in banknotes, and some have subscribed, currently raising funds; they are all the scions of major clans, trustworthy, and would not dare to deceive the Marquis."

"The second batch sold a hundred shops, and the third batch sold forty shops."

"Including rentals, the projected profit is 1,700,000,000 taels of silver."

Wang Fugui spoke.

He calculated this price.

1,700,000,000 taels of silver.

Mm.

That's right.

Wang Fugui recalculated once more, confirmed there was no doubt, and nodded heavily.

And when this number was spoken.

The room instantly fell silent, extremely silent.

1,700,000,000 taels of silver!

What a concept this is!

Da Xia's treasury absolutely does not have 1,700,000,000 taels of silver.

Absolutely not.

How could they earn so much silver in a single day? Of course they knew this was selling shops, a one-time transaction, but no matter what, with 1,700,000,000 taels of silver laid before them, who could stay calm? Each of them had invested two shares; according to the profit-sharing ratio, they could each receive 34,000,000 taels of silver; according to the gold ratio, that would be 3,400,000 taels of gold.

What concept is 3,400,000 taels of gold? Each of them invested 20,000 taels of gold, which is a 170-fold return, and this is only just the beginning.

Even if they earn not a single cash coin afterward, it's still a profit earned through blood and sweat.

The 170-fold return made them tremble all over.

"Only sold this much?"

"Increase promotional efforts, projected to sell out within seven days."

"Then mainly promote twenty gold shops."

"If everything follows the Marquis's projections, just these shops could sell for 5,500,000,000 taels of silver, plus the gold shops could sell for 1,000,000,000 taels of silver, and of course including the rentals, 5,000,000,000 taels of silver is no problem."

"Just complete this within the month."

Gu Jin Nian spoke lightly, uttering a number even more astronomical than astronomical numbers.

"5,000,000,000 taels of silver?"

"Marquis, did you perhaps say an extra ten thousand?"

Yang Kai swallowed a mouthful of saliva; he is a solemn Minister of Rites, what great winds and waves has he not seen?

But after hearing Gu Jin Nian say this, he still couldn't help but speak with a trembling voice.

As for Da Xia's Ever‑Night City, his original idea was that making a profit of 10,000 taels of gold per month would satisfy him.

Now if it's 5,000,000,000 taels of silver, his share would be 100,000,000 taels of silver, which equals 10,000,000 taels of gold.

A profit of 10,000 taels of gold per month is equivalent to seventy or eighty years of steady income.

A five‑hundred‑fold return on profit.

Just selling shops.

"Minister Yang, I, the Marquis, have never deceived anyone."

"However, these shops can only be sold once; it's not an annual occurrence."

"Moreover, relying on rent, Da Xia's Ever‑Night City's annual profit should be around 5,000,000,000 taels of silver."

"Furthermore, adding Da Xia's taverns, department stores, and scenic areas, the profit should be around 3,000,000,000 taels of silver."

"After deducting all costs and so on, 6,000,000,000 to 7,000,000,000 taels of silver are available."

"This is the lasting income."

"Moreover, this silver I, the Marquis, do not plan to divide; part will be used to perfect the remaining construction of the Ever‑Night City."

"The bulk will be taken to open a second one."

"Third, fourth, and so on, rolling forward, the entire Da Xia Dynasty's seventy‑two prefectures must have a presence of the Ever‑Night City."

Gu Jin Nian spoke, revealing the true profit of Da Xia's Ever‑Night City and his ideas.

Selling shops and collecting rent—this is the greatest profit point; afterwards, building more houses for the wealthy will bring even more profit.

Ever‑Night City, built as a place integrating living consumption, eating, drinking, relieving oneself, with all kinds of tasty and fun things from everywhere, the greatest profit comes from shops and residences; everything else is just supporting.

"Really rely on selling salt and rice to make money?"

"How many years would that take to earn?"

Moreover, with this silver, one can immediately open a second, third, fourth, and so on, replicating this—this is leverage.

Without spending one's own silver, yet one can spread Da Xia's Ever‑Night City throughout the entire Da Xia Dynasty.

Once it's fully opened, relying on basic rent, the profits are astronomical; then expanding to other countries, repeating the cycle, that is truly terrifying.

This is one of the basic principles of capital rolling.

Money begets money.

Listening to Gu Jin Nian's words, Wang Qixin and Yang Kai immediately nodded.

"If we could open in all seventy-two prefectures, even a basic annual income of 500,000,000 taels of silver per prefecture would total 36,000,000,000 taels of silver."

"The Marquis is right; I support it, I strongly support it."

"The two were overcome with excitement, even speaking with extreme excitement."

"\"With your support like this, I, the Marquis, also feel deeply relieved. \""

"\"However, you can rest assured, what should be divided will still be divided; each month we will take out a portion to distribute to you all, at least giving you some silver to spend. \""

"Gu Jin Nian smiled faintly."

"Regarding the two's support and recognition, Gu Jin Nian still felt a little relieved, but feared they would see money and go crazy, insisting on splitting the accounts, which would affect later development."

"\"You're too kind, you're too kind. \""

"Yang Kai and Wang Qixin both laughed and said, their mouths unable to close from smiling, they kept grinning foolishly."

"And Gu Jin Nian continued to explain to them the profit distribution of Da Xia Sleepless City."

"Upon hearing that real estate was also a huge profit point, the two ministers could no longer sit still."

"However, the real estate holdings of Da Xia Sleepless City are entirely built for the wealthy."

"It's not that Gu Jin Nian doesn't care about the common folk; rather, he wants to ruthlessly earn money from merchants, build top-end residences, set astronomical prices, let merchants and nobles buy them, and use the earnings to subsidize the maintenance of Da Xia Sleepless City."

"A sleepless city, according to the plan, requires at least fifty thousand, even up to one hundred thousand workers to employ, solving a large number of employment issues."

"Moreover, salt, rice, oil, and various other goods must be sold cheaply, and these losses need to be compensated with silver."

"Thus we must earn more silver, earn silver from merchants and nobles, to subsidize the common folk."

"This is Gu Jin Nian's plan."

"Even if he goes to other countries in the future, Gu Jin Nian will do the same, of course certainly not enjoying such good treatment as the people of Da Xia."

"For the people of other dynasties, Gu Jin Nian can only say low prices and cheap, but he absolutely cannot avoid making a profit."

"All the way until the hour of Xu (7–9 PM)."

"Finally, the daily profit of Da Xia Sleepless City appeared."

"Inside the room."

"Wang Fugui held the account sheet, his whole person shocked beyond belief."

"\"Shop profits are estimated at 1,800,000,000 taels of silver. \""

"\"Jiangzhong Dragon Rice sold 2,000,000 dan, sales 40,000,000 taels of silver, profit 20,000,000 taels of silver. \""

"\"Mirror profits, 3,500,000 taels of silver. \""

"\"Da Xia tavern, profit 200,000 taels of silver. \""

"\"Other miscellaneous items profit 100,000 taels of silver. \""

"\"Total profit 1,823,800,000 taels of silver. \""

"Wang Fugui's words trembled as he spoke."

"When the true numbers were laid before him, he was completely numb."

"Yang Kai also went numb."

"Wang Qixin also went numb."

"Su Huaiyu also went numb."

"That is, Gu Jin Nian appeared calm, perhaps because in his previous life he had experienced terrifying housing prices, so he wasn't too shocked by this number."

"Of course, the only lament is that real estate truly is the most profitable business, bar none."

"Yesterday's profit was merely 1,000,000 taels; today it's 1,800,000,000 taels of silver—how exaggerated is that?"

"A thousandfold!"

"It increased a thousand times."

"They had previously speculated, after all Jiangzhong Dragon Rice was sure to sell well; 2,000,000 dan did not exceed their imagination."

"But the shop's profit frightened them into trembling."

"In other words, following the one person two stalks scheme, the profit is 36,000,000 taels."

"Just today, one day."

"Income 36,000,000 taels."

"Finally, after confirming the accounts, Yang Kai grabbed a copied account sheet and rushed swiftly to Da Xia Capital."

"He wanted to tell the good news to the Crown Prince."

"Gu Jin Nian also took an account sheet and went to find the Qin King."

"After all, they finally had a gain, naturally they should share it, also to let the Qin King be happy."

"Thus."

"Half an hour later."

"Da Xia Imperial Palace."

"Inside the Eastern Palace."

"Crown Prince Li Gao opened his heavy eyes; he had slept a little more than an hour when he was called awake, if not for Yang Kai saying there was an important matter to report."

"He really did not want to get up."

"Soon, when he arrived at the front hall, Yang Kai's excited voice rang out."

"\"Crown Prince!!! \""

"\"We've struck it rich!!! \""

"Yang Kai spoke up, then handed the account sheet to Li Gao; he was so excited he could not speak, only able to give the account sheet to the Crown Prince."

"The Crown Prince took the account sheet, furrowed his brow, not understanding what was happening."

"As a Minister of Rites, how could he be so flustered? He has no bearing of a Minister of Rites at all."

"Just waiting for him to finish looking at the account sheet."

The Crown Prince was dumbfounded.

This is the profit income of Da Xia's Sleepless City.

One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million, ten million, hundred million.

?

?

?

What? Eighteen hundred million?

You're kidding me? A daily income of eighteen hundred million? Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! The Crown Prince was dumbstruck.

One quarter-hour.

Two quarter-hours.

For a full two quarter-hours, the Crown Prince started howling like a ghost.

"Eighteen hundred million?"

"Eighteen hundred million?"

"Sir Yang, is this really true?"

"Is this really true?"

"Is this account really true?"

The Crown Prince's excited howling made his sleepiness vanish instantly.

Today's income is eighteen hundred million taels of silver—what does that mean? Him, his wife, the grandson, the Empress, and the Empress Dowager.

Five people bought ten chips.

That is to say, in one day he could record one hundred million plus eighty million taels of silver.

What does that mean? The state treasury's annual income is three hundred million taels of silver.

That means, in one day, he earned half a year's worth of the state treasury's tax revenue.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, this is true, this is true, hahaha, we've gotten rich."

Yang Kai almost spoke with tears in his eyes.

Upon receiving a definite answer, the Crown Prince's excited head felt like it was about to burst with blood.

Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!

Li Gao's excited voice rang out, the wild laughter startled everything, even the Crown Princess was awakened, she furrowed her brows and came out, looking at the Crown Prince with a bewildered expression.

Seeing the Crown Princess approach, Li Gao grabbed both her hands and let out an ecstatic laugh.

"Our family has money, our family has money."

"From now on, whenever you see something you like, have the palace buy it."

"Buy whatever you see, don't buy things one by one for me, buy whole shops for me."

"Hahahahaha."

The Crown Prince was overjoyed, and directly let out an excited ghostly howl.

There's no other meaning; having made money, being wealthy, just means acting a bit arrogant.

But just then.

A voice sounded from outside.

"Crown Prince."

"Servant Wei Xian, by the Emperor's order, have come to return the silver."

At this moment.

A voice sounded.

It was Wei Xian's.

He stood there with a fawning smile outside the Crown Prince's Residence.

As this voice sounded.

The extremely excited Crown Prince's face involuntarily changed.

He did not understand what it meant.

(End of chapter)