Chapter 212: What? Tea Leaves at a Thousand Taels per Jin? One Jin Each—Don

Eastern Palace.

When Wei Xian's voice sounded, Yang Kai and Crown Prince Li Gao couldn't help but change expression.

It's the dead of night; why did Wei Xian come to the Eastern Palace?

And what do you mean by "returning silver"? Returning what silver? What are you talking about?

Li Gao's face was full of curiosity, yet he still walked toward the outer courtyard.

Outside the courtyard, Wei Xian stood respectfully a short distance away, flanked by several eunuchs.

He saw that the Crown Prince had arrived.

Wei Xian immediately produced silver notes and handed them to the Crown Prince.

"Crown Prince, this is the silver His Majesty has instructed this servant to return to you."

Wei Xian said with a cheerful smile.

Looking at the stack of silver notes in his hand, the Crown Prince felt curious and couldn't help glancing at the other side.

"Uncle Wei Xian, what do you mean by returning silver? My father the Emperor hasn't owed me any silver."

Li Gao spoke, full of doubt and curiosity, truly not understanding what it meant.

Seeing the Crown Prince looking bewildered, Wei Xian gave a slight smile.

"Crown Prince, did you make a deal with the Heaven's Mandate Marquis?"

Wei Xian opened his mouth, asking with a smile.

"Yes."

Hearing this, the Crown Prince's expression grew a bit tense, not grasping what the other meant.

"Here's the situation: His Majesty thinks the Marquis's business dealings are somewhat unstable, so he withdrew 100,000 taels of gold from the imperial treasury to repay the Crown Prince on the Marquis's behalf. This cooperation ends here, and we hope the Crown Prince will not blame the Marquis."

Wei Xian spoke, conveying Emperor Yongsheng's intention to the latter.

But upon hearing this,

Li Gao was instantly stunned.

He felt a surge of blood rise from his feet straight up to the Celestial Spirit Crown.

What a fellow.

Thinking of cutting in, huh? Seeing me get rich and wanting to cut in? Is it really that ruthless? People say a tiger won't eat its cubs; you rarely gave me much silver, and I barely earned some on my own, and you act like this? Do you even have any fatherly demeanor left? These were Li Gao's thoughts.

They sprang up almost instantly.

Today, Da Xia's Never‑Night City made a profit of 1.8 billion taels of silver; I hold ten shares, meaning that just for today I earned 108 million taels of silver, a profit equivalent to 18 million taels of gold.

With this silver, I can do whatever I want from now on and never endure hardship again.

But what I didn't expect, damn it, His Majesty suddenly pulled this move? Returning silver to Jinian on my behalf? What does that mean? If you say it's not cutting in, Li Gao simply doesn't believe it.

Why didn't he come early or later, but only now? "Crown Prince, Crown Prince? Why have you gone silent?"

"Are you overly happy?"

Wei Xian opened his mouth, somewhat puzzled by why the Crown Prince remained silent for so long.

"Stay here and wait."

"Wait for me."

Li Gao felt his head spin; he didn't know what to say.

He told Wei Xian to wait here.

He himself walked into the front hall.

Arriving at the front hall and seeing the stumbling, pale‑faced Crown Prince, Yang Kai hurried over.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, what's wrong with you?"

Yang Kai was surprised; the Crown Prince had previously been vigorous and cheerful, why did a single trip turn him into this?

"Lord Yang, this palace truly truly truly… (the Crown Prince stammers endlessly)."

"My father the Emperor probably knows about this deal and wants to cut it off."

The Crown Prince spoke with a tremor, his mood very low.

"What exactly happened?"

"How did you become like this?"

The Crown Princess also couldn't understand the situation; being woken up in the middle of the night was enough, then suddenly talking about getting rich, and now here sulking?

Is this some illness? "You don't know a damn thing."

"Do you still remember the deal we invested in with Jinian?"

The Crown Prince, helpless, looked at the Crown Princess and said so.

"I remember, what's the matter? Wasn't it twenty thousand taels of gold, two shares? Didn't you just start the business recently?"

"How's the business? I heard from others that it's doing pretty well, right?"

The Crown Princess became somewhat enlightened; in recent days she had heard the servants mention Da Xia's Never‑Night City, but because she couldn't leave freely, she hadn't investigated deeply.

"Pretty good?"

"Do you know how much silver that Jinian business earned just yesterday?"

The Crown Prince became a bit agitated; mentioning this made him very emotional and upset.

"How much?"

"You, as a Crown Prince, what haven't you seen? One million taels of silver or two million?"

The Crown Princess frowned a bit; speaking like this in front of outsiders hurt his face.

Moreover, even if it truly earned two million taels of silver in a day, what then? Doing business requires costs, losses, and the actual net profit is far less.

Besides, I only have two shares on hand; together we total ten shares, that's all.

Even if I earned some silver, so what? I am the Crown Prince Consort, the future empress—what worldly sights have I not seen?

Speaking bluntly, if it weren't for the strict control of the imperial household, she would want to collect some tribute silver.

One million taels of silver—easily obtained. How many people would be willing to send me silver? "Hah, one million taels, two million taels? Truly a woman's view."

Sir Yang, tell her how much revenue was made yesterday in a day.

Li Gao was truly angry, left speechless.

Now his mood is especially complicated.

Upon hearing this, Yang Kai felt somewhat helpless; he didn't know what had happened, but he could tell it was certainly nothing good.

Replying to the Crown Prince Consort, yesterday's revenue was approximately eighteen million million taels of silver.

Yang Kai spoke up; even knowing this figure, whenever he said it out loud, he himself felt it was somewhat unreal.

What?

Eighteen million million taels of silver?

In an instant, the displeased Crown Prince Consort froze on the spot, her whole body stunned, unable to utter a word.

To be frank, judging from the Crown Prince's expression and tone, even if Yang Kai said one million taels of silver, the Crown Prince Consort wouldn't be too shocked; she'd pretend to have seen the world.

But the problem is, eighteen million million taels of silver is truly an astronomical figure; even as the Crown Prince Consort, she couldn't bear it.

You're stupid, right?

This time, are you still going to call?

Looking at the Crown Prince Consort's expression, Li Gao was somewhat annoyed.

This is impossible, right?

How could one possibly earn eighteen million million taels of silver?

How was it earned?

The Crown Prince Consort ignored Li Gao, instead filled with doubt, thinking it impossible.

Upon hearing this, Yang Kai handed the land deed to the Crown Prince Consort and said:

Crown Prince Consort, please look—this is the price of the land deed traded yesterday.

Da Xia Sleepless City attracts all the people of the capital to come, and besides, some folks from nearby prefectural cities also come to join the fun; thus, some merchants see the business opportunity and want to purchase shops.

Crown Prince Consort, you may not know this, but in Da Xia Sleepless City, a stall selling sugar water earns a thousand taels of silver per two-hour period.

This is just selling sugar water.

Therefore, a prime-location shop costs ten million taels each, a mid-tier shop five million taels each, and a lesser shop two million taels each.

In other words, if all these shops were sold out, the revenue would be fifty million million taels of silver.

Moreover, among them there are twenty premier shops kept for future bidding auction.

Furthermore, within the Sleepless City there is a night market with thousands of shops and stalls, leased not sold; the annual rental income could reach several million million taels of silver.

The department store has official salt, dragon rice, mirrors and such, ensuring a steady stream of people.

These merchants, seeing the opportunity, are generous with their offers; according to the Marquis's intention, within seven days all shops will be sold and leased.

Yang Kai spoke up, informing the Crown Prince Consort of the specific situation.

After hearing this, the Crown Prince Consort went completely numb; her mind held nothing but silver and gold.

Fifty million million taels of silver income?

I invested ten shares, which means I can receive five million million taels of silver—what terrifying wealth!

Her natal family, also considered a local wealthy magnate, could still produce several million taels of assets; if push came to shove, squeezing out ten million taels of silver wouldn't be a big problem.

How could the Crown Prince Consort's family be lacking?

But what does five million million taels of silver mean? Even if she doesn't understand court affairs, she knows that Da Xia's annual tax revenue is only three million million taels of silver.

One year's tax revenue.

This means that from now on, anything she likes, she can simply buy it herself? As the Crown Prince Consort, she is naturally a dignitary of the Da Xia Dynasty; if she truly wants something, she can naturally obtain it—but the question is, who will foot the bill? Various shops, officials and nobles, including the wives of some court officials, line up to pay for her.

But precisely because she is the Crown Prince Consort, she knows there are things she cannot accept, no matter how much she likes them—for accepting them would mean doing favors for others; if done well it's fine, but if done poorly it becomes trouble.

Her husband is the Crown Prince; without even mentioning achievements, as long as he makes no mistakes, he will become emperor, and she will become empress.

Mother of the nation.

In such a situation, she certainly must not cause trouble.

But as a woman, just think—seeing lovely jewelry, lovely ornaments, fun toys, or even not mentioning other things, letting the Imperial Kitchen fire up a small stove to reward the maidservants, when going out, where doesn't one need silver? For example, last time, going to a certain Minister's house to find her close friend—what was the result?

After going there, she couldn't bear to give any tips, and just spread some gossip.

What a woman cares most about is her reputation.

And now, if she had five million million taels of silver, would she still care about these things?

From now on, when going out, couldn't she just give all sorts of tips, spend all sorts of money, buy what she likes, and even buy what she doesn't like?

What? Why buy what she doesn't like?

Sorry, when you have money you can't spend it all—what's the point of not buying? Thinking this, the Crown Prince Consort had already completely ignored the Crown Prince's earlier scolding, and instead looked toward Li Gao and said:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, with such a profitable business, why are you so glum?"

"Did I provoke you?"

"If I said something wrong, just speak up; I'll reflect on myself and won't provoke you."

The Crown Prince Consort spoke with an extremely gentle tone, none of the earlier arrogance remaining, appearing somewhat cautious.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, what exactly happened? Why are you so glum, Your Highness?"

"How would His Majesty know about this?"

Yang Kai was also somewhat curious; before leaving, he was still cheerful—how did he come back looking like this?

"I'm not sure either."

"Now Wei Xian is standing outside, holding silver notes. I suspect whether my father the emperor knows this business makes money, also knows I invested a lot, now seeing it make money, he wants to just seize it."

"The Crown Prince's mood was terribly bad; if that's really the case, he truly doesn't know what to do."

"It's totally impossible to rebel, right? 'Impossible.'"

"Yang Kai frowned, gazing outside the hall, although he couldn't see Wei Xian."

"And upon hearing this, the Crown Princess's face changed."

"\"Does the old lord want to cut in? \""

"\"This makes no sense, the old lord has been saying all along that Gu Jin Nian's business must lose money; now he's made silver, and wants to stick his hand in? \""

"\"Where is there such a rule? \""

"Upon hearing this, the Crown Princess also became displeased; although this is the old lord, the Da Xia emperor, it's still impossible for him to act so recklessly."

"They bore the investment risk, and now after great difficulty they've earned silver; you want to come cut in—where can we reason about this?"

"\"No, no. \""

"\"Crown Prince, wait here a moment, this old official will go ask. \""

"Yang Kai felt something was off; the emperor couldn't possibly know the profits, after all only they themselves could know, unless Gu Jin Nian went to leak the news."

"But Gu Jin Nian has no need to do that."

"Moreover, the speed is too fast; even if one wanted to leak the news, it couldn't be this quick."

"Having said that, Yang Kai rushed straight outside."

"About a quarter of an hour later."

"Yang Kai came back running, face full of excitement."

"\"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, Your Highness the Crown Prince, you're mistaken—it's not the emperor who wants to cut in. \""

"\"It's the emperor who feels that Gu Jin Nian's Da Xia Never-Night City is destined to lose money; fearing you'd lose silver and become dissatisfied, he wants to replace Gu Jin Nian and return this principal to the Crown Prince. \""

"Yang Kai quickly walked over and informed the Crown Prince of the ins and outs."

"Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince immediately stood up."

"\"Is that really the case? \""

"The Crown Prince spoke, showing extreme agitation."

"\"Indeed it is. \""

"\"Your Highness the Crown Prince, think about it—if it's truly the emperor who learned that Da Xia Never-Night City makes so much money. \""

"\"Why would the emperor fixate on this point of yours? He should be seeking the Heaven's Mandate Marquis; this old official knows, the participants in Da Xia Never-Night City are none other than this old official, plus Lord Wang, you the Crown Prince, the Qin Prince, and several members of the Gu family. \""

"\"If we add them up, it's only about twenty shares; the remaining eighty shares—if the emperor really wants them, asking Gu Jin Nian for thirty shares would be a hundred times better than fighting you for them. \""

"\"It's your misunderstanding. \""

"Yang Kai explained, and moreover stood from his own perspective to rationally analyze this matter."

"As soon as he said that, the Crown Prince indeed suddenly realized."

"Yeah, if one really wanted to cut in, just finding Gu Jin Nian would be enough—ask politely for thirty percent, or if not polite, directly take fifty percent."

"Even if the old lord is shameless, he wouldn't want to take it all, would he? Then the son would rebel against you."

"\"Blame me for being momentarily impulsive. \""

"\"Ah, I see now. \""

"\"Then, Yang Sir, I'll directly have Wei Xian the eunuch go back. \""

"Li Gao spoke, saying thus."

"\"Mm. \""

"\"However, Your Highness, when you speak later you should be tactful; tell Wei Xian the eunuch that whether this silver invested loses or gains is trivial; the main thing is to let Jin Nian be happy. \""

"\"The reason the emperor helped Jin Nian return the silver is actually also a good thing; Your Highness, you will someday be the emperor of Da Xia, and Jin Nian is now the first marquis of Da Xia, the pillar of Da Xia; the emperor also fears that Jin Nian might cause you to lose silver. \""

"\"If you develop resentment, leading to unnecessary conflicts later, that's why he's doing this; if you directly refuse, this old official worries the emperor will suspect something; right now the emperor simply doesn't know how much silver Da Xia Never-Night City can actually earn. \""

"\"But if Your Highness's attitude seems abnormal, and the emperor notices, then sends people to investigate carefully, this matter in the capital cannot escape the emperor's eyes. \""

"\"If the emperor were to find out, then it would be different; a few days ago the emperor still wanted to wage war on the Xiongnu, merely lacking silver; now this silver has been delivered to his door, the emperor has no reason to refuse. \""

"\"But if we could let the emperor find out later, first let Jin Nian give everyone a share of silver, second spend this silver, then the emperor would have no recourse. \""

"\"What do you think? \""

"Yang Kai spoke; this is the method he thought of after deep consideration."

"\"Why is that? Isn't it simply because there's still his own silver in here? Speaking bluntly, even though tigers don't eat their young, he Yang Kai is not the son of the Yong Sheng Great Emperor. \""

"\"Hurry up and settle the accounts, hurry up and spend the silver; even if the Yong Sheng Great Emperor knows, they won't lose, the money will be all spent—what else can you do? \""

"\"It's just also sticking in a foot. \""

"\"Yang Sir is indeed wise. \""

"\"I'll go now. \""

"Li Gao spoke; after saying that, he wants to go have a good talk with Wei Xian."

"\"Your Highness must show that this silver is meant to win over Gu Jin Nian's feeling; after settling with Wei Xian the eunuch, this old official and you will go together to the Qin Prince's mansion to find Jin Nian—Jin Nian is right there in the Qin Prince's mansion, perfect for discussing the account settlement. \""

"Yang Kai spoke."

"\"Good. \""

"The Crown Prince nodded, then quickly walked outward."

"Upon arriving again before Wei Xian, Li Gao had a full smile, his attitude completely different."

"\"Wei Xian, take these silver notes back and tell the old lord: the silver I invested in Jin Nian, I don't care about profit or loss; as long as Jin Nian is happy. \""

"\"Jin Nian is the pillar of my Da Xia; a few tens of thousands of taels of gold are nothing; please, Wei Xian, convey these words to the old lord. \""

"Li Gao spoke, saying thus."

When those words were spoken, Wei Xian was somewhat surprised; who in the whole capital didn't know that this Crown Prince was the most stingy prince in the world? When he previously acted as regent, no matter what happened in the palace, as soon as money was mentioned, the Crown Prince would instantly change his tone; not to mention the entire court officials, even Emperor Yongsheng himself could not speak up.

Consequently, when the state needed to do something later, it didn't require the Ministry of Revenue's approval, because the Minister of Revenue would simply say one sentence.

The Crown Prince agrees, then I agree.

So the Crown Prince's nickname as a tight‑fisted rooster spread.

Now that tens of thousands of taels of gold have been invested and a loss is imminent, the Crown Prince is actually indifferent?

That is indeed surprising? Yet however surprised, Wei Xian naturally has to obey the Crown Prince's words.

"Since the Crown Prince is so benevolent, I, the servant, understand."

"Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will certainly convey it to His Majesty."

Wei Xian nodded.

Having said that, he was about to leave.

"Thank you for your trouble, Lord Wei."

Li Gao shouted, and Wei Xian, not daring to be presumptuous, immediately made a bow and then left with his men.

Thus, the Crown Prince returned to the main hall.

He relayed the previous words unchanged to Yang Kai; after hearing them, Yang Kai nodded and then spoke.

"Since that's the case, Your Highness the Crown Prince, Crown Princess, shall we go to the Prince of Qin's mansion?"

The words hung in the air.

The Crown Princess smiled gently.

"I think I won't go."

"Crown Prince, you go directly; as a woman, I'm afraid I might say something wrong if I go."

The Crown Princess spoke, a little embarrassed, as if she had completely changed her nature.

The previously fiery temperament was now completely gone.

"Go then; when the time comes, you can also listen to what Jinian says, so I don't forget anything."

Seeing the Crown Princess like that, the Crown Prince felt quite pleased; at last he could straighten his back and act like a real man.

"Fine then, but if I go and say something wrong, Crown Prince, you must remind me, okay? No, I'll try to stay silent as much as possible to avoid causing trouble."

The Crown Princess nodded.

Faced with so much silver, no issue is truly an issue; what does the Crown Princess matter? With silver, everything is easy to say.

The three of them, under the cover of night, left the palace.

About a quarter of an hour later.

In the Yang Xin Hall.

Wei Xian relayed the Crown Prince's words to Emperor Yongsheng without omitting a single character.

After hearing it, Emperor Yongsheng was somewhat puzzled.

"Did the Crown Prince really say that?"

Emperor Yongsheng was indeed puzzled; a son knows his father better, and he naturally understood his own son's temperament.

Not to mention tens of thousands of taels of gold; even a few thousand cash coins, if anyone let his own son incur a loss, he would probably suffer for a month.

Let alone this much silver.

The empire may change, but nature is hard to alter; he could not imagine the Crown Prince changing his nature.

"Your Majesty, I dare not lie; these are indeed the Crown Prince's words."

Wei Xian opened his mouth and answered earnestly.

"How strange."

"Is the Crown Prince truly unfazed by this loss‑making deal?"

Emperor Yongsheng slightly frowned; the more he thought, the more something felt off.

However, Wei Xian couldn't help but speak.

"Your Majesty."

"Could it be that the Crown Prince actually knows this business is loss‑making, but the Heaven's Mandate Marquis has such high prestige that, while this may be a loss for others, for the Crown Prince it wouldn't be a loss at all."

Wei Xian spoke, voicing his own thought.

That suggestion, once spoken, was indeed a line of reasoning.

"This possibility exists."

Emperor Yongsheng instantly understood Wei Xian's meaning.

"Since that's the case, let them go then."

"Anyway, good advice is hard to persuade; since they like losing silver, let them lose it."

"I have already said what I needed to say, and have done what must be done."

Emperor Yongsheng spoke; one wishes to strike, one wishes to be struck—what more could he say?

"Your Majesty has already done well."

"The Crown Prince is also deeply moved."

"But is this silver being taken back to the inner treasury?"

Wei Xian asked with a cheerful smile.

"Don't take it; donate it to the three major disaster zones, and after a while let the court officials also donate silver."

"Also, have the imperial kitchen from now on reduce the dishes from forty‑eight to six; I want to be more frugal, and the three major disaster zones are uncertain, so we will keep this standard, which is also setting an example."

Emperor Yongsheng spoke, and was also very direct in cutting back on clothing, food, housing, and travel.

"Your Majesty truly is wise."

Wei Xian knelt on the ground and bowed, while the Great Emperor Yong Sheng merely continued to approve memorials.

Meanwhile.

Inside Prince Qin's residence.

In the main hall.

Prince Qin stared blankly at the land deed in his hand, his whole body numb.

"Jin Nian, you mean that just by opening Da Xia's Nevernight City these past few days, I've made a profit of thirty‑six million taels of silver?"

Prince Qin swallowed, unable to believe it, even incredulous.

Damn it, he controls a barracks; honestly, he's taken a lot of empty profit over the years, plus his princess and some subordinates who respectfully send him silver.

All together, still not even thirty‑eight million taels of silver?

Money can make ghosts turn the mill.

As a Da Xia prince, he fully understood that with silver, anything becomes easy.

Without silver, not even you Da Xia prince, the Da Xia emperor, or the Great Emperor Yong Sheng can get things done.

Thirty‑eight million.

At first, I invested that silver just to save Gu Jin Nian face; since my younger brother liked it, I let him take over.

Never expected this unintentional planting to grow into shade.

"Damn it."

"If I knew your business was this profitable, I'd have kept my high moral standards, brother."

Prince Qin looked a bit dazed.

He said it subconsciously.

But as soon as he said it, Prince Qin retracted it, looked at Gu Jin Nian and said,

"Does the old master know about this?"

Prince Qin asked.

"Uncle still doesn't know, elder brother. I tried to get uncle to invest, he refused; now we've made silver, why tell him?"

Gu Jin Nian was blunt: if you invest, I split the profit; if you don't, why tell you? "If there's a loss, I won't mention it. You must never tell the old master; given his nature, if he knew this business was so profitable, he'd…"

Prince Qin spoke, reminding Gu Jin Nian.

"His Royal Highness Prince Qin, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince accompanied by the Crown Princess, and Minister of Rites Yang Kai, are visiting outside the residence."

Suddenly, a voice rang out.

As the voice sounded, Prince Qin's eyes showed curiosity.

"At this late hour, what does the Crown Prince want from me?"

Though curious, he ordered a servant to invite them at once.

Previously Prince Qin and the Crown Prince had some friction, but that was over; regardless of inner thoughts, outwardly they must remain brotherly and respectful.

At that moment, Prince Qin's voice sounded again.

"Have the Princess come to the front hall."

Upon his words, the servant immediately called the Princess.

Gu Jin Nian remained calm, as if he had anticipated the Crown Prince's arrival.

Not long after.

Crown Prince Li Gao, the Crown Princess, and Yang Kai appeared in the main hall.

"Second brother."

"Your Highness Prince Qin."

Both were enthusiastic, but their eyes first fell on Gu Jin Nian.

"Pleased to meet Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Prince Qin rose and bowed to the Crown Prince; though brothers, the Crown Prince's rank was far higher, requiring respect.

"Second brother, no need to be so formal."

"Apologies for the late disturbance; second brother, do not blame me."

The Crown Prince smiled warmly and spoke.

"The Crown Prince's late visit shouldn't be to look for my foolish younger brother, right?"

Prince Qin replied, glancing at Gu Jin Nian.

"Hahaha."

"Brother, I'll be straightforward: I came here to find Jin Nian."

The Crown Prince smiled, then sat down; at that moment, Prince Qin's Princess entered, greeted the group, and took a seat nearby.

Watching everyone take their seats.

Gu Jin Nian spoke directly.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"Crown Princess."

"Minister Yang."

"The three of you came late at night, likely because of the Da Xia Nevernight City matter."

"Since you're all here, I'll share my view; if everyone agrees, we'll follow my plan. If anyone has other opinions, speak up now, so we don't stir up emotions."

Gu Jin Nian began.

He knew why the Crown Prince and others came, so he decided to be blunt, not shy at all, to avoid any embarrassment.

"Alright, alright, what does junior brother Jin Nian have to say?"

"All of the esteemed Lord Houye's wishes."

The others nodded.

"Currently Da Xia Nightless City has revenue of eighteen wanwan taels of silver; I estimate that within seven days we can obtain fifty wanwan taels of silver."

"With this silver I have two ideas. First, to make Da Xia Nightless City even better—some spectacular sights, tourist spots, including lodging, food, night‑market lanterns—everything should be present."

"If this project is fully implemented, it will roughly cost twenty wanwan taels of silver from start to finish. I have discussed with the Minister of Works, and by mobilizing two hundred thousand people to accelerate construction, it can be completely finished within two months."

"But the time I gave the Minister of Works is only one and a half months."

"After Da Xia Nightless City is fully perfected, we will allocate ten wanwan taels of silver to subsidize the people—government salt plus dragon rice—naturally we will lower prices, including developing some new items like crystal mirrors; all of these require silver."

"This is done to stabilize the number of tourists; the more tourists, the more merchants earn, and thus when the next Nightless City is built, shop prices will be even higher and more abundant."

"The remaining twenty wanwan taels of silver, and fifty wanwan taels of silver, will be used to increase the workforce, plus various welfare bonuses; then another fifty wanwan taels of silver will be taken out to promote Da Xia Nightless City, including drafting a tourist shop handbook and randomly giving out various gifts."

"Let the people enjoy themselves, and let the merchants who buy shops receive tangible returns; otherwise, buying shops at such sky‑high prices without making them happy will make future business difficult."

"The remaining ten wanwan taels of silver will be taken out to distribute among everyone."

Gu Jin Nian spoke up, expressing his thoughts.

When these words were spoken, the others felt a bit emotional; this fifty wanwan taels of silver was spent like this, and they didn't know why, feeling a little sorry.

"Do we need to finish it so quickly?"

Yang Kai spoke up, unable to help but ask.

Spending twenty wanwan taels of silver to accelerate the construction of Da Xia Nightless City is somewhat exaggerated, because at a one‑year pace, only ten wanwan taels of silver would suffice.

"Why waste this silver?" "It must be fast."

"The people's curiosity is only a little; nowadays Da Xia Nightless City, the only attractions are the department store and the restaurant—what do those two things amount to?"

"In less than two months, the number of people coming to the Nightless City will greatly decrease, and what is their purpose? Just to buy government salt and dragon rice, maybe a few small items—of little significance."

"In that case, the surrounding shops' business will inevitably be bleak."

"But if we build all the various attractions of Da Xia Nightless City, including the Beast Park, once these are completed, the people's options for visiting Da Xia Nightless City will increase."

"When talented scholars and beautiful ladies go on outings, they pass by a cosmetics shop to buy some rouge, pass a bookstore to buy books, and if they encounter a stationery shop, they buy the Four Treasures of the Study; the shopkeepers earn silver, and only then will they feel the shop was worth buying."

"When a family of common folk comes to play, even if they are unwilling to spend much silver, buying a bowl of sweet soup is not excessive, eating a skewer of candied hawthorn is not excessive, having a lunch, buying a few small items to take home—all of this still spends silver."

"The silver spent, the merchants earn, and the shop's value will keep rising."

"Minister Yang should understand this principle."

Gu Jin Nian spoke again, his tone firm.

Foot traffic is the primary consideration of any business logic, and precise foot traffic is of utmost importance. The two biggest profit points of Da Xia Nightless City are shops and residences.

As for the residential plan, Gu Jin Nian will hold it back for now; it's not urgent. We will wait until Da Xia Nightless City is fully renowned worldwide before developing residences, which will be the time of maximum profit.

Shop profits are the greatest; the remaining restaurants and attractions are all long‑term returns, but short‑term returns still depend on the shops.

Naturally, we must let these merchants make big money, ideally recouping costs within half a year; then the next Da Xia Nightless City can command higher prices.

"Understood."

"In business, I am ten thousand eight hundred li away from the Lord."

Gu Jin Nian's words were plain and easy to understand; how could Yang Kai not grasp them? He let out a sigh of admiration.

But the Crown Prince's voice continued.

"I understand subsidizing the development of new products, but what does increasing welfare for the workers mean?"

The Crown Prince did not understand what welfare meant, so he asked this way.

"Brother Crown Prince."

"We want the Nightless City to have a good reputation; it's not only reliant on customers, these workers are even more important."

"I plan to let these workers have better housing and food. After their daily work, when they return to their quarters, someone will wash their clothes, someone will cook for them, and their salaries are not low. We will even set up a private school for their children, and their families can visit the attractions for free, gaining various benefits."

"Thus, these workers will work with the greatest enthusiasm for us, solving their worries; first, they will be reluctant to leave this job; second, they can earn silver; third, their whole families will enjoy various privileges. Consequently, when others learn of their situation…"

"People will only feel envy; hearing that someone works at Da Xia Nightless City will make them show envious looks…"

"Fun, interesting, convenient for life, beneficial to the people; merchants have their own ways, the common folk have theirs. So when we build Da Xia Nightless City anywhere, we can obtain support from all regions—both from local governments and from the people—extremely favorable."

Gu Jin Nian spoke, explaining what welfare is.

"Understood."

"Jin Nian truly is a great talent; even a single worker can be so comfortable, and when we build Nightless Cities elsewhere, we won't fear sabotage, public opinion cannot be defied, and the various prefectures and ministries will naturally cooperate."

The Crown Prince nodded, understanding Gu Jin Nian's meaning.

However, what Gu Jin Nian said next surprised them.

"If everyone agrees, there are two more matters I wish to discuss."

"First, after the distribution, I hope everyone will boldly spend the silver, spend as much as they can, not be stingy, and not save any silver—spend a hundred taels if possible, not just eighty."

"Second, Da Xia Nightless City has a total of one hundred shares. Currently, Crown Prince, Crown Princess, Empress, Grand Empress Dowager, Prince Qin, Gu Family, Wang Fugui, Su Huaiyu, Minister Wang, Minister Yang, occupy twenty shares."

"The remaining seventy shares, I alone hold fifty, so the remaining twenty shares I plan to bring in twenty more people."

"These twenty people must be high‑ranking court officials; they need not be begged to join, but once they speak, we let them in, and the silver for joining is fifty thousand taels of gold."

"The remaining ten shares will be allocated to local governments; thus, under profit binding, this business will only get better and bigger, of course this is limited to within the Da Xia Dynasty; beyond the Da Xia Dynasty there are other algorithms, which I will not discuss now."

Gu Jin Nian spoke.

He clarified the equity matters to everyone.

He also wants to bring more people in; the purpose is simple—to grow larger and stronger.

In fact, even the current ten entrants can already shake the entire Da Xia administration, but it's still not enough, because in business the more beneficiaries, the better.

Even if there are opposing voices, they will be instantly attacked by countless people.

Just like Minister of Revenue He Yan.

Isn't he not watching Da Xia Nightless City?

If he knows the Da Xia Nightless City is profitable and then has a chance to buy a share, once he buys a share, see what attitude He Yan takes.

Anyone who dares to denigrate the Nightless City, He Yan will be the first to rush out and beat them up.

It's that simple.

"This works."

"It works, but if we do it, the old master will have some hard-to-explain issues."

Yang Kai agrees, but the Crown Prince thinks of Emperor Yong Sheng; he always feels this feels a bit like forming a faction for personal gain.

Oh no, this is no longer about factionalism; this is a coalition.

"Brother, don't worry."

"The Nightless City is something His Majesty promised; besides, I hold fifty shares, what can my uncle say?"

"Moreover, I'm not refusing to pay taxes; Uncle said the first twenty years are tax‑free. If I'm generous, ten years tax‑free; after ten years, all seventy‑two commanderies will inevitably have a Da Xia Nightless City."

"Even just the regular rent brings over hundreds of millions of taels of silver per year; with a commercial tax of 30%, the state revenue is three hundred million taels of silver annually. What can Uncle say?"

Gu Jin Nian disagrees.

Anyway, Emperor Yong Sheng promised him; a proper emperor wouldn't cheat, would he? No credit at all? "That's indeed so."

"Replacing anyone else wouldn't work, but if it's you, Jin Nian, the old master really can't say anything."

"Alright, I think it's appropriate."

The Crown Prince nodded.

Indeed, swapping for someone else would certainly fail; once the faction‑forming hat is taken off, what can you do? But Gu Jin Nian is different.

Does Gu Jin Nian need to form a faction for personal gain? He alone is the biggest party, the future Confucian Sage, Da Xia's First Marquis, with countless auras surrounding him, having saved Da Xia from countless crises. To put it bluntly, Gu Jin Nian could abandon Da Xia, but Da Xia cannot exist without Gu Jin Nian.

That's exactly it.

So, just leading everyone to do business together really leaves nothing to say; if taxes are paid later, there's even less to discuss.

"That's not right."

"Jin Nian, if we allocate like this, didn't you say you wanted to open a new Nightless City? The new Nightless City will cost a lot of silver; the cash on hand will be spent. If we wait for the Da Xia Nightless City to earn slowly, how long will that take?"

At that moment, Prince Qin's voice rang out; he was somewhat puzzled, feeling that Gu Jin Nian had underestimated a calculation.

"Brother, don't worry; if the capital Da Xia Nightless City can truly proceed as planned." "As for the next Nightless City, believe it or not, once we pick a location, even without building, countless merchants will send us the money."

Gu Jin Nian said confidently.

He's not bragging; as long as the Da Xia Nightless City can become renowned, actually it doesn't need to be known worldwide, just to make the Da Xia Dynasty famous. As soon as Gu Jin Nian speaks, a Nightless City can be established in any given commandery.

All merchants across the nation will swarm there.

Why? Because merchants chase profit; the shops in the Da Xia Nightless City earn silver, so they want to buy better ones. Can other merchants sit still? A sure‑profit business—who wouldn't want to earn?

Moreover, it's opened by Da Xia's First Marquis Gu Jin Nian; no one dares cause trouble. Just that alone attracts many merchants.

"I see."

Prince Qin instantly understood.

"Alright."

"If there are no major issues, tomorrow I'll have someone deliver the silver notes to your offices."

"Then just spend it vigorously."

"Don't be stingy at all."

"I'll leave first."

Gu Jin Nian spoke, and after saying that, he also rose to leave.

"Walk together, walk together."

The Crown Prince stood up, intending to walk together with Gu Jin Nian, and Prince Qin also saw him off briefly.

After the others left, Prince Qin gazed at the moonlight, murmuring to himself with a sigh.

"My brother truly is clever."

He spoke, and without lingering, walked toward the front hall; at this moment, Princess Qin still sat there foolishly.

Only when Prince Qin spoke did Princess Qin finally wake up.

"One hundred million taels of silver?"

"Prince, how much can our family get?"

Princess Qin swallowed a mouthful of saliva and asked Prince Qin.

"Our family bought two shares; let's take twenty million taels of silver."

"I won't go out these few days; you take the silver and spend it."

"Take care of the subordinates a bit, and don't be stingy."

Prince Qin was only shocked, but regarding spending silver, he didn't mind; he uses silver for favors and transactions.

"Alright, alright, alright."

"Prince, leave it to me; I will handle it properly."

Princess Qin's eyes sparkled with excitement.

Although she usually spends a lot, who would mind having too much silver?

That's all.

The next day arrived.

Three events occurred.

First.

In the Da Xia Nightless City, merchants who bought shops enjoyed three years of tax exemption; on that very day, all shops were sold out. Some shops originally for rent were purchased at high prices for the lease rights and then bought outright; even some shops intended for rent were directly bought with silver.

Second.

Noon.

A carriage mysteriously headed for the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Rites, the Crown Prince's Residence, Prince Qin's Residence, and the Gu Family.

A few large crates were unloaded.

Third.

A new official arrived at the Censorate, named Chang Yuntian, drawing some attention.

Because Chang Yuntian had originally produced half a scroll of the Heaven's Mandate Sacred Scripture, which was truly a meritorious deed and also eye‑catching.

Now, under the joint recommendation of Prince Qin and Su Wenjing, he entered the Censorate as a Censorate Speech Officer, a fifth‑rank official.

Not high, but he can attend court.

Three quarters past noon.

Ministry of Works.

The sun was scorching.

Some officials, drenched in sweat, walked into the Ministry of Works to rest.

"Alas, this weather truly could scorch a person to death."

"Indeed, sigh, we in the Ministry of Works are truly pitied; look at the Ministry of Revenue—they can even buy some sour plum juice, while we have to spend our own silver; the Ministry of Works is really miserable."

"Budgets have been cut; before we didn't have sour plum juice, but at least there was something to beat the heat. Now there's nothing at all."

"In the end it's still poverty; if we had silver, we wouldn't just drink sour plum juice, we'd drink ice‑chilled sour plum juice directly."

"Don't even think about it; that drink is at least for senior clerks. We ordinary folks want ice‑chilled sour plum juice? Too much dreaming. But hearing you say that makes us thirsty; how about we buy a block of ice, each take a bit, and steep some fruit in it?"

The officials gathered together; they were ordinary Ministry of Works officials, receiving modest monthly salaries, barely supporting large families. Their lives were passable—not exactly poor—but they could never afford the luxury of buying ice.

A one‑meter‑high block of ice would cost at least two taels of silver, and they were reluctant to part with it.

Buying some crushed ice would be acceptable.

But at that moment—

Clop! Clop! Clop! A series of hoofbeats rang out as carriage after carriage appeared, soon followed by hundreds of strong laborers who hauled massive blocks of ice from the carriages inside.

At a glance, there were at least several hundred giant ice blocks; each of these was about two meters tall and would cost at least five taels of silver per block.

"What is going on?"

"What happened?"

"Why are so many ice blocks being transported? Could it be a mistake?"

The entire Ministry of Works was taken aback.

Soon, a middle‑aged man entered with a cheerful smile.

"May I ask if Sir Xu Yun is present?"

He spoke.

After saying that, an elderly man stepped forward, his face full of curiosity.

"Who are you?"

He asked curiously.

"Sir, I am a humble commoner from the ice storage shop; these ice blocks were ordered by the Minister himself."

"There are four hundred giant ice blocks in total; please inspect them, Sir."

The latter spoke, reporting the situation.

Upon hearing this, everyone was utterly astonished.

Four hundred ice blocks amount to two thousand taels of silver, and they would melt within a day—how extravagant!

"Ah, how much silver does this require?"

Xu Yun swallowed, a bit confused; the Ministry of Works' annual surplus was only a little over three hundred thousand taels, how could they possibly afford such an expense?

"Sir, the Minister has already sent someone to pay the silver; you just need to receive it."

The latter replied cheerfully.

"Paid?"

This time the entire Ministry of Works was completely baffled, but regardless, they still accepted the delivery.

Then they ordered the workers to place the ice blocks in the document archive, in each room, including some corridor areas.

In an instant, a penetrating coolness spread; despite the scorching weather, the placement of the ice made the place instantly much cooler.

Each ice block was covered with a cloth to slow its melting.

But Xu Yun grew impatient.

"What's the point of putting them here? We should chisel the ice for water."

Letting the ice melt here is wasteful; chipping ice for water would maximize the benefit.

The latter, however, forced a wry smile.

"That's the Minister's intention; he said he wants the entire Ministry of Works to become cool. There's another batch of ice coming. Sir, if you don't understand, ask the Minister; I, a humble commoner, know nothing else."

He spoke, and after finishing, immediately took the receipt and left.

Leaving a bewildered Ministry of Works official behind.

"What on earth is happening?"

"Minister Wang, what's the situation?"

"Since when did our Ministry of Works become so wealthy? Using ice to cool off? Only the Ministry of Revenue used to dare such a thing before."

"Alright, folks, the weather is scorching, but squandering silver like this is unacceptable."

Everyone kept talking over each other, genuinely unable to make sense of it.

However, a quarter of an hour later.

Again, the sound of horse hooves rose in waves.

"Minister, you have returned."

As a voice sounded, many officials hurried to the entrance of the Ministry of Works.

But when they arrived at the Ministry's entrance, they were astonished to find carriage after carriage outside the Ministry, each laden with silk and various cake gift boxes.

At that moment, Wang Qixin stepped down, twirling a jade pendant, his face radiant as spring.

"Lord Wang, what's going on?"

In the next instant, Xu Yun stepped forward directly, genuinely unable to comprehend the situation.

However, Wang Qixin did not answer Xu Yun, but turned to the Ministry of Works officials and said,

"All the silk, cakes, and gifts on these carriages are prepared by me for each of you, one per person; do not fight over them."

"Two bolts of silk per person; take them home, have tailors make a few garments tomorrow, prepare new clothes for your families, and report the tailoring costs to Xu Yun tomorrow."

"Remember, from now on, when Ministry of Works people go out, show some spirit for me, speak with confidence, and don't wear a single piece of clothing for three to five years."

"If I ever see you all looking destitute again, don't blame me for being harsh."

"Also, each of you go to the storeroom later to collect two hundred taels of silver, as this year's reward for everyone's hard work."

"I've booked Heavenly Fragrance Garden for seven days; during those days, you all go eat as much as you can, and bring your families if you wish."

"Furthermore, three days later go to Treasure Study Hall to fetch shoes; I've prepared three new pairs per person—make sure you look sharp and tidy."

Wang Qixin's voice rang out, loud as a bell.

However.

All the Ministry of Works officials were stunned.

Two hundred taels per person? Booking Heavenly Fragrance Garden for seven days?

Two bolts of silk per person? And new shoes from Treasure Study Hall?

How the hell is this going to cost so much silver? Looking at the silk, someone with sharp eyes couldn't help but exclaim.

"This is silk from Manyun Cloth Manor, each bolt costs at least twenty taels of silver, right?"

As that voice sounded, everyone became even more astonished.

Damn it.

How much silver has this greedily taken? "Lord Wang."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Does our storeroom really have that much silver?"

"You haven't taken the silver earmarked for building dragon boats, have you?"

Xu Yun swallowed, his voice trembling; the Ministry of Works simply doesn't have that much silver, let alone two hundred taels per person.

The Ministry has roughly four hundred officials; at two hundred taels each, that's eighty thousand taels of silver, and with all these miscellaneous items, it must be at least one hundred twenty to one hundred thirty thousand taels.

"Isn't the silver for building dragon boats held by the Ministry of Revenue?"

"Can I take it?"

"Nonsense."

Wang Qixin, irritated, then pulled a thick stack of silver notes from his pocket, each note bearing a denomination of one thousand taels.

At least five to six hundred thousand taels.

"Take it."

"I've already paid the accounts for all these items."

"Spend this silver on the Ministry of Works—food, drink, lodging. It's so hot; buy more ice, and if that's not enough, purchase a few ice shops and have them supply us with ice."

"If the silver runs out, tell me."

"If you really can't spend it all, distribute the silver among everyone."

"If later it's insufficient, come back to me."

"Oh, right, who said the Ministry of Revenue has Great Mist Tea? Buy a thousand jin, each person takes a jin back, so the neighboring Ministry of Revenue won't look down on us."

Wang Qixin spoke boldly, ordering a thousand jin of Great Mist Tea—each jin costs two hundred taels, so a thousand jin totals two hundred thousand taels.

"Minister, please don't tease me."

Xu Yun was on the verge of tears.

"If you don't believe it, go ask the Ministry of Revenue."

"Keep the silver notes safe; later, come with me outside. I've set my eyes on two pairs of jade ruyi; we'll place them in the Ministry's main hall."

"Alright, what are you all still standing around for?"

"You don't want any of this?"

"Then I'll send them to the Ministry of War."

Wang Qixin shouted.

Now, everyone snapped back to their senses; though they didn't know exactly what had happened, who would pass up a bargain?

In an instant, Ministry of Works officials rushed forward to snatch.

Each of them laughed so hard their mouths seemed to split.

But compared to the Ministry of Works,

the Ministry of Rites remained unusually quiet.

Inside the Ministry of Rites,

all officials gathered in the main hall.

Yang Kai, on the other hand, was very straightforward, explaining the whole cause and effect to everyone.

After finishing,

Yang Kai stood up and took from his bosom a thick stack of silver notes, saying.

"According to the Marquis's wishes."

"We have to spend this silver."

"However, we are the Ministry of Rites, so we must keep some face; just now someone sent a message that the Minister of Works, like a nouveau riche, bought a huge pile of goods."

"The old man feels it's improper."

"We should be more rational in our spending, so later I'll take the lead and purchase some things we previously wanted but couldn't afford; what do you all think?"

Yang Kai spoke, his words courteous.

Hearing this, everyone felt numb all over.

Some were still not back to their senses.

The Ministry of Rites is not poor.

But it is certainly not rich either.

"The main reason is that in the capital we only have the modest funds the court provides; honestly, what can we buy? Moreover, Da Xia has always been harsh on officials—corruption under the Son of Heaven is a grave capital crime—so Ministry of Rites officials often speak of scholarly integrity and clean sleeves."

"In fact, the core issue is simply a lack of silver."

"If we have silver, we'll certainly buy things we like; for example, Yunsi Red Clay, which is quite valuable at five hundred taels of silver per tael—if they want it, someone will naturally give it to them."

"But they don't dare to ask for it."

"Now hearing that the Ministry of Rites has silver, and it's twenty million taels, how could these people not be shocked?"

"Minister Yang."

"Do you mean that our Ministry of Rites now has twenty million taels of white silver in its treasury? That we can allocate it?"

An official swallowed saliva, looked at Yang Kai, and said.

"Yes."

Yang Kai nodded.

The next moment, everyone gasped coldly again.

It lasted for quite a while.

Only then did the crowd gradually come to their senses one by one.

After everyone calmed down,

Yang Kai spoke,

"Now, Minister Wang is already buying things, so we shouldn't lag behind."

"The hour is not early either."

"Today, let's all calm down, pick a place, buy a few items as a token, and after everyone regains their strength, we can slowly negotiate, okay?"

Yang Kai continued, knowing that the others would find it hard to explain for a while.

"No need to think further."

"Minister Yang, let's go to Wenbao Study."

The Left Deputy Minister stood up, looked at Yang Kai, and said thus.

Upon hearing Wenbao Study, everyone nodded; Wenbao Study is the most famous study in the capital.

Inside it sells the Four Treasures of the Study and some antique calligraphy and paintings.

It is the most expensive and most prestigious study in Da Xia Capital.

They occasionally visit, but only to look; even a single brush can be worth several hundred to over a thousand taels of silver.

Now that they have silver, they naturally want to go there.

"Alright."

"However, everyone must remain rational; we must not emulate the Ministry of Works, after all we are people of the Ministry of Rites."

Yang Kai nodded, thinking of Wenbao Study in his heart.

At that moment.

Yang Kai stood, and the others also nodded, verbally assuring they wouldn't.

Soon.

A grand procession of Ministry of Rites officials marched toward Wenbao Study.

Two quarters of an hour later.

Below Wenbao Study.

The group inhaled deeply; Yang Kai turned, looked at them, and said,

"Everyone, stay calm."

After saying this, he entered Wenbao Study.

Inside Wenbao Study, there were few people—just a dozen or so—five floors in total, a spacious area, with someone playing the qin, and several spots lit with calming incense, giving an especially elegant atmosphere.

"Minister Yang?"

"What wind brought you here?"

"What a rare guest, a rare guest indeed."

Inside Wenbao Study, the shopkeeper, seeing Yang Kai enter, hurriedly rose to greet; the Minister of Rites—a top official—was rarely invited in ordinary times.

But when he saw a group of officials behind the Minister of Rites, he was instantly stunned.

"Minister Yang, what is this?"

The shopkeeper was curious.

"Shopkeeper."

"Are you selling the shop?"

Yang Kai spoke, asking quietly.

Shopkeeper: "???".

"Sir, what do you mean?"

The shopkeeper was a bit stunned, not understanding what this meant.

"What are you still standing there for?"

"Grab it."

The next moment, Yang Kai could no longer hold back; he let out a howl, and in an instant the Ministry of Rites officials behind him turned into ravening wolves, immediately beginning to snatch.

"This is a Shanhai Pen, twelve hundred taels each, hurry, hurry, hurry and grab."

"Heaven River Ink Seal, Heaven River Ink Seal, the characters written with this ink won't fade for a thousand years, a thousand years."

"Cloud Silk Mud, Cloud Silk Mud, grab quickly."

"Luoyang's finest xuan paper, quick, quick."

Hundreds of Ministry of Rites officials, at this moment, had no sense of reason; they seized anything they saw, for them these items were valuable, something they could not afford in ordinary days.

Now they had silver and could take it freely, so they had to act quickly; if they delayed, they'd lose everything.

"Sir, sir, what's going on?"

"Did the little shop offend you, sir?"

"Sir, if you act like this, I will have to report to the authorities."

The shopkeeper of Wen Bao Zhai was about to cry; each of these items was valuable, even a random one worth over a thousand taels of silver.

If we talk about giving them away, each person giving a little isn't a big problem.

On the contrary, he was happy about it.

But to snatch outright, in a chaotic rush, who could endure that?

"Report to the authorities?"

"Report what authority?"

"These items, I have bought them."

Yang Kai took out a stack of silver notes and tossed them into the shopkeeper's hand, full of bravado.

"Huh?"

The latter lowered his head, looked at the thick stack of silver notes, examined them carefully, and confirmed they were genuine.

Moreover, such a thick stack was at least five hundred thousand taels.

Damn it.

Since when did the Ministry of Rites become so rich? In the past, the Ministry would come for a day just to nitpick; if they couldn't afford something they'd complain—that was the norm.

Where did this silver come from now? "Is it enough?"

Yang Kai spoke, his aura full at this moment.

"Enough, enough."

"Lord Yang, our shop still has a flagship treasure, a Hetian Ancient Jade Seal; would you like to see it?"

Sensing such immense wealth, the shopkeeper instantly broke into a delighted smile and began to showcase the flagship treasure.

Upon hearing about the flagship treasure,

In an instant, hundreds of eyes fixed intently on the latter.

In a flash, the shopkeeper couldn't help but swallow, trembling slightly.

So it was.

Half an hour later.

The entire Wen Bao Zhai was essentially emptied, except for a few truly worthless items; nothing else remained.

Carrying these items, the Ministry of Rites returned fully loaded.

Yet for Yang Kai, he was disappointed; they had only spent five hundred eighty thousand taels of silver.

There's still nineteen million four hundred twenty thousand taels of silver left—what to do with it?

Return to the Ministry of Rites.

Yang Kai told everyone to set aside the spoils and instead brief them on the current situation.

After all, Gu Jin Nian's idea was simple: spend the silver until it's gone, and make sure it's spent visibly, so that others see it while he enjoys it.

If not for this, wouldn't spending all the silver be easy? Just divide it evenly and that's enough.

He had even taken out a portion of the silver taels for everyone to divide.

Yet the remaining majority of the silver was still a lot.

So now they must pool ideas.

"Lord Yang, I have an idea; haven't we always wanted to build a temple?"

"How about the Ministry of Rites funds a Temple of the Ancestors? Hire the best craftsmen to carve ancient sages, and create a library; first, so later generations can revere them, second, it becomes our Ministry's achievement, continuing the legacy of past saints."

Someone spoke up, proposing this suggestion.

"That's good, that's good."

"Then you immediately contact people, see how much silver is needed, and remember, hire the best craftsmen."

Yang Kai nodded.

He invested in this project.

"Lord Yang, since we've built a Temple of the Ancestors, how about this: publish our books, print ten or a hundred thousand copies, and send them to impoverished places, so poor academies have books to read, what do you think?"

Someone suggested, this idea was also quite good.

"Approved."

Yang Kai nodded, but after a careful calculation, at most it's only a few million taels of silver, still can't spend it all.

For a moment, the crowd found themselves in a dilemma.

In reality, for ordinary food, drink, lodging, and buying some good things, how much silver could they actually spend?

Look, even emptying a Wenbao Zhai would only be five hundred eighty thousand taels of white silver.

To build a Temple of the Former Sages, even if it's a bit pricey, two million taels of silver would be enough.

Even if they published books—twenty titles, printing two million copies—how much silver is that? Printing five million copies wouldn't cost much either.

Yang Kai couldn't think of places to spend money; to be precise, these scholars wouldn't gamble or waste money on things they don't like.

For example, buying clothes or the like—they're not very interested.

In the end, Yang Kai thought that during the brainstorming process, let everyone spend, since the Ministry of Rites has many people—about a thousand—so during this period everyone's food, drink, lodging, and entertainment would be paid for by the Ministry of Rites.

But thinking carefully, it actually wouldn't cost much either.

Too much money really makes one worried.

There's no way around it; the money arrived so suddenly, and in such a lump sum that they couldn't even imagine how to spend it.

By comparison, the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Rites are relatively more sensible.

At this very moment, in the Western Market.

The Princess of Qin and the Crown Princess both appeared in the Western Market; this market is a place for the wealthy, and the goods traded are all high‑end items.

Usually, only high officials and nobles show up.

Today, the Princess of Qin stood on the right, the Crown Princess on the left; both wore utterly calm faces, and the way they spent silver left everyone stunned.

Inside a Silk Brocade House.

The Crown Princess entered, and without waiting for the shopkeeper to speak, directly pointed at several bolts of silk brocade, then slowly said,

"Except for these few styles, take everything else."

"Yun Cui, take these silks back to the mansion for the servants to make clothes."

After speaking, the Crown Princess floated away to the next shop.

This left the silk brocade shopkeeper completely dumbfounded.

His silk brocade costs five hundred taels per bolt, and some even exceed a thousand taels; buying them all would run into a hundred thousand taels.

Is it necessary to be this extravagant?

The Princess of Qin was even more straightforward.

Arriving at the largest jade shop in the Western Market, she didn't wait for the shopkeeper to speak; her maid beside her already spoke up.

"Bring out the most expensive jade pieces in your shop; anything priced below fifty thousand taels, don't bring it out, lest you dirty the princess's eyes."

The Princess of Qin usually spends a lot, but around a few ten thousand taels she stops.

Now she isn't timid at all; with this money being perfectly legitimate, she isn't afraid and speaks outright.

Hearing this, the shopkeeper hurriedly had his servants carefully bring out some extremely precious jade artifacts.

One must admit, each jade piece was more exquisite than the last.

"These jade gourds are nice, small and exquisite; buy them and send them to the Crown Princess."

The Princess of Qin glanced at the jade artifacts—a pair of jade gourds of emerald, exquisitely beautiful, with a very attractive price.

120,000 taels of silver per pair.

Yet the Princess of Qin didn't even look again, bought them outright, and gave them to the Crown Princess.

This forced the shopkeeper to swallow a mouthful of saliva.

Damn it, the royal family is rich; countless people have seen that pair of jade gourds, but how many have bought them so casually?

About a quarter of an hour later.

A voice sounded.

"Sister."

With the voice, it was the Crown Princess speaking.

"It's older sister."

"Sister, do you still like those jade gourds?"

Seeing the Crown Princess arrive, the Princess of Qin also rose, smiling, and said, since everyone is now doing business together, the relationship naturally became friendly.

"I like them very much."

"But where is there a younger sister sending gifts to an older sister?"

"Come, shopkeeper, what's the most expensive jade piece you have?"

"Bring it out."

The Crown Princess spoke; she wasn't after prestige, but because there was too much money, when others sent gifts, she had to return them—reciprocity, right? Hearing this, the shopkeeper immediately fetched a piece of jewelry crafted from various gemstones, dazzlingly beautiful.

Its price was also extremely high.

350,000 taels of white silver.

"Shopkeeper, send it to the Qin Palace."

"Yun Cui, pay the money."

The Crown Princess said lightly; Yun Cui then took out a thick stack of silver notes and placed them on the table.

The whole shop was stunned.

Even the shopkeeper was completely shocked.

350,000 taels of white silver—just give it and it's given?

You don't even quote a price back? I'm a bit scared.

That's all.

It lasted until evening.

The entire Da Xia Capital was bustling with excitement, especially the high-end restaurants, which were almost all booked out.

And what happened today spread everywhere.

All kinds of rumors circulated, but no one knew exactly what was going on.

However, just as the Ministry of Revenue officials, after a hard day's work, had found a familiar tavern, intended to have a drink and chat, and were about to head home to rest,

They were shocked to discover.

In the capital, any tavern with even a bit of fame had been booked out.

This was the doing of the Ministry of Works.

Inside sat nothing but artisans.

For a moment, the Ministry of Revenue officials were numb.

When did the Ministry of Works become so wealthy?

Shortly thereafter, someone relayed this news to the Minister of Revenue.

Inside He Yan's residence.

After hearing the report from his subordinates, He Yan couldn't help but furrow his brows.

"Is it really the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works that did this?"

He Yan frowned, finding it hard to believe what he had heard.

"Sir, it's absolutely certain; my subordinates have verified it three times over, and the situation is true."

The latter spoke up, informing He Yan.

"This doesn't make sense?"

"The Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Rites are always crying poverty, aren't they?"

"Oh."

"It must be that Da Xia Sleepless City has split the bill."

"The Jiangzhong Dragon Rice sells quite well; they've made some money."

He Yan began to feel doubtful, but quickly thought of the only possible explanation.

"Minister, the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Rites, having just acquired a bit of silver, are behaving this way; moreover, I just heard that our people ran into Ministry of Works officials, who were shouting arrogantly, asking why our Ministry of Revenue personnel aren't going to the taverns."

"It's really rather arrogant."

The latter spoke up, sounding somewhat dissatisfied.

Upon hearing this, He Yan's voice turned cold.

"Fine."

"Tomorrow at court, I will present a memorial to His Majesty to cut their budget, to see if they dare remain so arrogant."

"The Ministry of Works recently requested an allocation of 1.5 million taels, and the Ministry of Rites asked for 900,000 taels."

"Da Xia Sleepless City likely gave them only four or five hundred thousand taels of silver; spending it like this, they'll run out in less than a month."

"Handling them is nothing more than child's play."

He Yan spoke.

Actually, he mainly felt somewhat aggrieved, jealous, and a bit sour.

Whether to take revenge or not is secondary.

Mainly, he just found it displeasing to watch.

Squandering money.

Really.

Thus.

The next day.

The sky had just begun to lighten.

The new day's court assembly was about to begin.

(End of chapter)