Chapter 46

"I have already set up a banquet inside Outside Xianyanggong to entertain you. After the banquet ends, tomorrow, I will take you to witness a grand spectacle!"

"Grand spectacle?"

Upon hearing these words, everyone was puzzled.

And Li Si knew full well that this grand spectacle had been prepared by Facing Ying Su for a very, very long time!

However, he did not understand what the point was of spending such great effort just for this matter.

He thought this in his heart, but at this moment, he still urged the crowd to proceed to Outside Xianyanggong!

Not long after, they arrived at Outside Xianyanggong!

Cao Can, Fan Kuai, Xia Houying, Kill Xiao He, and these others were entering Outside Xianyanggong for the first time; after entering, they could not help but marvel at the grandeur of Qi Sect here, looking around while fearing they might break the rules, so for a time, they could only steal glances!

But Han Xin's eyes could not spare a moment to view the prosperity of Outside Xianyanggong!

At this very moment, his eyes were fixed only on the dense ranks of the garrison army!

He was deeply shocked!

Because... with just one glance, he saw the extraordinary nature of the garrison army!

Very majestic, and full of momentum!

At that moment, he could not help but secretly vow that in the future, he would definitely train soldiers like these!

Similarly, the matter of recruiting soldiers was turning in his mind.

Facing Ying Su had entrusted such a huge matter to him; he must do his utmost to do it well, only then would it not be in vain for Facing Ying Su's cultivation!

And even less in vain for Facing Ying Su's grace of recognizing his talent!

He thought this in his heart and secretly vowed, and not long after, the banquet arrived!

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Facing Ying Su had Li Si arrange their lodging and so on!

When the next day came and Facing Ying Su was preparing to take them to see that grand spectacle, Li Si reported a matter!

"That couple does not want the hundred thousand gold anymore!"

"Why?"

"Are they afraid they cannot bring the money back home?"

"Arrange for people to protect them; ensure both the money and the people are delivered safely!"

Facing Ying Su spoke these words.

And upon hearing these words, even Li Si could not help but praise Facing Ying Su's broad-mindedness!

One must know, that was a hundred thousand gold!

A hundred thousand gold; even some top-tier nobles would have to empty their family treasuries to produce so much money.

And for Facing Ying Su, this hundred thousand gold had nearly exhausted the money earned from selling paper during this period.

If it were others, they would definitely try to renege on the debt; even if they could not renege, they would find a way to have someone intercept the money along the way.

But... Facing Ying Su not only wanted to give it to them, but also wanted to arrange for people to escort them!

This very scene made Li Si admire him immensely!

But he still stated the situation truthfully:

"They hope to exchange the hundred thousand gold for a title!"

ps: Begging for flowers, begging for evaluation votes!!!

039. The Great Moment, Zheng He Sets Sail!

"A hundred thousand gold for a title?"

"What kind of title could be worth a hundred thousand gold?"

Facing Ying Su was very surprised and could not help but frown!

Li Si said: "Noble status!"

"Their ancestors were nobles of the State of Han, but during the reign of Marquis Ai of Han, because their ancestors committed a grave error, their noble status was stripped; from then on, they could only become commoners!"

"And they hope the Emperor will restore their noble status for them, allowing them to return to the nobility!"

"Noble status?"

"Just a noble status alone?"

Facing Ying Su frowned again!

Although he did not yet fully understand the intricacies involved, his instinct told him this matter was not as simple as it appeared on the surface!

Li Si explained:

"The noble status itself is not worth money, but... the profits brought by noble status are very valuable!"

"One must know, nobles do not need to pay taxes, and furthermore, a noble's land is all private property!"

"I have investigated; their ancestors bore the surname Lin and were a wealthy family; back then they had three thousand qing of fertile fields, the servants they kept numbered over a thousand, and they even had over two thousand private soldiers!"

"With such assets, even in the current Great Qin, they would be considered a great family of noble status!"

"Of course, even so, it still could not compare to a hundred thousand gold!"

"However, nobility has one benefit: it can be inherited!"

"If you are a noble in this generation, your descendants will forever be nobles!"

"As long as descendants do not commit any grave errors, their noble status will remain forever; even if dynasties change and imperial power shifts to new hands, the nobility will still exist!"

"Because nobles have grain, land, money, and soldiers in their hands, throughout all dynasties, no Emperor has ever lightly moved against the nobility!"

"This was so in Xia, Shang, and Zhou; in the past, from the State of Jin to the three states of Han, Zhao, and Wei, it was the same!"

"When it came to our Great Qin, it was the same as well; this is why, although the six states were destroyed, the nobles of the six states still lived comfortably!"

"And from this perspective alone, exchanging a hundred thousand gold for a noble status is considered a very worthwhile deal!"

At that moment, Li Si provided the explanation.

Ying Su frowned slightly and said nothing!

After a long while, he looked at Li Si: "Then what about you? Regarding this matter, what is your view?"

"Should the noble title be granted or not!"

Li Si pondered for a moment, did not answer whether it should be granted or not, but instead spoke:

"If it is granted, then... there are three benefits!"

"First, granting them the noble title can truly save a hundred thousand gold!"

"A hundred thousand gold is not a small sum; even for Your Majesty now, it is likewise not a small sum!"

"This hundred thousand gold, whether stored in the national treasury or used to expand the army, is more worthwhile than giving it to them!"

"Second, Your Majesty is a new emperor on the throne; currently is precisely the time when spreading one's reputation is needed!"

"By leveraging this matter, let them spread Your Majesty's good name; this is a good deed!"

"Third, restraining the people's mouths is harder than restraining a river! Though they are common folk, they still have a mouth; if this small matter makes them unhappy, and after they leave Xianyang they speak nonsense and tarnish Your Majesty's reputation, that would be a loss outweighing the gain!"

"In short, a noble title is merely a title; granting it satisfies their wishes, and Your Majesty can also gain benefits from it!"

Ying Su smiled: "Then what if it is not granted?"

"Uh..."

Cold sweat began to break out on Li Si's forehead!

After pondering for a moment, he said: "If Your Majesty grants it to them, it is their fortune, and also Your Majesty's benevolence!"

"And not granting it means Your Majesty is unwilling to arbitrarily break the Great Qin's rules for ascending to nobility over a small matter!"

"Your subject believes that granting it or not is both acceptable; it all depends on Your Majesty's wise judgment!"

While speaking, Li Si knelt down and bowed!

Ying Su looked at Li Si for a long time, and could not help but sigh: "Li Si, you are truly clever!"

Li Si was terrified and began to kowtow: "Your subject is terrified!"

Ying Su said:

"You say... what exactly makes a nation truly powerful?"

"Ah?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Li Si was stunned, his head buzzing!

Ying Su continued:

"In this world, there are two types of nations!"

"In one nation, the nobles live increasingly better lives!"