The reputation of merchants will be greatly enhanced, laying a solid foundation of public support for their business development.

Furthermore, improved transportation leads to broader business opportunities, which not only promotes local commercial prosperity but also attracts merchants from other regions to conduct business, further expanding business opportunities.

Thus, the merchants' investment in road repair not only benefits themselves in the long run but also helps the government raise funds for road construction. It is truly a win-win situation, and we hope Your Majesty will consider it carefully.”

With a smile in his eyes, the Emperor continued, "Minister Qin's advice is very much to my liking."

However, I still have some doubts. These merchants are all profit-driven people. Although road repairs will be beneficial in the long run, it is not easy for them to pay for it out of their own pockets right now.

I have pondered this for a long time, but still have not found a good solution. What ingenious method, through gentle persuasion, can I persuade the merchants to willingly fund the road repairs?

Qin Qianluo remained calm and continued, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Although most merchants today are driven by profit, I believe that there are many among them who are deeply righteous and have the country at heart."

Moreover, the merchants are seasoned businessmen and are not foolish.

Your Majesty may consider the following measures: selecting eloquent and knowledgeable businessmen to negotiate with the merchants.

The advantages and disadvantages of road construction are carefully analyzed and explained in detail, conveying the greater good and making it clear to them that road construction will benefit themselves and the local area in the long run.

Perhaps we could consider reaching a mutually beneficial agreement with them.

For example, if a merchant voluntarily builds a road 100 feet long, the imperial court may grant him the right of first refusal to sell newly developed items, such as crystal-clear glass.

If a merchant voluntarily contributes to the construction of a thousand-foot road, the imperial court will grant them the exclusive right to manufacture new products.

Furthermore, skilled artisans from the Ministry of Works could be dispatched to carefully teach them the manufacturing methods, enabling merchants to produce and operate independently and expand their business scope.

In this way, merchants can reap tangible benefits, and the imperial court can also use this opportunity to secure funding for road repairs. It is a win-win situation, and Your Majesty may consider it.

The more the emperor listened, the brighter his eyes became. He thought to himself: "Yes, since merchants are pursuing profits, why not go with the flow and give them the profits?"

As for the first point that Qin Qianluo mentioned, the Emperor understood that it was probably something the girl was saying to those officials who were unwilling to compromise and only wanted personal gain.

The following was her actual strategy. Then, the Emperor thought of another question and said, "Your plan is excellent, but I still have some concerns."

If the merchants, as you have suggested, obtain the right to sell these new items such as glass, or even to produce and sell them, then...

From a business perspective, it's hard to guarantee that merchants won't arbitrarily raise prices in order to gain more profits.

After all, people don't have a clear understanding of the price of novel items like glass, so if merchants take advantage of this to inflate prices...

Firstly, this might prevent these originally beneficial resources from reaching the people; secondly, it might create new chaos and public discontent. Does my esteemed minister have any countermeasures for this?

Qin Qianluo curled her lips and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive my concern. Your Majesty's concerns are very valid. To prevent merchants from raising prices, I believe the following measures can be taken:"

Your Majesty may prudently determine a reasonable selling price based on factors such as the cost of various new items, market demand, and expected profits.

And by announcing it to the world, so that the people know its value and the price is made public, it will be difficult for merchants to raise prices at will.

At the same time, when the imperial court traded with merchants, it appropriately reduced the wholesale price of goods to give merchants a certain profit margin so that they could make a profit.

Taking glass as an example, Your Majesty can calculate its production and transportation costs, taking into account market conditions.

Establish a wholesale and retail system that ensures merchants obtain reasonable profits without subjecting ordinary people to excessively high prices.

This approach not only eliminates the potential for merchants to raise prices but also safeguards their business enthusiasm.

For production and operation, contracts can be drafted in advance, and merchants have the right to produce and operate, but the imperial court will send people to inspect regularly.

If the quality of goods produced by merchants does not meet the standards, the imperial court may shut down the factory and revoke the merchant's production rights at any time.

If merchants wish to obtain production rights again in the future, they will need to invest in building the thousand-foot road again, and the Ministry of Works will supervise production for a certain period of time. If the quality meets the standards, production can continue.

Furthermore, the imperial court can also profit from selling new goods to merchants and obtaining production licenses for those goods, achieving a win-win situation for all three parties. What does Your Majesty think?

Upon hearing Qin Qianluo's words, the assembled officials exchanged bewildered glances, their faces showing confusion.

What exactly does "transportation cost" refer to? And what is the complex situation surrounding this "market situation"?

These novel and obscure words, like sounds from another world, entered their ears but failed to paint a clear picture in their minds.

Everyone's thoughts seemed to be lost in a chaotic and confusing fog, unable to find a solution, and could only speculate in their hearts.

Gu Qingshi, however, seemed to have found a glimmer of light in the darkness, and suddenly realized the truth.

He couldn't help but marvel at the ingenuity of the plan!

This cleverly motivated shrewd merchants to willingly spend money to build roads, thus resolving the shortage of funds for road construction.

This would allow the imperial court to obtain substantial sums of money from the sale of new goods, replenishing the depleted national treasury. This was undoubtedly a brilliant strategy that killed two birds with one stone.

As for the planning and layout of production and operation, although he has not yet fully grasped all the intricacies involved.

But intuitively, one knows that this must also be a brilliant and ingenious plan.