After Tong Cheng'er discovered Yinzhen's "new face," she couldn't look at him directly at first. However, Yinzhen had been spending his days arguing with people at the Ministry of Revenue, and his thick skin had visibly increased.

He figured that since his image had already been shattered by his wife, he might as well completely abandon it. Then Tong Cheng'er discovered that he was still the same person, but his inner self was completely different, and he started to pester her relentlessly.

After being pestered for a while, Tong Cheng'er actually got used to it.

She has come to accept that she married a man who appears aloof on the surface but is actually a shameless and obsessive pervert.

So what if things fall apart? They're already married, what can they do but get divorced!

Just make do!

It's something I can't live without.

However, after Yinzhen's public image collapsed, in order to dispel Tong Cheng'er's lingering resentment, Yinzhen made concessions in bed.

For example, Tong Cheng'er had a rare experience of taking the lead, and although it was a bit tiring, she still...

Cough cough... It felt pretty good.

So what could Tong Cheng'er do under Yinzhen's meticulous persuasion in words, actions, and all other aspects?

Of course, I choose to forgive him.

Of course, this was what Yinzhen thought was forgiveness. In reality, Tong Cheng'er never blamed him; he just didn't know it.

Tong Cheng'er didn't want him to know either. Men shouldn't be spoiled too much; if they're spoiled too much, they'll easily get arrogant.

That's not good.

After all that turmoil, their lives returned to normal, but something seemed to have changed; they felt even more compatible on a spiritual level.

Sometimes, a single glance is enough for two people to understand each other's meaning; it can be described as a meeting of minds.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, two months have passed since Tong Cheng'er married Yinzhen.

Two major events from the past two months are worth mentioning.

The first matter was the Ministry of Revenue's loan issue, which Yinzhen had always been concerned about.

After repeated internal discussions, the rectification plan and specific measures have been approved by his father, the Emperor, and have officially begun to be implemented.

Although not many officials are still repaying their loans, some have begun to do so voluntarily.

This is a good start.

Moreover, nowadays, few officials borrow silver from the Ministry of Revenue. After all, the number of times an official can borrow silver during his lifetime is limited, and borrowing silver is a waste of opportunity unless it is an urgent matter.

By this calculation, the Ministry of Revenue could be considered to have increased revenue and reduced expenditure.

Less silver was lent out than before, and more silver was repaid than before.

Of course, the main problem is that not paying it back is not an option either.

Emperor Yinzhen specifically added a clause to the policy: officials who fail to repay their loans within the stipulated time will be included in a list of untrustworthy individuals. Anyone included in the list will be suspended from their post for three months. If the loan is not repaid after three months, the suspension will directly result in unemployment.

Later, some people didn't believe it and joined forces with many officials to refuse to return the money, and then they really lost their jobs.

This list of untrustworthy individuals later became known as the blacklist that officials should never be on.

This was also the first time that Qing Dynasty officials had witnessed the Fourth Prince's methods.

The Imperial Household Department handled the matter well that time, but the Imperial Household Department mainly dealt with the family affairs of the royal family, and outsiders didn't really understand it.

The second issue is the pencil problem.

Driven by the money, the five artisans at the Kitano-in Institute brainstormed and unexpectedly created an ancient version of a mechanical pencil.

It was a mechanical pencil that was almost identical to modern ones, the kind that could advance lead with just two presses, so you wouldn't lose a single pencil, and a box of lead could last you a year or two.

Along with mechanical pencils, springs also appeared, as they were a byproduct.

Tong Cheng'er never expected that they would discover the spring.

The first edition of mechanical pencils consisted of twenty pencils, each with a slightly different casing. Because the casings were made of wood, and some of the craftsmen were skilled in wood carving, each of the twenty pencils was exquisitely beautiful.

In Tong Cheng'er's opinion, this is much prettier than the pencils she used in modern times.

After the incident involving the Ministry of Revenue, Emperor Kangxi paid even more attention to the issue of the Ministry's funds, and Yinzhen would occasionally share his views on increasing revenue and reducing expenditure with Emperor Kangxi.

Seeing this, Yinzhen brought up the matter of the court engaging in commerce. Kangxi rejected Yinzhen's suggestion immediately upon hearing it. Yinzhen didn't mind, as he didn't intend to succeed at once and would take it slowly.

Just as he was about to take it slow, Tong Cheng'er placed the twenty mechanical pencils in front of him.

I asked about the cost, and it's good. Although the price of a single pencil is a bit high, one of these mechanical pencils can replace many others, and it can be used indefinitely as long as it doesn't break.

Then Yinzhen took ten pencils and went to the Qianqing Palace.

"Father, my wife has had the craftsmen in the manor make something. I think this thing can benefit the people of the world, so I am presenting it to you for your perusal."

Kangxi knew he was a pragmatist, and since he had said that, it must not be empty talk. So he said, "What is it that you praise so highly? I must take a good look."

Yinzhen then presented ten mechanical pencils.

Emperor Kangxi had never seen a pencil before and did not know what the man was presenting, so he asked him, "What is the use of this?"

It doesn't look very big, it's long and thin, but the carvings on it are quite nice. Emperor Kangxi couldn't figure out what it was used for.

Yinzhen: "Please trouble Steward Liang to bring me a piece of paper."

"Your Majesty, I will demonstrate the use of this item once."

Liang Jiugong took out the paper, and Yinzhen took out a pencil, skillfully pressed it twice, and the lead came out a little too much, so he pressed it down and gently rubbed it on the table a couple of times, and then he began to write on the paper.

The characters are written very small.

Kangxi now understood that what Yinzhen had presented was a writing brush.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!