After working for two hours, Li Shimin returned with a full load. Although he had stayed up all night, he left in a very good mood and did not mind being frightened at all. Instead, he praised Qin Mu for doing the right thing and for keeping the goods safe.
Qin Qiong and the others stayed with Li Shimin, mainly because carrying the items up from underground was too time-consuming, and some items needed to be sealed. Qin Mu was most reluctant to part with the calligraphy and paintings, but in front of Li Shimin, he could only watch them helplessly.
"Alright! At least nothing went wrong!" Guo Xiaoke breathed a sigh of relief after Li Shimin's figure disappeared into the night.
"This is not my fault!" Qin Mu said hurriedly.
Guo Xiaoke knew, of course, that Qin Mu was not to blame for this; it was mainly his own carelessness that had led him to this serious incident right under his nose.
"Don't worry about it. I didn't pay attention to it either. Everyone was preoccupied with a lot of things these past few days," Qin Qiong reassured her.
"I'm going back now! Huai Dao, since His Majesty has agreed to set up the strongholds and recruit people, then go ahead and do it." Guo Xiaoke said with a wry smile, then turned and left.
That's right, while Li Shimin was waiting for the goods to be moved, Qin Mu brought up these two matters. Coincidentally, both leaders of the Six Doors were present, along with Li Shimin, the big boss. Of course! Qin Mu used subtle language, only highlighting the benefits of the matters, and only mentioning at the end that it might cost a lot of money.
Li Shimin reaped huge benefits and didn't think too much about it. Although he knew that the Six Doors had intercepted some gold and silver, he still agreed without hesitation. After all, he knew exactly how much the court had invested in the Six Doors and how much it had spent.
The four Ruguilou restaurants in Chang'an City delivered thousands of pounds of fatty meat and bones to the Six Doors every day, which was better than the life of the Xuanjia Army. He was both envious and happy about this, after all, the Six Doors also belonged to him.
"Mu'er, in the future, if anything happens, let your father know! So that you won't be in such a panic like today." Guo Xiaoke left, and Qin Qiong and his son naturally went home with him.
Qin Mu wanted to say that he was the one who was flustered and in a panic, but since this was his father, he could only honestly answer, "Yes, Father! I understand."
"Do you know how much tax revenue the imperial court collected last year?" Qin Qiong asked on the way.
"Fifty million strings of cash, that's the total revenue! After deducting the salaries of the troops stationed in various places, only ten million strings of cash worth of goods ultimately went into the national treasury, most of which were just grain and cloth." Before Qin Mu could answer, Qin Qiong smiled bitterly and continued.
Qin Mu then understood why Li Shimin attached such importance to it; it turned out that the gold and silver handed over this time was more than the national tax revenue last year.
"Now you understand, right? The national treasury doesn't have much money. With this large sum, His Majesty can do many things. Let's not talk about anything else, just take the Six Doors! The constables of the Six Doors have good food, which not only the Twelve Guards envy, but His Majesty also envies, but he can't afford to support them! There isn't that much money." Qin Qiong explained in a rambling manner.
"No wonder the imperial court only provided personnel and materials when it was setting up the Six Doors, but not money! It turns out they didn't have the funds!" Qin Mu exclaimed.
"It's not that the imperial court is short of money, it's just that money needs to be used wisely. For most things, we use supplies instead," Qin Mu explained.
Qin Mu thought for a moment before realizing that he had come from another world, and some of his deeply ingrained beliefs hadn't changed. Furthermore, since obtaining the Heavenly Mystery Tower, he hadn't lacked money, so he had forgotten that this was still a financial system, an immature society.
The financial system and the monetary system are two different concepts. A monetary system existed, but due to limited mining, the supply of gold, silver, and copper coins was insufficient for the entire society. Compared to the behemoth that was the imperial court, it was a drop in the ocean.
While currency can be used for general commercial transactions, bartering is more appropriate for both the imperial court and ordinary people, with currency serving as the standard of exchange.
"Won't we leave too much money behind?" Qin Mu asked with some concern.
"How much was left?" Qin Qiong suddenly looked up and asked.
"It should be, roughly, maybe more than two million strings of cash," Qin Mu said cautiously, his lips twitching slightly.
Now it was Qin Qiong's turn to twitch. He knew that the Six Doors had handed over gold and silver treasures worth five million strings of cash, so he hurriedly reported it. But when he saw Li Shimin, he didn't dare to ask any questions, never expecting there to be so much.
"Didn't you say it was only a million strings of cash?" Qin Qiong asked, forcing a smile.
“That was the first haul! Father, you agreed to it. We kept some more this time. You know, we need to expand the Six Doors' strength, right? Without money, how can we pay salaries? I just mentioned it to His Majesty.” Qin Mu blinked innocently as he explained.
Qin Qiong then remembered that Qin Mu had indeed said that he, Li Shimin, and Guo Xiaoke had all agreed. Moreover, Qin Mu had invested heavily, arming a thousand constables and building the Six Doors. The price he paid, a million strings of cash, was not excessive. Furthermore, Qin Mu had also said that another batch of leather armor had been ordered and distributed.
"Phew! Let's leave it at that. But you need to spend the money as soon as possible. His Majesty has also said that the Six Doors will not receive any more salaries this year. You need to make a plan for this. It would be best to make a plan, write it down, and have it stamped on your father's seal. That way, even if others find out, they won't have anything to say." Qin Qiong reminded him in one breath.
"Yes, I understand. Everything will be done openly and transparently. We won't give anyone any leverage against us!" Qin Mu nodded.
"You did a great job!" When they got home, Qin Qiong patted Qin Mu on the shoulder, gave him a satisfied smile, praised him, and then left.
Qin Mu returned to the courtyard alone, without disturbing anyone else. Once in his room, he cleared his mind and drifted into a deep sleep. There was no other way; serving a ruler was like walking on thin ice, and the mental pressure of being with Li Shimin was immense.
………
Empress Zhangsun must have known that Li Shimin left the palace at night, but she didn't know what had happened and could only wait patiently. Only when she heard that Li Shimin had returned to the palace did her eyebrows relax and a smile return to her face.
When someone receives something good, they can't help but want to share it with others, and choosing their closest person is naturally a subconscious behavior.
Empress Zhangsun didn't have to wait long before Li Shimin strode into the Lizheng Palace. Having been husband and wife for many years, they knew each other deeply. Zhangsun went to greet him, but Li Shimin took her hand and led her to the back. Zhangsun understood, and with a wave of her hand, the palace maids and eunuchs withdrew.
Arriving at the bedside, Li Shimin pulled Changsun into his arms, then gave him a princess carry, and with a wide-open mouth, kissed him.
After a while, Li Shimin finally raised his head with satisfaction and released the deformed ball of flesh from his hand.
"Your Majesty seems to be in a good mood today. Is there some good news?" Changsun asked with her big, watery eyes.
………………
The tax issue was fabricated by the fifth brother. After all, we live in different worlds.
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