"Grand Commandant, my good Grand Commandant, please tell me!"
Meng Can has now completely let herself go, and with her familiarity with her wicked husband, she has lost all semblance of self-restraint.
The Qin state is currently enjoying great prosperity, and as the Grand Canal Master in charge of the nation's finances, he plays a crucial role in this endeavor. He aspires to achieve lasting fame in his twilight years, hence his extreme sensitivity to matters concerning finances and grain.
The wicked man glanced at him sideways and said, "Oh, so the Taicang magistrate isn't going to fight me one-on-one?"
Meng Can chuckled awkwardly upon hearing this. He didn't know where he got the audacity to bare his teeth in front of a tiger. "We're all good brothers, there's no need to be so formal."
"You old rascal, you're getting more and more outrageous." The wicked husband shook his head and laughed. Although his tone was teasing, his eyes were full of doting affection.
Meng Can didn't take it to heart; instead, he became even more smug. "Haha, it's just that I've been serving the Grand Commandant for so long that I've become young and impetuous too!"
The conversation between the two was filled with a playful and relaxed atmosphere. Such exchanges were rare in the power center of Qin, but this also reflected the extraordinary friendship between them.
"Alright, stop fooling around." Ying Zheng, sitting in the superior position, waved his hand, signaling Meng Can to get serious. "Let's get down to business. What brilliant plan or method do you have?"
The wicked man put away his smile and said seriously, "Your Majesty, do you remember that little trinket I made back then?"
Ying Zheng's eyes glazed over for a moment, then he seemed to remember something. "Oh, you mean that glassware?" Ying Zheng's tone was tinged with surprise.
Previously, her wicked husband had sent several items to the palace, including two pieces of tricolor glassware, which were given to Lady Huayang and Empress Dowager Xia. The two women cherished them and displayed them in their bedrooms, admiring them every day.
“Indeed, Your Majesty is wise.” The wicked man nodded, a hint of pride flashing in his eyes. “The Mohists have perfected this item, and the craftsmen’s shaping skills have reached a new level. Now it is so beautiful that it is irresistible.”
"But... what's the use of this?" Ying Zheng frowned slightly, clearly doubting that this thing could be exchanged for a lot of money.
Even in the US, this is just a decorative item; it can't be eaten or drunk. Who would be foolish enough to spend a fortune to buy it?
"Your Majesty, you are mistaken!" The wicked man smiled slightly and said confidently, "Your Majesty is diligent in governing the country and naturally does not care for or want to part with these luxurious things, but not everyone is like that!"
This is simply a matter of opinion.
Humans are vain, and those who hold high positions for a long time love nothing more than a life of luxury and extravagance, constantly showing off their extraordinary status.
Otherwise, how would the concept of luxury goods have come about in later generations?
This time, he wanted these barbarians to experience the luxury goods from the mysterious East, China, so as to reap their wealth.
Ying Zheng nodded thoughtfully after hearing this, clearly intrigued by his wicked husband's suggestion. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Your idea is novel, but are you sure you can sell it for an astronomical price, or supply it in large quantities?"
The wicked man replied confidently, "Your Majesty, I have made preparations. I plan to hold a grand glass exhibition in the market and invite envoys and wealthy merchants from various countries to come and admire it."
"At that time, we will use clever marketing methods to spread the fame of glassware throughout the world. Once glassware becomes a treasured item that nobles from various countries are eager to collect, we will be able to reap huge profits from it."
"Well, scarcity drives up value. We produce a huge amount of this stuff, but we can't release too much at once. With some hype and an exciting auction format, it's bound to fetch an astronomical price."
"Auction?!" A glint of light flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes. Although he did not understand the meaning of auction, he could not help but shiver when he saw the sinister and cunning smile on his husband's lips.
Whenever a wicked husband displays such behavior, he is no good at all and can absolutely ruin a family and cause death.
"An auction, as the name suggests, involves everyone sitting together and bidding, with the highest bidder winning," the wicked husband explained considerately.
Ying Zheng pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded. "That is indeed a good idea. However, what about the production cost of these materials?"
"The cost is negligible, and the Mohist school is still conducting further research to find a faster, mass-production technique. By then, this thing will become an indispensable item for every household, which will improve people's livelihoods," the wicked man replied confidently.
There was no glass in this era, and the lighting was extremely poor, making the home very dark.
Wealthy families could at least use slightly translucent cloth to cover their windows, while poor families simply used two wooden planks, which they opened during the day to let in air and light, but closed at night, making it pitch black inside.
Living like this for a long time would make anyone sick, not to mention the lack of warmth and drafts everywhere.
Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng smiled with satisfaction. "Very well, I will entrust this matter to you. I will not inquire further."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The wicked man clasped his hands in a salute, secretly planning to urge Xianglihe to produce the glass as soon as possible to benefit the people.
Meng Can then approached again, chuckling, "Grand Commandant, now that we've taken Kucha, why not quickly establish a market to avoid wasting time?"
Oh ho?
The wicked man raised an eyebrow; wasn't this urging him to leave Xianyang as soon as possible?
"Since Meng Taicang is in such a hurry, why don't you go instead?"
Meng Can swallowed hard. He was already exhausted, not only having to manage the allocation of disaster relief funds and grain, but also having to promote sugarcane planting.
If you add the distribution market to that, he probably would have died decades earlier.
The officials in the palace had been working hard recently, and if they had a lot of money to support them, they wouldn't be in such a mess. So they immediately started urging them on.
"Grand Commandant, the Qin Kingdom cannot do without you, please go quickly!"
"Yes, we're so desperate to make the most of every last bit of our resources. If you succeed, why would we need to be so humble?"
The hall instantly became noisy, like the buzzing of countless flies.
"Grand Commandant, if you succeed, we also want to experience what it feels like to spend money like it's nothing," Han Fei said excitedly.
“Yes, Grand Commandant, if you can open up new sources of revenue, we can also better develop our military equipment. Wouldn’t it be more enjoyable for you to fight next?” Xin Sheng echoed.
Looking at these anxious faces, the wicked man smiled and said firmly, "Gentlemen, I understand. I will get to work on this as soon as possible and live up to your expectations."
"Okay, we can rest assured with your words."
Seeing that the wicked husband had finally become serious, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“However, Your Majesty, I have another request,” the wicked man suddenly added, as if remembering something.
"Oh? Tell me about it," Ying Zheng asked curiously.
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