Chapter 106: Ministers: The immortal’s brain was damaged by lightning!
After ordering a batch of goods, it’s time to pay.
This is a rather daunting topic. The Qin Dynasty lacked paper currency, and silver mines were scarce. Gold was mostly used for jewelry and gifts, rarely appearing in circulation. After the unified currency system, the most important coin remained the Qin Banliang.
Key point: it's made of copper.
No matter how light metal is made, its weight and volume are still there. Moreover, in order to ensure the purchasing power of the Qin Banliang, the copper content must not be insufficient.
The wealthy people who come and go naturally would not carry such a large amount of money with them, so at this time they can only go home to get it.
The local officials in Xianyang were fine, as they knew in advance that the department store was going to launch new products and prepared money beforehand before coming to buy them. However, some merchants from other places had only come to join in the fun and look at the goods, and had not expected to see large quantities of valuable items.
At this point, I can only go home to get money.
People came and went, and by the time the department store closed in the evening, Qin Banliang had already filled two entire warehouses.
It really proves the saying: people who walk in will be crushed by the money.
Mountains and seas of money.
The person in charge of the department store is Shao Lan. Half a year has passed and she has returned to Xianyang. Before she could catch her breath, she caught up with the autumn harvest celebration. The flow of people in Xianyang City increased significantly. Naturally, she would not miss such a good opportunity. She urged the larger factories to stock up with goods. That's why the department store has been so prosperous these days.
“What’s today’s turnover?”
Shaolan was no longer as excited as she was the first time when she talked about the turnover. When she saw the money piled up in two large warehouses, her excitement was mixed with a headache.
A lot of money.
Counting money is such a hassle.
He also had to check the taxes to be paid with the officials sent by the Minister of Grain.
Even more troublesome.
She didn't have to count the money herself, but in order to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the situation, she had to supervise on the spot. Moreover, she had to personally check and hand over the tax payment with the official.
At the beginning, no one mentioned that department stores should pay taxes.
Although the Qin Dynasty imposed heavy taxes on merchants, could the immortal's shop be run by an ordinary merchant?
This is their offering to the gods!
As far as Shao Lan knows, many people who come to the department store to buy premium goods have this idea in mind.
I can't get in touch with immortals, but can't I go to their shops to buy some things to get some of the immortal spirit?
This is what ordinary people think.
There were also people who bought expensive items with the idea of giving benefits. At the beginning, they even deliberately raised the prices to give gifts secretly. It was only after Shao Lan, using the name of an immortal, severely disciplined them that this bad sign was suppressed.
Until one day, Shaolan took the account book to the immortal to report her income. After flipping through the account book, she asked, "Why is there only income and no expenses?"
Shao Lan was stunned for a moment before she realized what she meant.
It turns out that the immortal wanted to take the opportunity to have some fun?
The products are all purchased directly from the factories. All factories receive dividends from the immortals, which are directly taken from here.
They are all our own things, there is no need to distinguish them so clearly.
Shao Lan had already forgotten what she said at first, she only remembered that the immortal's expression was indescribable after she finished speaking.
It was like hearing something shocking and stupid.
"Brothers should settle accounts clearly. List every account clearly and don't confuse public and private matters!"
Then she brought up other expenses. "With the way you keep your accounts, you haven't even set aside money for taxes, have you?!"
“You’re evading taxes!!!”
What followed was a long and earnest exhortation from the immortal, who repeatedly emphasized that tax evasion was unacceptable and that one should not do anything illegal.
Under the immortal's grief-stricken gaze, Shao Lan made a sincere and profound self-examination, and said that he would work overtime to calculate the taxes when he returned, and would never make such a mistake again. Finally, he walked out of the Changsheng Palace with a wooden face.
As soon as she walked out of the Changsheng Palace, she was invited to the Zhangtai Palace by the eunuchs who had been waiting for her.
When she stepped into Zhangtai Palace, she felt mixed emotions.
This was her first time setting foot in Zhangtai Palace, the political core of Xianyang and even the Qin Dynasty, except for attending the banquet with her grandfather.
It was not her grandfather who brought her in, nor her own talent, but an immortal.
She reported the situation to His Majesty in detail, not even missing the immortal's reaction.
After hearing this, Ying Zheng remained silent for a long time, until Shao Lan's neck had stiffened from drooping head. Then the emperor's slow voice reached him from above: "Since that's the case, let's do as the Immortal Master said. Send an order to the Internal Affairs Secretary to station an official at the department store to take charge of tax collection."
Just when Shao Lan didn't know how to react, the eunuch's voice came from the side, respectfully accepting the order: "Yes.
…
Pulling away from her memories, Shao Lan still had the account book in front of her, and in the open warehouse were piles of neatly arranged copper coins like a mountain.
She finally understood what the young official meant by "feeling like vomiting when smelling money."
She now also really wanted to cover her face and leave.
Shaolan and the young official looked at each other and saw depression in each other's eyes.
The weight of the Qin Banliang can be roughly calculated by weighing it, but the coins are not exactly the same when they are made, and there is still some loss after they are circulated among the people. There will be some deviation in the weight. If you want to be completely accurate, you have to count them one by one.
There is so much money that I have become numb from counting it.
The official secretly wiped his face, pulled Shaolan to a corner, and asked in a low voice: "Miss Shaolan, tell me the truth, how much will this amount of turnover be in the future?"
Shao Lan raised her eyes, which had been dazed by the money, and stared at him straight, her tone vague: "I don't know either."
"Anyway, the Autumn Harvest Festival is inevitable during this period."
The official counted with his fingers and immediately let out a wail.
Self-centered
The Autumn Harvest Festival is called a celebration, but in fact there is no complete set of rules. It just lifts the market ban for half a month after the autumn harvest so that everyone can have fun together.
As the crowds gathered, more and more vendors appeared.
It has only been less than ten days now, and the news from the city gate officials is that the number of people entering the city every day is increasing.
Correspondingly, the department store's turnover is increasing day by day.
That's a good thing, but not so good if they're the ones counting the money.
"The immortal will have a way, right?" The official looked at Shaolan eagerly.
Shao Lan twitched the corners of her mouth, a forced smile: "What do you want me to say?" She pinched her throat and said sarcastically, "My immortal, there is too much money. I am tired of counting it. Can you help me count it?"
Just thinking about this kind of thing is going to be explosive, okay?
It has always been the subordinates who help their superiors, and no one has ever dared to bother the superiors with such trivial matters.
By the time all the coins were counted, the crescent moon was already setting in the west and it was long past curfew.
The kitchen staff prepared some hot noodle soup and served it as a midnight snack. After drinking half a bowl of hot soup, everyone, who had been dizzy from counting money, finally felt a little better.
I couldn’t go home during curfew, so I had to spend the night in a room in a nearby department store.
The others had already dispersed. The official and the clerk he brought with him looked at each other, rubbed their faces, and continued to work overtime.
They have to calculate the taxes they have to pay before they can rest.
The official propped up his head and calculated, thinking to himself: Maybe I should buy a separate house next to the department store, so that I can climb over the wall and go home after curfew, which is better than sleeping in the department store with my clothes on.
He scratched his head and brought out a handful of fallen hair.
He put the lost hair away as usual and added another plan in his mind: to find a doctor to prescribe a medicine to treat hair loss.
Early the next morning, Langguan returned to the yamen with increasingly dark circles under his eyes. After reporting the previous day's tax revenue to his immediate superior, he was specially allowed to go home and rest for half a day.
Shangguan: Go get some sleep quickly. If you die suddenly one day, you will lose a very useful subordinate.
Today happened to be the day when the Internal Affairs Secretary Zhisu calculated the taxes. He looked at the list handed over by his men with a surprised look on his face: "So many?!"
The Pingzheng Lingcheng nodded and said, "I check and verify it every day, and there are indeed so many."
This is just one department store that generates this much tax revenue. If department stores were opened all over Daqin...
Zhi Su Nei Shi's heart was burning with passion.
But then he thought that many of these people came here just for the immortal's reputation. If a department store was opened in other places, the result might not be so good.
However, this incident shows that there are really many rich people in Daqin.
It's time to find an opportunity to kill some.
"There's another thing..." Pingzheng Lingcheng talked about the fact that there was too much money and it was difficult to count and transport it.
But this is an old problem. Compared with the treasury income at the end of each year, it is nothing.
Zhisui Nei Shi touched his bald forehead and thought that it would be the end of the year in a few months, and his mood suddenly became depressed.
So sad.
If only there was something to replace these piles of copper coins.
Silk?
From ancient times to the present, cloth has always been used as currency, but its size is only slightly larger than that of copper coins.
Then there are precious metals.
Iron, a strategic material, must not be used.
There is only such a small amount of silver that it won’t make any difference when it enters the market.
Gold, how many people can exchange it?
Zhi Su Nei Shi was very worried, and the emperor knew it.
Ying Zheng also began to worry, and as he worried more and more, Wei Shengxue also knew it.
"With paper money?"
This was her first reaction.
Before the rise of electronic currency, paper money was the popular means of payment that replaced metal currency.
"Paper breaks when it touches water, how can it be used as currency?"
Wei Shengxue then explained to him what the special production techniques of paper money were and talked about the benefits of the implementation of paper money.
After listening to this, Ying Zheng was silent for a moment, then directly pointed out two major problems: "How can we prevent counterfeiting in the production of paper money? And how can we make officials and the people trust paper money?"
Paper money is not a bill; it is not just a certificate to buy something, but is intended to replace current money.
The Qin Banliang is as heavy as its inscription says. It really weighs half a liang. Although other metals are added, copper accounts for the majority. The common people can intuitively appreciate its value.
Copper is valuable, of course.
Paper money is different. It relies on the support of the national finance. In essence, it is just a piece of waste paper, but the state has given it enough value.
When a piece of paper money can be used to purchase corresponding goods at any time, it is money; but when the national finances cannot support such an exchange, it is a piece of waste paper.
It’s too rough to even wipe your butt!
"As for anti-counterfeiting measures, there are special papers used for banknotes, inks developed specifically for printing banknotes, anti-counterfeiting watermarks, three-dimensional patterns engraved on banknotes, metal wires pressed into banknotes, and colorless fluorescent fibers that can be seen under sunlight." Wei Shengxue counted on her fingers and recited the anti-counterfeiting methods for banknotes mentioned in the textbook.
But there is a problem. Daqin's technology cannot produce such high-end products.
Wei Shengxue spread his hands and said, "You can't solve the problem of the people's trust in the court. It's better to hope for the discovery of large copper, silver, or gold mines than to rely on the court's endorsement."
"Once there are enough copper coins, gold and silver to exchange for it, then promoting paper currency will be much easier."
Ying Zheng held his forehead helplessly.
If he had such a large number of gold and silver mines, wouldn't it be more convenient to directly open up the exchange between gold, silver and copper? Why would he have to go through the whole process of paper currency?
"Then there's nothing we can do. Send them to look for minerals."
Ying Zheng: "After hundreds of years of war between various nations, all the metal deposits that could be found have long been mined."
Wei Shengxue encouraged him, "Xu Sheng's ship has already sailed. Let him go to Baiyue, further south, and further north to look. These places are less populated, and there might be undiscovered precious metal veins."
Ying Zheng didn't think for long before making a decisive decision.
Anyway, he doesn't have to go there himself, it's just a side job while sailing.
So Xu Sheng, who was still drifting on the sea, had another task without his knowledge.
If he knew, he would definitely curse in his heart.
Inhuman!
You are not human!
But Xu Sheng didn't know, so he could still stroll leisurely in Kuaiji County.
Yes, he is in Kuaiji County now.
The distance from Donghai County to Kuaiji County is not far, and it would be even shorter if taken by sea. However, the remaining sea charts were not reliable, and a fleet stopped and started many times, and it took several months before it slowly arrived at Kuaiji County.
Although this place nominally belonged to the Qin Dynasty before, it was actually the territory of the Chu people. Xu Sheng naturally did not dare to bring the Qin fleet to dock here, but now it is different. There are his own people here, and the person in charge is Liu Ji, with whom he has known for several months.
Mr. Xu: Hey, this is my happy hometown!
"How's the pearl farming base here going? The kelp in Donghai County has already entered the water, and it's grown rapidly thanks to the immortal's magic."
Liu Ji was still worried about organizing the imperial examinations and provincial examinations. When he heard his boastful tone, he immediately became angry.
Damn it, I'm so busy here, and not only are you idle and wandering around, but you even come and hang around in front of me!
Stay and work for me!
Not to mention how exciting the battle of wits and courage between the two was, the Xianyang Palace became lively again.
Meng Tian brought back the news.
——The Huns are making unusual movements.
In the past, the Qin Dynasty’s attitude towards the Huns was: stay away from me, or I’ll slap you if you come close.
But ever since the immortal proposed the strategy of using commerce to control the Huns, the Huns were no longer annoying neighbors, but a sustainable money bag!
In addition, the trade routes brought by the two merchants were just right for opening up the Huns' market.
The former Daqin: You are so annoying, just kill me.
The current Qin Dynasty: Live well, and your descendants will work for you.
"We still have to fight. If they are hurt, they will behave themselves." Under the Qin Dynasty's system of conferring titles based on military merit, military generals were very keen to go to war.
"It would be better to incorporate the Xiongnu directly into the territory of the Qin Dynasty, so that these barbarians can enjoy the grace of heaven and learn the ways of education and ethics." This sounded like what a civil servant said.
It sounds better than singing. To put it bluntly, the former was to fight the Huns, and the latter was to seize the Huns' territory and cut off their culture and civilization.
The military generals all looked at him sideways: When it comes to viciousness, you literati are still the best!
We must fight, but how to fight and to what extent needs to be discussed carefully.
They never thought that the Qin cavalry would fail.
Before, beating them was like beating our grandson, but now with the magical weapons provided by the immortals, we are even more powerful and can attack the Huns... at a dimensionality reduction rate.
It's called dimensionality reduction attack.
The words of immortals are always so mysterious, yet extremely accurate.
Wei Shengxue knew this news because the system told her.
At that time, the system excitedly came over to deliver the message: [Host, host, your guarantee of advancement to the Nascent Soul stage has arrived!]
Wei Shengxue had been sitting cross-legged, using her inner energy to suppress her surging spiritual energy. She had accumulated enough spiritual energy, and the strength she'd built through her merits and virtues was practically non-existent. Months earlier, she'd been strong enough to reach the Nascent Soul stage.
But because he couldn't find a suitable opportunity to advance, he could only suppress it again and again.
The thunder tribulation that comes with advancement to the Nascent Soul stage is so powerful that no matter where it occurs, it will cause extremely serious damage to that area.
At that time, Wei Shengxue also discussed with the system whether she could survive the tribulation in mid-air like the Jindan stage?
At that time, she thought that this was a world of immortal cultivation with big men everywhere, and she didn't care about the impact on the environment and the indigenous people. But now she knows that Daqin is a wild land with crispy chickens everywhere, so she can no longer just find a place.
"Have you found a place where you can survive the tribulation?"
Wei Shengxue was about to cry. Do you know how she has been living these past few months?
She seldom even left the house. All she did was refine weapons and draw formations, trying every possible way to consume her excess spiritual energy. Otherwise, Daqin's communications wouldn't have been able to reach every county so quickly.
But for places like that where she needed to go in person, she could only put it off again and again.
For example, the main teleportation array in the other palace outside Xianyang City was supposed to be arranged so that it could be connected to all places in the world, but it is still left there.
For example, the teleportation arrays in other counties did not work in some places for some reason, and she was required to check them out, but she did not go.
Don’t ask, if you ask, it means I’m in seclusion.
As for why anyone can see it when they come looking for it?
Even if you are in seclusion, you need to take a break.
"Where is the place where I will transcend the tribulation?" Wei Shengxue asked.
[North of the North.]
The system relayed the information it had just gathered: "Daqin and the Xiongnu to the north are about to go to war. You can journey to Xiongnu territory to survive the tribulation. The thunderstorm will be so powerful it will surely scare them to death and prevent a war. You can defeat the Xiongnu without a single soldier, and the newly acquired merit will be perfect for strengthening your cultivation."
The system has been planned and the success rate has been calculated several times, and the results are very good.
[According to the calculation results of this system, even if the worst case scenario is failure in overcoming the tribulation, the merit gained from stopping the war will be used to heal your wounds, which is perfect for full coverage.]
Wei Shengxue's eyes became brighter and brighter as he listened to its plan.
This is a really great idea.
"Let's go and say goodbye to Fellow Daoist Ying Zheng immediately, and then head to the northern border."
Wei Shengxue immediately tidied herself up, changed her wrinkled clothes, and rushed to Zhangtai Palace, even arriving much faster than the eunuch who came to deliver the message.
At this time, the ministers who were meeting in Zhangtai Palace had not yet left. When they saw her coming, they couldn't help but be surprised.
After returning to Xianyang this time, the immortal became more and more reclusive. If she had not met with people who came to see her from time to time, they would have thought that she had quietly left at some point.
What's the matter with the immortal coming here?
They recalled the last time an immortal appeared in Zhangtai Palace during a court meeting.
Oh, I'm talking about the imperial examination system.
The first thing he said was groundbreaking news.
Those who didn't understand the situation at first thought that Shang Yang had come back to life.
Regardless of what they thought, all the ministers bowed to her when they saw her: "Greetings, Immortal Master."
Ying Zheng, who had been holding the throne high, also stood up to greet him: "Daoyou, please take a seat."
The eunuch standing beside her had already cleverly moved the jade throne when he saw her, and set up a new seat on the imperial steps, next to the throne.
This is an honor that belongs only to immortals.
Only she can be on equal footing with the most supreme Emperor of the Qin Dynasty.
Wei Shengxue waved her hand and did not sit down, but out of respect and closeness, she still came to the imperial steps and communicated with Ying Zheng face to face.
"I'm going to the North," she announced.
Ying Zheng's face darkened slightly: "Will there be any unexpected events in this battle with the Xiongnu?"
He was not surprised why Wei Shengxue knew this news. For immortals, there were no secrets in the world. Moreover, there were so many people discussing it in the Xianyang Palace. It would be strange if the immortals didn't know it.
But he couldn't figure out why she wanted to go to the North.
It can't be that they can't bear the war and want to stop it.
When the immortal gave advice on attacking the Baiyue, he showed no mercy at all, which really made people see what it means to kill without shedding blood.
So when Ying Zheng learned that she was going to the North at this time, his first reaction was that there would be an accident this time, and the immortal must have anticipated the outcome and was going to take charge.
The war between the Qin Dynasty and the Xiongnu is related to future development, and no accidents are allowed to happen.
Fortunately, the immortal shook his head after hearing his words and said, "This is a private matter."
She didn't mind telling them the truth: "My accumulated merit has reached a critical point, and I'm about to undergo a thunder tribulation. The thunder tribulation is so powerful that I'm afraid it will affect you if I undergo it within the Great Qin. To avoid unnecessary casualties, I need to find a place with vast land and few people."
The land is vast and sparsely populated, so the Xiongnu territory is very suitable.
On the vast grassland, you may not see a single person even if you run for hundreds of miles.
Overcome tribulation, thunder tribulation!
Ying Zheng suddenly connected it to the unusual weather at Mount Tai last year and asked tentatively, "You were at Mount Tai..."
Wei Shengxue's face changed, as if someone had brought up his dark past in front of him. With a bitter face, he said, "Fellow Daoist, can we not talk about that? Being struck by lightning from the sky while undergoing a tribulation is truly humiliating!"
Struck down from the sky by lightning!
So the immortal didn’t go to the wrong place, but was struck by lightning and became confused, so he didn’t even know where he was?
The ministers below looked at each other and suddenly realized something in each other's eyes.
No wonder their lame excuses have never been exposed. It turns out there’s something wrong with the immortal’s brain!
Wei Shengxue keenly sensed an ominous premonition directed at her and looked around in confusion, but found no ill intentions.
Strange, what's going on?
If she knew what everyone in Daqin was thinking, she would definitely curse back:
You are the one with a mental problem! Your whole family has a mental problem!
I'm fine!
But she didn't know, so she just looked around and then looked away, and talked to Ying Zheng about going to the north.
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