Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Mr. Matsuyama quickly explained his plan.
Everyone expressed their opinions freely, and Gu Baozhu spoke her mind even more frankly, but unfortunately, Mr. Songshan didn't take it seriously.
Gu Baozhu was not discouraged, after all, she was already happy to be able to participate.
In the end, Qin Yuan made the decision: "Let's follow Mr. Songshan's suggestion. We can bring some veterans from the estate to help verify the information. As for the selection... I think it would be better to choose some clever young men from the family."
Mr. Songshan said, "Being literate is the best thing."
Qin Yuan nodded.
Gu Baozhu said with envy, "Then Sixth Brother will be handling confidential matters with the teacher from now on. That's much more interesting than studying. I love gathering information, so why don't you..."
Mr. Songshan said, “Do you think these things are easy? Once the information is collected, it needs to be verified, and there should be rewards and punishments... Furthermore, there should be special secret codes and coded messages to pass on the information.” He then turned to Qin Yuan and said, “These things are definitely not enough for just a few of us.”
Qin Yuan nodded and said, "Please do not hesitate to enlighten me, sir."
Mr. Songshan stroked his beard and said, "I suppose the Marquis has people in charge of scouts in the northern frontier, but they are all in the main camp. Besides, it's not good to mix matters of the mansion with matters of the army."
Gu Shiba nodded.
Mr. Songshan continued, “Not only does the manor need dedicated personnel to manage it, but it also needs to assess, evaluate, and analyze different sources of information… Rewards and punishments are naturally indispensable… Furthermore…” As he spoke, he rubbed two fingers together.
Gu Baozhu shouted, "Silver!"
“Yes,” Mr. Songshan said, “I am not the kind of pedantic scholar who doesn’t like to talk about money. Our dynasty’s founding emperor was skilled in using spies, which is why there was no war on the border for twenty-five years. Using spies requires spending money, and this money must be used wisely. If anyone fabricates information for a reward, they must be severely punished. Only in this way can discipline be maintained. Speaking of using spies…”
Looking at Qin Yuan, he continued, "Then naturally we need to recruit capable people. Now that we have many sources of information, we need to select meticulous and capable people to record each piece of information, to distinguish whose information is valuable and whose information is just filler, and to know the personality of the person who spreads the information. Only in this way can we manage them better..."
Qin Yuan nodded, "What you say is very true, sir. The previous rules were about how things should be done, but now we're talking about how to find people to do it. This will require even more thought and effort."
Mr. Matsuyama rubbed his fingers together again.
Qin Yuan laughed and said, "Yes, yes, yes, and we also need money. A generous reward will surely bring forth brave men."
Mr. Songshan added, "This matter requires a special allocation of funds, and a capable person must be selected to oversee it. Rules must be established first, and any improprieties can be corrected. It will take several months of trial and error before it can be put into use. If it can be built, what in the capital can be kept from the Marquis's residence?"
Qin Yuan glanced at Mr. Songshan and tentatively asked, "What you're saying is similar to the speed control room in the imperial court."
Mr. Songshan didn't take it to heart: "I said before that the affairs in this Marquis's mansion are similar to those in the imperial court. The espionage office of the Privy Council deals with wartime border defense military affairs, and the affairs of gathering information and using spies are naturally similar to ours."
Seeing his candid manner, Master Gu and the others nodded repeatedly.
Gu Baozhu added, "Our place may be small, but it has all the essential parts."
Mr. Songshan stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly, looking at him with an expression that said, "This is a promising young man." Qin Yuan sighed inwardly but did not show it on her face. She smiled and said, "In that case, let's invite Steward Han, Steward Cao, and Accountant Wan. We can learn a thing or two from their experience in the military."
Gu Shiba immediately ordered someone to invite the two stewards and the accountant.
Before long, Steward Han, Steward Cao, and Accountant Wan arrived. After hearing the reason, Steward Han was overjoyed and said, "It should have been done long ago. Originally, we thought that since we were all running businesses in the north, it would be enough for the capital to send some news from the court to the north. Who would have thought that the Marquis would be so capable, and things could no longer be like before..."
Steward Cao chimed in, "That's right. If we had started our operations in the capital earlier, we wouldn't still be without any news about Miss Xu. I've remembered some old men who used to serve in the military but retired due to poor health. Gathering information is a piece of cake for them. If you need anyone, Master, I'll recommend them."
Wan Zhangfang remained silent.
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "That would be great. You just need to submit the list of candidates. Select some from the household servants as well, preferably literate ones, so that it will be easier to record information and make written records. As for the accounts... we'll have to rely on the Wan Accountant's office."
Wan, the accountant, hurriedly said, "This is my duty, but I don't know how much silver to allocate? If it is decided, the daily signatures, ledgers, etc. will all need to be made anew, which will take several days. It would be better to discuss the arrangements beforehand."
Qin Yuan thought for a moment and asked, "How much do you think is appropriate?"
Wan, the accountant, tentatively asked, "Should we allocate five thousand taels first?"
Mr. Songshan hurriedly said, "Madam must know that the money of the Imperial Courier Service is all transferred from the Fengchun Treasury. This is a major matter and must be done quickly and efficiently, without being affected by other things. Besides, this is a long-term matter with uncertain expenses, and it will be difficult to do the accounting at that time."
The implication is that a special fund was set aside for internal accounting.
Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Then let's allocate 20,000 taels from the money the Marquis brought back for property purchases. From now on, a special person will be in charge of the accounts. How about the head of the accounting office?"
Mr. Matsuyama immediately replied, "That would be best. It's flexible and adaptable, and the daily accounts are audited, which will prevent any future problems."
Wan, the accountant, hesitated for a while before saying, "These detailed accounts are difficult to audit, and I dare not entrust them to others. It would be better to let Mr. Songshan manage them."
If detailed accounts were to be kept, with each expenditure listed out, the entire Marquis's mansion's network of information would be laid bare.
Leaving aside him, it would be troublesome if one of the accountants in the manor accidentally let something slip.
This is something you absolutely must not get involved in.
Mr. Songshan hurriedly said, "How can this be? Although I don't dislike money, I'm not good at accounting. These accounts can't be messed up."
Qin Yuan thought for a moment and understood the taboo of the Wan Accountant's Office. She smiled and said, "I was too inconsiderate. How about we start now? All expenses will be directly allocated from the Marquis's private treasury, and the person in charge will be someone trusted by the manor. As for the account books, they will naturally be confidential documents, managed by a designated person appointed by the Marquis. Once things have settled down, we can divide the accounts. The Wan Accountant's Office will help manage the daily news and money expenditures, while some accounts will be processed from the public accounts. What about those that cannot be listed?"
Accountant Wan nodded repeatedly, then looked at Mr. Songshan, waiting for him to speak.
Mr. Songshan thought about it for a moment and agreed, and said with a smile: "Madam is indeed a woman of great vision. Our dynasty's machine room was established and abolished several times. It was originally set up in a hurry to deal with the war. It was naturally abolished after the war was over."
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