Li Ying, Hu Guang, and Yuan Feng, who were standing nearby, were already used to Cao Song's sudden act of flattering the emperor.
After the three men rolled their eyes at Cao Song, Hu Guang stood up and said, "Your Majesty's method is perfect, and I believe it is feasible!"
"We second that proposal!"
The others then stood up and agreed to the suggestion.
Liu Hong smiled and nodded, "In that case, please do not tell outsiders about this matter for now. We will discuss it with the officials at the grand court assembly next month, and then announce it to all the students in the world!"
"promise!"
The others echoed in unison, instantly understanding why the emperor had chosen to announce the matter next month.
This was clearly a message to them, urging them to hurry back and inform their families and disciples so they could prepare in advance for the assessment next spring.
Even if you only prepare a month earlier than others, you can still gain some advantages, right?
This can be considered a form of indirect reward.
Liu Hong then looked at Yuan Feng and Cao Song, "As for the auction of the coal procurement qualification, the Minister of Works and the Minister of Agriculture shall be responsible for the preparation!"
"promise!"
Yuan Feng and Cao Song responded in unison.
Then Cao Song looked expectantly at Liu Hong and asked, "Your Majesty, how should the proceeds from the auction be distributed?"
"Um?"
Liu Hong was stunned for a moment. If Cao Song hadn't spoken up, he would have completely forgotten about this.
Seeing Cao Song's greedy look, Liu Hong rolled his eyes at him and said slowly, "The national treasury and the Imperial Household Department will split the profits fifty-fifty!"
"Huh? Isn't that a bit too much?"
Cao Song's face fell, and he glanced cautiously at the emperor. He hadn't expected the emperor to make such an outrageous demand.
"Is it a lot?"
"Hmm! It is a little too much!"
Cao Song quickly nodded.
Seeing Cao Song's expression, Liu Hong found it amusing, and then looked at Cao Song with a meaningful gaze.
"How about Sanqi then?"
"That's good! That's good!"
Cao Song's eyes lit up, and he quickly agreed to Liu Hong's suggestion.
Liu Hong, a slight smile playing on his lips, coughed lightly, "Ahem~ Since that's the case, let's split the profits 30/70: 30% to the national treasury and 70% to the Imperial Treasury!"
"Your Majesty... what... what did you say?"
Before Cao Song's smile could fade from hearing the first half of Liu Hong's sentence, and he was about to praise the emperor's wisdom, he heard the second half of Liu Hong's sentence.
Cao Song, who was halfway through his sentence, stared blankly at the emperor who was smiling at him.
"Wait a minute, Your Majesty, have you misunderstood something? I meant you asked for too much. And is the split 30/70? Is that how it's supposed to be?" Cao Song thought to himself.
Haha~ Haha~
Seeing Cao Song's appearance, Liu Hong on the throne couldn't help but laugh out loud.
As for Li Ying, Hu Guang, and Yuan Feng, upon hearing the conversation between the emperor and Cao Song, and seeing Cao Song's embarrassed expression, they all guessed that the emperor was deliberately making fun of Cao Song.
While the three couldn't help but chuckle, they also began to feel a little envious of Cao Song, because at this moment, although the emperor and Cao Song were nominally ruler and subject, they seemed more like friends.
After laughing, Liu Hong glanced at Cao Song's slightly resentful gaze, then waved his hand generously and said with a laugh:
"Alright! I was just joking. I don't want a single penny of that money; it will all go into the national treasury!"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Upon hearing the emperor's words, Cao Song breathed a sigh of relief and then offered a compliment, immediately forgetting the emperor's earlier teasing.
After the group returned to the government office, Cao Song and Yuan Feng sent people to spread the word that the coal procurement qualification would be auctioned off.
At the same time, they also sent people to contact almost all the powerful families and influential people in the entire Sili region, explaining that the coal purchasing qualification would be auctioned off in five days in the square of the Engineering College, with the highest bidder winning.
The news of the auction immediately sparked cheers from the crowd.
Most people originally thought that Cao Song and Yuan Feng would take the opportunity to divide these quotas among themselves and then distribute them to people close to them.
Those who believed they had no hope of obtaining the qualifications had already begun to make connections and gather people to impeach the two men.
Who would have thought they would come up with an auction method? Although it would come at a price, at least there was a glimmer of hope, wasn't there?
Immediately, all the powerful and influential families who received the news began to scramble to raise money in preparation for the auction five days later.
......
Northwest of Jincheng, at the border between the Han and Qiang peoples, after Duan Jiong led his army out of Jincheng and marched for several days to reach this place, Duan Jiong ordered a halt to the advance and to set up camp here.
Flags fluttered in the military camp, and shouts echoed continuously. Everyone vaguely guessed that a battle might break out soon. Therefore, every soldier trained diligently, hoping to kill the enemy and make merit on the battlefield, so that they could be rewarded and their families could prosper.
In the center of the military camp, a huge flagpole stands tall and straight, with a bright "Han" character flag fluttering in the wind on top of it. Behind the flagpole is Duan Jiong's central command tent.
Inside the main tent, Duan Jiong sat relaxed in his general's seat, reviewing the battle report sent by Zhang Qiao's troops, who had penetrated deep into the Qiang territory.
"Hmm! Zhang Qiao really did a good job!"
Looking at the latest report sent by Zhang Qiao, Duan Jiong nodded in satisfaction.
"General, our vanguard of five thousand men has already penetrated more than two hundred li into the heart of the Qiang territory. They are far too far from us, and I am worried..."
Below Duan Jiong, Yang Feng, who had just been promoted to a colonel, looked at Duan Jiong in his general's seat with some concern.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
