heaven money

"Eighty to ninety percent of them came here to avoid paying customs taxes. I don't know what King Chen was thinking. He actually cut off his own source of income. Hey, it's good for us anyway. This trip can save more than half of the expenses!"

His son laughed.

His father stroked his goatee:

"Those who collect taxes at the customs can be killed without guilt... I'm afraid King Chen has other intentions..."

As he went forward, he found that the goods in Shangying were more than double what they had been before, and he had some vague guesses about the abolition of the customs tax.

This seems to be similar to his own strategy of small profits but quick turnover, and the benefits that King Chen has gained are probably more than that.

Su Mo of the Mohist School is truly a talent!

"Father, all the inns are full!"

His son returned from the front.

"Is it full?" the leader asked with a frown.

His son nodded heavily and sighed:

"It is said that the number of merchants passing through Chen State has increased several times. Where are the extra guest rooms?"

Several times...the leaders increasingly found the abolition of customs taxes unusual.

Just as he was about to speak, an old man came over and said with a flattering smile, "Dear guests, I have a yard at home that I can lend to you to stay in temporarily."

Is this even possible? The merchants were all surprised. Ordinary people also run inns for a living?
"Thank you for your kindness, father-in-law. Why don't you take us there to have a look? If it's clean and tidy, the price can be negotiated."

The leader said solemnly.

He thought about the changes here today, and the benefits it brought were much greater than collecting customs duties. Not only did the State of Chen become rich, but ordinary people at various checkpoints also benefited a lot!
"Okay." The old man said happily, and led them into a nearby street and into an ordinary house. Although it was not big and had few rooms, it was very tidy and clean, so it did not make people feel disgusted.

"The guards live in the yard, there are enough remaining houses..." his son looked around and said in a low voice.

The leader nodded, took out a small ingot of gold and handed it to the old man: "It's inconvenient to use copper coins when you are away from home. Please don't despise me, old man. I'll use this as collateral first and settle the account when you leave."

The old man took the gold and said with a smile, "Please allow me to have a look at it."

Asking for help? The merchants were surprised, and the old man ran out of the house and pulled over a patrolling master on the street, asking him to identify the authenticity of the gold, and the man politely did so.

The leader followed behind, looking on in astonishment. Normally, most of the officials are nobles, who are born with their duties, so how could they work hard? They just muddle through each day. But what he saw in the upper camp today was completely different. Not only were they active in catching thieves, they also did not shirk even irrelevant matters!

Is this what it means to select the virtuous and capable?

After settling the merchant, the old man returned to the woodshed, where his family is temporarily living.

Looking at the small ingot of gold, the old man's son was stunned for a moment: "This really, really works..."

He has always been opposed to converting his home into a temporary inn.

The old man laughed and said, "How can it be wrong if the Grand Master gives instructions personally?"

In order to accumulate merit, Meng Qi spent his spare time doing good deeds. For example, during inspections, he taught people how to seize opportunities to make money.

As he spoke, the old man sighed:
"Since the arrival of the Grand Tutor, our lives have become better and better. Even the Gao brothers, who used to beg for a living, know how to go to the mountains to collect horse grass to make up for the lack of horse feed in the inn. Now at least we don't have to go hungry for three meals a day."

"Everyone on the street said that the Grand Tutor was a saint who had descended to earth, and they all called him Mozi or Suzi."

His daughter-in-law interrupted.

…………

In a certain room, Meng Qi and the others were surrounded by dots of black, white and golden light.

Since the new national policy has been successfully implemented, merit and morality have begun to increase, and heaven will reward you!
"We will be able to return in a few days."

Zhao Heng sighed.

"The nobles have become much quieter. I'm afraid they are secretly colluding and gathering strength to prepare for a crazy counterattack."

Meng Qi showed no signs of slacking off.

Although the saying "a gentleman will die for his friend" is a bit exaggerated, King Chen's attention to him made Meng Qi and others want to lay a solid foundation before finding an excuse to leave, such as being seriously injured and needing treatment, and leaving Bai Song as the Grand Tutor to maintain the new policy.

As for Lin Xiao, he is more of a foundation and guide. After all, the development of Mohists requires them to go through ups and downs on their own, and Lin Xiao also needs to improve his strength quickly. Otherwise, in this world where there may be powerful Dharmakaya masters, Mohists will still be easily hit by powerful forces!

…………

"My son has finally returned home."

"Grand Minister" Gong Yangzeng looked at the person in front of him and smiled:
"Have the immortals of Jinguang Cave made a decision?"

Opposite Gong Yangzeng stood a tall and thin young man who looked quite like him. Although he had a horse face, his facial features were regular and he had a unique charm. However, there was a hint of arrogance between his eyebrows. It was none other than Gong Yangbo, his second son who practiced in the Jinguan Cave in Wudang Mountain!

Gong Yangbo nodded and said, "Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission. The immortals have made a decision and are ready to intervene in this matter."

At this point, he frowned slightly. "It's a rather strange process. When I first returned to the mountain and reported the Mohist affairs to the immortals, they didn't agree with the secretive Daoism directly interfering in the secular world. Moreover, the selection of the virtuous and the abolition of the customs tax did not cut off the foundation of the royal family. It was not targeted at the descendants of immortals. If you study hard, you won't have a place to use your skills."

The royal family is the aristocracy, but this is just the self-proclaimed name of some aristocrats.

Gong Yangzeng stroked the long beard that was most common in this era, and said slowly: "I was worried that the immortals would react like this, so I didn't act rashly during this period, and I didn't put all my hopes on them. Why did you change your mind later?"

"I don't know the reason either. When I was rejected at first, my begging was of no use. I felt desperate and could only stay on the mountain and lobby my fellow disciples to get close to me. When I saw that the one-month deadline was approaching and I was about to return, I was suddenly summoned by the immortals. They said that Chen Di's reforms would indeed be detrimental to the immortals and gods, and they planned to send people to interfere." Gong Yangbo was still confused until now. He had no idea why the immortals would suddenly change their minds.

Gong Yangzeng paced with his hands behind his back, looking thoughtful. "No one else has visited Jinguang Cave?"

His son had just entered the outdoor scene, and his master happened to be traveling outside. He himself had no influence in the Jinguan Cave. Without external forces, there was no reason why the elders of the Jinguan Cave would change their ways!

"No." Gong Yangbo shook his head affirmatively, "At least the child knows nothing."

He paused and said:
"In short, the immortals have agreed to this matter and are preparing to send a master with treasures. However, they have said in advance that the affairs of Chendi are still within the scope of normal national affairs. The selection of virtuous people can focus on the areas directly under the king's control. They have not directly abolished the hereditary nobles and hereditary salaries. Therefore, it is not legitimate to intervene in this matter. They will not directly raise the banner of Jinguang Cave. As for what to do, please give your instructions, father."

"It's okay. Your father has already made a plan." Gong Yangzeng stroked lightly with his palms, his expression showing a bit of joy, as if everything was under control.

Gong Yangbo was about to ask what the plan was, but suddenly he remembered something. He subconsciously lowered his voice:
"Father, I heard from my fellow students that the abolition of customs taxes in Chendi was highly praised by the King of Chu. Several caravans of great nobles have already gained their first 'benefits' from it. Moreover, the Tang Kingdom has no objection and seems to have tacitly approved of this change. It seems that some 'merchants' have come to try it out. If we rectify the situation, we may be interfered with by others!"

In just one month, the impact of the abolition of customs taxes in Chendi has not yet been fully revealed, but because it is very close to Chu and Tang, especially close to the capital of Chu, many merchants have already made two trips back and forth and experienced many benefits.

The two states of Chu and Tang, which benefited from the changes, and the merchants traveling between the two states would not want the policies of the State of Chen to change again.

Similarly, Meng Qi had been teaching in Chen for only two months, and most of the nobles, scholars, and common people had learned words such as "benefit" and "interest", as well as strange idioms such as "set things right". Hearing this, Gong Yangzeng sighed: "It must be said that the five Mohists, especially Su Mo, are rare talents. The words 'mutual benefit' really refer to the way countries and people get along with each other! This matter is beneficial to Chu and Tang, and they will naturally be happy to see it happen and get a share of it, and they can also use our safe place to make some secret exchanges."

Hearing his father praising Su Mo and confirming that rashly interrupting the new national policy would lead to interference from Chu and Tang, Gong Yangbo was stunned and asked, "Father, should we do it or not?"

Gong Yang Zengci looked at his proud son lovingly and laughed, "You are still too young and naive. When something you strongly oppose becomes stable, don't think about fighting it or overturning it. Instead, try to control it. Only in this way can you eliminate the disadvantages and gain the benefits!"

"Try to control it?" Gong Yangbo looked at his father in astonishment.

Gong Yangzeng's expression became solemn: "The new national policy will not be abolished, but the people who promote it should not be Su Mo and others, but us!"

Since Su Mo said that the general trend of the world is rolling forward, those who follow it will prosper and those who go against it will perish, then we should not fight against it, but be its helmsman, use its momentum to strengthen ourselves!
This... Gong Yangbo tasted the meaning of his father's words. For the first time, he understood what an old fox meant and what it meant to be shrewd and cunning. No wonder he has always been the chief strategist among the three nobles!

"So, we still have to assassinate Su Mo and the others?" Gong Yangbo felt that he should do so, but he was afraid that he had guessed his father's intention wrong, so his tone seemed a little weak for a moment.

Gong Yangzeng laughed as if he had heard a great joke. He finally said, "Why kill them? If we kill them, will we be in charge of the new national policy? And after what happened with Tian Guang last time, Su Mo and his men are on high alert, and the king is always watching over them. Unless the immortals from the Golden Light Cave can bring magical weapons, or several supreme elders come in person!"

As he spoke, his expression became serious: "But they have a weak point. No, this is what they think is their strongest point. They often rely on it and get protection from it, so their defense is relatively loose."

Gong Yangbo's eyes widened: "Father, you, you mean the king!"

King Chen is a master, the strongest person in Chen. He is often the one who protects Meng Qi and others from being assassinated. His safety is most easily overlooked!
Gong Yangzeng nodded solemnly: "Only by supporting the new monarch can the government return to our hands. Then we can drive out the people who are hunting down Su Mo and others, and the new government will naturally be in our pocket."

He showed no sign of hesitation, and his frenzy of counterattack stunned Gong Yangbo.

“But, but the palace has a large formation, the king has top-grade weapons, and he is also a master. Unless the immortals in the Golden Light Cave can bring magical weapons, or several supreme elders come in person, otherwise…” He muttered to himself, repeating what his father had just said.

Gong Yangzeng smiled and said, "This is something that needs to be considered in a head-on confrontation. The Tian family and the Wang family have been in business for many generations, so how could they not have some secret arrangements? Ask the Immortal Master of the Golden Light Cave, if he can sneak into the palace quietly, and with the help of the 'An Shen Xian Xiang', what are his chances of taking down the king?"

"Tian family, Wang family, and the immortal incense?" Gong Yangbo asked in surprise.

Gong Yangzeng nodded: "We have already discussed it!"

Gong Yangbo was stunned for a moment, then suddenly gritted his teeth and said>
"If you can't even do this, then you are unworthy of being called a Grandmaster!"

On the other side, in the palace of the State of Chen, Lin Xiao and King Cheng sat opposite each other, and on the chessboard in front of them, the scene of the conversation between Gong Yang and his son was appearing.

"What do you think, my king!?"

Lin Xiao looked at King Chen calmly.

King Chen showed anger on his face and said hatefully:
"The Gongyang family, the Tian family, and the Wang family. I thought I had treated them well over the years, but they actually wanted to kill me just because of a change!"

Lin Xiao smiled and said:

"Your Majesty, calm down. The reforms in Chen will always affect the interests of these nobles, especially the breaking of the class system to select the most capable people. This is equivalent to digging up their foundation. With your wisdom, you already knew that they would fight back, but you didn't expect them to be so crazy!"

King Chen gradually calmed down after hearing this, took a deep breath and said:

"Yes, I didn't expect that they would be so crazy!"

Then he looked at Lin Xiao and said:
"I didn't expect that there is such a talent like Mr. Lin among the Mohists. He is truly a hidden talent!"

Lin Xiao shook his head and said calmly:

"Your Majesty, thank you for your praise. I only know some tricks. Master Su had anticipated these things, so he asked me to monitor the noble families in advance, which led to the current results!"

…………

The Grand Tutor's Mansion was close to the palace and was under the care of Prince Chen, so it seemed as strong as a rock.

"There are no unusual military movements in the three noble fiefdoms. It seems that there will be no civil war for a while."

Meng Qi took a few Mohists and sneaked into several fiefdoms to gather information.

Jiang Zhi frowned slightly and said:

"But they are too quiet and too submissive. Except for the one secret talk between the three families after Tian Guang's death, there has been no movement since then. If something is out of the ordinary, it must be something evil. If we don't take it seriously, we will be in trouble when it starts to attack."

"But there's no way to find out what they want to do..."

Zhao Heng said in distress:
"It's a pity that the magical skills that Xiao Meng spied on from the memory of the Clairvoyance are half-incomplete. They must be practiced in conjunction with talent. Otherwise, we would be able to spy on the Monitoring Gong Yangzeng and the others."

After Meng Qi's patient guidance, the name he often used finally settled on Xiao Meng.

Ruan Yushu suddenly said:

"Where is the Golden Light Cave in Wudang Mountain?"

"What about the nobles of Chu who are on good terms with the Tian family?"

Qi Zhengyan also asked.

Meng Qi looked at the information in his hand:
"We have given special attention to these noble families in Chu. They have made a lot of money and are quite satisfied. They have sent someone to hint that I will not interfere in this matter."

"As for the Jinguan Cave in Wudang Mountain, it is a secret Taoist sect and its location is hard to find. We can't find out about it. We only know that Gongyang Zeng's second son Gongyang Bo went back to Wudang Mountain some time ago and returned yesterday, but he didn't follow anyone else. We can't tell the attitude of the Jinguan Cave."

"Can you find out this?"

Zhao Heng looked at Meng Qi in surprise. He even knew the whereabouts of a powerful warrior from outside!
Meng Qi smiled and said:

"No matter how much our Mohist doctrine changes, universal love and non-fate are closer to the lower classes. They have also gained a lot during this period of time. Therefore, there are many righteous men in the Gongyang family, the Tian family, and the Wang family who have passed on the news. Hehe. Gongyang Bo has to rest, practice, and have people to serve him when he returns home. How could he not have any clues?"

This is the vast ocean of people’s war!

It’s a pity that it didn’t reach this level a month ago, otherwise I might have been able to get a glimpse of the content of the three parties’ secret talks!
Then he looked at Ruan Yushu again.

Ruan Yushu immediately understood what Meng Qi meant. He took out the Luobao Money Projector in his hand and played the conversation between Gong Yang and his son again.

Then he said:

"Lin Xiao has already heard that the Gongyang family is planning to join forces with the Tian family, the Wang family, and the masters of the Jinguang Cave to attack and kill King Chen, and he has already gone to the palace to protect King Chen!"

Zhao Heng heard this with a hint of anger on his face and said:
"How daring! They are really crazy!"

As a member of the royal family, especially now that the Zhao family of the Jin Dynasty is constantly fighting with the aristocratic families and sects, Zhao Heng reacts even more strongly to such things. He really disrespects the imperial power!

Meng Qi felt nothing about this. After the Conferred Gods Battle, the human race no longer called themselves the Human Emperor under King Wu of Zhou, Ji Fa, but called themselves the Son of Heaven. From then on, the Human Emperor was demoted from his status and became the Son of Heaven, which meant he was submitting to the Heaven.

Since then, the Zhou royal family and the subsequent times have mostly been under the control and influence of immortals and gods. If one wants to truly restore the imperial power to rule the world, the only way to do that is to have a true human emperor! (End of this chapter)