My younger sister insisted on marrying me and made me the Marquis' wife.

Chapter 575 Negotiation
Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Mr. Matsuyama quickly repeated his plan.

Everyone expressed their opinions, and Gu Baozhu spoke most freely, but unfortunately, Mr. Songshan didn't take them seriously.

Gu Baozhu was not discouraged. After all, she was very happy to be able to participate.

In the end, it was Qin Yuan who made the final decision: "Let's do as Mr. Songshan said. It's a good opportunity to transfer some veterans from the village to help verify the information. As for screening... I think it would be better to select some smart and skilled house boys."

Mr. Songshan said, "It's best to know how to read."

Qin Yuan nodded.

Gu Baozhu said with envy, "Then Sixth Brother will be able to handle confidential matters with the teacher from now on. This is much more interesting than studying. I love to get information the most. Why not..."

Mr. Songshan said, "Do you think these things are easy? The information collected needs to be screened, and there must be rewards and punishments... Furthermore, there should be special secret codes for transmitting information." He turned to look at Qin Yuan and said, "It is definitely not enough for us to do this with just a few of us."

Qin Yuan nodded and said, "Please feel free to give me some advice, sir."

Mr. Songshan pinched his beard and said, "I think the Marquis must have people in charge of scouts in the northern frontier, but they are all in the main camp. Besides, the affairs of the mansion should not be mixed with those of the army."

Gu Shiba nodded.

Mr. Songshan added: "Not only does the government need someone to manage it, but it also needs to assess and evaluate different sources of information, and conduct screening and analysis... Rewards and punishments are naturally indispensable... And there is also..." As he spoke, he rubbed two fingers together.

Gu Baozhu shouted, "Silver!"

"Yes," Mr. Songshan said, "I'm not one of those corrupt scholars who don't like to talk about money. Our Taizu was good at using spies, so there has been no war on the border for 25 years. To use spies, you have to be willing to spend money, and this money must be used wisely. If anyone fabricates information for the reward, they must be severely punished. This is how we can enforce strict discipline. Speaking of using spies..."

He glanced at Qin Yuan and continued, "Of course, we need to recruit talented individuals. We have many sources of information now, so we need to select careful and capable people to record them one by one, identify whose information is valuable and whose is just for show, and what kind of personality the person who spreads the information is. That way, we can better manage them..."

Qin Yuan nodded. "Sir, you're right. The rules we talked about before were about how to do things. Now we're talking about how to find people to do it. This requires more thought and effort."

Mr. Matsuyama rubbed his fingers again.

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "Yes, yes, yes, and we need money. A big reward will always bring brave men."

Mr. Songshan added, "This project requires a special approval for a specific expenditure of silver, and capable personnel must be selected to oversee it. Rules must be established first, and any inappropriateness can be corrected later. This will take several months of trial and error before it can be put to use. If it can be built, what else in the capital can be hidden from the Marquis' Mansion?"

Qin Yuan glanced at Mr. Songshan and said tentatively, "What you are talking about is the same as the speed room in the court."

Mr. Songshan was unconcerned. "I've said before that things in the Marquis' Mansion are pretty much the same as at court. The Privy Council's Speed ​​Room handles wartime border defense, intelligence gathering, and the use of spies. Naturally, we're doing the same thing."

Seeing how frankly he spoke, Mr. Gu Liu and the others nodded repeatedly.

Gu Baozhu added, "Our place is small but complete." Mr. Songshan stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly, looking like a promising student. Qin Yuan sighed inwardly but didn't show it on her face. She smiled and said, "Then 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 housekeepers and the accountant.

Soon, Butler Han, Butler Cao, and Accountant Wan all arrived. After hearing the reason, Butler Han was overjoyed and said, "This should have been done long ago. We originally thought that since we were all doing business in the northern frontier, it would be enough for the capital to just pass on some news from the court to the northern frontier. Who could have expected that the Marquis would be so ambitious and could no longer be like before..."

Housekeeper Cao also agreed: "Yes, if we had started to make business in the capital earlier, Miss Xu would not have been so unaware until now. This old servant has remembered some old men who used to serve in the army but retired due to poor health. They are good at gathering information. If the master wants someone, this old servant will recommend them."

Accountant Wan remained silent.

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "That's good, of course. Just report the candidates and select some from among your family members. It's best if they can read so that it will be easier to record information. As for the accounting... you'll have to rely on the accountant."

Accountant Wan hurriedly said, "This is part of my job, but I don't know how much money to allocate. If it is decided, the daily signatures, account books, etc. will all need to be newly created, and it will take several days. It would be better to discuss these rules in advance."

Qin Yuan thought for a moment and asked, "How much do you think is appropriate?"

Accountant Wan probed: "Allow 5,000 taels first?"

Mr. Songshan said hurriedly, "Madam, you must know that the money for the Imperial Household's machinery and equipment comes from the Fengchun Treasury. This is a major matter, and it must be handled quickly and easily, without being affected by other factors. Furthermore, this is a long-term matter, and the cost is uncertain, so accounting will be difficult."

What this means is that a special fund should be set up to keep internal accounts.

Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Then let's allocate 20,000 taels from the money the Marquis brought back to buy property. We'll have someone set up accounts for us. How about someone in charge of the Wan Accounting Office?"

Mr. Songshan immediately responded, "This is the best way. It's flexible and there's someone to audit the daily accounts, which will prevent any future trouble."

Accountant Wan hesitated for a moment, then said, "The detailed accounting is difficult to audit, and I dare not delegate it to anyone else. It would be better if Mr. Songshan were in charge."

If a detailed account book is kept and every expenditure is listed, the entire Marquis's mansion's information network will be exposed.

Let’s not talk about him, it would be troublesome if any of the accountants in the mansion accidentally let the cat out of the bag.

You must not get involved in this matter.

Mr. Songshan said hurriedly, "How can this be done? Although I don't hate money, I have trouble keeping count. This account can't be messed up."

Qin Yuan thought about it and understood the taboo of the Accounting Office. He smiled and said, "I must have been a little overthinking. How about we start now? All expenses will be allocated directly from the Marquis's private treasury, and the person in charge will be a trusted person in the mansion. As for the account book, it is naturally a confidential document and will be managed by someone specially assigned by the Marquis. Once things stabilize, we can divide the accounts. The daily information and financial expenditures will be managed by the Accounting Office, and some accounts will be handled from the public account. How about those that cannot be listed as usual?"

Accountant Wan nodded repeatedly, then looked at Mr. Songshan, waiting for him to speak.

Mr. Songshan thought about it and agreed. He smiled and said, "Madam, you are indeed very thoughtful. Our dynasty's Jisufang was established and abolished several times. It was originally set up in a hurry to deal with the war. Once the war subsided, it was naturally abolished."