As an official, what's wrong with raising a few monsters?

Chapter 417: You've done another great service, haven't you?

"Your Majesty, Lord Ming and General Ling have already defended three passes and are determined to launch a northern expedition. The battle lines have been stretched out, and winter is approaching soon. Our food supply is indeed under great pressure."

"If we fall behind, all our efforts may be in vain."

At night, the lights flickered in the council chamber.

Several high-ranking ministers of Emperor Qian Yuan gathered in the hall, their brows furrowed, deep in thought.

Among them were several familiar faces, none other than the ministers who had openly proposed recalling the army and ceasing hostilities in the imperial court.

A big meeting is held for small matters, and a small meeting is held for big matters.

Many of the things said in court during the day were already decided, and even some ministers who went against Xiao Xinyue's wishes were arranged in advance.

Whether to fight or not, whether to retreat or not, it was all planned out long ago.

They had even heard the news that the Northern Emperor was personally leading the expedition.

All the talk and fuss in the imperial court was merely to better demonstrate Xiao Xinyue's attitude and manipulate the political winds.

Many ministers were merely cogs in a machine, mechanically performing tedious tasks to keep the dynasty running, without any real decision-making power.

The people who truly determine the direction of the nation and future political decisions are actually the dozen or so people currently in the Senate.

They were Xiao Xinyue's prime ministerial team, her most important confidants.

Asking the officials during the day was just a casual remark; he didn't expect anyone to offer any innovative ideas or make any contributions.

Of course, it would be even better if such talents were discovered by Xiao Xinyue, who could then elevate and absorb them as appropriate.

The key to solving this problem still lies with the current group of outstanding talents.

A gray-haired man held the documents, his brows furrowed, and kept reporting to Xiao Xinyue, "But if we increase taxes, I fear the people will be dissatisfied..."

His name is Yao Junlin, and he is the Minister of Revenue, responsible for the country's household registration, fiscal revenue and expenditure, and tax collection. In recent years, the country has been at war, recovering territory, and he knows very well how much it costs. He has been extremely busy these past few years, even though he is only in his early forties and his hair is already gray.

Everyone present was Xiao Xinyue's confidant, and naturally understood her purpose.

However, the reality is quite harsh.

War is a money-burning machine, and the Northern Expedition is going to last for who knows how long.

These decision-makers need to estimate three or four years, or even longer, before they can barely guarantee that things won't go wrong.

Xiao Xinyue is short of money now.

Throughout history, there have only been a few ways for a country to collect money.

Tax increases, minting larger denomination coins, cruel officials, monopolistic industries, selling official positions...

Ultimately, it all boils down to exploitation, and exploitation leads to pain and discontent among the exploiters, resulting in social conflict.

National policies need to strike a balance between public discontent and the government's financial needs.

The wisdom of a ruler lies in figuring out how to fleece the sheep without hurting them.

Throughout history, rulers have always been innovating, and the people have also been making progress.

Receiving money from the people without provoking their discontent, and subtly diverting the conflict, is a lesson that monarchs throughout history have needed to learn.

Now is no exception.

Every policy needs to be carefully considered. A single sentence from the central government can be amplified and extended infinitely when it reaches the local level, and cruel officials may emerge as a result.

Xiao Xinyue was not a spendthrift or extravagant monarch, but the reality was that the dynasty was short of money.

Most ordinary people don't consider the overall situation of the country; they only know that their lives are hard and the court still wants to exploit them.

Why fight again when all three passes have already been recaptured? Why continue to increase taxes?
In that case, is the new dynasty no different from the old one?
The accumulated conflicts are all hidden dangers, and they also concern the reputations that these officials and Xiao Xinyue value.

A younger official with a beard spoke up: "Your Majesty, Dongqian has suffered from the oppression of three dynasties' wars and the looting of the Blood-Clad Army. The people are struggling to make ends meet. Most of the wealthy and powerful families have also been caught up in the ravages of war. Even if we increase taxes, we will not collect much. We will only drive the people to their deaths and lose the hearts of the people. It will be a losing proposition. I hope Your Majesty will be more cautious."

There used to be a path of exploiting powerful families.

Unfortunately, the Blood-Clad Army came to the end of this path.

The area east of Qianyuan is desolate, almost completely plundered.

"Only west of Shenjiang, in the Xiqian region where we originally operated, there might be room for maneuver. Thanks to His Majesty's wisdom, the people are all living in prosperity, have surplus grain, and have a high level of support and trust in our dynasty. Perhaps we can levy money and grain from them to supply the war effort."

As Yun Zheng had said in court earlier.

When problems arise, we need to solve them, not run away from them.

By pooling their wisdom and leveraging their strengths while avoiding their weaknesses, those present were able to find some solutions to the problem.

Feng Xiaozhong, standing to the side, nodded in agreement: "Your Majesty, what Lord Zhang said makes sense. There is no money to conquer in the east, and we have to invest a lot. However, even the greatest trust can be eroded and lost. We need to use good methods and approaches to avoid causing our loyal citizens to feel resentful about unfair treatment."

Someone suggested, "Spring planting is just around the corner, how about we raise the price of improved seeds?"

"Yes, but the increase won't be much; it'll probably be a drop in the ocean."

The ministers talked a lot.

The lights flickered at night, and time flowed by slowly.

Xiao Xinyue listened quietly, brainstorming ideas.

Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and said to the assembled officials, "Gentlemen, given our dynasty's reputation, could we issue national bonds in the western part of Qian Yuan?"

"Government bonds?"

The ministers were taken aback.

After a while, someone spoke up: "A thousand years ago, during the reign of Emperor Lizong at the end of the Xia Dynasty, wars broke out frequently, the national treasury was depleted, and the dynasty tried to borrow money from the people, but failed and ended up with a huge debt. After that, there was no more talk of the dynasty borrowing money."

This isn't hard to figure out; there are precedents for it.

However, at the end of a dynasty, survival itself was a problem. Once money went into the national treasury, it couldn't get out. That monarch was heavily in debt and obviously couldn't pay it off. In the subsequent thousand years of dynastic changes, no monarch ever thought of this solution again.

The government can just collect your taxes, why do you need to pay anything back?

The ministers fell silent upon hearing this.

Several people's eyes lit up, and Yun Zheng couldn't help but ask Xiao Xinyue, "Your Majesty, could you elaborate?"

"During wartime, our dynasty can issue Dabao bonds to the people, backed by the national credit, and levy funds from the people. After three to five years, a certain amount of interest can be repaid. The longer the term, the higher the interest."

“I can use the imperial seal to stamp it and announce it to the world.”

"As assets circulate, people withdraw their money at different times. After the war, our country developed rapidly, and there is still national treasury behind us. As long as there is no bank run, we are not afraid of not being able to repay."

Issue bonds and pay interest later.

This approach successfully raised funds without triggering any conflicts among the people.

People are not forced to buy bonds; they all willingly pay for them.

Since money and surplus grain are just gathering dust in your hands anyway, why not use them to generate more money?

With national development and inflation, even with interest, the debt repaid a few years later may not necessarily be worth more than the money borrowed now.

These government bonds are essentially selling the credit of Xiao Xinyue and Qian Yuan.

"If that doesn't work, we can add Mingchen's guarantee."

"how?"

Mingchen had no idea that on this unknown night, he had been unwittingly dragged onto a pirate ship by his own emperor.

Wealth, power... these are topics that cannot be avoided when becoming a king.

Speaking of which, Mingchen and Xiao Xinyue had actually chatted about finance and currency before. The reason Xiao Xinyue was able to think of issuing bonds now was because she remembered the casual conversation Mingchen had with her in bed earlier.

In her opinion, Mingchen's thinking was too lively, imaginative, and full of creativity.

There are some things she doesn't yet have a concept of, and can't imagine.

Mingchen also wanted to have the Ministry of Revenue establish an agency after the war to handle people's savings and loans, with interest rates for both deposits and loans.

The government can control the borrowing balance of its citizens and obtain fiscal support by adjusting interest rates.

For ordinary people, money is money; it's a symbol of personal wealth.

However, for a nation, money is a political symbol representing productivity, and the state can use money to control the production of its people. A large amount of money remaining in the hands of the people creates a surplus of productivity. This approach maximizes the utilization of societal surplus value, with a large amount of capital flowing into the central government, allowing the nation to use its vast wealth to complete numerous construction projects.

Mingchen also explained many economic concepts that were ahead of their time to her.

A monarch's thinking should be several dimensions higher than that of ordinary people, allowing them to contemplate these deeper issues.

However, Mingchen also has his limitations.

His ideas seem to be beyond the reach of the times, and many of them may not be suitable for the current Qian Yuan era, and there are many insurmountable drawbacks in implementing them.

Therefore, Xiao Xinyue could not simply copy and absorb it completely.

Xiao Xinyue didn't know if Mingchen's suggestion was right or wrong, but her thinking shifted accordingly, and she learned a lot from it.

She will combine what Mingchen said with the current capabilities of the dynasty to forge a path that belongs to her.

"Forehead……"

The group paused for a moment upon hearing Mingchen's name.

This person's unconventional and innovative approach always seems to be reflected in their style.

Could this strategy also be a suggestion that the Duke made to His Majesty?
There's nothing more to say!
stand by!

"No~"

However, an old man stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, with Your Majesty's and Qian Yuan's prestige and reputation, it is enough to attract the support of the people in Xi Qian Yuan. Issuing national bonds is acceptable, but please do not add Lord Ming as a guarantor."

Although the real Mingchen is a cunning swindler, his credit score is so low that he can't even scan a shared bicycle.

However, Mingchen's reputation within Qianyuan was very high, almost rivaling that of Emperor Xiao Xinyue.

With his endorsement, the people are more likely to buy into it.

Xiao Xinyue was worried, so she added that sentence.

She didn't have any barriers with Mingchen and didn't think too much about it.

But when it reached the ears of the officials, it was a different story.

What does it mean that Lord Ming and His Majesty jointly acted as guarantors for the issuance of national bonds?
How can they be put together under such a name?
The hierarchy is completely messed up!

No matter how noble Lord Ming is, he cannot be equal to the imperial power.

The other confidants, regaining their senses, also bowed to Xiao Xinyue and said, "Your Majesty, what Lord Liu said makes sense!"

They had no grudge against Mingchen, and in a sense, this was actually a way of protecting Mingchen.

There can only be one emperor in the world.

A ruler is a ruler, and a subject is a subject.

Mingchen has contributed too much, and his reputation is gradually getting out of control.

If we go any further, we're likely to meet with disaster.

Even if Mingchen and Xiao Xinyue themselves don't care, they at least can't show it to others.

Several ministers agreed.

However, Yun Zheng, Xiao Ling, and Feng Xiaozhong, who had followed Xiao Xinyue for a long time and were among the founding heroes, said nothing.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see it.

Since His Majesty and the Duke of Anguo are now one family, what else is there to say?

It's not really a big deal for the emperor and empress to jointly guarantee a loan.

"Forehead……"

Xiao Xinyue was taken aback, but then she understood what the ministers meant.

Let's do it that way then.

She didn't say much, just waved her hand casually: "Okay!"

"I hope you will all pay close attention to the specific details of this matter, including interest rates, implementation methods, anti-counterfeiting measures, and penalties. This matter is of great importance and has never been implemented before, so there are many loopholes. Please consider it carefully."

"Lord Yao is very busy. Lord Yun and Lord Zhang, you two will take the lead in this matter. Communicate more and come up with a plan for me as soon as possible so that it can be implemented quickly."

Mingchen gave Xiao Xinyue a general method.

Xiao Xinyue, on the other hand, considered the feasibility of this method before proposing the idea to her subordinates, simply pointing them in a direction.
The rest can be handled by the subordinates step by step.

"Yes!"xn
The group respectfully agreed.

Everyone present was exceptional. Xiao Xinyue had already determined the direction for solving the problem; if they couldn't complete the remaining tasks, they might as well give up.

As night deepened, the ministers departed.

Everything returned to calm, and no one looked at her anymore.

Xiao Xinyue let out a soft sigh and rubbed her temples.

She felt her eyelids were dry, and her limbs felt as heavy as lead; she was tired.

A debauched and pleasure-seeking monarch is naturally happy.

However, it is indeed very hard for a monarch who bears the weight of the world, faces formidable opponents, governs the country diligently, and has great ideals and aspirations...

When Mingchen wasn't around, she rarely went to bed early.

The flickering candlelight was blown out, and she simply lay down on the bed in the nearby Yangxin Hall.

It was dark and quiet; there wasn't a soul in sight.

Although Xiao Xinyue was tired, she couldn't fall asleep. Her bright eyes shone in the darkness as she quietly looked up at the sky.

The time now no longer belonged to the Emperor Qian; she was luxuriously entrusting this precious little bit of time before sleep to Xiao Xinyue.

She can let her love grow unrestrained, and let her longing and imagination run wild.

What is that person doing on the distant battlefield?

Are you thinking about her?
With his beautiful wife by his side at this moment, that playboy is probably too busy fighting to think about her.

"Humph~"

Thinking of this, the majestic Emperor Qian pursed his lips and let out a soft hum.

But after a while, a soft voice came again: "You've done another great service!"

He helped me out again today.

Just how many good ideas does that guy have hidden in his head?

That guy should be brought here, tied to a chair, and forced to work hard every day to come up with ways to govern and save the country.

(End of this chapter)