The Fierce Teacher of Zhenguan: Starting with Teaching the Crown Prince to Make a Comeback

Chapter 112 We must first... cooperate.

"Why did the Sui Dynasty perish? Emperor Yang was tyrannical and reckless, exhausting the treasury with military campaigns such as the Grand Canal and the conquest of Goguryeo. He then resorted to tyranny, imposing exorbitant taxes and levies, collecting several years' worth of taxes in advance, and creating various pretexts to plunder the local areas, causing widespread suffering and leading to rebellion throughout the land!"

“Our Holy Emperor took this as a profound warning and established the policy of ‘light taxes and levies’ and ‘keeping wealth among the people’ at the beginning of the nation’s founding. The national treasury’s revenue and expenditure are balanced, and taxes are never increased lightly except for major military and national affairs.”

"Although the Crown Prince's move is not an increase in taxes, if this 'bond' is successful, the amount of money and grain it raises will be comparable to a medium-sized increase in taxes!"

"But this money doesn't go into the national treasury; it goes directly into the Western Province, which is controlled by the Crown Prince! If this precedent is set, the consequences will be endless!"

Lu Chengqing remained relatively calm as he looked at Cui Renshi, who had remained silent.

“Lord Cui, what Lord Wang said is indeed crucial. Xizhou is thousands of miles away, with harsh winds and sandstorms, and is inhabited by both Han and non-Han peoples. The difficulty of its development is far beyond our imagination.”

"Even if everything goes smoothly, it will be difficult to establish a stable source of tax revenue without ten years of effort. The Crown Prince's bonds need to be redeemed for principal and interest in just two years. Where will the money come from?"

"Unless... he never intended to use the produce of Xizhou to pay off his debts."

Upon hearing this, the study fell silent.

Wang Yu's pupils constricted slightly.

"You mean... he has other sources of income? Or is he planning to use new debt to pay off old debt? Or perhaps..."

His gaze fell on the bag of snowflake salt.

"Hoping for this?"

Cui Renshi finally spoke again, his voice low and deep.

"This salt is one of the key ingredients."

He gently patted the brocade pouch.

"You have all tasted it yourselves, and you should have your own judgment on its quality. It far surpasses tribute salt and is unique in the world. The Crown Prince uses this to reward his close ministers, to show his favor and to flaunt his abilities, yet he insists that it is not for sale."

"This is... a rare commodity, waiting for the right price to sell."

He paused, his eyes gleaming.

"Although he did not explicitly link this salt to bonds, the people of the world are not blind. The prince who possesses such a divine object will naturally have his credibility rise accordingly."

“People will think that even if Xizhou has no production for the time being, since the Crown Prince can produce this salt, why would he have to worry about not being able to redeem the bonds?”

"This thing is the 'foundation' of his promise, the 'ballast' he relied on."

"Ballast stone?" Wang Yu and Lu Chengqing found this term somewhat novel, but when they combined it with the metaphor of boats and ships, they immediately understood the key point.

Cui Renshi further explained: "Just like a giant ship sailing on a river or sea, it needs a heavy object to sink to the bottom of the water in order to stabilize the ship and not be afraid of the wind and waves."

"The Crown Prince used the rarity and preciousness of this salt to stabilize the value of its 'bond,' making people believe that the bond had a solid foundation and would not collapse easily."

He sighed.

"What alarms me even more is not the salt itself, but the methods displayed by the Crown Prince... or rather, the people behind the Crown Prince."

"This is no longer a simple matter of political maneuvering; it is... the art of manipulating finances and controlling people's hearts!"

Lu Chengqing agreed wholeheartedly, his tone filled with deep apprehension.

“What Lord Cui said is absolutely right. The Crown Prince’s recent behavior is completely different from what it used to be.”

"From his composed and measured approach to governing in the Xiande Hall, to his restrained counterattack in dealing with the Liu Shi case and the recommendation controversy, and now to this earth-shattering bond and sacred salt deal..."

"A step-by-step strategy, each move exquisite. This is something the Crown Prince could never achieve!"

Wang Yu's expression also turned ugly.

"Is he hiding his true abilities? Or... is there really a master guiding him behind the scenes?"

"If someone conceals their talents and can endure for more than ten years, their cunning is chilling. If a master craftsman were to offer such a salt-making method and devise such an intricately linked strategy, their abilities would be even more terrifying than the former!"

"Neither of them is a blessing for us."

These powerful families, having weathered centuries of storms and dynastic changes, have remained standing thanks to their accurate grasp of the political situation and keen sense of potential threats.

The Crown Prince's change in temperament made them feel extremely uneasy.

A crown prince who only knows how to cause trouble and is disliked by his father and emperor is not frightening; in fact, he might even be in the interest of some powerful families because he is easy to influence or replace. However, a crown prince who knows how to use money and grain, how to cultivate his own reputation, how to bypass the traditional power structure to draw resources and popular support directly from the people, and who begins to show composure and strategy, suddenly becomes a much more threatening figure!

This means that the imperial power may be trying to establish a new power base and resource-raising method that does not rely entirely on the support of these aristocratic families.

This is something that shakes the very foundation of their survival!
The study fell silent again, with only the occasional soft crackling of the candlelight.

After a long while, a resolute glint flashed in Cui Renshi's cloudy yet sharp eyes.

“Our family can no longer remain aloof or stand idly by as we have in the past.”

Wang Yu said anxiously, "Lord Cui, should we object? But His Majesty has already tacitly approved it, and the Crown Prince has the moral high ground. If we object now, we might get burned."

“It’s not that I’m against it,” Cui Renshi shook his head.

"On the contrary, we want to cooperate first."

"Cooperation?" Lu Chengqing seemed thoughtful.

"Yes, cooperation."

Cui Renshi explained, "Doesn't the Crown Prince need money and grain to issue bonds? We'll buy them! And we'll buy them in large quantities!"

Wang Yu was stunned: "This...why is this? Knowing that the returns from Xizhou are slim and the risks of this debt are huge, why would you still invest such a large sum of money in it?"

Cui Renshi sneered, confident that he had everything under control.

"Risk? It's precisely because there's risk that we should get involved!"

"Firstly, to test the waters. We have invested a huge amount of money, making us one of the largest holders of the bonds."

"How will the Crown Prince manage Xizhou? How will funds and provisions be allocated? How will payments be made in the future?"

“We have sufficient reason and authority to inquire and supervise. This will allow us to see the Crown Prince’s true intentions more clearly than simply watching from the sidelines.”

"Secondly, exert influence. Since it cannot be stopped, then integrate into it."

“By holding a large number of bonds, we can have a certain say in the affairs of Xizhou.”

"If necessary, we can even use bond redemption as leverage to influence the Crown Prince's decisions or engage in exchanges of benefits with him. This will transform a potential threat into a degree of cooperation."

"The third and most important point,"

Cui Renshi's gaze swept over Wang and Lu.

"To prevent the situation from spiraling out of control. If we do not get involved and let him sell the bonds to private merchants, once successful, his reputation will be established and his source of income will be secured."

"At that time, what use will he have for us?"

“He will become even more reckless! Only if we also get deeply involved and become part of his ‘borrowing plan,’ or even major creditors, can we make him have some reservations.”

"Let him understand that without the support of my family, he still can't handle many things!"

Lu Chengqing nodded slowly.

"Lord Cui's insight is brilliant. This move is a strategic retreat, turning passivity into initiative. It incorporates the Crown Prince's open scheme into the chessboard of our aristocratic family. However..."

He hesitated slightly.

"With such a huge investment, if the Crown Prince ultimately cannot repay, or if the Western Regions affair fails completely, our losses will be immense..."

Cui Renshi said calmly, "Losses? Compared to the long-term foundation of the family, a little loss of money and food is still within our tolerance."

"Furthermore, do you all believe that if the Crown Prince truly reaches a point where he cannot fulfill his obligations, His Majesty would sit idly by and watch the Eastern Palace's prestige be ruined and the Crown Prince's authority be completely lost?"

"At that time, for the sake of the overall situation, the imperial court may have no choice but to intervene and bail us out. Our debts will still be settled."

"This is... seemingly the riskiest option, but actually the least risky. Besides, the salt in the Crown Prince's hands... hehe!"

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(End of this chapter)