My Imperial Advisor is ChatGPT

The experimental section of the Qin Straight Road in the northern suburbs of Xianyang.

This was a day worthy of being recorded in the annals of the Qin Dynasty.

Although a light rain was falling, the wide, gray, and smooth cement road stretched across the Loess Plateau like a reclining dragon, without a trace of mud.

"Ready—Takeoff!"

With an excited, strange cry, a modified four-horse chariot shot off like an arrow. Driving it was Hu Hai, wearing a pair of specially made (actually mica sheets ground by Zhao Gao) windproof goggles. His hair was blown back by the wind, and he was imitating strange sound effects: "Buzz—buzz—!"

The horseshoes struck the concrete pavement, producing a crisp and rapid "clattering" sound, the rhythm so fast it formed a continuous line.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Zhao Gao's face was distorted by the wind. He gripped the handrail tightly, his hair disheveled, and his screams were swallowed by the wind: "Young Master! Slow down! Slow down! We're going to fly out!"

"Slow down my ass! Father is watching!" Instead of slowing down, Hu Hai lashed out with his whip, "Drift for me!"

At a sharp bend in the straight road, Hu Hai yanked the reins hard. The specially reinforced wheels screeched violently against the concrete surface, emitting a piercing screech and even a puff of smoke.

The car slid sideways, narrowly missing the roadside ditch, before straightening up and continuing its rapid journey.

On a high platform in the distance.

Ying Zheng put down the monocular telescope in his hand (the original version that had just been polished from two pieces of crystal), and his lips twitched slightly.

"This unfilial son... is he driving, or is he trying to kill himself?"

Standing to the side, Meng Tian was already filled with fervor, his hands gripping the sword hilt tightly, his eyes blazing with fanaticism: "Your Majesty! This is the divine path! This is divine speed!"

"I just timed it. This ten-mile journey, if it were the old dirt road, would take at full speed two quarters of an hour. Now? Less than half a quarter of an hour!"

"If an army of 300,000 could advance at this speed... the Xiongnu horses would still be grazing while my sword is already at the Chanyu's throat!"

Ying Zheng nodded slightly, his shock no less than that of Meng Tian.

This is the power of "infrastructure".

This road changes not only speed, but also the distance in time and space.

"Li Si," Ying Zheng withdrew his gaze and looked at the prime minister behind him, "This road is well-built. The bonds are selling well too. But I've heard that some strange things have been happening in Xianyang lately?"

Li Si, who was still marveling at the magnificent project, instantly looked dejected upon hearing these words.

"Your Majesty is wise," Li Si said, bowing with his hands clasped. His tone was heavy. "The road has been built, but the money... is the bottleneck."

……

In front of a stall with a sign that reads "Liu's Fast Food" in Xishi, Xianyang.

Liu Bang was squatting on the threshold with a worried look on his face, holding a handful of bamboo skewers, looking at the long line of diners who couldn't pay their bills.

Since buying government bonds and becoming an "honorary public servant," and being appointed as the logistics officer of the Straight Road, Liu Bang's business has flourished. He invented a kind of "roujiamo" (which is actually two pieces of unleavened bread with some salted meat in between), which is very popular among laborers and passing merchants.

But now, the business is failing.

"Boss Liu, I'll take this roujiamo (Chinese hamburger). But I don't have a single ounce of money." A man dressed like a traveling merchant helplessly spread his hands. "How about I give you a piece of cloth?"

"Go away! What do I need cloth for? To wrap my corpse?" Liu Bang waved his hand impatiently. "I need money! Copper coins! Half a tael of coins!"

"Really, there aren't any!" the merchant exclaimed anxiously. "In the past two weeks, all the copper coins in Xianyang have vanished as if they've grown legs and run away! Forget about me, even when you go to a fancy restaurant, you have to pay with gold dust or silk!"

Xiao He came out from behind, holding an account book in his hand, his brows furrowed.

"Liu Ji, stop shouting. It's not that they won't give it to us, it's just that there's really no money left in the market."

"A cash shortage?" Liu Bang spat out the grass in his mouth. "Where did all the money go? Surely it couldn't all have been eaten by rats, could it?"

Xiao He pointed to the distant, sprawling mansion district—the settlement of the former nobles of the six states and the old Qin aristocracy.

"They 'ate' us."

Xiao He lowered his voice, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "His Majesty issued national bonds, drawing away 30% of the circulating copper coins in the market. The remaining 70% was hidden in cellars by those old nobles."

"They did it on purpose. They wanted to create a 'cash crunch'."

Liu Bang was stunned for a moment, then burst into a tirade: "These bastards! What are they trying to do? Starve me to death?"

"That's worse than starving you to death," Xiao He said coldly. "The less money you have, the more valuable it becomes. Before, one coin could buy a steamed bun, but now that you have no money, you have to exchange ten steamed buns for that one coin."

"This is 'deflation.' Those nobles hold copper coins, which is equivalent to holding our lifeline. They can buy up our goods at rock-bottom prices without lifting a finger."

"What's even more insidious is..." Xiao He looked towards the direction of Xianyang Palace, "His Majesty borrowed 'money,' and he's repaying it with 'money.' If money becomes increasingly valuable, when His Majesty repays the debt in the future, it will be equivalent to repaying ten times more in resources. This national debt could bankrupt the court."

Liu Bang felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

He was a rogue, but a clever one. He realized this was a bloodless battle.

"Then what should we do? Should we rob them?" Liu Bang made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Rob?" Xiao He rolled his eyes at him. "That's the Court of Justice's business. Our task now is to keep this 'barter' business going and prevent the laborers on the road from starving to death."

……

The atmosphere inside the Qilin Hall was solemn.

[Warning! Warning! A severe liquidity crisis has been detected!]

M0 (cash in circulation) plummeted by 60%. CPI (price index) fluctuated abnormally.

This was a premeditated financial attack. The enemy: the old aristocratic alliance of the Qin Dynasty.

Ying Zheng stared at the red line on the screen, his face so dark it seemed to drip water.

He underestimated the greed and cunning of the old aristocracy.

Although they lost their fiefdoms and military power, they still possessed wealth accumulated over hundreds of years—copper.

In this era, copper is money, and money is copper.

"They're trying to force the emperor to abdicate," Li Si gritted his teeth. "Your Majesty, the Court of Justice has confirmed that the Jing and Zhao clans, former noble families of Chu, and the Meng, Xi, and Bai clans of Qin, have all been frantically trying to collect copper coins, only taking in and not giving them out."

"They spread rumors that the imperial court was issuing national bonds because it was out of money and was about to default. This caused widespread panic, and people began to hide their money and dared not spend it."

"Your Majesty, perhaps..." A glint of ruthlessness flashed in Li Si's eyes, "...why not just send troops to ransack their homes? And find all the copper coins?"

Ying Zheng remained silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"Seizure of property? What's the reason?"

"They didn't rebel, they didn't kill anyone, they just hid their money in their homes. Which article of the Qin law forbids storing money?"

"If I were to forcibly confiscate property, that would be 'robbery.' The newly established national credit would collapse instantly. Who would dare buy my national bonds? Who would dare trust my laws?"

Ying Zheng stood up and paced back and forth in the hall.

This is a dead end.

You can't steal it, and you can't conjure up copper.

"Little G," Ying Zheng asked in his mind, "In your era, how would you deal with a miser who 'has money but doesn't spend it'?"

[Simple. Print money. Inflation.]

[As long as the country prints money fast enough, the value of their money will depreciate, forcing them to spend it.]

"I've already said it, I can't print copper!"

[Your Majesty, who says money has to be made of copper?]

You can issue... paper money?

Ying Zheng glanced at the "Shu Yunrou" toilet paper and his lips twitched: "The anti-counterfeiting technology of paper these days is too poor. If I issue paper money today, that scoundrel Liu Bang can print a bunch at home tomorrow to buy wine."

【Then let's try a different approach.】

Since they like to hoard "money," let's create a "product" that's more valuable than "money," something that will make them even more eager and compel them to empty their savings to buy it.

This is called: withdrawing currency from circulation.

Ying Zheng's eyes lit up: "Goods? What do I have? They've already bought enough toilet paper."

Toilet paper is a consumable, not stimulating enough. You need a... luxury item.

[Something that seems like a miracle in this era, but was as cheap as garbage in the industrial age.]

For example... glass.

On the screen appeared a crystal-clear, shimmering goblet. It refracted a rainbow of colors in the sunlight.

Ying Zheng stared at the cup, his breath catching in his throat for a moment.

The Qin Dynasty also possessed "glass," but it was a cloudy, opaque, and expensive product made from fired minerals. This, however…

"Is this crystal?"

No, this is sand.

Silicon dioxide. Add a little soda ash and limestone. The raw materials are everywhere.

[By slightly controlling the impurities, you can produce transparent glass. Add a little cobalt, and you get a blue rose; add a little copper, and you get emerald green.]

[Your Majesty, the cost of this stuff is less than a roll of toilet paper. But you can sell it for an exorbitant price.]

Ying Zheng smiled.

He laughed like a fox that had just stolen a chicken.

"Sand... I can't turn stone into gold, but I can turn this sand into jade..."

"Zhao Gao!"

……

Shaofu, beside the blast furnace.

Zhao Gao had just finished repairing the cement road and hadn't even had a chance to catch his breath when he received a new task.

"Burning sand?"

Zhao Gao stared blankly at the baskets of river sand transported from the riverbank and the pile of white powder.

"What is Your Majesty trying to do? After cement comes... sand and mud?"

But the imperial edict was hard to disobey. Zhao Gao could only once again transform into the "Chief Alchemist of Qin".

Having gained experience in cement production, Zhao Gao was much more adept at controlling the temperature this time.

Following the recipe provided by Xiao G, Zhao Gao led the craftsmen in working day and night.

The first batch was completely black. A failure.

The second batch was a vibrant green, like snot. A failure.

……

The tenth furnace.

When the furnace fire went out, Zhao Gao carefully used iron tongs to pick up the crucible and poured the liquid inside into the preheated copper mold.

The liquid cooled rapidly and solidified.

Zhao Gao, trembling, raised the mold to the sunlight.

In that instant, he felt as if he had witnessed a miracle.

Sunlight pierced through the object without obstruction, falling upon Zhao Gao's face. It was...transparent! Pure as mountain spring water, as still air!

"My goodness..." Zhao Gao's hand trembled, and he almost dropped the priceless "divine object".

"This...this is crystal from the Dragon Palace, right? Is this really made from sand?"

Zhao Gao suddenly realized that all his previous schemes and tricks were utterly pathetic. This was true magic! This was true political maneuvering!

……

Seven days later. Xianyang, Zhangtai Palace.

An unprecedented "Royal Treasures Auction" is underway.

This time, the specifications are ten times higher than the last time we sold toilet paper.

Li Si personally presided over the auction and spread the word that the treasures to be auctioned were "heavenly treasures" that His Majesty brought back from the East Sea when he sought immortality. There were only ten of them in total, and they would be sold out on a first-come, first-served basis.

The audience below was filled with old nobles who had hoarded copper coins.

They originally didn't want to come. Their current strategy is to "tighten their purse strings and let Qin Shi Huang starve to death."

But the allure of the words "Heavenly Palace Treasure" was too great. Moreover, they had heard that this item could prolong life and ward off evil spirits.

"Gentlemen."

Li Si stood on the high platform, his expression solemn, even showing a hint of piety.

"Today's treasures must not be exposed to the wind or dust."

He clapped his hands lightly.

Four strongmen carried up a frame covered with a black velvet cloth.

"The first treasure—"

Li Si suddenly ripped off the black cloth.

"The Everlasting Longevity Nine-Turn Exquisite Glass Cup!"

A collective gasp filled the hall.

On the shelf, there was a... glass.

But to people of that era, it wasn't just a glass. It was a miracle!

It was completely transparent, without any impurities, and under the surrounding candlelight, it refracted a dazzling halo of light. It was purer than the finest crystal and more translucent than the most expensive jade.

"This object..." A former nobleman from the Chu Kingdom stood up shakily, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Could this be... the five-colored stones left over from Nuwa's patching of the sky?"

"No," Li Si fabricated. "This is what the Dragon King of the East Sea uses to entertain his guests. The water is sweet when it's filled with it, and the wine is strong when it's filled with it. Drinking it regularly can brighten the eyes, clear the mind, and prolong life."

Starting bid—100,000 coins!

100,000 coins!

This price is enough to buy a small county town.

But none of the nobles in the audience thought it was expensive.

Because this is a truly unique piece. Owning it is like having a ticket to the "celestial realm," and it is also a symbol of eternal glory for one's family.

"110,000!"

"150,000!"

"Two hundred thousand! Don't even think about taking it from me! I am a descendant of the Tian family of Qi!"

Crazy.

Utter madness.

The copper coins that were originally hidden in the cellar, intended to strangle the Qin economy, were now being brought out like water.

The nobles were blinded by greed and risked their lives for these few pieces of "burnt sand".

Hiding behind the screen, Ying Zheng watched this scene, holding a similar glass in his hand, drinking plain water while sneering.

"Little G".

【exist. 】

"Do you think they'd be so angry they'd vomit blood if they knew this thing only cost a few coins to make?"

[Highly likely. But this is what economics calls "the tax on intelligence."]

[And, Your Majesty, look. The money is circulating.]

Yes, as the auction proceeded, heavy boxes of copper coins were moved into the national treasury.

Ten pieces of glassware fetched a staggering five million coins at auction!

This money was enough to repair half of the Qin Straight Road and also enough to pay Meng Tian's army for two years.

More importantly, copper coins began to circulate more freely in the market. As nobles had to sell their grain and cloth to raise money to buy glass, prices began to fall, and the market revived.

……

After the auction ended.

A nobleman who had bought the "glass cup" carefully carried the cup back home.

He placed it before the ancestral tablets, and the whole family knelt down and kowtowed.

"May our ancestors bless us! With this divine object, our clan will surely prosper forever!"

However, that very night...

Inside the Xianyang Palace, Hu Hai was using a small hammer to "inspect" a pile of glasses.

"Crack!" One of them broke.

"Crack!" Another one broke.

"Father! This thing is too fragile! It breaks with just one tap! It's not fun at all!" Hu Hai complained. "It's not even as fun as cement!"

Ying Zheng calmly looked at the shards of glass scattered on the ground.

"It's better that it's broken."

"Broken, it means 'peace and safety year after year'."

"And..." A sly glint of merchant's cunning flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes, "If it breaks, they'll have to buy a new one."

"Send an order to Zhao Gao. Expand the glass factory. Next month, release the 'Twelve Zodiac Limited Edition'. The month after that, release the 'Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter Edition'."

"I will make these nobles return the copper they've ingested, with interest."

……

Meanwhile, on the Qin Straight Road.

Liu Bang looked at the suddenly "thawed" market and the copper coins in his hand that he could finally make change, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is weird." Liu Bang took a bite of his roujiamo (Chinese hamburger). "Does this emperor have magic powers? How can money just disappear and reappear like that?"

Xiao He gazed in the direction of Xianyang, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

"It's not magic. It's a method."

"Liu Ji, our emperor is probably more terrifying than we imagined."

"He can not only kill with a sword, but now... he has learned to kill with money."

Liu Bang shivered.

"So, are we still dealing with paper?"

"Let's make some money! Why not?" Xiao He laughed. "Following a ruthless person like that, as long as we don't court disaster, we can still get some benefits."

"Let's go! Let's get some stock! I heard the Imperial Household Department has released some new 'glass beads,' those things are sure to sell well among kids!"

After the storm, the Qin Straight Road became even more solid.

Under Ying Zheng's dazzling array of economic measures, the Qin Dynasty finally broke through the reefs of the old era and sailed into the more turbulent and expensive deep sea.