Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Having lived through the reigns of the previous emperor and Wang Jing's regency, Yan Mingli knew that the current imperial treasury was in dire straits, a problem he had considered.

He was uncertain, but still slowly put forward his idea under the Emperor's gaze: "Although Zewu is poor, the quality of its mountain products is good. We can go to the prefectural city to negotiate with the merchants who buy mountain products and invest in advance to obtain the exclusive right."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Mingli immediately felt His Majesty's gaze on him sharpen, as if trying to see through his body, dissect his internal organs, and reveal his bones.

Yan Mingli felt a prickling sensation on his back and lowered his body even further.

The emperor's voice came calmly, his tone unreadable: "Merchants are driven by profit. If they acquire monopoly rights, how can we be sure they won't lower prices, squeeze the people's wealth, and enrich themselves? Even if mountain roads are built, who will benefit—the people or the merchants who control the monopoly? In ten or twenty years, to maintain the monopoly, whose pockets will all that money end up in?"

A chill ran down Yan Mingli's spine, and his clothes were soaked with cold sweat almost instantly.

His Majesty's two brief questions directly addressed the fact that under the monopoly system, the common people had no room for negotiation, and that this had led to rampant corruption and collusion between officials and merchants.

Ignoring everything else, Yan Mingli kowtowed deeply, each word resounding as he declared his resolve: "Your Majesty, I am only seeking a way out for the people of Zewu County, and I have absolutely no intention of taking advantage of this opportunity to enrich myself."

Qin Ji narrowed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and looked down at him indifferently, saying, "Even if I believe you have no intention of accepting bribes now, how can you guarantee that your successor will be honest and upright, and not swayed by personal gain, after you are transferred?"

"If this is what you mean by self-defense, then even if it were only a single county, I could not entrust it to you."

He could not entrust the land of a county to anyone, meaning he could not even become a county magistrate, which meant he was likely to face an endless stream of waiting lists.

Yan Mingli's heart clenched violently, and he exclaimed, "Your Majesty!"

He kowtowed again, quickly organizing his thoughts: "Your Majesty's words are pearls of wisdom, while my thoughts are shallow. The monopoly power does indeed have the drawbacks of suppressing prices and collusion between officials and merchants. Perhaps we could abolish the monopoly and let merchants compete with each other. Anyone who is willing to advance money and grain to subsidize the reclamation, water conservancy, and mountain road construction in this county can be registered and have priority to purchase mountain products based on the amount of investment, thus eliminating the danger of one monopoly and price suppression."

"In addition, the county government can use its power to check and balance market prices. All mushrooms, medicinal herbs, dried fruits and other mountain products that the villagers of Zewu Township collect in the mountains can be charged the minimum price stipulated by the prefectural city price regulations, and the price will be posted publicly. Even if merchants have the right of first refusal, they can only buy and sell at the official price, and there is absolutely no possibility of drastically lowering prices, so as not to let the hard-earned money of ordinary people be exploited by merchants."

Yan Mingli knew that these measures alone would not completely solve the problem of collusion between officials and merchants and the endless troubles it caused, so he added: "All the money advanced by the merchants shall be deposited into the county government's public treasury, kept in separate accounts with detailed records, and used only for reclaiming wasteland, repairing dikes, and improving mountain roads. Not a single penny shall be misappropriated for private purposes."

Qin Ji slowly took a sip of tea and asked, "The risks are high and the profits and losses are uncertain. Those merchants may not be as you wish. If no one bids, it will damage the dignity of the imperial court."

Yan Mingli slowly raised his head and said with a forced smile, "We can take out a loan in the name of the county government, agree on a time limit with the merchants, and use commercial taxes as collateral. Once the mountain roads are clear, the floods have subsided, and the export of mountain products is booming, we can collect a portion of the commercial taxes to return the principal to the merchants, offering appropriate interest to reassure them to participate. After the debt is fully repaid, the right of first refusal will be abolished, and from then on, the market will be fair and merchants can sell freely."

What he wanted to show His Majesty was that this was merely a stopgap measure to revitalize the impoverished and barren land, not a long-term solution.

Yan Mingli also knew that accomplishing these tasks was not as simple as it sounded; skill, integrity, and diligence were all indispensable, and His Majesty's great trust in his abilities and character was also required.

He wasn't sure about the last point.

In His Majesty's heart, regardless of his abilities, he is by no means a kind and loyal person.

Yan Mingli was not a particularly noble person. He studied to change his fate and make a name for himself. But since he knew what His Majesty cared about and knew that His Majesty was insightful and wise, how could he do something that would ruin his future for petty gains?

His Majesty wants honest and capable officials, so he can strive to be an honest and capable official and use that as a stepping stone to advancement.

Yan Mingli's throat bobbed, and he leaned down again, about to take a gamble and bring these unspeakable thoughts to the table to persuade His Majesty.

The figure by the window stood up and strolled slowly to him.

Yan Mingli could only see a section of a blue robe embroidered with dark patterns slowly approaching and stopping within inches of him.

Yan Mingli held his breath, not daring to move a fingertip, silently opening his mouth, waiting for His Majesty's instructions.

The voice of the supreme ruler came from above his head.

"Yan Mingli, I don't care why you volunteered to go to Zewu County. If you can be a good father to this area and make the people of Zewu live a better life than before, being a county magistrate will not be your end."

"But if you only talk a good game and your grand plans are not implemented, and you manage the local area in a mess, being a county magistrate will not be your final destination."

The same sentence could lead to two different paths, and Yan Mingli's heart pounded wildly in his chest.

He knew he had made the right move.

Although he may not have reversed the impression he had of His Majesty, he stepped forward and made His Majesty "see" him again, see his usefulness, and open up another possibility for his almost ended career.

He bowed deeply: "Your Majesty, I have done my utmost, even unto death, to live up to your expectations."

Qin Ji did not look at him, and calmly ordered, "Yu Shu, see him out."