I started on a deserted island and encountered Ying Zheng, who insisted I was an immortal.

Marquis of Ten Thousand Households.

It has a fief of ten thousand households.

Wang Ben looked at Ying Zheng, then at Zhang Ying, opened his mouth, but didn't say a word.

Meng Yi's hand, holding the water glass, remained suspended in mid-air, motionless.

In the corner, Li Si, who had been like a transparent person, suddenly trembled.

He suddenly stood up, and because the movement was too abrupt, he knocked over the wooden stool behind him, making a loud "bang".

"Your Majesty! No!"

Li Si's voice was sharp and rapid, with a tremor he himself was unaware of.

"The Qin Dynasty was founded with the establishment of prefectures and counties, abolishing the feudal system. This is the foundation for ten thousand generations! How can... how can we revert to the old system!"

He was shaking all over.

The enfeoffment system was the source of chaos in the former Zhou dynasty and the root cause of the division of the country into six states.

It was he, Li Si, who assisted the First Emperor in abolishing the regime, thus establishing the unified, centralized empire we have today.

Now, Your Majesty is actually going to tear this hole open yourself for a mere two million coins gambling debt?

This was even harder for him to accept than if the sky had fallen.

Ying Zheng did not look at him, but calmly gazed at Zhang Ying.

"Sir, your merits deserve to be recognized with a title of nobility."

"My mind is made up."

These six words are concise and leave no room for argument.

Li Si was struck dumb, his face turned ashen, he staggered back two steps and fell to the ground with a thud.

It’s over.

His Majesty personally knocked down a cornerstone of the legal edifice he had built throughout his life.

Looking at the chaotic scene, Zhang Ying was a little confused about what was going on.

He was just collecting a debt, why did he drive someone to the brink of suicide?

He scratched his head and looked at Ying Zheng.

"That... Marquis of Ten Thousand Households? That sounds pretty impressive."

Zhang Ying's tone carried a hint of uncertainty.

"So, can this Marquis be exchanged for cash?"

He gestured: "How about we calculate it based on the two million you owe me?"

"..."

Dead silence.

Inside the tent, an eerie, suffocating silence descended.

Wang Ben's buttocks stiffened just as he was about to sit down, and he almost sat down on the ground.

The water glass in Meng Yi's hand fell to the ground with a "crash" and shattered into pieces.

Li Si, who was lying on the ground, slowly raised his head and looked at Zhang Ying with an expression as if he were looking at a monster.

This...is this something a human being should ask?

A Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!

Marquis Che, who shares the fate of the nation!

"A fief of ten thousand households" means the tax revenue of ten thousand households for a year!

Throughout the entire Qin Dynasty, since its founding, apart from the powerful Marquis Wenxin Lü Buwei, who once held immense power in the court, who has ever received such treatment?

Even the Wang and Meng families, with their generations of merit, could only obtain a fiefdom of a thousand households.

This is a glory and power that no amount of money can buy.

This Mr. Zhang actually asked... "Can I exchange it for money?"

Ying Zheng was also stunned.

He had imagined countless possible reactions from Zhang Ying.

Overwhelmed with gratitude? Overwhelmed with trepidation? Or perhaps with the serene composure of an immortal?

He never expected that the other party would ask such a question.

"cough."

Ying Zheng coughed lightly to cover up his lapse in composure.

He looked at Zhang Ying again, as if he were seeing her for the first time.

"Sir," Ying Zheng's tone became solemn, "wealth is but an external thing. What I give you is power that lasts as long as the nation, and glory that will benefit your descendants."

"How can mere copper coins be compared to this?"

Zhang Ying pursed her lips.

Don't give me this nonsense.

Can glory fill your stomach? Can power buy you a house and let you listen to music?

He finally understood that Lao Ying, like Lao Wang and Lao Meng, had no intention of paying cash at all.

"Alright, alright," Zhang Ying waved her hand somewhat dejectedly. "So, where will you be granted this marquisate? You need some territory, right?"

He thought that if he had a piece of land, even if it was a poor, remote place, he could grow some things and sell them to make some money.

Ying Zheng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Ying Zheng had finally stopped worrying about the "conversion" issue.

"I hereby bestow upon you the title of Marquis of Hanzhong."

He walked to the map and pointed heavily at a vast area between the Qinling and Bashan Mountains.

"Hanzhong Commandery will be your fief."

"From this day forward, all affairs of Hanzhong Commandery shall be decided by you. The Prefect of Hanzhong Commandery shall also obey your orders and be at your disposal."

"this……"

Meng Yi and Wang Ben exchanged a glance, both seeing immense shock in each other's reactions.

Hanzhong!

That is the vital passage connecting the Guanzhong Plain and the Sichuan Basin!

It is also the southern gateway guarding Xianyang!

Although it is currently relatively barren due to its mountainous location and rugged roads, its strategic position is irreplaceable.

Most importantly, it only takes two days by fast horse from Hanzhong to reach Xianyang.

His Majesty handed a dagger to Mr. Zhang, and at the same time, revealed his own back without reservation.

This trust is not just heavy, it's like betting half the country on it.

Zhang Ying didn't react at first.

Hanzhong Commandery? Never heard of it.

A fief? It's just collecting rent. Ten thousand households sounds like a lot, but given the productivity of the Qin Dynasty, how many copper coins could each household pay in a year? It's meaningless.

But when he heard the last sentence, he perked up completely.

"etc!"

Zhang Ying rushed to the map and stared intently at Ying Zheng's finger.

"What did you just say?"

"The governor of Hanzhong, does he also listen to me?"

"You mean, the entire Hanzhong Commandery, from officials to farmers, is under my control? I can tell them to grow potatoes and they have to grow potatoes, or I can tell them to raise pigs and they have to raise pigs?"

Ying Zheng nodded slowly.

"Within Hanzhong, the orders of the lord are the orders of the king."

"Holy shit!"

Zhang Ying uttered a phrase from the classics of Chinese culture without hesitation.

His eyes shone, and his breathing became heavy.

His previous line of thinking was completely wrong!

What debt collection? What two million? That's such a small-minded thing!

Money is nothing!

that power!

In a feudal dynasty, the greatest resources were people, land, and absolute administrative power!

Having Hanzhong Commandery is equivalent to having a huge production base!

We have the manpower and the land!

All the modern agricultural production models, cash crop planting plans, and industrial chain ideas in his mind finally found a use!

Poverty alleviation and wealth creation?

Isn't that his original profession?

Although the conditions in Daqin are a bit poor, with no fertilizers, pesticides, or machinery, there are always more solutions than problems.

What he wants to do is not to squeeze money out of the meager savings of ordinary people.

What he wants to do is to turn Hanzhong into a super treasure trove, and then sell the good things produced there to the wealthy nobles and nobles in Xianyang at a price that no one can refuse!

Want some snowflake salt?

Craft-brewed baijiu, how about it?

Juicy cucumbers in winter, tooth-splitting watermelons in summer, and those addictive cigarettes...

Countless business plans flashed through Zhang Ying's mind in an instant.

Sent.

This is really going to be a big hit!

"cough!"

Zhang Ying cleared her throat and straightened her clothes.

He took a step back, faced Ying Zheng, and solemnly bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, I, Zhang Ying, thank you for your great kindness!"