Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

"Sir, you probably want to ask me who taught me those words, don't you?"

Gao Zhao walked to the brazier, warmed his hands over the fire, and looked up with a smile, saying:

"Tonight in the Hall of Preserving Harmony, I was at loggerheads with Chao Bingzhi, and you didn't stop me. I wanted to explain the benefits of spending money to the Emperor, and you didn't stop me then either. But when I talked about the wealthy households in the country, you suddenly stopped me. You came to me tonight to discuss this matter, didn't you?"

Gao Qiu looked at him in surprise, then walked to the brazier and sat down. He warmed his hands over the fire for a while before finally speaking, "You're quite clever!"

"Heh... I wouldn't call myself clever, but I do have some wisdom!" Gao Zhao chuckled, his eyebrows slightly raised, and said smugly, "It's obvious, I'm not stupid! My lord, what exactly are you trying to tell me?"

Gao Qiu did not answer immediately, but stared silently at the brazier, as if he was organizing his thoughts.

A few crackling sparks rose from the copper brazier, the warmth dispelling the chill of the study in the dead of night. The firelight shone on the two faces, half bright and half hidden in shadow.

Gao Qiu adjusted his brocade robe, warmed his hands over the charcoal fire, raised his eyes to look deeply at Gao Zhao, and slowly spoke:

"If I hadn't stopped you today, what would you have said?"

"What else can I say!" Gao Zhao scoffed dismissively, "There are many reasons why the Song Dynasty is short of copper. One is the production of ritual objects and Buddhist statues, and the outflow of copper to other countries is also an important factor. But the most fundamental reason is that it was hoarded by wealthy households!"

"The more money these wealthy households hoard, the fewer copper coins will circulate in the Song Dynasty, leading to a currency shortage, and their hoarded copper coins will become increasingly valuable!"

As Gao Zhao spoke, he took the fire tongs and stirred the embers in the brazier. The flickering flames illuminated Gao Zhao's profile, and the playful smile on his face was gone.

"Those who hoard copper coins and speculate are the most despicable. They are profiting by disrupting the Song Dynasty's financial system! What can I say? Of course, I should make the government spend more money, create a trend of extravagance, and encourage others to follow suit, thus putting money into circulation!"

"You can actually see through this layer?" Gao Qiu muttered to himself, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the brocade on his knee.

The cash crunch is not a crisis that has only emerged in recent years.

This is a chronic problem that has plagued the Ministry of Revenue day and night, from the Three Departments of Justice in the past to the Ministry of Revenue today.

The officials in the court mostly blamed the insufficient mining of copper, the high cost of minting coins, the consumption of copper for Buddhist statues, and the northward flow of copper coins.

As for the copper coins hoarded by wealthy families, everyone knows it, but very few people are willing to openly discuss it. The reason is simple: they themselves are among them!

This matter is far too complicated!

Gao Qiu looked up at him, and asked with interest, "What if the Emperor does as you say, but it doesn't work? What countermeasures do you have?"

"Let's try diplomacy first, then resort to force!" Gao Zhao blurted out without hesitation, "Find a pretext to convict them, then send troops to ransack their homes, confiscate their property, and that'll do!"

"Can't you think about things less simplistically and crudely!" Gao Qiu rolled his eyes and said irritably, "There are so many wealthy families in the world, can you possibly confiscate them all?"

Gao Zhao curled his lip and said disdainfully, "Sir, you're being incredibly naive! Why do we need to confiscate them all? Just deal with those few ringleaders, and do you believe they'll come crawling back to us with money to beg for forgiveness!"

"These people have had too much of a comfortable life, their spines have long since softened, and they can't be intimidated at all! They're only good at swaggering and daring to fight and kill in front of the common people, but when it really comes down to it, they'll kneel down and beg for mercy faster than I can raise my knife!"

His words were crisp and decisive, yet the murderous aura emanated from his mouth with such ease, as if confiscating the property of several wealthy families was as simple as crushing a few ants.

The hint of interest on Gao Qiu's face vanished completely. He leaned back in his chair, staring thoughtfully at Gao Zhao's face.

Gao Zhao felt a little uncomfortable under the gaze, rubbed his face, and chuckled dryly, "Does my lord think what I said makes sense? Are you convinced by my brilliant argument?"

"What utter nonsense! What grand theories? Complete rubbish!" Gao Qiu retorted angrily. "If we really did what you say, the whole world would condemn you!"

Gao Zhao laughed nonchalantly, "Hehe, let them curse! We robbed them of their money, are we not allowed to say a few words?"

"Ha, how shallow! You think they're just going to hurl a few insults at you? They'll unite the whole world to condemn you! That includes those very people you want to help!"

Gao Qiu's gaze turned cold, as if recalling some infuriating past event. His fists clenched, veins bulging, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "They will hire assassins to kill you, smear your reputation, distort the truth, misinterpret your true intentions, leaving you speechless, utterly disgraced, and forever infamous!"

Gao Zhao was busy poking at the embers and didn't notice Gao Qiu's expression. Hearing this, he still smiled and said, "What's the big deal? The innocent are innocent, and we have nothing to fear! Besides, what harm is there in sacrificing one of us for the sake of the people..."

"You bastard!"

Before Gao Zhao could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Gao Qiu's angry shout. He looked up in astonishment and saw that Gao Qiu's face was ashen and his expression was full of rage, as if he wanted to devour someone.

"My lord, what is this...?" Gao Zhao was terrified and looked completely bewildered.

Gao Qiu grabbed his shoulder, leaned down to stare into his eyes, and said, word by word, "Let me tell you! Whether you mean it sincerely or not, remember this: those people don't deserve your sympathy, much less your help! Do you understand?"

Gao Zhao's shoulders were firmly pressed down by Gao Qiu, whose hand was so strong that the hardness of his knuckles could be felt even through his clothes. The playful smile that had been on his face just moments before froze completely, and his eyes widened in astonishment.

He never expected that his casual remark about serving the country would provoke such a furious reaction from Gao Qiu, who would then utter such unorthodox words.

Is this the true nature of a treacherous official coming to the fore?

He nodded in surprise, but couldn't help asking, "Why?"

"Why?" Gao Qiu repeated in a low voice, his expression even more gloomy. He opened his mouth to speak, but then swallowed back, suppressing his anger. He waved his hand and said in a hoarse voice:

"You don't need to know why. You just need to know that those people are not innocent. Their choices deserve their suffering!"

"Oh..." Gao Zhao responded, puzzled, thinking that Gao Qiu must have been cheated by these common people when he was young.

That's petty and vengeful!

"Go!" Gao Qiu, still seething with anger, had lost all interest in continuing the conversation and waved him away.

Stepping out of the study, Gao Zhao was jolted awake by the cold wind. Recalling Gao Qiu's words, he felt a chill run down his spine, realizing he had discovered a great secret!