"But the National Treasury still has no Silver! Without Silver in hand, I am uneasy at heart!"
The words of Gu Chengyu, though they seed to comfort the Emperor greatly, did not solve the problem, which had reached a point where it had to be addressed.
Gu Chengyu, upon hearing these words, imdiately understood why the Emperor had called him today. It was to fill the National Treasury and to ask him for solutions.
"Gu Aiqing, soone has recomnded you to , saying you are quite adept at generating Silver. Do you have any good strategies?"
The Emperor looked leisurely at Gu Chengyu, curious about what good solutions he might co up with.
After all, if only Xia Qing spoke of it, he might still be skeptical. But even the second master recomnded him, so perhaps Gu Chengyu indeed had a plan.
Gu Chengyu was sowhat surprised and started to wonder relentlessly who could have recomnded him to the Emperor?
Based solely on the ager Silver he earned from selling soap, this should not have attracted such attention, right?
Could it be that people found out that Juxiang Building was his creation? But he never openly showed himself, so such a discovery shouldn’t have been possible.
Gu Chengyu’s mind was quickly calculating again, realizing that the Emperor’s request indeed put him in a difficult position.
The Silver amount needed by the court was colossal, and those trivial businesses wouldn’t catch the Emperor’s eye.
He knew very well that profitable trades were nothing more than glass, mirrors, and cent.
He had seen their rough procedures in books from another space. However, those require careful experintation and couldn’t be accomplished in a short ti.
Besides, he was still an official in the Hanlin Academy, not the Ministry of Industry. To prematurely bring out these thods would not benefit him at all.
By then, the Emperor wouldn’t offer him a piece of the pie, at most promoting him by one rank, just as a dismissal.
Yet, even without relying on these, Gu Chengyu was confident he could achieve a promotion within three years.
Giving up the thods with minimal benefit wasn’t appealing to Gu Chengyu, so he didn’t lean toward developing them now.
He intended to wait until his position was higher, planning to be the first to take the risk; otherwise, it would just be making a wedding dress for others.
Even if later caught the Emperor’s fancy, he would have already garnered enough profit, gaining capital for negotiation with the Emperor.
Thinking this through, Gu Chengyu felt he needed to find a way from another angle.
With a wry smile, he said, "Emperor, as you know, the amount of Silver the court requires is substantial. How could my small tricks be of any interest to the Emperor?"
Gu Chengyu cast his gaze at the Imperial Desk before the Emperor, not daring to look directly at the imperial visage.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor couldn’t help but feel a wave of disappointnt. How could he not know the massive amount of Silver needed by the court? Wasn’t this why he summoned Gu Chengyu for advice?
The Emperor took up the teacup, sipped it twice, then set it down, prompting De’an to step forward and refill it for the Emperor.
Watching the steaming teacup, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Gu Chengyu. His eyes lit up, realizing that before him was an exceptional idea.
But after a mont, he frowned. Implenting this thod would undoubtedly et with intense opposition from so quarters.
However, those people wouldn’t be without benefits; on the contrary, there would be quite a few advantages.
"If Gu Aiqing has a good idea, speak of it directly. Whether it is a small trick or not, I will be the judge of that myself,"
interpreted the Emperor from Gu Chengyu’s earlier suggestion that there was at least a thod, albeit far from eting the Silver requirent of the court.
Yet, even the smallest amount of at is better than none, and he wouldn’t sneer at it.
"Emperor, I do have an idea, but it’s one I haven’t deeply pondered before. It might not be suitable, and I ..."
Gu Chengyu hesitated, his idea still just a fledgling concept, far from refined.
Even if he explained it to the Emperor now, prematurely executing it could lead to chaos.
The Emperor, seeing Gu Chengyu’s hesitation, furrowed his brows even tighter, "Does Gu Aiqing have concerns?"
"Your Majesty, I do have a plan in mind, but if implented, it could induce so unrest!"
Astounded by this proclamation, the Emperor couldn’t help but be curious about what kind of plan Gu Chengyu had co up with.
"Then what exactly is the plan? Gu Aiqing, don’t hesitate to speak," the Emperor, eager to know, imdiately voiced his inner suspense.
"Your Majesty, do you enjoy drinking tea?" Gu Chengyu smiled and abruptly changed the subject.
The Emperor arched his brows, preparing to scold Gu Chengyu, urging him to stay on topic.
Gu Chengyu, seeing the Emperor’s displeasure, urgently said, "Your Majesty! Please first answer my question, as my plan pertains to this matter."
Deliberately playing coy, Gu Chengyu refrained from revealing the plan too hastily, which would be too cheap. Wasn’t it fair to haggle a bit?
The Emperor, hearing this, although increasingly impatient, replied with restraint, "I do enjoy tea; this cup contains Maofeng, a Spring tea picked this year."
De’an silently sweated for Gu Chengyu; this Mr. Gu was truly daring, even daring to retort to the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, do you find the tea expensive?" Gu Chengyu was no longer hurried, feeling a bit weary from standing, slightly shifting his feet.
"Ahem! De’an, quickly bring a chair for Mr. Gu." The Emperor, noticing Gu Chengyu’s subtle movents, couldn’t help but laugh.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Gu Chengyu quickly gave thanks, although he still had to stand when answering, sitting for even a mont represented a special honor, right?
"Yes!"
De’an could see that the Emperor was quite indulgent toward Mr. Gu and that he usually felt relaxed when discussing affairs with him.
The Emperor’s health was crucial to De’an; he was just a eunuch who had his present honor entirely thanks to the Emperor. Hence, he had a good impression of Mr. Gu, who could relieve the Emperor’s burdens.
"This tea is, of course, expensive, but what are you getting at?"
Gu Chengyu, knowing when to stop, didn’t play coy any longer.
"Emperor! The tea you drink is a tribute, different from what the common people and my family drink. Yet there are many wealthy people who also love drinking tea, and top-quality tea at that. Imagine, then, how substantial the profits of those tea rchants must be."
The Emperor nodded, acknowledging this accurate observation. Those wealthy households with tea plantations naturally earn Silver, and rchants trading tea across the regions make fortunes.
However, the Emperor was puzzled; did Gu Chengyu an for the Royal Family to plant more tea trees?
"Is Gu Aiqing suggesting the Royal Family plant more tea trees? Doing so is labor-intensive and requires long-term investnt, not yielding quick returns. I seek short-term visible gains. Moreover, this would an competing with the people for profit, which would be improper."
The Emperor shook his head; even with more tea trees, the revenue could never compare to the Silver needed for military pay.
"Not so!"
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