When money accumulates, consumption must be guided. Investing all the money into the great Two Lakes development was better than sending it to Yanlai Tower for consumption. One could leave a foundation for descendants, while the other damaged the body day and night, harming countless people.

Burying it underground required constant vigilance against thieves. When using it, the silver had to be constantly washed. The money houses wouldn’t accept blackened silver. Many landlords and wealthy men cried out to heaven demanding that money houses must exchange those rust-spotted copper coins. The arrogant clerks casually took out two exquisite copper coins from the counter and placed them under the wealthy man’s eyelids, saying, “The court is being generous, fearing you’d suffer losses. According to our manager’s view, money like yours should all be sent to the copper smelting factory. Circulating it as money on the market would lose face for the court. Will you exchange it or not? According to the exchange rate, you won’t lose out. If you won’t exchange it, hurry up and carry it away. After this year, see who will want your moldy copper coins.”

The Ministry of Finance’s announcement had been issued. Using grain as the benchmark, they calculated the exchange rate and began large-scale exchange of copper coins. All collected copper coins returned to the copper smelting factory. After smelting to remove impurities, they were recast into copper plates. Finally, under the work of hydraulic presses, they were pressed into copper plates and continued to be exchanged.

Because the copper coins had denominations on them, a large amount of copper material was saved. Great Tang’s money shortage was greatly alleviated in just half a year.

Who knew how the government executed this? Farming households’ few copper coins, every single one counted. Even half-broken remnant coins could be exchanged for new copper coins. As for wealthy households’ money, who had the patience to count one by one? They threw it on large scales, stirred it around a few times, told you a rough number, and began exchanging. Often it didn’t match the original amount.

Even ghosts knew that minted copper coins wouldn’t have the same weight. The government was wicked when minting coins—those over weight would be picked out, those under weight would be circulated to the market. This way, losses were inevitable.

Xinyue had been cursing under the eaves all day. The household had inexplicably lost several hundred strings of cash. Could those people from the Ministry of Finance have taken that money to fill graves?

Zhangsun Wuji was wicked! He set this iron rule—this was how to exchange, using the fastest speed to complete the currency exchange work. Small households with more money could even send it to farming households to help exchange. Large households like the Yun family—going once meant seven or eight cartloads. Who could they find to exchange with?

Zhangsun Chong wrinkled his nose listening to Li Huairen curse at him. Finally getting an opening, he said loudly, “Your family lost money? If you’re capable, go yell at my father. What are you shouting in front of me for? My family also lost almost two thousand strings of cash. My father won’t even let me make a sound. This time he’s determined—exchange according to weight, no one has anything to say.”

Li Huairen couldn’t use farming households as an issue—he still wanted face. This was just venting. All the military districts throughout Great Tang exchanged this way. Military Marshals guarded every money house. At the slightest irregularity, blades would chop down. Military Marshals who broke the law—kill the whole family. Whole families lived in military camps with nowhere to escape. Homeless and propertyless Military Marshals could only watch others take extremely high salaries while drooling at copper coins piled like mountains.

The Lingnan Naval Forces were chased by the Ministry of Finance like donkeys running everywhere. All ships had been dispatched, carrying newly made copper coins wandering around the inland rivers.

Yun Ye handed the futures rights for selling new city land and property to He Shao. Two Vice Ministers from the Ministry of Finance watched him closely, causing He Shao to unknowingly lose another ten pounds. No matter who heard words like beheading, property confiscation, and clan extermination in their ears every day, they would have no taste for food and couldn’t sleep at night.

The Ministry of Finance thought they couldn’t possibly collect much money this time. After all, the houses had no shadow yet. The place to build houses was still a swamp. The court’s conscripted convicts were still on the road, hadn’t even reached Yuezhou. Early work to fill the swamp hadn’t begun. Selling houses now was just a joke.

“Marquis Yun, the Horse Superintendent and Vice Superintendent at Yinshan Military Horse Farm request to retire. What do you think?”

Early in the morning, Ministry of Personnel Vice Minister Qi Dali came calling. Without concealing anything, he directly demanded Yun Ye release Yuezhou’s original Marshal and Chief Administrator. Moreover, his facial expression was very bad.

“Why is this? What’s wrong with both officials being promoted one rank? Men in their fifties can still serve the nation—they should feel honored. Why retire? Great Tang’s officials aren’t like Jin times—when you’re unhappy, you just hang up your cap and leave. Whether you can retire needs the court to speak.”

Yun Ye also gave no pleasant face. If these two fellows didn’t go to the grasslands to herd horses for three years, that would be letting himself down. Because of them, he had to waste half a year of time and money. Much silver borrowed from Chang’an wealthy households had to be calculated with interest. The money house interest also had to be paid for an extra half year for nothing. This added up to quite a large sum. These two people, bewitched by others, for their own small benefits, dared to forcibly drag out the time for half a year. Just thinking about that money, Yun Ye’s heart felt like it was being fried in oil.

“Han Cheng was a meritorious official from the founding. When Your Majesty campaigned against Lei Dapeng, it was Han Cheng who opened Yuezhou’s city defenses. Later he was unwilling to be an official, only wanted to be a commoner. I personally visited and invited him out of retirement. Condescending to be a mere petty official was already beneath his talents. Now Marquis Yun, for private gain, exiles him to Mobei. Is this your way of the gentleman?”

Qi Dali pointed accusingly at Yun Ye, questioning loudly. If not for fearing Yun Ye’s power, he would probably pounce and fight.

“Who told you it’s exile? They’re going to the grasslands to take up posts. One is Sixth Rank official, one is Lower Sixth Rank. This is His Majesty’s grace. In your mouth, how does it become exile? You claim to be Ministry of Personnel Vice Minister—can’t you even understand this point?”

Qi Dali laughed miserably and said loudly, “What crime did Han Cheng commit? What wrong did Qian Sheng do, that they must suffer humiliation from the powerful? I, Qi Dali, am ashamed to associate with such a court. I’ll request resignation from His Majesty right now, become my mountain hermit, go accompany two old friends to Yinshan to herd horses.”

“Whether you resign or not, I don’t care. But I must tell you why I sent those two to Yinshan. If those two hadn’t been stubborn and taken responsibility for you, your whole family would have to go to Yinshan to herd horses. Do you know that?”

Qi Dali, enraged to madness, looked up and laughed heartily, as if not caring at all. Pointing at Yun Ye he said, “This old man has lived clean all his life. My family property is nothing more than six hundred mu of middle-grade fields, government land at that. In my home are only my old wife, one son and one daughter. We eat grass stalks for three meals a day. What can you, a pampered young master, do to me?”

“Fine! As long as you produce three hundred thousand strings of cash to fill the hole you’ve created, I’ll not only immediately submit a memorial requesting those two be transferred back, I’ll also kowtow and apologize to them in front of Chang’an’s common people. What do you say?”

“Nonsense! Han Cheng’s entire family wealth added together is only a thousand strings. Qian Sheng’s family has no grain to last overnight. As soon as his salary arrives, he distributes it to widows and orphans. Moreover, Yuezhou’s fifty years of taxes don’t even amount to three hundred thousand strings. You’re trying to frame them!”

“If not for seeing they’re decent people, just somewhat confused, otherwise their entire families being executed would be light. Look at these case files and you’ll understand. Qi Dali, you should still retire. Otherwise, the more people like you there are, the more unlucky Great Tang becomes.”

Yun Ye handed the loan documents and money house records to Qi Dali, conveniently pushing over the abacus. General court officials all knew how to use this thing.

The more Qi Dali read, the paler his complexion became. His hands also began trembling, shaking the paper with rustling sounds. What Yun Ye said was correct. According to the final number he calculated, half a year’s time lost three hundred thousand strings—only less, not more.

“We only wanted to seek more compensation for our hometown. We didn’t expect such losses.”

“Now you’re satisfied? All your hometown people are waiting to suck blood from the court! Previous dynasties throughout history had no such thing as compensation, yet weren’t they fine? This time the court, to avoid harming the people, proposed compensation, and so many problems arose. If you’d only planted a few more trees, built a few more broken houses, cultivated a few more mu of wasteland—such small tricks we’d just laugh off. But you actually demanded that in the future new city we rebuild an identical village for you, not one blade of grass less—this is too much! You want to live a pastoral life inside the city?”

“These were just conditions. Everyone could negotiate.” Qi Dali’s sweat dripped down from his forehead. Before long, his winter clothes were soaked through.

“No need. Look—the new city happens to pass by the edge of your village. However, the city gates won’t open in your direction. Sixteen villages and hamlets along the lake with several thousand people—in the future, to enter the city they’ll need to row boats for a day before entering the city gate. Going from Bazhou to the new city will be easier than you entering the new city. So, just watch—after the new city is built, the villagers near Bazhou will quickly become prosperous, while your area’s villagers will become increasingly impoverished. When a great city appears, there will always be dark places. Bandits, ruffians, thugs—these people will gather in your hometown. Within ten years, I believe that place will become a key area for government bandit suppression. Wanting to maintain simple rustic customs—dream on.”

Ever since He Shao brought the economic budget table, Yun Ye had nearly gone mad wanting to kill people. Half a year ago was such a good opportunity! Land that originally could be bought for five strings of cash had been speculated up to twenty strings by merchants who smelled profit. And the dull-witted Guan Tinglong actually didn’t realize this problem, stubbornly wrangling with the Chief Administrator and Marshal for half a year. After He Shao’s inspection team transmitted the news back, Yun Ye discovered that what Cui Jiu mentioned were all small problems. How to lower land prices and not let national funds be earned away by black-hearted merchants—that was what Yun Ye truly needed to face.

These were truly good opponents—without shame, without scruples, with super-strong learning ability. Yun Ye had only speculated land prices twice before they learned it perfectly. Since the new city was already the court’s strategy, naturally there was no room for changes. Speculating on land was more profitable than anything. After Li Er learned of this, he also looked up and laughed heartily, telling Yun Ye that investment wouldn’t be increased by a single coin.