Though Zhao Gongming was a strong candidate for Minister of Revenue, he did not like staying in the Ministry of Revenue's main hall.
He was accustomed to staying at the Bank. In fact, he hardly wanted to set foot in the ministry's main hall at all.
The ministry had far too many affairs to manage. He only liked managing money, and whenever he went in or out, he kept tripping over gold and jade ornaments that appeared out of nowhere.
Chen Jiugong and Yao Shaosi naturally followed Zhao Gongming's lead. In their eyes, the Bank was the heart of the nation and ought to be separated from the Ministry of Revenue altogether.
Today, the Bank welcomed a newly appointed ministry official: Pi Xiu, Director of Revenue.
How could anyone drift through the martial world without taking a knife? Great Shang's officials all knew to use alternate identities.
Pi Xiu was precisely the alternate identity Pixiu had adopted.
Pixiu was known as a divine beast that attracted wealth. For helping the Yellow Emperor in battle, he had been granted the title "Heavenly Fortune Beast," meaning blessings and prosperity bestowed by Heaven. He specialized in guarding emperors' treasures. Even the likes of Bi'an and Xiezhi had come to Chaoge; it would hardly make sense for him not to come.
One sniff was all Zhao Gongming needed to recognize his origins. Pixiu only took things in and never let anything out; he ate but never defecated, and his entire body excreted nothing but an unusual fragrance.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Old Zhao asked why he had come.
Pixiu sighed softly. "Originally, I thought entering court service would be enough, but..."
"To tell you the truth, His Majesty sent me to collect the money and goods donated by nobles across the land