"Sir."
"Sir?"
Wang Yang called twice before Yu Yi came back to his senses.
"Would my method work?"
"Splendid! Absolutely splendid! Zhi Yan, let me ask you another question-"
Yu Yi could hardly wait to ask. Wang Yang hurriedly said, "Sir, about the Ever-Normal Granary..."
"That can easily be arranged! See whether you can find a solution to this next problem..."
Yu Yi had not originally intended to ask Wang Yang a second question, but the young man's ability to solve problems had far exceeded his expectations. He therefore brought out a second thorny issue to test the waters. This one was harder than the first. A solution would be welcome, but even if Wang Yang could not resolve it, there would be nothing to lose.
Since Yu Yi had put it that way, Wang Yang could only keep listening.
"This is... a problem another friend of mine encountered. This year, a copper mountain was discovered below Meng Mountain in Nanguang Commandery, where Deng Tong of the Former Han once minted coins. For this purpose, the Imperial Court detached an entire contingent of coinage officials and artisans from the Minor Treasury and sent them to Nanguang to establish a Mint Office, specifically responsible for mining and minting. Yet after several months, they have produced barely ten million coins, while the costs have almost equaled the proceeds!
"From personnel expenses to purchasing equipment, building workshops, hiring laborers, mining ore, smelting copper, and preparing casting molds, almost every step has been a stumbling block! Every step scatters money to the winds! And all sorts of unexpected problems keep cropping up! After several months, expenses have not fallen; instead, they are gradually rising! Now they cannot mint money as quickly as they spend it. If this continues, what point is there in minting