The Drawback

"Isn't the metal plate useful?"

Zhang Xuezhou saw the new emperor again three days later.

He has spent most of his time these days transporting food and daily necessities to the outside of the city and leading the people of Zhang Household Village to the Jingzhao Yin Mansion to hold the 'festival'.

It may seem like a simple matter, but these tasks kept them busy from morning till night.

Only after everyone had eaten and drunk their fill for several days and regained their strength, and the 'tickets' for approving their identities were issued, allowing them to freely enter and leave Chang'an City to retrieve ingredients, did Zhang Xuezhou finally relax completely and no longer need to concern himself with arranging meals.

There are still many things to do, but getting back on track with life shouldn't be a problem.

With a few strong bows and the ability to hunt in the mountains, it wouldn't be difficult for someone like the new emperor to make a living by selling his prey.

The area within a hundred miles of Chang'an City was occupied by commoners, most of whom were skilled in farming and only ventured a few dozen miles into the mountains for hunting. It was perfectly normal for the people of Zhang Household Village to hunt for hundreds of miles in the mountains.

If the group has enough energy to go on a long hunting trip, the probability of finding suitable wild game is extremely high.

Whether it was Rong Tianding's idea of making a profit by reselling goods in the East and West markets, or Zhang Xuezhou's idea of entering certain industries to make a living, neither was as good as the hunting profession mentioned by the new emperor.

He relaxed for once, only to hear a knock at the door outside the house.

The gate to the mansion was not closed. As soon as Zhang Xuezhou raised his head, he saw the new emperor dressed in brocade robes.

As long as the new emperor wears fine clothes and the other party conceals their identity, Zhang Xuezhou does not need to perform polite formalities.

He quickly sat up from the wicker chair he was lying on, and then invited the other person in as if he were a guest.

"It's useful," Zhang Xuezhou clicked his tongue. "It's a pity it can only be used once. I was thinking of using the iron token to get some wealthy merchants to pay for my registration in Chang'an!"

You shouldn't be thinking like that!

The new emperor pointed at Zhang Xuezhou, indicating that such thoughts could easily cost him his head.

The new emperor did not mind that more than a hundred people had household registration in Chang'an City, but buying and selling iron-order household registrations was a serious crime.

But the fact that Zhang Xuezhou was able to say it so openly means that Zhang Xuezhou understands the drawbacks of the iron plate and knows how to act with discretion.

In those few short days, Zhang Xuezhou also found it difficult to find any wealthy businessmen willing to pay for iron plates to qualify for citizenship in Chang'an City.

The iron plate was then retrieved, thus preventing the other party from using it to cause trouble.

"Hmm? You mean only by taking back the rights to the iron plate can we prevent the embezzlement of money at every level, big or small?"

"What?"

The new emperor belatedly realized some things, while Zhang Xuezhou's reaction was even more belated.

The new emperor believed that Zhang Xuezhou's mentality was that of ordinary people: if you don't use your power, it will expire; and as long as you have power, you will exploit those below you.

This was the case for everyone on every level, which resulted in the imperial court's ten strings of cash demobilization allowance becoming five hundred and a half taels of cash.

For people like Zhang Baojia, they have never been clear about the policies at the top level, and even lack the means to obtain information from higher levels. As a result, everyone takes it this way, and they take it this way as well, thus forming a habitual and common perception.

Within this group, those distributing demobilization pay may not even be aware that the actual amount is as high as ten strings of cash.

When money is distributed to people at the bottom of society, what they receive is five hundred and a half taels of silver.

"The demobilization pay is only one aspect of maintaining the military region's expenses. Even if the imperial court specially dispatches officials to deliver it directly to the demobilized soldiers, what about the money in other aspects?" the new emperor asked to himself.

"..."

"The demobilization pay can be fixed, but the prices of other purchased grains and military supplies fluctuate. This is not something that the court can control to fix the prices. How can we control the scale to prevent embezzlement?" the new emperor murmured.

"..."

"If I fix a price, they will inevitably use inferior materials and squeeze the price into the cost of raw materials, making it difficult to produce good or high-quality products!"

Things can be deduced in a forward direction or in a backward direction.

But no matter how the new emperor deduced the outcome, he found that such deductions would lead to a dead end.

As long as one is human, it is inevitable that one will have selfish thoughts and desires, and those who hold power will inevitably favor their own interests.

Officials don't work solely for a few hundred or a few thousand bushels of grain in salary; that amount isn't enough to support a family.

This trend wasn't limited to the Northern Border Military Region and other military regions; it permeated the entire court. Otherwise, where would so many princes and nobles have gotten their vast fortunes?

This social trend has almost become an unspoken rule, and those who benefit from breaking the rule will inevitably face repercussions.

The strong always get stronger; Aristocratic Clan, schools of thought, and feudal lords are all products of this unspoken rule that has expanded to its extreme.

If these Aristocratic Clan, schools of thought, and feudal lords were to rise further in rank, they would threaten the imperial power.

Instead of busily cracking down on corruption, the new emperor spent the last few days contemplating related social phenomena and figuring out how to promote the constant turnover of power among different levels of society, thereby maintaining the fluctuation of interests and consolidating the court's rule.

As the biggest beneficiary of the entire Great Han Dynasty, the new emperor was also a beneficiary of this unspoken rule.

This forced him to look beyond the surface and address the problem directly.

The new emperor questioned several people, but when faced with such questions, these people either dared not speak or their thinking was not as good as Zhang Xuezhou's. This greatly displeased the new emperor, and ultimately led to another trip.

"Even those at the top have a hard time solving these kinds of problems!"

The new emperor murmured repeatedly, which made Zhang Xuezhou seem thoughtful.

This is no different from Ren Yisheng was young. No matter how Ren Yisheng investigates or takes action, the problems still exist. Save the World Group is a large company that has been losing money year after year.

Even after the Save the World Group was split up and managed jointly by several Aristocratic Clan, the situation did not improve.

Social development cannot be entirely positive; these drawbacks are unreasonable, yet they will persist like intractable diseases.

When Ren Yisheng took over Jishi Medical Center again, he used psychological judgment to eliminate a bunch of corrupt officials, which allowed Jishi Medical Center to develop in a more positive direction.

However, this was limited to the Jishi Medical Center. Ren Yisheng didn't have the energy to conduct psychological checks on everyone in the system, so he could only maintain the tranquility of a small area.

Zhang Xuezhou made almost no achievements in politics, and he had no answers in his heart.

If the new emperor insisted on an answer, Zhang Xuezhou felt he could ask around on his behalf, which might yield a satisfactory response.

How do you think this matter should be resolved?

The new emperor read a long passage and then looked at Zhang Xuezhou.

"This is a question that requires serious and careful consideration; I need to think about it very thoroughly," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"This certainly requires some thought," the new emperor nodded. "I've been thinking about it for three days and still can't figure it out. You can think about it for a few more days!"

Zhang Xuezhou didn't give a vague answer; instead, he stated that he needed to think about it, a response that greatly pleased the new emperor.

If he were to ponder for three days straight, while Zhang Xuezhou could speak fluently and effortlessly, this intellectual superiority would undoubtedly make the new emperor feel uncomfortable.

He wanted to solve the problem, but he didn't want to be so naive as to be easily defeated.

"How many days do you need to think about this?" the new emperor asked.

"This requires consulting ancient texts," Zhang Xuezhou said seriously. "I think it will take at least ten days to half a month!"

"Then I'll come back in two weeks!"

The new emperor nodded.

He couldn't figure out a solution in three days, but Zhang Xuezhou needed ten days to half a month to think about it, which satisfied him.

This drawback is a significant problem that definitely needs careful consideration.

He also gave Zhang Xuezhou ample time, not rushing to obtain a poorly thought-provoking answer immediately.