Technique Gold Appears at Court
"My magical Law Power has actually recovered to 50%?"
The ritual of worshipping Grion seems to have brought considerable good fortune.
Although he knew that the fortunes of the two worlds were not interconnected, Zhang Xuezhou attributed the physical condition he was experiencing to good luck.
The extent of this recovery truly exceeded his expectations.
The efficiency of Yi Shuo's treatment increased by at least three times, and possibly even five times.
If the disease can be treated with this efficiency, Zhang Xuezhou will only need more than ten more treatments to unblock the yang.
He consumed a large amount of Suoyang in the Sole Self Realm. After using the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus to unseal 40% of his magical Law Power, Zhang Xuezhou held onto the idea that the drawbacks of Suoyang would wear down with persistent effort. He would try to treat it whenever he had time, and just let it go when he didn't.
After replacing the wives with eight or ten more, Zhang Xuezhou felt the matter was probably resolved.
He never imagined that ceremonial marriage could be done so efficiently.
"A betrothal!"
Zhang Xuezhou exclaimed.
He was also quite curious about what method Yi Shuo had used to achieve such a significant change in his body.
But after Zhang Xuezhou called out, Yi Shuo did not respond. Instead, the new emperor's unhurried voice could be heard from the main hall.
"It's almost the end of the year, and there are some New Year's goods available in the palace. Yi Shuo went to the eunuch's office to queue up," the new emperor said. "The princes from all over the country also come to pay their respects at the end of the year, and I took the opportunity to deliver a decree of bestowing favors. What do you think...?"
"It's almost the end of the year! I need to hurry to Mount Tai for business!"
"Don't run away!"
The new emperor was drinking tea in the main hall, but before he could say two words, Zhang Xuezhou pulled up his belt and was about to run out, clearly not wanting to get involved in the important affairs of state.
This year-end purge involved many aspects, and the new emperor planted various obstacles, both hard and soft, prioritizing the greater good before actually launching the campaign, which would not take place for several years or even more than a decade.
He originally wanted Zhang Xuezhou to provide supplementary information and inquired about when to proceed, but Zhang Xuezhou had no intention of getting involved at all.
"There's a benefit to be had! I'll give you 400,000 coins as a direct reward!"
The new emperor called out, and Zhang Xuezhou stopped in his tracks as he stepped out of the mansion.
"Why would you give me 400,000 yuan for no reason?" Zhang Xuezhou asked curiously. "I don't need that much money!"
Four hundred thousand coins is equivalent to four hundred strings of cash. This sum of money is neither a lot nor a little; it's enough to buy half of Zhang Xuezhou's mansion.
Zhang Xuezhou found this New Year's gift rather interesting; if the new emperor continued to distribute New Year's goods in this manner, the imperial court would go bankrupt sooner or later.
He waved his hand, indicating that he wouldn't need the money and didn't require any special treatment.
"Only you would refuse four hundred thousand coins," the new emperor shook his head and said, "No one else would have your attitude!"
"If you insist on giving it to me, I will definitely accept it and find another opportunity to use it tomorrow," Zhang Xuezhou said.
"How do you intend to use it?" the new emperor asked with considerable interest.
"The women in Silanfang cost 200,000 coins each. I can go and pick two," Zhang Xuezhou said. "But what if I find a good one? This amount of money might only be enough to choose one!"
Wei Shao'er made a fortune at Silanfang; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Silanfang was making a fortune every day.
Behind this industry are the hands of the royal family, the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion, and many other parties. Zhang Xuezhou didn't mind sending the money back as soon as he invested it.
But when he finally received the so-called '400,000 coins,' Zhang Xuezhou was immediately faced with a major headache.
"These are the auspicious white deer coins I recently issued," the new emperor said proudly. "One white deer hide can be exchanged for 400,000 coins, and more than 300 have already been exchanged!"
The new emperor took 400,000 coins. This money was neither gold nor silver, nor did it involve half a tael of silver. Instead, it was a piece of white deer hide that was cut into squares and then stamped with a seal.
Zhang Xuezhou knew what was going on as soon as he saw the money. It was most likely a pretext for coercive sales and promotion, essentially a one-off deal. As for Zhang Xuezhou and his associates, it would be very difficult for them to use the money.
"I have also granted special permission for those who possess the auspicious white deer coin to cultivate the art of fortune," the new emperor declared.
"Was this Xiao Yang's suggestion?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.
"This is Zhufu Yan's suggestion!"
The new emperor shook his head.
He had never imagined such a good thing could be achieved: eight pieces of hide could be cut from a deer, which could be exchanged for 3.2 million coins.
It wasn't just the feudal lords who spent money to purchase them; some court officials also spent money to buy the White Deer coins.
"Everyone in Chang'an City is proud to possess a White Deer Coin these days," the new emperor said smugly. "I can exchange a thousand White Deer Coins for forty million coins. If this continues every year, the court's coffers will be overflowing!"
"Sharp!"
Zhang Xuezhou gestured with his thumb.
With the release of the cultivation techniques, the need for White Deer Coins for cultivation is no longer necessary, and the new emperor's special permission is of little use.
Such high-value currency doesn't even qualify as a commemorative coin, making it extremely easy to counterfeit.
Zhang Xuezhou accepted the Bailu coins, eager to use them as soon as possible.
Although the new emperor didn't spend much money, he still owed the favor of 400,000 coins.
"Your fortune is so good, you should be at the Weiyang Palace counting your money, what brings you here?"
Receiving money requires doing something. Even if Zhang Xuezhou didn't want to get involved in the affairs of the feudal lords, he still needed to help the new emperor solve his problems.
Without even thinking, Zhang Xuezhou knew that the new emperor had encountered a problem, and one that ordinary people couldn't solve.
"Good fortune is a good thing, but encountering counterfeit money is not!"
The new emperor sighed, then took out two gold ingots.
"Look at this gold, can you tell if it's real or fake?" the new emperor asked, pointing.
Where did this gold come from?
Zhang Xuezhou reached out and took the gold ingot, which was shaped like a single piece. He weighed it in his hand, pulled it several times, and rubbed it. Several black and yellow metal balls had appeared in his hand, no longer the color of gold.
"The court intends to launch a northern expedition, and this is the tribute gold presented by Prince Yi. He also bought sixty White Deer coins, totaling thirty-four million coins, all of which are these gold ingots," the new emperor said. "At first, I didn't investigate, and even gave the sick child some New Year's money, and then he discovered that the gold was fake!"
"This matter involves considerable implications," Zhang Xuezhou said.
"The imperial gold and silver don't need to be divided, but once such wealth is put down, it will be constantly divided. And once it's divided and handled by others, problems are bound to arise," the new emperor said. "If the people below fight to the death, and the money they receive is fake, won't this war eventually lead to rebellion?"
"Didn't His Majesty investigate?" Zhang Xuezhou asked curiously.
"It's been investigated. Uncle Yi fell into the water on his way back to Jiangdu, fell seriously ill, and died. Now, there's nothing more to be found!"
"The King of Jiangdu is a master of water!"
"Yes, he's good with water!"
Jiangdu is a country surrounded by water and also possesses the best navy of the Great Han Dynasty. The King of Jiangdu is particularly skilled in naval warfare.
The fact that such a skilled swimmer was drowned in the river undoubtedly adds a layer of mystery to the situation.
"How do you think Prince Yi died?" the new emperor asked.
"It's obvious he drowned!"
Zhang Xuezhou blurted out a reply, but when their eyes met those of the new emperor, a knowing look crossed their minds.
Under normal circumstances, the King of Jiangdu would not be so unlucky and miserable, but it became possible after his luck was broken.
"I can't understand how Uncle Yi was ambushed and drowned," the new emperor said, perplexed.
"What if the death was intentional during the rescue?" Zhang Xuezhou replied.
"Rescue?"
The new emperor suddenly understood and quickly figured out the cause of the King of Jiangdu's death.
At the same time, he had roughly determined the possible targets of his spell.