Chapter 40 - 39: Beloved Minister, Can It Be a Little Cheaper?

Chapter 40: Chapter 39: Beloved Minister, Can It Be a Little Cheaper?

And so.

Eunuch Li led the two Princes and the pillar of the Tenth Prince’s Mansion in a grand procession toward the Imperial Study.

Zhao Yong, sporting two dark circles under his eyes, shot Zhu Li a sidelong glance, unable to hold back a smirk. "Lao Shi, you truly have a keen eye for talent. To think you could unearth a hidden gem like Miss Li from the Zhu Family. I, your Brother Huang, am truly impressed."

To be honest, he was exhausted.

After the auction ended yesterday, he had worked nonstop, immediately seeking out Zhuge Xiao to discuss the matter of him joining his mansion.

He had spent the entire night negotiating at the Zhu Family’s residence, and the moment he left, he immediately took Zhuge Xiao to the Imperial Clan Court. Then, not long after returning, he was summoned to the palace by the Emperor.

His vision was blurry, and all he wanted was to pass out.

But that didn’t stop him from being in a good mood, especially when he saw Zhu Li’s name on the plaque of Zhao Ci’s mansion. He almost died laughing.

Zhao Ci was already saddled with a massive debt, and now, he had gone and recruited such a *great* talent.

It was really...

Unbelievable!

"I get the feeling he’s not saying anything nice, am I right?"

Zhu Li, a little disgruntled, poked Zhao Ci in the waist and whispered.

Zhao Ci’s expression hardened. "Since you figured it out, why are you asking me in private? You’re the pillar of my Tenth Prince’s Mansion. Where’s your confidence?"

Zhu Li saw his point and instantly raised her voice. "Ninth Prince! Who are you directing that sarcasm at?"

Zhao Yong: "..."

In all of Lingge, there weren’t many peers who dared to speak to him like that. But these two thick-skinned rascals right in front of him clearly didn’t care for such formalities.

He glanced at Eunuch Li, who was still leading the way in silence, acting as if he hadn’t heard a thing behind him.

He rubbed his tired eyes and decided not to stoop to their level.

「A short while later.」

The group arrived at the Imperial Study.

The Imperial Study was much livelier today. Besides Zhao Huan on his high seat, there were three or four officials sitting respectfully below.

Zhao Ci recognized them all. They were the public representatives of the Feng, Zhu, and Yang Pill Workshops: Zhu Li’s eldest cousin, Zhu He; Feng Kucha’s second cousin, Feng Buyi; and the eldest son of the Yang Clan’s second-in-command, Yang Jian.

Behind them stood the shopkeepers from their respective Pill Workshops.

In total, there were about seven or eight people.

It could be said that these seven or eight individuals controlled the direction of the entire elixir market in Great Yu. They could even influence Great Yu’s military strength, as the widespread availability of elixirs was directly related to the number of low-to-mid-level combatants.

"Ah, Ci, Yong, you’re here!"

An affectionate expression flashed across Zhao Huan’s face before he turned serious. "You two, take a seat as well."

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

The two of them took the last two empty seats.

Zhu Li thought she should also get a seat, but after a glare from Zhao Ci, she reluctantly stood behind him.

"The annual Gongdan Conference is upon us once more. It seems every year brings something new!"

Zhao Huan mused, stroking his graying beard. His slightly cloudy eyes seemed to hold the vicissitudes of time.

His gaze fell upon Zhao Ci, and he said with a smile, "Before last year’s Gongdan Conference, We summoned all the shopkeepers from every Pill Workshop, large and small. This little Imperial Study of Ours could barely fit them all; it was as crowded and noisy as a vegetable market. This year, Ci has consolidated a large number of the smaller Pill Workshops, so things are much more orderly and quiet."

Hearing this, the expressions of the others soured slightly.

’Your Majesty, we all know you dote on this son of yours, but aren’t you laying the praise on a bit too thick?’

’Princess Consort Jing was clearly the one who consolidated those small Pill Workshops. How did that become Zhao Ci’s accomplishment?’

"Speaking of which, the Elixir Realm needs some new blood. We cannot place the entire burden on the shoulders of the Zhu, Feng, and Yang families."

Zhao Huan’s gaze shifted to Zhao Yong. "Yong, you have dared to be a pioneer, willing to start from scratch to share this heavy responsibility. That is commendable!"

"It is merely my duty!"

Zhao Yong, flattered, quickly rose to his feet.

Zhu Li, however, was desperately trying to suppress a grin. ’This Emperor must have tiled the city moat in his youth,’ she thought. ’He’s laying it on so thick, praising one son after the other. How is Zhao Yong ’starting from scratch’?’

But she never expected that Zhao Huan’s gaze would soon fall upon her.

Zhao Huan looked at her with a gratified expression. "The Zhu Family is truly a pillar of Great Yu. Not only do they stand as leaders in the Elixir Realm, but they have also nurtured young talents to serve the state as Mansion Officials."

Zhu He: "..."

The corner of his mouth twitched, but he managed not to laugh out loud. He stood up, preparing to offer some polite pleasantries.

But Zhu Li beat him to it, declaring with a serious face, "Your Majesty! My father has always taught this humble servant to be loyal to the nation. This servant will not fail Your Majesty’s high hopes and will certainly help the Tenth Prince establish his Pill Workshop for the benefit of all the people of Great Yu!"

She was really trying to make her father proud.

Zhao Ci: "..."

Zhao Huan: "..."

Everyone present: "..."

Zhu Li’s sudden, formal official-speak caught them all off guard. For a moment, no one knew what to say.

The members of the Zhu Family were stunned. ’Doesn’t this girl have any self-awareness?’ they thought. ’Does she not know how terrible her own Alchemy is?’

They had all witnessed Zhao Ci’s recent big moves—establishing a mansion, snatching a Pill Furnace. He seemed poised to secure a firm foothold in the Elixir Realm.

They never would have thought that he would then turn around and invite Zhu Li to be his Mansion Official.

Hmm...

His future was looking... promising, indeed.

Zhao Yong was also struggling to keep a straight face. He hadn’t been able to figure out what excuse Zhao Ci had used to trick Zhu Li into joining him. He never imagined it was actually for her Alchemy skills.

This was too absurd!

He thought he finally understood why, despite his many advances, he could never get Kan Luotang into his carriage, while Zhao Ci, a good-for-nothing, had succeeded.

’He’s such a shameless bootlicker,’ he thought. ’Using the Royal Family’s privilege to establish a mansion, leveraging his mother’s power and wealth, all to pander to a girl’s interests and win over her best friend.’

’I could never bring myself to be that shameless.’

"Good, good!"

Zhao Huan praised with a laugh, breaking the awkward silence. He then straightened his expression and shot a look at Eunuch Li.

Understanding the signal, Eunuch Li went down with a tray and distributed the booklets on it, one for each person.

Zhao Ci opened his and saw that it was a procurement list from the Court. It detailed the approximate budget and the types of elixirs they intended to purchase.

There were quite a few High-Level Elixirs for those at the Physical Body Realm and above, each one worth a small fortune.

However, nearly seventy percent of the budget was allocated for Qi Cultivation Pills. After all, warriors at or below the Physical Body Realm constituted the bulk of the forces the nation had to support.

The figures in the booklet weren’t entirely specific, but it was roughly forty thousand Qi Cultivation Pills, with a budget of about three million taels of silver.

Calculated at three Qi Cultivation Pills per person,

this expenditure was enough to help over ten thousand diligent, if not highly talented, soldiers reach the Physical Body Realm.

Over ten thousand new elite soldiers a year—this was by no means a small investment. One had to remember that even after the "Golden Eighteen Years," Great Yu’s annual tax revenue was only eighteen million taels.

Zhao Ci had once roughly estimated that the purchasing power of one tael of silver in Great Yu was equivalent to about two or three thousand yuan. A single Low-Grade Qi Cultivation Pill cost around sixty taels, so the expense of three pills was almost enough to buy a house in a small county town in his previous life.

Except for those with exceptional talent who didn’t need Qi Cultivation Pills, and those who had completely given up on the path of cultivation, most commoners simply couldn’t afford them.

Those who couldn’t bring themselves to buy the pills themselves either became Household Servants for the great families or joined the army to compete fiercely for resources. Speaking of these Household Servants, they would all be sent to the battlefield in times of war, which was essentially the great clans helping the nation share its burden. However, with the borders having been stable for the past eighteen years, these redundant Household Servants ultimately posed a threat to stability.

The state had to be the one to handle it.

Therefore, the Court’s investment in Qi Cultivation Pills had been trending upward in recent years.

Zhao Huan didn’t immediately address the contents of the booklets. Instead, his gaze sharpened as he said, "In recent days, the border has been repeatedly harassed by enemies. Eighteen years have passed. They must have forgotten how painful a beating we gave them back then.

Our Great Yu has developed peacefully for eighteen years. Our national strength is far beyond what it once was. However, the domestic environment has become a bit too comfortable. The bottlenecks that our soldiers once broke through in life-or-death battles can now, for many, only be overcome with elixirs.

When you do the math, our strength on paper is surprisingly not much greater than it was back then.

In the army today, soldiers will even fight tooth and nail over a single Qi Cultivation Pill.

We are ashamed!"

As he spoke these words, the wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen, and the shame in his expression appeared to come from the bottom of his heart, with no hint of pretense.

Upon hearing this, Zhu He was the first to step forward. "Your Majesty must not blame yourself! This is, in fact, the fault of us, your subjects. For more than ten years, we have toiled in vain, still unable to lower the cost of the Qi Cultivation Pill. Though we supply them to the Court at a reduced price as tribute, our contribution is insignificant and fails to ease Your Majesty’s concerns. We, your subjects, are ashamed!"

As soon as he finished speaking,

Feng Buyi, Yang Jian, and the people behind them all bowed in unison. "We, your subjects, are ashamed!"

Each one of them bowed their head low, appearing to be overcome with guilt.

Zhao Ci grimaced at the sight.

He understood the play they were acting out. The simplified version was:

Zhao Huan: ’I’m so poor. Give me a discount.’

Everyone else: ’We’re poor too. We really can’t go any lower.’

Interesting.