The Wang family's mansion was very lively. It had never been so lively since Wang Li was killed and Wang Ben was demoted to a commoner. If you want to read the complete version for free, please search it on Baidu.
There are always some dignitaries and powerful people who think they have figured out the direction of the court and want to take a gamble and take a chance on a successful career.
This time, they heard that Wang Jian had made a great contribution by killing Xiang Liang. So I felt that Wang might be reused again.
It seemed a little late to wait for Wang Jian to come back to visit, so these people arrived at Wang's house in advance to pay homage to Wang Ben.
After Wang Ben was demoted to a commoner, he has been living in seclusion in his mansion. In his free time, he just reads and writes.
People in Xianyang City had already forgotten him, but now everyone suddenly remembered him. After all, Wang Jian is not here, so it is the same to meet Wang Ben.
But Wang Ben ordered that the guests be thanked behind closed doors and no one should be seen.
This makes people who want to make friends with Wang feel depressed. In their depression, they became even more enthusiastic about Wang.
If people keep their doors tightly closed, it shows that there is no shortage of friends in the court. If they open their doors to welcome guests, all kinds of pigs and dogs can be invited in to chat, then it will appear that they have no status.
Therefore, regardless of whether Wang Ben responded or not, these people all sent greeting cards and handed over gifts.
Near the Wang family's residence, there were several servants observing all this secretly. They wrote down the name of each visitor and reported it to their master.
These servants were all sent by Wang Wan, Li Si, Chun Yuyue and others.
These important officials in the court are working together to sort out the Wang family's power in Xianyang City. I thought I had sorted it out, but I didn't expect another batch to pop up now, which really made people very busy.
…………
The dignitaries and powerful people gathered in front of Wang's house to express their intention to make friends. Seeing that Wang Ben still had no response, they left together.
As a result, they were halfway through when they suddenly heard a deafening drum beat from ahead.
The dignitaries and powerful people immediately rushed over excitedly and found that it was the Immortal Exile Tower.
Today, the front of the Banished Immortal Building was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and a few people were specially found to play drums. Some sharp-eyed people discovered that the man beating the drum at the front was clearly Mr. Gao, the former construction master.
Gao Jianli looked hopeless and felt that beating drums like a reckless man on the street was really humiliating and even more uncomfortable than death.
Some dignitaries asked in confusion: "Mr. Gao, your ability to build is the best in the world, why did you suddenly start beating drums?"
Gao Jianli sighed and said listlessly: "Gao owes money to the banished immortal. Gao has no choice but to do whatever the banished immortal orders Gao to do."
Everyone present looked at Gao Jianli with sympathy, this strange man who had signed a contract of prostitution for more than a thousand years...
At this time, on the second floor of Shangjun Courtyard, a piece of red silk hung down, with words cut from white paper attached to it. The white characters on the red background are particularly eye-catching: In order to celebrate the imperial court's suppression of the rebels, anyone who drinks more than ten drinks in the Banished Immortal Tower today will receive a free drink.
After seeing the banner, everyone present sneered.
One of the powerful men stroked his beard and said, "If you buy ten cups, you will get one cup for free? Doesn't that mean you have to buy ten cups first?"
Another person chuckled and said: "Exalting immortals always plays this trick, trying to make money from us."
The other person nodded and said: "What a pity, we have dealt with banished immortals too many times, and we will never be fooled again."
Everyone around nodded: "That's right. Exiled Immortal wants to make money from us. Hum, it's difficult. When I'm in the mood, I can go have a drink. If I drink ten glasses of wine in a row for some reason. , isn’t that too stupid?”
Just as he said this, another banner hung down from the second floor: "To celebrate the imperial court's suppression of the rebels, anyone who spends more than 100,000 yuan in the Exorcist Tower today will receive a coupon. With this coupon, you can drink, eat, and listen to music. Books, shopping, and enjoy a 10% discount. Applicable to all immortal industries."
After seeing the banner, the courtiers laughed loudly: "You are determined to banish the immortal, and you want to deceive people again."
While they were laughing, a group of ladies came over. After looking at the banner, they happily went in.
A group of ladies came, looked at the banner, and went in excitedly.
The courtiers stopped laughing. They found that among these ladies, there were their wives and their daughters.
Someone muttered: "My money has been made by the shameless Huai Guzi again..."
That night, Li Shui, Cang Fu, the proprietress, Niu Da and a few others, plus a dozen accountants, kept calculating the accounts until dawn.
Just yesterday's one-day income was equivalent to a usual month's income.
The landlady said with a look of admiration: "The banished immortal is really a god."
Li Shui sat on the chair tiredly and said painfully: "It makes me feel dizzy. I hate money the most in my life."
Several other people repeatedly said: "We understand that if it were not for the common people in the world, I would be too lazy to make money."
Li Shui looked at them with relief: "As long as you understand."
He stood up, flexed his hands and feet, and said: "It seems that this kind of activity has a good effect. We will do more in the future. For example, the pacification of Xiang Liang can be designated as the "Pinging Thieves Festival". At this time every year, It’s time to celebrate. A one-day offer is too short, let’s say ten days.”
The calf's eyes lit up and he said, "Sir, why don't you come here for a whole year?"
Li Shui scolded: "Idiot, do you have to cut the leeks before they grow? You have to give people time to save money. If you offer discounts every day, can they still feel that there is a discount?"
The calf kept saying yes.
Li Shui added: "Tomorrow, post the profits and announce them to the public."
Everyone in the room was a little silent at this time.
The landlady whispered: "Excuse me, when doing business, you should avoid showing your wealth. Isn't it a little... a little too ostentatious for us to do this?"
Li Shui waved his hand: "I am a heavenly being. What's wrong with being so ostentatious? Who dares to object?"
Cang Fu and others thought about it and felt that this made sense. Exiled Immortal has always been so arrogant, isn't he still living well? Anyone who opposes him is basically dead...
After dawn, Cang Fu followed Li Shui's instructions and posted yesterday's revenue. And it was announced that there will be a discount next year, and it will be for seven days.
There was a lot of discussion in Xianyang City, and it spread to everyone in an instant. Soon, Li Shui was called to the palace by Ying Zheng.
After Li Shui arrived at the palace, he naturally went to the study, but the eunuch took him to the political affairs hall.
After Li Shui entered, he found that 80% of the officials had arrived.
Li Shui was a little puzzled: "Today, isn't it the time for the court meeting?"
Ying Zheng said with a headache: "All the ministers are here to file a complaint. They are here to file a lawsuit against you Huaiguzi. There are so many people that I can't even stand in my study room, so I have to come to the Yizheng Hall."
Li Shui looked at the courtier a little innocently: "What did Xiaoxian do again?"
The courtiers were all filled with indignation, but before they could speak, Li Shui spotted Li Xin standing in the crowd.
He walked over quickly and grabbed Li Xin's clothes: "Brother Li, are you also following them in making noise? Tell your conscience, I have cheated others a lot, have I cheated you?"
Li Xin laughed dryly: "Brother Huai, don't get me wrong, I'm not here to complain, I'm here to watch the fun."
Ying Zheng's head hurt even more when he looked at these two living treasures.
Chun Yuyue next to him looked at Li Shui, as if he hated iron.
Li Shui said with a smile: "Dr. Chunyu, have you also filed a lawsuit against me?"
Chunyu Yue sighed and said to Li Shui: "I am banishing immortals. I don't want to be a villain who slanders others behind their backs. But you are going too far."
Ying Zheng looked at Li Shui and said calmly: "You posted a piece of paper today? Proclaiming in a big way that you made a lot of money?"
Li Shui answered calmly: "Exactly, the Immortal Exaltation Tower has been booming in recent years."
Chunyu Yue pointed at Li Shui and said to Ying Zheng: "Your Majesty, you have also seen that you are not ashamed of banishing an immortal, but are proud of it. If things go on like this, the people's customs will be exaggerated, how can we get it? What else can I do in the Qin Dynasty? stable?"
Ying Zheng gave Chunyu Yue a comforting smile, and then looked at Li Shui seriously: "Huai Guzi, you are too fooling around in this matter. As an immortal, it's okay for you to go out and make money yourself, but you still want to Promote it with great fanfare. Isn’t this a loss of face?”
Li Shui touched his face and looked at the courtiers present in confusion: "In the past, when I, Huaiguzi, lost face, didn't you all take pleasure in my misfortune? Are you so heartbroken these days?"
The courtiers' eyes widened, but they did not speak.
Li Xin next to him said with a smile: "Brother Huai, I know this."
Li Shui asked curiously: "What is going on?"
Li Xin pointed to a courtier and said: "For example, this brother Ma, yesterday Mrs. Ma spent a lot of money on your Immortal Exile Tower. Taking advantage of the discount, she drank wine, ate vegetables, listened to books, and was very happy. She got ten A few coupons. I used the coupons to buy more things. I went back and did the calculations. It was a good deal, so I was very happy."
"Brother Ma was very sad about this. It's not that he was reluctant to spend money, he just didn't want you to make money, Brother Huai. So he gave Mrs. Ma a severe reprimand."
"Who would have known that as soon as your notice was posted today, Mrs. Ma suddenly became emboldened and said to Brother Ma, so many people in Xianyang City have entered the Exorcist Tower, so it can be seen that there is nothing wrong with taking advantage of the discount. Is it possible that only Do you understand that so many people don’t understand?”
"And Mrs. Ma heard that there will be discounts next year, and she can't wait to continue participating."
"Brother Ma was in a depressed mood. After thinking about it, he came to the palace to complain. However, the reason for not being willing to spend money was hard to explain, so I sued Brother Huai. You have lost face and discredited the court."
The courtier's face turned red and he said, "General Li, you are just making random assumptions. Even my subordinates didn't think so."
Li Xin said with a smile: "Not only do you think so, but all the courtiers present think so. But... except Dr. Chunyu."
Li Xin sighed: "My sister has passed away. She loved the excitement most during her lifetime. If Brother Huai had come to Xianyang a few years earlier, she would have been much happier."
Chunyu Yue's expression darkened after hearing this. However, he quickly came to his senses and realized that today he was here to stop Huaiguzi, not to mourn his deceased wife.
So Chunyu Yue bowed his hands to Ying Zheng and said: "Your Majesty, what he did to banish the immortal has aroused public outrage. He not only lost his own face, but also the face of the court. After all, the name of banishing the immortal, It was sealed by His Majesty himself."
"In addition, he banishes immortals to seduce ladies and spend money lavishly. Although the law does not prohibit it, after all, private morality is bad."
"The most serious thing is that the high-profile promotion of the banishment of immortals has encouraged the trend of extravagance. Since ancient times, all dynasties have governed the country with diligence and frugality. Such behavior as the banishment of immortals may cause the people of Qin to wither."
Ying Zheng looked at Li Shui: "Huaiguzi, Dr. Chunyu's words are quite reasonable. You must not do such a thing today."
Li Shui said: "Your Majesty, I feel that there are some problems with Master Chunyu's words."
Ying Zheng frowned, but still said: "Tell me and listen."
Li Shui looked at Chun Yuyue and asked with a smile: "May I ask Dr. Chun Yu, why does extravagance lead to the decline of people's livelihood?"
Chunyu Yue was stunned and looked at Li Shui as if he were an idiot: "For such a simple truth, why should you ask questions knowingly when banishing an immortal? How difficult is it for the common people to grow a bushel of grain and for a woman to weave a piece of cloth?"
"After being banished to an immortal, he was squandering so much. Naturally, there is insufficient food and cloth. Naturally, the people of the world cannot have enough to eat and cannot keep out the cold."
Li Shui looked at Chunyu Yue with a puzzled look on his face: "Yesterday... I squandered food? Did I squander cloth? Did I throw the food into the river, or spread the cloth on the ground?"
Chunyu Yue was stunned.
Li Shui said: "Yesterday, the ladies just listened to a few books, drank a few glasses of wine, and bought some gadgets produced by Shangjun Courtyard. Is this considered luxury? Does this affect the farmer and the weaver girl? ?”
Chunyu Yue looked at Li Shui blankly, and after a while he whispered: "The banished immortal is very articulate, I can't refute it, but I cannot agree with the banished immortal's actions."
Li Shui sighed and said, "In that case, let me give you an example."
He looked at Ying Zheng: "I heard that the river water has surged recently and there is a risk of flooding. Your Majesty wants to recruit civilians to strengthen the river embankment, but it seems that you are a little short of money and food?"
Ying Zheng said calmly: "The people I recruit are prisoners, and it doesn't cost much money."
Li Shui said: "I heard that this was the suggestion of Lord Tingwei. In order for His Majesty to recruit enough prisoners, he secretly asked the officials to enforce the law strictly. As a result, the people were often blamed, and countless innocent people suddenly He served as a prisoner for a while. In this way, His Majesty has enough manpower."
Li Si was speechless: "Why does this matter involve me again?"
But he was not afraid, because this was the practice of Great Qin, and His Majesty knew the inside story.
Sure enough, Ying Zheng's expression didn't change much. He looked at Li Shui: "What? Do you have a better way?"
Li Shui said: "Of course there is. Yesterday, the Immortal Immortal Tower made a huge profit. The profit comes second, mainly because it gave the Immortal Immortal Tower an opportunity to be widely publicized."
"More people have heard about the Exalted Immortal Tower, and more people have entered the Exalted Immortal Tower. Therefore, in the next few months, the profits of the Exalted Immortal Tower will be higher than before."
Li Shui said: "The business tax that I mentioned a few months ago can now be put to use. A rough estimate is that the business tax paid by the Exorcist Tower this year is probably as much as a thousand yi of gold. Your Majesty will use this money to recruit some It should be enough for a young man to repair the river embankment."
"In this way, the floods in the Yellow River will be controlled, the people will get money, and everyone in the world will praise your majesty for loving the people like a son. Wouldn't everyone be happy? Isn't it more cost-effective than using harsh punishments to force the people to repair the river embankments?"
"Even other merchants will follow suit. And the rich people in the world will become accustomed to spending money. As a result, the court's tax revenue will also skyrocket."
"Your Majesty, the diligence and frugality Dr. Chun Yu said is not true diligence and frugality, but hiding wealth at home and weakening the country. But what I do is true diligence and frugality. It is to hide wealth among the people of the world and bring our great Qin Dynasty to the Qin Dynasty. Let’s build a fairyland on earth as soon as possible.”
"I dare to say that within ten years, the world will change. By that time, the court will not have to impose excessive taxes, and there will be countless gold and silver to fill the national treasury. No matter where there is a famine, relief can be provided calmly."
The courtiers were all dumbfounded.
Li Shui turned around and said to Chunyu Yue with a smile: "Dr. Chunyu, I have helped him realize the benevolent government that the sage Confucius said."
Chunyu Yue almost vomited blood: You shameless person, what qualifications do you have to help Confucius implement benevolent government? But... what he just said makes sense.
Ying Zheng stared at Li Shui for a while, the expression on his face became more and more joyful, then he nodded and said to Li Si: "Let's do it like this."
Li Si was a little confused and asked: "The prisoner who has committed a crime..."
Ying Zheng said calmly: "All those who have done the most serious crimes will be pardoned."
Li Si nodded with a grimace. Now he really felt threatened by Li Shui.
Li Xin was standing nearby and listened with interest. Suddenly he suddenly realized and said, "I understand. Brother Huai made money from those noble ladies and used it to help the court repair the embankment. Brother Huai worked hard. He worked so hard to manage the Immortal Building for the sake of the common people, he is truly a righteous man."
Li Shui was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly realized: "When you say that, it's really..."
Chunyu Yue was furious: These two shameless people...
The courtiers looked at Li Shui with their hearts bleeding: That's all our money, so Huai Guzi has become a righteous man? Is this still unreasonable?
As a result, as soon as the courtier thought of this, Li Shui said to Ying Zheng: "Your Majesty, your lords' money is hidden at home and cannot be spent. You must be very distressed. Fortunately, I came up with such a way and gave them a way to spend it." Opportunity."
The courtiers were all confused: Is this really human language? Why do you have the nerve to say it?
Li Shuihui did not change his expression and said seriously: "I am very ashamed and have done some trivial things. Although I have some merits, they are not as good as those noble ladies who generously donated money. I sincerely request your majesty to grant the honor to the noble ladies of Xianyang City." People are called the 'pillars of the country'. If it weren't for them, the river would have been surging, then overflowing, and it would have been out of control."
Ying Zheng is still immersed in the bright future described by Li Shui. Is there no shortage of money in the court? This is what many monarchs dream of.
Therefore, Ying Zheng was too lazy to think about Li Shui's proposal and what title to confer, and said: "Yes."
Then he waved his hand and asked the officials to leave.
The courtiers walked outside in a daze, thinking deeply as they walked: What am I here to do today? Aren't you here to complain? Why didn't you sue Huai Guzi, but instead made him a benevolent and righteous person?
However, my wife has become the pillar of the country. Although it is just a false name, she... seems to have some glory.
Suddenly, a courtier slapped his thigh and said with regret, "We have been fooled again."
The courtiers all asked: "So?"
The courtier said: "Wouldn't those women be even more enthusiastic after receiving this title? In the future, our family property will probably be emptied by Huai Guzi."
The courtiers suddenly realized and looked towards Li Shui.
Li Shui had a shiny golden immunity medal hanging around his neck and grinned at them. The smile is as pure as a child's.
I was a magician in the Qin Dynasty
