Chapter 7144 It's all my dowry!

Chapter 7144 It's all my dowry!

Hearing this somewhat mocking voice, Chen Xi felt helpless. To be honest, if he had a choice, Chen Xi would like to block Liu Tong's voice recently, because such voices are somewhat devastating to him. But he couldn't block it, and the other party seemed completely unaware of it.

“Your Highness, as one of the world’s only three great empires, and the supreme celestial maiden, can’t you have a little class?” Chen Xi said with a hint of helplessness. He was really exhausted by Liu Tong and couldn’t communicate with this kind of person in a normal tone anymore.

"Lord Chen, you know I am the Heavenly Maiden of one of the world's three great empires, so why don't I feel any respect at all? Tell me, what are you planning to use to fool me this year?" Liu Tong greeted Chen Xi with a hint of sarcasm, completely ignoring the resentment in Chen Xi's words.

"Don't worry, this year's gift is absolutely reliable. You'll see when you receive it." Chen Xi recalled the things Ganassis brought and the divine weapon in his hand. To be honest, they were both incredibly impressive, whether it was Chen Xi's gift or Ganassis's gift.

"Why is the evaluation considered reliable?" Liu Tong asked after a long silence, as if the connection had been lost. "Does this mean that we're not giving out New Year's money again this year?"

After hearing this, Chen Xi almost lost contact. He hated Liu Tong asking for New Year's money directly because he couldn't refuse, since the Shaofu's duty was to support the royal family members, headed by Liu Tong, as well as the concubines in the harem.

So when Liu Tong asked about money directly, Chen Xi had no way to respond, because if you don't answer, the other party will think you're up to no good again.

"No way, Lord Chen, why is it always so difficult for you to write a few gold notes for me? I've seen you write them by hand several times, and Si Niang clearly said that the gold notes you write really contain good fortune." Liu Tong asked with some doubt. She couldn't understand why Chen Xi was so cautious about giving her money.

That's right, it was caution, not misappropriation. Liu Tong has the ability to discern people's feelings, so she could sense that Chen Xi was very cautious about giving her living expenses, as if something might happen after giving her the money.

The problem is that Liu Tong actually saw Chen Xi when he was broke, and he had Zhao Yun reinforce special paper so that he could write a ticket on the spot, affix his seal, and then purchase supplies.

If this is only what Liu Tong saw, then Si Niang's statement that the redemption tickets written in this way contain noble fortune is an even higher level of confirmation. In other words, no matter how Chen Xi did it, he is indeed printing money!
This left Liu Tong speechless. If you were making money and thought that giving me too much living expenses would have an impact on the country, I wouldn't say anything. But you're printing money! How can you be so cautious about giving me living expenses? Chen Hou, are you out of your mind?

You sent Sun Qing nearly 40 billion yuan worth of materials last year, and that doesn't even include the materials Sun Qing purchased from other large state-owned factories. My living expenses are nothing compared to Sun Qing's, right? Isn't this going a bit too far?

“The situation is different. The ticket I wrote down for redemption is money, that’s correct, and I recognize that. It’s normal to have good fortune, after all, it can circulate, which is perfectly normal.” Chen Xi sighed a bit, then thought for a moment and felt it was necessary to have an open and honest talk with Liu Tong. “Your Highness, it’s not that I can’t give you living expenses, but you can’t hoard them like crazy, or to be more direct, even if you do hoard them, you can’t hide them away like they’re the bottom of a trunk. You can store them with me.”

Liu Tong was completely dumbfounded when he heard this. Even with Chen Xi's mental talent, he was still stunned by Chen Xi's actions. What did he mean by "after you give me my New Year's money, I will deposit the money back with you"? What's the difference between this and you transferring money from one hand to the other? Does this mean I've become a part of your personal play?
"No, I agree with your morality, and there's nothing wrong with my existence there. But what I want to ask you is, what's the difference between my existence there and my existence here?" After a moment of confusion, the positive effects of the tangled threads quickly made Liu Tong realize that he seemed to have stepped on a very important core area, so he quickly asked a follow-up question.

Chen Xi's morals are trustworthy. The other party might not give him living expenses, but he wouldn't embezzle them. With this understanding, Liu Tong quickly realized, under the influence of the "thread play," that having money with him was completely different from having it with Chen Xi.

"When it's stored here with me, it's circulating rapidly and participating in the country's economic development. But when it's stored with you, it's no different from dead money. You never spend it. Although the tribute-grade materials from the Imperial Household Department are incredibly expensive, you've never paid for them." Chen Xi said with a hint of exasperation. Indeed, Liu Tong had never spent any money on the tribute-grade materials from the Imperial Household Department.

When the Imperial Household Department investigates Liu Tong's accounts and finds out that Liu Tong has not settled accounts for another quarter, Liu Tong will transfer the accounts to Chen Xi, indicating that Chen Hou should remove them from the New Year's money. Since Liu Tong will not receive any New Year's money, transferring it to Chen Xi will not result in any loss for him.

In the end, Chen Xi had to balance the accounts himself.

"I think I understand some things, but I don't fully understand them." Liu Tong's previously smiling expression began to fade, and his face began to furrow. He carefully activated his rarely used but certainly intelligent brain, but due to a lack of basic knowledge, it was difficult for him to combine these fragmented pieces of knowledge into a complete structure.

"Well, Chen Zichuan doesn't have any money. He just collected money from other people and distributed it reasonably," Chen Xi said truthfully. He also noticed that Liu Tong seemed to understand something, but to prevent the other party from overthinking and going crazy like Liu Ba, Chen Xi directly told him the answer.

These words struck Liu Tong like a thunderbolt, leaving him utterly astonished, and various theories about usurpers becoming lords surfaced in his mind.

“It is precisely because of this power and this method that those who wield this power must have morality and conscience,” Chen Xi sighed. “Otherwise, I could have deliberately overissued the money I gave you and then had all the users of this currency bear the consequences. The end result might have been that everyone’s money would have shrunk slightly, or even be imperceptible due to the product price cycle. But people can’t fool their own conscience after all.”

Compared to the early years of Yuanfeng, Chen Xi now has the Kushan Reservoir and the Roman Reservoir, which can actually fully withstand Liu Tong's large sum of private money. He can even directly designate that part as over-issuance and then introduce it into the main pool through the aftershocks. Considering the current circulation speed, the impact of this currency is no longer enough to affect people's livelihoods.

Unless Liu Tong consciously invested this money in a particular industry, the problem is that if a single industry raises prices due to product shortages, it's not a big issue if there are substitutes. Most people don't use it, so it doesn't have much of an impact. Those who are willing to use it and bear the high price of a single product are normal in any era.

Chen Xi's own morality and conscience felt that it was unnecessary to do so. If ordinary people already have a hard time, there is no need to deliberately reduce their hard work again. Even if the benefits they gain after the reduction are far greater than before, as a developed country, we have the ability to eat other things, why should we eat our own people!
"Morality and conscience?" Liu Tong's complex tone reached Chen Xi's mind. "To be honest, it's only because of you. If it were anyone else, I would be laughing at them right now. Do you know what I was thinking before I heard you say those words?"

"He who steals a hook will be punished, he who steals a country will become a prince." Chen Xi said calmly. Although he did not know Liu Tong's true thoughts, when he held such power back then, he realized that he had built a general equivalent by using morality, the output of state-owned factories, and his own reputation. This was the thought that arose in his mind.

Because this was truly a method of stealing the country, Chen Xi realized that he had just obtained the most important lifeline of a country, and because this lifeline, combined with his regulatory theories and a large number of state-owned factories and mines, produced mutually reinforcing results, he was invincible from the start.

With his innate talent for governing the country, his absolute support for agricultural production, and his absolute support for the nation's economic lifeline for industry and commerce, Chen Xi's importance to the Han Dynasty has reached an unparalleled level.

But no matter how you look at it, this is indeed a case of a usurper becoming a prince!

"The one who truly understands my heart is Lord Chen," Liu Tong said with a tone that was hard to tell whether it was a joke or a genuine statement, but it was not an empty boast, as she also thought so.

“So you must have morality and conscience. Ability is important in this respect, but morality and conscience are even more important in this matter.” Chen Xi replied very seriously. “That’s why I stopped giving you New Year’s money. I didn’t tell you before because you didn’t realize this. Consumption is a very important part. Everything produced only has meaning when it is consumed. Otherwise, no matter how much is produced, it is meaningless.”

"So, that's why there's a pay raise, right? The so-called pay raise for officials at all levels, and by extension, for ordinary people, all revolve around this point, right?" After Liu Tong understood the core point, with his talent for playing the puppet show, he quickly gained a correct understanding of the other things.

“Yes, even with planned production, consumption is still necessary. The core of planned production is to reduce waste, not to curb consumption. If demand exists, it should be met as much as possible. At present, the reality of the Han Dynasty is that both supply and demand are insufficient, and there is a certain balance, but both can be increased at the same time.” Chen Xi did not have any doubts about Liu Tong’s question and gave the answer directly.

"To what extent has Kongming learned it?" After realizing the core of Chen Xi's system, Liu Tong instantly sensed the biggest danger in it and understood why Chen Xi insisted on choosing Zhuge Liang as the core of the second generation. This was not only a matter of ability, but also a matter of morality.

"Kongming is actually ready to take over, but it's best to test him out first. Also, some things are very dangerous once they're loosened up, so we have to keep an eye on them. Right now, many things do lack theory, so we can only let them grow wildly like this." Chen Xi said with a hint of helplessness. Wild economic growth can easily lead to some strategies that our predecessors never even thought of, and sooner or later, things that even Chen Xi couldn't have imagined will appear. So, at this stage, we still need to prioritize stability.

"I see, I understand." Liu Tong didn't want to think about it any deeper, because once some knowledge appears in your mind, your job is already set, and Liu Tong didn't want to work.

"Can I deposit that money here?" Chen Xi asked.

"That's my dowry!" Liu Tong said with a sinister grin.

"Forget it then." Chen Xi gave up on communicating with Liu Tong. Ever since Liu Tong confronted Chen Xi a few days ago, Chen Xi felt it was better to keep his distance. There are plenty of beautiful women out there, and Chen Xi has never taken the initiative to seek them out. There's no need to ruin his ideals for a so-called woman.

Besides, after Liu Tong revealed his true nature, Chen Xi also felt it was better to stay away. If he really went crazy, everything she had worked so hard to build would be ruined. After all, he was the heir nurtured by the most advanced education in a prestigious family. Was his soon-to-be-realized ideal more important than a woman? Did he not know that?

Although the anti-addiction systems built by various aristocratic families based on the education system often produce amusement and give rise to some lunatics like Xun You and Zhong Yao, even Xun You and Zhong Yao actually know whether ideals or women are more important.

Do not pursue ideals without the resolve to be a martyr!

"Tch." Liu Tong sneered twice. "I'll wait and see what kind of gift you've prepared for me."

Chen Xi looked at the sword box he was holding and felt it was a bit too hot to handle. He thought he might as well exchange it with Liu Bei. This thing wasn't in a good position right now!
"What's wrong, Zichuan?" Liu Bei asked, looking at Chen Xi's sudden change in expression.

"Could we exchange gifts with Lord Xuande?" Chen Xi asked earnestly.

“What I have is a ceremonial object, a jade tablet. If you give it to Her Highness the Princess…” Liu Bei said, looking at Chen Xi with a somewhat strange expression. If Chen Xi gave him this, he wouldn’t think much of it, but many people would. As for overstepping his bounds, that’s not a problem, since Chen Xi is already the Prime Minister.

Even though Prime Minister Chen Xi has not yet been officially appointed through the Spring Festival, you can tell what's going on by looking at Crown Prince Liu Shan and Crown Princess Chen Qian, who have also not been officially appointed.

These are all things that are announced first, and the ceremony will be held later when the time comes.

"Then forget it." Chen Xi refused decisively. Recently, Liu Tong had gone a bit crazy. If he dared to send any ambiguous thing, Liu Tong could create a whole show out of it.

“I can’t do that either,” Li You said, shaking his head. His gift was a large bronze-colored pearl, also known as a black pearl, a treasure from all over the world. After all, he was now the Imperial Censor and couldn’t lose face at his level, so he had to give a high-quality gift.

“This thing here is an embroidered robe woven by my wife,” Jia Xu said, glancing at Chen Xi and immediately dismissing Chen Xi’s idea of ​​asking questions. This thing was even more important than the previous two questions, but it was an apology from the former Empress Dowager to Liu Tong.

It should be noted that Consort Tang was a very traditional woman. Although she had some improper behavior, she was exceptionally skilled at needlework. In layman's terms, she was a top-tier weaver herself. This was the premise that the young emperor told Consort Tang not to remarry after her death and to support herself by weaving cloth, because Consort Tang was indeed very capable in this respect.

"Forget it then." Chen Xi looked at Guan Yu with pleading eyes. Guan Yu shook his head, then turned around. Chen Xi looked at his sword box and thought, "Forget it, there's no hope. This one looks the most respectable. At least it's a divine sword!"
"Gentlemen, step forward," Liu Tong said with a smile to the court officials, showing no trace of the resentment he had felt when he was chatting with Chen Xi earlier. Then, led by Liu Bei and Chen Xi, the civil and military officials stepped forward together, and Liu Bei presented the gifts he had prepared.

"Lord Chen, you can't try to fool me with those little things again this year, can you?" Liu Tong said to Chen Xi with a smile after accepting Liu Bei's gift.

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze naturally fell upon Chen Xi. They were all astute individuals, and although they didn't know what had happened, it was clear that Liu Tong's words were an expression of his dissatisfaction.

"Your Highness, please forgive me and accept this year's gift." Chen Xi walked forward with a slightly dismissive tone, holding the sword box in both hands and handing it to Liu Tong. Liu Tong stood up, took the sword box, and opened it quite naturally.

Liu Tong nodded slightly at the simple and elegant sword blade, and had a maid take the sword case away. She then drew the sword herself. The natural patterns of the Damascus steel formed the characters "Yuan Feng" in the middle of the spine, which made Liu Tong pause for a moment. However, she did not believe in fate, especially with the magical Chen Zichuan around. Liu Tong naturally thought that this was probably another thing Chen Xi had come up with to fool her. But the sword was not bad!
"A fine sword, and I also like the phoenix emblem, but surely Lord Chen wouldn't stoop to this level?" Liu Tong looked at Chen Xi with a half-smile, then turned the sword around. All the court officials saw the two characters "Yuan Feng" naturally formed on the spine of the sword, and they were all shocked. This was truly destiny.

"Please, Your Highness, drip your blood." Chen Xi tilted his head, completely giving up. He didn't even want to pretend anymore. You all wanted to know what was going on, so I'll show you. Anyway, I've already given up.

"Consort Xian." Liu Tong glanced at Si Niang, then Si Niang raised her hand, and a drop of blood flew from Liu Tong's chest. Liu Tong glared fiercely at Si Niang upon seeing this.

I'm going to stay here and wait and see when I'll recover.