Longzang

Chapter 916 Virtue is not eternal
In the dead of night, the noisy courtyard quieted down. Steelmaking was extremely taxing; even the Wild Witch had dark circles under her eyes, let alone the Strength Witch. Now, even the most energetic Strength Witch had to go to sleep as soon as it was time to rest, as only a large meal and plenty of sleep could replenish what she had consumed during the day.

Wei Yuan lit the lamp wick, spread out the jade paper, and sensed the Heavenly Dao above his head. At this moment, the tribulation clouds had gathered, but they were constantly being dispersed by an invisible, terrifying force, repeating the cycle endlessly, yet never truly coalescing into a heavenly tribulation.

"This is ridiculously strong..." Wei Yuan sighed, then pondered over the blank jade paper.

In recent days, his thinking has become increasingly profound. He is no longer just trying to persuade the dragon, but is truly thinking from the perspective of heaven and earth, all living beings, history, and time.

Years of studying history books and fleeting glimpses of the outer world have all been transformed into words that are about to be written down.

Although the new world cannot be written about, there is still a great deal that can be written about. Wei Yuan now discovers that there are still many blank spaces between "what is virtue" and the new world, which need to be reinterpreted.

Wei Yuan pondered for a long time, then wrote down a few words with the weight of a thousand pounds: Virtue does not last forever.

The tribulation clouds in the sky stirred, but were firmly suppressed by the overwhelming power. This time, heaven and earth didn't seem particularly angry, remaining on the verge of erupting, as if they wanted to see what Wei Yuan intended to write.

With the topic under discussion, Wei Yuan's writing flowed smoothly, producing thousands of words in no time, yet he still felt he hadn't finished.

A virtuous shaman has already been rewarded by Heaven and Earth after establishing his virtue, so what's past is past.

Having virtue in the past does not mean having virtue in the present. If one cannot continue to do virtuous things, then one is not virtuous in the present. As the saying goes, merit cannot be rewarded twice.

To occupy a high position without virtue is unjust and a source of chaos.

To rest on past virtues without doing anything and yet continue to demand more, hoping to turn temporary virtue into lifelong virtue, is a loss of virtue. Even worse, to cling to the virtues of one's ancestors and keep demanding more is the greatest loss of virtue.

Wei Yuan wrote swiftly, his arguments progressing layer by layer, ultimately concluding with the statement: "Of all things under heaven, only the virtuous shall possess them."

After thinking for a while, Wei Yuan felt that it was too obscure and that Wu might not understand it. He needed to write it more directly, so he added a sentence: If the treasure is stolen by an immoral person, then virtuous people in the world can take it for themselves.

The calamity clouds dissipated at some unknown time.

Wei Yuan read it over and over again, his mind churning with thoughts, and he felt a desire to continue writing about a new world, but as soon as he picked up his pen, thunder struck.

Helpless, Wei Yuan put down his pen and began to ponder why the Heavenly Dao was so sensitive. Could it really know what he was writing?
The bell rang, and the noise outside returned. Wei Yuan left the hut, closing the door behind him. A strand of hair seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally tucked into the crack in the door. If someone opened the door, the position of the hair would inevitably shift. Even if it could be perfectly placed, there would still be a subtle difference between folding it once and folding it twice. Other ancient witches might not notice, but Wei Yuan could.

After Wei Yuan left, one wall of the room suddenly rippled like water, and a molten dragon emerged from the ripples. He sat in Wei Yuan's seat, picked up the jade paper that had just been written on, and focused his mind to read it quietly.

……

Azure Sky.

Zhang Sheng sat upright at her desk, reviewing the official documents that were presented to her. Behind a huge screen behind her, hundreds of orbs of light floated on the surface. At first glance, these orbs of light were no different from those of the task orbs of others, but upon closer inspection, it could be seen that each orb of light flickered at an extremely high frequency, capable of processing multiple tasks in a single breath.

Zhang Sheng opened an official document, on which the words "urgent" and "important" were written in red ink.

In the Azure Heaven, there are clear regulations on what constitutes an urgent or significant event, and there are also specific requirements regarding the scale of such events. For example, if the Old Taoist Priest were to cultivate 500,000 mu of land, it would be considered an urgent and significant event; if he were to cultivate 50,000 mu of land, it would be considered a regular official document.

Urgent or important official documents are rare on ordinary days, but this one is both. Zhang Sheng frowned slightly and opened it to read it carefully.

The official document was presented by Qingming Money Shop and was jointly signed by the six main managers, which is why it was qualified to mark it as urgent and important and send it directly to Zhang Sheng.

The text states that after the successful issuance of Shan Yuan and Bi Shui Yuan coins by the Zhenshan and Bi Shui territories, the Crown Prince of Zhao, not wanting to lag behind, began issuing Dingding coins. Two other enfeoffed princes also intended to issue coins and were preparing to do so. Overnight, it seemed that the strategists and wise men of Zhao had all gained profound knowledge of currency, with articles springing up like mushrooms after rain, hundreds appearing daily, as if everyone were a currency expert.

It is said that the King of Zhao intends to issue Zhao Yuan coins based on taxes collected from various parts of the country.

Given that the Zhao Kingdom already has three currencies in circulation, with seven or eight more to be issued, and the behemoth Zhao Yuan about to enter the market, the demand for Qing Yuan has surged. On the black market, the exchange rate for Qing Yuan to Xian Yin has risen to one Qing Yuan for one and a half taels of Xian Yin. Therefore, the officials recommend a significant increase in the issuance of Qing Yuan. They believe that printing 500 million Qing Yuan should ensure smooth circulation.

Zhang Sheng also had another official document at hand, compiled by Yu Zhizhuo, summarizing all of Qingming's sales and purchases in the previous season. According to the statistics, Qingming's purchases of various raw materials in a single season had reached an all-time high, doubling compared to the previous season. They had already bought up all the raw silk, minerals, cotton, linen, herbs, and spirit wood they could. It wasn't that Qingming couldn't afford it, but rather that they simply couldn't buy any more.

Even so, Qingming still sold 30 million more goods than it bought.

This number is insufficient to support a large-scale issuance of Qingyuan.

Zhang Sheng has managed to issue a batch of Qingyuan coins by supporting Li Chengfeng and Li Zhi, as well as by taking out loans from the three major families of Bao, Cui, and Xu. However, the total amount is still less than one hundred million. Zhang Sheng has been pondering how to utilize this extra batch of Qingyuan coins without causing it to backfire on him.

For the past month, Zhang Sheng has pondered many methods, but none of them have worked. So in the past few days, she has turned her attention to places beyond the Azure Sky, looking for a place where she can start a new war.

Zhang Sheng was already overwhelmed by the less than 100 million new Qingyuan coins, and the managers of the money shops actually wanted to issue even more Qingyuan coins, and in one go, 500 million.
Zhang Sheng couldn't help but chuckle. He had just reprimanded Feng Chutang, and now the managers of his own bank were planning to print a huge amount of money.

Moreover, not long ago, two officials jointly submitted a petition requesting an additional 100 million Qingyuan coins. Zhang Sheng immediately rejected that document. But not long after, the officials submitted another petition, this time signed by all six of them, demanding an additional 500 million. What was this—a demonstration, a coup? Zhang Sheng's smile remained unchanged, but his brows gradually sharpened.

She picked up her pen, but this time she didn't make any annotations. She simply drew an X and ordered the document to be sent back to the bank.

Nothing to say for a day.

The next morning, Xu Henshui suddenly came to Zhang Sheng's door and asked, "Why do you suddenly want to print so many Qingyuan? Even if I chop up my few immortal orchids, it won't be enough!"

Zhang Sheng was annotating official documents when he heard this and was taken aback. He asked, "When did I order the printing of Qingyuan? How many copies have you received?"

"Eight hundred million! I was wondering if you'd gone mad!" Xu Henshui's face was grim, and his tone was utterly impolite.

He was also highly learned and naturally understood the inner workings of the Azure Primordial Formation; otherwise, he wouldn't have been chosen as the teacher for intensive instruction. This number is clearly illogical.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Sheng summoned his attendants and said, "Go to the seal shop and have them report back immediately what happened. Also, notify Senior Brothers Yu and Sun, Uncle Chuhe, City Lord Baoyun and Xiaoyu, and others to come to Immortal City. Furthermore, issue my military order, instructing the garrison in Xincheng to assemble and prepare for battle immediately, and to complete all preparations within half an hour."

Xu Henshui stared in disbelief, asking, "Why all this fuss?"

Zhang Sheng said calmly, "It looks like we're going to kill a bunch of people."

Xu Henshui was even more confused: "Qingming needs to use the army to kill people? What rebellion can't we quell if we join forces?"

Zhang Sheng said, "Only by mobilizing the army can some people come to their senses and we can kill fewer people."

Before long, the sound of wind suddenly rose outside the courtyard, and two cultivators flew over at full speed, shouting from afar, "Urgent report!"

Zhang Sheng said slowly, "See? The real show is about to begin."

Upon seeing Zhang Sheng and Xu Henshui, one of the cultivators was terrified, while the other was somewhat arrogant. After presenting the official documents, he took a step back and stood quietly to the side.

The panicked man came from the printing house. The official document stated that they had received a joint notice from the four heads of the Qingming Money Shop, ordering them to urgently print an additional 800 million Qingyuan coins. Seeing that all the paperwork was in order, the printing house dared not delay and immediately began printing, while also requesting Xu Henshui to enhance the printing with divine energy.

The arrogant man was from Qingming Money Exchange, and was a close nephew of the person in charge. On the cover of this official document from Qingming Money Exchange, in addition to the words "urgent" and "important," there was also a word that was prominently displayed: "CC."

The official document states that, according to the regulations established by the Realm Lord, the right to issue Qingming coins belongs to the Qingming Money Shop. An increase in Qingming coins can be issued with the consent of four out of the six principals without further approval. The principals have now decided, after deliberation, to print an additional 800 million Qingming coins. To show respect, a copy is being temporarily sent to Zhang Sheng.

At this moment, Bao Yun and Xiao Yu had already arrived, and Sun Yu had just entered the room. The cultivators all read the official document together and were all stunned. Then, Bao Yun remained calm, while Sun Yu and Xu Henshui were already filled with murderous intent.

Zhang Sheng threw the official document on the ground and said slowly, "What a joke! Since when has the issuance of my Azure Nether currency been decided by the money house itself? Do these people think they are the rulers of the realm? There's nothing more to say, mobilize the troops and arrest them! All those in charge of signing this petition, arrest their entire clans! The rest of the in charge, imprison them and await trial. If there is any resistance, execute them on the spot. And you, do you have any last words?"

The nephew in charge was both shocked and furious, saying, "How dare you..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sword flash had already slicing past his neck, and his head fell to the ground.

At this moment, Feng Chutang rushed over and saw a corpse lying on the ground. He exclaimed in shock, "How could this be?"

Zhang Sheng briefly recounted what had happened, then said, "These people have been working in the money exchange for a long time, and they mistakenly believe that the essence of everything in the world is nothing more than money. They think they can secretly control everything. Now that they've become powerful, they're probably no longer content to stay behind the scenes and want to step into the limelight. This time, it was a joint test by them."

After listening, Feng Chutang could only sigh and say, "They are clever, but not clever enough. No matter how much money they have in their hands, we can just send a team of cultivators to take them all down, right? Really, what a pipe dream."

Xiao Yu asked, "Did Wei Yuan really stipulate that Qingyuan Bank would be responsible for issuing funds?"

Zhang Sheng said, "In the past, how much was distributed and how it was distributed were all determined by him alone. After he left, this area was indeed a blank. Those people in charge probably saw an opportunity, so they added this authority to themselves, wanting to operate independently of Qingming."

Bao Yun raised a delicate eyebrow and said angrily, "Isn't this rebellion?!"

Bao Yun's words essentially set the tone for the matter.

Zhang Sheng then glanced at everyone, finally fixing his gaze on Xiao Yu, and said, "Xiao Yu, lead the troops and bring back all the leaders and their accomplices. Don't let a single one escape!"

Xiao Yu was taken aback, and subconsciously said, "Go and get a group of mortals? I..."

Xiao Yu initially felt that capturing a bunch of ordinary cultivators would be beneath her dignity, but Shao Yang Xingjun immediately said, "Take it!!! How could I not rush to do such dirty and tiring work?"

(End of this chapter)