You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Exchange currency!

Firstly, it can increase the total amount of currency circulating in the market.

Secondly, it can make wealthy people who are keen on storing silver in cellars cry out in despair.

The silver ingots used by the empire for thousands of years varied in shape, size, and quality, making them very easy to imitate.

However, counterfeiting coins with serrated edges is very difficult.

In this way~
Hehe, hehehehe.

All the silver in the world will fall into my hands!

……

Seeing the Grand Secretary's great pleasure, Newton seized the opportunity.

"Prime Minister, I dare to present a plan for financial hegemony."

"Oh?"

"In order to realize the Grand Secretary's 'Eight Directions Under One Sky' plan as soon as possible, I believe that in addition to military, civil service examinations, and trade, we can also focus on the financial sector."

"Speak quickly!"

Jiang Qingyun waved his hand and dismissed the dancers.

Newton sat up straight, his hands on his knees, looking as obedient as a primary school student.

"In the simplest and most straightforward way, finance is about reaching into other people's pockets to take money and spend it."

Upon hearing this, the Grand Secretary was extremely excited.

Right!

Newton took a deep breath:

"I believe that financial hegemony should be addressed from three aspects."

"First, currency. Silver ingots are difficult to carry and complicated to use, while coins can solve all of the above problems. The new currency should actively go overseas and flow into the global market. To this end, I propose that the currency be pegged to gold to achieve the gold standard."

"Good~"

Although Jiang Qingyun didn't fully understand the gold standard, he knew the significance of this move.

"Second, financing. I suggest finding a perfect reason to borrow money from nobles all over the world. Throughout history, great empires have all borrowed money to spend; the more money they borrowed, the greater they became."

Jiang Qingyun was beaming with joy.

Yes, great, no need to say more.

My ideal united empire must borrow money from all over the world.

"Good~"

"Three, stocks."

At this point, Newton felt slightly uneasy. For some reason, he always felt that the principles of stocks were more difficult than the principles of calculus.

"talk."

"Yes. Establish a South China Sea Trading Company to specialize in the export of tea silk porcelain from designated provinces. Then, open a branch in Europe, issue stocks, and attract money from all the middle classes in Europe. The second and third points overlap, but they target different groups: sell bonds to the nobility and stocks to the middle class."

"And what about the poor?"

Jiang Qingyun craned his neck.

Newton lowered his voice.

"idea."

"What philosophy?"

"The fundamentalist ideas of Confucius and Mencius."

The emperor and his minister exchanged glances.

At this moment, no more words are needed. You understand, and I understand.
A rising star in politics is emerging!
……

Suddenly~
Jiang Qingyun discovered a very interesting phenomenon: except for the color of his eyes, Newton, dressed in Ming-style official robes, had no other obvious differences from Han officials.

Does culture change one's appearance?

It appears to be true.

"Newton, what are your hobbies?"

“Alchemy!”

"What kind of alchemy?"

"I believe that under the right conditions, all elements can be transformed into gold."

"Have you figured it out yet?"

"Not yet, but I firmly believe that alchemy is feasible."

"Besides alchemy, do you have any other hobbies?"

“I want to prove that God really exists. I believe that humanity lives in a huge, meticulously designed container, and that physics may be the key to unlocking the mystery.”

"Yes."

"You, Grand Secretary, also think so?"

"The existence of a creator cannot be ruled out."

Newton was extremely excited.

##￥￥%%@@ He rattled off a long string of profound theories interspersed with physics and astronomy, but Jiang Qingyun didn't understand a single word.

……

Jiang Qingyun decided to change the subject.

"Newton, do you like women?"

The question was so pointed that Newton was deeply saddened.

"I dare not deceive the Grand Secretary, I do not like women. Women only bring endless trouble and will only hinder my becoming a master of Neo-Confucianism. As the sage said, 'Only petty men and women are difficult to deal with.'"

Jiang Qingyun looked at Newton with pity, thinking to himself, "Then you will miss out on a lot of fun in your life."

Humans often judge others by their own standards!

Chiang Kai-shek could not even imagine how much joy Newton derived from physics.

"So what do you want? A title? Or an official position?"

"Would a title be acceptable?"

"From this day forward, you are a baron of the United Empire."

"Thank you, Chief Minister."

Newton was beaming with pride.

People in London have a strong aristocratic obsession, but aristocratic titles are scarce, and ordinary people cannot declare themselves nobles.

……

Looking at the excited Newton, Jiang Qingyun suddenly felt that so-called super geniuses were nothing more than this, and it was quite foolish to pursue such empty fame.

But, it's pretty good.

"Newton, I have a question that I hope you can answer."

"Yes."

"Taxes are the lifeblood of the empire, and the key to taxation lies in collection. In the past, for every shi (a unit of dry measure) of tax levied by the court, the officials in charge would take two shi, making the cost of tax collection too high. Now, I adopt the principle of voluntariness; if the people don't pay, the officials won't investigate. There are many problems here, the first and most serious being that I have absolutely no idea how much land there is in the entire country."

Newton pondered for a moment.

"Prime Minister, this is not difficult."

"Not difficult?"

"It's very simple."

"Let's take Henan province as an example. Find out exactly how much arable land Henan has. How many people, how much funding, and how much time do you need?"

"I am enough."

Jiang Qingyun stared at Newton in disbelief.

……

The next day.

Newton's carriage arrived at the foot of Yuquan Mountain once again.

"Please get out of the carriage, Lord Niu."

Newton looked terrible when he got off the train.

The guard respectfully explained, "Lord Niu, please forgive me, but there are regulations that require all vehicles and horses entering Yuquan Mountain to be inspected, regardless of who they are."

"What did you call me just now?"

"Lord Niu."

"How dare you! I am Lord Bull."

"Yes, Lord Niu."

Fifteen minutes later~
Jiang Qingyun was greatly surprised.

"What did you say? You already have a plan?"

"Yes. Your Excellency, taking Henan Province, which is entirely plains, as an example, measuring the entire province's land only requires this instrument plus a formula I designed."

Jiang Qingyun immediately noticed the images of the Three Saints engraved on the instrument, then casually glanced at the manuscript paper.

Sure enough~
Formulas know themselves; if you don't know the formulas, what kind of good person would write such long and cumbersome mathematical formulas?

"In a few days, you will go to Henan as an imperial envoy."

"Is there a problem with Henan?"

"Yes, and the problem is huge. I want to find out exactly how much arable land Henan has, how much grain should be handed over to the imperial court each year, and whether the unpaid grain was embezzled by unruly commoners or by the government."

"Yes."

Just as Newton was about to leave, he was called back.

"You can come up with any math problem as one of the questions in the global imperial examination. The question doesn't need to be too difficult, just enough to select a group of smart people."

What are the selection criteria?

"One in a million."

"Yes, ma'am." Without hesitation, Newton casually wrote down a differential problem that he thought was not complicated. Surely there was someone in the world who couldn't do calculus? If so, they might as well go home and farm.

Jiang Qingyun didn't look at it and handed it directly to the Ministry of Rites.

The Ministry of Rites couldn't understand it either, so they just printed the exam papers directly, since it was the foreigners who were being challenged anyway.

……

Kaifeng, Henan.

The acting governor, Jia Hanfu, whose career had been marked by ups and downs, led civil and military officials to welcome the imperial envoy outside the city gate.

Although very unhappy.

But they dare not openly confront it.

Jia Hanfu cursed inwardly: The gentry were utterly crushed, and foreigners came to take the imperial examinations. What a load of bullshit United Empire! Great Qing, please come back!

What a pity~
The monk Xingchi was so engrossed in charity that he could not extricate himself, and the war between the Manchus and the Russians in Heilongjiang became a stalemate.

"The imperial envoy has arrived!"

"Quickly, start the firecrackers and drums!"

Newton stepped down from the carriage.

Jia Hanfu hurriedly went to greet him.

"Your Excellency, the arrival of the Imperial Envoy in Kaifeng is an honor for the eight million people of Henan."

"Please call me Lord Niu."

"Lord Bull, please~"

……

A welcoming feast is a tradition of our dynasty.

"Yellow River carp, here they come!"

The chef who served the dish was very professional, aligning the fish head perfectly with Newton's eyes, without the slightest error.

"This is?"

"Your Excellency may not know this, but for the fish head to face our distinguished guest is an extremely auspicious sign. Your Excellency, would you please have three cups first?"

Newton hadn't yet delved into the science of human relationships; he drank three cups in a row, and then he got angry.

"Governor Jia, why aren't you drinking?"

“This is our custom in Henan; the guests drink three cups first.” Jia Hanfu picked up a fish eye and put it in Newton’s bowl. “Sir, please drink three more cups.”

Are you trying to make a fool of me?

"My lord, please don't be angry. The fish eye symbolizes the ability to recognize talent."

"Yeah yeah."

Everyone echoed.

Newton was furious, but he couldn't vent his anger.

I drank three more cups.

then.

Jia Hanfu poked the fish's mouth with his chopsticks, and everyone seemed to have been poked in the egg, standing up in unison and drinking a round together.

Newton couldn't hold his liquor.
His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Jia Hanfu: "Do you Henan people like to bully your guests?"

Jia Hanfu cried out loudly, "My lord, I'm so wronged! We're poor in Henan, and our wine is brewed from grain. Wine is precious, so we have to let the guests drink first. Only after the guests have had their fill can the host drink. You can ask around as you please, but if it's not what I told you, I'll jump into the Yellow River myself."

"Yeah yeah."

Everyone echoed.

"We're not just drinking alcohol; we're drinking sincerity, we're drinking refinement, we're drinking human connection."

When fish fins and bellies were added to the bowl, Newton immediately slid under the table.

Jia Hanfu laughed heartily.

"Someone, help the Imperial Envoy back to his room to rest, and arrange for several well-educated and sensible women to serve him."

“Your Excellency, this Imperial Envoy Niu is not fond of women.”

"is it?"

"It's true."

"Then send a few servants."

……

The next day.

The Governor's Office of Henan Province.

Newton stared at Jahanfu.

"Governor Jia, I believe you are a remnant of Hu Ke!"

Who is Hooker?

"Get him out of here."

The flag guards immediately drove Governor Jia Hanfu out of the house, then quickly set up sentries around the area, while sending people to contact the New Army stationed in Kaifeng.

Ensure that the imperial envoy does not suffer from food poisoning, fall into the Yellow River, or be burned by fire.

The barbarian guards will always be loyal to the Roman Empire!

And the loyalty of the barbarian guards is ten times that of the barbarian guards!
In the quiet room, Newton spread out a blank sheet of paper, took out a pencil and ruler, and began to draw a mechanical guillotine that conformed to physics.

Newton thought to himself, "Damn it, no law is as reliable as the laws of physics."

……

Governor Jia Hanfu made several unsuccessful attempts to repair relations, and in a fit of rage, he abandoned his post and fled. As expected, he was caught before he even left Henan.

He had considered taking desperate measures, but unfortunately, he didn't have a decent army.

In recent years, the number of veterans in the Green Standard Army in various provinces has dwindled, with no fresh blood being injected from outside and constant attrition from within. The veterans either died in the war, were demobilized and returned to their hometowns, or were transferred to the new army.

The pro-independence camp exists in name only!

Afterwards, the Grand Secretary dispatched small detachments of the Baoding New Army to garrison the provincial capitals, not to protect the civilians, but to protect the officials.

Someone commented privately:

Throughout 3000 years of history, no dynasty has ever deployed its military forces in such a way that the core is strong while the branches are weak. Even the weak Song dynasty would be amazed by this.

The empire's elite forces were almost entirely concentrated in Zhili.

The local armies were shockingly weak; if a Li Zicheng were to emerge, the consequences would be unimaginable, as the local areas would be utterly powerless to resist.

But the Grand Secretary dismissed it with disdain. He knew very well that without suitable conditions, even if Li Zicheng were reincarnated, he wouldn't be able to stir up any trouble.

In just a few days~
The team that was sent ahead of time to measure the local solar angle in various parts of Henan Province has returned with the data.

Governor's Yamen.

"Today, all the wise men have gathered here. I, the imperial envoy, am here on behalf of Heaven to inspect the realm. I would like to ask you a few questions. You must answer truthfully. If you conceal anything, you will bear the consequences."

"As ordered."

"The first question is, what is the total land tax payable in Henan Province?"

"Your Excellency, the province should have paid 1500 million shi of grain, but the actual amount paid was between 1000 million and 1200 million shi."

Why is there such a large amount owed?

"Your Excellency, you may not know this, but our province suffers from three scourges: drought, locusts, and floods. These three scourges occur every year, and come every year. The people of Henan have already done their best to pay their taxes to the emperor."

"That means the people of Henan don't understand the difficulties the imperial court is facing!"

……

Newton:

"The second question is, how much farmland does Henan actually have?"

According to the fish-scale register, the province has a total of 3500 million mu of arable land across its nine prefectures and four counties.

Do you all agree with this number?

"Yes."

"Now, I'm giving you all fifteen minutes. If anyone is willing to confess, it's not too late."

The hourglass began to drop sand.

The officials had something to hide, but remained outwardly calm.

A quarter of an hour passed, and no one stepped forward.

Newton: "Please, Three Saints!"

The guards immediately brought out three statues.

The statues depict Confucius, Mencius, and Jiang Ziya. Each statue has its name inscribed on the lower half to prevent malicious individuals from mistaking Jiang Ziya for Zhu Xi and causing a major incident.

Newton knelt devoutly on the prayer mat and prayed to the statue of the three saints: "Please tell your disciple, how much land is in Henan!"

The officials looked at each other, thinking that the court had sent a foolish imperial envoy.

Time passes minute by minute.

suddenly~
Newton turned around.

"The Three Saints just told me."

Everyone's ears pricked up.

"The Three Saints said that Henan has 9000 million mu of arable land."

Wow~
The scene erupted in uproar. Some people turned pale, some collapsed to their knees in fear, and some were sweating profusely. In short, their ugly behavior was on full display.

Newton shouted.

"Somebody come!"

Two hundred new soldiers who had been waiting outside filed in, surrounded them, drew their swords, and glared angrily.

Newton held up a red stick.

"With the Three Saints above, do you still dare to lie? I will count to ten more, and if no one confesses, you will all be beheaded and your heads displayed to the public."

"Ten, nine, eight..." (End of Chapter)