Starting with ten elixirs of immortality, I led the First Emperor to rebel against the Qin Dynasty.

On his throne, Ying Zheng's smile never faded from the beginning.

Watching this farce unfold below, I felt extremely satisfied.

Ying Zheng was not surprised at all that Li Si knew martial arts; otherwise, why would Li Si travel to various counties to promote the county system and standardize weights and measures?

Seeing that the time was almost right, Ying Zheng coughed heavily.

"That's enough!"

The authoritative voice instantly silenced all the noise.

"What kind of behavior is this! This is the Qilin Hall, a place for deliberation and governance, not a marketplace for your brawls!"

Ying Zheng's expression darkened, and his gaze swept over the crowd.

"Guards! Take Kong Fu, Chunyu Yue, and Shusun Tong away and find the imperial physicians to treat them properly!"

"Furthermore, Fu Sheng's outburst in the court and his physical attack on a high-ranking official should have warranted severe punishment. However, considering his deep concern for his teacher and that this is his first offense, he will be fined one year's salary and confined to his quarters for three months to reflect on his actions!"

Immediately, eunuchs and imperial guards stepped forward and hurriedly carried the unconscious Kong Fu and the half-dead Chunyu Yue and Shusun Tong out.

Fu Sheng was also "invited" away by the two imperial guards, but when he looked back at Li Si, his eyes were full of resentment.

Ying Zheng then looked at Li Si and said indifferently, "Prime Minister Li, as the head of all officials, you should set an example. Although the Confucian scholar provoked us first, your words were indeed inappropriate. This is not to be repeated."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Li Si bowed respectfully, his face expressionless.

Everyone could tell that His Majesty's words didn't even qualify as criticism; they were clearly biased!

The remaining Confucian scholars all lowered their heads, remaining silent as if trembling in fear.

With their leader gone, how could the remaining people dare to challenge the even more ruthless Li Si?

An attack targeting Li Si was easily resolved by Li Si with a painting and a few twisted arguments.

The farce ended, and the court session returned to normal.

Ying Zheng dealt with a few trivial government affairs, and then an official in charge of finances stepped forward.

This man was named Zhao Cheng. He was the deputy of the State of Zheng. He was diligent, but somewhat inflexible.

Now that the State of Zheng is recruiting talented farmers, the burden of supporting the national treasury falls on his shoulders.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report."

Seeing his expression, Ying Zheng understood what was going on.

"speak."

Zhao Cheng bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the national treasury has been spending a lot lately. Roads and water conservancy projects are still under construction in various places, military expenditures in the northern frontier have not decreased, and the army on the southern expedition also needs to be supplied with food, fodder and weapons. In addition, we are supervising the production of curved plows... The national treasury is already somewhat stretched."

These words made the atmosphere in the hall heavy.

Money has always been the biggest problem for the imperial court.

The Qin Dynasty expanded too much, with campaigns in the east and west, wars in the south and north, and various large-scale domestic projects, making it a bottomless pit.

Ying Zheng frowned slightly; this was a problem he had been worried about all along.

The good things Huan'er gave us all require a huge amount of money and food to promote and implement.

Without money, everything is just empty talk.

Ying Zheng remained expressionless and said calmly, "I am already aware of the matter concerning the national treasury. You may rise."

Zhao Cheng stood up and stepped aside.

Ying Zheng turned his gaze to Li Si.

"Minister Li, how's the salt refining project you're in charge of progressing?"

Li Si stepped forward, confidently replying, "Your Majesty, I have summoned the skilled craftsmen of the Gongshu family and recruited several thousand laborers from the common people, working day and night. The salt-making workshops outside Xianyang are already taking shape, and the first batch of refined salt will be produced in no more than ten days! At that time, we will be in charge of the salt price in Qin!"

"good!"

Emperor Ying Zheng was overjoyed.

Salt has always been a highly profitable commodity. After the Qin Dynasty unified China, although it also implemented a salt and iron monopoly, the refining technology was backward, and the salt produced was bitter and astringent, yet still expensive.

Once Zhao Huan's purification method is widely adopted, the resulting snowflake-like refined salt will not only allow the people of Qin to enjoy fine salt, but will also be exported to the Western Regions and beyond, in exchange for a continuous stream of gold, silver, cattle, and horses!

This is much more profitable than squeezing taxes from those aristocratic families.

Ying Zheng then looked at Right Chancellor Feng Quji.

"Prime Minister Feng, how's the promotion of the curved plow going? Huan... cough, how are the potatoes I asked you to keep an eye on growing?"

Feng Quji quickly stepped forward, his face beaming with barely suppressed joy.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Works has supervised the production of three thousand curved-shaft plows according to the blueprints, and they are being dispatched to various counties and prefectures. Local officials are organizing the people to observe and learn from them, and the people's response has been extremely enthusiastic! They all praise Your Majesty's benevolence!"

"As for that miraculous potato, it has already been planted on a hundred acres of land within the imperial estate, personally tended by experienced farmers. I just visited it yesterday, and it's growing exceptionally well, a lush green expanse, truly a beautiful sight! Judging by the timeframe, it will be ready for harvest in about a month. At that time, I will certainly arrange for the people of Guanzhong to witness firsthand the miracle of yielding thousands of catties per acre!"

Yields of several thousand jin per mu!

The moment these words were uttered, the officials in the hall stirred up once again.

Although I've heard it more than once, hearing it again still stirs my soul.

If this is true, the Qin Dynasty will no longer have to worry about famine!

"very good."

Ying Zheng nodded in satisfaction.

Curved plows increased efficiency, potatoes increased yields, and refined salt filled the national treasury.

With three measures implemented simultaneously, how could the Qin Dynasty not prosper?

"Do any of you ministers have anything else to report?" Ying Zheng's gaze swept across the entire room.

The officials remained silent.

Having witnessed the curved plow and refined salt, and seen Li Si tear apart the Confucianists, who would dare to bother His Majesty with trivial matters?

"Since there is nothing else, let's adjourn the court."

Ying Zheng stood up, flicked his sleeves, and walked towards the rear hall, surrounded by a group of eunuchs.

"Congratulations to Your Majesty!"

All the officials bowed in respect.

Once Ying Zheng's figure disappeared, the crowd straightened up and walked out of the hall in twos and threes.

However, several key ministers, including Li Si, Feng Quji, Wang Jian, and Meng Tian, ​​tacitly stayed behind and did not leave.

The rear hall of the Qilin Hall.

Ying Zheng changed out of his heavy dragon robe and into an ordinary black outfit, which made him feel much more relaxed.

Several low tables were arranged in a staggered manner, with hot tea and some delicate snacks already prepared on them.

Wang Jian, Meng Tian, ​​Feng Quji, and Li Si took their seats in turn.

Without the strict etiquette of the imperial court, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

"Please sit down, no need to be so formal." Ying Zheng picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and said, "I've seen everything that happened today. Tell me, what are your thoughts?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Tian couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Prime Minister Li did a brilliant job today! Especially that painting, it was simply a masterpiece! I was thinking to myself, if Prince Huan saw it, who knows how much he would praise Prime Minister Li!"

Wang Jian stroked his beard, his old face full of smiles.

"That was truly exhilarating! In my long military career, what I despise most are those pedantic scholars who only know how to talk but can't lift a finger! They preach benevolence and morality all day long, but what's the result? After being intimidated by Prime Minister Li, some vomited blood, some fainted, and one even took action. They've utterly disgraced scholars!"

The military officers had always been at odds with the Confucian scholars, and seeing the Confucianists suffer such a huge setback today made them extremely happy.

As the head of the civil officials, Feng Quji had much more to think about.

He put down his teacup and spoke with a slightly serious expression.

"Your Majesty, while Prime Minister Li's actions are gratifying, they have also offended all the Confucian scholars in the land. Kong Fu is a narrow-minded and vindictive man. He lost face in the Qilin Hall today and will certainly not let this go. I have heard that before coming here, he had already sent out numerous letters, summoning renowned Confucian scholars from Lu and all over the land to gather in Xianyang!"