Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

Pei Yuan quickly bowed in greeting.

"Your Majesty flatters me. I was merely carrying out your orders, and to bring a smile to Your Majesty's face is my greatest fortune. This fleet is indeed formidable, but it has certainly been very expensive."

Upon hearing the word "expenses," the previously stunned Grand Secretary Lee Hsien suddenly seemed to grasp at a lifeline.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart, cupped his hands and stepped forward, his tone somber.

"Your Majesty! Governor Pei has indeed made a great contribution by creating such a divine weapon. However, as the Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty, I must offer my opinion."

Li Xian pointed to the massive fleet outside the window and said with great sorrow.

"As the old saying goes, 'An army marches on its stomach.' This massive fleet consisted of fifty-two giant ships and fifteen thousand naval officers and soldiers."

"People are fed, horses are tended, warships are repaired, and cannons are worn out. Does Your Majesty know how much grain this costs every day?"

Li Xian turned to the Minister of War and asked sternly:

"Has the Ministry of War calculated how much silver this navy will cost in a year?"

The Minister of War wiped away his cold sweat, did some mental calculations, and answered in a trembling voice:

"Your Excellency, if we were to operate at full capacity on this scale, considering the losses from gunpowder and ammunition, it would cost at least... at least three million taels of silver a year!"

"Three million taels!"

Li Xian cried out in pain and knelt before Zhu Jianji.

"Your Majesty! The annual revenue of the Taicang granary of our Great Ming Dynasty is only a little over 20 million taels! The nine border regions need military pay, the Yellow River needs dike repair, and the officials need their salaries."

"If this bottomless pit of three million taels of silver were to appear out of thin air every year, the Ming Dynasty's treasury would be empty in less than three years!"

"Governor Pei has created a gold-devouring behemoth! Such militaristic actions will surely drag down the Ming Dynasty!"

Several ministers also knelt down and echoed their sentiments.

They finally found Pei Yuan's weakness.

So what if your fleet is powerful?

If you can't afford to keep it, then it's just a piece of scrap metal!

Once the emperor realizes that this thing is a bottomless pit, he will naturally rescind his order and reduce the size of the navy.

Upon hearing about this astronomical expense, Zhu Jianji's ecstatic expression froze for a moment.

He was a greedy emperor who liked to siphon money into the imperial treasury.

If he were asked to spend three million taels of silver every year to support his army, he would feel even more pain than if he were cutting off a piece of his own flesh.

"Minister Pei, this..."

Zhu Jianji looked at Pei Yuan hesitantly.

Pei Yuan stood still, looking down at the kneeling civil officials.

The folding fan in his hand tapped lightly against his palm, the crisp sound particularly jarring in the warm pavilion.

Suddenly, he threw his head back and burst into laughter.

The laughter was filled with mockery and contempt for these pedantic intellectuals.

"Grand Secretary Li, should I say you are concerned about the country and its people, or should I say you are short-sighted, like a frog at the bottom of a well?"

Pei Yuan slowly walked up to Li Xian and looked down at him.

"Who told you that maintaining this navy costs me not a single penny from the Taicang treasury?"

Li Xian glared angrily.

"Three million taels of military expenditure, and you're not using money from the imperial treasury? Do you think silver will just fall from the sky?!"

Pei Yuan was not angry. He simply took out a thick ledger with a gold-embossed cover from his large sleeve pocket.

He casually tossed it aside, and with a "thud," the account book landed precisely on the carpet in front of Li Xian.

"Open your old eyes and take a good look," Pei Yuan sneered.

Li Xian picked up the account book with a puzzled look, opened it, and glanced at it twice.

His cloudy old eyes suddenly widened, as if he had seen something incredible.

"What...what is this?!"

Pei Yuan stepped back to the table, picked up the wine pot, poured himself a cup of warm wine, and began to report the accounts in a relaxed tone.

"Over the past three months, the Maritime Trade Commissioner has issued escort flags to the navy and collected a total of 2.7 million taels of silver in escort fees from merchant ships in Jiangnan and Jiangsu and Zhejiang."

"The Nine Border Patrol and Anti-Smuggling Bureau collected customs clearance taxes, which, when converted into cash and high-quality furs and medicinal materials, amounted to a total of 1.1 million taels."

"Champa, Siam and other Southeast Asian countries, seeking the protection of our Ming Dynasty navy, voluntarily paid annual tribute and peace silver, equivalent to 1.5 million taels of silver."

Pei Yuan, holding a wine cup, faced Zhu Jianji and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, this fleet requires not a single tael of silver in military pay from the court. Over these three months, after deducting all military expenses and artillery wear and tear..."

"Even after deducting the repair costs of the Zhenhai Fort Palace, I still have a surplus of two million three hundred thousand taels of silver!"

Pei Yuan downed the warm wine in one gulp, the sound echoing throughout the hall.

"The remaining two million three hundred thousand taels have been packed into boxes by my men and are currently stored in the cargo hold downstairs, awaiting Your Majesty's receipt of the funds into the Imperial Treasury!"

Dead silence.

Inside the warm pavilion, only the howling sea wind and the heavy breathing of several ministers could be heard.

Li Xian held the account book, his hands trembling like a leaf.

The ledgers were filled with crystal-clear entries of income, and the banknote stubs were stamped with bright red seals.

Everyone was mocking his ignorance.

Pei Yuan not only created a giant beast that devours gold.

Even more terrifying is that this giant beast will go overseas and rob gold from merchants!

Not only are they well-fed, but they can also produce a mountain of gold to replenish the emperor's private treasury!

Such methods of accumulating wealth and such domineering behavior of using war to sustain war completely shattered the last line of defense for Li Xian and other civil officials.

Zhu Jianji was stunned for a full ten breaths.

Then, he suddenly burst into a near-manic laugh.

"Hahaha! Good! Good! Good!"

He stepped forward, snatched the account book from Li Xian's hand, and held it in his arms as if it were a precious treasure.

The way they looked at Pei Yuan was as if they were looking at a living God of Wealth.

"Grand Secretary Li! Did you hear that?! Minister Pei's navy not only doesn't cost the court any money, it actually makes me money! Over two million taels in just three months!"

"That's a revenue of ten million taels of silver this year! More than your Ministry of Revenue can collect in a year with all your hard work!"

Zhu Jianji kicked aside the brocade stool blocking his way and pointed triumphantly at the sea outside the window.

"What kind of wretched, militaristic army is this! It's clearly a nation that enriches itself and strengthens its military! With this navy, I will be the Dragon King of the four seas!"

"Anyone who dares to disobey will be beaten until they submit, until they obediently hand over their money!"

Li Xian slumped to the ground, his face ashen.

At this moment, the national policy of the Ming Dynasty was completely reversed by this endless wealth and powerful ships and cannons.

The gate to the sea, which had been closed for decades, was not only blasted open.

Moreover, it was ordered by the emperor himself to be completely demolished.

As long as Pei Yuanneng continues to send silver, no one in the court will be able to shake his position.

This treacherous minister has bound the Ming Dynasty's chariot to his own head.

Pei Yuan looked at the stunned civil officials and calmly smoothed the wrinkles on his crimson python robe.

That's enough.

Military force as a deterrent, money as a paving stone.

The crudest methods in this world are often the most effective.

This immortal being had no interest in lecturing these pedantic scholars about the grand principles of governing the country.

He only wanted the Ming Dynasty's fleet to be able to sail out and seize back the wealth and technology from all over the world.

That would be enough to ensure the dynasty's survival for a hundred years.

"Your Majesty, it's chilly outside. The military parade is over, and the accounts have been reported. Why don't we move to the main hall of the Zhenhai Fort Palace? Your Majesty, I have prepared a royal banquet to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey."

Pei Yuan spoke in a gentle voice, as if the arrogant and domineering minister from just moments ago was not him at all.

"Very well! Prepare the imperial palace!"

Zhu Jianji was in a great mood.

With a wave of his hand, he walked out of the warm pavilion, surrounded by a group of eunuchs.

Li Xian and his entourage followed behind, their steps faltering, supported by their attendants.

As Li Xian passed by Pei Yuan, he gave him a deep look.

There was resentment and helplessness in his eyes.

There was also an indescribable fear.

Pei Yuan simply smiled faintly and gestured for him to proceed.

After everyone had gone downstairs, the warm pavilion returned to tranquility.

Pei Yuan stood alone in front of the glass window, watching the grand royal procession below return to the dock via the gangplank.

In the distance, the Bohai Bay stretches out to the horizon, its waves rolling and seemingly endless.

"The first stage of this game is now completely set up."

Pei Yuan murmured to himself.

With the formation of the Ming Dynasty navy and the opening of trade routes between the north and south, the emperor's personal desires were thoroughly aroused.

Next, this massive imperial machine will be under his control.

They rumbled towards the Age of Exploration, a time filled with unknowns and riches.

As for his reputation as a "treacherous villain," let later historians write it however they like.

Gu Yannian thoroughly enjoyed this grand drama of the mortal world.