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

Autumn always arrives later in the Minyue region than in the north.

It wasn't until September that the humid sea breeze in Quanzhou finally brought a touch of refreshing coolness.

In the backyard of the Maritime Trade Office, several tall ancient banyan trees have countless aerial roots hanging down.

Like natural beaded curtains, they sifted the sunlight into the courtyard, creating a fine, dappled effect.

Li Changqing, dressed in a loose blue silk robe, lay on his back in a finely polished bamboo rocking chair.

He held a small purple clay teapot in his hand, occasionally taking a small sip of the Tieguanyin tea brewing inside.

On the small square table next to it, there were several plates of authentic Quanzhou pastries.

Mung bean cakes, orange-red cakes, and a plate of golden-brown, crispy fried five-spice rolls.

Those who deserved to be killed were killed, and those who deserved to be arrested were arrested along the Ming Dynasty's coastal borders.

The main naval force also sailed off to the South Seas in a grand procession.

What remains are just trivial paperwork and tedious tasks.

He was an imperial inspector, whose main responsibility was "inspection".

This arduous task of managing accounts and keeping accounts naturally fell entirely on the shoulders of the diligent Minister of Revenue, Song Yin.

Just as I was enjoying myself, a series of slightly heavy and anxious footsteps came from outside the moon gate leading to the front yard.

Song Yin strode in.

This high-ranking official, a second-rank official of the imperial court, had his official robes slightly open at the collar, and his forehead was covered with fine sweat.

He was still clutching two thick files in his hands, and his expression revealed the exhaustion of having stayed up for several nights in a row.

"Lord Li, you're quite content hiding in this backyard, enjoying your retirement!"

Song Yin walked to the small square table, unceremoniously pulled over a round stool and sat down, picked up the cold tea on the table and drank it all in one gulp, then let out a long breath.

Li Changqing did not get up.

He simply placed the purple clay teapot on the table, slowly picked up a worn-out folding fan and waved it, a playful smile on his lips.

"Lord Song is the God of Wealth of the Ming Dynasty. All the silver in the world has to pass through your hands, so naturally, the more capable you are, the more work you should do."

"This humble official is of limited ability and cannot understand the abacus. If I were to cause trouble in the front yard, I would only delay your mission, sir."

Song Yin was so angry at his lazy words that he didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and slammed the file in his hand onto the table.

"Stop making sarcastic remarks. The Maritime Trade Office has only been open for a little over a month, and the number of merchant ships entering the port is more than three times that of previous years! Although Lin Yaozu and his gang of local bullies have behaved themselves and are willing to pay taxes, there are hundreds and thousands of maritime merchants of all sizes in Quanzhou Port."

"Even if the clerks in the government office had three heads and six arms, they couldn't keep track of how much goods each business brought in and out, and how much tax should be levied."

Song Yin rubbed his aching temples and sighed.

"These past few days, just checking the quantities of sappanwood and pepper shipped back from Southeast Asia has caused several problems. Those small merchants down there are using all sorts of tricks to evade the 20% tax in kind; some hide spices in the ballast stones at the bottom of the ship, others mix fine silk with coarse cloth. It's impossible to guard against them all!"

Li Changqing listened to Song Yin's complaints, but his expression remained calm.

He stretched out two fingers, picked up a piece of orange-red cake, put it in his mouth, chewed it carefully and swallowed it before slowly opening his mouth.

"Lord Song, this is where you are wrong. The imperial court established the Maritime Trade Office to collect large sums of money, so why are you fixated on those trivial amounts?"

Song Yin was taken aback, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"Does Lord Li mean to turn a blind eye to tax evasion by small merchants? How can that be allowed! The laws of the court cannot be abolished just because of small acts of kindness!"

"When did I ever say I wanted to abolish the laws of the imperial court?"

Li Changqing chuckled and tapped his folding fan in his palm.

"What I mean is, why should government officials personally go out and do the work of catching mice and fleas?"

A hint of doubt flashed in Song Yin's eyes, and he humbly asked, "I would like to hear the details."

Li Changqing sat up straight and put away his folding fan.

"Although there are many merchants in Quanzhou Port, those who truly have the strength to build ocean-going Fujian ships and control bulk cargo are nothing more than a few large clans like the Lin and Chen families."

"The rest of the small maritime merchants mostly depended on them, renting their cabins or taking a share of the profits from them."

Li Changqing's gaze became deep and sharp.

"Since Lin Yaozu and his gang have already bowed to the imperial court, why don't we go with the flow and give them a proper title?"

"The Maritime Trade Office then designated thirteen of the most financially powerful and influential merchant houses in Quanzhou Port, bestowing upon them the name 'Thirteen Factories'."

"From now on, the Imperial Maritime Trade Office will no longer directly deal with those hundreds or thousands of small merchants. All goods entering or leaving the port, regardless of whose they belong to, will be guaranteed by the Thirteen Factories, with a unified price and unified tax payment."

Song Yin was an extremely intelligent and practical genius. Upon hearing this, his bloodshot eyes suddenly lit up.

"Does Lord Li mean to use merchants to control merchants?"

"good."

Li Changqing nodded.

"The imperial court only needs to collect silver from these thirteen companies. A quota is set for each year, and if they pay the full amount of tax, the Maritime Trade Office will grant them escort contracts for the Ming Dynasty's navy."

"If they fail to pay their taxes, or if any small merchants under their jurisdiction evade taxes, the court won't arrest the small merchants; instead, it will directly hold the heads of these thirteen households accountable. This is called collective punishment!"

Li Changqing picked up the purple clay teapot, poured another cup of tea, and pushed it in front of Song Yin.

"Consider this, Lord Song: it would be incredibly difficult for small merchants to hide goods under the nose of a powerful clan like Lin Yaozu. If they were implicated, Lin Yaozu, in order to protect his life, property, and the privileges granted by the court, would surely turn into the most vicious hound, squeezing every last drop of tax from the pepper for the court."

"In this way, the yamen runners of the Maritime Trade Office can simply sit in the hall and drink tea, and the customs revenue will surely flow into the national treasury without missing a single penny."

Song Yin was stunned and speechless for a long time.

This kind of skillful maneuvering shifts all the complexities of government affairs onto the merchants themselves.

They even used the survival of the fittest among merchants to secure the imperial court's tax revenue.

Such schemes demonstrate a profound understanding of human greed and evil!

He stared intently at his leisurely colleague in the blue robe before him.

This Li Changqing is truly a genius of unparalleled talent.

He not only wrote magnificent imperial edicts, but also handled such complex business matters with ease.

It was as if the scheming and plotting of people in this world were all within his control.

"Lord Li's plan has truly had the effect of clearing away the clouds and revealing the sun!"

Song Yin suddenly stood up, his earlier fatigue gone, and paced back and forth excitedly.

"I will immediately draft the regulations and summon the heads of the major clans in Quanzhou to establish the rules for the Thirteen Factories. With this system in place, the Maritime Trade Office will truly have a firm foothold!"

Watching Song Yin's hurried departure, Li Changqing smiled faintly, lay back on the bamboo chair, and started fanning himself with a folding fan.

In this world, if something can be done by someone else, never do it yourself.

This is the highest level of officialdom.