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

"What brings you to my humble abode today, Lord Xia?"

Gu Yannian stepped aside to let Xia Yuanji into the courtyard.

Xia Yuanji walked into the courtyard and saw the crabs and osmanthus wine on the stone table. A tired smile appeared on his face.

"Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and I took the opportunity to visit Registrar Gu. These are a few mooncakes that my wife made herself, as a small token of her appreciation."

Xia Yuanji placed the food box on the stone table.

Upon seeing that a guest had arrived, Shen Wan rose, bowed, and quietly retreated to the backyard.

Gu Yannian brought over a clean set of bowls and chopsticks and poured Xia Yuanji a cup of osmanthus wine.

"Please have a seat, Lord Xia. This wine is homemade; it'll warm you up."

Xia Yuanji sat down, picked up his wine glass and drank it all, letting out a long sigh.

"Recorder Gu, the reason I've come today is that I'm feeling quite distressed and want to find someone to talk to."

Xia Yuanji picked up a crab, but had no intention of peeling it.

"The three main halls employ hundreds of thousands of artisans and laborers. According to the court's regulations, they need to be paid monthly wages and rations. However, the Ministry of Revenue's treasury is currently empty. If large amounts of copper coins and silver are distributed, prices in Shuntian Prefecture will surely skyrocket."

"If we were to distribute grain, the manpower and resources required to transport the food rations for hundreds of thousands of people from the Tongzhou granary to various construction sites would be incalculable."

"I've been pondering this matter these past few days, and it's made my hair turn even whiter."

Gu Yannian listened to Xia Yuanji's complaints with a calm expression.

Paying salaries to hundreds of thousands of people is indeed a huge challenge in an era lacking a paper currency credit system.

The Ming Dynasty paper money had long been devalued and was practically worthless; the people simply did not recognize it.

Gu Yannian picked up a small silver hammer, cracked open the crab claws, and picked out the tender white crab meat.

"Lord Xia, I once saw a foreman settling wages with the miners at a mine in my hometown. The mine was remote, and transporting copper coins was extremely inconvenient. So the foreman had someone carve many small signs out of hardwood, with specific patterns and numbers printed on them."

Gu Yannian put the crab meat in his mouth, chewed it carefully, and then swallowed it.

"After finishing their work each day, the miners would collect wooden tokens. There were several general stores at the foot of the mine that provided food and goods for the miners. The miners would take their tokens to the stores to exchange for food and daily necessities. At the end of the month, the store owners would take the collected tokens to the foreman to settle the accounts with silver."

The crab that Xia Yuanji was holding fell onto the table.

He stared intently at Gu Yannian, his mind racing.

"Wooden sign... General store... Centralized settlement..."

Xia Yuanji's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Replace cash and goods with in lieu of cash! The Ministry of Revenue will print meal tickets and cloth tickets with anti-counterfeiting marks and distribute them to artisans and laborers.

Government-run kitchens and shops were set up on the construction site, and only tickets and certificates were accepted, not silver.

In this way, the Ministry of Revenue only needed to transport the grain to a few large stores, thus avoiding the tedious task of distributing money and grain to hundreds of thousands of people.

It can also completely prevent lower-level officials from deducting wages!

Xia Yuanji became more and more excited as he thought about it, stood up, and bowed deeply to Gu Yannian.

"Recorder Gu is truly my guiding light! This method not only saves a huge amount of transportation costs but also stabilizes prices in Shuntian Prefecture! I will immediately return to gather my subordinates and work through the night to formulate the implementation rules for these vouchers!"

Xia Yuanji didn't bother eating the crabs; he turned around, strode out of the courtyard gate, and disappeared into the night.

Gu Yannian picked up his wine glass and took a sip of the sweet osmanthus wine.

He still didn't offer any advice, but Xia Yuanji's political acumen was extremely high, and he understood immediately.

As for how many laborers this system can save and how much silver it can save for the Ministry of Revenue, that is all thanks to the Minister of Revenue.

A full moon hung in the night sky, its cool light shining on the blue bricks of the courtyard.

Shen Wan brought out a plate of sliced ​​autumn pears from the backyard and placed it on the stone table.

"My lord, it's late and the dew is heavy. Why don't you eat some pears to soothe your lungs?"

"it is good."

Gu Yannian picked up a piece of autumn pear and took a bite; the juice was sweet and refreshing.

Driven by these renowned officials, the wheels of history of the Ming Dynasty rolled forward.

He sat in this small courtyard, watching the moon wax and wane, his heart at peace.

I have to get up early tomorrow to report for duty at the Wenhua Hall.

Spring of the sixteenth year of the Yongle reign.

The ice and snow in Shuntian Prefecture have completely melted.

The outline of the Forbidden City appears even more magnificent and splendid under the azure sky.

It took years of massive financial investment and countless hours of hard work by artisans.

This supreme imperial city has finally entered its final stage.

On the white marble steps outside the Wenhua Hall, several unidentified spring birds were chirping and pecking at scattered grass seeds.

As usual, Gu Yannian stepped into the side hall of Wenhua Hall precisely as the clock struck Mao Shi (5-7 AM).

He wore a blue seventh-rank official robe, which, though unassuming, exuded a tranquility that was completely different from the busy atmosphere around him.

[Ding! Today's attendance complete. Attribute point gained +1.]

"Add to the spirit."

The feeling of coolness spread through my mind.

Gu Yannian walked skillfully to his desk, ready to begin a day of copying and organizing.

Just then, a young eunuch hurriedly stepped over the threshold, flicked his whisk, and bowed, saying:

"Recorder Gu, His Highness the Crown Prince has decreed that you must immediately go to the East Warm Pavilion in the rear palace for an audience."

Gu Yannian was slightly taken aback.

Normally, Zhu Gaochi would talk to him directly when he was walking around the front hall or side hall.

It is extremely rare for someone to be summoned so solemnly to such a private place as the East Warm Pavilion.

He put down his purple-tipped brush, straightened his clothes, and followed behind the young eunuch.

After passing through many corridors, we arrived at the outside of the East Warm Pavilion.

Inside the warm pavilion, precious camphor incense burned.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi leaned against a large, bright yellow soft couch.

The crown prince, who had been overseeing the country for many years, was becoming increasingly plump.

But those eyes, which were somewhat narrowed by the fat on his cheeks, revealed a depth and shrewdness born from his experience of the turbulent times in the imperial court.

"Your humble servant, Gu Yannian, the registrar of the Wenhua Hall, pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Gu Yannian paid his respects with great ceremony.

"Rise, please take a seat."

Zhu Gaochi waved his hand, dismissing the palace maids and eunuchs who were serving him.

He was left alone with Gu Yannian.

Gu Yannian sat halfway on a brocade stool to the side, his head slightly lowered, his eyes downcast, seemingly lost in thought.

They adopted a submissive and wooden demeanor.

Zhu Gaochi picked up the ginseng tea from the table and took a sip.

His gaze lingered on Gu Yannian's face, which was as smooth as jade and showed no signs of aging.

After a long while, he suddenly chuckled softly.

"Yan Nian, how many years have you served as my scribe in the Wenhua Hall?"

"Your Highness, it has been eight years since the spring of the eighth year of Yongle," Gu Yannian replied fluently.

"Eight years..."

Zhu Gaochi sighed and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

"Over the past eight years, the people in this Wenhua Hall have come and gone. Some have been promoted to the Six Ministries, some have been beheaded, and some have been sent to remote regions. But you alone seem to have grown into the blue bricks of this side hall, unmoved by thunder."

"He arrives at dawn and leaves at dusk, handling his duties flawlessly, but never taking on any extra work."

"If I reward you with gold and silver, you should accept it. If I wish to promote you, you should decline."

"Do you really think that my eyes can't see through your little scheme of self-preservation?"