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

Upon hearing this, Yu Qian felt a surge of heat rush to his head.

He abruptly took half a step back and straightened his clothes.

He bowed deeply to Gu Yannian with utmost solemnity.

"Lord Gu, your kindness is boundless! On behalf of the soldiers of the nine border regions, I thank you for your compassion!"

"Rest assured, sir. I will personally oversee this money, even at the cost of my life, and I will not allow those corrupt officials to steal a single penny!"

"Go ahead, and get the firearms to Xuanfu as soon as possible." Gu Yannian waved his hand gently.

Watching Yu Qian leave in a flurry, clutching the documents as if they were priceless treasures.

Gu Yannian shook his head, picked up the teacup, and drank the remaining tea.

With a loyal minister like Yu Qian overseeing the Ministry of War, the defenses of the northern border of the Ming Dynasty were naturally impregnable.

He only needed to do his job as steward steadily and go to and from the office on time, and his life would be extremely comfortable.

After noon, the sun gradually began to set in the west.

A young eunuch from the inner court hurried into the Ministry of Revenue courtyard, flicked his whisk, and bowed, saying:

"Lord Gu, His Majesty has issued an imperial edict summoning you to the Western Garden immediately to accompany him."

Gu Yannian put down his notes and stood up to straighten his scarlet robe.

He followed the eunuch into the sedan chair that was waiting outside the yamen.

West Garden, by Taiye Pond.

A gentle breeze rippled across the water, bringing a refreshing coolness of early summer.

Emperor Hongxi, Zhu Gaochi, dressed in loose, bright yellow casual clothes, stood with his hands behind his back in a waterside pavilion on the shore.

Although he is still plump now, he no longer has the sickly swelling he had in his early years.

His complexion was ruddy, his eyes were bright, and every gesture he made exuded the composure and dignity of an emperor.

"Your humble servant Gu Yannian pays his respects to Your Majesty, long live the Emperor."

Gu Yannian stepped into the waterside pavilion and paid his respects with great ceremony.

"No need for formalities, please take a seat."

Zhu Gaochi turned around, a hearty smile on his face, and personally pointed to the stone bench beside him.

After Gu Yannian took his seat, Zhu Gaochi didn't beat around the bush and said directly:

"Just now, the Minister of War entered the palace to meet the Emperor and said that you, Vice Minister Gu, approved the allocation of 1.2 million taels of silver for military equipment for the two garrisons of Xuan and Da without even blinking an eye."

"The old Minister praised you to the skies in front of me, saying that since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the Ministry of Revenue has never been so lenient."

Gu Yannian bowed slightly.

"Your Majesty is wise. The national treasury is full thanks to Your Majesty's virtue of recuperation and development. With surplus grain in the granaries, we should first strengthen national defense. Your humble servant is merely following orders and dares not claim credit for what is rightfully yours."

Zhu Gaochi smiled and pointed at him.

"You always have this impeccable demeanor. I summoned you today not just to praise you."

"The replacement of firearms at the nine border posts is merely a precaution. This threat from the northern barbarians will always remain a thorn in my side."

The emperor turned his gaze northward, his tone growing increasingly serious.

"When the late emperor was alive, he personally led several expeditions, and although he defeated the Tatars and Oirats and made them submit, the grasslands are vast, and wildfires cannot burn them out; they will spring up again with the spring breeze."

"Now that the late Emperor has passed away more than four years ago, the tribes on the grasslands have heard that I am kind and benevolent and that I have stopped my northern expeditions. Their thoughts are gradually becoming active again."

"Recently, enemy cavalry have frequently raided caravans on the border, testing the limits of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Gaochi turned to look at Gu Yannian.

"The Ministry of War advocates war, while the Ministry of Revenue advocates peace. Yan Nian, what insightful opinions do you, the Right Vice Minister of Revenue, have?"

Gu Yannian remained calm and composed, unlike ordinary civil officials who would spout clichés about the teachings of sages or the wasteful spending of resources on the people.

He knew all too well that morality was meaningless to nomadic peoples.

Only interests and power are real bargaining chips.

"Your Majesty, I believe that although our military might is sharp, it cannot completely wipe out the grasslands. To deal with the northern barbarians, the best strategy is to attack their plans, the next best is to disrupt their alliances, and the last best is to attack their army."

Gu Yannian spoke calmly, as if taking a leisurely stroll.

"I would like to hear the details."

Zhu Gaochi leaned forward with great interest.

"The grasslands are harsh and cold, and do not produce tea, salt, or ironware. The herdsmen only have cattle, horse, and sheep hides. I humbly suggest that the court open horse markets in the nine important border towns and promote the tea-horse trade."

Gu Yannian tapped his long, slender fingers lightly on the stone table.

"Firstly, by exchanging tea bricks and coarse cloth from the Central Plains for fine horses from the grasslands, we can not only replenish the cavalry of the capital garrison, but also allow the herdsmen to taste the benefits of trade."

"Secondly, strictly control the export of ironware and smuggled salt. These are vital national tools, and anyone who dares to smuggle them will have their entire family executed."

"Thirdly, and most importantly..."

Gu Yannian smiled faintly.

"Use real gold and silver to bribe the leaders of those grassland tribes. The grasslands are not a monolithic entity; the various tribes are constantly fighting each other for pastures and water resources."

"The Ming Dynasty only needs to generously reward those small tribes that are willing to submit, support the weak and suppress the strong, and let them fight each other on the grassland for the Ming Dynasty's rewards."

In this way, the various tribes of the grasslands would no longer be able to unite as one and invade the borders from the south.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaochi's eyes flashed with a sharp light.

He was an extremely shrewd ruler who wanted to maintain the status quo.

Gu Yannian's strategy of using economic means and divide and conquer the grasslands was exactly what he was thinking.

Using silver to wage war is far more worthwhile than using soldiers' lives to fill that bottomless pit.

"What a brilliant move to strike at the heart of the problem!"

Zhu Gaochi clapped his hands and laughed.

"Use the profits of commerce to bind their hands and feet, and use gifts of gold and silver to confuse their minds. With Yan Nian here, it's as if I have gained an extra pair of discerning eyes to manage the overall situation of the world!"

The emperor and his minister then discussed the details of the tea-horse trade at length in the waterside pavilion.

Until a deep drumbeat came from the corner tower in the distance.

At dusk, the evening drum sounds steadily and rhythmically.

Gu Yannian's straight back relaxed slightly, and he stopped talking at the right moment.

He stood up, slowly smoothed his sleeves, and gave a proper bow.

"Your Majesty, the evening drum has sounded. If there are no further decrees, this humble subject... should leave the office now."

Zhu Gaochi was listening intently when this sentence left him speechless and stunned.

Looking at Gu Yannian's matter-of-fact face, he couldn't help but laugh and scold:

"You scoundrel, of all the officials in the court, only you dare to leave whenever I'm in a good mood! Fine, fine, you've managed the Ministry of Revenue perfectly, I grant you the privilege of leaving the office at dusk. Go!"

Gu Yannian respectfully took his leave and turned to walk along the long imperial road out of the palace.

As we exited Donghua Gate, the sunset on the horizon was ablaze with color.

The streets of Shuntian Prefecture were bustling with activity.

The cries of street vendors, the sounds of drinking games in restaurants, and the laughter of children mingled together.

This creates a vibrant and peaceful scene.

Gu Yannian did not ride in a sedan chair, but instead strolled leisurely along the bluestone path.

He stopped as he passed a stall selling calligraphy and paintings.

He casually picked out a plain folding fan and paid a few copper coins.

After walking along Qianmen Street, he stopped in front of a familiar pastry shop.

"Shopkeeper, pack two packets of mung bean cakes, fresh out of the oven."

Carrying a paper package that exuded a faint sweet fragrance, Gu Yannian walked back to the courtyard in Xuanwu Lane.

Under his covert manipulation, the fate of the Ming Dynasty is racing along a path of wealth and power.

Firearms at the border are being updated, and silver is circulating in Jiangnan.

Even the crisis on the grasslands was resolved in a few casual words.

But he didn't care how future historians would judge him as the Vice Minister of Revenue.

He pushed open the mottled wooden door of his small courtyard, where the old jujube tree swayed gently in the evening breeze.

Light the small red clay stove and boil a kettle of water.

Gu Yannian sat in the courtyard, took a bite of the soft mung bean cake, and let the sweet taste spread on his tongue.

In the long and endless span of life, all imperial ambitions and grand schemes are but fleeting clouds.

Only this bite of pastry, eaten right after the official's departure, and the tranquil evening breeze in this courtyard.

That is what truly belongs to him.

Tomorrow at dawn, I will go and observe this grand drama of the mortal world from the sidelines.

Today, I'll take this half-day of leisure.