We'll have you impersonate the Crown Prince and create a prosperous era for the Great Qian Dyna

Zhou Tiancheng was somewhat annoyed after Zheng Rong left.

This Xinhua guy is such a blabbermouth, he runs around saying all sorts of nonsense.

However, it's true that he's short of money.

Putting everything else aside, he still owes the palace maids, eunuchs, and guards in the Eastern Palace several months' worth of their salaries!

"It's all that brain-dead Crown Prince's fault. If he hadn't given Consort Liu the authority to manage the Imperial Household Department, would I be so short of money?"

Zhou Tiancheng sighed and called out to the outside of the tent.

"Someone, bring Steward Liu here."

One of the guards immediately went to summon Chief Steward Liu.

When Steward Liu came in, Zhou Tiancheng asked anxiously.

"How much silver is left in the Eastern Palace treasury?"

Manager Liu took out a notebook from his pocket and flipped through it page by page. By the end, he had a headache.

It's impossible to calculate.

After all, it's not the end of the month yet, and we haven't even started settling accounts.

He's a eunuch, a master fighter, but really bad at accounting!

Zhou Tiancheng frowned as he took the notebook and flipped through it page by page. When he reached the last page, he felt inexplicably sad.

"Is there only three hundred taels of silver left?"

"Indeed, the expenses for five hundred people are quite considerable. If it weren't for the fact that Zui Chunfeng could provide some funds, the Crown Prince would probably be penniless by now."

Manager Liu sensed something was wrong, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. At that moment, he followed Zhou Tiancheng's lead and spoke up.

"By the end of the month, when Zui Chunfeng settles the accounts, after deducting the amount we spent, there will be at least 30,000 taels of silver left. Adding His Highness's salary, we should no longer be short of money."

Zhou Tiancheng, however, did not think so.

He lowered his voice and spoke.

"Old Liu, if we want to win over officials, shouldn't we give them some benefits?"

"How much will the monthly expenses be then?"

They aren't in dire need of money right now, but when Zheng Rong mentioned lending them money, he certainly wasn't referring to lending them money for food and drinks.

Zhou Tiancheng himself knew that Zheng Rong was waiting for him to build his own power!

Although Zheng Rong was there to back him up, Zhou Tiancheng was still embarrassed to live off her and needed to find a way to make some money.

Of course, the main reason is that wealth is his lifeline, and he must keep it in his own hands. If he borrows from Zheng Rong, then it's not his trump card, and he won't be able to speak with his head held high.

Steward Liu felt a pang of sadness.

"The Crown Prince's Palace has recently received some visiting cards, about ten or so, but these people can't gain a foothold in the capital. If we appease them, giving them 20,000 taels of silver a month will be enough to make them extremely grateful to Your Highness."

"But if Your Highness wants to win over some higher-ranking officials, simply transferring money is no longer enough; there must be a stake in their interests. The best way is to bring them into a profitable business."

"Take the Third Prince for example. He controls at least 50% of the brothels and gambling dens in the capital. The profits he distributes each month are at least 300,000 taels of silver."

Zhou Tiancheng was stunned.

He's gone broke here. Third brother, are you that fat?

This made him even consider starting a business in brothels and gambling dens.

But there was nothing they could do.

Zhou Tianze was able to do this business not only because of his status as a prince, but also because his maternal grandfather's family contributed a lot.

Some experienced managers, various courtesans, and con artists gather here; this requires manpower, resources, and influence.

Zhou Tiancheng had none of these.

But he has to find a way to make money!

"Old Liu, I have an idea, but we can't use it for now because we don't have the capital."

"How about this, do you know any ways to make quick money? Once we have the capital, we can start a business, and then, depending on the profits, we can recruit some government officials."

Manager Liu was taken aback.

"How much silver does Your Highness require?"

Zhou Tiancheng did a preliminary calculation and quickly gave an answer.

"Ten thousand taels of silver is required."

What kind of business requires so much capital?

Chou Tien-cheng's answer is: lottery!

Start with the Double Color Ball lottery, then the Super Lotto, and take the rest later.

The reason for needing 100,000 is to prepare the cost of the first batch of GGs.

To put it bluntly, if we don't create a group of typical examples of people who get something for nothing, who would be willing to buy this lottery ticket?

People need to see the hope of winning the lottery to motivate them to buy tickets!

When Steward Liu heard that 100,000 taels of silver were needed, his scalp tingled.

"According to Your Highness, then we have no choice but to gamble."

gamble?

Gambling is like giving away money!

Zhou Tiancheng didn't have this bad habit, and immediately shook his head.

Manager Liu smiled and came closer.

"Your Highness, I'm not asking you to play Pai Gow, but a gambling method with a chance of winning."

"What this old servant means is that if Your Highness is confident of winning, you can certainly bet on yourself to win. Given Your Highness's reputation in the capital, the odds should be at least 1 to 3 or 1 to 4!"

"If we go in with 30,000 taels of silver and come out with 100,000 taels, wouldn't that be perfect?"

Can you still bet on yourself to win?

Zhou Tiancheng felt a little guilty.

The key question is, Zhou Tianze has cavalry; can they really win?

So he changed his approach.

"Can you bet on me to lose?"

"I'd love to buy more!"

Manager Liu was both amused and exasperated.

"That really won't work; the betting house only accepts bets on the winner."

Zhou Tiancheng was heartbroken.

How the hell can they win?

He thought for a moment and then had someone call Xiao Shi and Xinhua over.

After the person came in, he asked a question.

"Can we win the championship in this final?"

Unfortunately, Zhou Tiancheng lacked confidence.

Xinhua, on the other hand, is full of confidence.

"Your Highness, rest assured, use me in every battle, and victory will be assured!"

Zhou Tiancheng was both amused and exasperated. He gritted his teeth and spoke.

"I'm planning to bet 30,000 taels of silver on our Crown Prince winning the championship. What do you think?"

Xinhua was stunned.

No wonder Zhou Tiancheng called them in for questioning; it turns out he wanted to get on the gambling table.

He spoke up immediately.

"I still have quite a bit of silver left, so I've put 30,000 in bets."

Zhou Tiancheng was just about to drink some water when he heard this and spat it out.

No way, bro.

Are you that rich?

But when he thought of that big-mouthed guy from Xinhua, he lost his temper.

If we borrow money from Xinhua, won't it become public knowledge again?

He had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak.

"It's settled then. If you lose, I'm going to beat you up!"

Xinhua laughed heartily.

"Your Highness, rest assured, we will never lose, even if it means death!"

"After all, this humble general also has to deposit 30,000 taels, and I will stand with Your Highness through thick and thin."

Zhou Tiancheng remained silent.

The 30,000 yuan hasn't even arrived yet, and it's already been spent.

This is his last bit of capital. If he loses, he'll be jumping off a building.

Right now, all we can do is hope that Xinhua will step up their game.

Fortunately, Zheng Rong's composite bow and armor-piercing spikes were delivered, which finally put Zhou Tiancheng at ease.

The strange bow and weapon also aroused Xiao Shi's curiosity.

He was a master of mounted archery and couldn't wait to test the power of the new bow and arrow, so he took a set and went to the shooting range.

As soon as the bow was fully drawn, Xiao Shi immediately sensed something was wrong.

Why do I feel so weak?

This bow is so weak?

Somewhat disappointed, he released the bowstring, and then heard a sharp thud as the wooden arrow shot out swiftly and struck the target.

You should know that this bow and arrow were for practice purposes. They were made of wood, and the arrowheads weren't even made of iron; they were even a bit blunt.

How can this be nailed to the target?

Xiao Shi was stunned and walked blankly toward his target.