After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 630 - 624: Temptation

Zhao Song was very angry, "You are being unreasonable! I’m not against you minting coins, I’m asking why you minted new coins instead of the old ones like the court!"

Zhao Ming shifted the responsibility onto Zhao Hanzhang, "By the time I knew, the new coins had already been minted. I heard this was the result of negotiations among a group of people in Luoyang."

He said, "At this point, we can’t change it. The new coins have already been minted and should have started circulating in Luoyang by now."

Zhao Song was so angry that he drove his son out and decided not to go to Luoyang.

Zhao Ming, satisfied, turned and took the copper coin to see Zhao Hu.

Contrary to Zhao Song, Zhao Hu, although he had come to Chen County, hadn’t thought of going to Luoyang.

In fact, he hadn’t even wanted to come to Chen County. If it weren’t for Zhao Song’s pressure, he wouldn’t have run so far.

Zhao Hu is an old man who loves to enjoy life, which doesn’t include traveling.

Unlike his son who likes to travel everywhere and learn, Zhao Hu just likes to stay in one place and let the world’s good things come to him.

He mostly roams around the counties in Ru Nan County, with the main purpose of collecting rent and occasionally bragging with a few like-minded friends, comparing wealth.

He doesn’t even like forming caravans, preferring to have goods in hand, waiting for merchants to come to him for supplies, so he can sit and collect money.

So he has textile shops and porcelain workshops under his name, but no caravan.

Oh, the fleet for delivering goods upon receiving orders doesn’t count.

Therefore, he’s just here to stroll around Chen County, set up a few shops, arrange management, and then return to Xiping. Hmph, if Zhao Song hadn’t pleaded with him, he wouldn’t even have come to Chen County.

Thinking this, Zhao Hu didn’t waste time. Upon arrival, he called the manager and said, "Tell the manager of the shops in Chen County to bring the account book to see me tomorrow."

Back when Zhao Hanzhang succeeded as Inspector, he immediately ordered the manager to come to Chen County to find shops and open stores. It’s already paid off and even made a small profit.

The shop prices in Chen County have increased quite a bit, but Zhao Hu thinks it’s still not enough, so he decided to buy a few more shops.

Zhao Hanzhang has expanded her territory to Luoyang. With her holding the front, Yu State will be safer. As long as Yu State is safe, property prices can rise, and commercial activities will increase.

As for Luoyang, Zhao Hu looks down on it for now.

Although it used to be the Capital City, the most prosperous place in Great Jin, the emperor moved away, and it’s heard that the noble families followed Prince East Sea and the emperor away.

If it weren’t for Zhao Hanzhang leading troops to force some people back, Luoyang’s remaining population would be less than twenty thousand.

Twenty thousand people are not enough to do anything, even less than their Xiping County.

Zhao Hu looks down on it.

Moreover, Luoyang is too dangerous. Xiongnu frequently moves south, and if he sets up shops or houses there, his assets could all turn to nothing in case of a conflict.

Not only the houses and shops but also the goods inside, the people... Just thinking about losing so much money makes his heart hurt.

So he doesn’t want to go.

Zhao Hu instructed the manager, "Go inquire about the middlemen in the city again. Tomorrow, bring the manager of the middlemen and have them bring the maps. I want to choose shops and houses."

The manager agreed to everything. When master and servant were about to have a deeper discussion, a servant reported Zhao Ming had arrived.

The manager quieted down, saw Zhao Ming come in, bowed to him, and then retreated.

Zhao Hu took a sip of tea, face serious, "Zi Nian, it’s not that I want to say this, but you’ve been in Chen County for so long, yet besides the Governor Mansion, you haven’t even set up a single villa. Do you really intend to let friends and relatives stay in your Governor Mansion when they come?"

Zhao Hu didn’t want to live with Zhao Song and his son at all; it wasn’t free, and there were many restrictions.

Yet Zhao Ming arranged accommodations based on closeness; those close to him were arranged to stay in the Governor Mansion, while those less close rented houses outside.

Naturally, Zhao Hu didn’t want to live in the rented houses; they lacked everything and he didn’t want to live there.

He wanted to live in Zhao Ming’s villa or his own family’s villa, but unfortunately, he hadn’t bought them.

To ensure his comfort, Zhao Hu planned to buy a villa in Chen County, but this didn’t stop him from criticizing Zhao Ming.

Zhao Ming directly overlooked his complaints and asked, "Seventh Uncle, Third Lady invites you to Luoyang..."

Zhao Ming hadn’t finished speaking when Zhao Hu directly said, "I’m not going."

He said, "If it weren’t for your father urging me relentlessly, I wouldn’t even want to come to Chen County. Now in this heat, who can easily go out?"

Zhao Ming paused for a moment and then said, "Zitu and Zheng’er are in Luoyang..."

Zhao Hu sighed and said, "They can be there, but I can’t handle him. Your father and you are the only ones whose words he listens to. If I don’t go to Luoyang, it’s better; if I go, there would be daily arguments."

Zhao Ming felt he was quite right.

But he still had to go.

Zhao Ming handed him the copper coin.

Zhao Hu glanced at it with disdain, "If you’re going to give me money, you should give more; what’s the point of giving just one copper coin?"

Zhao Ming said quietly, "Seventh Uncle is thinking too much. This isn’t for you as a gift. I don’t have much myself, even if there were gifts, they’d come from Third Lady, not me."

Zhao Hu frowned, took the coin, looked at it, "Why are you showing me this..." He suddenly widened his eyes, his back straightening, "What, what, what is this?"

"This is the new coin," Zhao Ming asked, "What does uncle think?"

What does he think?

Zhao Hu clenched the coin tightly, nervously swallowed, and asked, "Who minted this?"

"Third Lady."

"I knew it—" Zhao Hu’s voice was high but suddenly lowered; he glanced nervously outside the door, whispered softly, "What is she planning?"

He looked at Zhao Ming with suspicion, "You’re always so upright, when did you start having such ideas?"

Zhao Ming’s emotions were complex, and after a while, he said, "Uncle, you’re thinking too much. This is just a new coin because Yu State and Luoyang lack money, which is why the new coin was minted."

He said, "You should know how much money there is in Yu State now; many civilians have no money and must barter for goods. Several times during the collection of refugees and relief, the government had no money and resorted to counting, exchanging some cloth and grain. This time, with the new coin, it’s definitely necessary to change to the new coin in Yu State, not to mention further regions."

"What about the old coins?" Zhao Hu asked anxiously, "Won’t they be used?"

"They’ll be used as usual, but considering other states and counties might not accept the new coins, the government will try to collect more old coins to exchange for merchants leaving Yu," Zhao Ming said, "I heard Third Lady mention that to get more old coins, Luoyang might offer an exchange of one old coin for one new coin." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Zhao Hu complained, "Why one for one? If the old coins are still the same, I won’t exchange."

Zhao Ming said, "You’re aware my father is good to Third Lady; he will certainly bring this up within the clan. This being such a significant matter, if our Zhao Family doesn’t support it, she’ll face even greater difficulties."