Chapter 42 Making Money, Making Money
Wu Mingkong's voice was light and ethereal, yet like a feather scratching at the tip of Zhao Yi's heart, leaving him feeling both ticklish and numb.
"My beloved official... do you only want money?"
Zhao Yi's throat instantly became so dry it felt as if it were smoking.
He looked at the woman lounging on the daybed, as lazy as a cat yet as dangerous as a female panther. His mind went blank with a sudden buzzing sound.
This damn woman, playing this trick again!
Is she trying to seduce me? Or is she setting a trap for me?
Zhao Yi's abacus inside his mind clattered furiously.
He forced a smile that was uglier than crying and stepped half a step forward.
"Your Majesty jests. To be able to serve Your Majesty is this subject's fortune. How could this subject dare..."
"Oh?" Wu Mingkong interrupted him, her slender fingers lightly tapping on the armrest of the daybed. "Since that matter is so, then let us forget about the reward."
"Don't, Your Majesty!" Zhao Yi blurted out.
Damn it!
I fell for it!
He wished he could give himself a resounding slap across the face.
Watching the expression of profound regret on his face, Wu Mingkong finally could not help but chuckle softly.
"Very well, I am not teasing you anymore."
She straightened her body, and that lazy demeanor instantly faded away, replaced by the supreme majesty of one who rules the world.
"Wang Defa has fallen, the position of Chancellor is vacant, and the court is awaiting revitalization in all matters."
"I see that your brain is still somewhat usable, even if it hasn't always been applied to the right path."
"Starting today, you shall hold the post of Vice Minister of Works."
She paused for a moment, then added, "As for the matter of cement, you shall be in charge of it entirely. I want to see results as soon as possible."
Zhao Yi was stunned.
Vice Minister of Works?
Holy crap, I've just been promoted?
Inwardly, flowers blossomed with joy, but on his face, he maintained the expression of a loyal subject overwhelmed with gratitude, ready to offer his very body in return.
"This subject! Kowtows and thanks Your Majesty for your boundless grace! I shall certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust, and I will exhaust my utmost loyalty for our Great Zhou until my dying breath!"
"Alright, alright, put away that act of yours." Wu Mingkong waved her hand impatiently.
After finishing his kowtow, Zhao Yi scrambled up, rubbed his hands together, and crept close once more.
"Your Majesty, um... this grand scheme of cement is a wonderful undertaking that benefits the state and the people, but... as for the startup capital..."
Wu Mingkong picked up her teacup, blew lightly on the steam, and didn't even lift her eyelids.
"No money."
"Ah?" Zhao Yi's smiling face stiffened.
"If there were money, why would I need you? I don't have money either." Wu Mingkong took a leisurely sip of tea. "You are the Vice Minister of Works; figure out the money matter yourself."
This completely caught Zhao Yi off guard, leaving him utterly baffled.
He felt a suffocating tightness in his chest.
"Your Majesty, aren't you being entirely unreasonable? You want the horse to run fast, yet you don't want it to eat grass! Where is such logic to be found under heaven?"
"Oh?" Wu Mingkong finally put down her teacup and raised her eyes to look at him, her exquisitely beautiful face bearing a chilling curve.
"I haven't held you accountable for those wandering, restless eyes of mine, which is already an act of extraordinary leniency."
"And yet you still dare to ask me for money?"
A jolt of icy chill surged straight from Zhao Yi's tailbone to the back of his head.
He felt that chill spreading down to his crotch once again.
"Then... then I won't ask for it." Zhao Yi instantly lost his nerve, shaking his head like a rattle-drum. "The money! I'll figure it out myself!"
With a twitch of his eyes, he immediately plastered on a flattering expression.
"Your Majesty, this subject recently concocted a brand-new novelty—a potent liquor, a hundred times better than the horse urine sold on the markets!"
"This subject figures this thing can make money, but I'm just afraid... afraid of some blind fools coming to cause trouble."
"Might I ask if... if we could borrow the imperial prestige? Just claim it is an imperial tribute wine from the palace!"
Wu Mingkong was somewhat annoyed by his endless theatrics.
Right now, she only wanted to dispatch this dog of a man as quickly as possible.
"Granted."
"Scram at once!"
"Understood!" Zhao Yi was overjoyed. "This subject is rolling away right now!"
The little version of himself inside his mind was already looking up to the heavens and laughing out loud.
Heh heh, you damn woman, you said it yourself!
When this old man makes a fortune from this wine, don't you dare grow jealous!
...
Leaving the imperial palace, Zhao Yi walked with a spring in his step, heading straight for the secret base outside the city.
Right now, his head was filled entirely with visions of gleaming silver taels.
Before he even entered the estate, he saw the brothers Li Jin and Li Yin directing dozens of newly recruited workers in setting up new distillation equipment.
The entire estate was bustling with activity, resembling a massive construction site.
"Young General!"
Upon seeing Zhao Yi, the two brothers instantly dropped what they were doing and scurried over eagerly.
"Where is the wine?" Zhao Yi asked straight to the point.
"Young General, this is the latest batch!" Li Jin's face was flushed with excitement, and like someone offering a precious treasure, he ladled out a bowl of wine from a nearby large vat.
The liquor was clear and translucent, and its intense, rich aroma aggressively forced its way into the nostrils.
Zhao Yi took a sip and felt a trail of liquid fire burn all the way from his throat down to his stomach.
Powerful!
"Not bad!" He was very satisfied. "Expand production! Brew as much as you can for me!"
Then, another, even more important matter crossed his mind.
"Where is Old Zhang? Drag him out to see me!"
The chief craftsman, Old Zhang, was soon invited out from a newly built storehouse.
After a few days without seeing him, the old man looked much more spirited; his back was straighter, and he practically walked with a breeze.
"Young General, you called for me?" Old Zhang cupped his fists toward Zhao Yi, wearing a rather enigmatic expression on his face.
Zhao Yi looked at him sideways.
"The firebombs, how are they coming along?"
Hearing this, Old Zhang did not answer immediately. Instead, he just smiled mysteriously, placed his hands behind his back, and leisurely took the lead.
"Follow me."
Holy crap!
Zhao Yi almost couldn't resist planting a kick right into him.
Where on earth did this old man learn this? Putting on such a pretentious front!
If it weren't for the fact that you're getting up there in years, I'd give you a couple of heavy slaps across the face!
The two arrived at an open drilling ground.
From a wooden box, Old Zhang carefully retrieved a palm-sized glass bottle filled halfway with an amber-colored liquid, its mouth plugged with a piece of rag.
This was precisely the "ultimate weapon" Zhao Yi had drawn out.
Old Zhang pulled out a fire-starter, ignited the cloth strip at the bottle's neck, and with all his might, hurled the firebomb toward a newly constructed cement wall in the distance.
The glass bottle traced a graceful parabola through the air.
"Bang!"
The bottle smashed against the wall and shattered instantly!
A cluster of orange-red flames burst forth explosively, resembling an evil blossom blooming out of the netherworld.
The raging fire licked hungrily at the hard cement surface, emitting a crackling sound.
The scorching wave of heat was so intense that it made people's cheeks sting even from afar.
The fire was immense, and it was the kind that simply could not be put out with water!
Zhao Yi stood dumbfounded at the sight.
It actually fucking ignited!
And what a fire it was!
If this thing were tossed into an enemy's grain stockpile, or right into the middle of a dense infantry formation...
Just thinking about that scene made his scalp tingle.
From now on, aside from boiling nightsoil, this old man has added yet another secret weapon to his arsenal!
"Good! Fucking brilliant!" Zhao Yi slapped his thigh in excitement.
He walked up to Old Zhang—who was still basking in the glory of his own masterpiece—and heavily patted him on the shoulder.
"Old Zhang, you fucking genius!"
Turning around, he waved his arm grandly toward all the craftsmen and guards who had gathered to watch the spectacle.
"Listen up, everyone! This month's reward is one hundred taels of silver per person!"
"Distribute it immediately!"
Cheers instantly echoed throughout the entire estate.
...
Zhao Yi's mood was more relaxed and cheerful than ever before.
Leaving the base, he immediately sought out Tian Yi.
"My lord." Tian Yi's figure materialized like a ghost in the alley behind him.
"Go find this old man the largest and best-located shop in the entire city of Luoyang!" A cunning merchant's smile hung on Zhao Yi's face.
"We are going to sell liquor!"
"Also, find some men and send them out to spread rumors in the city!"
"Tell them that sweet dew descended from the heavens, refined by a skilled artisan into an peerless vintage! This wine holds a secret imperial recipe, and only members of the imperial family are privileged enough to taste it!"
"Blow the boast right up to the skies! Make it sound as mystical and bizarre as possible! Did you understand?!"
Tian Yi's mouth twitched uncontrollably as he listened.
He bowed and accepted the order: "This subordinate understands."
He was already quite familiar with these dirty tricks of his master.