IDWBE -Chapter 134 The Bank

Thinking of this, Lin Yi felt even worse.

That was only what he had spent on her alone. If he counted the others, it would probably total over thirty thousand taels of silver.

So unless your family owned a silver mine, you really shouldn’t casually frequent courtesan houses.

Of course, talented scholars were the exception—they could mutually benefit. The courtesans would gain the romantic reputation of “talented scholar and beautiful lady.”

Liu Ruyan smiled. “Your Highness, clothes make the man as the saddle makes the horse. Clothing, gold, silver, jewelry—what doesn’t cost money? All these years I’ve only tried to maintain a bit of dignity. All my personal savings have gone into these useless things. Everyone says Your Highness has a gift for making money. Please give me some guidance. Otherwise, when I grow old and lose my beauty, I may end up on the streets.”

Lin Yi smiled. “Making money is simple. My bank is about to open. When it does, deposit all your silver there to earn interest—at one percent. If you deposit one hundred thousand taels, you’ll earn one thousand taels a year. Guaranteed profit. You trust my reputation, don’t you?”

Liu Ruyan’s lips twitched. She looked at him resentfully. “Your Highness, if I had that much money, why would I trouble myself to come to Sanhe to earn such hard money?”

“You’re right,” Lin Yi stroked his chin and took a sip of tea. “I do have a way for you to earn one hundred thousand taels.”

“Please instruct me, Your Highness,” she said, appearing very interested.

Lin Yi replied seriously, “Deposit ten million taels into my bank.”

“…”

Liu Ruyan ground her teeth in anger, speechless.

Mingyue, who had just brought in tea, hurried out again, afraid she would burst out laughing.

“Your Highness, you’re still so wicked, always teasing me,” Liu Ruyan said after a long pause, dabbing at tears with a handkerchief. “You never consider my feelings.”

“Are you crying because you’re frustrated you can’t kill me?” Lin Yi asked calmly, sipping tea. Seeing her tears like pear blossoms in the rain, he felt no pity at all.

A seasoned man of pleasure quarters like him had long understood one thing: the only one who could truly hold him was Zhong Kui; the only one who could cause a scene on his lap was Yao; and the only one willing to bear him children was Milady.

Sigh. Better not think about it—just thinking made his chest tighten.

“Your Highness, how can you say that?” Liu Ruyan pouted. “All my heart is with you. You used to call me ‘my little sweetheart.’ It hasn’t been long, yet now you’re so cold.”

Lin Yi suddenly said wistfully, “You haven’t called me ‘you wicked man’ in a long time either…”

“Your Highness is still so humorous,” she cooed, shaking his arm. “Shall I wait for you tonight?”

“I am burdened with affairs of state. We’ll see if I have time,” Lin Yi said, lifting his teacup.

“Then I shall take my leave.”

As she left, Liu Ruyan couldn’t help touching her face. Had she truly grown old? Had she lost her charm for this prince?

The more she thought, the less she understood.

Lin Yi watched her departing figure and sighed again.

Finally meeting someone so beautiful—and yet he dared not touch her.

How dull.

After lunch, Lin Yi took Fang Pi and two simple-minded attendants to the newly opened Baiyun Bank in Baiyun City.

Because it was newly established and lacked credibility, no one foolish enough had deposited money yet.

It was deserted.

Only the manager and two clerks sat idly inside.

The manager, Bai Lin, was about forty, a refugee from Yuezhou. He had worked as an apprentice and clerk in banks for over twenty years, always doing miscellaneous tasks.

Among the refugees, he was considered the most knowledgeable. Shan Qi had no choice but to put him in charge.

“Your Highness, look—these are the printing blocks and banknotes we’ve made.”

Bai Lin was full of confidence. Though the bank was new, with Prince He backing it, failure seemed impossible.

Lin Yi took the banknote printed with landscapes in three colors. He narrowed his eyes and examined it carefully before asking, “Where’s the secret mark?”

Bai Lin froze, then admitted awkwardly, “I am ignorant. What is a secret mark?”

Lin Yi smiled. “Since the previous dynasty, paper notes have been used, but over time they fell into disuse. Banks typically operate locally. Using their notes elsewhere is troublesome. When I first came to Baiyun City, I found that notes from Ankang City and Nanzhou were useless here. Occasionally, grain shops or silk stores would exchange them—but only after verifying authenticity. You’d have to wait ten days or half a month for silver. Why is that?”

“Because of rampant counterfeiting,” Bai Lin replied.

“Exactly. So a secret mark is for anti-counterfeiting.”

Lin Yi remembered that such methods were invented by Shanxi merchant banks.

So it was normal that this world didn’t have them yet.

He removed the jade pendant from his neck, pressed it into ink paste, and stamped it onto a sheet of white paper, revealing a clear Bodhisattva image.

He handed the pendant to Fang Pi to clean. Then, before everyone’s puzzled eyes, he tore the paper in half along the image.

“This large piece is the banknote. This small piece is the stub. When the two halves match perfectly, it’s genuine. This is the simplest form of a secret mark. Do you understand?”

“I understand!” Bai Lin was overwhelmed with excitement. After twenty years in banking, he knew exactly what this meant.

“This is only the simplest method. It won’t fully prevent counterfeiting—you must think of more,” Lin Yi said calmly. “Let me speak frankly. If this were just about earning tens of thousands of taels a year from a petty bank, it wouldn’t be worth opening. What I want is to connect the wealth of the entire realm. Do you understand?”

“Connect the wealth of the entire realm…” Bai Lin murmured repeatedly, deeply stirred. “With Your Highness’s guidance, I will devise a proper secret mark!”

“No rush,” Lin Yi said. “One step at a time.”

If even one fake note circulated, a year’s work would be wasted.

Better to proceed slowly.

Instead of leaving immediately, Lin Yi found a room and began writing down everything he knew—basic financial knowledge, banking rules, anti-counterfeiting methods—for the staff to study.

As he wrote, he scratched his head. His knowledge was limited.

After more than two hours—without even a bathroom break—his back and waist ached terribly.

People truly shouldn’t be idle. Now even a little work felt exhausting—yet strangely moving.

By the time he headed back, the sun had set.

Instead of riding a donkey, he chose to walk.

Watching children playing in the streets, he felt a surge of pride.

When two roughhousing children bumped into him, he didn’t get angry.

Mingyue smiled. “Your Highness spoils these children too much.”

“If you don’t treat them like people when they’re young, they won’t grow up to be people,” Lin Yi replied.

Mingyue didn’t understand what that meant.

But the prince often spoke in strange sayings, so she let it go.

Lin Yi then turned to Fang Pi and the others. “No matter how crazy or dark this world becomes, remember—stay clear-headed, gentle, and untainted.”

No one quite understood that either.

But it would be improper not to respond.

Hong Ying smiled. “Your Highness speaks wisely.”

“Your Highness, I’ll be a good person!” Fang Pi suddenly declared loudly.

“Very good,” Lin Yi said with satisfaction.

“Your Highness, I’m fifteen now. Can I drink alcohol?”

Fang Pi asked boldly.

The prince had always forbidden them from drinking. They drank secretly, but it felt awful hiding it.

“Better not. It’ll stunt your growth.”

“How could that be? I’m already tall enough! I don’t need to grow anymore!”

Lin Yi shot him a cold glance. “Because I’ll break your legs.”

The brat wasn’t even sixteen yet—and already wanted to drink?