YWTGU -Chapter 27 The Money’s in My Hands — I’ll Spend It!

Preparations for the Expo had officially begun.

Li An sat in the main hall of the Ministry of Fundraising, a thick stack of ledgers and official documents piled before him.

As the chief person in charge of the World Expo, he now held real power in his hands—three million taels of treasury silver.

Three million taels!

That was more than Great Qi’s annual tax revenue!

Converted into gold, that would be three hundred thousand taels of gold!

According to the system’s exchange rate, for every single point of Great Qi’s national fortune he harmed, he would earn one hundred taels of gold.

If these three million taels were truly squandered, then…

Li An did the math. His eyes lit up.

As long as he could spend all three million taels—and spend it meaninglessly—Great Qi’s national fortune would drop by several thousand, maybe even ten thousand points!

And he would earn hundreds of thousands of taels of gold!

At the thought, Li An was practically trembling with excitement.

“Jin Daya!”

He shouted.

“Here! What are your orders, Lord Li?”

Jin Daya rushed in at once, his two large gold teeth gleaming.

“Bring me the list of procurement merchants, and today’s budget approvals.”

“Right away!”

Jin Daya immediately carried over a large stack of documents.

Li An took them and flipped to the first page—then broke into a grin.

The first entry was a timber merchant recommended by the Prime Minister’s residence.

The quote was…

Golden-thread nanmu wood, one hundred logs—priced at five hundred thousand taels.

Five hundred thousand taels for one hundred logs of golden nanmu?

That price…

Li An was overjoyed.

He had transmigrated here; he knew that although golden nanmu was expensive, one hundred logs would be worth at most fifty thousand taels.

This quote was ten times the real value!

If it were anyone else, they would have thrown the merchant out on the spot.

But Li An was different.

He wished these merchants would inflate their prices even more!

The higher they quoted, the more waste there would be—and the more Great Qi’s national fortune would fall!

“Hm… this price…”

Li An deliberately frowned, pretending to hesitate.

“My lord, the price is indeed a bit steep…”

Jin Daya leaned in and whispered, “Should I go bargain it down for you?”

“Bargain?”

Li An glared at him. “What do you know? This is golden nanmu! Wood reserved for imperial use!”

“This Expo represents the face of Great Qi. Can we possibly use cheap materials?”

“But this is really too expensive…”

“Too expensive?”

Li An waved his hand grandly. “Approved!”

He picked up his vermilion brush and wrote a large “Approved” across the budget sheet.

Ding!

【Li An approves an inflated quotation!】

【Five hundred thousand taels about to go down the drain!】

【Great Qi National Fortune -500】

【Current National Fortune: 44,379】

Hearing the system notification, Li An felt absolutely delighted.

Five hundred points of national fortune!

Converted to gold—that was fifty thousand taels!

And this was just the beginning!

“Next!”

Jin Daya handed over another document.

This one was from a jade merchant, recommended by the Imperial Uncle’s residence.

Five hundred pieces of jade, to pave the exhibition hall floor—quoted at eight hundred thousand taels.

Eight hundred thousand taels for five hundred jade slabs?

Now that was truly outrageous!

Even if they were top-grade, five hundred pieces would only be worth about one hundred thousand taels.

An eightfold markup!

“Hm…”

Li An pretended to examine it, then said with feigned difficulty,

“This price…”

“My lord, this merchant was recommended by the Imperial Uncle’s residence. Shouldn’t we show them some respect?” Jin Daya whispered.

Respect?

Li An thought to himself.

Of course we should!

He hoped the Imperial Uncle’s merchants would embezzle even more!

“Approved!”

Ding!

【Li An once again approves an inflated quotation!】

【Eight hundred thousand taels about to sink without a trace!】

【Great Qi National Fortune -800】

【Current National Fortune: 43,579】

Another eight hundred points!

Li An was getting more and more enthusiastic. He flipped through the remaining budgets.

Stone materials: two hundred thousand taels — Approved!
Labor costs: three hundred thousand taels — Approved!
Wood carvings: one hundred fifty thousand taels — Approved!
Paint pigments: fifty thousand taels — Approved!
…

Just like that, in a single morning, Li An approved one and a half million taels!

Ding!

【Day One of the Expo preparations!】

【Li An generously approves 1.5 million taels!】

【At least 1 million taels pocketed by merchants as kickbacks!】

【Great Qi National Fortune -1500】

【Current National Fortune: 42,079】

Looking at the stack of budget sheets stamped with “Approved,” Li An felt utterly satisfied.

This was only the first day!

At this rate, the three million taels would be spent in no time!

…

The Second Day

Li An continued his grand campaign of “Approve, approve, approve.”

Even more merchants arrived today—and their prices were even more outrageous.

Word had spread that Li An, the newly crowned top scholar, was generous in approving budgets—no bargaining, no price suppression.

The merchants of the capital had gone mad.

The Prime Minister’s residence sent wave after wave of merchants.

The Imperial Uncle’s residence sent wave after wave as well.

Even small merchants with no backing wanted a share of the pie.

Li An welcomed them all and approved every single one.

If you dare to quote it, I dare to approve it!

“My lord, isn’t this lantern quote a bit too outrageous?”

Jin Daya hesitated as he looked at the sheet. “One thousand lanterns for one hundred thousand taels?”

“Outrageous?”

Li An glared at him. “What kind of lanterns are these? These are Expo lanterns!”

“Envoys from seventy-two nations will be attending. Can we use cheap goods?”

“But one hundred taels per lantern—that’s…”

“Approved!”

Ding!

【The lantern merchant makes a killing!】

【One hundred thousand taels vanish into thin air!】

【Great Qi National Fortune -100】

【Current National Fortune: 41,979】

“Next!”

“My lord, this is from a silk merchant—fifty thousand bolts of silk to decorate the exhibition halls. Quoted at six hundred thousand taels.”

Li An calculated quickly. Normally, fifty thousand bolts would cost about one hundred thousand taels.

Another sixfold markup.

“Approved!”

Ding!

【The silk merchant beams with joy!】

【Six hundred thousand taels down the drain!】

【Great Qi National Fortune -600】

【Current National Fortune: 41,379】

That very afternoon, Li An approved over four hundred thousand taels more.

The system notifications rang nonstop.

Li An’s mood couldn’t have been better.

In just two days, nearly two million taels had been approved!

Two-thirds of the three-million-tael mission was already complete!

…

The Third Day

Li An became even bolder.

Today, he planned something big—

A one-time bulk procurement!

Timber, jade, stone, fabric, lacquer, gold leaf…

All construction materials—he would secure them in a single stroke!

“Jin Daya, gather all the merchants into the main hall!”

“All of them?” Jin Daya was stunned. “Sir, there are over a hundred people. The hall won’t fit them…”

“If there’s no room, then spill into the courtyard!”

Li An waved his hand grandly. “Today, I’m holding a wholesale assembly!”

Very quickly, the Revenue Office courtyard was crammed with merchants of every sort.

The Prime Minister’s faction stood on one side, the Imperial Uncle’s faction on the other, and a cluster of independent traders squeezed in between.

Standing on the steps, Li An looked down at the dense crowd and felt immensely pleased.

These people were here to help him ruin the nation!

“Gentlemen!”

He cleared his throat and called out loudly, “I’ve gathered you all here today to finalize every procurement in one go!”

“You’re all reputable merchants. As for price, I won’t haggle.”

“As long as your goods are good, even if they’re a little expensive, I can accept it!”

The merchants below burst into excitement.

A higher price is acceptable?

This Lord Li was far too easygoing!

“Lord Li, my golden nanmu timber is absolutely top grade!”

“Lord Li, my Taihu stones are the finest of the fine!”

“Lord Li, my glazed tiles will make the exposition shine brilliantly!”

They scrambled to promote their goods.

Watching this scene, Li An was overjoyed.

Come on, come on—all of you!

The higher you quote, the happier I’ll be!

“Good! Good! Good!”

He waved his hand. “Submit your quotations. I’ll approve them all today!”

Soon, a thick stack of bids piled up before him.

He picked up his vermilion brush and, without even looking, swiped across them all, stamping each with a bold “Approved.”

“Approved! All approved!”

Jin Daya was dumbfounded.

“Sir… you’re not even checking the prices?”

“Check what?”

Li An didn’t even lift his head. “I trust in the integrity of our merchants!”

Ding!

【Wholesale Assembly!】

【Seven hundred thousand taels approved in one go!】

【Merchants rejoice collectively!】

【Great Qi national fortune -2000】

【Current national fortune: 39,379】

Two thousand points!

Two hundred thousand taels of gold credited!

After finishing the last document, Li An set down the brush in satisfaction.

In just three days, 2.7 million taels had been approved!

Only 300,000 taels remained.

With just a few more large projects tomorrow, that last sum would be spent easily!

The Blackwater Terrace mission was secure.

And Great Qi’s national fortune had been hacked down by half!

He stood up and looked at the smiling merchants below, feeling a deep sense of accomplishment.

Ruining a nation and squandering its wealth—best left to professionals!

These merchants were far more professional than he was.

All he had to do was move his pen and approve budgets, and they would handle spending the money for him—

And in the most meaningless ways possible!

Perfect!

“Gentlemen!”

Li An announced loudly, “Today’s wholesale assembly concludes here! Prepare your goods and deliver them to the construction site within five days!”

“Yes! Thank you, Lord Li!”

The merchants dispersed, full of gratitude.

Watching their backs, Li An’s lips curled into a smug smile.

Great Qi, oh Great Qi—your national fortune shall be squandered by these very merchants!

Ding!

【End of Day Three!】

【Total approved funds: 2.7 million taels】

【Remaining budget: 300,000 taels】

【Total national fortune lost this round: 5500 points】

【Current national fortune: 39,379】

…

That night, at the Top Scholar’s Residence.

Lying on his bed, Li An calculated happily.

2.7 million taels—just like that, gone.

Though the goods hadn’t actually been delivered yet, once the approvals were signed and advance payments issued, it counted as spent.

The remaining 300,000 taels could be burned through in the next couple of days with a few bizarre, flashy projects.

The ten-day, three-million-tael mission would be completed ahead of schedule!

The Emperor didn’t know.
The Prime Minister didn’t know.
The Imperial Uncle didn’t know.

Only Li An knew—

Of the three million taels, at least two million would be siphoned off by the merchants through kickbacks.

The remaining one million would fund flashy but useless constructions.

Temporary, shoddy structures just to impress the visiting envoys.

After the exposition ended, they’d tear everything down. Nothing would remain but a mess.

Great Qi’s treasury would be emptied.

Its national fortune would plummet… to the very bottom.

And when the nation finally fell, he would complete his mission and return to Earth with mountains of gold—

Damn it! The first thing he’d do would be to pay off his multi-million mortgage.

Then… buy an entire villa compound in the capital…

“Perfect… absolutely perfect…”

Li An muttered, smiling in satisfaction.

He didn’t notice Hongmei standing outside the window, watching him with a gentle smile.

“Look how pleased with himself he is…” she murmured softly, before disappearing into the night.

…

Somewhere in the capital, inside a hidden residence.

This was the Blackwater Terrace’s secret stronghold in Great Qi.

Hongmei entered and saw the God of Wealth seated at the head, sipping tea, with Han Zhao standing nearby wearing a disgruntled expression.

“Lord God of Wealth.”

Hongmei cupped her hands in salute. “I’ve come to report on Li An’s recent progress in undermining Great Qi.”

“Oh? Let’s hear it.”

The God of Wealth set down his teacup with interest.

“Li An has been making grand moves these past few days.”

A faint smile curved Hongmei’s lips. “In three days, he has approved 2.7 million taels.”

“At least two million of that will be devoured by merchant kickbacks.”

“The remainder will fund flashy but hollow ‘tofu-dreg’ projects.”

“At this rate, Great Qi’s treasury will soon be emptied.”

The God of Wealth smiled in satisfaction.

“Good! Excellent! Li An has not disappointed us!”

“Hmph!”

Han Zhao snorted in dissatisfaction.

“Isn’t it just reckless spending? Anyone could do that!”

He rolled his eyes. “They’re exaggerating his abilities. Back when I was in the Northern Yan capital, I was the best at wasting money!”

“This Li An doesn’t have any real skill.”

Hongmei glanced at him but didn’t argue.

She only smiled faintly.

“At Li An’s current pace of destroying Great Qi’s national fortune, it won’t be long before the country falls into turmoil. The people will suffer, and eventually the nation will collapse.”

The God of Wealth nodded approvingly.

“No wonder our Northern Yan Emperor sent a carrier pigeon two days ago, praising Li An as ‘a man equal to three armies.’”

Han Zhao’s expression darkened even further.

Equal to three armies?

That was far too high a compliment!

He, Han Zhao, was a well-known agent in Northern Yan. Why had His Majesty never praised him like that?

Ignoring Han Zhao’s sour mood, the God of Wealth smiled mysteriously at Hongmei.

“By the way, Hongmei.”

“When you return, tell Li An that His Majesty has prepared a very special, very mysterious reward for him.”

“It should arrive in the capital of Great Qi before long.”

“A reward?”

Hongmei blinked. “What kind of reward?”

“Well…”

The God of Wealth shook his head mysteriously. “Even I don’t know.”

“But since His Majesty called it special, it surely won’t disappoint Li An.”

Hongmei nodded thoughtfully.

A reward personally prepared by the Emperor…

It must be something extraordinary.

“I understand. I will convey the message.”

She bowed and departed into the night.

Han Zhao watched her leave, bitterness churning in his chest.

“Hmph, Li An…”

He clenched his teeth. “That Top Scholar position was supposed to be mine. Everything you’re doing now—what’s so difficult about it? Those achievements should have been mine, Han Zhao’s! And yet you shamelessly stole them…”