YWTGU -Chapter 64 Cracks Beneath the Illusion of Prosperity

Another morning arrived.

Li An was still asleep when he was jolted awake by a series of piercing bird cries.

He opened his eyes groggily, his head buzzing.

He had drunk far too much last night.

But the moment he thought of the 210,000-plus National Fortune points on the system panel, his heart swelled with delight.

“Hehe.”

He rolled over and waved his hand in the air.

The system panel popped up instantly.

【Current National Fortune: 214,203】

It had risen again!

Only by a few hundred points—but what did that mean?

It meant that even if he lay around doing nothing, even while sleeping, National Fortune would rise automatically!

“Hahaha! This is what you call winning while lying down!”

Li An sat up, utterly satisfied, stretching lazily.

Since his rebirth, this was the first time he felt that being a loyal minister was actually… enjoyable.

As long as he maintained this prosperity—

Strengthening the nation was practically…

Easy!

“Hongmei!”

“Is breakfast ready?”

Hongmei suddenly slipped in through the window, her voice as calm as ever.

“It’s prepared. Porridge or steamed buns?”

“Both! I’m in a good mood today—add braised pork!”

Li An hummed off-key as he pushed the door open.

Outside, sunlight poured down. The sky was bright blue.

Everything felt perfect.

Far Away in Northern Yan

A thousand miles away, in Northern Yan—

The wind was sharp as blades, the land a vast sheet of white.

At the largest frontier military camp—Iron Eagle Fortress—

General Yelü Xiong stood atop a high platform, wrapped in an old wolfskin cloak.

Before him sat over ten thousand Northern Yan cavalrymen.

They squatted on the ground, holding bowls, devouring their food.

Inside the bowls was an orange-red mash.

Sweet potato porridge.

In previous winters, Northern Yan’s rations were always insufficient.

Soldiers gnawed on hardened flatbread and dried horse meat, eyes green with hunger.

Every winter, their ranks shrank by thirty percent.

Not from battle.

But from starvation.

From freezing.

This year was different.

The Ninth Princess had brought back from Great Qi a miraculous crop called “sweet potato.”

The court called it a product of peaceful diplomacy.

However it came—

It worked.

After just one trial planting season along the grassland’s edge, yields reached 5,000 jin per mu.

Five thousand jin!

When that figure was reported, Yelü Xiong thought someone was mocking him.

He personally went to inspect the fields.

Then stood there stunned.

Less than three mu of land had produced sweet potatoes piled like small hills.

“General.”

Deputy General Huyan Lie approached and handed him a steaming bowl.

“The brothers are finally full this winter.”

Yelü Xiong took the bowl but didn’t drink immediately.

He looked at the soldiers below, hands trembling slightly.

These wolf cubs… finally wouldn’t go hungry.

“Huyan.”

“Yes, General.”

“How long will these sweet potatoes last?”

Huyan calculated.

“With current output and autumn harvest included… enough to feed the 80,000 frontline troops through next spring—with surplus.”

Yelü Xiong’s eyes lit up.

“And iron?”

“The new smelting techniques the Ninth Princess brought back—our smiths have mastered them.”

Huyan lowered his voice.

“The blades forged with the new method are more than twice as hard.”

“Before, our sabers needed three strikes to pierce Great Qi armor.”

“Now, one strike splits it open.”

“Good!”

Yelü Xiong drained the bowl and wiped his mouth.

“In that case, we should thank Great Qi.”

A cold smile touched his lips.

“Their so-called peaceful trade sent us grain seeds and iron techniques.”

“They’re generous.”

Huyan grinned.

“Generous or not, once it’s in our hands, it’s ours.”

“General, are the Great Qi people fools? Sending such good things abroad?”

Yelü Xiong shook his head.

“Their court may not be foolish.”

“I’ve heard the one overseeing this was a rising star—someone called Li An, the top scholar.”

“He spoke of ‘technical exchange’ and ‘peaceful trade’ for mutual benefit.”

Yelü Xiong snorted.

“Mutual benefit? Perhaps they have deeper schemes.”

He turned southward, cloak snapping in the wind.

“But since they kindly delivered it to us…”

“We must not disappoint them.”

“Pass the order!”

“The entire army moves to three meals a day. Full portions.”

“Dry and store all surplus sweet potatoes.”

“The smithies work day and night. Within one month, I want five thousand new blades!”

“Yes, General!”

Huyan departed.

Yelü Xiong remained atop the platform, gazing south.

Beyond the horizon lay a vast empire allegedly “in song and dance prosperity.”

Recently, his spies reported daily—

The capital of Great Qi was crazed with borrowing and spending.

IOUs everywhere.

Prices soaring.

Yet their officials still celebrated this “golden age.”

“Golden age?”

Yelü Xiong gave a cold laugh.

“After every golden age comes chaos.”

“And when that time comes…”

“It will be our turn to dominate.”

Back in the Capital

Inside Drunken Immortal Tower.

Li An had extravagantly reserved the entire third floor.

Today’s occasion: celebrating Great Qi’s record-breaking tax revenue.

The hall was filled with officials clinking cups and laughing.

The turnout was impressive.

Minister of Revenue Qian Tong, Vice Minister of Works, officials from the Ministry of Rites—and a crowd of idle bureaucrats freeloading for food and wine.

Even those who once impeached Li An were warmly welcomed.

After all, National Fortune was skyrocketing.

And millions of taels of gold awaited him.

Jin Daya sat beside him, pouring wine eagerly.

“My Lord! You must drink more today!”

“Tax revenue tripled—you deserve the credit!”

Li An smiled modestly.

“It’s everyone’s effort. Everyone’s effort.”

Though inside, he was bubbling with pride.

This cycle’s system mission required him to be a loyal minister and strengthen Great Qi.

And with just a simple move—

National Fortune surged.

What did that mean?

It meant the cycle’s reward was guaranteed!

At settlement, at least several million taels of gold!

Hehehe!

“My Lord? My Lord?”

Jin Daya nudged him.

“What are you thinking? You’re smiling like you stole honey.”

“Nothing.”

Li An composed himself and said solemnly:

“I was simply thinking—Great Qi’s future is bright.”

“Absolutely!”

Qian Tong leaned in, face glowing.

“Lord Li, I’ve worked in the Ministry of Revenue twenty years. Never seen such beautiful reports!”

“That credit policy of yours—truly inspired!”

“One word—brilliant!”

Li An nodded reservedly.

Of course it was brilliant.

Though he’d only taken a few macroeconomics lectures in university—and nearly failed the final—

As long as the direction was correct, theory didn’t matter!

The system kept adding National Fortune points—proof enough!

“My Lord!”

Zhao Dadan squeezed in with a grin.

“I’ve got more good news!”

“The new residential plots in the south—released this morning, sold out by afternoon!”

“Prices up sharply!”

Li An paused.

“Doubled?”

“More than that!”

Zhao held up three fingers.

“Prime locations tripled!”

“Merchants lined up to bid!”

“One merchant surnamed Wang even declared he’d pay an extra ten percent tax just to secure a plot!”

Li An’s emotions turned complicated.

Land prices tripling?

In his previous life, that had a name.

Real estate bubble.

Not a good sign.

It often meant overheating.

But he quickly suppressed the thought.

This was ancient feudal times.

No complex financial derivatives.

Rising land prices meant prosperity.

Prosperity was good.

Good!

At that moment—

Jin Daya leaned close again.

His expression was slightly off this time.

“My Lord…”

“There’s something I should mention.”

“What is it? On such a joyous day, don’t spoil it.”

“It’s not that…”

He hesitated.

“The money houses sent word.”

“They say… their reserves are getting tight.”

Li An froze.

A faint unease stirred.

“Reserves? What do you mean?”

“The gap between deposits and loans.”

Jin Daya rubbed his hands.

“They’ve lent too much. Deposits can’t keep up.”

“Some managers say… if someone withdraws a large amount these days… they might not be able to assemble it.”

Li An’s wine cup paused midair.

His brow furrowed—

Then relaxed.

“That’s it?”

“Th-that’s it.”

“What’s there to panic about?”

He took a casual sip.

“If reserves are low, it means lending is strong.”

“Silver is circulating. That’s good.”

Jin Daya blinked.

“But what if someone withdraws a large sum?”

“Who would withdraw now? The economy is booming. Everyone’s making money. They can’t deposit fast enough. Why withdraw?”

Li An countered confidently.

Jin Daya felt it made sense.

Yet something felt off.

But the Lord sounded so certain.

He’d never been wrong.

Never.

“Alright. If you say it’s fine, it’s fine.”

Jin Daya forced a smile and turned to toast others.

But before he took two steps—

Minister of Revenue Qian Tong approached from the other side.

This time—

His face was far less cheerful.

“Li… Lord Li.”

Qian Tong’s voice trembled.

“This old minister has something to say… though I’m not sure if I should.”

“Speak freely, Minister Qian.”

Qian Tong leaned close to Li An’s ear and almost whispered.

“Word just came from my subordinates… The silver reserves in the national treasury… are only enough to last three days.”

This time, Li An’s wine cup truly froze midair.

“What?”

The exclamation was low, but the panic in it was impossible to hide.

“How could there be only three days left? Didn’t we just collect taxes last month?”

“We did collect them.”

Qian Tong’s face looked miserable.

“But we spent even more!”

“The seventeen projects you approved… the Nightless City expansion, the Royal Grand Theater, the Plaza of Ten Thousand People…”

“Those three alone cost six million taels.”

“Add to that consumer subsidies, interest-free loans, merchant tax reductions…”

“In total, the Ministry of Revenue’s net expenditure this month was twelve million taels.”

“But tax revenue only brought in four million taels.”

“There’s an eight million tael deficit in between!”

Li An’s expression changed.

An eight million tael deficit?

He calculated rapidly in his head.

That didn’t make sense!

According to his plan, consumption would drive economic growth, and tax revenue should rise accordingly.

And it had risen.

Tripled.

But expenditures had risen tenfold!

What the hell…

Ding!

【Warning! Great Qi Ministry of Revenue silver reserves critically low!】

【Current treasury reserves sufficient for only 3 days of routine expenditure!】

【National Fortune -500】

【Current National Fortune: 213,703】

Li An stared at the red “-500.”

His heart skipped a beat.

It dropped!

Though only five hundred points, this was the first decline all month!

The direction had changed!

“Minister Qian!”

He grabbed Qian Tong’s sleeve.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!”

“I did tell you last month!”

Qian Tong was on the verge of tears.

“You mocked this old minister for lacking vision! You said, ‘You must spend money to make money’…”

Li An’s lips twitched.

That did sound familiar.

But at the time, National Fortune had been skyrocketing! Who could have predicted that spending would outpace revenue so drastically?

“No, we need a solution!”

He set down his cup, mind racing.

Stop the projects?

Impossible. Halting seventeen projects simultaneously would be a public declaration that Great Qi was collapsing.

National Fortune wouldn’t drop by five hundred—it would drop by fifty thousand.

Raise taxes?

Even worse.

They had just reduced taxes—raising them now would be slapping themselves in the face.

Consumer confidence, so hard-won, would evaporate instantly.

That left only one option.

Li An inhaled deeply.

“Minister Qian.”

“Yes.”

“Relay my order. Print one million ‘Great Qi Tongbao Notes.’”

Qian Tong’s expression froze.

“Tong… Tongbao Notes?”

“Yes.”

Li An forced his voice to sound steady.

“Paper currency backed by Great Qi’s national credit.”

“Denominations of one tael, five taels, ten taels, fifty taels—issue them all.”

“Print one million first to fill the liquidity gap in the market.”

Qian Tong’s voice trembled.

“This old minister dares ask… Are these notes backed by reserve funds?”

Li An patted his shoulder.

It felt less like comforting Qian Tong and more like comforting himself.

“Minister Qian, Great Qi’s reputation is the reserve.”

“A currency backed by national credit is harder than gold or silver!”

“In the economic governance texts I studied since childhood—”

“Credit currency is the righteous path!”

“Trust me!”

Qian Tong looked at Li An’s resolute face and wanted to object.

But this was Li An—the man who had never been wrong.

The top scholar.

If the top scholar said it would work…

Then it should work, right?

“Then… redemption?”

“What redemption?”

“If commoners take the Tongbao Notes to money houses and request silver exchange, what then?”

Li An paused.

He truly hadn’t thought that through.

But he couldn’t admit that.

“Suspend redemptions for three days.”

He decided instantly.

“Announce that the money houses are conducting annual inventory checks and temporarily suspending large exchanges.”

“Three days! Just three days!”

“Once the Tongbao Notes circulate through the market, who will still care about exchange?”

Even as he spoke, he felt uneasy.

But there was no choice.

The system mission was to strengthen the nation.

National Fortune could not fall.

Survive these three days first.

Everything would improve.

It had to.

Qian Tong left to carry out the order.

His departing figure looked unbearably heavy.

Li An watched him disappear down the stairs and took another sip of wine.

It was excellent wine.

But today, it tasted bitter.

“Suspension of redemption for three days.”

The destructive power of those six words exceeded all of Li An’s predictions.

He thought it was merely a minor technical adjustment.

But to the seasoned merchants of the capital, those six words were a thunderclap.

Within half an hour of the news spreading, every teahouse, tavern, and alley well buzzed with discussion.

“Have you heard? The money houses aren’t letting people withdraw funds!”

“Not refusing—just suspending for three days.”

“Suspending for three days? Why suspend for no reason?”

“Think about it. Why suspend for no reason?”

“…They’re out of money?”

“Shh! Lower your voice!”

“Impossible! Didn’t Lord Li say the economy is thriving?”

“Thriving my ass. I went to South Ward to buy rice today. One dou jumped from 300 wen to 500 wen!”

“500? Wasn’t it 300 the day before?”

“The day before that it was 280!”

“Then… the fifty taels I deposited yesterday?”

“Withdraw it immediately!”

“They said redemption is suspended!”

“Go withdraw after three days! Be there the moment they reopen!”

“And if three days later they still won’t let us?”

Silence.

Terrifying silence.

Then, almost simultaneously, everyone stood up.

“Let’s go! Line up now!”

“Yes! Withdraw at opening!”

“Not a single tael left inside!”

“Silver in your hand is silver! Silver in the money house is nothing!”

Panic spreads like a plague.

Once it starts, it cannot be contained.

Meanwhile, Li An was still at the banquet, clinking cups with officials.

He had no idea the outside world was exploding.

He only knew that the system panel had dropped another two hundred points.

Ding!

【Announcement of Great Qi money house redemption suspension released!】

【Public confidence fluctuating!】

【National Fortune -200】

【Current National Fortune: 213,503】

Li An glanced at it, took a deep breath, and closed the panel.

Only two hundred.

Manageable.

Everything was under control.

…

Night fell.

Zhuangyuan Residence.

Li An lay awake, staring at the numbers.

213,503.

No further drop.

But no increase either.

“Probably just a false alarm.”

He muttered softly.

“Tomorrow the Tongbao Notes will enter circulation. Once there’s new currency in the market, people won’t cling so desperately to silver.”

“It’ll be fine.”

“It has to be fine. Damn it! In my previous life, the Americans overprinted trillions of dollars and piled up global debt—weren’t they still fine?”

He shut his eyes.

Trying to force himself to sleep.

But suddenly—

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Urgent knocking.

“My Lord! My Lord!”

It was Jin Daya.

Li An shot upright.

“What is it?!”

The door burst open.

Jin Daya stood there drenched in sweat, face pale.

“My Lord… something terrible has happened.”

“Speak!”

“Someone is holding a ‘Special Withdrawal Authorization’ personally signed by you, demanding one million taels in silver from Tongji Money House.”

Li An’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Who?”

Jin Daya swallowed.

“The Imperial Uncle’s people.”

“The Imperial Uncle?”

Li An leapt out of bed.

“At this critical moment he wants one million taels? Where would the money house even find that much?!”

“But it bears your signature, My Lord!”

Jin Daya said helplessly.

“When you persuaded the Imperial Uncle to support the credit policy, you said, ‘With this order, withdraw from any money house at any time, no limit’…”

Li An’s head buzzed.

He remembered.

Back when the treasury overflowed and confidence soared.

He had believed no one would ever use that paper.

Now they had.

At the worst possible time.

“Stop him!”

Li An jumped from the bed barefoot.

“Delay him! Tell him I’ll personally handle it tomorrow!”

“We can’t stop him, My Lord!”

Jin Daya nearly knelt.

“The Imperial Uncle sent word—he said, ‘Since the entire city is spreading rumors that the court has no money left, he must withdraw his share first, lest he be left holding nothing but paper.’”

Li An froze.

Damn it.

This might really be the end.

Ding!

【Warning! High-frequency capital outflow risk detected!】

【Large withdrawal request triggering market panic alert!】

【National Fortune -1,000】

【Current National Fortune: 212,503】

One thousand points.

This was no small tremor.

The drop was real.

Li An stared at the glaring red number.

His head buzzed uncontrollably…