YWTGU -Chapter 9 This Isn’t Selling Offices — This Is Selling Privilege!

As night fell, lanterns flickered to life across the grand estates of the capital.

Inside the Prime Minister’s residence, Advisor Zhou had cast off his usual composed and prudent demeanor. He was now animatedly reporting the day’s “victory” at the Revenue-Raising Office to Prime Minister Wang Fu.

“Your Excellency! This time, we can truly say we’ve won a complete victory!”

With the smug look of a petty man flushed with success, Advisor Zhou had completely forgotten Li An’s final words and performance.

“That Top Scholar was played like a fiddle! He thought letting us buy shares was some brilliant move of his. Little did he know, all the lucrative posts had already been divided among us! He wanted the three of us to compete and suspect one another, then profit as the fisherman—hah! The boy’s still far too green.”

Wang Fu stroked his beard and nodded slightly.

“List the positions we secured.”

“Salt Transport Commissioner, Magistrate of Wannian County, Director of the Evaluation Bureau…”

Advisor Zhou recited them like cherished treasures. “All taken at the Ministry of Revenue’s base price! As for Li An—he’s left with nothing but trash posts: dung collectors, jail guards. Those scraps wouldn’t attract takers even if he gave them away for free!”

Only then did a satisfied smile finally appear on Wang Fu’s face.

“Well done. Li An may have some small cleverness, but in the end he’s too clever for his own good. Does he truly think that just because the little emperor backs him, he can manipulate seasoned ministers like us?”

…

At the Grand Commandant’s residence, Old Qian was similarly reporting to Grand Commandant Sun.

“My lord, that Top Scholar must be worried sick now! Competing with us? He’s courting death!”

Old Qian beamed as he claimed credit.

“The three of us snapped up all the fat positions. What’s left for him are nothing but death traps. Northern Border Trade Supervisor, Imperial Prison Interrogation Officer… Those posts are unsellable, even at swordpoint!”

Grand Commandant Sun nodded in satisfaction.

“And how big is his shortfall now?”

“A full seven hundred thousand taels!”

Old Qian said smugly. “And only six days remain. Even if he sells every last one of those worthless posts at the Ministry’s base price, he still can’t make up the gap! When the time comes, even if His Majesty wishes to protect him, he won’t be able to!”

Grand Commandant Sun burst into hearty laughter.

“Haha! Good! The newly minted Top Scholar—too clever by half! In the end, his scheming only benefited us.”

…

The three residences’ triumphant news of “selling offices” quickly spread throughout the capital’s official circles.

By the next morning, the court was filled with mockery.

“Have you heard? That new Top Scholar Li An was utterly crushed by the three lords!”

“Of course! He proposed selling offices to raise funds, and all the fat posts were snatched away. He’s left gnawing on bare bones!”

“Hahaha! What do you call that? Trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to bait it! Did he really think a random clever idea could make those great households work for him?”

The surrounding officials exchanged knowing smiles.

Everyone understood that this was not only ridicule directed at the overconfident Li An—it was also a veiled jab at the young emperor, Zhao Ling’er, who sought to grasp real power.

…

Meanwhile, in the rear hall of the Revenue-Raising Office—

Li An had spent the entire night drafting his “Investment Prospectus.”

His eyes were nearly strained blind from writing. Hongmei stood guard at his side through the night.

Watching this normally carefree rogue devote himself so seriously for an entire evening, she finally spoke as dawn’s pale light crept through the window.

“Isn’t that enough?”

She glanced outside and snorted, “You’ve been at it all night, and you only wrote a few lousy sheets of paper?”

“Ignorant!”

Li An tossed down his brush, rubbed his aching wrist, and declared confidently, “These aren’t just a few sheets of paper. They’re keys that can change fate! Put them in the right hands, and they’ll be enough to turn this entire capital—even Great Qi itself—upside down! With this, how could Great Qi not fall?”

Hearing his grand claims, Hongmei leaned over skeptically and picked up one of the sheets.

At the top was written:

【Deputy Director of the Capital Street Administration】 — The Most Reliable Guardian of Order at Your Side

Just reading the first line made her expression turn strange.

Guardian of order?

Wasn’t this just the official in charge of collecting night soil? What “order” could he possibly guard?

“What’s the rush? Keep reading,” Li An said smugly, stretching lazily.

Suppressing her impatience, Hongmei continued.

Core Authority One: Right of Household Inspection

According to Great Qi law, the Street Administration has the right to enter any private residence to inspect for illegal structures, unlawful occupation of public land, improper sewage disposal, and other violations. In other words, any courtyard or estate in the capital—whenever you wish to enter, you may.

Core Authority Two: Street Rectification Authority

If violations are found, the Street Administration may order corrections, seal shops, and demolish illegal structures. In other words, interpretation lies in your hands. If you say someone has violated regulations, then they have violated regulations.

Core Authority Three: Public Facilities Management Authority

All ditches, sewers, and public latrines in the capital fall under the Street Administration’s jurisdiction. In other words, if you want to block someone’s gate with filth, you can block anyone’s gate with filth.

After finishing the wildly imaginative—and utterly heretical—explanations, Hongmei was silent for three full breaths.

Then she looked up at Li An with a complicated expression.

“Sir… have you just packaged a dung-collecting official as the local tyrant who controls the entire capital?”

“Local tyrant?”

Li An looked annoyed at her phrasing.

“This is called the core lever of grassroots governance! Don’t you get it? The Street Administration may be low in rank, but it manages the daily lives of hundreds of thousands in the capital! Let me ask you—what do the gangs operating in the capital lack the most?”

Hongmei thought for a moment. “Money?”

“Wrong! What they lack most is legitimacy!”

“When those gangs collect protection fees without an official title, it’s extortion! But if they hold the identity of the Street Administration? Then it’s sanitation management fees, street maintenance fees! Still collecting money—but now it’s called lawful administration!”

Only then did Hongmei truly grasp Li An’s meaning. Her eyes immediately lit up.

She finally realized just how devious—and effective—his thinking was.

“So who do you plan to sell this post to?” she asked eagerly.

“The Golden Sands Gang.”

Li An answered with calm certainty.

Hongmei’s brows lifted slightly as she searched her memory for details.

The Golden Sands Gang was the largest underground faction in the capital.

Rumor had it they had at least a thousand members, their influence spreading through every alley.

Their leader, Jin Daya, was said to be a ruthless man who killed without blinking.

“You’re sure?” Hongmei asked worriedly. “Jin Daya isn’t someone to trifle with. What if he refuses?”

“Relax.”

Li An stood confidently and stretched his limbs.

“This deal is tailor-made for him. He’d be a fool not to buy. Hongmei, invite Jin Daya over. Tell him Director Li of the Revenue-Raising Office has a big business proposal to discuss.”

…

Revenue-Raising Office, side hall.

Li An sat upright in the seat of honor, the carefully prepared prospectus placed before him.

Hongmei stood behind him on guard.

Soon, footsteps approached.

A burly man with a face full of brute flesh strode in.

It was none other than Jin Daya, leader of the Golden Sands Gang.

His nickname came from the two large gold teeth embedded in his mouth—when he smiled, they gleamed brilliantly, marking him as someone not to be trifled with.

To rise to such status in the capital, ruthlessness was one thing—but his sharp mind was equally real.

“Director Li!”

Jin Daya clasped his hands respectfully upon entering, a smile plastered on his face.

“You’re His Majesty’s rising favorite. To summon a small fry like me today—how may I serve?”

Li An smiled faintly and gestured for him to sit.

“Master Jin is too polite. I invited you here for one reason only—to discuss a business deal.”

“A business deal?”

Jin Daya sat down calmly and smiled. “Director Li oversees selling offices to raise funds. Don’t tell me you intend to sell an official post to me?”

“Precisely.”

Li An nodded.

As expected, the smile on Jin Daya’s face stiffened.

He had seen all kinds of scenes in the underworld—but becoming an official? That had never crossed his mind.

“Director Li must be joking,” he said dryly. “I may have a bit of spare silver, but holding office… that’s far beyond my station.”

“Oh?”

Li An leaned forward slightly. “I haven’t even told you which office it is. Why refuse so quickly?”

“Well then, let’s hear it,” Jin Daya said with mild curiosity. “But I’ll say this first—if it’s some remote backwater post, I’m not going! My roots are in the capital. Leave the capital, and I won’t feel right.”

“Rest assured. The post we’re discussing… is in the capital.”

Li An picked up the prospectus and handed it over.

“Deputy Director of the Capital Street Administration.”

Jin Daya took the document and glanced down at it.

Then his expression immediately changed.

“Lord Li, aren’t you making a fool of me?!”

He slammed the investment prospectus heavily onto the table and snapped without any courtesy:

“The Street Office? Isn’t that just the yamen that handles night soil?! You want me, Jin Daye, to be some dung-digging official? If word gets out, how am I supposed to keep my standing in the underworld?!”

…

“That’s right! A dung official!”

“Hahaha! Lord Li actually wants Jin Daye to scoop dung—how does he even come up with this stuff…”

Outside the side hall, Adviser Zhou, Old Qian, and Sun Fu couldn’t hold back their mocking laughter.

The moment they heard that Li An was selling an official post to the leader of the Golden Sand Gang today, they had deliberately hidden outside to watch the show.

Now, seeing Jin Daye fly into a rage, they felt even more delighted at his misfortune.

But Li An glanced at the figures outside the door and thought to himself: Perfect timing. I was just worrying about not having anyone to play the straight man.

“Gang Leader Jin, don’t rush off just yet!”

Unhurried, he stood up, walked around to Jin Daye, and personally picked up the prospectus from the floor.

“You only saw the words ‘Street Office,’ but you didn’t read the details that follow. Would you allow me to explain?”

Jin Daye was about to explode, but seeing Li An’s calm and breezy demeanor, he suddenly felt uncertain.

This brat was the newly crowned top scholar—the ruthless character who had dared to point at the emperor’s nose and curse him in court.

Surely he hadn’t called him here just to make a joke out of him?

“Fine. Let’s hear it!”

Jin Daye restrained his temper and decided to give Li An one more chance.

He sat back down, crossed his legs, and wore an expression that said, I’d like to see what kind of nonsense you can spin.

Li An was in no hurry. Instead, he asked, “Gang Leader Jin, in your opinion, what’s the biggest trouble you face collecting protection fees in the capital right now?”

Jin Daye froze, not expecting the question to be thrown back at him.

But he answered honestly, “The authorities, of course! Those bastards from the Five-City Military Command keep coming to stir up trouble every few days. They say we’re extorting and blackmailing, say we’re gathering crowds to cause disturbances. Every time I have to spend a large sum greasing palms. It’s infuriating!”

“Exactly!”

Li An nodded with a smile. “That’s the problem. When you collect protection fees, in the authorities’ eyes it’s extortion. But what if you yourself were part of the authorities?”

Jin Daye blinked in confusion, not quite following.

Li An continued, “What does the Street Office do? It oversees all the streets, drainage ditches, public latrines, and illegal constructions in the capital! That’s an official post granted by the court!”

“Now think about it. If you become an official of the Street Office and then collect money, is it still called protection fees? No—it becomes sanitation management fees! Street maintenance fees! Public facility usage fees!”

Jin Daye’s eyes widened instantly.

Seeing this, Li An knew he had hooked him and pressed on while the iron was hot:

“The Street Office has the authority to conduct household inspections. That means you can inspect whoever you want! If someone refuses to pay, you can dig up the road in front of their house every day, claim you’re repairing it for half a year, and block their entrance! If anyone dares to resist, you declare their house an illegal structure and order it demolished!”

“This isn’t extortion. It’s administration according to the law!”

“This isn’t thuggery. It’s a court-appointed official!”

Jin Daye’s mouth hung open. His expression shifted from anger to shock, and from shock to wild delight.

Damn!

Wasn’t this tailor-made for him?!

Before, collecting protection fees had to be done in secret, always worrying about being arrested.

Now, once he put on official robes, it would be legitimate law enforcement!

Who would dare resist? Resisting would mean obstructing law enforcement!

The more Jin Daye thought about it, the more excited he became.

He shot to his feet, grabbed Li An’s hand, and said excitedly:

“Lord Li! I’ll take the post! How much?!”

Li An smiled faintly and raised five fingers.

“Starting price: fifty thousand taels.”

“Fifty thousand taels?!”

The three eavesdroppers outside were stunned.

Fifty thousand taels for a dung-scooping post?

Was Jin Daye out of his mind?

But Jin Daye’s reaction dropped their jaws even further.

“Fifty thousand is too little!”

Jin Daye declared boldly. “How could such a good post be worth only fifty thousand taels? Lord Li, I’ll offer one hundred thousand taels!”

“One hundred thousand?”

Adviser Zhou and the others stood there dumbfounded.

How was this possible?

A post nobody wanted had been sold for the astronomical price of one hundred thousand taels?

And the buyer had voluntarily raised the bid?

Ding!

【Golden Sand Gang Leader Jin Daye purchases the Deputy Director of the Capital Street Office!】

【Transaction price: 100,000 taels of silver!】

【Underworld forces officially meddle in court positions!】

【The imperial order collapses! Once this precedent is set, endless troubles will follow!】

【Great Qi national fortune -350】

【Current national fortune value: 87,279】

Li An sneaked a glance at the system and was overjoyed.

A drop of three hundred and fifty points in one go!

One hundred thousand taels in hand, and the national fortune even decreased!

Simply killing two birds with one stone!

Suppressing his laughter, Li An said aloud:

“Since Gang Leader Jin is so forthright, I won’t be too greedy. Very well—one hundred thousand taels it is!”

“Deal!”

Jin Daye waved grandly and immediately ordered his men to fetch the silver.

“Lord Li, you’re truly my benefactor! If you ever need anything in the capital, just say the word! If anyone dares give you trouble, the thousand brothers of the Golden Sand Gang will settle it for you!”

Li An smiled warmly and exchanged pleasantries, while secretly calculating other matters in his heart.

And if Jin Daye really took office at the Street Office… heh, that would be quite a spectacle.

With his gang-style methods and now the privileges of a court official, wouldn’t he turn the capital upside down?

When that time came, completing the mission of ruining the state would be effortless.

…

The one hundred thousand taels were quickly carried in.

Jin Daye left with profuse thanks and his freshly minted official post, practically floating as he walked.

In his entire life, he had never dreamed he would actually become an official.

An official in the capital, no less!

Though only a seventh-rank petty post, once that official robe was on his body, the feeling was even better than when he first became leader of the Golden Sand Gang.

“Boss! You’re a court-appointed official now. Should I head back and share the great news with the brothers?” one of his underlings asked.

“Of course! And beat the gongs and drums so the whole capital knows!”

Jin Daye glared proudly, grinning from ear to ear. “And from today onward, we’re not called a gang anymore! What was it… oh right—the Capital Street Administration Office!”

“And protection fees aren’t protection fees anymore! What was it… sanitation management fees? Street maintenance fees? Whatever! With official robes on, whatever we call it is what it is!”

“Let’s go! First stop, those shops in our territory that still owe money! I’ll let them see what lawful fee collection looks like!”

Ding!

【The Golden Sand Gang officially renames itself the “Capital Street Administration Office”!】

【Gang forces don official disguises to commit evil!】

【The people will have nowhere to seek justice; public resentment is about to boil over!】

【Great Qi national fortune -200】

【Current national fortune value: 87,079】

With that said, Jin Daye strode off proudly with his men, leaving the side hall of the Finance Office in complete silence.

Li An watched his departing figure and secretly glanced at the system again—

【Today’s national fortune change: -550】

【Cumulative change: -921】

【Current national fortune value: 87,079】

【Estimated settlement reward: 92,100 taels of gold】

Over ninety thousand taels of gold!

And that was just from selling a single “trash official post”!

As for the remaining ones—the Northern Border Trade Supervisor, the Imperial Prison Interrogation Officer, the Overseas Inspection Commissioner…

Each one was a “bomb” with limitless potential!

As long as he found the right buyers and handed these posts to ambitious schemers…

The collapse of Great Qi would be just around the corner!