Dominating Martial King
Chapter 303 - 303 208 Inner Ghost Hall Subscribe Please_4

303: Chapter 208: Inner Ghost Hall (Subscribe Please)_4 303: Chapter 208: Inner Ghost Hall (Subscribe Please)_4 Chu Xisheng heard the words, and his face drained of color as he suddenly rose from his seat.

He got up so hastily that his robes fluttered, his Vigorous Force stirred up, overturning the tea table next to him.

“To slander the court, to falsely accuse a great minister?

What exactly is going on?

I heard that Left Prefecture Governor is in our county, and though he is overshadowed by the Prefectural Governor, his connections at the court are still secure.

His mentor was once the Imperial Master, an undercover minister of the Emperor.”

Chu Yunyun’s expression was icy, her voice solemn, “Lu Pingyuan said it’s about the court’s upcoming issue of ‘Ten Big Coins.’ Zuo Tianlu, along with many colleagues, has filed an impeachment against the Minister of Revenue.”

In fact, the ‘Ten Big Coins’ was something the Emperor and the Ministry of Revenue had intended to issue two years ago.

At that time, the entire court was in turmoil, all rising against the Minister of Revenue.

Chu Yunyun had also submitted a memorial back then, explicitly stating her opposition to the matter.

She believed that even if the court was short of money, it should not exploit the people so recklessly.

Consequently, the Emperor had been forced to retract his decree, yet managed to keep his Minister of Revenue.

Little did anyone expect that two years later, the discussion of the ‘Ten Big Coins’ would resurface.

Chu Xisheng furrowed his brows and then strode out without hesitation.

※※※※

Chu Xisheng was very familiar with the ‘Ten Big Coins.’

In his world, Wang Mang had issued it, as had the Liang Yuan Emperor during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Emperor Wu of Zhou, Tang Suzong, and Cai Jing.

The reason was always that the court was short of money, so issuing the ‘Ten Big Coins’ was a way to alleviate the fiscal crisis.

In modern times, the Ten Big Coins may not seem like much – just a slightly heavier copper coin replacing the face value of ten cents.

Modern one, two, five, and one hundred dollars are not metal coins either; they’re just paper and not much different from each other.

But in ancient times, this was a blatant act of exploitation and a harsh measure against the common people.

The court could easily collect the wealth of ten cents with a copper coin that weighed slightly more than one cent.

Initially, this might not cause any harm and might even convenience the merchants.

But subsequently, there would definitely be a surge in counterfeit coins.

The cost of counterfeiting ten-cent coins was only slightly more than that of one-cent coins, making it a tempting prospect for localities.

This logic is similar to modern counterfeit notes which are generally of higher denominations like hundreds and fifties.

Hardly anyone bothers to print counterfeit one-dollar bills, simply because the cost and labor do not justify it.

But once counterfeit Ten Big Coins circulated, it would bring numerous adverse effects, such as skyrocketing prices and the devaluation of the citizens’ assets.

In the end, even the court would reap the consequences since everything the court needed, whether offerings or utensils, had to be bought with money.

If goods become more expensive while the currency depreciates, how could the financial system not collapse?

Only the merchants and nobility would not suffer; they would refuse to use the Ten Big Coins, shifting the crisis onto the common people and the court.

However, right now, Chu Xisheng was unconcerned about the dangers of ‘Ten Big Coins’; he only cared about Zuo Qingyun.

The man had been sent to prison without any prior warning, and no message had been sent to him afterward.

Chu Xisheng could not help but grow annoyed with Wo Meiniang.

This woman was a close friend of Zuo Qingyun’s; why wouldn’t she pass on a message?

Did he need to pay her to do so?

Chu Xisheng rode the best horse in the stable of the hall, and it took him only two minutes to reach Xiushui County.

He headed straight for the county government and soon under the guidance of a Seventh Rank Red-clothed Constable, entered the county prison.

Right now his status as the West Mountain Hall Master was very influential, and he was willing to spend silver coins.

Thus, a recently appointed Red-clothed Constable of Six Gates readily agreed to help and arranged for him to meet Zuo Qingyun.

The prison of the county government was partially underground.

Only the first level was above ground; the second, third, and fourth levels were below ground.

It is said that the foundations and the walls of the prison were made from three zhang thick basalt, so strong that even a Fifth Grade master would find it hard to escape from underground.

As Chu Xisheng followed the man into the prison, walking through the narrow corridors and past multiple heavy iron doors to the fourth level, he couldn’t help but frown deeply.

The air here was foul, tinged with a stench of decay.

Surprisingly, there were many guards here, not only the prison guards but also many dressed in the uniforms of the Police Pool of Blood.

“They are all from the Heavenly Jinyi Guards, brought here by the Imperial Censor,”

the Red-clothed Constable quietly reminded Chu Xisheng, “I shared half the silver with them to ease things for you.

But Master Chu still has to be cautious, try not to offend them.”

Chu Xisheng observed these Heavenly Jinyi Guards thoughtfully.

In this world, the Police Pool of Blood was divided into ‘Heaven’, ‘Earth’, and ‘Military’ branches.

The ‘Heavenly Court’ managed the personal guard and was responsible for overseeing officials.

They had no local offices other than a personal army of 30,000 Jinyi Guards, alongside twelve Grand Commanders and seventy-two Thousand Households who patrolled the empire.

The ‘Military Office’ was established within the army and spread among the county soldiers and border army, overseeing all of the Daning Army.

Chu Xisheng and Cao Xuan belonged to the ‘Earth Court’, responsible for regular patrols and arrests, monitoring local powers.

The ‘Earth Court’ had the largest scale, controlling the lands of the five major provinces of East, South, West, North, and Central, with regional offices like the Ten Thousand Households Office, Thousand Households, Hundred Households Office, General Flag, and Small Flag, extending its reach to every corner of Daning, with nearly a million personnel.

However, the most powerful was undoubtedly the ‘Heavenly Court’.

The Capital Commander of the Heavenly Court was also the highest in rank and was listed among the top of the Heavenly List.