Black Fairy, the master is a female ghost

Lu Xunhuan inspected and supervised the construction of various transportation routes outside, and returned to Baocheng after fifteen days.

As soon as he entered the government office, the official in charge of finance came running in and said, "Sir, the recent expenses are huge, and the provincial treasury is already struggling to support them. Can some projects be put on hold for now?"

Lu Xun Huan said, "We can't let it go. Social development requires the development of all aspects. They are interconnected. If one aspect lags behind, it will affect the whole situation."

The official in charge of finance looked helpless: "But the provincial treasury is out of money."

Lu Xun Huan sat down and said, "Don't worry, I've already thought of a solution. I'll call a meeting of all the officials and the heads of the banks in the city."

The official asked, "Are you planning to use the money in the banks? That's money that the people have deposited with the government. If we use it, and the people need the money, but the banks can't provide it, and the people start to make a fuss, it will cause chaos."

Lu Xun Huan took the tea handed to him by the yamen runner, took a sip and said, "I didn't say I was going to use the bank's money, but I wanted to issue bonds. Everyone is welcome to buy them."

The official was confused: "What is a bond?"

Lu Xunhuan put down the tea bowl and said, "Hurry up and notify everyone to come back for the meeting. Hurry up."

Two hours later, when everyone received the notice and rushed back, it was almost dark.

Lu Xun Huan looked at everyone and said, "Because the treasury is in urgent need of funds, I have called everyone back for a meeting. You will have to work overtime today, and I will treat you to a midnight snack later."

An official asked, "Sir, are you planning to discuss private lending?"

Lu Xun Huan nodded. "That's about right. Let me tell you about a new thing called bonds. They're issued by our state government and distributed to various banks to sell to the public."

Another official asked, "But who is willing to spend money to buy these so-called bonds?"

Lu Xun Huan said, "Of course there are benefits. I have initially divided the bonds into five-year bonds and ten-year bonds. For example, if someone buys a five-year bond worth one thousand taels of silver, after five years, they can return it to the state government through the bank, and the bank will pay them one thousand five hundred taels of silver."

Below, everyone immediately started discussing, and for a moment, the scene was buzzing.

After a while, an official asked, "Sir, if this is the case, our state government will suffer a great loss."

Lu Xun Huan said, "If you think about it now, it's a big loss. But after our state government gets the money from the people and invests it in various industries, in five years, we'll be rich as hell. Why would we care about paying a little more?"

Below, another official asked, "Sir, if we fail to develop and make so much money, what will we give back to the people?"

Lu Xunhuan smiled and said, "Are you so unconfident?"

The official said, "My concerns are probably shared by the people. They're also worried that our state government won't be able to pay back the money. What will we do if no one buys it?"

Lu Xunhuan said, "When doing things, we can't be afraid of wolves in front and tigers behind. If we do that, how can we talk about development? Challenges and opportunities always coexist. If we want to seize opportunities, we must face challenges head-on."

He added, "Another type of bond has a ten-year term. For example, if someone buys a ten-year bond worth 1,000 taels of silver, they can return it to the state government at a bank ten years later and get 1,800 taels of silver in return."

Below, there was more discussion.

An official asked, "Sir, what if someone forges bonds?"

Lu Xun Huan asked, "Are the silver and gold notes used now counterfeit?"

The official replied, "Yes."

Lu Xun Huan asked again, "Can the bank tell if the money is real or fake?"

The official replied, "Yes, but sir, the silver and gold notes are printed uniformly in Yingzhou, and the anti-counterfeiting is done by the top design masters in the national treasury. We don't have the ability to do that here."

Lu Xun Huan said, "Isn't the Crown Prince here with us? Why don't we entrust the masters of the National Treasury to design and print it for us?"

The scene was in an uproar and everyone started discussing it.

One official said, "Sir, we think there's no problem with anything else. We're just worried that no one will buy it after it's launched."

Lu Xun Huan smiled slightly and said, "Gather all the wealthy people in the city. The day after tomorrow, I will host a banquet for them at the Baocheng Restaurant. I will also invite the Crown Prince. Everyone must be present."

Afterwards, everyone discussed it further, mainly communicating on the specific issuance quantity and various details.

It was already late at night when Lu Xunhuan took everyone out for a midnight snack.

He asked Lang Tongzhi, "I need to discuss the bond issue with the Crown Prince. Is it convenient for him to go now?"

Lang Tongzhi said, "It's too late. It's not a good idea to disturb the Crown Prince. My Lord, please go during the day tomorrow."

Lu Xun Huan asked again, "I haven't been in Baocheng for the past half month. Is everything okay, Prince?"

Lang Tongzhi said: "He has the dragon guards by his side, so he is very safe."

Lu Xunhuan asked again, "He stays in the mansion all day?"

Lang Tongzhi replied, "No, he spends most of his time traveling around Baocheng. Don't worry, sir, I won't neglect the Crown Prince. My wife is accompanying the Crown Prince personally."

When Lu Xunhuan heard this, he was speechless.

It was obvious that Lang Tongzhi knew that his wife had cheated on him with the prince.

But maybe, he doesn't care.

Since he himself doesn't care, what else can Lu Xunhuan say?

On the second day, Lu Xunhuan went to Lang Tongzhi's residence to visit the prince.

When he arrived, Lang Tongzhi had already gone out on business.

Lu Xunhuan walked around the mansion and arrived at the prince's residence.

Before he arrived, he could already hear the woman's sweet laughter.

Outside the Crown Prince's residence, Guard Long saw Lu Xunhuan coming and came forward to greet him, bowing and saying, "Sir Lu, what do you want to see the Crown Prince about?"

Lu Xun Huan nodded: "Yes, I have something important to discuss."

Guard Long turned around and shouted towards the residence, "Prince, Lord Lu is here to visit."

After a while, the door opened.

Guard Long gestured, "Sir Lu, please."

When Lu Xunhuan reached the door, the Crown Prince and the wife of Lang Tongzhi were already sitting properly.

But there was a red lip mark on the prince's neck, but he ignored it and forgot to wipe it off.

Lu Xun Huan bowed at the door and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."

The prince took a bite of the snack and said, "Come in and sit down."

Lu Xunhuan stepped into the door, looked around, and found a chair by the side to sit on.

The prince asked, "What's the matter?"

Lu Xun Huan said, "My Lord, Baocheng Prefecture is developing vigorously and needs a lot of money. Currently, all industries are thriving and developing rapidly, but the provincial government's treasury is out of money."

The prince said, "Do you want me to ask my father for money? Give up this idea as soon as possible. My father will definitely not give it to you."

Lu Xunhuan asked, "Why?"

The prince put down the snacks, picked up the teacup, and took a sip. "Why should we allocate funds to your Baocheng Province? It was a natural disaster, or a war. I gave you Baocheng a sum of money for no reason, and then everyone came to ask for it. There are eight provinces in the country. Will father give it or not?"

Lu Xun Huan asked again, "I am currently developing Baocheng Prefecture, which is equivalent to a national pilot project. If successful, it can be promoted nationwide, making the Southern Liang Kingdom stronger as a whole. Since it's a pilot project, shouldn't the country provide some support?"

The prince tapped the table with his fingers and said, "Did you want to do it, or did Father allow you to try it? If you wanted to do it, Father didn't oppose you, which is already a special favor to you. You still want money?"

He stood up and said, "You should understand clearly that the imperial edict given by your father only appoints you as the governor of Baocheng Prefecture. It does not ask you to conduct a pilot program or anything like that. If you want to do it, you should do it yourself. If you want the national treasury to allocate funds to you, forget it."

Lu Xun Huan smiled slightly and said, "I am not asking Your Majesty for money, but I would like to issue bonds to encourage the people of Baocheng to buy them."

The prince was confused: "What the hell, what... coupon?"

Lu Xun Huan said, "Bonds are a novelty invented by me. After the public purchases them, we will buy them back at a high price in five or ten years."

The prince's eyes widened. "Lu Suifeng, you're out of your mind! The provincial government's treasury is out of money. You're going to buy it back at a high price in the future. What will you use to buy it back? By then, everyone will have your broken notes, and you won't be able to pay them back. Humph, let's see how you end up."

Lu Xun Huan stood up and saluted. "Your Highness, I have my own plan. I only need to borrow some private funds to make some money. The state government will earn more than a hundred times as much in the future."

The prince pointed at him and said, "Boast, just brag to me. If you can't do it, you'll leave a mess. Who will clean it up for you? What a rotten idea! Bonds, are you playing with?"

Lu Xun Huan said, "Prince, I will take responsibility for my own actions. I just need you to report to His Majesty and ask the institution that prints gold and silver bills in the treasury to help us print a batch of bonds."

The prince waved his hand and said, "What a mess! I don't want to be an accomplice in deceiving the people. Go, go. I'm busy."

Seeing the prince's attitude, Lu Xunhuan felt very disappointed.

He raised his eyes to glance at Mrs. Lang Tongzhi, but Mrs. Lang Tongzhi deliberately avoided his gaze.

He had no choice but to say goodbye and leave.