Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Mu Tou has been watching other people getting married in various places these past two days, hoping to gain some inspiration and enlightenment from them, but after two whole days, he still has no clue.

At this moment, Mu Tou couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Afu's wedding in the north of the city was so shabby and simple, and although Sister Ping's wedding in the south of the city was quite grand, for some reason it always felt like something was missing... Oh, there's another family getting married today. Should I go and take a look?"

Jiuer, who was standing by, heard this and answered without hesitation: "No, I won't go today."

Mu Tou asked doubtfully, "Why?"

Jiu'er pointed excitedly at something in the distance and said, "Today there's a storyteller over at the theater. It's really lively there. I want to join in the fun and listen to some stories."

Mu Tou hurriedly advised, "Jiu'er, this is the lifelong event of the Young Master and Young Madam, it's of great importance. We should deal with this matter first and put the matter of listening to the book aside."

However, Jiu'er refuted, "Huangfu Ling is also my sister. How could I not know such an important matter? But this storyteller is no ordinary one. He came all the way from the capital. And it is said that the story he will tell today is 'Dragon and Phoenix Appearing Together', which tells the legendary story of the wedding of the late Emperor and the Empress of Heaven."

Hearing this, Mu Tou's eyes lit up and he nodded as if suddenly realizing something, "Yes, a royal wedding is grand and luxurious. I'm sure the young master will be very satisfied!"

……

At the same time, inside the military camp.

Mo Lang confidently presented the carefully drafted loan proposal to Zhang Jingwei. Zhang Jingwei took it and read it carefully, reading it word for word twice. Then he slowly raised his head, shook his head gently, and said, "Uncle Mo, it's not that I don't want to sign this proposal, it's just that I don't understand its contents thoroughly enough. Some parts are completely incomprehensible to me."

Mo Lang quickly responded, "I wonder what specific aspects of the document Young Master has questions about or is dissatisfied with? If you can point them out, I'll immediately address the revisions."

Zhang Jingwei frowned and pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "This isn't a problem that can be solved with a simple modification... Honestly, I feel like this plan as a whole feels strange, like something's not quite right."

Mo Lang gritted his teeth at this and said, "If that's the case, how about this? In addition to the originally agreed-upon two percent interest, I'm willing to give you an extra five percent! Shouldn't that meet your requirements?"

However, Zhang Jingwei remained unmoved. He waved his hand and replied, "Uncle Mo, this isn't about how much profit to give."

Mo Lang became anxious upon hearing this. He raised his voice and said, "Young Master, I know you may look down on us old guys now, thinking we're as useless as outdated salt. But think about how the Salt Gang served your Zhang family so well and made so many great contributions. Are you going to kick me out with just one word now?"

Zhang Jingwei hurriedly explained: "Uncle Mo, you misunderstood, I definitely didn't mean to say such a thing."

At this moment, Qian Ming's urgent voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Master, the head shopkeeper is back!"

Zhang Jingwei perked up upon hearing this and replied, "Oh? Really?" Then he turned to look at Mo Lang and said apologetically, "Uncle Mo, I do have other important matters to attend to today, so let's leave it at that for now. I'll arrange for the head shopkeeper to come over to discuss this matter with you in detail tomorrow."

After hearing this, Mo Lang could only sigh helplessly, turned around silently and left the room, leaving behind a slightly lonely back.

Upon seeing Gao Jiong, Zhang Jingwei rushed forward anxiously and said, "You're finally back! Where have you been? I thought you were gone forever!"

Gao Ying smiled slightly and replied calmly, "Don't be so nervous, I just went back to my hometown."

Zhang Jingwei frowned and asked, "Oh, back home? Did you stop by Jinzhou City? Did you pay a visit to your old master?"

Gao Jiong sighed softly and said, "I did go, but it's a pity they didn't want to see me." After saying this, he picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip. His eyes then fell on the loan plan on the table. He asked in confusion, "What is this?"

Zhang Jingwei quickly explained, "Well, the Salt Gang wanted to take over the military bank's loan business and approached us about cooperation, but I turned them down. The interest they were asking for was simply too high!"

Gao Jiong nodded in agreement and continued, "Well, a three percent interest rate is indeed much higher than that of ordinary banks, and it's a monthly payment with compound interest. The principal and interest are quite high when calculated this way."

Zhang Jingwei added thoughtfully: "What's even stranger is that they don't need collateral. This makes me think of some not-so-good things." At this point, he couldn't help but think of the various online loans that were rampant on campus during his college years and harmed countless people.

Gao Jiong shook his head and retorted, "It's not that there's no collateral at all, it's just that the collateral they collected is quite valuable."

Zhang Jingwei's eyes widened in surprise, "Really? But there's not a single word about that in the proposal!"

Gao Jiong said solemnly, "Once this IOU is signed and sealed, it will become legally binding. The government fully recognizes such IOUs. If the debtor is truly unable to repay the debt, the government will enslave them. At that time, the creditor can use his status as a slave owner to sell the debtor to a slave trader to pay off the debt."

Zhang Jingwei frowned and replied, "Even so, it's just a bad debt. I've been to a slave brokerage before, and the price of a decent slave there is only a dozen or so strings of cash!"

Gao Jiong shook his head slightly and said in a low voice, "Don't just focus on the money earned from selling slaves. The key is that these slaves can be used as collateral for debts, and they are tax-free!"

Hearing this, Zhang Jingwei's eyes lit up and he nodded thoughtfully: "Oh...I see, I think I've thought of something!"

According to the laws of our Celestial Empire, bartering is not subject to tax, and slaves and debts themselves are not currency or silver, so they can be traded as goods, and no tax is required for bartering.

He suddenly thought about the methods used by the Salt Gang to "launder" their contraband. In reality, there was no need for "laundering" at all, as they were simply exploiting the tax law. Such a simple method was indeed ridiculous. The most effective way to obtain slaves and debts was through usury. This formed an invisible industrial chain, where loans were directly granted without collateral, and the clients were chosen to be drunkards, gamblers, and vagrants, because these people would never be able to repay, and the final result was just the money in their hands.

It is impossible for Mo Lang to think of these things. The mastermind behind this should be Zhang Jingwei's dead father.