Chapter 347: Out of Money? Go Borrow from the Empress Dowager; She Has a Small Treasury!
As soon as Sister Zi saw Li Mo, she couldn’t help but start complaining: “I can’t run my business anymore.”
“What’s wrong?”
Hearing her complain, Li Mo asked, puzzled.
Sister Zi sat down beside him, looking utterly disheartened.
With a glance at him, she said, “Out of money.”
Upon hearing this, even the usually calm Duanmu Rong cast her an incredulous look.
Having been here for so long, she knew quite a bit about the affairs of the Mountain Courtyard.
If anyone at home was the richest, it was definitely Sister Zi.
Because the key to the family treasury was with her.
Not only was she responsible for all the expenses of the Mountain Courtyard,
but she also managed all the businesses under Li Mo.
If she said she was out of money, who would believe it?
However, Li Mo did believe it.
“Is it that the business expanded too rapidly, and funds are being recouped slowly?”
With the unification of the seven states, at Li Mo’s suggestion, Sister Zi had firmly grasped some profitable businesses from the remaining countries.
But then, the repercussions started to show.
The faster and larger the expansion, the more start-up capital was needed.
Initial investments are unavoidable.
However, with so many businesses, the investments couldn’t be a small sum.
On top of that, Li Mo was preparing to head to Loulan and was ramping up gunpowder production, which was also a significant expenditure.
“Did you know this issue would occur?”
Sister Zi lightly blew on her hot tea and raised an eyebrow at Li Mo, speaking somewhat speechlessly.
But soon after, her expression brightened, and she set down her tea, full of expectation.
“So, do you have a solution?”
In her mind, Li Mo was always measured and confident in what he did.
Since he had encouraged her to expand, he must have anticipated the potential for cash shortages.
Thus, he should have already thought of a way to resolve it.
Yet, Li Mo shook his head.
He replied directly, “No.”
“No. No?”
Sister Zi was so taken aback that her expression froze.
“Really no.”
Li Mo genuinely hadn’t anticipated that such an issue would arise.
He knew he had money, but he didn’t know how much.
He had told Sister Zi to expand without worry.
Who would have thought Sister Zi would expand even more aggressively than he imagined, almost monopolizing sixty percent of the business in the world?
She had even taken over the salt and iron trade from the Qi State.
Now, they were facing a cash shortage, and if things went wrong, it could affect the entire kingdom’s commerce.
Sister Zi was truly at a loss for solutions, which is why she sought Li Mo out to complain.
Now it was nothing like back in the Purple Orchid Pavilion.
Every bit more earned meant a lot.
If their funding chain experienced a problem, the economy of the entire nation would be impacted.
At this moment, just after having pacified and unified the realm, any economic issue could affect the Qin State’s development for decades to come.
Sister Zi saw that Li Mo wasn’t joking around; his expression turned serious.
“Then you’d better think of a way. If we encounter problems, it won’t just affect us, but the whole kingdom.”
Li Mo lightly massaged his forehead.
How could he not understand this principle?
The businesses in his hand were the economic backbone of this world.
If they collapsed, chaos would ensue.
Grain prices, salt prices, iron prices, living costs.
Which of these were not crucial for the people’s livelihood!
Seeing Li Mo and Sister Zi discussing serious matters, Duanmu Rong stood up voluntarily and took Lian Yi to cuddle with little Yan’er in another room.
Jing Ni, however, did not leave and stayed by the two’s side.
But she was merely keeping them company.
There was no issue if she were to assassinate someone, but strategizing was a bit beyond her capability.
Although she hadn’t used a sword since becoming a mother, her assassination skills had never dulled.
During her free time or while little Yan’er was asleep, Jing Ni still practiced her swordsmanship in the yard.
It wasn’t that there was something requiring her to take action.
Rather, it was to maintain her figure!
Ever since she got pregnant with little Yan’er, she realized she had gained at least a circle of weight!
As the yard fell into a brief silence, Sister Zi suddenly had a bright idea.
“Why don’t you borrow some money from the Empress Dowager?”
Li Mo chuckled in disbelief: “How much can she have? Just a drop in the bucket.”
It wasn’t just the Empress Dowager; even Ying Zheng had a fixed amount of money each month.
Their daily expenses, including the upkeep of the royal palace, were all covered by this amount.
The Empress Dowager had a small treasury, but it was definitely not much.
Of course, “not much” was relative to Li Mo’s current situation.
Sister Zi squinted her eyes, speechless: “You’re really either foolish or pretending to be foolish. I didn’t mean you to borrow her little money.”
Even Jing Ni, who had been beside them, understood at this moment.
Looking at Sister Zi, she said: “You mean the National Treasury of Qin?”
Sister Zi nodded: “That’s right!”
With the Empress Dowager’s attitude towards Li Mo, going to her to feign hardship and borrowing some national bonds shouldn’t be too hard a task!
But as soon as she finished speaking, Li Mo flatly refused.
“No need to think about it. The National Treasury is cleaner than us right now.”
Qin State had spent all its treasury funds on wars over the past few years.
Nothing is more expensive than waging war.
The hope that Sister Zi had just ignited was suddenly dashed, so she decided to give up.
“Then think of your own solution. A clever housewife can’t create a meal without rice.”
No matter how capable she was at earning money, without financial support, it was all in vain.
Li Mo nodded lightly, leisurely sipping tea.
“Why do I feel like you’re not anxious at all?”
Seeing him so relaxed, Sister Zi was filled with exasperation.
Li Mo laughed: “Is rushing really helpful? Will money fall from the sky if I rush?”
Jing Ni nodded seriously, agreeing: “What the husband says is true. It’s inherently a tough problem, so we should calm down and think. The stronger the opponent, the more we should stay composed; we must not panic or act rashly with our sword.”
Sister Zi slapped her forehead, utterly speechless.
“It’s not the time for killing or fighting.”
Jing Ni earnestly replied: “But isn’t it the same principle when it comes to money?”
Just then, Li Mo put down his teacup, stood up, and stepped outside the yard.
Sister Zi quickly called out: “Where are you going?”
Li Mo replied without looking back: “To raise funds.”
Sister Zi was taken aback: “You thought of a solution? What is it?”
This question went unanswered as Li Mo had already walked out of the yard in a few strides.
Jing Ni chuckled, “What did I say? Just drink some tea and clear your mind.”
As she spoke, she picked up the teapot and poured Sister Zi a cup of hot tea.
Sister Zi wore a puzzled expression.
After racking her brains for so many days without an idea, how could Li Mo think of a solution in the time it took to drink a cup of tea?
Not to mention, they needed a significant sum!
Sister Zi couldn’t care less about savoring tea at this moment.
She picked up the teacup and gulped it down, scalding hot or not, before chasing after Li Mo.
She wanted to see what kind of method Li Mo had to raise such a large sum of money!
