NOVEL NEXT Xiao Yunzhou would never admit that he was competing with his son for playthings.
"I'm just inspecting their toys to see if there's anything improper, and correcting a thing or two." He sat across from Sanda, and quickly realized that with his sons playing together, it might not look so good for the two of them to play this 'Wealthy Lord' game.
"Wei Zheng, you join in too."
"!"
It wasn't long before Xiao Chuchu was picked up and cradled by Xiao Yunzhou himself, who played with and teased her.
Xiao Yunzhou even offered some suggestions, "This map is made of paper, too fragile. Wei Zheng, have the Imperial Painting Bureau make one out of glazed tiles later on."
"And these cards, don't use paper, make wooden ones painted in different colors. Silver pieces should look like Jing Country Bank notes, and smaller denominations should be shaped like ingots."
"The trading goods like grain, cloth, horses and sheep - carve miniature versions out of wood."
Sanda's eyes lit up as he listened.
[Ah, so this is what the Emperor Father meant by corrections? I thought he could come up with improved gameplay for Wealthy Lord. Instead, he's just turning it into a luxurious palace set, haha~]
Xiao Chuchu was amused.
"......" Xiao Yunzhou fell silent.
Was he being mocked by his fairy daughter?
Ahem, he was just preparing for when the little princess grew up, so she could play without dirtying her little fingers.
Otherwise, the paper cards made by Concubine Liu and Consort Min were all ink.
Play for too long, and your fingers would be black.
Before long, the game board map for Wealthy Lord was all crumpled up.
He didn't want his daughter to suffer such indignities.
Xiao Yunzhou took a deep breath and looked down at his heartless fairy daughter.
[But the Emperor Father is so good at making board game pieces!]
[If this version turns out well, I'd love to collect it.]
Xiao Chuchu thought about it and grew even happier.
When she grew up, she could play it too.
[The first Wealthy Lord set has sentimental value, I'll have to keep it for myself, hehe.]
[As for this game that wastes time, the Emperor Father is right, my brothers can't play it, so I'll have to sacrifice and take it instead.]
Xiao Yunzhou shook his head and smiled wryly, his mind drawn to his daughter's chatter.
Without realizing it, he had stumbled onto Sanda's property.
"Hahaha, pay rent, big brother!"
"......"
After half a round, Xiao Yunzhou found his luck was terrible, constantly landing on Sanda and Wei Zheng's properties.
He even hit random event spaces and lost assets from being robbed.
His property rent collection was also very unsuccessful, and before he knew it, he had become the poorest player on the board.
Xiao Yunzhou's expression gradually darkened, while Wei Zheng sweated profusely.
Only Sanda laughed most happily, not fearing Xiao Yunzhou's displeasure at all.
"Big brother, you're no good at this game," Sanda taunted shamelessly.
[Woof, a bunch of noobs.]
Xiao Chuchu had been observing for half a round, and forgot the rule of 'silence while watching' as she couldn't help but start weighing in mentally.
[Noobs, in a single word.]
Xiao Yunzhou's mouth twitched.
Although he didn't understand what 'noob' meant, his daughter's tone made it clear she wasn't praising him.
Xiao Yunzhou's ears reddened, and he suddenly didn't feel like playing anymore.
But soon he heard his daughter's mental commentary.
[These kinds of board games are partly luck, partly testing the player's strategy and calculations~]
Xiao Chuchu had some experience, so she wanted to show off.
[In Wealthy Lord, winning or losing is strongly tied to the player's investment strategy in the early and mid-game stages.]
[Imagine yourself as an investor, buying properties early while paying attention to prices, rents, and upgrade costs' return on investment, as well as their locations on the map - areas around banks and markets are prime picks.]
[Not necessarily the most expensive ones.]
Xiao Yunzhou was stunned.
What his daughter said reminded him of the 'Finance' knowledge from the Immortal Realm!
Xiao Yunzhou's eyes widened, never expecting that this game Concubine Liu created would contain practical financial knowledge?
[Additionally, you need to watch your cash flow, not blindly investing, and never put all your eggs in one basket.]
[And purely conservative landlord players will find it hard to take first place.]
[Sometimes you need to be aggressive, like when Cheng Shan buys underpriced horses at the market, then sells them at 5 times the price later, far exceeding rental income.]
"......!" Xiao Yunzhou's ears burned, so he hadn't employed an investment strategy like Cheng Shan?
[Woof, Cheng Shan's pretty business-savvy.]
Xiao Chuchu had indeed thought of that.
[Bold, striking when the timing is right.]
Xiao Yunzhou huffed softly.
[But it's too bad my mother didn't include a loan function for the bank.]
Xiao Yunzhou raised an eyebrow. Loans?
[Can't really blame my mother though,] Xiao Chuchu didn't notice her father's reaction as she chattered on, [since the Emperor Father hasn't fully developed the Jing Country Bank's functions, my mother couldn't implement loans in the game either.]
[Besides accepting deposits, banks also provide loans, you know.]
"!"
Xiao Yunzhou's eyes widened.
[The interest banks pay on deposits mostly comes from reinvesting that money elsewhere, or from loan interest.]
Xiao Yunzhou suddenly regained his focus, looking at the crumpled Wealthy Lord map, the bank in a prominent position.
In an instant, it dawned on him!
No wonder he had felt something off from the very start.
This bank space - whenever he passed by, he didn't want to enter.
Because the interest earned from deposits was lower than profits from buying low and selling high at the market!
Now he understood - the bank in Wealthy Lord isn't for depositing money, but for loaning it to players!
He could borrow money to buy properties and horses, then pay it back after earning profits.
[Speaking of which, when will the Emperor Father implement lending for the Jing Country Bank?]
Earlier, Xiao Chuchu had been alternating between napping and nursing, occupied by an infant's demanding needs.
And occasionally being interrupted by the system granting her skills.
Now, she finally remembered this crucial matter of bank lending.
[Some Capital Officials and commoners just arriving in the capital might not have enough cash to buy homes, so the Jing Country Bank could lend them money.]
[Interest rates would be higher than deposits, but not too high.]
"!" Xiao Yunzhou was enlightened.
So that's how it was - if managed properly, the Jing Country Bank could be self-sustaining in theory.
Collecting loan interest on one side, paying out deposit interest on the other.
The bank wouldn't need the Jing Country treasury to worry about whether interest could be paid out on time!
[They could also provide business loans to merchants looking to start enterprises.]
Xiao Chuchu pondered.
[But they'd need to carefully vet the merchants' credentials.]
[The bank should also set aside provisions for bad debts.]
"!" Xiao Yunzhou had a great realization.
Previously, he always forced the Ministry of Revenue to focus on making money.
But this was wrong. The Ministry of Revenue had only a few people, and a country's strength ultimately depended on the power of its citizens.
If the merchants of Jing Country were all profiting, would Jing Country still lack income?
Those merchants who were temporarily short of cash but had an eye for investment, like Cheng Shan, should receive support from the Jing Country Bank!
Give them the opportunity to make money with money!
[Hmm, if the bank could offer housing loans and business loans, the Emperor Father and Uncle Jiang from the Ministry of Revenue would not have to worry about whether citizens could repay the principal and interest on time.]
Exactly, that's it!
He had to quickly get Jiang Li involved in this game of business tycoon.
Xiao Yunzhou stood up abruptly.
If Jiang Li was too dull to realize the loan strategy from this board game, then he, the Emperor, would have to put in some effort and guide him after a round of the game!
Thinking about it, Xiao Yunzhou became excited and slammed his hand down on the table, scattering all the cards of the business tycoon game.
"What??" Sanda stared at him, "Are you cheating, Big Brother? You're losing, so you're refusing to acknowledge the evidence and destroying it?"
Xiao Yunzhou: "...Ahem."
Was he that kind of person?
But just as he was about to call for the Ministry of Revenue, a guard outside announced,
"Your Majesty, Fucha and Shen Mian from the Grand Council request an audience."
Sanda looked disappointed.
But Xiao Yunzhou was delighted. "Let them in. And summon all Six Ministries as well."
"Wei Zheng, quickly find a few eunuchs who are good at writing and make three new sets of business tycoon cards urgently."
"I want to play with the Grand Council, the Six Ministries, and Brother Sanda!"
What?
It was time for the council meeting.
Play... what card game?
With just one sentence, Xiao Yunzhou left Sanda, who was about to reluctantly leave, as well as Fucha and Shen Mian from the Grand Council at the door, stunned.
It was as if he had contracted a raging fever!
The Prince was fine, but the Emperor had gone mad!
"Big Brother, you really are bold," even the observing Sanda admired him.
Xiao Yunzhou: "..."