Selecting concubines was out of the question, at least for now.
Putting aside the fact that he hadn't managed to win over any of the three girls by his side, how many attractive young women could there possibly be in this desolate place called You Province?
In any case,
None of the exceptionally beautiful women of the Han-end period and the Three Kingdoms era, who became famous throughout history, were from You Province.
Gongsun Baoyue?
She was an exception!
However,
Since even Gongsun Baoyue had appeared, could Xiahou Qingyi also be here?
Thinking of the singing and dancing idol who played Xiahou Qingyi, Qin Feng couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
She was a singing and dancing goddess who had taken the internet by storm in the otaku community!
In the real world, he had no chance with her, and she had long since been "claimed" by countless others.
But here?
If Xiahou Qingyi truly existed, wouldn't he be able to experience something?
Perhaps even get her first kiss?
Of course!
Qin Feng kept these thoughts to himself, never to be revealed to anyone.
He called his personal guard commander and said with a serious expression:
"Send someone to Jizhou, Changshan Commandery, to inquire who the current administrator is."
"Yes!"
The guard commander respectfully acknowledged and turned to make arrangements.
Seeing this,
Qin Feng, filled with anticipation, began to ponder the issue of Jizhou.
That was a truly remarkable region!
It not only produced numerous famous generals and beautiful women but also boasted the highest grain yields in the entire Han Dynasty.
Furthermore,
There was a family in Jizhou that Qin Feng desperately desired.
The Zhen family!
Yes, the Zhen family!
Although Jizhou was the stronghold of the Yuan family and home to the four mighty generals of Hebei, Qin Feng yearned for the Zhen family even more.
What?
Was it for Zhen Mi?
Don't be ridiculous!
That girl was probably just born, and it was too early even for a "raising" project.
What he truly valued was the Zhen family!
"The Zhen family?"
Hearing this, Li Xiuning's delicate eyebrows furrowed, and she looked at Qin Feng thoughtfully.
"I seem to have heard of this family before. Didn't they start as merchants?"
"That's right!" Qin Feng nodded. "Even though the Zhen family started as merchants and became a prominent commercial clan, their strength is not to be underestimated."
"Setting aside whether the Zhen family's ten thousand retainers are real, the number of guards they employ for their merchants alone is considerable."
"It's just a shame..."
"In this era, which highly values lineage, the Zhen family, despite their immense wealth, could never climb to a high position because their occupation was considered lowly."
"That's only natural!"
Li Xiuning said with a smile and a shake of her head. "Those aristocratic families who controlled official positions would not allow new clans to join their ranks."
"Indeed!" Qin Feng sighed. "This is the drawback of recommending the filial and honest!"
"The pioneers would never easily allow later arrivals to take their place."
"Even when Emperor Ling discovered this and attempted to reform the bureaucracy through seemingly absurd means like selling official titles and ranks, it had no effect."
"The merchants and wealthy individuals who bought their positions only managed to obtain minor offices."
"They merely wanted to add a gilded veneer to themselves!"
"As for high-ranking positions?"
"No one dared to buy them!"
"Those seemingly inexpensive but extremely important positions went unclaimed."
"No one is foolish!"
"Among the officials above the rank of commandery administrator in the thirteen provinces of the Han Dynasty, how many were obtained through purchase?"
"Don't they all have some connection to the established clans?"
"Even if you truly bought an official post from the emperor, those clans had plenty of ways to make your tenure impossible."
"In the end..."
"Not only would the money spent on buying an office be wasted, but you would have to leave in disgrace."
At this point, Qin Feng paused, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
The status of commercial clans like the Zhen family in the Han Dynasty was clear for all to see.
This was also why they would later go to extreme lengths to support various warlords.
Take the Mi family of Xuzhou, for example.
To curry favor with Liu Bei, they not only provided men and provisions but even offered their own younger sister!
Why?
Because they wanted to legitimize themselves!
As long as the warlords they supported ascended to power, they could shed their merchant identity and truly become powerful aristocratic clans.
Unfortunately,
Even with their all-out support, they were still not taken seriously by those warlords.
For the warlords of the late Han Dynasty, while money and grain were important, connections, reputation, and prestige were even more crucial.
Consider the Yuan brothers, heirs to a prestigious lineage spanning four generations and three officials.
Were they rich?
Not at all!
Yet, when they stepped forward and rallied support, money, provisions, and talent flowed in instantly.
And then there's Liu Bei.
Was he rich?
He was a pauper!
Yet, this pauper, after losing his fortune multiple times, would quickly receive support from others.
This was the importance of reputation and background in the late Han Dynasty.
However,
With his experience from later generations and absolute strength, Qin Feng was different from those warlords.
Compared to those powerful aristocratic clans who controlled power, he placed great value on these commercial clans.
"My Lord~!"
Thinking of the immense wealth of the Zhen family, Li Xiuning looked at Qin Feng with a peculiar expression.
"Are you truly not interested in their fortune?"
"Fortune?"
Qin Feng chuckled at the question, dismissively waving his hand.
Having been thoroughly schooled in economics from later generations, Qin Feng had no desire for money.
"Xiuning, allow me to test you today. What is money?"
"What is money?"
Li Xiuning blinked in surprise. Her delicate brows furrowed, and after a moment of thought, she replied:
"Gold, silver, jewels? Copper coins? Or equivalent grains and goods?"
"No!"
"None of the above!"
Qin Feng smiled and shook his head. "Money is merely a symbol!"
"Whatever the person in power declares it to be, that thing can be used as money."
"This..."
Although she felt Qin Feng was speaking nonsense, Li Xiuning considered it and realized that in a sense, it was true.
"But not entirely!"
As if sensing Li Xiuning's unspoken doubt, Qin Feng added with a light smile:
"The prerequisite is that the person in power has sufficient credibility and possesses the power to guarantee the value of the currency."
"As long as the money you issue to the people can be exchanged for equivalent goods when they use it, they will naturally accept it over time."
"That is also true~!"
As Qin Feng finished speaking, Li Xiuning smiled and nodded.
Indeed!
If there were no concerns about redemption, it wouldn't matter what was used as money.
However,
Considering the hypothetical conditions Qin Feng had presented, Li Xiuning smiled and inquired:
"My Lord, do you possess such credibility now?"
"Of course not!"
Qin Feng shrugged nonchalantly. "But I have strength!"
"As long as I'm not afraid of crashing the economy, I could implement monetary reform in You Province right now."
"But there's no need!"
"For You Province at this moment, changing the type of currency is not important; what matters is making the currency circulate."
"Circulate?"
"Precisely!"
Seeing Li Xiuning's bewildered expression, Qin Feng paused and then used an example from his past life to illustrate.
"For instance, suppose I have one hundred copper coins. I use these one hundred copper coins to buy ten hoes from you."
"Then, after you receive these one hundred copper coins, you use them to buy ten sickles from him."
"After he receives these one hundred copper coins, he then buys ten iron swords from me."
"Haven't these one hundred copper coins returned to my hands?"
"Yes, yes, I suppose?"
Qin Feng: "???"
Li Xiuning: "???"