Gao Feng turned around in astonishment and looked at Gao Yang. The father and son's gazes met in midair, full of unspoken meaning.
This scene seemed somewhat familiar to him.
Wu Zhao's lips curled into a slight smile as she spoke with a voice as sharp as gold, "Speak."
"If this plan satisfies me, then you, Gao Yang, will not only be without fault but will also be rewarded."
The eyes of the officials focused on Gao Yang. Compared to their initial disdain, after witnessing Gao Yang's decisive measures to eliminate potential threats, they now showed a clear sense of caution.
This young man's strategy was likely a bit cunning.
Gao Yang's voice echoed through the Golden Luan Hall.
"From the perspective of the tea merchant, his goal is simple: to hire workers at a low wage and complete the land reclamation as quickly as possible."
"But the local people are mostly lazy, and land reclamation is a tough and exhausting task. Even if the tea merchant offers high wages, he has no influence in the area. The people will only work half-heartedly, putting in effort one day and slacking off the next."
"To achieve his goal, he must exploit human nature."
"My solution is simple, it only requires one trick!"
"This trick, I call it the 'Monkey Play Trick.'"
Wu Zhao sat up straight, her phoenix eyes fixed on Gao Yang.
She asked, "How do you exploit human nature, and how do you set up this trick?"
"If I were the tea merchant, I would first offer three or five times the usual wages to hire a dozen or so people to work on the reclamation."
Gao Yang's voice resonated in the Golden Luan Hall, and Wu Zhao furrowed her brows.
"Is that all? I thought you might have come up with a brilliant plan, but this is all you've got?" Wang Zhong scoffed.
What exploitation of human nature, what setup of a trick—he had thought Gao Yang might have a solution, but in the end, it was just about paying high wages to hire workers.
Cui Xinghe also shook his head, unimpressed.
Gao Yang remained unfazed and continued, "In a few days, I would instruct the people to concentrate their efforts on one area for reclamation. If they start to slack off and sleep, I would scold them in an exaggerated manner, acting as if I were desperately concerned."
"The people are naturally lazy, and most of them will pretend to comply while secretly doing as they please. In their eyes, my frantic actions will probably seem like a comical monkey."
"They might even secretly laugh and continue to do as they wish."
"But after a few days, I would bury some gold in the barren mountain, and the plan would be set!"
At these final words, the Empress instantly sat up straighter, her eyes filled with astonishment.
Burying gold in the barren mountain!
This plan was ingenious, and she could already imagine what Gao Yang would do next.
The officials were also in an uproar.
Gao Yang continued calmly, "Once the gold is buried in the mountain, the workers who had been concentrated on one area will be unable to keep the discovery of gold hidden from others."
"Even if the workers who find the gold are quick, they cannot hide it from the others working nearby."
"Once a dispute arises, I would take the opportunity to feign anxiety and demand that they hand over the gold. I would even offer them some silver to ensure they don't tell anyone about the gold, so as to prevent others from coming to fight over it."
"This act will take only a few hours, and the news of a gold mine in the barren mountain will spread throughout the village."
"With just one or two pieces of gold, human greed will be exposed without a doubt."
"Those who witnessed the digging of the gold will be unable to sit still, like ants on a hot pan, restless and agitated. The workers who found the gold will also likely bring their families to secretly dig up more, for that is human nature. The rumors will spread and escalate, and soon enough, the entire village will be rushing to the mountain with shovels in hand, working through the night to dig."
Upon hearing this, the officials were stunned and looked toward Gao Yang in amazement.
The root cause of the people's laziness is the grueling and exhausting nature of land reclamation. Even offering three times the usual wage wouldn't motivate them.
But if they believe there's a gold mine beneath the barren mountain, the rumors, especially with the first person to spread them, will cause the villagers to flock to the mountain, eager to get rich overnight.
Even Cui Xinghe, after realizing the plan, couldn't help but praise it.
Though this plan has some flaws, it is definitely a viable one!
Gao Feng, in shock, stared at Gao Yang, his eyes wide in disbelief.
Is this really his son, Gao Feng's son?
Has he finally figured it out?
"Brilliant, using gold to stir up human greed, and making the entire village work together to reclaim the land."
"Then, by burying more gold in different parts of the mountain, the villagers will believe that there's a gold mine underneath, which not only saves a large amount of labor costs for reclamation but also makes the villagers work overnight."
"The son of Lord Gao is truly impressive, you haven't disappointed me."
"This plan is very clever," Wu Zhao remarked, her phoenix eyes fixed on Gao Yang with approval.
Gao Yang smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please wait. This plan is not yet complete."
"On the contrary, the most dangerous part is only just beginning."
Wu Zhao was slightly surprised. "The most dangerous part is just beginning?"
The officials were equally astonished. They had thought the goal of rapid reclamation had already been achieved. Was that just the beginning?
"In poor, remote areas, where the people are lazy and the local county magistrate is unlikely to profit, there's a high chance that he's a corrupt official. Before setting the plan in motion, we can bribe him with a large sum of money."
"If we have the help of the county magistrate, the plan will be even more effective."
Gao Feng's face changed, and he scolded, "Wretched son, what nonsense are you talking about?"
But Wu Zhao waved her hand. "It's fine, don't worry. Even in our Great Qian's poor, remote areas, aren't there corrupt officials?"
"Gao Yang, continue. What happens after bribing the county magistrate?"
Gao Yang smiled and said, "According to the laws of the Great Qian, the barren mountain is considered private land of the tea merchants. The villagers working there overnight to dig for gold have already broken the law."
"If I were the tea merchant, I would immediately report it to the authorities, sending soldiers to seize the people and demand they hand over the gold they found."
"People are naturally jealous and can't stand to see others prosper, so they'll surely inform on each other."
Wang Zhong felt a chill run down his spine, his eyes wide in shock. "No wages paid, but the villagers do the reclamation work for free, and even the gold they find has to be returned?"
"This plan is too cruel!"
Wang Zhong looked at Gao Yang with fear.
Wu Zhao nodded in admiration. "First, you bribe the county magistrate, then use the evil in human nature to retrieve the gold you previously planted. This plan may seem somewhat vicious, but it achieves the most efficient land reclamation with the least amount of wages."
"It's still a brilliant plan."
Cui Xinghe's face darkened. He was one of the Four Talents of Chang'an, the eldest son of the prestigious Cui family, and the top scholar of the current dynasty, but at this moment, Gao Yang had stolen his thunder.
It was difficult for him to accept.
He spoke in a low voice, "Bribing the county magistrate is no small sum. The villagers may return the gold, but risking beheading, is it worth it?"
Gao Yang smiled. "Lord Cui, how many cases of officials and merchants colluding are there in the world? Who would go directly to bribe with a large sum of money? Whether they're honest or corrupt officials, anyone with knowledge of the local situation can tell."
"And this plan's cruelty doesn't end there. What if the gold on the outside is real, but inside is copper?"