Chapter 27: All You Care About Is Money

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“Mo Di is in charge of all Neverland affairs. The last few days, our top priority has been finding good people from the ones Mo Di invited based on the specific requirements I gave him yesterday. Once we find the right people, Neverland will be split into several branches, each in charge of different business. Once that gets going, our rate of earning will increase a hundred-, one thousand-, ten thousand-fold.”

“Wahh—that’s a lot!” the easily excited among them murmured one after another.

Su Biluo smiled faintly. “Everyone settle down. This is just an ideal outline. It will take all your hard work to really make it a reality. Everyone who participates in running various Neverland businesses will not only receive a salary, but also a New Year bonus. How much will depend on how much money we make. The more we make the more you will get, and vice versa. We’ll all in the same boat; we must stand together through thick and thin, understood?”

“Understood!” everyone shouted in unison.

“Hang on! This general doesn’t understand!” Mo Zichen thrust his arm out at her. “Su Biluo, all you care about is money. Don’t you have any sense of duty or obligation? All this that the maids and pageboys and Mo Zi’an and Ziqian do for the royal court, for the Mo Family Army, are all a matter of duty. But aside from a salary, there’s rewards, after that bonuses. You’re crazy. If you spoil them like this, then little by little they will flout the law and disregard regulations. They won’t listen to orders and will talk only of money. Do you realize that?”

Su Biluo sneered, “Yes yes yes, I only care about money. General, you don’t care about money, but don’t your officers and soldiers need to eat? The court, the law, obedience, these are all necessary. But without money, it’s all empty prattle. Since ancient times, how many righteous armies have sprung up because the common people didn’t have enough to eat?

“Besides, setting up Neverland as a permanent establishment right now is necessary to raise money for the Mo Family Army’s payroll, but it’s not just for that, and it can’t be just for that!

“First of all, I will raise much more silver than the army needs. If we don’t divide the rest of it among the hard-working staff, then what shall we do with it, let it rot? Secondly, military payroll is ultimately the royal court’s problem. It ought to be raised by the National Treasury, not the Office of the General. You’re raising money for military payroll out of loyalty and righteousness, but it’s not your duty. It ought to be the reigning emperor’s duty.

“Moreover, it does no good for the general’s estate alone to get rich. That phrase ‘if the nation is prosperous, the people will be strong’ means that only if the nation is really flourishing will the common people be strong and prosperous!”

“You—” Mo Zichen was livid. He’d never been talked back to like that before, nor had he ever been contradicted so smoothly, leaving him no room to retort.

“Well said!” Mo Zi’an shouted suddenly, laughing. “Goddess! Sister-in-law is a goddess! Sister-in-law, let me be the first to worship you!”

He clapped his hands and the others soon followed.

“Well said!”

Several people echoed the same praise.

“Mo Zi’an, shut up!” Mo Zichen fumed. He picked up the regulation sheet Vivid had just passed out and threw it in Mo Zi’an’s face.

Mo Zi’an reached out to block it and was quelled into silence, not daring to say anything further.

Mo Zi’an didn’t act out any more. He was no match for Mo Zichen’s formidable aura.

“That’s enough,” Mo Fengzhi said. “Zichen, sit down!”

Mo Fengzhi was naturally dignified and stately in her manner, and being the most senior among them, Mo Zichen quickly sat down, furious.

Mo Fengzhi stepped in to mediate. “Alright, you’re both right. Zichen has been training in martial arts and leading troops since he was young. He’s never really acted as head of a household and doesn’t understand the difficulties. As a result, the general’s estate falls destitute time and again. It will be good if Granddaughter-in-law can raise money. At least we will finally have someone who can prop up the general’s estate.”

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