Chapter Twenty-Eight: Rewards (Part Two)

When Xu Kang produced the gold, the impact on everyone present was immense. This was not only because gold was more valuable than silver, but also for another crucial reason: it was considered "superior currency."

As the name suggests, superior currency referred to the highest grade of money. Before the Qin dynasty, currency was divided into three grades: pearls and jade were the highest, gold was the middle, and ordinary copper coins were the lowest. However, after the Qin dynasty and into the Han, pearls, jade, and silver were relegated to the status of precious goods, leaving only two levels of currency: gold as the superior and copper coins as the inferior.

During the Han dynasty, gold was typically cast in the shape of horse hooves or round cakes, each weighing 250 grams—a full jin—hence the term "one gold." In the reign of Emperor Gaozu of Han, the official exchange rate between gold and copper coins was 1:5000, meaning a single gold cake of one jin could be exchanged for five thousand five-zhu coins. Over time, however, this ratio increased, eventually stabilizing at about 1:10,000.

Of course, this ratio applied to five-zhu coins since Han currency was measured by weight. If a coin was underweight, the ratio would increase further. The arrival of Dong Zhuo pushed this ratio past its limits. To offset the costs of relocating the capital to Chang’an, Dong Zhuo plundered the populace and even looted graves. He melted down the copper he acquired to mint vast quantities of inferior coins.

These new coins weighed only a third of the original five-zhu, about 1.7 zhu each. The moment these lightweight coins entered circulation, rampant inflation followed. Dong Zhuo’s reckless minting destroyed what remained of the ancient economy’s prosperity, causing the five-zhu coin to decline. Through the Three Kingdoms, the Jin, and the Northern and Southern dynasties, its former glory was never restored.

In this period of economic collapse, gold, silver, grain, and cloth became the main staples of the market. Knowing that the five-zhu coins would depreciate within a few years, Xu Kang had no qualms about using them to buy official positions, keeping only gold, silver, pearls, and other valuables.

Yet, despite understanding the value of these treasures, he now had no choice but to bring them out to increase the worth of his tokens.

“No matter if it works or not, I have to give it a try. Even if I fail, I’ll only lose some of my gold and silver. But if I succeed… heh heh heh…” The thought thrilled him, and a strange grin twisted his face, like an eccentric uncle about to take a little girl to see some goldfish.

Fortunately, at that moment, all eyes were on the gold in the chest, and no one noticed his odd expression. After more than a minute, everyone slowly came to their senses. They looked up at Xu Kang, their eyes full of shock and awe.

Xu Kang was very pleased with their reaction. When others looked at him this way, the danger posed by violating the principle of “not flaunting one’s wealth” diminished.

So he smiled again. “Heh, there’s no need for suspicion—this chest of gold is here for you to exchange, just like the silver. The only difference is the price: one gold exchanges for a hundred tokens. If you don’t have enough tokens, you can pool them together. Don’t miss out on this chance!”

“Uh… this…” His words had clearly swayed many. Instantly, all eyes turned to Zhao Hong and Zhang Cheng, the two military captains.

Zhang Cheng was tempted. After only a brief hesitation, he clasped his hands in apology to Xu Kang. “In that case, I thank you, my lord!” Then he turned to the company leaders and squad leaders around him.

“If you trust me, hand me your tokens!” Zhang Cheng’s reputation among his men was solid. At his words, many handed over their small round tokens without hesitation.

He soon gathered a hundred and exchanged them with Xu Kang for a gold cake, just as he wished. But to his surprise, Zhao Hong remained motionless, as if the gold before him were just a pile of rocks.

This left Zhang Cheng puzzled. Just as he was about to ask, Xu Kang spoke first. “Zhao Hong, what are you waiting for? This is gold—aren’t you going to exchange?”

“Uh… well…” Again questioned, Zhao Hong seemed a little embarrassed. He scratched the back of his head and grinned.

“Haha… forgive me, my lord. The truth is, I’m a rough fellow and have no interest in gold. So… I’ll pass!”

A rough fellow? No interest in gold? At these words, Zhang Cheng was stunned. “Is this really Zhao Hong? Could someone be impersonating him?” But the next moment, his instincts told him Zhao Hong must have another plan—something big.

His instincts were right. As soon as he thought this, Zhao Hong put on a sycophantic smile and turned to Xu Kang.

“Heh heh… my lord, aside from gold and silver, is there anything else for exchange?”

Something else?

Hearing this, Zhang Cheng felt as if he’d had an epiphany. His expression changed, and he quickly turned to look at Xu Kang.

Under his gaze, Xu Kang nodded slowly. “There is, but it’s just some ordinary food. Do you want it?”

“Yes!” Unlike his reaction to gold and silver, Zhao Hong answered without the slightest hesitation this time.

Seeing this, Zhang Cheng became even more certain of his guess. He said nothing, simply watching Xu Kang, as if waiting for his answer to be confirmed.

The answer quickly arrived. With a grand gesture from Xu Kang, the two chests of gold and silver vanished from the scene, replaced by a large pile of magical bread emitting a sweet aroma.

At this, Zhang Cheng was once again dumbfounded.

“So this is what Zhao Hong wanted? He wants these strange flatbreads? Even if they’re different from the usual kind, how could they compare to gold cakes?”

It seemed unbelievable, but the evidence was right before his eyes. Zhao Hong was already handing his tokens to Xu Kang.

“My lord, I’ve decided. I want these!”

“Very well.” Xu Kang nodded, took Zhao Hong’s tokens, and pointed at the pile of magic bread.

“Take these hundred loaves. Find a chest and store them away—you can eat them slowly. Don’t worry, no matter how long you keep them, they won’t spoil before you eat them.”

“Yes, thank you for the reminder, my lord. I’ll have my men fetch some chests right away!” With that, he ordered his soldiers to bring several chests and packed all the magic bread inside.

When all the chests were filled, Zhao Hong looked completely satisfied. He clasped his fists and bowed deeply to Xu Kang. “Thank you for your generosity, my lord. I am deeply grateful!”

“No need for thanks.” Watching the excited Zhao Hong, Xu Kang smiled again and waved to him and the others.

“All right, it’s getting late, and we must march tomorrow. Everyone, go get some rest. If you still have tokens, don’t rush. Decide what you want to exchange, and come find me tomorrow. Dismissed!”

“Yes, sir!”