Fang Jing wakes up to find himself the spendthrift son of the Earl of Dingyuan in the eighteenth year of the Hongzhi era.
The earl’s household is in debt, his clan uncle is trying to seize the estate, and the whole capital is waiting to watch him squander his family’s fortune.
Just then, he binds himself to an absurd System.
The Spend-to-Earn System.
As long as he spends money on things that others cannot understand, that are sure to lose money in the short term but can change the age in the long term, he earns a rebate.
So Fang Jing starts squandering money like crazy.
While others buy fertile land, he buys worthless mudflats no one wants.
While others hire retainers, he takes on bankrupt craftsmen and discharged soldiers.
While others stockpile gold and silver, he hoards lime, scrap iron, broken ships, and unsold lumber.
The whole capital laughs and calls him crazy.
His clan uncle curses him for ruining the family estate, officials impeach him for leading the crown prince astray, and merchant guilds wait for him to lose everything.
But later…
The mudflats yield cement, bankrupt craftsmen create new weapons, discharged soldiers become elite troops, and broken ships open up profitable sea-trade routes.
Even more absurdly, anyone who tries to kill Fang Jing ends up turning the attempt into a ridiculous farce.
Poisoning him leads to a new dish.
An assassination turns into a guard-training exercise.
Arson produces an advertisement for fireproof cement.
An ambush becomes a live-fire drill for the new army.
Zhu Houzhao slaps the table and laughs:
“Who says Fang Jing squanders money?”
“I say he’s making money for the Great Ming!”
