"Yipinyuan donated two thousand taels! Got a red card!"
"Yipin Yuan is also here. Now it's interesting. The competition for the Emperor's autograph plaque is about to begin."
"Look, that's not the shopkeeper of Wanzhuangzhai."
"Yes, there are also people from Yuanheng Trading Company."
"Wanzhuangzhai donated three thousand taels, and Yuanheng Trading Company donated ten thousand taels!"
As the amount of donations increased, even the vocalists' pitches unconsciously increased.
"Oh, ten thousand taels, that's a long-established business firm that has strength."
There were shouts of exclamation for a while. Although there were rich people everywhere in the capital, not many could afford ten thousand taels casually.
Amidst the praises from the people, the shopkeepers didn't look like they were here to pay, but rather like they had received a great honor. After nodding politely to the people watching, they left with their heads held high.
Scholars, farmers, and merchants, in this world, although merchants have money, they have no status. They have to bow their heads when they see everyone. When have you ever been respected like this? It feels as satisfying as giving money to buy sweets when you were a child.
Although there were still donations coming later, they didn't go beyond those few houses. The people watched for a long time, and when they saw that the liveliest scene was almost over, they all went home to cook and eat.
General Chu came back from the court and called his family to have dinner together. Their family had not sat together for a meal since the spring banquet in the palace, and they were always busy with trivial matters. Of course, no one called Aunt Liu and Chu Xueer.
.
"His Royal Highness is so resourceful that he can come up with such a way to raise money for disaster relief in such a way that people are willing to pay for it!"
As soon as General Chu took his seat, he became excited about collecting donations.
"How much money did father donate today?" Chu Yunxi was curious.
"One thousand taels." General Chu replied while cleaning his hands.
"Why did father only donate one thousand taels? I heard that Duke Xiao donated 40,000 taels and Prime Minister Cao donated 10,000 taels. Doesn't father want the yellow mantle?"
Chu Wenjin's look of regret made General Chu's eyes widen.
"Your father, if I don't take bribes or engage in business, how can I get the money? It's not bad if I can scrape together a thousand taels. Do you know how much money you can get for that yellow mantle? Prince An took a hundred thousand taels.
Come out. Can you come up with one hundred thousand taels?"
"Tsk, tsk, father, are you so poor?" Chu Wenjin looked in disbelief.
"Cough, cough." Chu Wenhong couldn't hold it back and choked on the tea he just drank.
"Jin'er, why are you talking to your father?" Mrs. Chu pointed her eyes at Chu Wenjin to calm down.
"You brat, I dare to accuse you of being poor. Are you richer than me?" General Chu was really annoyed. How could he be despised by his own son?
"That goes without saying!" Chu Wenjin couldn't think of anything to say at home, so he blurted out. When he looked up, he saw his parents, brother and sister looking at him.
"What I mean is that I have saved some money through doing business."
"What?" General Chu asked in disbelief. He always thought that his youngest son was idle and liked to have fun, and doing business was just to earn some subsidies for his fun.
"A few?" Chu Wenjin thought that his father thought the "a little" was too little, so he hurriedly made up for it.
"Third brother, please stop showing off. I also want to know, is it possible that third brother is still an invisible wealthy businessman?"
Chu Yunxi supported her father with her little face raised.
"I'm not a wealthy businessman yet, but don't worry, sister, when you get married, my third brother will definitely give you a generous gift."
Chu Yunxi blushed and had nothing to say, but General Chu jumped to his feet.
"Boy, how much private money you have, please come up with it as soon as possible. Now that there is a drought, this is no time for joking."
"Father, you won't get the yellow mantle anyway. Don't worry, my son will get back the imperial plaque as a businessman."
Chu Wenzhong looked at Chu Wenjin, who didn't take the top spot seriously, and patted him on the shoulder:
"Third brother, do you know how much money Yuanheng Trading Company, which donated the most today, donated? It's a full ten thousand taels of silver! You are probably just dreaming about getting an imperial plaque."
The food was served and the family ate in silence. No one took Chu Wenjin's words seriously anymore.
"Second brother, don't you believe in your younger brother too?" Chu Wenjin reluctantly looked for another ally.
"Third brother, do what you can, and don't make a fool of yourself." Chu Wenhong gave a pertinent suggestion.
"After seven days, I will bring back the imperial plaque and place it in front of you."
Chu Wenjin deeply reflected on himself, whether he was usually too low-key.
"Xi'er, did His Highness the Crown Prince tell you what to do with those congratulatory gifts?"
General Chu ignored Chu Wenjin and turned to ask Chu Yunxi. When he came back, he saw the boxes still unsealed and placed in the yard, and was a little worried.
"Father, don't worry. If my daughter guessed correctly, these things will have their destination on the seventh day."
The seventh day is the deadline for fundraising. Is it possible that His Highness the Crown Prince intends to donate all these gifts? In that case, can the Crown Prince surpass Prince An and get the yellow mantle?
"Hong'er, eat quickly, eat quickly, and then go and count them again to see how many gifts there are in total?"
"Yes, father." Chu Wenhong understood.
"Father, look at me, I am better at settling accounts than my second brother." Chu Wenjin pointed at himself in search of a sense of presence.
"Okay, okay, hurry up and eat."
The neglected Chu Wenjin no longer tastes good in anything he eats. Scholars, farmers, industry and merchants, alas!
The first six days of fundraising went by smoothly, but on the seventh day, those at the top of the donation rankings, especially those who ranked around 100, stayed at the donation location all the time.
Having spent so much money, no one wants to be squeezed off the merit monument at the last moment. From time to time, someone comes forward to add more money.
Some people are really unable to continue and return with regrets. Some people plan to persevere to the end to add glory to their ancestors and accumulate blessings for their descendants.
Yuanheng Trading Company maintained its first position and added another 10,000 taels of silver. Now the number one merchant among merchants has risen to 20,000 taels of silver.
Just when everyone thought that the imperial plaque belonged to Yuanheng Trading Company.
"Yipin Trading Company, donate 40,100 taels!" a loud chant stirred up a wave of waves.
The people from Yuanheng Trading Company were only shocked for a moment, then turned around and left angrily. Yipin Trading Company had already taken away most of their business.
Nowadays, they will be overwhelmed by donations. The key is that if you want to donate, you should donate earlier, so that they won't be able to add the 10,000 taels of silver. They can't afford the 40,000 taels of this royal gift plaque.
"Yipin Trading Company? Isn't it the one that suddenly became famous in the past two years?"
"Yeah, I didn't expect that in just two years, it would surpass the well-established Yuanheng Trading Company. I don't know who the owner is."
"Forty thousand and one tael? Do you remember how much Xiao Guogong donated?"
"Forty thousand, that's forty thousand taels. I heard it clearly."
So what does the 40,100 yuan from Yipin Trading Company mean? Is it possible that he wants to slap Xiao Guogong in the face? No one dares to say this nonsense.
I dare not think about it carefully. What is the power behind this trading company?
Before everyone could guess for too long, the words Chu Wenjin were written at the top of the list of 100 people.
"Chu, Chu Wenjin? Is it Chu Wenjin, the third son of General Chu's family?"
"Really, is there a second Chu Wenjin in the capital?"
"Don't they say he is idle? He is actually the boss behind Yipin Trading Company?"
The people guarding here now are those who have the ability to compete for the top 100, and they also know a lot about the trends in the court.
The Duke of Xiao and the prince are in conflict, and the Chu family is the prince's support. Which side is stronger will affect who will be killed by the future king. It is a big drama.
[The author has something to say]
I’m so envious of the heroine for having a rich brother, hahaha