Chapter 710 - 712: Envy
Chapter 710: Chapter 712: Envy
Every prefecture and county was poorer than the last; the Silver scattered out didn’t even make a splash.
It was no wonder the officials present felt a bit of heartache.
In previous years, whenever they wanted to collect taxes from various places, they had to run until their feet blistered.
Now, this Mr. Gu had simply handed out the Silver without a second thought.
It wasn’t that no one had previously suggested using past years’ tax revenue to offset this Silver.
Gu Wenheng, however, had argued vigorously with them. He knew the local situations perfectly well, yet he still made them front the Silver—wasn’t this making things difficult for the subordinate officials?
But without Silver, nothing could be accomplished, and that was not a situation Gu Wenheng wanted to see.
"Do you know what you gentlemen are worried about? This is precisely why I have called you all here today," Gu Wenheng said from the main seat, addressing the Vice Envoys, Assistants, clerks and secretaries present.
Everyone sat looking eager to hear the details, though no one openly asked.
Gu Wenheng continued, "The Magistrates of the various commanderies have already taken the local Silver back. Now, it’s just a matter of time.
"Of course, once we arrange the tasks at hand, we can’t just wash our hands of the matter.
"Here is what I am thinking. You gentlemen can split into several groups and take people to inspect the commanderies. If anyone down below feigns compliance, you may handle it impartially on your own authority."
"This..." Cen Gaosong immediately sat up straight. "As your subordinate, I previously did a lap around the commanderies, following the official roads for about a month. If we have to go down to the local counties and towns, it will take quite a long time."
There was one thing Cen Gaosong didn’t say out loud: with all the back and forth and delays, they might not even be able to enjoy a proper New Year.
Gu Wenheng said, "I have already considered this. At this juncture, let’s not be bound by old rules. We can designate individuals to specific places, rather than relying on a small handful of people to visit everywhere..."
As Gu Wenheng explained his idea, everyone found it hard to accept at first. After all, even the small officials below would exercise the same authority, which made them feel offended.
Seeing them still at a stalemate, Gu Wenheng simply spread his hands. "If you gentlemen aren’t afraid of hardship and fatigue, then I can entirely follow your wishes and have just the few of you take charge of walking all over Yi Province."
"..." Was there even a choice?
「Later that night.」
They had thought these days were agonizing enough, but during the banquet hosted by Governor Liang, the real business began after everyone had eaten and drunk their fill.
"I presume you all know that recently, Mr. Gu has sacrificed a great deal to change the current state of our Yi Province," Governor Liang began.
"Everything he is doing now benefits the country and the people.
"As a colleague, I, the governor, feel truly ashamed.
"Since I cannot help in other areas, I can only donate three thousand taels of Silver. Consider it my meager contribution in the hope that our Yi Province can clear a few more plots of wasteland and allow the commoners to live stable lives sooner."
Gu Wenheng quickly stood up and cupped his hands. "The Governor is truly righteous. As your subordinate, I rejoice for the people of Yi Province. Having a parents official like you is a blessing for the locals."
The officials who had been sitting quietly digesting their food could no longer remain seated; they all stood up to offer their praises.
Gu Wenheng waited until they finished their flattery before continuing, "The Governor is generous with his wealth and supportive of my policies. I am endlessly grateful. Therefore, I have decided to follow the Governor’s example and donate three thousand taels of silver to help build our Yi Province."
The officials present were rendered speechless. Even the best food in the world would leave a bad taste in their mouths at a banquet like this. It seemed these two had planned this all along.
But what could they do? They had no choice but to follow suit, one by one.
Cen Gaosong said, "...As your subordinate, I am also willing to do my meager part and donate two thousand Silver Taels."
Li Mingyun added, "...As your subordinate, I am also willing to donate Silver..."
...
By the time the banquet ended, over thirty thousand taels of Silver had been recorded in the registry.
Governor Liang let out a long sigh of relief. Turning to Gu Wenheng, who had just finished seeing the guests off with him, he offered a word of advice, "Mr. Gu, you can pull this once, but not twice."
Gu Wenheng naturally understood this. He could have easily convinced Jin Qianqian to contribute more Silver, but these subordinate officials would also benefit from the situation eventually. Paying a little upfront now was only right.
He smiled and cupped his hands in thanks to Governor Liang. "Thank you for today, sir. The people here will certainly remember the kindness of all you officials."
Governor Liang stroked his beard and laughed. "I still think very highly of you. I hope you won’t disappoint me."
If he hadn’t thought highly of Gu Wenheng, he never would have helped with this—especially since it cost him several thousand taels of Silver, enough to make his heart ache for days.
Now that the masters of the households had donated Silver, the inner courtyards and local gentry also showed their support.
This time, Jin Qianqian didn’t keep a low profile. Under the banner of supporting her husband, she directly donated one hundred thousand taels of Silver, shocking the entire Yi Province government.
Knowing the couple’s history of rising to wealth, people like Governor Liang weren’t surprised in the least.
In their eyes, this amount of Silver might surpass their entire net worth, but to Mrs. Gu Jin, it was probably just spare change.
However, many who didn’t know the truth thought they had caught a scent of something and went around inquiring about the origin of this Silver.
By the time they discovered the source, the back courtyards of every estate were swimming in jealousy.
In her estate, Mrs. Cen Zhang—Zhang Guihong—spoke to her daughter about the matter, her tone dripping with sourness. "I really couldn’t tell. This Mrs. Gu Jin is actually an Imperial Merchant! With Mr. Gu backing her, no wonder she can hoard wealth so brazenly."
Seeing that only the two of them were in the inner hall, Cen Yueqin smiled bitterly. "Mother, we can talk about this in private, but you must be careful outside."
"How am I wrong? A woman growing a business this large? I don’t believe for a second that Mr. Gu isn’t backing her up behind the scenes.
"Just how much wealth do you think she has to casually toss out one hundred thousand taels of Silver?
"I remember her stingy appearance on the road that day. She couldn’t even produce a decent meeting gift. Could she just be putting on a false front to look wealthy?"
Cen Yueqin replied, "...Mother, didn’t Mrs. Gu make up for the meeting gift later at the gathering? Let’s not bring that up again.
"Besides, when we were on the road, we visited them completely unannounced. It’s perfectly normal that they weren’t prepared. If I recall correctly, you didn’t give the two Mr. Gus meeting gifts at that time either, did you?"
Mrs. Cen Zhang shot back, "...How is that the same? She has so much Silver and servants waiting on her; there’s no way she couldn’t afford it. In my eyes, she simply looked down on us."
Seeing her mother stubbornly obsessing over this dead end, Cen Yueqin knew she had to make things absolutely clear today, or her mother would definitely offend someone outside.
"Didn’t we already find out? Aside from the tribute bath soap and scented soap, the entire sea trade over in Lu City was established with Mrs. Gu taking the lion’s share.
"Not to mention the Tianfu Restaurants scattered everywhere. Those places are absolute gold mines! Weren’t you just missing the dishes from the Tianfu Restaurant? All of those are Mrs. Gu’s properties."
The more Mrs. Cen Zhang heard, the greener her eyes became with envy. "It’s fine to run one kind of business, but to monopolize everything? How is anyone else supposed to make a living?"