One thousand taels! Did this little girl have no concept of money at all?
He had worked under Zhou Qiyuan for five years, taking bribes for five years, and had only accumulated five thousand. She opened her mouth and demanded a fifth of it right off the bat?
Wu Kun gave a forced laugh: “Miss Su must be joking. My monthly salary is merely a little over ten taels. How could I possibly afford that much? Besides, Lord Magistrate is in charge of everything. How could it be my turn to put up money?”
In the past, when Zhou Qiyuan heard such words, he would have taken them as flattery and praise.
It sounded decent enough.
The money those wealthy merchants provided him every year amounted to tens of thousands of taels, so Zhou Qiyuan didn’t care about such small change in the slightest.
At this moment, however, having been brainwashed by Su Nianyuan, Zhou Qiyuan found those words extremely grating to the ear.
His smile vanished, and he slammed his hand onto the table.
The loud thud frightened both men into dropping to their knees immediately. Wu Kun was even more terrified and apprehensive: “Lord Zhou! It was this servant running his mouth and saying the wrong thing! Please do not be angry, Lord Zhou! Don’t let your anger harm your health!”
Having served as a dog by his side for five years, Wu Kun was someone Zhou Qiyuan still trusted for the most part.
He snorted cold-heartedly: “I am no fool to be taken advantage of! Don’t expect me to cover every expense! Don’t think I don’t know how much silver you’ve taken behind my back over these years. Hand it over if you know what’s good for you!”
Wu Kun slammed his forehead firmly against the floor.
He didn’t understand. He had simply drunk a bit too much wine last night; how could the world have completely changed when he woke up?
He couldn’t fall out with the magistrate just yet—money could always be made back.
Grit his teeth, Wu Kun said, “You are right, My Lord. As the County Assistant, it is only right that I contribute to the common folk. I will donate one thousand taels… no, two thousand taels!”
Su Nianyuan didn’t know how much Wu Kun had embezzled behind the scenes, nor had she expected this man to actually have so much cash on hand.
Lin Wenbin was equally shocked, turning his head to stare at Wu Kun.
Yet Zhou Qiyuan merely spoke in an indifferent tone: “Not enough.”
Wu Kun closed his eyes and went all in!
“Five thousand taels! My Lord, this subordinate truly only has this much left!”
Su Nianyuan: Tsk, tsk, tsk, embezzling a thousand taels a year, huh?
Lin Wenbin: How on earth did the County Assistant earn all that?
Li Si outside: Tsk, so why on earth was his Li family exiled again?
Zhou Qiyuan was satisfied. He nodded, his voice turning much gentler: “Not bad.”
“Wenbin, take a trip to Yifu Temple. This official intends to organize a charity auction. Wu Kun, go notify all the dignitaries and wealthy merchants in the city to bring enough money and gather at Yifu Temple at the hour of noon.”
He added a sentence, his tone laced with a hint of danger: “If they wish to continue living peacefully in Cangwu County, they had better come obediently.”
Lin Wenbin responded swiftly: “Yes, My Lord!”
A chill ran down Wu Kun’s spine. Lord Zhou wasn’t just targeting him—he was targeting the wealthy merchants of the entire Cangwu County!
What on earth was he planning to do?
“Yes, My Lord.”
The two left quickly. Zhou Qiyuan put his smile back on, coaxing gently, “Come, eat a bit more.”
Su Nianyuan smiled sweetly: “Thank you, Godfather.”
At the doorway, just as Lin Wenbin was about to leave, Wu Kun grabbed him and dragged him straight into an alley.
“Master Wu?”
Wu Kun wanted to smile, but the expression looked more like crying.
There was no helping it—who wouldn’t want to cry after being forced to part with five thousand taels in a single day?
Pressing his hands on Lin Wenbin’s shoulders, he took a deep breath, striving not to lose his temper, and asked in a gentle, pleasant tone, “Wenbin, in the two years since you arrived, I’ve taken pretty good care of you, haven’t I?”
“Tell me, what is Lord Zhou planning to do? Why the sudden, drastic change?”
In the past, whenever Zhou Qiyuan had a plan, he would always arrange for him to handle it. How could it ever be Lin Wenbin’s turn?
Lowering his voice, he asked cautiously, “Did I do something wrong and make His Lordship angry?”
Lin Wenbin’s eyes held a complex look. He let out a sigh and patted Wu Kun’s shoulder: “Master Wu, let’s just do as Lord Zhou instructed. In any case, we won’t suffer any loss.”
Wu Kun’s eyelids twitched violently.
You won’t suffer any loss, but I lost five thousand taels!
However, Lin Wenbin’s words served as a reminder to Wu Kun. Given his understanding of Zhou Qiyuan, this matter was definitely no small affair.
Rolling his eyes, an idea quickly formed in his mind.
“Alright, I’ll go notify them right away.”
He turned and strode away. He had to figure out a way to earn back the five thousand taels he had lost!
Cangwu County had many wealthy merchants, spanning industries such as shipping, salt trading, pharmaceuticals, pawnshops, teahouses, and brothels.
In addition, there were quite a few scholarly families. Most of those who remained in Lingnan lived in ancestral manors, while many of their descendants held official posts elsewhere.
When living under another’s roof, one had to bow one’s head; they had to extend a bit of courtesy at the very least.
Thus, at the hour of noon, Yifu Temple turned away ordinary worshippers, hosting exclusively prominent figures with power and prestige from the city.
Patriarchs of many prominent families personally attended, all because of a single sentence Wu Kun had uttered:
“If you do not come today, calamity may fall upon your head.”
They knew better than anyone what kind of person Zhou Qiyuan was.
Quite a few people slipped money to Wu Kun, desperate to learn Zhou Qiyuan’s underlying motive. Wu Kun accepted the money, but his response remained vague and ambiguous, merely telling them to bring plenty of cash.
Everyone was left completely in the dark, yet shared the exact same thought:
With a natural disaster overhead, Zhou Qiyuan hadn’t just pocketed the imperial court’s relief grain, but now wanted to take from their pockets as well? It wasn’t even the New Year yet—this was far too shameless!
Gathered together, they conversed in hushed tones with acquaintances, their expressions all rather grim.
On the steps of Yifu Temple stood an incense table, upon which rested writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.
Beside the incense table stood a wooden placard bearing large, clear characters that could be read easily even from below the steps:
“Road Naming Rights Charity Auction?”
Someone read it aloud, utterly baffled: “What does this mean? What is a ‘Road Naming Rights Charity Auction’?”
“I have no idea. What trick is the magistrate playing now? I heard that yesterday he even opened the city gates to distribute grain to those refugees, and had the townspeople help them. He must be out of his mind.”
“Precisely! Wouldn’t it be better to use that money to repair the roads in the county town instead of giving it to those refugees outside? Word has it that the grain came from the Li Family Grain Shop.”
“Manager Li, what on earth were you thinking?”
The spearhead was instantly aimed at the quiet Manager Li. Manager Li raised his head, meeting dozens of inquisitive gazes.
He pressed his lips tightly together. It would be a lie to say he didn’t regret it.
In a moment of hot-headedness yesterday, he had given away ten thousand catties of old grain just to get his name shown before His Majesty. How could a man like Zhou Qiyuan possibly give him that chance, though?
He would undoubtedly claim all the benefits for himself.
With the grain already distributed, however, admitting regret now would make him look far too shameful.
Clenching his fist, he placed it by his lips and let out a soft cough, his gaze serene, putting on the air of an aloof master.
He sighed in a deep, solemn voice: “As a member of Cangwu County, how could I stand by and watch the common people become displaced and homeless? Consider that warehouse of old grain as a way for me to accumulate blessings for my descendants.”
He even deliberately added, “If the opportunity arises, I would like to accumulate even more blessings.”
The crowd: “…”
Look at you putting on airs! Usually you’re stingy down to a copper or two, and now you’re acting generous!
Who would believe there isn’t something fishy going on behind the scenes?
After hearing Manager Li’s words, everyone grew even more curious. Living in the same county town, who didn’t know everyone else?
For the miserly Manager Li to give away so much for nothing, what kind of benefits had Magistrate Zhou actually offered him?
Their curiosity now outweighed their gloom as everyone awaited Zhou Qiyuan’s appearance.