After the grain merchants came to a conclusion at the banquet, they all said that since the county lord had made such a kindness, they should naturally return the favor.
As for how to repay Li, they quickly reached a consensus at the banquet. According to the size of the grain shops, the grain merchants were divided into three categories: large, medium and small. Those who belonged to the small grain merchants gave a thank-you gift of 800 taels of silver; those who belonged to the medium grain merchants gave a thank-you gift of 1,500 taels of silver; and those who belonged to the large grain merchants gave a thank-you gift of 2,500 taels of silver.
Of course, these were only the first batch of thank-you gifts. At the end of each month, they would take out 20% of the net profit according to the business performance of their respective grain shops and send it to the government office as thank-you gifts.
You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child! The businessmen knew this truth very well. Although the thank-you gift was a lot, it was not a small amount for them, but compared with the future benefits, it was nothing!
With the official document endorsement from the county magistrate, they can sell grain and make money without any worries. They don't have to worry about being arrested and thrown into prison, exiled, or beheaded on the spot or made an example of!
Compared with the grain merchants in Taizhou Prefecture and other counties, the grain merchants in Jingnan were already in heaven.
Of course, although there were already rules on how to report Li, in order to be safe, a group of grain merchants nominated one to test the waters. They first went to the county government office to give Zhu Ping'an a thank-you gift and test the waters for everyone.
Shopkeeper Lu stood out with a high number of votes and was "honored" to become the stone to test the waters.
"Hehe, can't you send another person to accompany me? Shopkeeper Tai, you and I are brothers, so would you please accompany me?" Shopkeeper Lu looked at the grain merchants, especially Shopkeeper Tai, with a bitter face.
"Get out of here!" Shopkeeper Tai rolled his eyes.
"Fatty Lu, don't dawdle any longer. Go quickly and come back soon. We are all anxiously waiting for your reply. If you don't leave now, the 30% thank you gift we gave you for this recognition will not count."
Seeing that Shopkeeper Lu was hesitating, the grain merchants could not help but urge him on, half threateningly and half jokingly, scolding and laughing.
"The wind is whistling and the Yi River is cold. Fatty, I will be back soon. All the shopkeepers, please wait for my good news."
Upon hearing the grain merchants threaten to take back the 30% reward for helping him, the money-loving Shopkeeper Lu stopped hesitating, his waist and back no longer ached, and he trotted all the way to be his guide.
A group of grain merchants drank and chatted, imagining the wealth that was within their grasp, while waiting for news from Manager Lu.
Soon, after three rounds of drinks, they heard footsteps and then saw the figure of Shopkeeper Lu.
Oh shit!
How come Fatty Lu came back so soon? Was he kicked out right after he ascended the throne? !
The grain merchants suddenly had a bad feeling in their hearts. They were worried that Fatty Lu had messed up the matter. They felt that the development of the matter was beyond their expectations and beyond their control...
"Fatty Lu, how come you came back so soon? Did the county lord accept the gift you sent?"
A group of grain merchants asked anxiously and nervously.
Shopkeeper Lu nodded first, but before the grain merchants could show any joy on their faces, he shook his head again, and his big fat face shook back and forth, which made the grain merchants angry.
"Fuck! Fatty Lu, you nodded first, then shook your head, what does that mean?! Are you crazy?! Did the county magistrate accept the thank-you gift you sent over or not?! Give us a definite answer. Now is not the time to joke around. If you don't behave yourself, return the 30% thank-you gift we gave you."
The grain merchants were stunned, thinking that Shopkeeper Lu was playing tricks on them, and they spoke to him with unfriendly looks.
Under the gaze of the grain merchants, Shopkeeper Lu nodded first, then shook his head. Seeing that everyone looked unhappy, Shopkeeper Lu's face turned red with anxiety, and he spread his hands, "Oh, I... I don't know whether the county lord will accept it or not!"
"What do you mean? What do you mean you don't know whether the county magistrate accepted it or not?! The thing on your neck is a pig's head. You sent a thank-you gift yourself, and the county magistrate accepted it or not. Can't you tell such a simple thing?! You usually behave properly, but why are you kidding us now?!"
All the grain merchants were so angry that they laughed. The impatient ones started to roll up their sleeves, looking like they were going to teach Shopkeeper Lu a lesson.
"Oh, I'm serious. I'm not kidding you." Shopkeeper Lu blushed and explained anxiously.
"Okay, everyone calm down. Shopkeeper Lu, don't be anxious, sit down and have some tea, and tell us slowly about your meeting with the county magistrate." Shopkeeper Yang waved his hand, signaling everyone to stay calm.
Shopkeeper Lu sat down and gulped down a cup of tea. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, took a deep breath, and told the grain merchants about his gift-giving trip to the yamen. "I arrived at the county yamen and asked the runners in the ear room of the county yamen to pass on the message. I met the county magistrate smoothly. After meeting the county magistrate, I knelt down and kowtowed three times. The county magistrate couldn't stop me... First, on behalf of our Jingnan grain merchants, I expressed my gratitude to the county magistrate for supporting our grain business, and then handed the 1,500 taels of silver note to the county magistrate under the table..."
The time to witness the truth has come!
After hearing this, the grain merchants couldn't help but sit up straight and look at Manager Lu without blinking.
Unexpectedly, Shopkeeper Lu paused at this point, and the grain merchant could not help but glare at him and urged, "And then?"
"Then... the county magistrate was very unhappy, with a serious face, and rejected me righteously. The county magistrate said that he defined the grain for the public good, not for personal gain, and asked me to take back the banknote."
Shopkeeper Lu paused and continued.
What!
The county lord refused?!
The county magistrate did not accept the thank you gift?! This is a bit troublesome! Two thousand five hundred coins per stone, this policy cannot be changed.
The grain merchants became nervous when they heard this. How could they not be nervous if the county magistrate did not accept the thank-you gift
"Fatty Lu, you are stupid. The county magistrate asked you to take it back, so you took it back! Liu Bei even visited him three times!"
"The county lord is reserved, worried that others will know..."
A group of grain merchants sighed and complained to Manager Lu.
"Of course I can't take it back. I told the county magistrate that I had kept the banknote in my pocket all the way, and no one had seen it. Besides, there were only the county magistrate and I in the room, so there was no way anyone else would know about it."
Shopkeeper Lu shook his head vigorously and defended himself.
"Well, that's pretty good. What next?" The grain merchants praised Manager Lu and then asked.
"Then the county magistrate got even angrier, saying that only heaven and earth know, you and I know, so how can you say that no one knows! He refused to accept it." Shopkeeper Lu continued, "I insisted again and again, but the county magistrate refused to accept it and almost kicked me out."
"ah?!"
"How could this be?!"
When the grain merchants heard that Zhu Ping'an insisted on not accepting any thank-you gifts, they were stunned. This was different from what they expected.
I became anxious and angry again.
"However, just when I was discouraged and about to give up, the county magistrate asked me whether I was willing to donate money to Jingnan, which was hit by a severe flood and had displaced and hungry victims. I naturally said yes. Then, the county magistrate took out a donation agreement and asked me to sign and stamp my fingerprints on it. My 1,500 taels of thank-you gift was turned into a donation without me knowing it."
Shopkeeper Lu touched his head and went on to say that his mind was still a mess until now.
When you think there is no way out after so many twists and turns, there is another village ahead. When everyone heard this, their eyes suddenly lit up!
"The county magistrate is really a master. In this way, there is no trace and it is flawless. Hahahaha, Shopkeeper Lu, you did a great job." Shopkeeper Yang smiled and patted Shopkeeper Lu on the shoulder to express his approval.
"Shopkeeper Yang, are you saying that I succeeded in delivering it?!" Shopkeeper Lu's eyes lit up.
Shopkeeper Yang smiled and nodded, then said to the grain merchants, "Everyone, next, it's our turn to go to the county government to donate money."
As a result, a group of grain merchants in Jingnan went to the yamen one after another to pay a visit to Zhu Ping'an and donated money enthusiastically.