There were many high-ranking officials in the capital, so it was impossible for the prince to go door to door to collect money and grain. Therefore, those who came to register were officials from the Eastern Palace and clerks from the Ministry of Revenue. Only a few older uncles of the emperor could allow the prince to visit them in person.
Opposite the General's Mansion lived a family, the residence of Xiao Da, the Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Secretaries. This man was a disciple of the King of Jin, and he had received a message from the King of Jin last night that he must not let the Crown Prince's fundraising go too smoothly.
So when the officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Eastern Palace came to the door, Xiao Da stood at the door, his hands in his sleeves, and said with a guilty look: "My family is poor, I have nothing, I want to help the victims of the disaster in the north, but I am powerless. I gritted my teeth and squeezed out five hundred taels of silver. I hope you won't despise it."
After he finished speaking, he ordered the old servant to bring a box of scattered copper coins and silver, which looked really shabby.
Xie Jingyuan and Chu Xinian stood behind the door and watched the fun. Seeing this, they sneered and said, "This old man likes to raise horses. There are dozens of top-quality horses from the Western Regions in the backyard, and he wants a thousand taels of silver just to lead one out. Xiao Da has received orders from the King of Jin and is deliberately trying to trip up the Crown Prince."
The salaries of officials in the Yan Dynasty were average. Not counting rice, grain, and cotton cloth, the annual salary of a third-rank official was only eight hundred taels. Therefore, Xiao Da only took out five hundred taels, and people couldn't say anything about it.
Unfortunately, officials are not fools. Everyone has some private business. The Emperor of Yan would grant gold, silver and fertile land from time to time. Add to that the filial piety of the people below, and the salary from the court is just a drizzle.
All in all, Xiao Da is simply disgusting.
The officials of the Eastern Palace were used to it, and probably the situation was similar in other families. They ordered people to count the money and register it before going to the general's mansion.
Xie Jingyuan threw a stack of silver notes into Chu Xinian's arms. Chu Xinian smiled and handed it to the prince's official: "General, I heard that the locust plague is spreading in the north and the people are exchanging their children for food. I am really worried. I am donating 10,000 taels of silver and 3,000 dan of rice."
Ten thousand taels is not too much, not too little. It is a contribution and will not arouse the suspicion of Emperor Yan. Everyone else is so poor, but you are the only one who is generous. Wouldn't it make people suspect that you are corrupt
The prince's official was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes, and he took the banknote tremblingly. It was obvious that this was probably the largest amount of "windfall" he had received so far in today's fundraising.
"General, you are so righteous. I would like to thank you on behalf of the people."
Xiao Da was standing at the opposite door, probably wanting to find out the situation. When he saw Xie Jingyuan donating 10,000 taels of silver, he sighed meaningfully, "General Xie is really generous. People like me who rely on salaries to make a living can only save up these small amounts."
He seemed to be speaking in a sarcastic and indirect way, but no one could find his true colors.
Xie Jingyuan was usually a man of unbridled temper. He glanced at Xiao Da with a scornful smile in his eyes and said slowly, "Sir Xiao has been an official for more than 20 years, and has only accumulated a hundred taels of private property. Tsk, it's really..."
He shook his head, as if he didn't know how to describe it, and after a long while he finally uttered four words: "... a piece of trash."
Chu Xi agreed with this. This is just like a leader who earns a million dollars a year in modern times, but has no illness or disaster, but has only saved 500,000 in 20 years. It's just as outrageous. I don't know whether I should say he is too extravagant or has a bad brain.
Xie Jingyuan always cursed people directly, never beating around the bush. Xiao Da, who was standing opposite, heard this and was so angry that his face turned blue. He pointed at Xie Jingyuan and said tremblingly, "You...Xie Jingyuan, I'm going to report you to the emperor!"
Xie Jingyuan was not afraid. He raised his head and laughed out loud when he heard it. He was very happy: "You donated 500 taels of silver and you still have the nerve to report this general. Go ahead and see who the emperor will punish."
These days, people with a lot of money are the most powerful.
Chu Xinian slowly waved his fan, and added to the attack, saying softly: "Master Xiao is already over 50 years old, why do you have to cry and complain like a child?"
Xiao Da was almost pissed off by these two bastards. He felt dizzy and staggered back two steps. But he didn't have the courage to go to the Emperor of Yan. Donating 500 taels was already stingy, and he dared to go to the emperor. That was simply like holding a lantern and going to the toilet, looking for death.
"I'm not done with you!"
Xiao Da could only utter this harsh word which had little deterrent effect, then turned around and walked out of the room.
Xie Jingyuan glanced at Chu Xinian: "Is this the good show you were talking about?"
Chu Xinian smiled and said, "Don't worry, General. There will be something interesting to watch later."
The matter of collecting grain was urgent, and the troops of the Ministry of Revenue of the Eastern Palace were mobilized and divided into many groups. They visited all the nobles' homes in the morning. As expected, the amount was pitifully small. Only the aristocratic families gave more, but it was still a drop in the bucket.
The people of the Jin Wang faction were secretly watching the joke, including the Ping Wang and the Chang Wang, who were also trying to make trouble without leaving any trace, to see how the crown prince would handle the matter. However, at noon, officials from the East Palace suddenly went door to door and handed out a letter with the names of those who donated money and grain written on it.
Xiao Da also had one. He looked at it for a long time but couldn't figure out what it was. He frowned and asked, "What is this?"
Chu Xinian and Xie Jingyuan were standing at the door. They came out to watch the fun after lunch. Seeing this, they walked down the stone steps and "kindly" explained to Xiao Da: "Master Xiao, don't you know that this is the ranking on the merit tablet?"
Because the grain collection issue affected thousands of households, every household came out to see what was going on. Merchants and common people also gathered on the street, ready to hear what this piece of paper was about.
Xiao Da frowned and asked, "What merit tablet?"
Chu Xinian's voice was clear, neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone around to hear: "Lord Xiao, you may not know that the Crown Prince is grateful for your donations and wants to let future generations remember it, so he asked skilled craftsmen to build a century-old merit stele with white marble, engraved our names on it, and placed it outside the city gate so that people coming and going can see it. It will be passed down through the ages, which is a good reputation."
Xiao Da hadn't realized the seriousness of the matter yet, and nodded unconsciously, thinking that the donation of 500 taels of silver was not in vain. His achievements in this life were mediocre, and he was afraid that he would not be recorded in the history books until his death. If his name could be left on the hundred-year merit monument in the history books, everyone could see it...
When Xiao Da thought of this, a sudden warmth surged in his chest, and his heart beat wildly, as if he had foreseen the scene of his fame being passed down through the generations. The officials of the families living next to the general's mansion were not much lower in rank, and when the servants heard Chu Xinian's words, they all ran in to inform their masters.
However, at this moment, Chu Xinian suddenly changed the subject and said with an embarrassed tone: "But the name on this monument..."
Xiao Da subconsciously looked at him: "What's wrong with the name on the monument?"
Chu Xinian shook his head repeatedly, as if he felt sorry: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that the order of the names on the stele will be based on the amount of silver donated, regardless of official rank. Those who donated more will be at the top, and those who donated less... their names will naturally be pushed to the bottom."
When Xiao Da thought of his five hundred taels, his heart suddenly skipped a beat and his beautiful dream was shattered.
The ancients valued reputation and integrity, and some stubborn people even valued reputation more than life. It would be fine if the donation was small, but it would be a disgrace to the ancestors to have it engraved on a century-old stone tablet for everyone to see.
Chu Xinian happened to be holding the list, flipping through several pages in front of Xiao Da, pointing to the last few rows of names and deliberately saying: "Master Xiao, look, your name is here."
Xiao Da looked in the direction of his finger and saw that his name was listed behind everyone else, at the very bottom. Perhaps there was not enough space on the paper, so his name was deliberately reduced in size, and it was crooked like an ant. His face immediately turned red.
Xie Jingyuan crossed his arms, as if he thought Xiao Da wasn't stimulated enough, and deliberately raised his voice to ask Chu Xinian: "Look, where are our names?"
Chu Xinian flipped a few pages forward, pointed to the fifth row and said with a smile: "General, you are ranked fifth."
Xie Jingyuan curled his lips slightly: "Fifth is not enough, at least we have to squeeze in third place, otherwise our descendants will see that our ancestors' names are behind the times, wouldn't that be a disgrace to the adults?"
Xiao Da was so angry that his mind was confused. Xie Jingyuan and Chu Xinian were both homosexuals. They had no children or grandchildren. How could their descendants come from? It was obvious that they were insulting him in a veiled way!
Chu Xinian smiled and put away the fan, tapping his palm lightly: "This is not difficult, General, don't worry, I will immediately send another 30,000 taels of silver to the East Palace, and our family's ranking will naturally go up."
But the prince was so mean that he deliberately wrote the names of the hostile families together on the list.
The Hedong Pei family and the Jingzhao Wei family have always been enemies, but the Pei family ranks just above the Wei family. The head of the Wei family is so angry that he slams the table and says, "Asshole, we are both aristocratic families, why should our Wei family be inferior to the Pei family and be suppressed by them!"
Madam Wei was even more worried: "My husband, I heard from the servants that this monument should be erected outside the city for a hundred years, so that the people coming and going can see it. We can just donate a few tens of thousands of taels of silver."
The head of the Wei family frowned and hesitated: "But Prince Jin..."
Madam Wei flicked her handkerchief and became annoyed. "Prince Jin, Prince Jin, Prince Jin has not yet become the crown prince. Even if he does, what can he do to our family? My husband, think carefully, which is more important, a hundred years of reputation or the Prince of Jin? If you don't donate money, I will be inferior to the lady of the Pei family in future boudoir gatherings."
Dynasties rose and fell, but the only ones that remained standing were the aristocratic families. Their surnames were so noble that they once overshadowed the royal family. Even the princesses wanted to marry into a family of higher status. Although the Prince of Jin might become the crown prince, the Wei family didn't need to be too afraid.
The head of the Wei family sighed and thought: "I thought the prince was stupid, but looking at his method today, I know he is not stupid. I knew it was a trap, but I had to fall into it. Whatever, it's just a few tens of thousands of taels of silver, my Wei family can afford it."
After he finished speaking, he immediately ordered his servants to take the silver and send it to the East Palace as fast as possible. The same thing happened in every household at the same time. For a while, the streets were full of servants who were ordered by their masters to send silver to the East Palace. The streets were almost blocked.
But Chu Xinian still felt it was not enough. The richest people in the Yan Dynasty were not the aristocratic families, nor the powerful royal family, but the busy, low-status merchants who wished they could make the most of their money.
He stood at the door, watching Xiao Da so angry that he threw his sleeves and went back to the house, while the onlookers looked at him curiously. He then turned to talk about another matter: "I almost forgot, in fact, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also said that there were also wealthy merchants who donated money and labor in this fundraising. He was grateful for their kindness and said that he would select a few people to give plaques with his own handwriting as a reward."
Civil and military officials might not be interested in the plaque written by the prince himself, but these lowly merchants were different. They felt that the county magistrate was indescribably noble, let alone the prince, who was a royal descendant.
If they had such a plaque hanging on the door, their status would be completely different from other merchants. They would not have to bow and scrape when they went out, and their faces would be proud. That was a plaque bestowed by the crown prince himself. Anyone who saw it would have to be courteous and respectful. They would have more confidence when doing business, after all, the crown prince had praised him personally.
There were also many businessmen among the crowd, who asked cautiously, "Will the prince really give us a plaque?"
"Naturally true."
Chu Xinian flipped through a few pages of the list, pointed at one of the names and said to everyone, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that a Taiyuan merchant named Chen Shouren gave all his money to help the northern land during the famine, and he was specially awarded a plaque with the words 'Virtue and Glory'. It has probably been sent to his home by now."
Suddenly, a man in the crowd shouted in surprise, pointing at his companions and saying, "Chen Shouren?! Brother Chen, isn't that you?"
Chen Shouren was also stunned when his friend pointed at him. His hometown was in the north, and he traveled thousands of miles to Beijing to do business. He had not returned for several years. He had never thought that a locust plague would occur. He heard that the prince was collecting money and food, and was afraid that the elders in his hometown would suffer, so he donated all his family property. Unexpectedly, he received a plaque personally bestowed by the prince? !
Chen Shouren still couldn't believe it, and looked around repeatedly: "Is it... me?"
The onlookers couldn't help but look at him with envy. To be able to receive something personally bestowed by the prince, perhaps it was something with dragon energy attached to it. This guy's ancestors must be very happy.
Chu Xinian walked up to him and handed him the list in his hand with a smile: "Virtue and Flowing Light comes from the Guliang Zhuan, the 15th Year of Duke Xi. The prince hopes that your virtue will be profound and influence the world, and your descendants will also be blessed."
Chen Shouren took the list with both hands, his fingertips trembling, and he felt it was as heavy as a thousand pounds. He didn't know why, but when he saw his name written neatly on it, he suddenly burst into tears and said, "I... I thank the prince..."
He suddenly accepted a golden pie, which made other merchants jealous. Without saying a word, they turned around and went straight to the bank and grain store. Isn't it just donating silver? They don't have much else, but they have a lot of money. Chen Shouren only donated a mere 1,000 taels of silver, but he got a plaque personally bestowed by the prince. Why can't they do the same
Chu Xinian saw all the reactions from all sides, and finally stopped the show. He turned around and went back to the mansion with Xie Jingyuan. He spoke slowly and leisurely with a smile: "General, look, all the money has been delivered."
Xie Jingyuan looked at him without saying anything. After a long while, he suddenly laughed out loud, but he didn't explain why.
Chu Xinian really couldn't guess it this time, and asked in a puzzled tone: "What are you laughing at, General?"
Xie Jingyuan pushed the door open and walked into the room, laughing so hard that he fell on the couch. He took off the mask on his face and threw it aside. After a long while, he panted and said, "I am laughing at the King of Jin for being blind. He didn't use such a talented person who could rule the world, but threw him to the general's mansion as a discarded pawn. It's really ridiculous, how ridiculous."
Chu Xinian also felt like laughing. He leaned over to support Xie Jingyuan and said in a low voice, "Then the general should thank King Jin. Otherwise, how could he have met a good man like me?"
"My dear?" Xie Jingyuan raised his eyelids and snorted, "He is clearly a traitor."
He couldn't think of anyone in the world more treacherous than Chu Xinian.
Chu Xinian kissed his lips, biting them lightly, and said in a vague voice: "So what if you are a traitor?"
Just don't be a bitch.
At the same time, Prince Jin also received the news quickly, and the palace was shrouded in dark clouds.