PDLP Chapter 171 Even Good Brothers Must Settle Accounts Clearly
Chapter 171 Even Good Brothers Must Settle Accounts Clearly
Qin Bingrui could never have imagined that Ning Wang Zhu Jinyou actually wanted to become fat in one go, so he directly sent three large ships upstream. Although it took one more day on the journey, the amount of cargo he could carry was doubled.
Not long after the three large ships arrived, another three large ships set off one after another.
After hearing what Yan Xuan said, Princess Rui knew that the Rui Palace couldn't lose its momentum, so she had to add another ship, anyway, it was under the guise of the Imperial City Division catching the White Tiger!
Although Qin Bingrui had gained a few pounds after traveling by boat several times, she felt relieved when she saw that the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching and the people in Wangzhou City were living happily and well.
It just so happened that the imperial court had sent down disaster relief grain, and the spy from the Marquis' Mansion reported the situation in Wangzhou City to Prince Mo of the Marquis' Mansion. Prince Mo directly threw a teacup at him, and he didn't know who to vent his anger on.
But the people below did not get through the message and still transported the prepared grain into the city. As a result, they were shocked to see that prices had dropped a lot. Even old rice was sold at the normal market price of three cents. Meat, on the other hand, was becoming more and more expensive. Anyway, only the rich could afford it.
Of course, once the goods arrive, they cannot be shipped back. After all, the prices of other goods are still higher than those outside.
On the second day, the markets in several counties of Wangzhou were completely opened.
Because Yan Xuan and Qin Bingrui promoted the market vigorously outside, exaggerating how high and scary the prices were in Wangzhou, and that the power of word of mouth was magical, it didn't take long before many merchants came with their goods, only to be stunned. They wanted to return the goods, but the waste would be even higher. After all, the demand here was still great, so they decided to stay and make some money.
The people cheered, and Wangzhou finally returned to normal life.
Qin Bingrui and his companions were very happy that they no longer had to follow the ship and cargo, so they booked a big restaurant to celebrate.
The prefect, Lord Li, and several other lords also made a special trip to attend their banquet. After drinking a few drinks, Qin Bingrui kept bragging about how he had overcome many difficulties and finally captured a group of criminals.
Yan Xuan was very cooperative and supportive, his mouth wide open in surprise: "Miss Qin, who did you catch? No one on the river dares to stop us, the Imperial City Division, hahahaha."
Qin Bingrui originally wanted to boast about his courage, strategy and majesty, but ended up letting this guy steal the credit.
Several adults from Wangzhou Prefecture came to toast Ye Yucheng and Yan Xuan. Qin Bingrui snorted coldly. These hypocritical Confucian old guys still looked down on women.
Luo Yu saw that she was unhappy and comforted her, "Our Miss Qin is the most capable. As a woman, she led the charge on the front lines. You also arranged all the connections throughout the process, contributing both effort and money. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid Wangzhou City's economy would lag behind other cities by decades."
The faces of the adults who spoke turned red and white.
He came over with his wine glass raised to toast Miss Qin.
Lord Li did not stand up. He knew in his heart that without the two girls, this trip would never be accomplished. What was the point of just toasting and expressing gratitude? He could not think of any substantive expression for the time being.
Although Qin Bingrui looked unhappy just now, he immediately smiled after being praised by several adults and with the help of Yan Xuan and He Yuan.
He raised his glass to the sky and said, "This success is not the result of any one of us, but the result of the unity and cooperation of everyone present. It is a victory for everyone and for the people of Wangzhou.
Next time, we'll do something bigger."
"Ah, what else do you want to do?"
The adults looked at each other, not daring to agree casually.
Murong smiled faintly. This Miss Qin was really good at speaking. I'm sure everyone present felt warmed when they heard her words. If she were not a woman, she would have the potential to be a general.
Luo Yu watched them drink and make noise before clearing his throat with a sweet smile.
"My Lords, I would like to take advantage of the fact that everyone is here to discuss this account."
After saying that, she asked Master Murong to give her the account book.
In fact, except for the main table where sat the prefect Li, three other officials, as well as the Yecheng Envoy, Master Murong, Yan Xuan and He Yuan, Luo Yu and Qin Bingrui, the rest of the tables were occupied by people from the Imperial City Bureau and the brothers who transported goods together.
Luo Yu wanted to bring the accounts to the table so that everyone would know clearly and no one would question anyone else.
She wouldn't take a penny more, so she didn't want to be criticized. She just wanted to feel at peace with herself.
Lord Li stood up and bowed to Luo Yu to show his respect.
The other three adults were also stunned. At that time, they suspected that they were just businessmen taking advantage of the situation to rob, but they didn’t expect that they would now bring up their own accounts. What did it mean?
Ye Yucheng and Master Murong sat up straight. Yan Xuan and He Yuanben were playing drinking and rock-paper-scissors with Miss Qin. When they saw that the atmosphere was not right, they immediately sat up straight. The lobby was quiet. The owner of the restaurant called all the waiters to the kitchen. They said that some things might cost their lives, so they should not listen carelessly.
Luo Yu was stunned by everyone's sudden seriousness.
He immediately acted serious and cleared his throat, just like a leader making a speech.
"Then I'll give you a brief introduction to the main goods we're importing this time, including the cost and profit."
...(omitting 10,000 words)
"After deducting the cost of the ship, the labor costs, and the expenses of the personnel on the road, our total profit is 265,000 taels of silver.
I will divide this silver into five equal parts, each containing 53,000 taels of silver. One part will go to His Royal Highness Prince Rui and His Royal Highness Prince Ning, one part to the Imperial City Bureau, one part to Wangzhou Prefecture, and one part to be shared by Miss Qin, Young Master Murong, and me."
When the people in the Imperial City heard this, they were overjoyed. They could actually earn over 50,000 taels of silver by doing public work, and that was in less than two weeks. They were so happy. The day after tomorrow was the Mid-Autumn Festival. Although they couldn't go home to reunite with their families, having money could certainly ease their worries.
Ye Yucheng looked at his subordinates who were ready to make a move. Knowing that they all had evil intentions, he said coldly: "We in the Imperial City Bureau only need to keep 1,000 taels of this money for travel expenses. Miss Bai can handle the rest."
Originally, he wanted to hand it over to Wangzhou Prefecture for confiscation, but when he saw the greedy faces of those officials, he was not so willing to give it to them.
Yan Xuan echoed, "These ideas were all thought up by Miss Bai, and Miss Qin contributed the most, so you two ladies should take more."
It turns out that children from wealthy families don't value these material possessions.
Luo Yu smiled and accepted the responsibility. However, with a quick glance, he could see that the excited expressions of the guards from the Imperial City Bureau had turned into a little depressed.
"How about this? I'll give each of the Imperial City Guards one hundred taels of silver as compensation for their work, and also as a reward for their hard work. You'll have many other things you need money for in the future, and this small amount of money is not a token of respect."
He Yuan's eyes suddenly widened: "Really? Miss Bai, you are so beautiful and kind-hearted."
Luo Yu glanced at Lord Ye and Yan Xuan again and said with a smile, "Since Lord Ye and Yan Xuan don't need it, then I won't give them the money."
Second person: “…”
Yan Xuan looked at Ye Chengshi and pursed his lips.
A certain Lord Ma who was there uttered a small sound of disdain. He knew that these two women were being hypocritical, wanting to make things look good but not wanting to lose money.
Luo Yu could naturally see his attitude. She didn't say much, just smiled and continued talking.
"Miss Qin, Master Murong, and I have discussed this privately and decided to donate all of it to the victims in the disaster area. We will use all the money to buy food and porridge for relief. In the next few days, Miss Qin, Master Murong, and I will join the porridge distribution efforts."
After saying that, he continued to look at Lord Li.
Lord Li pondered for a moment before saying, "I have submitted a memorial to the Emperor requesting disaster relief funds. If the funds are received, we can begin excavating the canal today."
"Lord Li, in that case, regardless of whether the relief grain arrives or not, we might as well begin work. Now that the rainy season is over and the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, it's a good time to start. As for the money, I think we can first take out the money from the Imperial City Bureau, and add it to the silver allocated by Wangzhou Prefecture. It should be enough to last for a while. The rest depends on whether the Qingyang Marquis' Mansion is willing to cooperate."
Even though Lord Li, Envoy Ye, and Young Master Murong knew Miss Bai's plan, everyone else was stunned when they heard it. Did she really intend to contribute all the money she earned this time?
A seemingly ordinary woman mobilized all her available strength, was it really just to save the people of a city?
What does she want?