"Constable Sun, you are …?"
The arrival of nearly a hundred yamen runners naturally attracted the attention of the 'host' of the fundraising event, Lin Wenyuan. He hurried forward and asked Constable Sun.
Lantian County was Li Zexuan's fief, and the 'host' of today's fundraising event was the Yan Huang Chamber of Commerce. The mastermind behind the scenes was Li Zexuan, so Lin Wenyuan naturally did not misunderstand that Constable Sun had brought so many people here to cause trouble. However, he did not expect that the Lantian County yamen, as the government, would actually send people here today. After all, the fundraising event mainly invited businessmen!
"Old Master Lin, I am under the orders of County Magistrate He to bring people here to maintain order and ensure that the fundraising event will proceed smoothly. Cough, I hope that Old Master Lin will not be offended by the number of people who came! "
Constable Sun very politely cupped his fists towards Lin Wenyuan and said.
Hearing this, Lin Wenyuan hurriedly said, "What are you saying, Constable Sun? This fundraising event involves a huge sum of money. For the county yamen to send people here, I am naturally more than happy to oblige. Why would I be offended? In a while, I will invite Constable Sun in for tea! "
Lin Wenyuan was a businessman. If it was in the past, when would he not bow and scrape in front of officials? Now that he was an important member of the Yan Huang Chamber of Commerce and had Li Zexuan's protection, he could not help but straighten his back. But even so, he didn't dare to be complacent, arrogant, and despotic, because he knew who gave him everything he had now. He was now dealing with people in the officialdom, adhering to the principle of "being neither servile nor overbearing, if people respect him, he will respect them tenfold". He would not embarrass the Yan Huang Chamber of Commerce, nor would he cause unnecessary trouble for the Yan Huang Chamber of Commerce!
"Hehe! Old Master Lin, you don't have to be so courteous. I am just a boor. Today, protecting this Longmen Inn is my duty. You don't have to care about me! In a while, the county magistrate will come personally! "
Constable Sun smiled and cupped his fists towards Lin Wenyuan.
Hearing this, Lin Wenyuan was slightly taken aback. He did not expect that not only would the county yamen send a constable to maintain order, even County Magistrate He would be coming personally. This was a donation gathering organized by the Yan Huang Chamber of Commerce. Wasn't County Magistrate He afraid that his identity would be exposed to gossip?
Although that was what he was thinking, Lin Wenyuan remained calm and collected. He cupped his hands respectfully and said, "Constable Sun is really diligent and responsible. Then I will go and entertain the guests. When County Magistrate He arrives, I will definitely welcome him personally!"
At this moment, cries of surprise rang out from the crowd. Then, the crowd took the initiative to open up a path. An official in a purple official robe with a golden jade belt at his waist walked toward the Dragon Gate Inn with seven or eight low-ranking officials.
Looking at the color of the leader's official uniform, he was actually a third-grade official!
"Whoa! Where did this high ranking official come from? "
"Looks like he's from Chang 'an!"
"Eh? Isn't this Minister Xiao from the Ministry of Revenue? "
"What is Minister Xiao doing here?"
The onlookers were whispering to each other in low voices.
It was not that they had not seen high ranking officials before. Even the Emperor had come to Lantian County before. It was just that all third-grade officials and above were important officials of the imperial court. Now that the donation gathering was about to start, a third-grade official suddenly came here. It was inevitable that the crowd could not help but discuss in low voices.
Lin Wenyuan's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly went up with the other members of the Yan Huang Chamber of Commerce and bowed respectfully. "Lin Wenyuan of the Yan Huang Chamber of Commerce greets Minister Xiao!"
"Cao Wendong from the Yan Huang Chamber of Commerce (Feng Zhihua, Zheng Qianjun, Liao Xifan) greets Minister Xiao!"
"Everyone, there's no need to be so polite!"
Xiao Yu stopped in his tracks and waved at the crowd. Then he looked at Lin Wenyuan and said, "I'm here on orders to take over the money from the donation gathering. Once the gathering is over, the Ministry of Revenue will register all the money and send it back to Chang 'an. Boss Lin, when will the donation gathering begin?"
Li Er had indeed sent people from the Ministry of Revenue over to receive the donations from the fundraiser, but Li Er did not ask Xiao Yu to come over personally. Actually, Xiao Yu only needed to send a few of his "little brothers" over for this sort of thing. However, this old man had previously made a bet with Li Er on whether this fundraiser could raise enough funds for a 150,000 man army. Naturally, he wanted to come over personally to see for himself!
Merchants valued profits, and Xiao Yu did not think that these merchants would be so generous as to donate money to the court. This was because this matter did not benefit them at all. At this moment, he was already thinking about where the court would get the money if the donation gathering did not raise enough money. After all, Li Er's edict had already been sent to the various provinces and counties. The elite soldiers of the various provinces were gathering in Chang 'an. The fact that the northern expedition army had increased by 150,000 was already an indisputable fact. As the Minister of Revenue, he naturally had to think of ways to raise money!
Little did Old Man Xiao know that calling on merchants to raise money for the country was only Li Zexuan's first method. Even if it failed, Li Zexuan had ten thousand ways to make up for it. For example, he could use the Yan Huang Bank to get a loan from the court, or the court could issue war bonds to the people. Once the war was won, they would return the money to the people.
Every method could easily solve the current dilemma of the court. The reason why Li Zexuan prioritized the donation gathering was because he wanted to use this opportunity to arouse the patriotism of the Tang people and build momentum for the upcoming war between the Tang Empire and the Turks!
History tells us that only by mobilizing the masses and gaining the support of the people can we win the war!
At this moment, Lin Wenyuan looked at the sundial in front of the Longmen Inn. It was still a little short of the agreed time. However, he could not let Xiao Yu, the Minister of Revenue, stand outside and wait. After all, Xiao Yu was an elder who had lived through several dynasties. His position in the court was important. Thus, he cupped his hands and said, "The donation gathering will begin soon. Minister Xiao, please come in!"
Then, he ordered the servants, "Open the door! Invite the guests to take their seats! "
"Yes! Master! "
The servant of the Lin Clan bowed and ran to open the door of the inn. Lin Wenyuan and the others invited Xiao Yu to enter first. Xiao Yu did not refuse. When they entered the hall on the first floor of the inn, Xiao Yu couldn't help but exclaim, "Boss Lin, this inn is really luxurious. It doesn't pale in comparison to Yanhuang College at all. How extravagant! No wonder it's the number one inn in Lantian County! "
As busy as Xiao Yu was, he naturally didn't have time to visit the Longmen Inn in Lantian County. He had heard of the reputation of the Longmen Inn, but he had never seen it in person. Seeing it for the first time today, he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration!
"Minister Xiao, you flatter me. How can this inn be compared to Yanhuang College, the holy land of the literary world? Please take a seat! "
As they spoke, they had already arrived in the hall. Lin Wenyuan pointed to the seat of honor and invited Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu's status was the highest here, so there was nothing wrong with inviting him to the seat of honor!
Xiao Yu shook his head and said, "I'm only here to observe. Boss Lin, you are the host of this fundraiser. How can I steal the limelight?"
After saying that, he led a few officials from the Ministry of Revenue to the first row on the left.
Seeing this, Lin Wenyuan couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. Xiao Yu's arrival had caught him off guard. If the other party wanted to interfere with the fundraiser, he really didn't have any good countermeasures. After all, Li Zexuan wasn't here. How could he, a mere merchant, go against a high official of the imperial court like Xiao Yu?
At this moment, Xiao Yu gave up the seat of honor and took the initiative to sit down. He was undoubtedly expressing his attitude to Lin Wenyuan. In this fundraiser, he was only responsible for "counting the money" and wouldn't interfere with the process!
"Go prepare some fruits and snacks and send them to Minister Xiao! Oh, go take out this old man's collection of Immortal Tea and make a pot for Minister Xiao! "
Lin Wenyuan ordered the manservant beside him to return the favor.
"Yes! Master! "
The servant received the order and left.
At this moment, long tables had been set up on both sides of the inn. The merchants who came to participate in the fundraiser had to "sign in" here and indicate the amount of money they wanted to donate. Of course, in order to verify their identity, they also needed to show the next shop's deed. After everything was ready, the "staff" would return a rectangular plate with the amount of money donated, the donor, and the shop's name on it. Only then could they enter.
This was mainly to increase the efficiency of the fundraiser. Although the area of the first floor of the Longmen Inn was large, there was a limit to its capacity. It was impossible to let all the people outside in.
Not long after, Lantian County's County Magistrate He arrived with a group of officials. With Xiao Yu, a third-rank official, in front of him, Lin Wenyuan didn't have much fear and trepidation when he greeted Magistrate He. However, he deliberately arranged Magistrate He's seat next to Xiao Yu's, which made Magistrate He look at him with admiration.
At six in the afternoon, all the merchants outside the inn finished "signing in" and took their seats in the hall. At a rough glance, there were about six to seven hundred people. As for those who hadn't arrived yet, as long as the fundraiser wasn't over yet, they could still continue participating after signing in. This was the humane aspect of the fundraiser.
It was worth mentioning that Li Yu had brought the reporters from the editorial department of Tang Daily over as well. Of course, they were not there to donate money, but to record this patriotic event so that they could publish it in tomorrow's newspaper.
It was a hot summer day, but the hall on the first floor of the Longmen Inn was abnormally cool. This was because there were buckets of ice placed around the hall. In front of each bucket, there was a maid holding a fan to fan it. It was like a "human air conditioner". As such, the people in the hall naturally didn't feel the heat!
After hearing the waiter report that the merchants outside had all entered, Lin Wenyuan walked to the front of the crowd. He held the latest loudspeaker developed by the Strange Taste Pavilion, which was a hand-held megaphone. He faced the crowd and said,
"Dear friends from the business world, I am Lin Wenyuan. On behalf of the Yan Huang Chamber of Commerce and Marquis, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you!"
Although Lin Wenyuan didn't shout hysterically, his voice reverberated throughout the hall. The merchants who had been whispering to each other a moment ago immediately quieted down. After Lin Wenyuan finished speaking, he bowed deeply to the crowd. His attitude was sincere and his expression was sincere!
This fundraiser wasn't just beneficial to the Yan Huang Chamber of Commerce. It was also beneficial to the imperial court and the people of the world. However, Lin Wenyuan could only represent the Yan Huang Chamber of Commerce. As for the imperial court and the people of the world, he wouldn't dare to represent them.
"Boss Lin, there's no need to be so courteous. The rise and fall of the country is the responsibility of the people!"
At this moment, someone in the hall said loudly.
Once this was said, many people immediately echoed his words.
"That's right, that's right! The rise and fall of the country is the responsibility of the people. We are here to do our part for the Great Tang! "
"That's right, that's right! Without the stability of the country, how can we merchants do business? Boss Lin, there's no need to be so courteous. We are doing our best for the country, and also for ourselves! "
The voices of agreement from the crowd moved Xiao Yu slightly. He hadn't expected these merchants to have such a high level of awareness. Regardless of whether these people were sincere or not, since they were able to enter the Longmen Inn today, it meant that they were here to donate money. This was real money!
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