The next day, the gentry from all counties came to Weicheng one after another, and the Chamber of Commerce had already arranged personnel to receive them. The largest restaurant in Weicheng, "Tianxiangju", has been contracted by the Chamber of Commerce, and the upper and lower floors have been carefully dressed. The second and third floors are patio-style buildings, and there are tables on the stage on the second floor.

As soon as the landlords of the counties entered the city, they noticed the difference, no one was collecting money at the city gates, the people came and went freely, the soldiers only occasionally checked the pedestrians, and the soldiers were very polite to everyone.

Entering the city, the officials walked around the streets, each with a sincere smile on their faces, and they were very polite to the vendors. The ruffians and hooligans disappeared from the streets. The ground is much cleaner, with some old people cleaning the streets and some craftsmen repairing the broken ones. A group of apparently beggars, led by a man dressed as a steward, are clearing out the garbage piled up in the alley, and large trucks are loading it up and pulling it out of the city.

The rich men entered the "Tianxiangju" one by one, and some men led them to their seats, and those who knew and didn't know each other greeted each other, and everyone was a little excited and uneasy.

The upper and lower floors of the restaurant were full of people, and at this time, someone shouted, "The horse will grow!" Everyone's eyes fell on the group of people who were walking up to the second hug. President Ma and his entourage smiled and waved to everyone as they walked, and the group sat down on the stage on the second floor.

President Ma stood up and walked to the middle, arching around, "The United Chamber of Commerce specially invited all the squires to come this time is an important matter to discuss, this chamber of commerce wants to establish a workshop in Weizhou, and call all the squires to come to join the shares, and after the workshop is completed, dividends will be distributed every month according to the proportion of shares." After speaking, he waited for a while, and when he saw that no one answered, he said again, "I don't know what questions you have?" ”

An old man on the third floor got up and arched his hand and said, "Lord, I don't know how much I have to vote?" What is the profit? President Ma turned around, "Please come and tell everyone about it!" A person stood up on the stage, turned his hand around, and said, "The villain has invested 1,000 taels in the Chamber of Commerce, and the current monthly dividend is nearly 20 taels." ”

Everyone was a little moved when they heard it, nearly twenty taels in a month, and more than two hundred taels a year. At this time, President Ma spoke again: "In fact, the current strength of the Chamber of Commerce is enough to open a workshop in Weicheng, and by that time, Brother Wang's dividend will reach nearly fifty taels per month." However, His Royal Highness said that the gentry of every place must be involved, so there is today's covenant. ”

After a pause, President Ma said again, "However, His Royal Highness also has a request, all the gentry who have invested in the Chamber of Commerce can only collect a hundred catties of grain rent per mu for all fields under their names, and they must not overcharge the field rent under any excuse!" ”

This time the audience was in chaos, and everyone was talking. President Ma pressed down with his hands and said, "Everyone! Everybody! Hear me out! ”

The crowd gradually quieted down, and President Ma said, "The squires now rely on the rent in the fields, and it seems that they have a good income, but they are a great waste of resources. The rent you are now charging is very high, so the tenants just have to grit their teeth and pay it, and what is left is only enough for the tenants to make ends meet, so that these people have no spending power. Right! ”

Some people in the audience nodded, and President Ma said, "If you only collect 100 catties per mu, it seems that you will suffer a loss, but think about it, after the tenants sell the excess grain, do they want to improve their lives, a bundle of vermicelli, a jar of tofu, and a pound of wine are delicious and not expensive." Think about it, did the tenant deliver the money to you again? How many people are here, and how many people are there! ”

"You see the people out there, they're doing what they can. There will be no one who has nothing to do under His Highness, and there will be no one who sits back and waits for alms. They all use their labor to earn an income, and this income will eventually go into your pockets. ”

"Money will not show its value when it is placed there, only when it flows will money make money, and the more people who have the ability to spend, the more money you will earn. Everyone is stubbornly guarding those fields, and no matter how much they have, they will be those dead incomes. If there are natural and man-made disasters again, I'm afraid I won't have much income! But taking a stake in the Chamber of Commerce will allow you to keep your income in times of drought and flood, and as the Chamber of Commerce grows larger, your income will only increase. The greater your highness's rule, the more income you will earn. And the Chamber of Commerce will continue to launch projects to ensure everyone's income! ”

No one spoke, the restaurant was quiet, and President Ma was depressed, "It took me a day yesterday to memorize the words that His Highness taught me." It shouldn't be ineffective! Could it be that His Highness's words are no longer working! ”

At this moment, I only heard a shout from the first floor, "Your Highness is benevolent, the old man is willing to invest in the Chamber of Commerce for two thousand taels!" With this shout, many people finally reacted, and many raised their hands and shouted, "I'm also a shareholder!" I'm also a shareholder! ”

President Ma smiled on his face, raised his hands and shouted, "Everyone, everyone, if you are willing to buy shares, please go to the backyard of the restaurant, where the contract has been prepared, you only need to sign and draw a pledge, and the silver will be transported into the Chamber of Commerce tomorrow." Please also go back and immediately lower the rent, this is the request of His Highness. The crowd returned, "Definitely!" Certain! "A lot of people went to the backyard in a hurry.

There were still some people who sat there and didn't move, and President Ma didn't pay attention. Creak! Your Highness's pit has been dug, and you have to jump if you don't jump!

Li Jie doesn't care about these things, Gewu Academy is what he values the most. At present, arithmetic has been initially successful, and some children have become proficient in bookkeeping, and have obtained a good silver tael in some merchants.

At the request of Li Jie, all movable type printing is in simplified Chinese, and all the books used by readers are also in simplified Chinese, which greatly reduces the printing cost. While some readers expressed dissatisfaction, ordinary people were happy. Gewu College recruits a large number of orphans and commoners, and the requirement is that all children must participate in the work of the college. At present, the academy in Xinxiang County can no longer accommodate it. The walls of Weicheng City are high, and it is necessary to open another academy here.

Xue Liang was sent out by himself early in the morning to find a place, and the next step should be opened in physics and chemistry, which will be the guarantee of the army's combat strength in the future.

Li Jie, who was thinking in the study, was interrupted by footsteps, and President Ma ran in, "Your Highness, many people have signed contracts with the Chamber of Commerce today, and only a few have not. "Hmm! Very good! Those people will sign it too, but then one or two dollars a share! Well! And also! In the name of the Chamber of Commerce, the purchase of miscanthus and sulfur will increase the amount of the army in the future, and the amount left in the firearms battalion is no longer enough to fight a war! ”

Chairman Ma bowed down and said, "The old slave will do it immediately, and the use of the army will be guaranteed." Li Jie added, "Coke honeycomb coal can also be taken out and shared, only if they are given benefits, they will listen to me honestly." If they don't listen or do something wrong, they will regret it! The Chamber of Commerce also needs to open more businesses in various places, and Jinyiwei needs an identity to operate in the local area! "Yes! The old slave will go down and arrange it! ”

President Ma left, Li Jie began to write physical chemistry textbooks in the study, which will be a boost for his own development, Li Jie has not gone out, and there are more and more manuscripts on the desk. Xue Liang has come back and is talking to Manniang.

Seeing that Li Jie had not come out, the nurse entered the study with a tray, the millet porridge in the tray exuded aroma, and a plate of exquisite side dishes made people's mouths. Putting the tray on the table, the nurse came over and pinched Li Jie's ear, "Stinky boy, it's getting more and more disagreeable!" I didn't eat any food! Li Jie threw down his pen and exaggeratedly called, "The nurse let go, her ears are about to fall off!" The nurse let go of her hand and slapped Li Jie on the head again, "Go eat!" ”

Li Jie drank millet porridge and asked, "Nurse, is Xue Liang back?" The nurse said, "I'm back, I didn't dare to come in when I saw that you were busy, and I was talking to Manniang!" "Call him in!"

After Xue Liang came in, he arched his hand and said, "Your Highness, Xiao and his subordinates have traveled all over the city, but they have not found a suitable place. ”

Li Jie smiled, "Go to the city and ask those big families, do you have a house for sale?" "Xue Liang was stunned!" Your Highness, why! "Move!" "Moving?"

Xue Liang is stupid! "Yes, move! I'm here the mansion of the former Wei City Guard, it's too big! Renovate enough for more than 1,000 students! ”

"Your Highness, no!" Xue Liang hurriedly shouted, "It's okay, I live there, but the school must ensure that there is enough space, it's not safe outside the city, and I don't want to disturb the people in the city." Xue Liang was in a hurry, turned around and ran out.

After a while, the nurse came, and Xue Liang followed behind. "I heard you're moving to build a college?" The nurse asked. "Yes, it's not safe outside the city, and it's the largest in the city. I want every child to study, I want every college to be the biggest building in the city, and I want all children in the world to have a book. I want to make reading no longer an unattainable dream for the poor! I want everyone in Datang to be well-read! ”

The nurse burst into tears, "Okay, Your Highness, let's move!" Xue Liang reluctantly turned around and went out.

Xue Liang spent three hundred taels of silver to buy a seven-entry courtyard in the hands of a wealthy merchant. At dawn the next day, Li Jie moved. Li Jie was stunned when he opened the door! A large number of people knelt down in the dark outside the door, and Xu Mingren stood aside to watch the excitement. Liu Qi, Qin Fang and the others knelt in front, and when they saw Li Zhuo coming, Liu Qi arched his hand, "Your Highness, please take back your fate!" How can His Highness's golden body go to live in such a small place, and wait for ten thousand deaths! Zhao Fei also bowed his hand, "Your Highness, the ministers of the academy will find a way to solve it, how can you let Your Highness let the mansion stay." Panic! ”

Li Jie smiled, "I still say the same thing, it is not safe for the academy to be built outside the city, and there is no big enough place in the city." I don't want to waste money and money, so it's best for me to move out, and I can renovate it so that 1,000 students can study here. I hope that every academy is the largest building in the local area, I hope that every child in my Datang can read and write, and I hope that children from poor families can also sit in the academy and read and write! ”