"Lord Lishan has arrived!"

As an old eunuch pulled the voice of the male duck and shouted with a long charm, the inside of the Tianwaitian Restaurant fell silent, and everyone left the table and knelt on the ground.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cunqi, who was dressed in plain clothes, was like a fragrant jasmine, and with the support of two maids, he walked into the hall. After not seeing her for a few days, she was a little clearer than before, and her expression was haggard, and Zhu Youzhen couldn't help but feel secretly distressed when she saw it.

"The county lord Chitose Chitose!" Hundreds of people in the restaurant visited in a disorderly manner. Most of the guests who came today were coming for Zhu Cunqi, because they all knew that she was going to hold a donation meeting here tonight. How noble is the identity of the county lord, who lives in the palace on weekdays, and ordinary people have no chance to see it. Therefore, these people came here to participate in the meeting just under the guise of a pretense, and with the psychology of curiosity, competing to see the county lord's face is the truth.

Zhu Cunqi slowly walked up to the temporary high platform in the middle of the hall, first deeply blessed everyone in the building, and then said loudly: "Everyone here is a well-known merchant in Xi'an, and today I am willing to appreciate the light to participate in this donation meeting. ”

Everyone hurriedly replied, and there was a sudden noise in the building. But when a wealthy middle-aged man in his forties and fifties and richly dressed stood up at the door of the largest private room directly north of the fourth floor, everyone stopped speaking and listened quietly, which showed the great power of this person.

"The county lord is too humble!" The middle-aged man smiled and said, "Since ancient times, there have been no lower courtesies. Shinong industry and commerce, and our businessmen are at the bottom of the list, how can they be worthy of the courtesy of the county lord. ”

"This is Qiao Beiyue of the Jinzhong Business Gang, is it the leader of the Qiao Gang?" Zhu Cunqi smiled slightly, "No matter what your background is, you are all Cunqi's fathers and fellow villagers. Cunqi was born and grew up in Si, and the food and clothing are provided by the people of Shaanxi, how can you not be grateful to your fathers and fellow villagers? ”

She only said a few simple sentences, and then skillfully cut to the point: "Because of this, this time the Guanzhong earthquake is like a burn!" I have seen first-hand the devastation of people affected by the disaster, many of whom are homeless, without food and clothing, and even unable to bury their families when they are killed.

"As the saying goes, distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors, and they are both children of the Three Qins, how can they witness the suffering of their fellow villagers but be indifferent? That's why Cunqi launched this donation meeting, hoping that you will donate generously to help the people affected by the disaster. Donate 10,000 taels of silver first, and the right to throw bricks and attract jade. ”

"The righteous act of the county lord, we are very impressed. However, the villain also has some questions, and he always feels uneasy if he doesn't ask clearly. "There was a person at the door of another private room who spoke, this person had a crooked nose and a wide mouth, thick eyebrows and small eyes, top-heavy, looking extremely strange, but the corners of his eyes and eyebrows always carried a little anger.

"This is the leader of the Yulin Merchant Gang!" Zhu Cunqi smiled and said, "If you have something to say, it doesn't hurt to say it!" ”

The one who spoke was indeed Ma Laosi, the leader of the Yulin Business Gang. He didn't take Zhu Cunqi too seriously, and asked a little disappreciatively: "The little people who donate silver have nothing to say, and the donations that the Yulin merchants give to the government every year have also gone to the sea." But the government has to give money if it wants it, and if it doesn't give it, it has to give, but I don't know what kind of charter the county lord has here? ”

Zhu Cunqi hurriedly said: "Cunqi is not from the government, but only advises donations on his behalf. Whether you pledge or not, donate more or less, are all voluntary, and there is absolutely no compulsion. ”

"Then the little people will rest assured!" There was also a person standing at the table next to Ma Laosi, this person was only thirty-five or sixteen years old, and a pair of shrewd little eyes flashed with a treacherous light, "But the villain Li Hu still has a question, that is, who will manage the donated silver, and how will it be used?" If the county lord collects the money and hands it over to the government, hehe, I'm very worried. ”

"This..."Zhu Cunqi was speechless for a while. In fact, how to use this money, Zhu Cunqi really didn't think about it carefully. All she wanted was to give the silver to Zhu Youzhen, the king of Qin, and the king of Qin would arrange it reasonably. But when her words came to her mouth, she couldn't say them for some reason, and even her cheeks were slightly red.

Seeing that Zhu Cunqi couldn't answer, everyone in the building suddenly stirred. The big and small businessmen here are best at living the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain, and at this moment they all secretly think that this Lishan county lord is just selling dog meat on the head of a sheep, and he is just making a nose for himself in the name of disaster relief.

Seeing that Zhu Cunqi was unfavorable, and the situation was a little out of control, Zhu Youzhen secretly thought that if he didn't come out again, his imperial sister would have to hit a big nail.

So he let out a long laugh and stood up and said, "Do you still need to ask the county lord's intentions?" It must be led by the county lord and assisted by the major merchant gangs to set up an independent foundation. The foundation is supervised by various merchant gangs and is financially transparent. Except for a part of the silver that was directly distributed to the people, the rest were tendered for the procurement of disaster relief materials to solve the people's urgent needs..."

Zhu Cunqi saw that it was Zhu Youzhen who was speaking, and he was so surprised that he almost screamed, and he hurriedly pretended to cough and covered his lips lightly, but his eyes were already full of smiles.

And the person who spoke just now was none other than Li Hu, the original owner of the Qin Wangfu and the leader of the Tiger Roaring Merchant Gang. Seeing that someone was helping Zhu Cunqi to relieve the siege, he sneered and said, "Who is Your Excellency?" The term 'Foundation' is quite new. But the meaning of the county lord, how can you speculate? ”

"That's what I mean!" Zhu Cunqi hurriedly said loudly.

Before Li Zicheng could introduce him, Qiao Beiyue, the leader of the Jinzhong Business Gang, had already stroked his palms and laughed, and said softly and firmly: "If the contemptible person is not mistaken, this is You Gongzi, the upstart of the Xi'an business community and the leader of the Huanghai Business Gang, right?" It's really terrifying, if Gongzi You goes through a few more years, I will have nothing to eat! ”

"The surname is You, don't just pick up the nice ones! Since you dare to come forward, report it first, how much silver do you Huanghai Merchant Gang plan to donate? Ma Laosi said provocatively in an unkind tone.

Zhu Youzhen saw that he had become the target of public criticism as soon as he spoke, and he suddenly felt bad. Secretly thinking that it seems that the existence of the Yellow Sea Merchant Gang has seriously threatened the interests of these major merchant gangs, these guys are actually going to unite and start a war against themselves!

Zhu Cunqi also saw some clues, and hurriedly smiled: "Helpers, please be calm and don't be impatient." As the saying goes, the general is put to the back, and several gang leaders are strong, so there is no need to rush for a while. Chess storage starts from the hall on the first floor, and gradually persuades donations. When you move to the fourth floor, it will not be too late for you to decide on the amount of your pledge. ”

Zhu Youzhen listened to the secret praise, and Zhu Cunqi, who was so smart, first put on a high hat for these guys, and then started with a small businessman on the first floor. In this way, in the end, these gang leaders can't be embarrassed to donate less than before. In this way, the donation is basically successful.

When he was thinking about it, Zhu Cunqi had already begun to persuade donations. Every time she came to a table, she was deeply blessed, attracting all the merchants at the table to avoid the table and return the courtesy. And these people refused to lose face in front of the county lord, ranging from dozens of taels to hundreds of taels, and everyone gave generously, and in a short time they had collected 30,000 taels of silver.

Zhu Cunqi was secretly happy in his heart, and on the one hand, he ordered someone to register the donors, and on the other hand, he turned to the second floor.

If the guests on the first floor are still a little weaker, the second and third floors are boss-level figures. But the more bosses they are, the more stingy they are in voicing, and some people see that they are quickly persuaded to their heads, and they even play the trick of urinating. After turning the two floors, he only raised more than 20,000 taels of silver, and Zhu Cunqi couldn't help but be a little disappointed.

When he came to the fourth floor, Zhu Cunqi was embarrassed to look for Zhu Youjian first, but first looked for the eldest Li Henian.

Li Henian's ancestors all lived in Xi'an, and he was honest, and he respected the members of the royal family. Seeing that the county lord came to persuade him personally, he hurriedly bowed down and said: "The county lord is above, and the villain's Shaanxi businessmen are willing to donate 30,000 taels." ”

This one has exceeded the sum of the second and third floors, and Zhu Cunqi is even more pleased.

But when he was transferred to the Jinzhong Business Gang, Qiao Beiyue said with a look of embarrassment: "County Lord, it's not that the villain is stingy, it's really that the Jinzhong Business Gang also suffered heavy losses in the earthquake, and it can't be turned around for a while, please forgive the villain for not being able to help this time." ”

Not only did Zhu Cunqi lose his face at this time, but even Zhu Youzhen was stunned. I didn't expect this Qiao Beiyue to act so ruthlessly, he really dared to pull out a dime!

Li Hu also turned around and said: "The villain originally wanted to donate tens of thousands of taels, but he had doubts about the 'foundation' that Gongzi You said. Therefore, the villain will provide disaster relief alone, and dare not mix with the righteous deeds of the county lord. ”

Ma Laosi also stepped forward and said with a smile: "There are always rumors that our Yulin merchant gang colluded with thieves, but this time we let the thieves rob a ruthless vote, and the silver can't be taken out for the time being!" But this 'Foundation', the villain is very interested. If the county lord is not enough, the villain can send someone to supervise the current accounts and see if the surname You is a troublemaker! ”

"I'll go to your uncle's!" Zhu Youzhen finally couldn't hold back the anger in his heart, pointed at Ma Laosi's nose and scolded, "Did your brain get into the water, or did you let the donkey kick it when you were a child?" I don't have a dime, and I still want to send someone to take care of the accounts? You'd better take care of your two big lips first! ”

"I'm a thief of your mother!" Ma Laosi was also furious, and he was about to come up and beat Zhu Youzhen with his fists. Xie Sheng and the others immediately rushed up, protected Zhu Youzhen in the middle, and yelled: "If you don't want to live, go forward!" ”

Ma Laosi was originally born as a ruffian, although he was shameless, he refused to suffer the immediate loss. At a glance, he knew that Zhu Youzhen's guards were extraordinary, and they were also carrying guys, if they stretched out their hands on the spot, they would never be able to bargain. So he chirped hatefully: "The surname is You, you wait for me!" Then he walked away.

As soon as Ma Laosi left, Qiao Beiyue, Li Hu and others also excused themselves and left. Seeing that the situation was not right, the guests also dispersed in a hurry. A good persuasion was dissolved, but it was disturbed and dispersed.

Zhu Youzhen saw that Zhu Cunqi was so angry that he burst into tears, and said with some guilt: "County Lord, I'm sorry, I didn't hold back my temper for a while..."

"Don't blame Your Highness, those big merchant gangs are clearly working against you!" Zhu Cunqi smiled reluctantly, "Fortunately, I have persuaded to donate more than 80,000 taels of silver, although it is too little, it is better than nothing, please Your Highness transport it back to Qinwangzhuang to help the people!" ”

Zhu Youzhen shook his head and said, "Thank you for the county lord's kindness!" But what I said just now is also true, the money must be run by an independent foundation, and if I want it, I will leave a pretext for others. In this way, the Huanghai Merchant Gang also donated 30,000 taels of silver, and the foundation was co-managed by major funders. As for those big merchant gangs, tear your face and tear your face, anyway, sooner or later there will be a vicious fight! ”