Smoke and snow, snow and snow piled up on the plum branches.

The snow scene in the early morning is particularly poetic, it has been raining all night, and now it is knee-high, fortunately, the heavy snow has become a little smaller rhythm, if it continues to cover according to the scale of yesterday, the sky and the earth will really be covered in silver.

Xiao Rui doesn't have to go to the morning court, he naturally sleeps until he wakes up naturally. After the maid served, she got dressed, and heard that a lot of people had gathered in front of the palace early in the morning, all of whom had come to buy invitations. In the early dynasty, Emperor Xia specially praised this charity auction, especially those pretentious and self-regarded magnates who were knocked on the side, and this was not the early dynasty, and the busy people sent people to raise donations.

Li Yuanfang met with the stewards of these powerful mansions according to Xiao Rui's explanation, and then put them on the table regardless of the invitation, and said seriously: "I'm sorry everyone, welcome all housekeepers to dedicate love on behalf of your mansion and actively raise donations, but due to the tight production of the invitation letter, there is really no stock, and the invitation to enter the donation will not be given this time." ”

As soon as these words came out, the eyes of the stewards shifted from Li Yuanfang to the invitation on the table.

What is it? Are we all blind?

But they didn't dare to come hard, this is the Xianwang Mansion, and if the tone is a little heavier, it may be thrown out, look at the black man standing next to him, with two plate axes in his hands, how can there be such an ugly person! Who dares to resist a word.

"This brother, my family is worried about the people, do you see that the donation is 1,500 taels, can you hurry up and make an invitation?" A steward asked respectfully.

Li Yuanfang said with a smile: "Your family cares about charity, so I have to make one as much as I can." ”

After speaking, Li Yuanfang raised his hand and picked up an invitation.

The other stewards looked at each other and touched the silver ticket on their waists, and there was nothing to love.

......

Xiao Rui didn't care about this little episode, he had breakfast, and a brocade-clothed guard Qianhu brought someone to send the donated treasures of His Majesty, the Empress and the concubines, Xiao Rui personally checked them one by one, and was quite satisfied.

In particular, the calligraphy of Emperor Xia is guaranteed to make money.

Qianhu is a thin and tall man, and said respectfully: "His Royal Highness King Xian, the last general Zhao Zihao was ordered by the commander to fully cooperate with His Royal Highness King Xian, and His Royal Highness is driven if he has something." ”

Xiao Rui nodded and said: "Okay, first send these treasures to the Zhuangyuan Building, and then you go to the famous Treasure Pavilion in the capital, find a connoisseur who knows how to appreciate them, and ask him to write an explanation of the origin of these treasures. ”

"Yes, Your Highness!" Zhao Zihao responded.

Xiao Rui said: "Then find a Confucian student with good calligraphy, purchase the things on the paper, and try to finish it before noon!" ”

As he spoke, Xiao Rui waved his hand.

Gao Quan handed over the list of materials to Zhao Zihao, as well as five hundred taels of silver.

"The rest of the money for the purchase is yours, bring the brothers to eat something good." Xiao Rui said.

Zhao Zihao glanced at the list, it cost a dozen taels at most, and he hurriedly thanked him: "Thank you, Your Highness, the last general will definitely do a good job." ”

Xiao Rui nodded, asked Zhao Zihao to step back, and then informed Gao Quan to tell Li Yuanfang that as soon as noon passed, stop the sale of invitations, sort out the list of all invited elites, and don't wait for the obsolete time, even if you contribute 10,000 taels, don't think about buying invitations!

It's really when I want to come to the Xianwang Mansion!

Everything is going according to plan.

After noon, Li Yuanfang sorted out the list and accompanied Xiao Rui to the Champion Building.

At this time, inside and outside the champion building, there are brocade guards, the street has been banned, some people come to the door to clear the snow, the shops on both sides are hidden brocade guards, in the evening, the magnates come to the inevitable flow of people, in case there are assassins with ill intentions to carry out assassination, then the brocade guards will not be able to eat and walk, so all hidden dangers must be eliminated.

Xiao Rui entered the Champion Building and was very satisfied with the cleanliness and environment of the Champion Building. There is a platform in the center of the hall, which is usually used for singing and dancing performances, but this time it happened to be the host venue. There were twelve square tables in the hall under the stage, but they were crowded, and Xiao Rui asked them to remove half of them, leaving only six tables and chairs, leaving enough space to flow out. And these six tables and chairs are for the ten chambers of commerce.

The dignitaries who received the invitation letter could bring one or two people to participate, so Xiao Rui asked Li Yuanfang to sort out the list, a total of eighty-seven people, plus two people they carried, a total of two hundred and sixty-one people, and these two hundred and sixty-one people were all sitting upstairs. The second and third floors were left for them, and the tables and chairs were leaning against the cloister, and when they turned their heads, they could see the situation below.

And the fourth floor was naturally reserved for His Majesty, the Empress, the Imperial Concubine, the Prince, and the County King. They are condescending, and everything is in sight.

In order to make the charity auction more classy, Xiao Rui asked Zhao Zihao to find a group of beautiful women and let them dress up as maids and serve at the table.

Zhao Zihao is also very skillful, he went directly to the fireworks street and pulled a group of Oiran back, these Oiran are all free maids, no need to spend a penny on Xiao Rui, these Oiran also have careful thoughts, in case they are favored by a certain magnate, won't they be able to soar?

Of course, Xiao Rui was also afraid that this group of flowery oirans would mess around, so he asked Zhao Zihao to warn them, because His Majesty would come in person, whoever dared to show off his style and hurt the elegant atmosphere, then obediently rolled into the East Factory to drink tea.

Therefore, the oirans also know the seriousness, and they have put away the red dust of weekdays, and uniformly changed into white long skirts, with a fairy air and expressionless faces, like iceberg beauties.

This tune came together, and the grade went up directly.

Next, everyone takes action.

Invited calligraphy Confucian students to write slogans, make seat cards, connoisseurs who know how to appreciate to write introductions for the baby, sponsorship from several major chambers of commerce have also been sent, and the chefs of dim sum and wine are busy in the back kitchen. As evening approached, everything was ready.

At the end of the unitary time, the charity auction officially began, so when you entered the unitary time, there were officials who came one after another, and only those who had an invitation letter could enter the champion building, and the Jinyi Wei would strictly inspect it. And as soon as they entered the building, they were attracted by the advertising signs hanging around the building, and they couldn't take their eyes off it.

"Hengtong Chamber of Commerce, congratulations on the success of the charity auction! Prosperous and prosperous, life is smooth! ”

"Wankang Chamber of Commerce, escort your happy life."

"Hui business group, I wish the summer flowers and prosperity!"

.......

No matter who enters the door, they are stunned by these signs.

"What is this? Businessman's propaganda? It's hanging here! Monkey business! ”

"Nonsense, nonsense! The words of the businessman, the words of tending to the flames and seeking benefits! Hanging here is simply detrimental to Sven! ”

"His Royal Highness the King of Xian can tolerate the words of lowly businessmen and place them here in a grand manner, how can it be reasonable!"

"The smell of copper is unbearable!"

"When Your Majesty comes, this official will definitely impeach King Xian!"

"That's right! A good game of fun with the people, but he was blinded by these words of interest, and His Majesty must have been kept in the dark! ”

"Wait to see a good show, I believe that after Your Majesty comes in, he will inevitably be furious!"

.......

One person came in, cursed, they spent money to buy invitations, they were already unhappy, and now they finally caught the weakness of King Xian, how can they let it go? Naturally, they had to express their opinions in front of the door, and some officials were Qingliu, and under righteous indignation, they directly reprimanded King Xian's inappropriate behavior!

This made the chamber of commerce in the hall restless, and if they hadn't paid so much, they would have fled from here. But I was still panicked in my heart, what if His Majesty came in and blamed him? God willing, don't be self-defeating!

Xiao Rui sat on the fourth floor, and he could see the situation in front of the door with his side head, and seeing the anger of this group of officials in his eyes, Xiao Rui couldn't help but smile.

It's also a good show to be able to disgust them.

When these magnates were tired of cursing, they were led by the maids to the arranged seats, and the good-looking and cold maids stabilized the tempers of these irascible officials.

Well, King Xian is not completely useless, and the maid he found here is really delicious. It seems to be cold and arrogant, but the eyes are quite seductive, which makes his heart itch and a little ready to move.

Of course, these words in their hearts, these old things dare not express it.

As time progressed, more and more officials came, and the champion building became lively, with discussions, conversations, and atmospheres one after another.

Towards the end of the unitary hour, all the invited officials came, and the seats on the second and third floors were full.

And at this time, Emperor Xia's Luan drove finally arrived.

Xiao Rui was already waiting outside the door, Emperor Xia got off the luan, and Xiao Rui stepped forward to pay a visit.

Behind Emperor Xia, Empress Zhou Xiangyun, Imperial Concubine Lin Yuer, and the mothers of other princes, as well as seven princes.

"Father, it's snowing outside, so let's go into the building early to rest." Xiao Rui saluted one by one.

Xia Huang nodded and said, "Okay!" ”

Xia Huang raised his feet and walked into the champion building, although he was already mentally prepared, but as soon as he entered, he saw the huge signboard with red and black letters, and he was also shaken.

No wonder it can be worth 550,000 taels, this posture is indeed not small.

Behind Emperor Xia, the queen, concubines and princes were also shocked, and immediately looked at each other.

"Your Majesty has arrived!"

With Hai Dafu's singing, the lively atmosphere in the champion building suddenly quieted, and everyone got up and saluted, shouting in unison: "Long live my emperor!" ”

Emperor Xia glanced around and saw familiar faces sitting on the second and third floors, Emperor Xia raised his voice and said, "Tonight, I will have fun with the people, the monarch and the minister, this courtesy of the monarch and the minister is not so strict, get up, feel free." ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty, Longen!" Then everyone got up and stood respectfully.

Xiao Rui guided Emperor Xia to the fourth floor, and Emperor Xia sat down with the empress, concubine, and prince, and other civil and military officials dared to sit down.

"Father, the son has gone down." Xiao Rui said.

Xia Huang nodded.

Xiao Rui went downstairs and went to the platform, and the musician next to him beat the drums, so people's eyes were focused on Xiao Rui.

Xiao Rui moistened his throat, hugged his fists and said with a smile: "Respectfully Your Majesty, the Queen Mother, the Imperial Concubine Niangniang, as well as all the princes, princes, and adults, tonight, this King Xiao Rui will personally stand here to explain to everyone present and preside over this charity auction!" This king understands that this will damage his identity and even affect the royal face, how can the dignified prince show his head in public and engage in such grandiose behavior! ”

"But I want to ask everyone present, what is the purpose of this auction? For the sake of the poor affected by the snowstorm, compared to their lives, it is a little degrading to their status, why not? Therefore, this king asks His Majesty to personally preside over this event, although His Majesty agrees, but the sons and daughters still want to ask for guilt here, and if the sons and daughters are rude, please also ask Your Majesty to punish them! ”

After a pause, Xiao Rui continued: "There is heavy snow outside, we are warm here, and up to now, the snow has been knee-deep, according to the preliminary investigation of the East Factory, thousands of poor people have been affected by the heavy snow, and the houses have been crushed, and there will be more in-depth investigation!" It's coming to the end of the year, and it is a day for family reunion and celebration, but they have to endure the wind, snow and cold, Your Majesty can't bear it, and I believe that all the adults present can't bear it. Therefore, Your Majesty agrees to hold this charity auction, and I hope that you will be generous and willing to contribute to the poor people! Now, I invite you to speak respectfully to Your Majesty! ”

"Applause and warm welcome!"

Xiao Rui took the lead in applauding, and everyone didn't dare to show slackness, they all got up and applauded vigorously, and the applause was like thunder in an instant.

Emperor Xia stood up, stood in front of the cloister, condescendingly glanced at everyone, and said loudly: "King Xian was right just now, the New Year is coming soon, and we can't let the poor people be overshadowed by this heavy snowfall to cover up the joy of the New Year." There has never been a charity auction in the Great Xia Kingdom, this is the first time, but definitely not the last! This is not only an activity to enjoy with the people, the monarch and the ministers, but also a good deed, not through the policy of the imperial court, in a way of private fundraising, to bring warmth to the people. Ministers, you are all my ministers, and I am very happy to have you courtiers who are willing to give and actively serve the people! I believe even more that Great Xia can have such a powerful ruler like you and become more brilliant! ”

"Ladies and gentlemen, do you have anything to say? Speak freely, there are no kings and ministers today, even if the words are inappropriate, I will not pursue them! Emperor Xia continued to ask.

"Your Majesty! Wechen thinks that this charity auction idea is very good, and it will be praised by the world when it spreads all over the world! Li Mingyang, as the first assistant to the cabinet, was the first to express his support.

He sat on the third floor, his hands raised in salute to His Majesty, and his eyes scanned the surroundings and the people downstairs.

"Your Majesty, Weichen seconded it!" Yang Feiyuan, the secretary of the household department, also said that there was no need to touch the treasury of the user department, so he naturally raised his hands in agreement.

However, there are always objections.

Zhou Mingwen, the right attendant of the Ministry of Rites, got up and said: "Your Majesty, Weichen seconded the proposal, this charity auction is a good idea, but there are some small flaws, if these hanging slogans can be removed, it will be even more perfect." Your Majesty, you see, these copper-smelling businessmen's words have nothing to do with today's charity, what is the purpose of His Royal Highness King Xian to do this? Please also ask Your Majesty to be clear. ”

"Yes, Your Majesty, these remarks are all profit-making words, hanging here, polluting the eyes of the ministers!" A clear old minister, full of righteous indignation.

"Your Majesty, although the flaws are not concealed, but these flaws can be removed, I wonder why His Royal Highness King Xian still does this? Please also ask His Royal Highness King Xian to give an explanation! ”

......

There were too many objections, and Emperor Xia smiled and said: "King Xian, since so many people are puzzled and think that it is unseemly to hang these merchant signs, you can explain on the spot, and let these adults understand your good intentions!" ”

"Yes! Erchen understood. Xiao Rui nodded, then glanced around, and said loudly: "Ladies and gentlemen, the purpose of charity tonight is to raise funds and relieve the victims, so as long as you can raise money and save more people, why not put up these signboards?" Do you know that it is these signboards that this king has raised 550,000 taels! Five hundred and fifty thousand taels! Who is willing to donate? If he wants, this king will personally tear up these signboards, and then willingly admit punishment! ”

"Five hundred and fifty thousand taels?" Everyone gasped.

Just these few signboards, 550,000 taels were raised?

Damn, a few chambers of commerce have come up with so much money?

All the officials who opposed it were dumbfounded.

"Lord Zhou, how many poor people can 550,000 taels save? I tell you, at least 3,000 households! Let the 3,000 households be happy and healthy, can't you just endure it, endure these signboards that look full of copper smell? Xiao Rui shouted: "Please remember the purpose of tonight, raise funds to save people!" ”

Zhou Mingwen was instantly speechless, opened his mouth, and didn't know how to refute.

At this time, Emperor Xia smiled and said: "Okay, this matter will be discussed later, the signboard will be hung, it's not a big deal, and it also makes me see that even if it is not the central government, as the people of Great Xia, they also have the world, and they are willing to help the common people when they make money." Hengtong Chamber of Commerce, Wankang Chamber of Commerce, and Huishang Chamber of Commerce, you have a heart. Let's start the auction first. ”

Emperor Xia played a round, which was regarded as a relief for Zhou Mingwen, and of course for Xiao Rui, avoiding the entanglement of other clear streams.

And the chamber of commerce personnel in the hall were enthusiastic, because they heard His Majesty's personal praise, the money leopard almost slapped the table and roared: "The grass people donate another 100,000 taels!" ”

Considering that there are brocade guards all around, I am afraid that I will have my head cut off before I can open my mouth when I slap the table, so let's keep a low profile.

"Knock knock..."

At this time, the drum sounded again, and everyone's eyes returned to Xiao Rui.

Xiao Rui, as the host, did not panic, coughed lightly, and officially began: "Thank you Your Majesty and all your mothers for coming, thank you for your support and princes, thank you for your generosity, tonight, the first charity auction conference of the Great Xia Kingdom officially begins!" Thanks to the strong sponsorship of Hengtong Chamber of Commerce and Huizhou Chamber of Commerce, the choice of Hengtong Chamber of Commerce and Huizhou Chamber of Commerce is your best choice, they are excellent chambers of commerce, with the best products and services. ”

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere that had just subsided was ignited again.

If His Majesty hadn't just said it, and we would have discussed it later, some Qingliu would have slapped the table and scolded loudly.

The money leopard and the steward of the Hui Chamber of Commerce burst into tears, they each sponsored 100,000 taels, just for this sentence! It's just a thousand words!

But it's worth it, it's worth it.

They secretly looked up at His Majesty on the fourth floor, and the smile on the corner of His Majesty's mouth was faintly visible, and he was not angry! I almost fainted with happiness.

The other eight chambers of commerce were eager to beat their hands, they felt that charging 100,000 taels for a few words was simply a robbery, so they didn't fight for this sponsorship, but now it seems that damn it, their intestines are repentant.