vncnus Page 46
Page 46
Seeing Lin Jiu'an's familiar faint smile, Ningguang's heart trembled.
It suddenly occurred to her.
He was the one who caused that food crisis; how could he not know the intricacies involved?
Realizing that her little scheme had been seen through, Ningguang lowered her head from the bottom of her heart, her expression becoming extremely respectful.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
...Today is a day to check the almanac before going out...
July 4th, moonlit night.
The sky was clear and bright, filled with countless stars.
Suitable for: burial, offering sacrifices, encoffining, moving the coffin, and breaking ground.
Avoid: traveling, banquets, and taking up a new post.
...Today is a good day...
"Good evening, Lord Wang."
"Haha, Lord Li, good evening! You look great, you must have made a lot of money!"
"Sigh, what money are we going to make? With all the trouble that guy's been causing lately, we're lucky if we don't lose money. But you're not wrong, I'm in a really good mood today, hahaha."
Qunyu Pavilion.
In the banquet hall, many merchants had already been led to their seats by the maids.
They chatted and laughed together.
"Will it proceed as we discussed before?"
"Of course, but we can't push him too hard. After all, that madman just committed a massacre in Mondstadt. It wouldn't be good to drive him crazy."
"Heh, Mondstadt is Mondstadt, and Liyue is Liyue. Massacre? Do you think he'd dare to do that even if you gave him a hundred lives?"
"If you ask me, wouldn't that be exactly what we want? We could just kick him out and replace him with a new 'Emperor'."
During this period of open and covert struggles.
The identity of Lin Jiu'an, the new emperor, was quickly uncovered, and his deeds in Mondstadt had already spread.
In addition, there was his 'tolerance' and 'restraint' during this period.
The merchants vaguely guessed that Lin Jiu'an's state when he defeated the "Vortex Demon God" was temporary, probably a one-time contingency plan left by the Emperor or some other reason. Otherwise, he, with such great power, would not be able to restrain himself so much now.
From the perspective of businessmen...
Lin Jiu'an's banquet was organized by the "Tianquan Star" Ningguang Organization.
They were simply overwhelmed by the troubles brought about by the reforms during this period, and knowing that such radical reforms could not continue, they took the initiative to invite them to negotiate.
"Speaking of which, I have a funny story."
"Oh? Tell me."
"I ran into Lady Ningguang on my way here and wanted to ask her what our new emperor really meant."
"She actually told me, 'We should carefully consider our position, adopt a more flexible posture, keep our ears close to the ground, pay attention to movements, move nimbly, and keep a close eye on what's behind us.'"
"This is absolutely hilarious! 'Flexible'? What does she think they are?"
"Tsk, women are just women, they can't accomplish great things."
"I told you long ago, the only reason she became 'Tianquan Star' was because of Lord Morax's favor. Now that Morax is gone, does she think she can keep her position by relying on the new emperor? How laughable!"
"See? They've been exposed for what they really are."
Just as the businessmen were discussing it.
With the announcement, "His Majesty the Emperor has arrived," the hall fell silent.
The merchants looked at Lin Jiu'an.
Regardless of their private opinions of Lin Jiu'an, on the surface, everyone maintained respect for this new "Emperor," their gazes friendly and courteous.
However, some of the businessmen in the crowd couldn't help but sneer at Lin Jiu'an.
"I thought he was someone important, but he's just a kid who hasn't even grown his first hair yet."
"Heh, weren't you very arrogant before?"
"Now they've come to us seeking peace."
#$Q@skirt≥six【??/>&Liu#(0)％collar+Ⅷ!@／∩“Reform, reform, don’t you even look in the mirror? We are all the Zheng Yan banners who followed Lord Morax into the pass back then. Calling you Emperor really makes you think you’re something special. Aren’t you afraid of getting yourself purged?”
Their voices were kept very low, and were almost inaudible to ordinary people amidst the chorus of compliments from the front row.
Lin Jiu'an heard it but didn't pay any attention.
He glanced at them briefly, memorized their appearance, and then sat down in the main seat.
"sit down."
The words fell.
Apart from a few businessmen sitting in the front row.
Most of the people in the banquet hall were still standing there, dozens or even hundreds of people, as if they hadn't heard what Lin Jiu'an said, standing there like trees, looking at him without saying a word.
Seeing this, Ningguang sighed inwardly, looking at them as if they were dead.
If you're so eager to die, then there's nothing I can do to save you.
However, the businessmen seemed quite relaxed, with mocking smiles on their faces.
They remained standing until one of the seated merchants, named Li Fan, seemed to realize something was amiss.
I turned my head and took a look.
He immediately pressed his hand down in 'great surprise'.
"sit!"
"Hurry up and sit down!"
"Didn't you hear His Majesty speak?"
His words trailed off.
The merchants immediately sat down in unison.
Some people couldn't help but let out a sneer after sitting down.
Mocking and disdainful gazes fell upon Lin Jiu'an.
I want to see how he can't help but break down.
To their disappointment, Lin Jiu'an remained calm, even taking a sip of wine from his glass without showing any sign of anger.
"let's start."
Lin Jiu'an's tone remained calm, seemingly with a faint smile.
The businessmen were suddenly at a loss, looking at each other as if wondering if this person had something wrong with his head.
The maids, who were already prepared, entered the banquet hall carrying trays of food and wine.
And when the maids had served the food and wine, the banquet was about to begin.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and a gaunt middle-aged businessman ran in.
"Sorry, sorry, there are too many people on the street, traffic jam, traffic jam."
That being said, there was little sign of panic on his face; his breathing was steady, and there wasn't a drop of sweat on his face.
Traffic jam?
Lin Jiu'an asked curiously, "What kind of car did you ride in?"
"It's a brand new car, and the driver is a bit clumsy, so the preparations took a lot of time."
Lin Jiu'an smiled, and the man went to find a seat.
Seeing Lin Jiu'an's reaction, the merchants became even more contemptuous, and many of them no longer bothered to hide their expressions, starting to whisper among themselves.
"I've gathered everyone here today mainly for three things."
"The first thing is naturally the reform. I still hope everyone can cooperate a little and give me some face."
Li Fan immediately said, "It's not that we don't respect Your Majesty."
"But since the founding of Liyue, more than three thousand years have passed since the previous emperor ruled Liyue, and it has always been us merchants who govern the country."
"Now that you've arrived, you're trying to kick us out without saying a word, showing no regard for our interests or the hard work we merchants have put into Liyue over the past few thousand years."
"You should also consider the future of Liyue, shouldn't you?"
"Is it really good for Liyue's future to abandon us merchants?"
"Are you really not going to give me any face?" Lin Jiu'an asked again.
Li Fan said calmly, "We are naturally willing to give Your Majesty face."
"Although we are the heads of our respective families, to put it bluntly, the head of a family is just someone who manages things."
"Everyone has dozens or hundreds of people under their command to support."
"Our power is also elected by everyone."
"We are willing to give you face, Your Majesty, but there's nothing we can do if your subordinates are not willing to give you face."
"OK then."
Lin Jiu'an sighed, then said, "Let's talk about the second thing."
A slight, disdainful smile flickered across Li Fan's lips, but he quickly suppressed it.
"I have an idea and would like to ask everyone to help me research it..."
Lin Jiu paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's not really research, it's more like asking everyone for a favor."
"I'm afraid of water and get seasick."
"As you all know, I also have some small business in Mondstadt."
"Traveling back and forth between these two places by land, covering thousands of kilometers with few people, is somewhat inconvenient."
"I suddenly had an idea a few days ago."
"I plan to build a city in Guili Plain first."
"Then, when traveling from Liyue to Mondstadt by land, we'll have another place to rest."
"In addition, Liyue has recently seen a population increase, with a significant number of unemployed workers. Relocating them there would solve their employment problems, alleviate urban congestion, and promote commercial development."
"I have an idea, and everyone can contribute money and effort."
"Take Mr. Li Fan, for example. He is a well-known businessman in Liyue. He took out 1 billion Mora."
"As for those who are not as wealthy as Mr. Li, it wouldn't be a problem for them to give one or two hundred million Mora for the future of Liyue, would it?"
"They're all helping Liyue develop."
"I've finished speaking."
"Who is in favor and who is against?"
All the businessmen were dumbfounded by Lin Jiu'an's 'outlandish idea'.
This guy is insane! He's absolutely insane!
Although given the prosperity of Liyue's commerce, they could easily come up with tens of millions or even a hundred million if they gritted their teeth.
But on what grounds?
They've always been the ones collecting money; they've never had to pay out of their own pockets.
Let alone hundreds of millions, even if it were just a few million or a few hundred thousand, they wouldn't be willing to take it!
"I object!"
Lin Jiu'an looked at Li Fan, and Li Fan looked at him with a forced smile.
"Your Majesty, you've gone a bit too far."