Amidst the eager anticipation of countless powerful families and wealthy merchants from all over the country, Chen Fan and Hu Guang finally finalized the quotas for this trade transaction.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the majority of the market share this time went to those who sided with and supported Liu Hong.

Families such as the Yuan, Xun, and Zhong families, as well as the Chen family of Xuzhou, along with other powerful families in the Sili region who had previously donated money, the Mi family of Xuzhou, and the Zhen family of Jizhou, all received a certain share.

The powerful families who had acquired a share of the trade market were in a frenzy of celebration.

At this moment, the Zhao Family Fortress was bustling with people. Almost all the powerful landlords from the surrounding Sili region had gathered here. Zhao Ning, with a ruddy complexion, sat in the main seat and was talking with Li Li beside him.

Since these powerful families donated money and land last time, their sons have also entered the Imperial Guard. Although they lost most of their wealth for this, their status has been greatly improved.

Even Li Li was much more polite to Zhao Ning now. The change in status and position made Zhao Ning realize that only by relying closely on the imperial power could they continue to enjoy their glory.

After glancing at the anxious and expectant looks of the powerful landlords below, Li Li politely looked at Zhao Ning.

"Patriarch Zhao, I think everyone has arrived! Let's announce the news to them!"

"Yes, what Officer Li says is right!"

Zhao Ning nodded, then stood up, smiled, and pressed his hands down, saying loudly, "Everyone, I'm sure you all know why I've gathered you here today, right?"

"Haha~ Patriarch Zhao, stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me already, you're driving me crazy!"

"That's right! Tell me quickly!"

The crowd below the hall also started to cheer.

Zhao Ning was chosen by them to represent the powerful landlords of the Sili region to negotiate with the imperial court for a share of the trade market. Seeing Zhao Ning's happy appearance and Li Li beside him, everyone knew that the matter had been accomplished. Everyone was extremely excited, as this was a legitimate opportunity to make a fortune.

"Alright, alright, everyone, don't rush, let me explain slowly!"

The cheers and jeers from the crowd below made Zhao Ning extremely happy. It had been so long since he and his companions had felt so carefree.

After everyone quieted down, Zhao Ning clasped his hands in a fist and bowed towards the direction of the palace.

"His Majesty, by a great grace, specially instructed the Grand Tutor and the Minister of Works to grant us a quota of 20,000 shi of grain and 1,000 shi of salt!"

"Really? So many?"

The crowd gasped in surprise.

It's not that these powerful families haven't seen grain and salt before; any of them could easily produce 20,000 shi of grain. The key issue is that no matter how much grain you have, they won't allow you to sell it privately. Unless there's a famine, that grain isn't worth much.

However, trading with the grassland tribes is different. In previous years, a shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain could be sold for 1,200 coins within the Great Han territory, but it could be sold for 6,000 coins to the grassland tribes.

To make a fair comparison, six thousand coins can be exchanged for a sheep on the grasslands, and a sheep can be sold for forty-eight thousand coins within the Han Dynasty. In other words, this round trip yields an eightfold profit.

But this time is different. They also know the policies of the bigwigs in the imperial court. The minimum profit is ten times that of previous years. According to the previous calculation, this time it would be eighty times the profit. The most important thing is salt. In the past, one stone of salt could be exchanged for ten sheep on the grasslands. Now? It can be exchanged for at least one hundred sheep.

Whether it's the grain and land he donated before, or the expenses for building the Imperial Guard, he can not only earn it all back, but also double his family fortune.

When the numbers were tallied up, even robbery wouldn't have yielded such huge profits, and these powerful landlords instantly went into a frenzy.

"Quiet!!!"

Seeing the commotion among the crowd below, Li Li frowned, stood up, and roared. Having followed Yang Qiu for so long, Li Li's imposing presence and menacing aura terrified them. Immediately, everyone fell silent and stared at Li Li.

Li Li looked at everyone and said in a deep voice, "His Majesty is benevolent. He knows that you have spent a lot of money before, so he has given you a chance to make money. You should be grateful!"

"We are deeply grateful for Your Majesty's divine grace!"

As soon as Li Li finished speaking, everyone bowed deeply towards the direction of the Luoyang Imperial Palace.

"His Majesty said that while you may make money, you cannot let the common people suffer losses. For this trade fair, no one is allowed to prepare or raise funds privately. They can only use the quota allocated by the government to purchase from their respective official granaries!"

"We are acting under imperial decree!"

Everyone understood the emperor's intention. If this trade fair did not go through the official channels, it would inevitably lead to a temporary shortage of grain and salt in the market, causing price fluctuations, which would certainly not be a good thing for the people.

However, things are different when the grain passes through official granaries. Both the officials and the imperial court benefit, and it has no impact on the common people.

“Alright! Then the Zhao family head will be responsible for allocating this share.”

Then, Li Li's lips curled slightly, and he said coldly, "I hereby warn you all, anyone who dares to smuggle things out of the official granary will be shown which way the prison door opens!"

"No, no!!"

Everyone repeatedly said they dared not go in. In their eyes, the Sili government office was like a raging flood or a ferocious beast. If they went in, not only would they not escape their fate, but their entire family would also be doomed.

After giving everyone a warning, Li Li returned to his seat.

Zhao Ning then took out the list and began to distribute the donations. The list contained the names of the people who had voluntarily donated grain and land, and the amount of donations was distributed according to their original donation ratio.

Those who donated less are now kicking themselves. Because of their stinginess, not only did their children fail to enter the Imperial Guard, but now they can only get a scrap of soup even when they have the opportunity to make money.

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