"Public announcement? But post a notice?" Li Erlang asked.

Li Yan nodded. "Yes, the notice should clearly state the source of the money and the cost of building the market. It should be posted at the city gate. A literate official can be assigned to read the notice to the people there."

Few people in Rongcheng are literate. In order to prevent people from deliberately misinterpreting the meaning, there needs to be literate people at the city gate to explain to the illiterate people.

Li Erlang nodded. "That's a good idea indeed. However, these people won't give up until they achieve their goal! They might even come up with something even more vicious next time."

The reason why these wealthy people and gentry are making such a fuss is that they want to open shops. They must have seen the potential of the market outside the city and of course want to get a piece of the pie.

The market was originally built to be open to the public for free, and the reason these people are making such a fuss now is simply because they want a shop and a place in the market.

After figuring this out, Li Yan had a plan in mind: "Why don't you, County Magistrate, give these shops to these people?"

"How can this be possible? The county magistrate has been in office for more than half a year, and he has been hindered by these people in many things. How can he allow this wealthy family to grow and develop?" Li Erlang shook his head repeatedly.

Li Yan said calmly, "It's actually very simple. As long as we control the ownership of the shop, we will only rent it and not sell it. The contract is one year, and the highest bidder will get it. If they are willing to pay, we can rent it to them!"

"As for the rent we receive, we'll keep a separate account and use it every year to support the elderly and widows, or for water conservancy projects. The village head and clan leader will sign and seal the funds to help the needy households in the village. This will not only gain the support and endorsement of the people, but also prevent those people from making a fuss about this matter again!"

Li Erlang couldn't help but clap his hands in approval. This was a brilliant idea. "This way, those people will start competing for the shop and won't have the time to band together to spread rumors and stir up trouble. County Magistrate Zheng will also have money to do something practical!"

However, Li Erlang was a little worried: "Our family also paid a hundred taels to buy the shop. Will this give those people an excuse to cause trouble?"

Li Yan waved her hand. "It's not like County Magistrate Zheng didn't give those small merchants a chance. Dad even went to their homes to ask for their opinions. It was their own concerns that kept them from taking action, thus missing out on such a good opportunity!"

Well, anything that involves interests will always be criticized by people with ulterior motives. If you care about that much, then don't do business!

After the father and daughter finished their conversation, Li Erlang did not return to his room to rest, but went to the study again and repeated what his daughter had just said. He also wrote a detailed plan for the use of the shop rent.

Prepare to take it back to show it to the county magistrate early tomorrow morning.

There was no conversation that night. When Li Yan got up, Li Erlang had already left.

County Magistrate Zheng, who had not slept well the night before, heard from his servant that Li Erlang was looking for him.

He didn't even bother to eat breakfast and hurried to the front hall with heavy dark circles under his eyes.

"Sir, I have an idea that can help you solve your current confusion!" Li Erlang said straight to the point.

When County Magistrate Zheng heard this, he instantly became alert and urged Li Erlang to speak quickly. He had not slept for half the night before and had not been able to come up with a solution.

Li Erlang handed the plan he had written last night to County Magistrate Zheng: "Please read this, sir."

After County Magistrate Zheng finished reading it, the unhappiness that had been pent up for many days finally dissipated.

County Magistrate Zheng patted Li Erlang's shoulder happily and said, "I was really blinded by this. I didn't think of such a plan. I'll write a notice right away, and you can take people to post it outside the city!"

The reason why I wanted to build the market was, on the one hand, to develop and expand Rongcheng, and on the other hand, to benefit the local people.

Forget it, as long as I don’t sell the shop to those people, I will have the initiative, so it’s okay to take a step back!