Chapter 178 Secret Collusion
"What ranking did Cheng Weiyao get this year?"
Hearing this, Wang Yuanbao sighed deeply. Each of the top ten spots was worth a considerable amount of income. No matter which one Cheng Weiyao took, he would suffer a huge loss.
What's more, for a small stall to be selected for the food appreciation meeting has already attracted enough attention, and she must not be allowed to shine!
"To reply to the shopkeeper, Cheng Weiyao's ticket type is currently ranked first. If no intervention is made, I'm afraid she will take the top spot..."
The vote counter flipped open the booklet and displayed the current vote count. Cheng Weiyao's Su Shan had left the second-place Buddha Jumps Over the Wall far behind. The huge difference in votes made the winner obvious.
"So, divide Cheng Weiyao's votes evenly among the other top ten exhibits. If anyone questions us later, we can use the ingredients as an excuse. Sushan is neither meat nor vegetable, so it can't be compared with other categories..."
Wang Yuanbao played with the jade ring on his finger, pondered for a moment, and quickly made a decision. The food appreciation event was originally organized by his Wang family, and who made the list and who didn't was what he should be able to control.
The vote counter was not at all surprised and went down respectfully.
Because of its popularity, Sushan was consumed faster than any other exhibits. Before the food appreciation event was over, the plates were already empty.
The ballot box was not far from the booth. Because the vote counter was called away, Wen Chengyun came to the vicinity of the ballot box. He was originally worried that Wang Yuanbao could not afford to play tricks and operate behind the scenes, but he did not expect to catch up with the transaction scene.
"My Lord Zhao, please accept it! If you think this amount is too small, I will ask my wife to come to your house later to talk to your wife."
A young man was holding the hand of another middle-aged man with a flattering look on his face, and traces of a purse could be vaguely seen under his sleeve.
Wen Chengyun became interested. He folded his arms across his chest, leaned against the pillar, and watched the scene in front of him calmly.
The two participants in the food appreciation party were both dressed casually, so their official positions were not clearly discernible from their clothing, but their behavior and ages made it easy to discern. The older of them was a high-ranking official, the younger a lower-ranking one.
"My dear brother, you know that with all the turmoil in the government and the opposition lately, I have to proceed with caution. The people I nominated last year are already somewhat unworthy of their reputations. You have to at least show some real talent and work hard before I can speak up for you..."
Lord Zhao weighed the purse, slowly stroked his beard, and gave a meaningful smile.
This was because he felt that the expression was not enough. Young Feng instantly understood what Lord Zhao meant and promised with three fingers raised.
"My dear sir, you know that I came to this reward meeting in a hurry and didn't bring much silver with me. So, these will be considered as deposits. Please give me the quota. I will definitely make up for it when I return..."
The ancients did not swear easily, and they swore mostly to show their determination. Seeing that Feng was so sincere, Lord Zhao hesitated for a moment and then nodded to show his agreement.
Young Feng was overjoyed and bowed to Lord Zhao repeatedly before leaving with peace of mind.
However, as soon as he left, another young man took advantage of the opportunity and came to Lord Zhao's side.
"Master Zhao, I have long heard of your great name. This is a small gift from my humble beginnings, a token of my respect. My father and Master Zhao are of the same family..."
Wen Chengyun leaned against the pillar, a hint of anger swirling in his eyes.
Since my father took over, he has implemented a talent recommendation program every quarter.
As the name suggests, every quarter, a highly respected official can nominate an outstanding official under his/her supervision for promotion. The original intention was good, but unexpectedly, it became a channel for bribery...
This appreciation event is truly full of hidden talents. Did Wang Yuanbao, the organizer, know about this? Is it collusion between officials or between officials and businessmen? For now, we can put a question mark here.
As the sun gradually set in the west, the food appreciation event drew to a close. Everyone gathered in the small pavilion in the center of Taolin, waiting for the top ten dishes to be announced.
The vast majority of diners were just there to watch the fun, while the top ten merchants who had paid a lot of fees were scratching their heads.
The plan to destroy Cheng Weiyao's exhibits came to nothing. Judging from the state of the remaining exhibits, it's easy to analyze that Sushan is definitely in the top ten. So whose spot was squeezed out?
"Thanks to everyone's kindness to me, Wang. This Food Awards will shine brightly because of your participation. Now, let me announce the highly anticipated list of winners..."
Wang Yuanbao took the book from the teller and solemnly began reading out the names of the various restaurants and teahouses. Even Wu Qi's Shuntian Restaurant took eighth place, while Cheng Weiyao was not even on the list.
"How much did you pay Wang Yuanbao?"
Wen Chengyun glanced at the ten piles of tasting invitations in front of the box and expressed his doubts. It was not difficult to guess that the food appreciation party would definitely be tampered with.
But with Cheng Weiyao's Su Shan so impressive, isn't Wang Yuanbao's blatant favoritism and fraud a bit like he's blinding the people? Since scattered votes can't influence the final outcome at all, why bother with this blatant drama...
"I requested an extra invitation, so I'm giving it as a small token of my appreciation..."
Wu Qi gestured a number, with an indignant look on his face. He blended into the crowd and spoke up for Cheng Weiyao in a low voice.
"What about Sushan's votes?"
This question caused some confusion among the diners. They actually thought that Sushan could take one of the spots, but they didn't expect that it would be left out in the end.
"Sushan's ingredients don't meet the standards for the food festival, so they won't be counted..."
The vote counter had the nerve to step forward and take the blame at the critical moment. It was impossible for Wang Yuanbao, the master, to bear the blame, so it had to fall on the servants...
"Have you eaten yet? You're whining here. If you can't be selected, don't let anyone participate. Or are you questioning my taste?"
"What are you doing? Aren't you treating the stall owner's wife like a mule? I'm just giving you a reward for free and providing you with dishes?"
The diners attacked the vote-counter with heated arguments.
Seeing someone speaking up for her, Cheng Weiyao's eyes turned into crescent moons when she smiled. She was happy from the bottom of her heart. After all, the quota was empty, and she didn't care.
"I appreciate everyone's kindness. The quota is secondary. If you like, please come to my stall and take care of the business..."
Cheng Weiyao took a look at Wang Yuanbao's embarrassed look and generously gave him a way out. This kind of local tyrant cannot be pushed too hard, otherwise he will bite.
Besides, by sticking his head out, he could not only show his tolerance, but also advertise his stall, killing two birds with one stone.
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