When have the officials of Da Qi ever seen such a blatant bribery method? Lu Chen is simply a mudslide in the officialdom.
The accompanying officials' faces turned green, and some of them wanted to report Lu Chen's specific itinerary and what he did along the way to their superiors.
Now Lu Chen is so openly soliciting bribes. In just a short period of time, he has already received a lot of gold, silver and jewelry. Can such a thing be reported to the higher authorities?
However, these people still underestimated Lu Chen's vision. He turned to look at these constipated officials and said, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and record everything I did today. Send it to His Majesty at an expedited speed of 800 miles."
Did I take the wrong medicine?!
Liao Huasheng and others looked at Lu Chen in amazement. In all their years as an official, they had never seen anyone so brave.
The businessmen who had just given gifts to Lu Chen were also shocked. What kind of operation was this? How come everyone was chatting happily, but you suddenly exploded?
If our bribery were to be reported to the court, would our entire family be alive?
"Master, we can't do this. We just presented you with a gift..." A businessman jumped out unable to remain calm.
Lu Chen waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "Everyone, relax. Since I dare to do this, there must be nothing wrong. To be honest, the imperial envoy who went south to deal with the epidemic is my apprentice. Although I have the title of Imperial Master, there is no such position in our court. I have no rank."
"To be frank, I'm just like you all, a commoner. Ordinary people giving each other gifts isn't bribery in the slightest."
"As for what you all asked me to do, it's nothing more than giving some suggestions to my superiors. All I have to do is compile your opinions and submit them. This doesn't count as abusing power for personal gain."
Upon hearing this, everyone hurriedly turned to look at Liao Huasheng, hoping that he, the highest administrative official in Yangzhou, could give an explanation.
Liao Huasheng's expression was also quite interesting. He didn't expect things to turn out this way.
But if you think about it carefully, there is nothing wrong with what Lu Chen said.
When ordinary people give gifts to officials, it is called bribery, but when ordinary people give gifts to each other, it is simply a matter of social etiquette.
Since the founding of the Great Qi Dynasty, there has indeed been no official position like the National Master. If you insist that it has a rank, this is obviously wrong. This thing is more like an honorary title.
Awesome!
Liao Huasheng felt that although the imperial teacher in front of him was young, he was no worse than him in dealing with the twists and turns in officialdom.
Since such blatant acceptance of benefits is not restricted by law, the only thing left is the moral issue.
Morality is something very elastic and very suitable for repeated pulling.
I won’t say anything else. For the sake of Da Qi, I, the national master, gave up my comfortable life and ran to this epidemic area. I eat bird’s nest and sea cucumber every day and sleep on a soft bed every day. This is simply not a life for a human being. I feel nauseous when I see delicacies from mountains and seas now, and my waist hurts every time I wake up.
What's more, one of my apprentices went deep into the epidemic area and put his head on the line to contribute to Da Qi. What's wrong with me accepting some benefits from others now?
Isn’t it also for the sake of making the business environment of Da Qi better that I accept some benefits from others?
I have given so much to Da Qi, and you still have the nerve to morally blame me?
Okay, let’s not say anything more. After it is sent to the court urgently over 800 miles, I want to see which grandson will come out to blame me. Whoever blames me will be the one to deal with the epidemic, and let their whole family come over!
Yes, Lu Chen was just trying to show his displeasure to those useless people in the court.
He discovered that he didn't know when it started, but an unhealthy trend had been brewing in the court of Da Qi.
The six ministers of ministries never think about how to help the country, but always ask him for help whenever something bad happens.
It would be fine if he just had a lot of trouble all day long, but the key point is that the court didn't give him a salary increase.
That would be fine, but the emperor is so poor and still comes to him to ask for money. This is a bit too much.
Lu Chen guessed that if this urgent report was delivered to the court after traveling eight hundred miles, no matter how the other ministers in the court would react, Li Zhuo would definitely support him to the death.
Things like helping in the protest and having a close relationship with the eldest princess can all be put aside. Let's just say that when he auctions off these rare treasures, the royal family will also get a share of the profits.
You royal family can't just rely on your big mouth when you have benefits, and not stand up when you are in trouble.
With these words from Lu Chen and Liao Huasheng, these businessmen felt more at ease and became more generous in giving gifts.
When have you ever encountered such a thing as giving gifts openly and then giving suggestions to the court?
This means that the national master is in this place, otherwise there will be no such shop.
The Imperial Master was right. There were indeed some areas of Da Qi's business environment that urgently needed to be rectified. They were only raising their opinions to their superiors, but the final decision still rested with the officials in the court.
The small amount of money and gifts they gave was not enough to influence the thoughts of the officials in the court.
So the rest of the meal was even more enjoyable for both the host and the guests. Later on, Lu Chen even started to treat everyone like brothers.
"Brother Liu, if you have time, you must go to the capital. There's no need to look for an inn when you get there. If you do, you'll be slapping me in the face."
"I've opened a commercial street in the capital, and I'll arrange everything for you. We'll have the best wine, food, and beauties, as well as the world's top entertainment services!"
"Once we get there, just have fun and treat it like our own home! But we agreed that we must go there before the New Year. If you don't go, you're not giving me face!"
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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