"Master Meng! Master Meng!" The steward's men tugged at his sleeve desperately.
Master Meng pulled out his sleeve, about to slap the servant, when he saw the servant frantically winking at him from the other side, and he glanced at him subconsciously.
This happened in the dead of night. I heard someone knocking on my 18th-floor window, opened the curtain, and met the eyes of a white figure.
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Master Meng, Meng Minshou was so frightened that he ran over, clutching the hem of his long robe.
"Master Li, it's my fault! It's my fault!" he said, slapping himself repeatedly. "I'm old and sick, and my hearing is bad. I didn't hear your holy words!"
"Can you hear me now?" Li Changzhou asked him.
"I can hear it, I can hear it!" Meng Minshou nodded repeatedly.
Li Changzhou walked towards the group of men, and people along the way quickly made way for him.
There may have been people who didn't know him before, but the news of Master Li's encounter with an assassin has dominated the headlines for two consecutive days. In a few more days, not only Songcheng, but the entire Xia Kingdom will know what he looks like.
Li Changzhou walked up to the group of men and asked them, "Do you recognize me?"
Some nodded, some shook their heads, and some looked completely indifferent.
"Sir, please have mercy and give us some food!" The man who had just been beaten rushed over.
"Insolence!" Liu De roared, stepping forward with his left foot and whipping out with his right leg.
"Stop!" Li Changzhou shouted.
Liu De quickly withdrew his foot, bent over, and stepped aside.
Li Changzhou ignored Liu De, glanced at the man who kept kowtowing, and then looked at the other dockworkers who dared not have any hope for him, but couldn't help but hold onto it.
He turned around and looked at the guests who had just come out of the pear orchard.
“I don’t know if you all know me,” he said loudly. “Whether you do or not, let me introduce myself first.”
"I am Li Changzhou, the second son of Li Xinghua, and the acting city lord of Songcheng."
The wide street was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and everyone was staring at him.
"I'm stopping everyone here for one thing," he said, his gaze sweeping over the elegantly dressed gentlemen, ladies, and young women. "Songcheng Harbor has been hit by a sea freeze, the dockworkers have no work, and their families are starving."
"I plan to donate money to open a porridge shop. If any of you are interested, please be generous and lend a helping hand!"
“I’ll donate!” a young man raised his hand.
"Okay! How much should I donate?" Li Changzhou asked loudly.
The young man was taken aback, not expecting him to ask so directly on the spot.
He hesitated for a moment. In this situation, donating too little would be shameful, but donating too much would be painful for him.
“One hundred dollars!” he said.
"Thank you, brother!" Li Changzhou clasped his hands in a fist salute and asked, "Is there anyone else who wants to donate?"
Now that things have come to this point, we have no choice but to donate—today's events will definitely be reported. If we don't donate, not only will it damage our reputation, but if the public loses their good impression of us and stops buying products from our factory, that would be a real disaster, costing us a fortune.
People started donating money one after another.
Two hundred yuan for the larger ones, thirty yuan for the smaller ones. Li Changzhou immediately had Liu De ask the opera troupe for paper and pen, and with one hand he took the money and the other he registered it in the register.
The matter escalated, and people from the opera troupe came out as well.
After learning what had happened, the Spring Emperor immediately said:
"Thanks to the kindness of the noble people who have given Chun'er the title of 'Empress Chun', I have no worries about food and clothing. But I have also had days when I was poorly clothed and hungry. I know what that feels like. Second Master Li, I am willing to donate one hundred and perform a charity show in Songcheng for three days. All the ticket money from the three days will be used to open a porridge shop for you!"
"Good!" "Emperor Chun is righteous!" Everyone applauded.
"Women are just as capable as men! The Spring Emperor truly lives up to her name. If you ever need anything in Songcheng, feel free to come to the Marshal's Mansion to find me!" Li Changzhou clasped his hands in a fist salute, deeply admiring the other party's character.
Emperor Chun smiled brightly, and Kang Kai clasped his hands in a fist and said like a man, "It's only right, Second Master, no need to thank me!"
"Thank you, Second Master! Thank you, Second Master!" The dockworkers knelt down one by one, and those who had held back their tears earlier were now shedding tears.
Li Changzhou turned around, taking advantage of the time to donate, he had a few more words to say.
"I'll have someone take care of the porridge shop tonight. Starting tomorrow at noon, everyone can come to the entrance of the Marshal's Mansion to collect their porridge. If there's an emergency, you can ask me for cash now."
"Thank you, Second Master! Thank you so much, Second Master!"
Li Changzhou pressed his hands down, signaling everyone to be quiet.
"Everyone, during my time as acting city lord, I, Li Changzhou, have only ever wanted to accomplish one thing—to ensure that everyone has work to do, receives wages, and can feed themselves and their families!"
“I heard there’s a guy called ‘Boss’ who’s been withholding your wages, and some gangs are collecting protection money from you. But starting today, if anyone dares to withhold your money or make you pay protection money, I give you the right to beat them up!”
"Break your legs and drag them to the entrance of the Marshal's Mansion!"
"I'll stand up for you!"
A light bulb exploded with a crack, but no one was startled; everyone stared at Li Changzhou, who was standing in the middle of the street.
“Some of you say this is our fate.” Li Changzhou’s gaze fell on some of the older workers.
"But I'll tell you!"
"From this moment on, I am your life. I give you power, I permit you, I command you. You are qualified and have the right to a job!"
"Everyone has the right to support themselves and their families! They have the right to receive the compensation they deserve!"
"Anyone who dares to deprive you of this right is defying my orders. Anyone who dares to take my life, I will take their life, understand?"
The sound, like bursts of thunder, silenced the entire scene; no one dared to respond.
After a long while, a worker with gray hair asked him in a trembling voice, "Sir, does what you said mean?"
"I promised, so it's a promise!"
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