Chapter 9 Unreasonable Antics: Chen Junbo's Career - Imposing and Awe-inspiring...
Chen Junbo remained calm and composed. “Your Excellency is wise! His Majesty issued this imperial decree because of his previous eastern tour to Ziyang. My suggestion may be considered extravagant in Ziyang, but it is perfectly reasonable in this town.”
"Behave yourself?!" Lin Yihuai scoffed. "I think you're just a spendthrift, a sycophant who bullies the powerful and oppresses the weak, wasting public resources and causing hardship for the people!"
"Lord Lin!" Chen Junbai stared at him intently. "The common people say, 'The poor eat porridge, the rich feast,' which shows that the people's food, clothing, and daily necessities are not the same thing. Therefore, the 'frugality' of Ziyang Prefecture and the 'abundance' of Songshan Town cannot be generalized."
He raised the corner of his lips, “Staging new plays is a result of the people’s customs, not an act of extravagance. Making the night as bright as day is a normal occurrence in the marketplace, not an act of flattery. Cultivating oneself in the palace is the duty of a subject, not an act of burdening the people.”
Our town is rich in literature and art. Music and opera are essential for expressing joy and sorrow. It is simply a humble expression of our sincere feelings to the heavens.
The canal is filled with painted boats, and every night there is revelry. In reality, it is an invitation for the emperor to see the peaceful and prosperous life of the people in our town and to share in the joy of peace and prosperity.
Moreover, even ordinary farmers must thoroughly welcome distinguished guests. If they were to abandon proper etiquette out of fear of being labeled 'extravagant,' thus alienating their subjects, wouldn't that be unwise?"
His words were powerful and resounding.
"That's a great idea!" Liu Yitong was always fond of pleasure and loved to listen to new songs while embracing his wives. Today, Chen Junbo proposed to open up more stages for operas, and to make the painted boats as bright as day at night. He was like a mouse falling into a rice jar.
The crowd whispered among themselves.
"That's right! Songshan Town is prosperous, so this can't be considered extravagant."
"That's true. On ordinary days and during festivals, the canal is always brightly lit day and night."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Zhengyuan's chubby palms slapped open with a sharp "smack," shattering the slight rustling sounds in the hall.
His round body seemed to spring from the armchair, his chubby face contorted with laughter as he repeatedly said:
"Good! Good! Good—ah!"
The last syllable lingered, filled with an irrepressible sense of joy and triumph.
No wonder Lord Zhong was so distraught. Upon reflection, this grand spectacle of singing and dancing required not a single penny from the treasury. All expenses were covered by the loyal and patriotic salt merchants who vied to contribute.
If the emperor is pleased, it means the governor has done a good job in managing the affairs and governing the region effectively. If the emperor is displeased, then the reputation for extravagance will fall on those ignorant salt merchants, and what does it have to do with these two incorruptible officials of the court?
Thinking of this, Zhong Zhengyuan felt comfortable, as refreshing and pleasant as drinking iced wine on a hot summer day.
Lin Yanyuan remained silent at this moment. Firstly, this matter was within the jurisdiction of the governor, and he was not in that position to concern himself with it. If he spoke out, he would be suspected of overstepping his bounds.
Behind this matter lies the salt merchant's sincere heart. Now that officials and merchants are in cahoots, even if he disagrees, he can only remain silent.
After some deliberation, he sighed deeply.
The hall fell silent for a moment. Everyone looked at each other and saw the words "no other choice" in each other's eyes.
Chen Junbo's move this time was astonishing, yet it was truly well-reasoned and convincing.
Zhang Youdao was the first to stand up and cupped his hands towards Chen Junbo, saying, "General Manager Chen's solution is brilliant! Since everyone has no further objections, then I would like to ask General Manager Chen to take the lead in this matter, and everyone present to contribute their wisdom and efforts, and do as you command."
One person took the lead, and everyone echoed his sentiments, with the whole room praising him.
Chen Junbo stood in the hall, nodding slightly without saying much.
After tonight, the lights, craftsmen, opera troupes, silks, boats... and even the flow of every penny in Songshan Town will all follow the words spoken just now.
Having reached an agreement, there was no more idle talk. Everyone bowed and said goodbye, then filed out.
"Ziheng, Ziheng, your method today is truly brilliant!" Li Yuhan chased after Chen Junbo, running over.
"Tch!" Liu Yitong snorted. "Then why didn't you say anything just now? I saw it. Your head was buried like a quail's."
Li Yuhan sneered, "What are you saying! You didn't say anything either!"
Liu Yitong: "Say what you will. I was the first to applaud."
Tired of his constant nagging, Li Yuhan turned to Chen Junbo and asked, "Ziheng, how do you plan to organize the opera troupe, the pleasure boat, and the imperial palace?"
"Hey, hey, hey, what does this have to do with you? Your Li family doesn't own a theater troupe or a pleasure boat." Liu Yitong insisted on pestering him, "Ziheng, you can't leave my family out of your new play. You have to arrange a show for Old Liu's troupe!"
"You're so unreasonable!" Li Yuhan stomped her foot in anger.
The group of children grew up together. While the adults held meetings, they were left to play. As children, they would gather in a circle and blow snot bubbles. Now that they have become heads of their families, they still bicker and fool around.
"I'll head back to the manor first. I'll have someone arrange a meeting with Mr. Zheng later. We'll discuss things in detail at Ruyi Pavilion tonight." Chen Junbo, too lazy to get involved in their bickering, quickly gave his instructions and strode towards the door.
Stepping into the courtyard, I slowly walked around the artificial hill and climbed the steps.
The door opened slightly, and Chen Junbo looked up to see large and small paper balls scattered on the desk and the floor. A small figure was curled up in front of the desk.
Li Yang's posture was quite awkward, with one leg kneeling on the stool and the other leg dangling in the air, idly scratching at the floor.
She was engrossed in writing, her brows furrowed and her pen biting. Her left hand was propped up on her elbow, supporting her chin, and a few strands of soft hair brushed against her cheek.
Perhaps startled by the sound of the door opening, she turned her head, her brows slightly furrowed, her eyes misty.
Suddenly, her lips parted, revealing a row of neat, small white teeth.
"You're back!"
Li Yang hurriedly threw down his pen, jumped off the stool, and ran to his side.
"Come here quickly, I've finished calculating it all. Let me show you." With that, he pulled the person down to sit at the table. Li Yang took a stack of papers from the desk. "I opened the shop in the first month of the fourteenth year. I had fifteen taels of capital at the time. I paid off two months' rent first, and then bought..."
She glanced at Chen Junbo and saw him frowning and remaining silent. She waved her hand in front of his face and asked, "What's wrong?"
The man snapped out of his reverie, his eyelashes fluttering slightly, and said casually, "Oh, I see."
As she spoke, she got up and went to the wardrobe, "Did they bring back the clothes from this morning?"
"No way..." Li Yang was a little puzzled. Didn't this person just change his clothes and go out? It's only been a little over an hour, why does he need to change his clothes again?
Upon hearing this, Chen Junbo began rummaging through the wardrobe. A few drops of tea had splashed on him during the meeting at the Zhang residence, which was quite unsightly. Unfortunately, Bi Fang hadn't prepared any change of clothes for him, and since it was getting late, he needed to change before heading to Ruyi Pavilion.
“Well, I’ve almost finished calculating the accounts for the wonton shop. Do you want to take a look? It’s almost done, but you can tell that I really earned all this money myself…” Li Yang kept babbling in his ear.
"I have an appointment to discuss something, and I'll be leaving in a bit." Chen Junbo, carrying his clothes, turned behind the screen.
“How about I tell you and you listen? It’ll be quick…” Through the screen, Li Yang rattled off her accounts.
Young Master Chen changed his outer robe and stepped out from behind the screen. "I really have urgent business to attend to. We can talk about the fifty taels of silver later."
A pair of small hands gripped his sleeve tightly. "What do you want to do? We can talk about it later. This is a simple matter for me. Can't you even finish a cup of tea in a minute?"
"I have important business to attend to, stop fooling around." Chen Junbo's voice was extremely restrained as he pulled out his sleeve and strode away.
What's the meaning?
What do you mean by 'stop messing around'? What have I done wrong?!
Li Yang was jolted awake and hurriedly chased after him, but the man had already turned and gone downstairs, his footsteps thumping, leaving only a glimpse of his clothes before disappearing.
'Regarding your fifty taels of silver'
His tone had been casual when he spoke, like a slap to Li Yang's cheek, leaving it red. Her face burned, her eyes glistened, and even her nose stung.
That fifty taels of silver almost got her tied up and thrown out of the Chen family; how could that be considered a trivial matter!
I spent the whole day calculating, from the first month of last year to now, every single transaction, and in that person's eyes it was nothing more than "fifty taels of silver," nothing more than me "making a fuss over nothing."
Turning around, I saw crumpled pieces of paper scattered all over the floor. A gentle breeze drifted in through the door, causing the paper balls to roll slowly and make a rustling sound.
Sniffing, Li Yang wiped her face with her sleeve, went inside to sort out the accounts, weighed them down with a tea tray, swayed her skirt, and turned to leave.
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