Immediately afterwards, Su Murong waved his hand, stood on the steps, and said to the guests, "Thank you all very much for coming to support our shop's opening today. Our food court has a wide variety of dishes, many of which you have never eaten or seen before. Most importantly, they taste excellent and absolutely deserve the name 'delicious food'."
Before everyone enjoys the delicious food, let me say a few more words:
As we all know, the current emperor governs the country with benevolence and righteousness. Under his wise leadership, the country is becoming increasingly prosperous. However, it is not easy for the emperor to manage such a large country alone. Natural disasters inevitably occur in the country.
As the saying goes, "Every man has a responsibility for the rise and fall of the nation." We, the Su, Guo, Cen, and Chen families, have received great favor from the Emperor and are deeply grateful to him. Therefore, we have decided to donate 10% of the profits from the food city each year to support the country's education, to cultivate more talented people for the court and the Emperor, and to help the Emperor share his burdens!
In addition, another 10% will be allocated to a disaster relief fund. If a natural disaster occurs in the future, this 10% profit can be used for disaster relief. This disaster relief fund will be entirely managed by the Emperor.
Is this even possible?
After Su Murong finished speaking, the scene became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
They were all dumbfounded.
His words truly shocked everyone present.
The Emperor and Empress were equally surprised.
After a long while, the emperor finally spoke with emotion, saying, "Their loyalty to me and the court is as clear as the sun and the moon."
Putting aside how much money the food court can make, just giving away 20% of the profits is something that not everyone would be willing to do.
Which official isn't shrewd and calculating?
They all marveled at the shrewdness of Cen, Su, and the others. Although the disaster relief fund was intended for disaster relief, having the emperor manage the money was tantamount to giving the emperor a share for free.
The emperor has also become their partner in a roundabout way. Who would dare to compete with the emperor for business in the future? The food court's business will soon be monopolized and its profits will soar.
Moreover, even if they give up 20% of the profits, they can still gain fame and please the emperor. No matter how you look at it, this business is worthwhile.
That's a clever plan!
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!
At this moment, Zan Peng, the head of the Zan family, rolled his eyes and stepped forward, saying, "Young Master Su, since it is about sharing the emperor's burdens and contributing to the country, my Zan family is also willing to do our part."
My Zan family is willing to provide two hundred taels of silver annually to Young Master Su for his management, to support the educational endeavors you mentioned. Furthermore, after each autumn harvest, we are willing to provide two hundred shi of grain as disaster relief supplies to be presented to the Emperor.
Zan Peng's flattery was perfectly timed, and the emperor was immediately delighted.
After Zan Peng said this, the other ministers naturally did not want to be left behind, otherwise they would be suspected of disloyalty to the emperor.
“My Song family is willing to contribute one hundred taels of silver and two hundred shi of grain every year from now on.”
“My Lu family is willing to contribute two hundred taels of silver and three hundred shi of grain every year thereafter.”
"My Fan family..."
Seeing his ministers vying to contribute money and grain, the emperor was extremely pleased and felt that he was a very successful emperor.
Su Murong waved his hand and said with a smile, "Please listen to me, everyone. This money to support education is not given to me, but to Madam Cen."
Many people may not know that this suggestion came from Mrs. Cen, who has already funded the construction of a Hope Academy in her hometown.
The second Hope Academy is nearing completion. The initiator of this educational endeavor is Madam Cen, so if you have the kind intentions, you can donate money to Madam Cen…”
Upon hearing this, everyone present stared at Yang Cui in disbelief.
Could this really be an idea that a country woman came up with?
Since arriving in Kyoto, Yang Cui had never attended any banquets and rarely made public appearances. It was only this time that many officials and her family members officially got to know this "legendary village woman"!
It has to be said that her looks, demeanor, and shrewdness far surpass those of many noble ladies.
No wonder General Cen liked her so much, no wonder Qiu Mingxuan lost so badly, she really is capable!
Once the academy is built, it will benefit only scholars. Who would dare to touch it again? To touch it would be to make enemies of all scholars in the world.
Princess Xilan looked at Yang Cui with complicated emotions, thinking that with Yang Cui's intelligence and resourcefulness, it was no wonder Lin Shikang was having such a hard time. Even without Cen Xiao, Lin Shikang wouldn't be a match for Yang Cui. This woman... is formidable!
Looking at Yang Cui, Gu Minghua thought that Cen Xiao really knew how to choose a wife. With a wife like that, how could the family not prosper? Turning his head to look at his own wife, he realized that she only knew how to be jealous and envious, and was simply incomparable.
Wang Mengyun felt Gu Minghua's gaze, turned around, and saw that Gu Minghua's eyes were full of dissatisfaction and disgust, and her heart tightened immediately.
At this moment, Yang Cui smiled modestly: "Education is a long-term plan. My Cen family has been deeply indebted to the Emperor and only wants to do something to share the Emperor's burdens. However, individual strength is always limited, so in the end, we can only do this well by working together."
I haven't read many books and there's still a lot I don't understand. I'm also new here, so I'll be working with my sisters from the Su, Chen, and Guo families to run this Hope Academy. Her Majesty the Empress is known for her fairness and wisdom. I wonder if Her Majesty could take on the task of being an inspector to oversee the use of the donations..."
The Empress did not expect Yang Cui to ask her to supervise the donations. She had been thinking about whether to get involved. On a grand scale, it was a good thing for the country and the people. On a smaller scale, it was a good opportunity to gain fame. She was the Empress, and the Empress also needed a good reputation!
If this matter is handled well, how will history record it? Future generations will surely call her a wise and virtuous empress!
The Empress thought Yang Cui was really good at handling things, and the more she looked at her, the more satisfied she became.
Not only did the Empress want to get involved, but the families of these officials also wanted to participate, and many of them were already considering befriending Yang Cui...
The Emperor laughed heartily and said, "You haven't read many books, but your abilities are no less than some of the court officials. It's a pity you're not a man..."
The emperor was slightly disappointed, thinking that if Yang Cui were a man, he would certainly be able to entrust her with important responsibilities.
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