Chen Qingqing knew that the wealthy people would definitely not agree to give their land to the common people, and even if they were offered a high price, they might not accept the proposal.
She pondered this for several days and finally came up with a good idea.
No one gets up early without a reason; as long as the temptation is big enough for those wealthy people...
Once someone agrees, things will go much more smoothly.
That morning, Chen Qingqing had just finished breakfast when the steward hurried in, "Princess, Lord Zhou has arrived."
"Quickly, invite them in."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Jingyuan walked in, his face respectful. "Princess, I have notified all the wealthy people in the various towns and villages. They will all arrive at the yamen on time today. The rest is up to you, Princess."
"I understand what you mean, let's go!" Chen Qingqing understood the implication in Zhou Jingyuan's words; this matter was very difficult.
Inside the county government office,
Wealthy landowners from various towns in Anyang arrived one after another at the county government's council hall.
These wealthy men were all influential figures in their local area, and they were all somewhat bewildered by being suddenly summoned together today.
They started whispering to each other as soon as they sat down.
"What is Lord Zhou up to? Why did he suddenly invite us all here?" A short, stout rich man frowned and shouted.
A bald, wealthy man joked, "Who knows? Maybe he wants to treat us to drinks!"
"What kind of wine are we drinking? Are they going to impose some new tax again?" Another tall, thin wealthy man asked, his face full of worry.
Others chimed in, "That's possible. Looks like we'll have to bleed a little more."
"Yes, ever since Lord Zhou took office here, he has never accepted any random fees. It seems we'll have to make a move this time."
"Lord Zhou is a good person, so let's give him some. Consider it money to buy peace of mind."
"Yes, yes, that's true."
Fan Tong was also sitting in the crowd; he did not express his opinion.
Ever since Chen Ruolan ransacked his home and Qin Shousheng was executed on the spot, he had thought he could get his confiscated property back, but who knew it would be confiscated by the county government.
Now, the Fan family is the poorest among these wealthy people.
However, he had already decided that no matter what the magistrate wanted to do, he would remain silent.
Because he understood the principle that a person of low status has little influence.
If you have money and power, even your farts will sound reasonable; if you've lost your former glory, even the most reasonable words will sound like nonsense.
Seeing his father sitting there silently, Fan Hun couldn't help but ask, "Father, why did Lord Zhou call us here?"
Fan Tong scoffed, "Do whatever you want, but son, you must remember, no matter what Lord Zhou says, we just listen, don't express any opinion, and don't say anything, understand?"
"Dad, what do you mean? Didn't you say you'd take me to see the world? Now you won't let me speak. What's the difference between me and an idiot? If I'd known it would be like this, I would have stayed home and been coaxing my son!"
“My silly son, why don’t you understand your father’s good intentions? The Fan family will have to rely on you to carry on the family business in the future. Today, all the people who came here are prominent figures in Anyang. I brought you here to make you familiar with them so that you can do business more easily in the future.”
“I’ve known these people for a long time, and none of them are any good.” Fan Hun rolled his eyes dismissively.
"Oh, my silly son, keep your voice down."
Fan Tong's heart tightened. He looked around and, seeing that everyone was talking enthusiastically, he relaxed.
He lowered his voice.
"What do you mean by 'not a single one of them is good'? Anyone with a bit of wealth has a dark history of dishonesty behind their rise to power."
Back in the day, our ancestors were bandits. Later, they retired from banditry and used the wealth they stole to buy houses and land, and slowly they managed to clean up their name...
"Alright, this is never going to end," Fan Hun impatiently waved his hand to interrupt Fan Tong before he could finish speaking. "Can't I just stay silent?"
"Distinguished guests, it's been a long time. I'm so grateful for your presence today." Zhou Jingyuan strode into the council hall with a smile on his face.
The wealthy men all stood up, cupped their hands in greeting, and said, "Lord Zhou, you are too kind. This is what we should do."
After exchanging pleasantries, the short, stout rich man had a smile plastered on his face.
"What brings Lord Zhou here?"
Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gaze to Zhou Jingyuan.
Zhou Jingyuan cleared his throat and glanced at everyone.
"As you all probably know, our Anyang produced a princess personally bestowed the title by the emperor. The princess cares deeply about the people and wholeheartedly wants to make Anyang prosperous so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment."
"Very good, very good, Princess, you truly possess the virtue of a benevolent person."
"Yes, having a heart for the people is truly a blessing for them!"
The wealthy men bowed and echoed her sentiments, but inwardly they scoffed. What did Princess Anyang have to do with winning the hearts of the people? It was like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken—they had no good intentions.
Listening to everyone's words from behind the screen, Chen Qingqing couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth. She wondered if her sweet talk would still be there when she asked them to sell the land.
Zhou Jingyuan sighed silently in his heart. Although he felt that Chen Qingqing meant well, it was not easy to get even a feather from these misers, let alone divide up their land.
I don't know what Chen Qingqing was planning, that she would send him to talk about this.
Zhou Jingyuan was extremely resistant, but he dared not disobey the princess. He forced a smile.
"The princess is kind and righteous, and she always thinks of the people of Anyang. She wants the people of Anyang to live a good life, and I believe everyone agrees with that and will definitely support the princess's decision, right?"
The wealthy men rolled their eyes. All talk and no action; they were definitely up to some ulterior motive.
They even considered the people's well-being, directly stating that they were satisfying the princess's selfish desires.
But they all knew perfectly well that they couldn't afford to offend this newly appointed princess.
Everyone in the world was unaware that she had cured the retired emperor's illness and even helped Prince Ning overthrow the former crown prince.
She's now a favorite of the Emperor; offending her will surely lead to dire consequences.
Everyone had their own thoughts and complaints, but they dared not show their dissatisfaction on their faces, and instead all chimed in with their own opinions.
“Lord Zhou is absolutely right. The princess is the chosen one, and she has her reasons for everything she does.”
"Yes, yes, we will definitely support the princess's decision."
"Lord Zhou, just tell me straight. What does the princess want? Does she want to play, eat, or do she want us to fund the construction of a large garden for her?"
......
Zhou Jingyuan shook his head in denial, "No, the princess cares deeply for the people of Anyang, how could she accept your things?"
"Oh, my Lord Zhou, stop being so mysterious and just tell me."
"Yes, we will do our utmost to accomplish anything within our capabilities."
"Good, with everyone's words of comfort, I'm relieved." Zhou Jingyuan clasped his hands in a fist salute to the crowd...
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