Chapter 43: List of Recruitment
On the seventh day, the Chamber of Commerce announced the final list of shops voted by the people. As the shopkeeper and initiator of Zhichunli, Lu Tingwan went to the Chamber of Commerce Hall.
Inside the Chamber of Commerce, Luo Yunchu stood on the second-floor corridor, toasting his glass in celebration. The shop owners downstairs and the people watching the ceremony cheered.
The urging continued: "Master Luo, is the voting list about to be announced? We've been waiting for seven days."
"Of course, the list has already been drawn up. The Chamber of Commerce has specially invited the Supervisory Office to conduct the selection process. The ten major distributors of Zhichunli Yulu Cream in Kyoto were all selected through public vote. According to the selection criteria, each major street has a quota, so the Chamber of Commerce will announce it to you."
"First place in the vote was Weiyang Street's Misty Rain Tower, second place was Changqing Street's Songfeng Tower, third place was Zhuque Street's Mist Man Pavilion... and tenth place was Xuanwu Street's Xiaoxiang Pavilion."
There was constant discussion downstairs. According to the shops that Tianshu revealed in Yunshuizhai, several of them were not on the top ten list, and the names of the shops that were originally able to rank at the top were nowhere to be heard.
Especially the shopkeeper of Mingyu Pavilion, he was the first to say, "What's wrong with President Luo's list?"
Luo Yunchu remained calm and composed. "I wonder why Shopkeeper Yu is saying this? I've already stated that this list was chosen by the people, and the vote count was witnessed by officials from the Supervisory Office. Naturally, these votes cannot be faked. Shopkeeper Yu doesn't trust me, so does that mean the officials from the Supervisory Office can't be trusted either?"
Lu Tingwan stood behind, listening to the conversation downstairs and upstairs, and had not yet shown up.
The shopkeeper, Yu, from Mingyu Pavilion, was unwilling to accept this. "Of course I believe you, sir, but now that the list has been released, can the vote counts also be made public? Otherwise, we, the unsuccessful merchants, will be left feeling resentful."
"Shopkeeper Yu is absolutely right," Luo Yunchu said, "Since the voting period has ended, the vote count can naturally be made public."
He waved to Tianshu, and Tianshu passed on the documents prepared in advance. As expected, Mingyu Pavilion had the highest number of votes, but was not selected. There were several other families in the same situation.
The crowd was puzzled and said that the Chamber of Commerce was abusing its power for personal gain and that it did not select shops based on the votes of the people. The crowd also boldly speculated that the Chamber of Commerce had accepted money from those shops and was operating behind the scenes.
Listening to everyone's doubts, Lu Tingwan drank the last sip of hot tea, slowly stood up, walked to Luo Yunchu's side, and stood side by side with him.
"Mr. Luo, the number of votes for Mingyu Pavilion, Guangshan Hall and several shops are obviously in the top ten. Why are they not included in the list? Don't you need to give me a reasonable explanation?" Shopkeeper Yu said angrily, waving his sleeves.
The people who didn't know the truth chimed in, "That's right. They agreed on a fair election, so why aren't they choosing based on the number of votes?"
Warm sunlight filtered through the corridor curtains, casting a shadow on Lu Tingwan's shoulders. Questioning voices filled the Chamber of Commerce. A quiet, slow voice came from Luo Yunchu's side: "Of course, the list is drawn up based on the vote count."
"Shopkeeper Jiang?" Everyone looked over. Some knew Lu Tingwan, while others had only heard of him but had never met him.
"Is this the shopkeeper at Zhichunli?"
"It's rumored that the shopkeeper at Zhichunli is a little girl. Today I see that it's true."
…
"It's understandable that Shopkeeper Yu has doubts about the voting results. The reason I say this is the same as all of you. The Chamber of Commerce is selecting shops for Zhichunli with the intention of hoping that the shops selected will be those that the people actually want, rather than those that are manipulated by profiteers behind the scenes, playing tricks, and deceiving the people." Lu Tingwan said with a faint and contemptuous sarcasm.
Shopkeeper Yu sensed her hidden agenda, and his initial reluctance turned into guilt. The more this happened, the more anxious he became to explain, "What do you mean, Shopkeeper Jiang?"
"Whoever manipulated the vote results, Manager Jiang, please don't say that."
"I'm not just talking nonsense," Lu Tingwan said, "but the evidence is solid."
Shopkeeper Yu, who had originally held a glimmer of hope, suddenly changed his expression and burst into laughter. "Shopkeeper Jiang, since you don't want our Weiyang Street shop to be the agent for the Jade Dew Cream, why did you have the Chamber of Commerce recruit so widely and cast a wide net to catch fish? You simply want to use our shop's reputation to pave the way for your favorite shops and attract the support of the people of Kyoto. Little do you know that stepping on others to achieve your goals will inevitably backfire."
Lu Tingwan was not panicked, and the calmness emanating from his bones was evident. Luo Yunchu wanted to help, but he raised his folding fan halfway, but was pushed back by Lu Tingwan. Lu Tingwan stopped in front of him and confronted the shopkeeper Yu downstairs.
"Shopkeeper Yu, please don't be so confident. Just because Zhichunli and Mingyu Pavilion couldn't reach a deal today doesn't mean they won't be able to negotiate in the future. Isn't that right?"
"Hmph." Shopkeeper Yu turned his face away, full of disdain.
"However, since Zhichunli opened, there has been an unbreakable rule, which is not to cooperate with people who are dishonest or commit fraud." Lu Tingwan said slowly.
An onlooker, confused, asked, "Manager Jiang, the Mingyu Pavilion's vote count is indeed at the top. So, according to you, the Mingyu Pavilion's vote count is fake? But the officials from the Supervisory Office are here, so how was this vote manipulated?"
Lu Tingwan clapped his hands and said, "This brother asked a good question."
"Recently, there have been many migrant workers in the alleys of Kyoto, and the number of beggars on Weiyang Street has increased several times compared to usual. And these people have always participated in the voting. Beggars can't even get enough to eat, so why would they care about which store is the distributor of Zhichunli Yulu Cream?" Lu Tingwan said, "I sent people to observe secretly and found that these beggars received money and voted for the store according to instructions. Do you know how much money they have to vote for each time?"
"Is there such a thing?" The onlookers kept talking.
"Indeed, there have been more beggars on Weiyang Street recently, but since people from Jingzhao Prefecture have come here, it's not surprising that beggars come to ask for money."
"Manager Jiang, how much silver?"
…
"Ten cents per person. According to this system, as long as you donate enough money, you don't need to participate in the election. What's the point of asking you to vote?"
"Jiang Yanli, what do you mean? Are you accusing our shop of fraud and destroying our reputation? Then you can gradually swallow up all the shops in Jingdu and become the only one in power, right?"
"Shopkeeper Yu has overestimated me," Lu Tingwan said patiently. She simply wanted to use the Mingyu Pavilion incident to spread the word. Zhi Chunli had absolutely no selfish motives. "If I, Jiang Yanli, wanted to dominate the market, I wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to get the Chamber of Commerce to select a reputable store in Kyoto to represent me."
The Supervisory Office staff waited and watched without success, then said, "Since Mingyu Pavilion and other shops were the first to violate the rules, according to the regulations, they should be kicked off the list and never be part of the alliance. But can Shopkeeper Jiang provide evidence? A one-sided account will not convince the public, and it will also damage the reputation of innocent people. This is not what I want to see."
"Your Excellency is right," Lu Tingwan said confidently, "We have both witnesses and evidence."
Lu Tingwan raised his hand, and Feng Xin and Tian Shu led a dozen people to the front of the Supervisory Office.
"This is the witness."
The witnesses were mainly Aunt Miao and others, among whom there were also several men dressed as beggars. Lu Tingwan thought they looked familiar. They were beggars who often appeared in Fenglin Lane and Changqing Street.
"How did you prove that Mingyu Pavilion voted fraudulently?" The Supervisory Office was in charge of the overall situation.
Aunt Miao raised her eyebrows at Lu Tingwan, and Lu Tingwan smiled knowingly.
"To answer your Excellency, I accepted money from the manager of Mingyu Pavilion and voted for Mingyu Pavilion." Aunt Miao's voice shocked the guild hall. After these words came out, Manager Yu was no longer calm.
"That's nonsense," he continued to deny. "If you accept my money, wouldn't that be considered as shielding someone?"
According to the law, the amount of money they collected was not much, so it can only be said that their behavior was improper, but it did not violate the law.
Lu Tingwan had already explained these interests to them. Moreover, their purpose was not to take the money, but to prove that Mingyu Pavilion bought votes and engaged in false voting.
Luo Yunchu said, "Sir, I can testify to this. Three days ago, the Chamber of Commerce tallied the votes and presented them to Manager Jiang for careful review. Manager Jiang noticed something fishy and asked the Chamber of Commerce to pay close attention to the people who came to vote every day. Indeed, as they said, many of the voters were not dressed like ordinary people."
Lu Tingwan said, "Actually, even if beggars came to vote, there's nothing wrong with that. Who says beggars can't have a love for beauty? What makes me suspicious is the sheer number of people who voted. The Mingyu Pavilion's lead is astonishing."
"So, in order to uphold justice and protect the interests of other businesses, Jiang had no choice but to secretly seek out this method and arrange for people to inquire about ways to make money in the city. Fortunately, these friends came to my aid. As expected, there are secret ways to make money in the west and north of the city, and even in the alleys. And voting with money is the most popular method these days."
Master Miao explained the details, "The person who contacted us simply told us to vote for Mingyu Pavilion and we would receive ten coins. If a family of more than ten people voted together, it would be around a hundred coins."
"Sir, today's selection of agent shops in Zhichunli is intended to benefit the people and complement the commercial market. Kyoto is the imperial city under the feet of the emperor, and many people make a living through business. They use a variety of methods to gain profits. For this reason, Jiang Yanli also hopes that you can bear witness for the Chamber of Commerce and Zhichunli that the shops selected today have all been selected through fair screening and in accordance with the will of the people."
"Manager Jiang is a businessman who is not interested in personal gain. He is young and promising with a bright future. I naturally admire him." The Supervisory Office nodded slightly. Lu Tingwan acted as if he was being honored and repeatedly bowed in return.
When Shopkeeper Yu saw the situation exposed, his fellow shopkeepers sneered and accused him, "Shopkeeper Yu has been running rampant in Kyoto for over a decade. If Mingyu Pavilion had run an honest election, it would have easily gotten into the top ten. Why did he resort to such self-defeating behavior?"
"That's right. Business is all about integrity. Now that integrity has been lost, how can we dare to associate with Mingyu Pavilion in the future? On the other hand, Shopkeeper Jiang of Zhichunli, although young, acts steadily, calmly, and without dragging his feet."
"Yes, it would be a blessing if we could reach a cooperation with Shopkeeper Jiang."
Shopkeeper Yu's face flushed red, and he had nowhere to hide his old face, so he could only leave in anger. The other families who lost the election due to vote fraud also fled in panic. Staying would only be embarrassing.
After this episode, the final list was finalized, and the owners of the top ten shops signed a contract with the Chamber of Commerce and Zhichunli. The Chamber of Commerce, as the intermediate regulatory department, hit it off.
The storyteller in the teahouse and theater in Kyoto made up a beautiful story.
Since the spring breeze has blown through the maple forest and the wild geese have quietly flown into the spring, the capital has been prosperous and the business world is unprecedentedly prosperous.
The shopkeeper Zhichunli Jiang is a young girl with graceful manners. She raises her sleeves slightly to attract wealth.
…
There were many different opinions, and this news also reached the Cheng Mansion, and even the Queen Mother seemed to have heard of it.
It rained a lot in midsummer, and the capital was shrouded in dark clouds for several days, but no rain fell. Lu Tingwan had been busy in Zhichun recently because of the agency of Yulu Cream. The sky was still sunny in the morning, but in the afternoon, there were sudden thunder and strong winds. She looked at the sudden change in the weather and hurriedly closed the shop.
"It's been a very unpredictable day, with strong winds and rain. A torrential downpour is imminent. The farm still has a batch of flowers waiting to be picked and shipped to the city. If they're damaged, the raw materials for the Rejuvenating Cream and Jade Dew Cream will be gone. We'll be running low on supplies and losing our credibility. The first round of stores for the Chamber of Commerce has just been selected, and now they can't supply the first batch of goods. Yu Zhichunli's reputation will be damaged."
"Boss, what should we do now?"
"Call all the shop assistants and go out of the city together. Pick all the flowers in the fields before the rain comes," Lu Tingwan said decisively. "Fengxin, go find Aunt Miao and ask her sisters to go out of the city with you. You will be rewarded handsomely later."
Time was of the essence and she could not hesitate. The group rushed to the farm in a hurry. Lu Tingwan asked the village chief to call all the villagers to pick the blooming flowers together. After the hour of You, the sky was dark and dark clouds covered the whole city.
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