Chapter 1392 – Southern Prosperity, Autumn of Chaos (Eighteen)
“Is this Liu Xi completely out of her mind? Does she really think she’s the daughter of heaven, that everyone should accommodate and help her?”
Jiang Pengji was full of confidence, but the public opinion outside was far from favorable regarding her plan.
Most were pessimistic, and some even mocked her openly.
“Who knows? Right now, she’s the undisputed authority in Dongqing; can’t she float a bit for a while?”
This topic had become the darling of gossip in recent times, regardless of whether they were common folks or scholar students; everyone needed to point fingers just to feel satisfied.
Some said, “Businesspeople are solely driven by profit, stinking of copper. They’d toss coins into the water just to hear the splash, but when it comes to building a branch of the Golden Scales Academy, what benefits do they gain? Tsk, all that good reputation and merit goes to others!”
Someone laughed derisively, “How much shiny silver does it take to build a school? If it were me, even if I had money to burn, I’d rather bury it to leave for my descendants. Who’d be so foolish as to hand it over to others to do good deeds? There’s no one this naive in the world!”
Another chimed in, “Maybe, just maybe, there are indeed those with a screw loose who would willingly splurge to curry favor?”
Yet another added, “How much does it cost to build a school? Based on the Golden Scales Academy’s standards, it would need at least a few tens of thousands of guan, right? The expenses for students there are also enormous. Hundreds of students, who can afford that? Not to mention pens, ink, paper, and brushes; their daily meals consist of a meat dish, two vegetables, and a soup to fill them up. They need three outfits for every season and an allowance of a hundred wen per month… The common folks can only afford meat during holidays, and it takes three years of patching up one outfit… Who would want to be the scapegoat, paying to feed these hungry students?”
The common people were singing a depressing tune, while some nobles who disliked Jiang Pengji watched with cold indifference.
Everyone had a similar purpose, eager to witness Jiang Pengji’s folly.
Little did they know, there were already quite a few wealthy individuals secretly wanting to kneel down with cash to beg Jiang Pengji for a chance!
However, there was no way in, so they could only fume in frustration.
No matter how big their business was, they still stood at the bottom as merchants.
Jiang Pengji was a local lord; how could a mere commoner hope to meet her?
They had to find a way!
With only two slots available, if they didn’t act quickly, they’d be left pounding their chests in regret!
Everyone deployed various tactics—some sought connections, while others tried to get a foot in the door by leveraging their children studying at the Golden Scales Academy.
They might not have official channels, but their children were students there, and many bureaucrats’ offspring were enrolled!
If Feng Yi managed to go home and pick up a few phrases to relay back, it would be as good as notifying Jiang Pengji.
Since the Golden Scales Academy operated on a full-time schedule, parents could only meet their children once a month, and they needed to arrange their visits in advance.
Thus, the following scene unfolded.
“What is Father doing? Daughter lacks for nothing at the academy, and the school doesn’t allow students to wear private clothes, so there’s no use for this.”
The daughter eyed the mountain of gift boxes behind her father, feeling surprisingly flattered.
She wasn’t often favored at home, and she never expected her father to care about her this much.
Her father awkwardly replied, “These aren’t for you… I just wanted to ask if you know those young masters and their ladies?”
The daughter couldn’t hide her disappointment but said, “Those young masters and their ladies? Who is Father referring to?”
“Naturally, I mean the children of those big shots from Wanzhou. Aren’t they your classmates? Don’t you know them?”
The daughter was speechless.
The Golden Scales Academy organized students by age and academic progress, and those mentioned were high school students, so they were hardly classmates—more like alumni. Seeing this, she understood her father needed something and wanted her to make a connection.
She responded, “If Father has something he needs their help with, I can certainly give it a try, but no gifts or bribes, please.”
Her father panicked and admonished, “That’s called courtesy! How can you call it bribery? Little girl, what do you know!”
She replied, “Courtesy shouldn’t involve catering to a few students; it’s easily misunderstood, and they probably won’t accept it anyway.”
Her father was momentarily stumped but had to admit his daughter was right.
Gifts were part of social niceties, but said harshly, they could be called bribery or corruption; they might not need such trivial donations.
The daughter asked him, “What does Father want from them?”
“There’s news that Lan Ting is planning to establish a branch of the Golden Scales Academy. Since I think our financial situation is decent, I might as well donate to it and mix in as an honorary director. After a few years, the students coming from that branch will surely appreciate this favor. It’ll be beneficial for our family.” Her father continued, “Your older brother is just mediocre, and your second brother is useless, but you have some promise, yet you’re a daughter. I’m worried that after a hundred years, they won’t be able to keep the family estate. It’s better to plan ahead and secure some benefits for the future.”
Merchants may be rich but lack power and influence, often needing to find ways to cling to others.
Even with vast fortunes, without the ability to protect it, if their offspring squander it or their relatives are odd, the family could fall into decline within three generations.
These days, the world was unstable; without a supporting backer, even mountains of gold could be seized.
“I can give it a try, but I can’t guarantee it will work.”
While they were students at the same academy, those few had approachable personalities, but they wouldn’t interact overly with ordinary students.
How to relay the message… she would need to think carefully.
Compared to seeking connections through traditional channels, this method was efficient and quick, saving numerous middlemen!
Feng Yi had quite a few people keeping an eye on him, so he informed his father, Feng Zhen, about this.
Feng Zhen chuckled and teased his son.
“Those people truly are tight-fisted. They say they have money but won’t offer a bit of it when asking for favors… clueless!”
Feng Yi responded, “Taking bribes and ruining the rules—how would my classmates view me after that?”
Feng Zhen wanted to keep laughing, but Wan Xiuer lightly smacked his hand with her fan, urging him to take it easy.
The Feng family had finally accumulated a good fortune; they couldn’t let Feng Zhen ruin it!
Feng Zhen, being the rascal he is, took the opportunity to touch her hand, receiving a roll of her eyes in return.
“With your temperament, you should go be a censor; you’d surely offend someone with every decree!”
Why did such a charming and perfect individual give birth to such a dull and clueless son?
Feng Yi replied, “Being a censor doesn’t sound too bad.”
Every day he could report dad’s antics, considering he always had a head full of lice, he’d catch a break!
Every household was anxiously awaiting responses, while Jiang Pengji, the big winner, sat steadily, fishing.
She sent people to gather background information and property assessments of those families, reviewing them one by one.
The idle audience accompanied her, carefully selecting options. After half a day, one of them presented a doubt:
【Tonight’s Hot Pot】: Isn’t it said that the highest bidder wins? Are you trying to do some private trading here, streamer?
Jiang Pengji replied, “Do I look like someone who would bow to simple needs for five dou of rice? Officially, it’s an auction, but it’s not just about the money. If the person who splashes cash for a slot is a heartless merchant, wouldn’t I be harming the common people and ruining my own reputation?”
She spoke rights with a veneer of righteousness, appearing as if she viewed money as dirt. If it weren’t for the audience understanding her, they’d have been fooled by her act.
On another note, were those just five dou?
That was an investment of several hundred thousand guan!
