Chapter 330 - Taking Her Through The Back Door 1 (2/2)
Marquis Moyu rejected Zhangjun Prince's pet.i.tion by using the reason that the Ministry of Revenue was reporting a deficit in funding. However, after these words were said, the construction for w.a.n.gyue Pavillon should be stopped too. Since he had said there was a shortage in the national treasury, then nothing else should be built or renovated either.
The new emperor's expression wasn't good. Ning Yuxuan had originally wanted to persuade him to just silently endure for a while. Once the visiting t.i.tled princes returned to their fiefdoms, construction for w.a.n.gyue Pavillon could be resumed again. However, Zhao Li was like a brain-dead mouse that was going to dig himself to a dead end. He refused to listen to Ning Yuxuan's persuasion and insisted on continuing the construction for w.a.n.gyue Pavillion.
Alright, fine. Ning Yuxuan gave up on trying to convince him.
---
It wasn't clear what benefits Zhangjun Prince or perhaps the dowager empress had offered the t.i.tled princes. But, one after another, they actually wrote pet.i.tions to the new emperor to help Zhao Zhe. Under the pressure of their unanimous condemnations, Zhao Li surprisingly agreed to build a road to Zhangjun instead of stopping the construction for w.a.n.gyue Pavillon.
When Ji Man heard this news, she really wanted to sigh. As it turned out, even someone like Zhao Li, who had an abnormal psychological complex and was vicious and merciless towards everyone else, still had love in is heart?
w.a.n.gyue Pavillion, w.a.n.gyue Pavillion. He really wasn't letting down Pengyue, who had so whole-heartedly helped him back then.
(T/N: Pengyue's name can mean a praiseworthy moon. w.a.n.gyue just means full moon.)
Ning Yuxuan had showed disapproval at the new emperor's decision. It was obvious that this was just a willful child's impulsive decision. Still, there was nothing that he could about it. The other party was his boss. Once his boss made a decision, as his subordinate, he could only send down his orders to the Ministry of Revenue to allocate the funds for the road construction.
As if she was mentally calculating with a little abacus, Ji Man thought about her next move. It would probably take at least a year or two to complete the construction of the new road. During this time, she would continue to earn small profits through large sales volume because she had pay for freight costs to transport rice from Zhangjun. Fortunately, she had already received permission from Zhao Zhe. Any rice that was exported out of Zhangjun would be under her management. Even after the road was built and there were more profits, all of the profits would go into her pocket.
---
The grain merchant a.s.sociation had an annual election to choose its leader. And so, Ji Man had been especially busy lately because the annual election was coming up soon. She wasn't a person from the capital, so she didn't have many contacts. She didn't have substantial a.s.sets either. Still, she wanted to get that leader position. Although that position didn't have any solid authority or power, this position would give her the chance to have the most contact with governmental officials out of all the rice merchants.
In order to get promoted, in addition to doing an outstanding job, the most important part was conducting yourself well. Ji Man had already slightly increased the price of Zhangjun rice so that there wouldn't be pressure for the other rice merchants. After that, one by one, she invited shopkeepers from various rice stores out for meals and drinks. In the pa.s.sing, she would also invite Director Tang from last time, so everyone was happy to attend her gatherings.
Because the compet.i.tion for becoming the next head of the rice merchant a.s.sociation was always very big each year, no one thought that Ji Man was trying to pull people to her side. In their eyes, Ji Man was just an insignificant person. There was no way that this new rice merchant from Zhangjun would be strong contender.
---
After Marquis Moyu heard Guibai's report of what Ji Man had been up to recently, he mockingly laughed. ”Why does this woman like to torment herself so much?”
She was toiling away just from selling some rice. Why bother with inviting some official for a meal? Didn't she know that the Ministry of Revenue was under his control?
Why was she being so stupid?