"Master Tang, you have always been a well-informed person, and you are also the president of the Lingzhou Chamber of Commerce."
"Tell us, what are the rules and regulations for Lord Zhongwu's charity auction?"
"You can't do this. How much incense have we burned for Buddha in the past few months, and all this money is in vain."
"Yes, if the Buddhas want to ensure the dignity of Peacock City, isn't it all our money?"
"The imperial court scraped it, Buddhism scraped it, Shence Army scraped it, and now that Chu Zhongwu is here, do we have to scrape it too?"
Ever since Chu Qianqiu released the news that a grand charity auction would be held in Peacock City, the businessmen of Peacock City had felt a sense of panic.
All parties were asking each other for information, and Ting Yuxuan's business became particularly good.
They gathered here not to listen to music, but to discuss how to face this Prince of Hell from Lingzhou.
"Why panic? You have to stay calm when encountering big problems."
"Could it be that Chu Zhongwu asked for money and you refused to give it?"
"Master Tang, you can't say that."
"We have already burned incense for Buddha, including one hundred thousand taels of incense."
"Where is the money left?"
One of the impatient businessmen, Wu Yuanhua, the owner of Zuihualou, quickly interrupted.
"That's not right, Shopkeeper Wu."
"There are music and music played every night at Zuihualou. In the year of great disaster, we are still selling alcohol in the city. This is unreasonable."
"Fengzhou has been in famine for three years, but Zuihualou's business is getting better and better."
"why?"
"Because Zuihualou can get low-priced grain from Fengdeng Grain Store. A pound of grain only costs 30 cents."
"Oh, by the way, it seems like it's still food for disaster relief."
"As for the person behind Fengdeng Grain Store, it is Dou Hongen, the third son of General Dou, who is a member of Wanhu of the Shence Army. I am not wrong, am I right?"
"If you can get Dou Wanhu to intercede with Master Zhongwu, there will be no need to come here and listen to Miss Qiaoer's piano."
Tang Ning said with an air of dignity, beating everyone one by one, feeling very proud of herself.
A few days ago in Fengyu Tower, he was directly controlled by Chu Zhongwu. The head of the Tang family was trying to find a way to surrender to Chu Qianqiu. He wanted to be a traitor in Peacock City and prove that he had a red heart for Lord Zhongwu.
As a result, I couldn't find a suitable opportunity.
I finally found an opportunity today. I have to act like a traitor, record all the words and deeds of these people, and inform Master Zhongwu!
I will surrender first, at least as a translator, and you people will be killed.
Thinking of this, Tangning felt a little better.
After all, happiness is something that comes from comparison.
Originally, he was still a little confused, thinking about how to contact King Kong Temple and King Jing to launch an extreme counterattack, and then he saw Chu Qianqiu going up to Peacock Mountain.
Immediately afterwards came the news of Zen Master Buye's death.
Zen Master Buye's status in Fengzhou is no different from that of a god. Even the great Confucianists who look down on the Greedy sect's practice just keep a distance from him.
There is almost no Confucian influence in Fengzhou, unlike Lingzhou where there is a liberal arts college. This is because the place is so civilized that no great Confucian dares to come here to fight directly.
Now the god is dead, it was Chu Zhongwu who did it.
Even if Zen Master Wuye faked his death, he is already dead in a social sense.
Tang Ning quickly adjusted her attitude and became extremely positive about joining Chu Qianqiu. She even considered arranging for her legitimate daughter to leave.
"Master Tang, what are you talking about?" Shopkeeper Wu said somewhat unhappily.
"Everyone respects you as one of the eight imperial merchants, doing the toughest business in the world."
"I didn't ask you to expose me."
"Chu Zhongwu wants to donate money this time, of course we have to pay it. Even if we give him face, we still have to spend money."
"But there must be a plan for how much money is going to be spent."
The guests who can come to Tingyuxuan are either rich or noble, and everyone has a strong backing. They are either related to the temple or to the Shence Army.
Everyone has a backstage, which means that no one has a backstage.
There is a very wonderful thing about Fengzhou, that is, all the businessmen have a backend, and everyone has to fight for connections. In the end, it is easy for both sides to lose, so they start to try to negotiate business.
"Articles?"
"Master Zhongwu asks us to donate money because he thinks highly of us."
"Yesterday's battle, Chu Zhongwu defeated Zen Master Bu Gu and Zen Master Bu Ye in a row."
"It is said that Zen Master Buye even used magic weapons, but was still killed by Chu Zhongwu."
"Such a strong person is a real dragon."
"When a dragon crosses the river, any local snake will bow its head."
"If you don't bow your head, you will die."
"How much do you want to donate?"
Tang Ning spread his hands and looked helpless. Although he was determined to report the people who opposed the most fiercely, he also wanted to actively make these businessmen move closer to Lord Zhongwu.
Maybe one or two businessmen are not that great, but the wealthy businessmen present control more than 30% of the shops, storefronts, and logistics turnover in Peacock City.
As long as they are willing to surrender to Chu Qianqiu, Chu Qianqiu can radiate his orders to the entire Fengzhou with Peacock City as the core.
So Tang Ning took full liberty and decided to scare them first.
"If you don't bow your head, you will die?"
Everyone's faces turned a little pale as they chanted these words.
The people do not fight against the officials, let alone a powerful man like Chu Qianqiu who holds a large number of troops and is a fierce dragon crossing the river.
The businessmen thought for a moment and decided to donate the largest share of the money. Tangning couldn't help but curl up the corners of her mouth.
Spending other people's money becomes your own merit.
What a great thing.
"Wait a minute."
"How come Chairman Tang has become Lord Zhongwu's lackey, and all his speeches stand on Chu Zhongwu's side?"
"How can you, a dignified man, not be as strong-willed as a woman like me?"
Just when everyone was about to bow their heads and discuss how much money and food they would donate, they heard a burst of laughter from a woman.
"Why did Manager Liu say this?"
"It is the greatest honor for Tang to be Lord Zhongwu's lackey, unlike some wild dogs who don't know where to find food."
Tangning didn't expect that it was Liu Ruxin, the store manager of Qixiu Pavilion, so she sneered and ridiculed a few words. Unexpectedly, Liu Ruxin chuckled in response:
"The Liu family relies on cotton-padded clothes and quilts to make a living. Everyone in the world knows this. Doesn't the head of the Tang family know that?"
"you!"
How dare you lie to me like this.
Tangning was about to speak when she quickly realized something was wrong.
The Liu family has always been a humble businessman family. When did they become so tough?
Could it be that the recently discovered information is true?
Liu Ruxin did not take advantage of the victory and pursue it, but instead said to everyone:
"Everyone, our money did not fall from the sky."
"If you follow Chu Zhongwu today, I don't know how much money you will be robbed of in the future."
"You can give me money. After all, he is a dignified Lord Zhongwu and the young commander of the Divine Power Army."
"But we can't let others control us. The head of the Tang family is the president of the Fengzhou Chamber of Commerce. He doesn't want to solve everyone's problems, but he is here to intimidate everyone."
"It's really doubtful, which side is the Tang family head on?"
"Is it possible that the Tang family has taken refuge with Master Zhongwu?"
"Nonsense!"
"Tang has always been from Fengzhou and has devoted himself to his colleagues in Fengzhou. Unlike store manager Liu, who is from Yuzhou and is a foreigner."
"What's more, Chu Zhongwu killed my sixth brother."
"Tang and he are incompatible with each other, how could he take refuge with him?"
Tangning slammed the table and said with a sneer:
"According to Manager Liu, Tang heard a rumor that the Liu family has recently had a cooperative relationship with the Hehuan Sect."
"Could it be that the Vajra Temple gave the Hehuan Sect's property to Chu Zhongwu, which gave the Hehuan Sect an idea to test Chu Zhongwu?"
"The Liu family cannot treat everyone as cannon fodder."
"Everyone, listen up, Chu Zhongwu has a nickname in Lingzhou, called Chu Miemen."
"Does Manager Liu want to harm everyone's lives?"
"You!" Liu Ruxin's expression changed. She did not expect that the cooperation between the Liu family and the Hehuan Sect would be exposed so quickly.
The Tang family's power network is indeed extraordinary.
"Okay, everyone, please calm down." The shopkeeper of Zuihualou began to persuade.
"We are both businessmen, and we value harmony and wealth."
"If Chu Zhongwu asks for money, we will definitely give it to him, but there still needs to be a regulation on how much and how to give it."
"Since Manager Liu has made this suggestion, he probably has his own way."
"It won't do any harm if we listen more."
"Manager Liu, tell me what you think."
Liu Ruxin sighed, if the Tang family hadn't disrupted the situation just now, this meeting would have been successful, but I'm afraid it won't be possible now.
"I am indeed entrusted by Mrs. Nightingale."
"Is Mrs. Nightingale back?"
"Yes, she is planning to participate in this charity auction."
"At the same time, she also hopes that we will try to spend as little unnecessary money as possible."
"We can't let Master Zhongwu lead us by the nose."
…
Peacock City, Fengyu Tower
"Lord Zhongwu, this Liu family is a complete rebel."
"My subordinates suggest that to scare the monkeys, start with the Liu family." After the meeting, Tang Ning hurried to Fengyu Tower to report to Chu Qianqiu.
"Master Tang, you did a good job."
"This is my subordinate's honor." Tang Ning quickly expressed her loyalty.
"But someone also reported you."
"You said you and Mr. Chu are incompatible with each other. Is that true?" Chu Qianqiu looked at the information on hand and had to say that there were too many people who made snitches.
Tangning's face turned pale and she quickly shouted: