Just then, they suddenly heard the sound of gongs and drums in the distance, along with other faint sounds.
"Clang clang clang!"
"By His Majesty's grace, a grand banquet will be held for the entire nation for three days, so that the people may enjoy themselves together, and all expenses will be paid by His Majesty!"
The loud sound resounded throughout the capital, instantly spreading to every corner of Yong'an City, ensuring that all the people heard the good news.
In an instant, the entire Yong'an City was in an uproar. The Emperor was actually inviting everyone to a three-day grand banquet, with all expenses covered by the imperial court. This was simply wonderful!
"Wow, His Majesty is so generous! He's hosting a three-day banquet for everyone in the All Under Heaven! How much money must that cost!"
"This is the first time His Majesty has invited me to dinner. I never expected to have such an honor."
"Hehe, free food and drinks are great, I'm absolutely thrilled!"
Long live the Emperor!
Long live the Emperor!
The common people were overjoyed. This was the first time since the beginning of time that the emperor had ever hosted such a banquet. The emperor was too extravagant!
Such a good emperor is hard to find even with a lantern; we common people are incredibly lucky.
The common people were happy, but Wang Hui and his associates were furious.
Liu Kun swallowed hard, then murmured, "The grand banquet lasted three days. I think I understand now why the Emperor invited us to the palace!"
The emperor wants to invite all the people of the country to a meal, but he calls us to come. This is clearly a way of telling us to go and pay the bill.
Waaah!
Why are we always the ones who get hurt?
Everyone's faces stiffened. Now that they knew why they had been summoned to the palace, the question arose: should they pay the money?
"Now that His Majesty has conquered such a vast territory, there must be tens of millions of people. To invite them all for three days in a row, my heart is bleeding!" Zhang Wanhao swallowed hard and said bitterly.
The Great Liang used to have only ten to twenty million people, but now the emperor is expanding it like crazy, and it has at least fifty to sixty million people now. That's an astronomical number.
How much money would that cost? Just thinking about it gives me a headache.
"Yes, there are just too many people!"
Everyone nodded in unison. It was a simple sentence, but it meant a lot of hard-earned money, like fragrant banknotes being tossed around.
"Brothers, we're starting to feel the strain; this is probably an astronomical figure."
"Leaving aside whether we can withstand it or not, if this continues, even a prestigious family like ours won't be able to hold out."
They were almost in tears. How carefree and unrestrained they were, how reckless they were in their actions! Now they couldn't even control their money. It was truly tragic.
However dire the situation may be, the task assigned by the Emperor must be completed, or else they themselves will be the ones to suffer.
The group exchanged glances, having already made their decision.
Cough cough!
Wang Hui coughed twice and chuckled dryly at Cao Cao, " Mengde for your information, Brother Mengde. We will definitely go to the palace to pay our respects to the Emperor tomorrow. We hope you will put in a good word for us."
hey-hey!
Seeing that they seemed to have made a decision, Cao Cao revealed a simple and honest smile. It seemed that these people understood his meaning.
He patted Wang Hui on the shoulder and laughed, "Brother Wang, don't worry, we're close friends, so I'll naturally speak up for you. But you also know my difficulties; powerful families are still a bit conspicuous!"
Forehead!
Wang Hui's face stiffened. "Who the hell would be my sworn brother? I don't even want to know you, you bastard! How can someone who's supposed to be my sworn brother be targeting me?"
There are other prominent families that are hard to ignore, but there's nothing we can do about it.
If I had known this would happen, I should have been a beggar back then; at least I wouldn't be living in constant fear now.
He chuckled dryly and said, "Then Mengde, Brother Mengde. We will definitely pay our respects to the Emperor on time tomorrow!"
"Alright then, see you later!"
Cao Cao didn't care whether he liked him or not; he simply greeted him and then left.
I've already notified them. If Wang Hui and the others don't go, that's their own problem. If their house is raided, they can't blame me.
"My lord, we're always asking the aristocratic families for money, but I feel like they're actually quite pitiful," a guard beside him couldn't help but whisper.
To be honest, he had accompanied his family to visit wealthy families no less than twenty times. The requirements varied, but they all involved spending money, which seemed like an unbearable burden for anyone.
Everyone says that powerful families are arrogant, but now they only seem submissive, and even a little pitiful.
Cao Cao rolled his eyes at him and said irritably, "You pity him? Do you know how much money these aristocratic families have made following the emperor? Just Zhang Wanhao alone, his silk business now earns no less than a million strings of cash every month."
"How much do you make a month, kid, to go and pity people?"
He was speechless!
This kid is worrying for nothing. If the powerful families really couldn't accept it, they would have already tried to escape, instead of waiting to die here.
Even if the Net of Heaven) is powerful, aristocratic families can always cut off an arm to survive, but did they do so?
No!
Clearly, this is all within their acceptable range, so it's just their usual excuse of complaining about being poor.
"That's no less than a million strings of cash, how much money is that?"
The guard was completely dumbfounded, feeling as if his worldview had been shattered. He had even felt sorry for them being bullied every day, only to find out that he was the clown.
I only earn about three strings of cash a month, which is less than a fraction of what the other person earns.
Click click click!
He couldn't help but grit his teeth and say, "Bastards, I haven't even complained about being poor, yet they claim to be poor when they make a million a month. Is there any justice in this world? We have to fleece them; that's what it means to rob the rich and help the poor. Otherwise, where is justice?"
They're so poor they don't even pretend to be pitiful; these people are just too much.
If they're so rich and still complain about being poor and play the victim, what do we become? A joke?
Depend on!
Cao Cao rolled his eyes. Of course, things couldn't be done that way. If money were taken without any proof, wouldn't the country be in chaos?
If you take it and I take it, not only will powerful families be unable to withstand it, but even the national treasury will be unable to withstand it.
Everything must be handled with moderation; too much of anything is as bad as too little, and it can easily backfire. If handled properly, frankly, they won't care about the money, since the benefits of following Great Liang are obvious.
Today, Great Liang is like a speeding warship; following behind it means making money at breakneck speed, with absolutely no risk.
These powerful families aren't fools; they all know how to choose, so he wasn't worried at all that they would turn against him.
On the contrary, they will become even closer to His Majesty in order to obtain sufficient benefits.
On the contrary, the first Imperial Examination of the Great Liang is about to be held, and since the Ministry of Ministry of Rites is the competent authority, I must be cautious and avoid any mistakes, otherwise I will become a laughing stock.
We must make thorough preparations to ensure that nothing goes wrong.