I, Sun Shan, and the Imperial Examination

Chapter 1540 Fundraising (4)

Upon hearing that they were to offer some acts of kindness, the wives of officials and wealthy women immediately straightened up, knowing that the big show was about to begin.

When Sister Yun posted the message, she mentioned that due to the recent snow disaster, some people had suffered, and there were even casualties, which was really pitiful.

As residents of Yuanlu County, we gathered together to brainstorm ideas to help the disaster victims overcome their difficulties.

Sister Yun also mentioned that those with money should contribute money, and those with strength should contribute their strength, to get through this difficult time with the disaster victims.

The key to the eight-character motto, "Those with money contribute money, those with strength contribute strength," lies in the first four characters.

Anyone who isn't a fool knows what Madam Sun is planning to do.

And who is the man behind Madam Sun? It is none other than Lord Sun. In other words, Lord Sun wants everyone to contribute money to help the disaster victims.

Magistrate Wang slapped his thigh in exasperation. Upon hearing that Madam Wang had received the invitation, he instantly understood what Sun Shan was up to. No wonder he hadn't touched the yamen's slush fund; it turned out he was going to use theirs.

Haha, Lord Sun is the most fame-seeking and reputation-hungry person.

They seek both personal gain and a good reputation, claiming to be acting in the best interests of the people, but in reality, they are only after their own career advancement and wealth.

This snow disaster caused casualties among civilians. To put it mildly, it was a natural disaster that was unavoidable; to put it more seriously, it was due to the poor management of the area and the failure to promptly inform and evacuate people.

Haha, in order to make amends and salvage his official reputation, Sun San had no choice but to "comfort" the people.

As for how to comfort them, of course, it's with money and material support.

Sun Shan knew that using the government's slush fund would definitely be met with opposition, so he took a roundabout and circuitous route.

Using Mrs. Sun in the backyard as a pretext to solicit donations from her under the guise of "sharing weal and woe and overcoming difficulties together."

If the ladies donate, isn't that the same as the men donating?

County Magistrate Wang couldn't help but sigh that Sun Shan, this seemingly virtuous hypocrite, was indeed cunning.

Madam Wang listened attentively as Magistrate Wang analyzed the situation.

Finally, he asked, "Sir, what should I do? Madam Sun has already sent an invitation; I can't just not go, can I?"

Magistrate Wang stroked his beard and said, "We must go. If we don't go, we'll be disrespecting Sun Shan. He's my superior; we can't let things get so strained."

The main reason is that Sun Shan has been in Yuanlu for almost two years, and apart from being hypocritical, he has not made things difficult for the Wang family or touched their interests.

Moreover, the two families are now secretly cooperating to sell government tax grain and make a fortune together. They're like snakes and rats in a den, so it's not easy to turn against each other.

County Magistrate Wang recalled that he made a meager profit from selling grain two or three times, but the profit from bringing back other goods was much greater. Just those two or three trips were more lucrative than he could have made by simply sticking to his shop in Yuanlu County.

If conditions allowed, Magistrate Wang would love to drive Dege'er and Junyazi out every day, and he wouldn't mind if they weren't home for 360 days a year.

In order to continue cooperation and achieve a win-win situation in the future, Sun Shan must not be offended.

After all, the trade route was opened thanks to Sun Shan's connections; if the Wang family had gone alone, it wouldn't have been so smooth.

No, I should say I never even considered taking this trade route.

Lady Wang noticed that Magistrate Wang's expression was unpredictable, and she wondered what he was thinking.

He asked, "Sir, Madam Sun asked us to donate money. How much should we donate?"

Deciding to go means giving face, and you'll have to donate something, more or less.

County Magistrate Wang thought for a moment and said, "We'll play it by ear. Whatever Madam Sun donates, you'll donate half of what she does. Hehe, we can't possibly overtake her."

County Magistrate Wang couldn't help but applaud his own suggestion.

Hehe, who told him to be the second oldest? He absolutely cannot steal the limelight from the eldest.

As for why I donated only half, well, it already hurt enough, so it would be better not to donate at all.

Madam Wang frowned and asked, "Master, if Madam Sun donates 100 taels, wouldn't we have to donate 50 taels? That's 50 taels, how can we possibly donate that much?"

They felt that even half was inappropriate. Madam Sun's base was large, and even if it was reduced by half, it would still amount to a lot. Madam Wang was not happy about that.

I've never heard of any donations being made for disaster victims, neither since my last term nor the one before that. There are so many pitiful people in the world; how can we possibly sympathize with everyone?

Madam Wang thought that the government had provided enough food and lodging, but who knew that Lord Sun would also ask for donations? He was really aiming too high and was quite vain.

County Magistrate Wang rolled his eyes and patted his chest confidently.

He said with absolute certainty, "How could Madam Sun possibly donate 100 taels? That's impossible, absolutely impossible. I know all about Lord Sun's character, haha."

Unless the sun rises in the west, sows fly, Madam Sun is a man, and Miss Sun becomes slender, Lord Sun will not donate 100 taels.

How could Sun Shan, who loved money more than life itself, was so stingy and greedy, be so generous as to donate 100 taels? It would be no different from taking his life.

Tsk tsk~~ Lord Sun's eyes lit up like a mouse's love for rice when he saw the silver; his cunning and greedy eyes gleamed.

Even if you beat Magistrate Wang to death, he would never believe that Sun Shan would donate 100 taels of silver to the disaster victims.

Seeing Magistrate Wang's confidence, Madam Wang, though unaware of his source of confidence, believed him nonetheless.

After a moment's thought, he nodded and said, "Sir, tomorrow we'll dress in our old clothes and not wear any jewelry. We'll prepare a few purses and act according to the situation. Anyway, whatever Madam Sun donates, our family will lose half of it."

He added discreetly: If Madam Sun's donation is really too small, say 5 taels of silver, then they will donate more than half of that.

Madam Sun is stingy, but she can't be too stingy.

County Magistrate Wang and his wife discussed it, as did Inspector Liang and his wife.

Having been immersed in officialdom for over a decade or two, Sun Shan and his wife had long seen through their tricks.

Madam Liang said directly, "Sir, tomorrow I will take the maid to the county government office and dress as simply as possible. We will just follow Madam Sun's lead."

I knew I had to take off my little girl's thick gold bracelet and replace it with a thinner one, so I could look poor and not flaunt my wealth.

Inspector Liang agreed, saying, "You should act according to the situation. This is clearly a trap; you're bound to bleed. Oh dear, that Lord Sun is cunning and treacherous. He often uses excuses to extort bribes, squeezing every last drop out of people. Ah, these days are tough."

He paused, then said with great distress, "What's most despicable is that Sun Shan and that old scoundrel surnamed Wang colluded to bully me. I'm absolutely furious!"

Inspector Liang couldn't understand why Sun Shan was getting involved with County Magistrate Wang.

They are clearly competitors, and it's clearly a case of either the West Wind prevailing over the East Wind or the East Wind prevailing over the West Wind.

From the beginning, Inspector Liang planned to be an independent third party, watching the show from the sidelines until the top two leaders were both severely injured before taking sides.

Now things are really messed up. The top leader and the second-in-command have teamed up to deal with the people below, and Inspector Liang is having a lot of trouble.

After receiving Madam Sun's invitation, many wives of officials and wealthy women, like Madam Wang and Madam Liang, consulted with their husbands and devised Plan A and Plan B...

Once we arrive at the scene, we'll act according to the circumstances.