Drive a RV and go farming in ancient times.

This move by the Chamber of Commerce was really beyond everyone's expectations. Before, the Chamber of Commerce's presence was not very strong. The people did not pay attention to it, and the officials and aristocratic families did not think highly of it, so its status was neither high nor low, which was quite awkward. It only had some weight among the merchants, but had not really done any influential things.

Now, it is a bit surprising that it came out of nowhere. After all, it is difficult to raise food and grass right now, and anyone who is faced with it will be scratching their heads. The Ministry of Revenue does not dare to exploit the people forcefully. If something happens, the capital will be in chaos before the Japanese pirates in the south are dealt with. In such a desperate situation, the Chamber of Commerce took the initiative to donate money and food, which can be said to be a timely rain.

Moreover, the donation was truly magnanimous. Although 300,000 dan of silver was not enough to cover all the military expenses, it was enough to cope with the current predicament. The 100,000 dan of grain was a life-saving straw.

The Ministry of Revenue was very happy.

The people in the city also breathed a sigh of relief. They no longer had to worry about being forced to sell their children due to taxation, and for a time they all praised the Chamber of Commerce for its righteousness.

The Chamber of Commerce quickly gained fame.

Of course, it is not enough to just gain a reputation, that would be too disadvantageous. Merchants pursue profits, so they must have other benefits. Otherwise, who would be willing to spend so much grain and silver? The bulk of the money was raised by Su Zhe and Xu Huaiyi, one of them contributed 100,000 taels and the other 50,000 taels. The rest was raised by dozens of other merchants, with some contributing 10,000 or 20,000 taels and some 3,000 or 5,000 taels. All were recorded in detail.

When Xu Huaiyi asked Su Zhe to encourage them, he made a lot of promises. This was how he lured them into cooperating so readily. Sweet words alone would be useless.

Su Zhe trusted him, and Xu Huaiyi did not disappoint him. After the silver and grain were donated, the reward from the court soon arrived. The eunuch who was in favor of the emperor personally read the imperial edict, praising the Chamber of Commerce's righteous deeds. He even took the trouble to read out the names of the merchants one by one, which showed that he was particularly attentive.

This is glory!

When the merchants heard their names, they were filled with tears of excitement.

Only Xu Huaiyi appeared respectful, but there was no ripple in his heart. This was the way the superiors controlled their subordinates. They clearly gave them nothing substantial, but still made people feel grateful and want to repay them with their lives. This showed how they were able to win people's hearts.

In his opinion, the only thing of some use was the imperial plaque with the words "Chamber of Commerce" written by Emperor Jianxing himself and hung in the most conspicuous position. From then on, with this plaque to protect the house, no one would dare to underestimate it or make trouble easily. It virtually gave the Chamber of Commerce an extra layer of protection and raised its status. Merchants could finally hold their heads high and live a life of dignity. This was what he valued most.

This is the benefit of acting collectively and in an organized manner. It is much more effective than working alone. Everyone can benefit from it without having to worry about arousing jealousy.

Especially Su Zhe, after this incident, his voice in the Chamber of Commerce has increased a lot. A man with ambition does not need age to grow old, and a man without ambition does not need age to grow old. Whoever has great ability and can bring benefits to everyone can hold the position firmly, and the Chamber of Commerce can be truly convinced.

Su Zhe felt a little guilty, and privately said to Xu Huaiyi, "These should have all been yours, but I took advantage of them. It was clearly your idea, and you went to discuss with Minister Sun to get these benefits, but in the end, all the credit fell on me..."

Xu Huaiyi knew what he was going to say and raised his hand to interrupt him. "Don't do something bad with good intentions. I'm not jealous of the achievements you mentioned. It's not that I'm a man of high moral character, but you know my current situation well. It's really not appropriate for me to be in the limelight. There are so many people staring at me and looking for trouble. How dare I show up and take credit? Those people will tear me to pieces. So, you come forward, not to take advantage of me, but to help me, to take the blame for me. You don't need to feel guilty at all. On the contrary, I have to thank you..."

"Huaiyi..."

"Stop it, stop nagging me. You know who I am. I was absolutely sincere in what I said just now. Why should we be so polite? Besides, you have gained fame and prestige by coming forward, and I will also be able to benefit from it in the future. The meat is rotten in the pot, and no one will suffer a loss."

Su Zhe was moved and stood up to bow and express his gratitude.

Xu Huaiyi smiled and said, "Don't thank me. Although you are the biggest winner this time, you have also been pushed to the forefront. There may be some troubles in the future. The Second Prince will value you more, and the Zhao family will also care more about you as a son-in-law, which will make it more difficult for you to get out of trouble in the future. As for the Su family, your brothers will increasingly regard you as a thorn in their eyes, and there will be more and more calculations behind your back. You should be mentally prepared, and don't blame me when the time comes."

Su Zhe said frankly, "I understand. As long as I have the intention, this day will come sooner or later. How can I blame you?"

"That's good……"

Xu Huaiyi would not feel guilty for blaming him, but he was even happier that Su Zhe was so clear and reasonable. After all, no one wanted to help an ungrateful person. Not only could they not be friends, but they would also be hated.

Sun Yu also questioned him privately, asking more about what other tricks he would have in mind. He didn't think that his apprentice would be able to stop there.

Xu Huaiyi was vague at first and refused to say it.

Sun Yu laughed and scolded a few times, "Don't play tricks on me, Master. Can you honestly donate so much money and food, but watch others sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor without spending any money?"

No matter who it is, they would feel unbalanced, right?

Especially his apprentice, he is not a person who is willing to suffer loss. Because of the war in the south, the people have to tighten their belts because of taxes, and the merchants are also suffering. But those powerful officials and families are not willing to spend a penny, even though they are obviously wealthy and extravagant.

Even though he came from a prominent family, he was embarrassed to act stupid.

But there are too many concerns, and the Sun family cannot be the first to take action unless there is a suitable reason.

He had a hunch that Xu Huaiyi could give the right reason.

Sure enough, Xu Huaiyi did not let him down.

After listening to this, Sun Yu was silent for a moment and asked, "Does your master know?"

Xu Huaiyi nodded, "Disciple has reported this to Grandmaster before."

After all, his trick was a bit damaging. What if it aroused public anger? If no one protects him, would he end up in trouble?

Sun Yu asked curiously, "Did your master agree?"

Xu Huaiyi nodded again, "I agree. Master is a man of high moral character. For the sake of Dayong and the people, Master agreed without hesitation."

Sun Yu's mouth twitched. How could he not know what kind of person his father was? After decades of being involved in the imperial court, he was already used to weighing the pros and cons of everything. Where did his integrity come from? In all likelihood, he was fooled by this kid...

This is also the ability of the apprentice.

"Master is unwilling?"

"Well, how could that be? Just go ahead and do it. If anyone causes you trouble, tell your master and I will support you."

Xu Huaiyi thanked him cheerfully.

With the support of the Sun family, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

What he wants to do is very simple, it is nothing more than moral kidnapping. Those powerful classes and wealthy families are pretending to be deaf and dumb and not giving a penny. He will put them all in a position, and it will not be difficult to choose between saving face or giving up money.

The method he used to kidnap them was not new. He just raised the slogan of patriotism and love for the people, spread positive energy everywhere, expressed patriotic feelings, and defined the act of donating money and food at the level of patriotism, which was a righteous act and everyone was responsible.

Of course, he would not make things too conspicuous, that would be too stupid. He mainly appealed to the grassroots people. It seemed that he was calling on the people to contribute to the country, but in fact he was secretly forcing those wealthy families and powerful officials to bleed.

If you don't bleed, you are not patriotic. Are you, who have read the books of sages, not as enlightened as ordinary people?

The common people are all actively preparing for war and contributing to the country. What have you who are in high positions done?

We don't ask you to donate silver and grain as generously as the merchants, but you can't just stand by and do nothing, right?

Wouldn’t that mean that we are even worse than merchants who conserve their wealth?

Kidnapping to this extent is like forcing a duck to climb a tree. Who can not have some shame?

For a time, there was a wave of donations in the capital, and dignitaries donated generously one after another. Even though they were reluctant, they dared not lag behind others, otherwise they would be accused of being unpatriotic and it would be troublesome.

The princes have lost the most blood, it's impossible that they have lost less blood than the Su family, right?

The Sun family also donated 50,000 taels and a lot of grain, which was considered the most willing. After all, they knew earlier that it was Xu Huaiyi's idea, so how could they not cooperate?

The other families were not happy and many of them cursed others behind their backs. Xu Huaiyi was the first to be hit. However, he did not have to worry about being hated this time because he positioned himself as a target who was pushed out to do the work. The one who really made the plans and got the credit was the Ministry of Revenue. So if you want to blame someone, blame the Ministry of Revenue. It is useless to take it out on him.

Moreover, the emperor had been informed in a tactful and implicit manner in advance and only after obtaining permission could this be done, so anyone who had objections had to keep it to themselves.

By fleecing the enemy in this way, the results of the war were naturally gratifying. Not only had the food and fodder been collected, but the task was also completed in excess. Even if the war dragged on for a year or two, the Ministry of Revenue would not have to worry about losing sleep.

The emperor was overjoyed and praised the Ministry of Revenue for its effective work with great fanfare. As the concurrent Minister of Revenue, Lord Sun was bound to receive some rewards.

Elder Sun was very modest and said that it was all part of his job. Others praised him verbally but were jealous in their hearts. Those who knew the inside story were even more jealous that Sun Yu had accepted a good disciple. Look, in just one year, how much benefit has this brought to the Sun family?

Especially several princes, after seeing Xu Huaiyi's value, were more willing to recruit him.

Therefore, Su Zhe was invited by the second prince, and Li Yunting was also hinted and warned by Marquis Dingyuan. The meaning was very clear, that is, they must have a good relationship with Xu Huaiyi and use him for their benefit.

Su Zhe was well prepared. He did not want to drag Xu Huaiyi into the water, and he did not have the ability to do so. So he kept instilling in the Second Prince the idea that "Xu Huaiyi is a person who can only be treated with sincerity, and must not be used or calculated", in order to dispel the Second Prince's idea of ​​always wanting Xu Huaiyi to do things for him.

In the end, the second prince really listened to it and was not unhappy. After all, Su Zhe was right. People like Xu Huaiyi are soft-hearted and cannot be forced. They can only be exchanged for sincerity. Now everything is good. Xu Huaiyi has helped Su Zhe a lot. Xu Huaiyi has made an indelible contribution to Su Zhe's current achievements and status. The second prince also agrees with this point.

Things did not go smoothly with Marquis Dingyuan. No matter what he said, Li Yunting was always indifferent. His meaning was very clear. He was on good terms with Xu Huaiyi only because they got along well. It had nothing to do with anything else. There was no interest involved, which made Marquis Dingyuan give up directly.

Marquis Dingyuan was furious and even used family rules, but he could not shake Li Yunting's will. He thought that they could be friends, but he would never think of using friends to benefit the third prince. He refused completely.

As for the Fourth Prince, they were even more helpless. Logically speaking, with the relationship between the Qiao and Xu families, Xu Huaiyi should naturally stay in the Fourth Prince's camp. But the Xu family was stupid and dragged their feet, sending their most capable son away to be a son-in-law, and their relationship was so bad that they no longer had any contact with each other. It was difficult to use his strength.

However, the Fourth Prince did not give up and consulted Qiao Huaijin. After hearing that Qiao Huai's concubine had given birth to a child, he urged the Qiao family to invite Xu Huaiyi to the house on the pretext of hosting a full-month banquet. After all, he was his uncle, and it was not reasonable to refuse.

Coincidentally, the day of the full moon banquet was also Su Zhe’s wedding day. What was there to say about the choice?

Xu Huaiyi went to the Su family to help early in the morning. Just because of his relationship with Su Zhe, he didn't even need to find an excuse.

Of course, in order to avoid gossip, although he did not go, he also sent people to the Qiao family to deliver gifts. In this way, it would be difficult for others to find fault. After all, Xu Honglian gave birth to a daughter. In the Qiao family, she was just an ordinary concubine's daughter. Qiao Huai had four sons and five daughters, both legitimate and illegitimate. There was really nothing special about it. There was no need to hold a full-month banquet. It would be reasonable for the girl's family to send a representative to visit.

Therefore, it was normal that Xu Huaiyi did not go. Although the Qiao family was disappointed, they did not dare to hold on to it. They even sent people to attend Su Zhe's wedding just to have a chance to talk to Xu Huaiyi more and get closer to him.

Xu Huaiyi was very busy. He was the best man and had a lot of social arrangements. He also had to help Su Zhe guard against people secretly trying to sabotage today's wedding. He had no time to greet or make friends with anyone. Su Zhe originally wanted to invite Gu Huanxi and the children to join in the fun, but he didn't agree because he was afraid that if something went wrong, he wouldn't be able to take care of both ends.

Gu Huanxi didn't want to go either. She was most afraid of crowded places. She didn't know many people there, and sitting at the table was really awkward and boring. It was far less comfortable than at home.

But she had heard everything she should know. The grand wedding attracted countless people to watch. Firstly, it was lively. Although Su Zhe was not from an official family and did not have a prominent status, he had a strong network of contacts and his wedding procession was very impressive. The second prince now valued him and gave him face by sending his capable officials to support him and rewarded him with a lot of things.

Secondly, the Su family was wealthy, and they held the wedding in an extremely luxurious and dignified manner. They kept scattering wedding candies and copper coins along the way, attracting everyone to scramble for them. Moreover, they also held a buffet in front of the Chamber of Commerce. With such a good thing, who could not go to share in the joy?

I heard that the Zhao family also attached great importance to it and held a grand ceremony to marry off their daughter, with a ten-mile long red wedding dress, which attracted countless admirers.