Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 180 - 178: No Tiger in the Mountain

Chapter 180: Chapter 178: No Tiger in the Mountain

The Emperor was in a fantastic mood recently, the best it had been since he ascended to the throne!

The National Treasury was depleted? A massive gold mine was literally delivered to his doorstep.

Several years of drought or flood have led to crop failure? Suddenly, there was rice yielding 1,000 pounds per acre! The annual yield would now be thrice as much.

An ominous warning? Suddenly, a lucky star was shining brightly!

All of these were thanks to the Marquis Shengping and his family.

"I heard that Marquis Shengping’s family plans to return home for the New Year?" the emperor asked Shangguan Xuanyi during the morning assembly.

"Father, I heard that they are planning to leave the day after tomorrow."

The Emperor realized he didn’t want them to go.

The civil and military officials exchanged glances. A powerless Marquis going home for the New Year was not a big deal. Why did the Emperor even bring it up during a morning meeting?

"Given Marquis Shengping’s significant contribution to dealing with this disaster, what rewards should we give him?" the Emperor asked.

Another reward for Marquis Shengping? All the officials looked at each other, their eyes asking the same question: Didn’t your family donate anything to the Qingping County earthquake relief efforts? Why is the Emperor only mentioning Marquis Shengping’s family?!

"Marquis Shengping is a Marquis ennobled by the Emperor himself, enjoying the Imperial Court’s rewards and responsibilities. It’s right for him to serve the emperor and the people. Moreover, it’s only expected that all of us donate money and resources, which can’t merit the Emperor’s reward." Said the Minister of the Right.

"Hmm..." The Emperor understood his message. He was suggesting that if the emperor wanted to reward anyone, he should reward everyone equally, not show favoritism.

He accidentally created some resentment towards Marquis Shengping.

Yi’er had mentioned that Marquis Shengping and the Countess of Rui’an did not want anyone to know that the earthquake prediction came from them.

He could understand this. A family with no strong background needed to keep a low profile in the complex environment of the Imperial Capital.

Marquis Shengping’s family was forthright, so if they didn’t want any publicity, he would oblige.

He hadn’t rewarded them for the gold mine yet, and now he couldn’t reward them for the earthquake prediction either. He would just make a mental note and reward them next time.

The Emperor gave a perfunctory hum and moved on to other matters of state.

Seeing this, the officials thought that the Emperor had intentionally brought up the topic of rewarding Marquis Shengping, implying that he did not want to reward them and was waiting for them to ask on their own.

Perhaps they had missed a great opportunity!

The Emperor’s mind is really hard to fathom! The officials pondered.

――

The weather was clear on this day and Xiao’er’s family could finally return home!

Half of the journey was made by the waterway, which saved a lot of time

When they reached home, it was just in time for the evening. After resting well, Xiao’er’s family started dealing with household chores and managing the shops and the estate the next day.

Mrs. Liu took charge of household matters, while Shen Chengyao went to inspect the winter wheat cultivation situation in the field and on the estate.

Xiao’er asked the housekeeper to inform the shopkeepers of all the stores to report on the month’s activity.

First, the manager of Four Seasons Restaurant in town came to report. After discussing the business situation, he brought up a matter.

"Uncle Shen and Young Master Shen frequently dine at the restaurant," the shopkeeper said apprehensively, unsure if he was doing the right thing.

Xiao’er took a sip of tea and signaled him to continue.

"The first time they came, they didn’t pay. When they came the next day, I asked them to settle yesterday’s bill before serving them. They then..." The shopkeeper hesitated. After all, wasn’t Shen Chengguang their boss’s elder brother?

"They got angry? Did they become verbally abusive?" Xiao’er knew why he was hesitating and filled in for him.

The shopkeeper felt relieved seeing Xiao’er acting as if it was not a big deal.

"Exactly. They come every other day to eat, and every time I ask my staff for payment, they start swearing in the restaurant."

"Have you received the payment?"

"Yes." He only served food after the payment was made, so that was the cause for the insults.

However, he dared not serve without receiving the payment. Their employee code stated that no one, including the owner, the young masters, or the young ladies, could eat without paying.

The accounts and the money must always match. If they don’t, the responsible person would have it deducted from their monthly pay.

"Well done, you don’t need to care whether they curse or not. As long as they pay, you can serve them the food." They eat here every day and curse every day, hoping to tarnish their family’s reputation and ruin the restaurant’s business. Do they think that everyone is dead and confused about right and wrong? Time reveals a person’s heart.

Which restaurant would tolerate a relative who doesn’t want to pay but curses when asked for payment, and eats there every day? They don’t owe him anything!

With someone mooching food every day, can the restaurant even stay open!

"But if they keep this up, it won’t be good for the business."

"Has the business suffered?"

"Not as of now. Initially, when they would create a scene in the main hall, the customers complained about the noise. So, we then started seating them in the most remote private room."

"That settles it then! Don’t worry, they won’t keep this up for long. They are now a steady source of revenue. Whoever pays is the boss. Treat them well." She did not believe that he would be willing to keep paying to eat at their restaurant.

After completing her report, Xiao’er gave the shopkeeper the prepared gifts and bonus for the year. He left happily, carrying the generous gifts and a bonus of fifty taels.

The subsequent reports from the shopkeepers were all pretty smooth.

The last manager reported that when signing the supply contract for vegetables for the next year, more than ten families requested an additional two coins per pound of vegetables.

"Why do they want an extra two coins?"

"They said that Uncle Shen’s grocery store is also planning to buy vegetables next year, and they would pay one more coin per pound than us. If we don’t agree to pay two more coins, they won’t sell to us. They also said..." The shopkeeper hesitated to proceed.

"You can tell me, Uncle Xie. There’s no need to hold back." Xiao’er was curious to see what Shen Chengguang had stirred up while they were away.

"They also said that our shop buys their vegetables cheaply but sells them at exorbitant prices, surviving on their blood and sweat. They demanded an additional two coins per pound. They also said that’s the least we could do."

"What is your opinion on this matter, Uncle Xie?" Xiao’er asked without any apparent emotions.

Sigh, with no tiger in the mountains, the monkey seeks to be the king.

"Personally, I believe we should refuse. There are many people in this world who know how to grow vegetables. We don’t need these ten-odd families. The vegetables they handed in were progressively worse, with a lot of rotten and yellow leaves hidden in the middle of each bundle."

We didn’t make much profit from the vegetables bought, and with this, we would definitely incur a loss.

"Have you found suitable vegetable farmers?"

"Not yet. But which woman living in the village doesn’t know how to grow vegetables? We just need to spread the word to other villages, and we will certainly have a lot of volunteers."

"Indeed!" Xiao’er nodded and said, "The reason why I wanted to buy vegetables from the villagers in the first place was to help them lead better lives. Otherwise, with a supermarket in town and our estate, we could easily meet our own demand. Now that they feel that we’re exploiting them, let’s forget it. Note down these ten-odd households. We will never sign any contracts with them again."

The shopkeeper nodded. Those people didn’t deserve sympathy. Frankly speaking, missing this opportunity would be their biggest loss in life.