Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 273 The money from the dog is returned in full
The place where imperial edicts are issued.

Yang Biao, Fu Wan, Cui Yan, the elders of the Zhen family, the head of the Dong family, Shen Rong, Ju Zong and other representatives from various aristocratic families gathered together.

Fu Wan and Yang Biao both looked gloomy.

The rest of the people also looked at each other, with vigilance and caution in their eyes, and no one spoke first.

Embarrassing, so embarrassing.

Previously, everyone said that they had no intention of donating and would not compete for the title of the Han Dynasty's most philanthropic person, but in the end, they all came to donate secretly.

This is like a group of people agreeing not to go to a brothel, but end up meeting there at night and ordering the same top-notch courtesan!
So…what now?
Many people were watching around the imperial edict, looking at these big figures who were rarely seen in normal days with curious eyes.

As for the official in charge of statistics, he was trembling in fear. How could he, a small official like him, have ever seen such a big scene?

Any one of these people present is someone he needs to look up to!
After hesitating for a while, the official mustered up the courage to ask, "May I ask... are you here to make a donation, or do you have any other business?"

"If you want to donate, you'd better hurry up. It will be sunset in less than half an hour, and today is the final deadline for donations."

The generous donations from Fu Wan and Yang Biao and their quarrel just now made him realize one thing - this group of nobles were probably here to compete for the title of "the most philanthropist in the Han Dynasty"!

But now it was almost sunset.

According to the decree issued by the emperor, donations after sunset on the fifteenth day will not be included in the total donation list, so he spoke out to remind them.

In order to avoid missing the time and having trouble with these nobles, he would be in big trouble.

His words finally changed the situation.

"Ugh……"

The Zhen clan elder sighed slightly, looked up at everyone, and said, "Since everyone wants to donate money and food to help His Majesty, then donate openly."

"I'll go first. In addition to settling 30,000 refugees, my Zhen family also donated 5,000 dan of grain and 10,000 strings of cash!"

Now that things have come to this, there is nothing to pretend about.

Everyone must use their own abilities to compete for the title of the best!

The elder of the Zhen clan started the discussion, and everyone stopped being silent. Cui Yan followed suit and said, "My Cui clan will donate 20,000 dan of grain and 7,000 sheep to resettle 20,000 people!"

He simply raised the original price.

Because if he went by the original price, he would definitely not be able to compete with Zhen, so he would have to raise the price to surpass Zhen again.

Although competition and price increases were the scenes he least wanted to see, it was unavoidable now and he couldn't back down.

As soon as Cui Yan finished speaking, the head of the Dong family said, "We, the Dong family, will donate 30,000 shi of grain and grass, 10,000 jin of firewood, and 2,000 jin of meat!"

Another extremely generous gesture!
For Dong, getting the title of the best man in the Han Dynasty was not just for fame, but also to show loyalty to the emperor.

So they spared no effort in offering the price!
The prices quoted by the Zhen, Cui and Dong families made Shen Rong and Ju Zong nearby a little panicked.

This price has exceeded their expectations. These companies are too damn cruel. Just to gain the reputation of being the best philanthropist in the Han Dynasty, they go for such a big deal right away!
Gritting his teeth, Shen Rong said, "I, Shen, will donate 20,000 dan of grain and grass, 5,000 jin of firewood, and 3,000 pieces of cloth!"

He has given up fighting for the title of the best man in the Han Dynasty. With the background of his Shen family, he will definitely not be able to compete with the Zhen, Cui and Dong families, so he now only wants to occupy the top five.

In this way, it is not a loss.

Ju Zong also had the same intention and said, "I, the Ju clan, will donate 20,000 dan of grain and grass, 6,000 jin of firewood, and 3,000 bolts of cloth!"

Just happened to suppress Shen Rong.

Shen Rong became anxious upon hearing this and could not help but curse, "Ju Zong, what do you mean? Are you deliberately going against me?"

The others are exactly the same as him, except that they have a thousand pounds more firewood than him. Isn't this intentional suppression?
"It all depends on your ability!"

Ju Zong was not going to be polite to Shen Rong at this time and directly retorted.

Shen Rong laughed in anger and said, "Okay, okay, don't blame me for being unjust if you are unkind! I will give you another 3,000 shi of grain and grass, and I'll see if you will follow me or not!"

Ju Zong sneered, "I'm not afraid of you! Follow me!"

At this moment, the situation was somewhat out of control, and the onlookers were stunned as they listened to the people constantly raising the price.

They have a deep understanding of what a noble family is!

The first thing he asked for was tens of thousands of stones of grain and fodder, or several thousand kilograms of meat, tens of thousands of kilograms of firewood. Any increase in the amount was in the thousands!

This was beyond their imagination!
The officials in charge of recording were even busier. They had just added a few thousand stones of grain and fodder here, and then a few thousand kilograms of firewood, meat, or cloth there, each one more than the last!

As for Yang Biao, his expression was extremely gloomy.

He originally thought that 20,000 shi of grain and fodder were enough to take him to the top of the donation list, but now any one of the parties present could offer far more than him!

"I really believed your lies!"

Yang Biao was so angry that he almost wanted to curse. Before, everyone was crying poor, but now everyone is donating more enthusiastically than the other. Is this what you call being poor?
Fu Wan standing next to him was also getting nervous at this time. Although the 100,000 strings of cash he had prepared was indeed a lot of money, the bidding from everyone made him feel a sense of crisis.

"I'll add another 20,000 strings of cash!"

Fu Wan suppressed the pain and raised it in half!
Yang Biao did not intend to remain silent any longer, otherwise he would definitely miss out on the title of the best man in the Han Dynasty, so he immediately said, "I, the Hongnong Yang family, will give you another 20,000 dan of grain, 10,000 jin of firewood, and 10,000 pieces of cloth!"

This price is the most affordable price in the market!
Fu Wan, the head of the Dong family, Cui Yan, Ju Zong and others all looked at Yang Biao, and their expressions were not very good.

Is this what you mean when you say the Yang family has no foundation?

Only the elder of the Zhen clan remained calm and said calmly: "My Zhen clan will donate another 20,000 dan of grain, 5,000 jin of salt, and accept another 10,000 refugees."

"If you guys want to continue following me, I, Zhen, will accompany you to the end."

His words were filled with extreme confidence.

As the most powerful family in Jizhou, the Zhen family is definitely the best in terms of financial strength. In particular, they control the cash cow of fine salt refining technology. Who can compare with them?
Having money means having confidence!
Faced with the Zhen clan elder's domineering declaration, Yang Biao, Fu Wan, Cui Yan, and the Dong clan leader all remained silent.

I cursed the Zhen clan elders a hundred times in my heart!

Didn’t they say before that accepting 30,000 people was already the limit for the Zhen family?

As a result, another 10,000 have been added, and so much money, food and supplies have been given!
But even though they cursed, they didn't have the ability to continue raising the bet.

The price offered by the Zhen family was beyond their means. If they continued to follow suit, even if they could gain the title of the best man in the Han Dynasty, they would still suffer heavy losses.

"Are there any more donations?"

The official's hand that was holding the pen was cramped. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked everyone.

This time no one spoke.

The official breathed a sigh of relief, took out a new piece of silk and pasted it on the imperial edict, and then prepared to write down the money, grain and materials donated by the major families according to their ranking.

"Wait a minute!"

At this moment, a voice suddenly came.

Yuan Xi rode up at full speed, dismounted, walked straight through the crowd, and came to the official and said, "I want to donate, too."

Yang Biao, Zhen clan elders and others all looked at him.

They couldn't help but frown. Why did Yuan Xi come and get involved?
The Zhen clan elder's eyes gleamed slightly, and he smiled faintly and asked, "My Zhen clan has currently donated 25,000 dan of grain and grass, 5,000 jin of salt, 10,000 strings of money, and accepted 40,000 refugees, and we can continue to donate more."

"I wonder how much Sikong plans to donate?"

He was reminding Yuan Xi that the title of the most philanthropic man in the Han Dynasty was already secured by their Zhen family, so he should think carefully before making an offer.

"not much."

Yuan Xi smiled and said modestly: "In terms of money, my Yuan family is definitely not as rich as the Zhen family, but I also want to help your majesty to resettle the refugees."

"So, I plan to donate all of the Yuan family's assets to help the court."

As soon as these words came out, the whole place fell into silence.

Everyone, including the Zhen clan elders, Yang Biao, and Cui Yan, all changed their expressions, their hearts filled with shock and disbelief.

Yuan Xi... is going to donate all of the Yuan family's assets? !

"Sir Kong, don't joke!"

After reacting, the Zhen clan elder looked at Yuan Xi sharply, obviously not daring to believe that what he said was true.

That is the entire Yuan family’s property!

Donating all family property means donating houses, money, food, various profitable industries, and even the most important land!

Nothing left!
If Yuan Xi really wanted to donate the Yuan family, the title of the most philanthropic person in the Han Dynasty would definitely belong to Yuan Xi and the Yuan family, and even the Zhen family would not be able to snatch it away.

Since Yuan Xi donated the entire Yuan family, no matter how rich the Zhen family is, can they afford this price?

"He's crazy!"

Yang Biao and others were also shocked. Everyone was vying for this title in order to gain benefits for the family in the future, but you ended up donating the family?

Is it worth risking your life just for a title?
Yuan Xi said with compassion: "The sins committed by Yuan Shao are so serious that I don't know how to make up for it. I can only do this."

"I am loyal to the Han Dynasty and to Your Majesty. These properties are just some of my personal belongings. Since Your Majesty needs them, how can I be stingy?"

"As long as we can save more people, that's good enough."

Yuan Xi's tone was extremely sincere, and his words had an impact on the ears of the people watching around him, like throwing a huge rock into a calm lake!
Everyone was excited instantly!

"Mr. Yuan is truly a loyal minister!"

"A good father makes a good son! I never thought that a traitor like Yuan Shao could actually raise a kind and loyal person like Master Yuan!"

"Generous! Very generous!"

"The entire Yuan family's property was donated just to serve the court and help the people. Master Yuan is truly a kind and loyal person!"

"Master Yuan has been dragged down by the traitor Yuan Shao!"

"That's right! I think the best man and the most loyal minister of the Han Dynasty must be Master Yuan Xi!"

"Such generosity makes you worthy of being the best man in the Han Dynasty!"

……

The people all admired from the bottom of their hearts!
This has nothing to do with how much the Yuan family’s wealth is worth. What everyone admires is Yuan Xi’s broad-mindedness, his loyalty to the emperor, and his kindness towards the common people!
Human nature is selfish.

Let alone a young man from a noble family like Yuan Xi, even if it was an ordinary person who was asked to donate all his property to help refugees, how many people would be willing to do so?
After Yuan Xi expressed his feelings, he said to the Zhen clan elders and others, "Please continue. I have something else to do, so I'll take my leave now."

After saying this, he jumped on the horse again and galloped away.

At this time, the sun was just setting behind the mountain.

The fifteen-day donation ended here.

……

Imperial Palace, Xuanshi.

Liu Xie looked at the amount on the donation statistics book in his hand and smiled from ear to ear. He raised his head and said with a smile: "You did a great job this time. You two have made an invaluable contribution to getting those noble families to donate so much money, grain and supplies!"

Standing in front of him were Yuan Xi and the elders of the Zhen family.

In this donation, in addition to Yuan Xi, Zhen is also a part of his plan, a person similar to Gou Tuo.

The purpose is to stimulate the aristocratic families to keep bidding by continuously raising the price until there is nothing left to bid, and then let Yuan Xi finish the bidding and win the title of the best man in the Han Dynasty.

All fame and fortune belong to him!
The Zhen clan elder bowed and said, "I am only following your Majesty's orders. Your Majesty's strategy is the most wise."

Yuan Xi also hurriedly said, "I second the motion!"

Liu Xie was in a very good mood at this time. He put down the book in his hand and said to the elder of the Zhen clan: "I will secretly return the things donated by the Zhen clan to you."

The landlords' money was divided 30% to 70%.

The money lent by the dog was returned in full.

For Liu Xie, Zhen was originally his money bag, and this money bag was to be used in the army.

The Zhen clan elder said, "Your Majesty, that's not true. Since the money and grain have already been donated, how can we take them back? And doing so will easily expose our true identity and make others suspicious."

"I, the Zhen family, am your Majesty's strongest supporter. As long as your Majesty needs money and food, I, the Zhen family, will certainly do my best to meet your needs."

This expression of loyalty was very beautiful, and Liu Xie felt very comfortable after hearing it.

"If I say we must retreat, then we must retreat. Your Zhen clan has already spent a lot of money to supply the army. How could I not know your contributions?"

"Besides, the Emperor's Plow and Emperor's Machine that I asked you to develop also need to be mass-produced, and this is the time to spend money."

The national treasury is the national treasury, and internal funds are internal funds.

How could Liu Xie not understand this?
Zhen's money was equivalent to his treasury.

Upon hearing this, the Zhen clan elder had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Liu Xie looked at Yuan Xi again and said, "You must make good use of this reputation as the best man in the Han Dynasty. When the refugees arrive in Yecheng, you will accompany me to comfort the people."

"The reputation of the Yuan family can be greatly improved, or even reversed in one fell swoop. It depends on you whether you can seize this opportunity."

Hearing the exhortation in Liu Xie's tone, Yuan Xi was moved and clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty is so considerate of me, I am very grateful!"

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I will seize the opportunity!"

Liu Xie nodded with satisfaction.

At this time, Zhang He walked into the Xuanshi Hall and reported: "Your Majesty, General Zhang Yan, the North Guardian General, and Gongsun Xu, the son of the Loyal Marquis, have arrived in Yecheng and are asking for an audience outside the palace!"

"News came from Yizhou that Gao Gan negotiated peace with Zhang Lu and led his troops back to Bingzhou. Liu Zhang, under the instigation of his subordinates, has broken off relations with Jingzhou Governor Liu Bei."

"In addition, Tian Feng secretly contacted the Wuhuan and Ma Chao who had retreated to Guanzhong."

(End of this chapter)