Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress novel Chapter 1538

Chapter 1538: Chapter 1533: Following

But after that, Bai Jinzhi never sensed that these two people were fond of her, in fact... she felt that these two were like pesky figures, who couldn’t go a day without causing her trouble.

"You have a pure heart but you’re not foolish. What do you think I mean by this..." Sima Ping spoke calmly, fixing his gaze on Bai Jinzhi, waiting for her response.

·

After her bath, Bai Qingyan let her half-dry long hair down, sitting under the lamp, reading the messages sent from Dadu City while listening to Liu Pinggao report on the situation with Bai Qingjue.

Previously, Bai Qingyan and Bai Qingjue had parted ways, with Bai Qingyan sending Liu Pinggao with Bai Qingjue. Knowing that the Eldest Young Lady was starting to patrol the city, Bai Qingjue had Liu Pinggao return with some troops to guard his sister.

"Your Majesty, rest assured; Wang Jin is now with the King of Loyalty, ensuring his safety is not a problem!" Liu Pinggao said.

Bai Qingyan nodded, "How are the soldiers doing? Doctor Hong says this epidemic is fierce, with a higher rate of transmission than the previous plague within our borders. Have any of our soldiers been infected?"

"The soldiers adhere to orders; apart from those settling the disaster victims, none have fallen ill. Moreover, those who have contracted the disease have received proper care, and with Doctor Hong’s prescription sent over, it isn’t dangerous. Your Majesty need not worry!" Liu Pinggao replied.

"Your Majesty..." Wei Zhong brought Bai Qingyan a fresh cup of hot tea, leaned down, and whispered in her ear, "The governor of Luangao City said the head of the local merchants’ guild mentioned... they wish to make donations to the plague-stricken cities of Zhou!"

When the Yan Kingdom ceded cities, they assumed that cities allocated within their borders were governed by the Yan Kingdom, and thus included many affluent areas, such as... Luangao City.

It’s been a precedent for the Imperial Court to call on wealthy merchants to donate during major natural disasters.

Back when Shen Tianzhi pushed Zhou Kingdom bonds in the cities within Yan’s Zhou territory, almost every guild and merchant was compelled to purchase them, taking it as if they were donating silver to the court, playing it safe as they always should with the authorities.

Later, when the court actually paid them the interest, these merchants were pleasantly surprised.

Now with the Imperial Court in distress, precedent is set before them. Instead of being forced to donate like purchasing Zhou bonds, it’s better to be proactive; who knows, their guild might earn a good name, benefiting its members.

Particularly now, with the Emperor of Zhou personally intervening in the disaster relief, should Zhou seize the world in the future... the Emperor of Zhou would be the ruler of all under heaven, and their guild would have already made a mark in front of the Emperor, a favorable move.

Bai Qingyan fully understood the guild’s intentions. Merchants are indeed shrewd, aware that forced donations and voluntary donations leave vastly different impressions on the Emperor. Since there was no other choice, they picked the most advantageous approach for themselves.

A faint smile graced her lips, "Let the Governor handle this matter, and have him clearly list which merchants in the guild donated how much. I want to see the list!"

If the Emperor wants to see the list, then those who donate the most appear at the top, most easily remembered by the Emperor. Since donations are made, and names can appear before the Emperor, why not strive to be first? The first place is the one people remember, just as people remember the name of the previous Top Scholar, and maybe the Second Place Scholar and Third, but who knows the name of the second rank’s top scorer?

Which of these merchants wouldn’t want to be remembered by the Emperor? Naturally, they’d all vie for the first, second, and third spots.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify