EBE Chapter 375 Heaven Stands Firm, Heroes Don't Cry
Chapter 375 Heaven Stands Firm, Heroes Don't Cry
Chapter 375 Heaven Stands Firm, Heroes Don't Cry
Three days later, Wang Wenzhou was still unconscious.
The children in Hanshan were frantic upon learning of Wang Wenzhou's assassination attempt. They all wanted to rush to the capital immediately, but Hanshan couldn't be left without someone in charge. After discussing it, they finally decided to send Zhao Fengmin and Ge Wei to the capital.
Zhao Fengmin was seven months pregnant, while Ge Wei was five months. Ge Wei's journey wasn't too dangerous, but Zhao Fengmin went to treat Wang Wenzhou. In the Ming Dynasty, she was the only one with true knowledge of modern medicine, so she had no choice but to go.
Sheng Lan and Zhang Rong stayed in Hanshan to work with Liu Rushi in the capital to handle related matters.
The Hanshan Weekly just released a special edition. After discussion among Wang Wenzhou's friends, in order to create hype, they used all their resources to make it available in almost every city of the Ming Dynasty on the same day.
The title of the first article, “Stand Firm, Heroes, Don’t Cry,” was written by the editor-in-chief, Zhang Rong.
"I am Zhang Rong, the editor-in-chief of Hanshan Weekly. My identity is probably familiar to long-time readers. I am Wang Wenzhou's wife."
The reason the weekly magazine is issuing this special edition is because of an intolerable incident. My husband, Wang Wenzhou, was stabbed the day before yesterday and is currently unconscious.
The assassin who attempted to assassinate Wang Wenzhou was sent by the Tartars. Because Wang Wenzhou had carried out a secret mission in Liaodong, I cannot reveal the details here for the sake of secrecy. However, the reason why the Tartars sought peace talks with the Ming Dynasty was precisely because of Wang Wenzhou's actions.
It was precisely because of this that the Tartars harbored resentment and assassinated Wang Wenzhou. The Emperor has ordered the cessation of peace talks with the Tartars and is preparing for war.
Wang Wenzhou did not have a good reputation in the imperial court. Officials privately called him "Mad Dog." But the people of Hanshan knew that Wang Wenzhou was an honest official who wholeheartedly served the people, and they called him "Wang Qingtian" (Wang the Upright Official).
Whether he's a mad dog or a righteous official, good or bad, he's still my husband. As the saying goes, the hatred for the murderer of one's husband is irreconcilable. I am but a woman, and pregnant at that. I cannot go to the battlefield to avenge my husband myself, but I want to do my part, however small.
After discussing it with my sisters, we made the following decision:
First, donate all of Wang Wenzhou's shares in Hanshan Supermarket and Hanshan Bank, totaling 20 million taels of silver, to support the Ming Dynasty in its fight against the Tartars.
Secondly, we call upon all virtuous and righteous people throughout the Ming Dynasty to contribute money and effort to help our Great Ming conquer Liaodong and recover our lost territories.
The article ends with signatures from Wang Wenzhou's fans: Zhang Rong, Liu Rushi, Sheng Lan...
The first three babies are the most prestigious. Zhang Rong represents the Xun Gui Group, while Liu Rushi and Sheng Lan each have a group of students. Moreover, Liu Rushi has a very close relationship with the Fushe Society.
This article caused a great stir throughout the Ming Dynasty, leading to a grand spectacle of people donating money to join the army.
……
Hezhou.
Wang Yue, nicknamed Erheizi, picked up the "Hanshan Weekly" and started reading. After a while, he suddenly flew into a rage. How dare those damned Tartars assassinate the principal! This is intolerable!
Seeing her husband's furious expression, Qiuju quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
“Ah ah…” Wang Yue handed the weekly magazine to his wife.
At this time, Wang Yue was not only the owner of Hanshan Supermarket in Hezhou City, but also the universally acknowledged "Master Wang" among the people of Hezhou. Although Hanshan Supermarket had only been open for less than half a year, Wang Yue had already earned tens of thousands of taels of silver.
Upon learning of the principal's assassination, Mr. Sheng Lan called for donations, and Wang Yue immediately opened the silver box without hesitation.
After reading the article, Qiuju knew that her husband must be planning to donate money, so she quickly went over to help.
"Ah ah..." Wang Yue handed the silver note to Qiu Ju.
"Husband, are you going to donate all the silver?" Qiuju frowned. These silver notes totaled 40,000 taels of silver. Apart from the supermarket, this was all their family's property. Did her husband want to donate it all?
"Ah!" Wang Yue nodded.
Qiuju stroked her protruding belly. She was several months pregnant and the baby was about to be born. It was a time when she needed money, so how could her husband donate all the money?
"Keep some money; you'll need it after the baby is born," Qiuju advised.
Wang Yue shook his head, turned around, picked up a pen and paper and wrote: "Without the principal, there would be no Wang Yue today. The Tartars dared to assassinate the principal. I only regret that I cannot be in two places at the same time, running the supermarket and fighting at the same time. The money is gone, but it can be earned back! The supermarket earns at least tens of thousands of taels of silver every year. Don't worry, I will not mistreat you and the children."
"Sigh..." Qiuju sighed. She knew that her husband was stubborn and once he made up his mind, he wouldn't listen unless Wang Wenzhou or Sheng Lan spoke up.
……
Mou County, Hanshan Hot Pot City.
Du Zhiyong, Yuan Zhengchu, Kong Yixiu, and others sat together to discuss matters.
Du Zhiyong began by asking, "I'm sure you all know why I invited you all here."
Everyone nodded, and Wang Guangji spoke up: "The Tartars are wolves in sheep's clothing, their desire to destroy our Great Ming is never dead! The principal presided over the peace talks, yet the Tartars attempted to assassinate him, clearly showing they don't want to negotiate. Even if Mr. Liu doesn't speak up, we should still act righteously and generously!"
Yuan Zhengchu smiled and asked, "Brother Wang, how much silver do you wish to donate?"
“Thirty thousand taels!” Wang Guangji replied.
"Huh?" Du Zhiyong asked in confusion, "Brother Wang, isn't Hanshan Bank out of money? Why are you donating so much?"
Wang Guangji said dismissively, "The bank may not have much liquid capital right now, but that doesn't mean I don't have any money! Brother Yuan, how much are you donating?"
Yuan Zhengchu took a sip of wine and said, "You've already donated 30,000 taels, how could I be stingy? I'll donate 50,000 taels!"
This time it was Wang Guangji's turn to be puzzled. He asked, "Hanshan Express has been nationalized, and you are now considered an official of the imperial court, yet your salary is so meager. Brother Yuan, tell me the truth, how much silver have you embezzled?"
Yuan Zhengchu scoffed, "How could I embezzle? Our courier service is different from your bank; it's more like a supermarket. The bosses in each region own a third of the shares. This is my legitimate income! I think it's you who's embezzled, with all that money!"
"Go away! Nonsense!" Wang Guangji said with a smile, "The managers of our local banks, although they don't own shares, can still receive a commission on the money they handle. This is a rule set by the principal. Although the management of the banks has been handed over to the Ministry of Revenue, this rule hasn't changed. My money isn't dirty!"
"Alright!" Du Zhiyong said with a smile, "My two brothers, let's not hurt our friendship."
Yuan Zhengchu asked, "Brother Du, your supermarket makes a fortune every day. How much silver do you plan to donate?"
"Twenty thousand taels!" Du Zhiyong said embarrassedly, "It's not that I'm stingy, it's just that Mou County is a small county, and the supermarket's revenue really isn't as much as yours!"
"Don't try to play the poor card with me. Don't think I don't know. You've spent all your money on women. Did you take another concubine the other day?" Yuan Zhengchu said with a laugh.
"Today we've gathered together to discuss the donation of silver. Let's stop with the nonsense and hurry up and collect the silver so we can give it to the county magistrate," Du Zhiyong quickly changed the subject.