Since there is space, it is naturally the best to buy it for 0 yuan

The ministers, seeing that they had no way out, could only bite the bullet and kneel down to report the amount according to their official positions and the actual situation of their families.

"Your Majesty is wise and wise. I am willing to donate 2 taels of silver to buy food and fodder for the soldiers on the border!"

"Your Majesty is wise and wise. I am willing to donate 1 taels of silver to buy food and fodder for the soldiers at the border."

"Your Majesty is wise and wise. I am willing to donate 8000 taels of silver."

"Your Majesty is wise and wise. I am willing to donate 2 taels of silver!"

……

The amounts reported by these people are more subtle than each other. They cannot exceed some people's money, but they cannot be too low either. This balance is very important.

The emperor was extremely dissatisfied when he heard this. At this time, you all started to pretend to be poor and unwilling to spend money? When you bought birthday gifts for the empress dowager before, why were you so rich and willing to spend so much?

But I still praised everyone verbally.

He also asked people to record the amount of donated silver, and said that since the public had posted a list, we should also make a list in the court to set an example for ordinary people.

The amount will be written according to the actual amount collected, and by the way, we can see whether there are more donations from the private sector or from the court.

Not long after the morning court ended, news came out that the ladies in the palace took the lead in donating money and materials and reducing their daily expenses. The donated silver and materials would all be used to purchase food and fodder.

When the common people in the capital heard that even the emperor and the concubines in the palace had donated, they had to show some respect as well.

However, Shen Ruyi thought about it and was still a little worried, so she rushed into the city before noon to directly control public opinion at close range to avoid missing some favorable opportunities due to the lag in information transmission.

In the afternoon, the list of ministers' donations was posted outside the Meridian Gate. Shen Ruyi went to take a look at the list, and found that the donations were too small, not even a fraction of what Tianxia Diyilou had donated.

Directly guide public opinion to criticize these stingy ministers, and by the way, pick one family as an example to make an example of him.

The news was made public, including which restaurants, shops, and businesses this minister had, as well as how much money he made each month, what valuable items his family purchased each month, and how extravagant his life was.

This blocked the minister's way of crying poor and begging for mercy in advance. The key is that this information is so detailed that I thought it was leaked by the minister's own family.

It wasn't long before the news spread throughout the capital.

The minister's first feeling was that he was in trouble. Why did this operation feel so familiar? He had a sense of déjà vu.

In any case, it was still very sensible. He asked his wife, daughters-in-law, and daughters to donate another 6 taels under the pretext of learning from the ladies in the palace.

When other people first heard about the public opinion, they vaguely felt that this was a complete conspiracy waiting for them to fall into. The key was that they had no choice but to fall into it, unless they didn't want to stay in the capital anymore.

After receiving a large sum of silver donated by the minister in the name of the women in his mansion, they felt relieved. It was true. It was aimed at them and the money in their pockets.

Those who are timid, have a sense of dignity and are proud of themselves quickly followed suit and donated an additional sum of money in the name of their wives, hoping that the other party would let them go, as if they were spending money to buy peace.

However, those who were lucky and courageous remained indifferent and kept scolding the two masters of the No. 1 Restaurant in the World.

Shen Ruyi was not idle either. She deliberately led the trend and established a persona of a patriotic and righteous businessman for herself. She used this persona to represent the righteous businessmen of the world and made statements:

"Who says that merchants value profit? Who says that merchants are useless? We want this country to be stable and strong more than anyone else. As long as the country needs it, I am willing to fight for the country I love so much! We merchants are no worse than these officials, and we are more willing to give than these officials. If you don't believe me, let's see who donates more silver in the end!"

"Do you know why I did this? It's because some time ago, I made a little money and was targeted by some high-ranking officials. Many people sent a large number of assassins to kill people and rob them of their money. Since then, I have figured out that for ordinary businessmen like us, too much money may not be a good thing, but may be a death warrant, so we must spend what we should spend.

If you don't spend it, there are plenty of people who will spend it for you. Rather than waiting to be fattened up by some high-ranking officials and then slaughtered and harvested, it is better for me to spend it myself and try to make my money more valuable. For example, donate it to the soldiers, or find ways to improve and enhance the treatment of military families, etc. "

"I am willing to spend the money I earn on the frontier soldiers, but I refuse to spend it on corrupt officials. If I spend the money on the soldiers, at least they can give us a stable living environment and help us block the enemy's iron hoof. If I spend the money on these corrupt officials, it will only whet their appetites, make them fat and fat, and do nothing, and even bully us with tyranny."

Shen Ruyi's half-true and half-false remarks caused a huge uproar.

Some of these words really hit the heart of some merchants, isn't that the case? Their money is earned through hard work, and they not only have to manage this, but also give tribute to that.

It would be fine if those who show filial piety are all good people, but the key is that most of these people are not even human beings. Calling them beasts is an insult to beasts.

Indeed, it would be better to donate it to the soldiers.

Besides, the owner of Tianxia Diyilou kept saying that he was just an ordinary businessman, but who would believe him? A restaurant uses a plaque written by an official himself.

Standing behind him was Prince Ning's Palace, and behind Prince Ning's Palace stood the emperor.

Look at the news that came out of the court a few days ago. If Mr. Shen didn't have the support of the emperor and Prince Ning's Mansion, how could a small man like him dare to attack a group of old officials in the court? This was clearly tacitly approved by the emperor.

After thinking about this, everyone's minds became active. They wondered whether they should use silver to test the water and build up a reputation to see if they could leave an impression on the government.

At worst, can I take this opportunity to establish a relationship with Mr. Shen, so that if anything happens, I can ask them for help.

Who can be as stable as the emperor? If the empress dowager was alive, this decision would have required great caution to avoid betting on the wrong horse, but now the emperor has won an overwhelming victory.

After thinking this through, I took action.