Chapter 137 A Simple Trick: Scamming 30,000 Strings of Cash...

Chapter 137 A Simple Trick: Scamming 30,000 Strings of Cash...

Meng Qing didn't say anything on the spot. On the way back to the county government, she said, "The school's surplus funds are tight recently. I can't come up with any more, so I'll donate 1,000 guan for now. If you think it's too little, you can announce to the public that the school is donating 3,000 to 5,000 guan. I'll make up the difference by the end of the year."

“I’ll wait and see. You’ve taken the lead in donating to the bridge construction, but perhaps someone else wants to take the lead in repairing the dike,” Du Min said.

"Alright, you can decide for yourself. You can bring out the charity school when you need to create momentum," Meng Qing said.

Having received these words, Du Min immediately felt more confident. For the next ten days or so, apart from guarding the foot of Beiman Mountain, he devoted all his energy to the Hundred Virtues Gathering.

Meng Qing was also following the matter, but she didn't go to the Baishan Association to watch the excitement. Instead, she kept track of the donations through Du Min every day. Even though she was avoiding them, people still came to her door to cause trouble. The visitors were the presidents of three antique shops from Heqing County and Heyin County.

"Gentlemen, please have some tea." Meng Qing gestured with his hand. "May I ask what brings you here?"

"Regarding the donation to the Baishan Association, paper-made funerary objects also belong to the funerary object trade, but the charity school is not a private shop, and belongs to a different school from our private funerary object trade. What do you think?" the middle-aged man in the lead asked.

"May I ask how to address the president?" Meng Qing asked.

"My surname is Li."

“President Li.” Meng Qing nodded, ignoring his question, and asked, “Is the donation from the Mingqi Shop handled by the Mingqi Company? You’ve come to inquire whether the Yishu (charity school) and the paper horse shop that make paper funerary objects should donate with you?”

Chairman Li nodded, "That's the idea."

“I remember my parents’ paper horse shop has already donated money,” Meng Qing said.

"Yes, I asked Master Meng, and he has no intention of joining the Mingqi Guild. He has decided to donate on his own under the name of the Meng Family Paper Horse Shop." Chairman Li looked at Meng Qing and asked, "What does Madam Meng think?"

"What if I'm on the same side as my parents?" Meng Qing probed.

Chairman Li smiled happily: "For the funerary object industry in Heqing County, paper-made funerary objects are like foreign robbers. You've made a fortune in Heqing County, while our businesses selling pottery and lacquerware have plummeted, causing heavy losses for each of us. The Qingniao Paper-Made Funerary School is using the name of the Ministry of Rites to compete with the people for profit, which is truly unethical. However, in business, profit is more important than morality, which we can understand. Now that Magistrate Du is raising funds from the people to repair the dikes, the school has the virtue of righteousness and has always received donations from the people on both sides of the Yellow River. Shouldn't the school give back?"

Meng Qing understood, and she argued, "Last year and this year, the school and the paper horse shop have taken in two batches of apprentices, totaling 103 people. Let's not talk about last year's batch. Just this year, if you want to improve your business, you should let your own children and nephews learn the craft. Selling pottery, lacquerware and paper funerary objects together can make you a lot of money, so you won't be ruined. The school shouldn't be held responsible for this."

"Alright, I misspoke." Chairman Li readily admitted, and then revealed his purpose: "The Qingniao Paper Craft Academy has received donations from everyone in Heqing County. Surely you won't stand idly by when it comes to raising funds to repair the dike?"

"No." Meng Qing shook her head.

"I wonder how much the charity school plans to donate? It won't be less than what our private antique shops donate, will it? As an official school and a charity school, it doesn't operate for profit, and the donated money has nowhere to go. Why not donate more to support the water dike project in our Heqing County?" Chairman Li leaned forward and stared at Meng Qing.

"The free school exists not for profit, but to promote paper-made funerary objects. The donations it receives are used to continue establishing free schools in other prefectures and counties. About half a month ago, I hired ten insightful people in Luoyang and asked them to go to Huaizhou, Shanzhou, Bianzhou, Ruzhou, as well as Ezhou and Jingzhou to build schools. The expenses for these schools all come from the donations received by the free school." Meng Qing ignored his words.

"So you're reluctant to part with it?" Chairman Li's face turned cold.

“I said the charity school will donate money,” Meng Qing replied calmly.

"How much are you planning to donate?" another person asked.

"What is your surname?" Meng Qing looked over.

"My surname is Wang. I am the same as Chairman Zhao beside me, and we are both presidents of the Mingqi Association in Heyin County," Chairman Wang said. "We were invited by Chairman Li to donate to the Baishan Association. But it seems we don't need to donate. This trip was a waste. As a woman, Madam Meng is stingy and inefficient."

After saying that, he got up to leave.

"President Wang, please wait a moment," Meng Qing said, trying to persuade him to stay. "When you crossed the river by boat, did you see the stone tablet standing at the bridgehead on the north bank? It says that the Yishu donated two thousand strings of cash to build the Heyang Bridge. I would like to ask the three of you here, did you donate a single coin? I donated two thousand strings of cash without saying a word. Is that considered stingy?"

“President Wang, you’re acting impulsively again.” President Zhao, who hadn’t spoken until now, finally spoke up. He apologized with a smile, “Madam Meng, please don’t take offense. President Wang has a quick temper and is quick to want to end things at the slightest disagreement. But he’s not a bad person. When he heard that Heqing County was going to build a dike, he hurriedly gathered the owners of various funerary object shops after President Li invited him, wanting to raise funds. But as you know, the pottery, lacquerware, and funerary object businesses are all affected by paper-made funerary objects. The owners of the funerary object shops all have a problem with you. They’ve said that if the donation to the charity school is less than the donation from private funerary object shops, they won’t contribute any money.”

"You two counties pooled your resources to donate under one name? There must be fifty or sixty funerary object shops in the two counties combined, right? That must have raised quite a bit of money, right?" Meng Qing sneered. "This is making the charity school cut off its own arm."

The three presidents did not deny it.

"Tell me, how much do you plan to donate?" Meng Qing asked.

"Ten thousand strings of cash," Chairman Li said.

The funeral industry was thriving in Heqing County and Heyin County, especially in Heyin County, where funerary object shops occupied a large portion of the market. Including the funerary object shops along the road to Beiman Mountain, there were a total of 36 funerary object shops. Adding the 26 funerary object shops in Heqing County, there were a total of 62 shops. If each shop donated 100 to 200 guan, they could easily raise 10,000 guan.

Meng Qing smiled. "Where's the money? Have you raised it all?"

"We're just waiting for Madam Meng. If you give your approval today, we'll deliver the money to the Baishan Association tomorrow." Chairman Li said, lifting his eyelids to stare at Meng Qing. He continued, "Madam Meng, the Mingqi Shop in Heyin County is willing to sponsor the construction of dikes in Heqing County. This is something Magistrate Du would love to receive. Don't mess it up."

“Alright then, I’ll switch sides. This time, the school will join you in making the donation, and I’ll personally donate one thousand strings of cash,” Meng Qing said.

None of the three chairmen were willing to leave, so the two chairmen from Heyin County made a scene and threatened to leave. The chairman from Heqing County claimed that he would inform the people of both counties about Meng Qing's words and deeds.

"Alright." Meng Qing's face turned cold. She provocatively said, "Stop with these fancy tricks, they're not enough. Do you really think I'm afraid of you? You just want to vent your anger, right? I saw through you from the start, you were played by a woman like me, weren't you?"

The three of them immediately looked grim.

Meng Qing scoffed, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and leaned forward, saying, "After going through all this trouble, you only donated 10,000 strings of cash. On average, the largest donation from any funerary object shop is only 500 strings, right? The smallest is 50 strings? And you look down on my 1,000 strings? What a joke. Where do you get your confidence? The Meng Family Paper Horse Shop, which has only been open for a year, donated 800 strings."

"What do you mean?" Chairman Li was so angry that he felt dizzy.

"I look down on your petty ways, and I look down on the antique shops in Heqing County and Heyin County, especially Heqing County. Your county is building dikes, which should benefit you, but you insist on using this opportunity to vent your anger. Fine, I understand. But even if you're ruthless, you'll only manage to scrape together that little bit of money." Meng Qing stretched out her hand, pinching her little finger joint as she gestured, and laughed loudly. "Just swallow this anger and tell them I don't care about that little bit of money. Oh, by the way, please pass on a message for me: if the owners of antique shops are really strapped for cash, come to our free school to learn the craft. As long as they listen to me and follow my instructions, I guarantee they'll earn two thousand strings of cash a year after they graduate."

"You, you wicked woman!" Chairman Li's lips trembled with anger.

"You really don't know what's good for you," Meng Qing shook her head. "Please leave."

Chairman Li glared at her fiercely before turning and walking away.

Chairman Wang also left, and Chairman Zhao glanced at Meng Qing a few more times before leaving with his hands in his sleeves.

As soon as they left, Meng Qing immediately checked the accounts. After deducting the 20,000 strings of cash reserved for the paper mill and the 5,100 strings left for the ten managers, she had less than 7,000 strings of cash left. She recalled the account books in Luoyang; after the introduction of colored paper offerings, the income in the past month or so should have been around 5,000 strings of cash. She moved the 5,000 strings of cash she had to the 7,000 strings of cash account, but it was still a bit too little.

Meng Qing went to the Meng family to ask her parents how much money they had.

“Nearly ten thousand strings of cash,” Meng’s father replied. “Why do you ask about this?”

“I’ll buy that paper mill in Wen County with my younger brother. When he comes back, you can give him the rest of your money,” Meng Qing said.

Mr. Meng frowned, "Why are you making him pay for something you're doing and he's doing the work?"

“I’ll split the profits from this paper mill with him 30/70, he gets 70/30.” Meng Qing didn’t explain. “Or you can lend me the money, I’ll pay it back at the end of the year.”

"Are you short of money?" Meng's father asked incredulously. "Isn't the profit of the free school three or four times that of the paper horse shop? And what workshop have you set your sights on?"

After a moment of silence, Meng Qing explained that the two counties' funerary object dealers should join forces to take advantage of the free school.

“I thought donating 10,000 strings of cash wouldn’t be enough, so I might as well ask for a larger sum. The owner of the antique shop is well-off and can afford it. If I let this opportunity slip away, I won’t be able to get it back later. Besides, the profits from the charity school don’t go to me, so I don’t care. I still have more than 10,000 strings of cash left in the account, which won’t generate any more money. I might as well help Du Min out.” Meng Qing explained, “The main reason is that there’s a reason for this. If I don’t agree, it won’t look good for the charity school.”

Meng's father let out a long breath, then walked around Meng Qing with his hands behind his back, looking her up and down, and finally concluded: "No wonder Du Min is so attached to you and so devoted to you. You not only saved his life, you are a living Bodhisattva!"

"What's wrong with using public funds to win people's hearts?" Meng Qing asked. "A few nights ago, when Du Min asked for donations, if it were me, I would have asked for a thousand strings of cash. If I still hoped that Meng Chun or his descendants would have a way out, I would have donated half of my family fortune."

“I’m not that generous. Your money is for the public account, and mine is for the private account. I’d be heartbroken to throw it away for nothing.” Father Meng shook his head, then, thinking of Meng Chun and his descendants, he changed his mind: “I’d be willing to give up my entire fortune for Wang Zhou. But not for Du Min. I don’t trust him. He won’t be wholeheartedly devoted to the Meng family.”

Meng Qing smiled and said, "One is still a clay blank, and the other has already become porcelain. Who can help you achieve your goal the fastest? You don't know how to seize the opportunity."

Mencius' father did not deny it.

"Qingniang, do you mean that Du Min can help your brother change his household registration?" Meng's mother asked.

“I’m not sure if there’s a chance, but there’s definitely a way. Empress Wu’s family used to be merchants. They were granted the title of Duke by supporting Emperor Gaozu in conquering the country,” Meng Qing said.

Mencius' mother scoffed, "That's like a goose laying an egg; it's impossible."

Meng Qing didn't say much. She skipped over the question and asked, "Dad, are you lending me the money, or are you going to use it for your son?"

“Let Meng Chunhua go out. She’ll earn money again next year, and then you can pay back the money. There’s nowhere to save money at home,” Meng’s father said.

"Fine, I'll write another contract and split the profits 30/70 with your son," Meng Qing snorted.

Meng's father glanced at her but remained silent.

*

Three days later, Chairman Li, Chairman Wang, and Chairman Zhao entered the government office again. They saw Meng Qing sewing clothes. Chairman Li stopped a few steps away from her, looked at her disdainfully, and said coldly, "The Mingqi Shop in Heqing County raised 20,000 strings of cash, and the Mingqi Shop in Heyin County raised 18,000 strings, totaling 38,000 strings. May I ask how much the Qingniao Paper Craft School donated? Don't be stingy and make us look down on you."

Meng Qing snorted coldly, "I'll give you a break, the charity school will donate 22,000 strings of cash."

"No, you can't have less than us!" Chairman Wang shouted again.

“Go tell the Ministry of Rites to ask the court to subsidize the free school with another 30,000 strings of cash. How much can the free school accept in donations? It's only been open for a year at most.” Meng Qing glanced at him, afraid they might change their minds and not donate, and added, “Why are you two counties' affairs being combined? Separately, the free school has donated the most. Besides, if you two team up today and drain the free school dry, what will happen when Heyin County sets up the Hundred Charities Association to repair the dikes next year? Will the free school still donate?”

Chairman Wang and Chairman Zhao immediately quieted down.

“The three of you should stay for dinner. Magistrate Du will be back in a little while. You can talk to him and say that we should donate so much money and not get a good reputation. Ask him to write a memorial to the court and see if we can get the court to bestow a plaque or something.” Meng Qing played the good guy again.

The three presidents' expressions immediately softened.

Meng Qing had her servants serve tea, and she chatted with them about whether they planned to learn how to make paper-mache funerary objects. “Recently, I have been planning to take on apprentices. They can graduate in a year without tuition fees. After graduation, they will go to a free school in another county to work as a teacher for a year. After a year, they can rent a shop in the local area and start a business. They will definitely be able to earn five thousand strings of cash within three years.”

The three presidents looked thoughtful.

Meng Qing glanced at them and said, "I'm telling you this first. If any of your subordinates are willing to go to other places to work, bring them here."

“Okay.” Chairman Zhao nodded. “I’ll go back and ask.”

"I'm going to Luoyang in five days. Those who can be brought within five days, come directly to the government office to find me. For matters after five days, go directly to the free school by the river and at the foot of the mountain to find the manager," Meng Qing instructed.

Footsteps approached, and Meng Qing turned around. It was the brothers Du Min and Du Li. These past few days, Du Min had seen Du Li doing nothing at home, so he took him to work in Beiman Mountain.

"Chairman Li?" Du Min called out hesitantly.

"Lord Du, I am a commoner. Do you remember me?" Chairman Li was very respectful to Du Min. He then introduced the other two: "These are Chairman Wang and Chairman Zhao from the two funerary object shops in Heyin County. They heard that our county was raising funds to repair the dikes, so they joined forces with 36 funerary object shops in Heyin County and raised 18,000 strings of cash. I joined forces with 26 funerary object shops in Heqing County and raised 20,000 strings of cash. In addition, Qingniao Paper Funerary Objects contributed 22,000 strings of cash, totaling 60,000 strings of cash, all of which were donated to the Hundred Good Deeds Association."

Du Min swallowed hard, barely managing to maintain his composure. What was his second sister-in-law up to again? Good heavens! The four of them had embezzled donations from over fifty wealthy merchants and gentry members of the Baishan Association.

“On behalf of the people of Heqing County, I thank you four for your great kindness.” Du Min cupped his hands in thanks. “I will immediately arrange for my yamen runners to go to Luoyang to invite an opera troupe to perform for half a month, as a special way to express my gratitude to all the funerary object merchants in the two counties.”

"This is optional. You can submit an official document for us and see if the court will be willing to bestow a plaque to commend the two counties for their fine artifacts." Meng Qing had used such a large sum of money for the free school, so he needed a proper reason to give it to them.

"Of course, of course," Du Min readily agreed. "I'll write the official document right away and have the courier send it out this afternoon."

The three presidents looked at each other and all agreed that the money was well spent.

At noon, Du Min raised a cup to drink with the three men. After the meal, under their watchful eyes, he handed the official document to the registrar, who then delivered it to the postmaster.

The three presidents left satisfied.

After seeing the person off, Du Min rushed in, saying, "My benefactor, I'll kowtow to you a few more times."

"No need," Meng Qing said, uninterested. "I have a question for you: if a merchant donates money during a major disaster or war, will the imperial court grant him a minor official position?"

Du Min immediately understood her intention: "There are many wealthy businessmen now. Even if Meng Chun had this opportunity, he probably couldn't compete with the big tycoons."

"Isn't it because of you that you can help me out?" Meng Qing said.

Du Min hesitated, "But I don't think it's worth it. Making paper funerary objects is much more profitable. Is he willing to give it up? Is he willing to give up the money he's earned? If this money is spent, the financial path for generations to come will be cut off."

“It’s worrying to have money but nowhere to spend it.” Meng Qing tugged at his hempen clothes. “I also want to wear fine clothes, but it’s better to have money than to live to wear them. He’s the same. Keep an eye out for him first, and then see what he chooses. If he’s unwilling to spend the money, it’s not a loss for you to use this spot to do him a favor.”