Volume 1, Chapter 29: Nalan Rongyun: Let the Ten Grand Stewards Dance to Liven Things Up
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Before the royal palace of Great Liang, a vast ceremonial platform had been erected.
Below it, a sea of people stretched as far as the eye could see, all having gathered from every direction to watch.
A huge, conspicuous banner hung above the platform. In bold characters, it read:
“The Founding Ceremony of the Langya Charity Foundation”
At the highest point, twelve chairs had been arranged in a graceful arc.
A person sat in each one.
“Gasp… Who’s the person in the middle?”
“The founder of the Langya Merchant Association! The Wei Prince’s consort! The former matriarch of the Nalan family—Nalan Rongyun!”
“She hasn’t appeared before the world in more than a hundred years. She’s always controlled everything from behind the scenes. And now she’s actually showing herself because of this so-called charity foundation?”
“They say the young master of the Wang family is the darling of heaven and earth. It seems that’s truly the case!”
“And those are the ten chief stewards of the Langya Merchant Association. Every one of them is comparable to a high-ranking provincial governor. The spirit stones that pass through their hands each day amount to an astronomical figure!”
“…”
Upon seeing Nalan Rongyun and the others seated on the platform, the members of the three great merchant associations among the spectators all wore solemn expressions, as if facing a formidable enemy.
They had assumed this so-called foundation was merely a little venture the young master of the Wang family had cobbled together for his own amusement.
But now, with the president and all ten chief stewards of the Langya Merchant Association appearing in person, the nature of the matter had changed completely.
Could this be another major strategic move by the Langya Merchant Association?
At that thought, their scalps prickled. Without a word, they activated their image-recording stones and recorded everything before them, preparing to submit the footage afterward.
…
“Grandmother, thank you for making the journey!” Wang Mu sat beside Nalan Rongyun, holding her hand gratefully.
The charity foundation was no trivial matter.
With figures of sufficient stature appearing to lend their support, its impact could increase several times over, perhaps even tenfold.
Wang Mu now approached every undertaking with efficiency in mind. If he could achieve his desired result in the shortest possible time, there was no reason to proceed slowly.
Any strength he could borrow, he would certainly borrow.
Nalan Rongyun gently patted the back of his hand, her eyes filled with affection.
“Young Mu, you finally decided to do something worthwhile. Of course your grandmother will support you with all her might!”
As she spoke, she suddenly recalled something and asked eagerly, “Is it enough for us merely to sit here? Should I have the ten chief stewards go up and perform a dance for you, to liven things up?”
Wang Mu: “…”
Ren Pingsheng: “!!!”
Sima Yuan: “!!!”
Everyone else: “???”
Wang Mu hurriedly waved his hands.
“That… really isn’t necessary!”
Nalan Rongyun nodded.
“True enough. Their dancing isn’t very good. How about having them go up and fight instead? A little spell duel should be well within their abilities!”
The chief stewards: “!!!”
Wang Mu drew a deep breath.
“Truly, there’s no need, Grandmother! The fact that all of you are sitting here is already an enormous help to me! Besides, this is ultimately a rather solemn occasion!”
“All right, then!”
A trace of disappointment flashed through Nalan Rongyun’s eyes.
It was rather regrettable that she could not do more to help her eldest grandson.
…
“President, Young Master, the auspicious hour has arrived!” Li Yuanhua approached and said respectfully.
“Mm! I’ll go first, Grandmother!”
Wang Mu slowly rose and walked toward the front of the platform.
He had not dressed up in any particularly elaborate manner that day, but he had still come in splendid attire.
He wore an elegant blue-and-white country-style robe, its surface embroidered with golden dragon scales. A purple-gold and white-jade belt encircled his waist, adorned with tiny fragments of spirit crystal.
Lotus-patterned boots woven from lotus silk covered his feet.
His features were handsome, his brows sharp as sword edges.
Standing beneath the sunlight, his entire person seemed to glow.
The moment he stepped into everyone’s view, the chaotic murmuring below fell silent. Countless gazes converged upon him.
“My eldest grandson is so handsome!” Nalan Rongyun exclaimed from the central seat, her eyes sparkling. “I wonder which family’s young lady will be fortunate enough to marry him one day?”
“…”
…
Wang Mu dispensed with the customary pleasantries and went straight to the point.
“Everyone should know that these past few days, our Langya Merchant Association… has made a little money!”
“The revenue of our Langya branch on Skybane Island rose slightly last month!”
At those words, the corners of the mouths of the three great merchant associations’ representatives twitched.
A little money? Rose slightly?
Did he have no shame?
Their hands must be going soft from counting all that money!
Damn it!
“Making money is a good thing, and I should have been happy. But this time… I feel somewhat uneasy.”
A hint of emotion appeared on Wang Mu’s face.
“Because apart from the intrinsic value of the goods themselves, a greater part of this money represents the trust and support that everyone in the cultivation world has placed in our Langya Merchant Association!”
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“This trust is far too heavy. We know that we are unworthy of it, but we have also resolved to work harder than ever, striving to prove ourselves worthy of your support!”
“All this time, our Langya Merchant Association has aspired to build an upright merchant association—one with a sense of responsibility and public virtue!”
“To seek blessings for every fellow cultivator under heaven!”
At that, Ren Pingsheng turned toward Nalan Rongyun in confusion.
“President? Do we really have that ambition?”
Sima Yuan was equally bewildered.
“Exactly. Wasn’t our original purpose simply to make money?”
Nalan Rongyun shot them both an icy look.
“If my grandson says we have such an ambition, then we do! Even if we didn’t before, we do from now on!”
“…”
“But because we lacked a certain foundation and the necessary accumulation, we had never possessed the confidence to undertake such a cause.”
“Yet this time, we felt everyone’s trust and support, and we realized that the time had come!”
Wang Mu gazed at everyone and spoke with effortless eloquence.
“Therefore, beginning today, we have decided to establish the Langya Charity Foundation! For every hundred spirit stones a guest spends at our Langya Merchant Association, one spirit stone will be donated to the foundation!”
“We will use these funds to fulfill, to the best of our ability, the responsibilities of an upright merchant association toward the cultivation world!”
“This will include, but not be limited to, hosting Ascension Assemblies, aiding those in danger and distress, and providing relief during disasters…”
…
“Why does this foundation sound like nothing more than an excuse to scatter money?”
“Exactly. Could the young master of the Wang family have gotten a taste for it after hosting the Ascension Assembly? Did he find that he hadn’t scattered enough money and wants to throw away some more?”
“He’s still too young.”
Shopkeeper Liu of the Penglai Merchant Association sneered.
“Although they used the Ascension Assembly this time to send business at their Langya branch on Skybane Island soaring and made quite a bit of money…
“Once you deduct the expenses of the Ascension Assembly itself, their actual profits were nothing extraordinary!
“And now he’s spreading his operation so far and wide, scattering money everywhere, even making grand declarations to the entire cultivation world!
“At this rate, no matter how much the Langya Merchant Association earns, it won’t be enough for him to give away!”
They were all businessmen. The figures were easy enough to calculate.
“Exactly,” Shopkeeper Zhang of the Four Seas Merchant Association chimed in. “Cultivators are mostly cold and heartless. What does it matter to them if someone else suffers disaster or misfortune? To think they can use this so-called charity to bind cultivators into buying goods from the Langya Merchant Association? It’s nothing but a pipe dream!”
…
Just then, Wang Mu’s resonant voice rang out from the platform.
“To thank everyone for your support of the Langya Charity Foundation…”
“We have invited several fellow cultivators who offered us the greatest assistance when the foundation was first established!”
“Our president will personally present them with certificates of honor on behalf of the Langya Merchant Association, as an expression of our gratitude!”
“First, let us welcome with a round of applause…”
“The master of the Nine Suns Sect, True Man Yang Juzi!”
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