Chapter 144 Election Results

Unwittingly, the bitter chill of winter had descended upon the land, and with less than twenty days remaining until the New Year, every household had already begun making early preparations and laying in festive goods. Of course, this was merely the tradition of the common folk; for the grand and wealthy estates, very little preparation was necessary, as they could make any day feel like the New Year simply by desiring it. Yet, with the festive atmosphere permeating the entire realm, even the most prestigious noble houses inevitably sent people out to purchase firecrackers, couplets, and lanterns for holiday decorations.

During this period, the capital newspaper established by Gou Ye had essentially stabilized, selling nearly ten thousand copies a day. Gou Ye was quite satisfied with this achievement; the level of consumption in the capital was truly beyond comparison with a mere county town, differing as much as heaven and earth.

Although the dedicated news reporting section had not yet been fully established, the prospects looked promising, and from its inception until now, there had been very few troubles. On the contrary, things had gone even more smoothly than Gou Ye had anticipated. It was precisely because the newspaper office was gradually getting on track that Gou Ye and Xuan yuan Changfeng were able to spare more time to prepare for the imperial examinations, leaving the daily operations of the newspaper almost entirely in the hands of Gu Shen.

At first, Gu Shen had been strongly opposed to the arrangement, but he soon discovered that staying here was actually quite leisurely. Since Gou Ye had already appointed capable people to all the essential positions, Gu Shen's role amounted to little more than handing out newspapers to the boys and reclining on a rocking chair to sip tea. One could say he was exceedingly content.

Faced with such a lucrative and novel venture, other merchant clans were naturally green with envy. However, mindful of the lesson taught by "KFC" previously, no other clan dared to blindly follow suit despite the long passage of time.

As for KFC itself, it had long since become a mainstream dining choice in the capital. Because of its affordable prices, it was deeply loved by the common people. Coupled with Gou Ye's series of service and training initiatives, KFC's reputation in the market remained exceptionally high.

To most people, the New Year might simply mean hanging red lanterns, sharing a meal together, or setting off firecrackers, but to the merchant clans, it was of paramount importance. For on the very eve of the New Year, the results of the merchant clan elections would be announced, laying bare the fruits of three years of arduous labor. Therefore, for every single competing clan, the days leading up to the New Year were agonizingly difficult and intensely nerve-wracking. Every clan involved in the election dared not relax for even a single moment.

Yet, none of this required Gou Ye's worry. He had already completed his own tasks and now only needed to sit peacefully at home and focus on his studies. At first, every few days, Gou Ye would go to the palace to spend some time with Zhu Houzhao. On the last few occasions, because of the presence of the tutor, Gou Ye had no choice but to obediently accompany Zhu Houzhao in his lessons—a period of time Gou Ye found exceedingly tedious. Recently, however, something seemed to have happened within the palace. Eunuch Bai had informed Gou Ye that there was temporarily no need for him to enter the palace as a companion reader, nor did he need to frequently send poems into the palace.

Though Gou Ye had no idea what had occurred within the palace walls, getting rid of such a "bitter chore" was undoubtedly good news for him.

The arrival of the New Year seemed to hold a special significance for everyone, and no one felt this more profoundly than Yunniang. For after this year passed, she would reach the legal age of marriage, and within this very year, she and Gou Ye would truly become husband and wife. Although the servants at home and Laifu had long since grown accustomed to calling her Madam Yun, Yunniang always felt a lingering awkwardness in her heart; before crossing the threshold of marriage, she still felt a sense of lacking legitimate status.

As for the items to be purchased for the New Year, Gou Ye naturally did not need to trouble himself with them, as all matters had been entrusted to Laifu. Meanwhile, Gou Ye, still holding the village in his thoughts, had deliberately written a letter in advance to Jia Zhengyi, entrusting him to send some welfare provisions to the villagers. Originally, Gou Ye had intended to entrust this task to Gu Shen. To Gou Ye's surprise, however, Gu Shen insisted on spending the New Year in the capital right alongside him, giving the reason that he had never experienced the New Year in the capital before and wanted to experience the bustling festive atmosphere there. Gou Ye was, of course, very happy with this decision.

In this manner, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion, and in the blink of an eye, the New Year drew near. On the eve of the New Year, braving the biting wind, Gou Ye arrived at the merchant clan estate to await the election results along with everyone else.

This wait was agonizingly long, with everyone's heart rising to their throats. Even the usually composed Master Xiao paced back and forth across the room, looking somewhat absent-minded and anxious.

Under normal circumstances, the imperial messenger sent to announce the results should have arrived by noon. But now, past midday, the front gates had yet to open. Gazing at the drifting snowflakes outside, a chill seemed to creep into everyone's heart.

Yet no one was willing to give up, all hoping that the palace messengers had simply been delayed by the slippery snow-covered roads. Still, the delay had grown excessively long. Amidst the anxious waiting, as the setting sun began to dip below the horizon, there was still no movement whatsoever.

Many people let out long sighs and abandoned all hope. Master Xiao sat by the table, sighed softly, and said, "Forget it. It is all the will of heaven. Everyone, pack up and go home to celebrate the New Year. Gou Ye, you need not feel guilty; we all did our best."

This outcome exceeded Gou Ye's expectations. He refused to believe that the gentry class would remain completely indifferent to his measures, nor did he believe that all this hard work would simply go down the drain. Either someone was meddling behind the scenes, or the palace truly had not dispatched anyone.

Just as everyone was preparing to leave, the heavy front gates stirred.

Staring with wide eyes, everyone looked toward the entrance. A servant opened the doors, and instantly, a dazzling sight greeted everyone's eyes. It was indeed the imperial envoy sent by the palace. Brushing the snowflakes from his garments and looking at the people stepping out of the hall one by one, he cried out in a loud voice, "In the name of the imperial court and the gentry class, I announce this year's election results! This year's vassal merchant clan affiliated with the gentry class is none other than the Xiao Chengzhong Merchant Clan!"

Hearing this, a sudden burst of cheers erupted within the courtyard, and every face was radiant with long-absent smiles. Master Xiao received the proclamation scroll, knelt upon the snow-covered ground, his hands trembling with profound emotion.