Ten thousand jin of grain was not much to wealthy families.
But for ordinary people, especially the poor like Wang Erzhu, it was enough to change his life.
Hum hum hum…
The common folk below the lottery stage erupted in waves of murmurs. Countless people looked at Wang Erzhu with immense envy. Not long ago, Wang Erzhu was like them, a laborer at the very bottom of this chaotic world. But with this ten thousand jin of grain, it was no exaggeration to say that Wang Erzhu had pulled far ahead of most people.
During this period of soaring grain prices, ten thousand jin of grain was enough to make Wang Erzhu a true "magnate"!
Among the crowd… the continuous discussions and exclamations… represented the feelings of every bystander.
Those who hadn't bought welfare lottery tickets were regretful and remorseful… Da Feng Xiao Shuo Wang.
Those who bought them but didn't win were reflecting, searching for patterns behind the numbers!
However…
What patterns were there?
Everything was merely manipulated by human hands…
Even with the seemingly fair roulette, Cheng Yu had a hundred ways to spin out the numbers he needed.
Of course…
People in ancient times were still quite simple…
Even by later standards, most people would still believe lotteries were absolutely fair and open!
But…
My handsome readers, do you really think there's no trickery involved in lotteries?
The string of corruption cases exposed in the 21st century speaks volumes.
Of course, just as Lu Yu explained to Cheng Yu, was the lottery selling grain? No! The lottery was selling the dreams of the ticket holders! The ultimate hope of the ticket holders!
As long as dreams are planted, as long as hope is planted… people will flock to it like moths to a flame, regardless of the cost!
Today… Cheng Yu successfully planted the dream. Then… tomorrow's lottery sales are bound to increase exponentially!
Half an hour!
An hour!
An hour had passed since the lottery drawing, and Cheng Yu and the soldiers had dispersed!
Only a few soldiers were seen helping Wang Erzhu move the ten thousand jin of grain. Naturally… to ensure Wang Erzhu's safety, the government office would arrange soldiers to protect his "property" until it was properly settled and Wang Erzhu's life got back on track!
And at this very moment…
The surrounding common folk still lingered, unable to disperse. They gathered in small groups, discussing tomorrow's lottery ticket purchases and numbers!
Of course…
There were also many clear-headed people who were bewildered.
Even confused and perplexed.
Clearly, the daily revenue from the welfare lottery was only a few hundred jin of grain, but in just a short while, ten thousand jin was paid out. This… felt a bit unreasonable!
What if… ten people won tomorrow?
Then… would the government have to pay out a hundred thousand jin of grain?
Even if the government had a mine, they couldn't afford to lose like this, right?
Many people scratched their heads, unable to comprehend it. They were increasingly confused! Who knew… what this legendary Hidden Dragon was up to this time!
…
The next day, after the city gates opened, the Han Welfare Lottery welcomed its second day of sales!
As expected!
As it should be!
At the thirty-two selling points, long queues formed at each one, stretching as far as the eye could see. This immediately stunned almost all the wealthy families, big merchants, and noble lords of Xiapi City.
According to the reports from informants, each selling point had queues of hundreds of people, and the most crucial part was… this number was still growing!
Xiapi City had over 400,000 citizens, so these few hundred-person queues were not much.
However, upon hearing this report, the wealthy families and magnates could no longer sit still.
The same tavern, the same hall crowded with wealthy merchants.
"What? In just a few hours… this lottery has sold 100,000 tickets? Are there that many people? It can't all be people watching the excitement, right?"
This was a major merchant surnamed Zhao, known as Steward Zhao, a leading merchant in Xiapi City… and even Xuzhou City.
At this moment, his eyes were wide… filled with disbelief!
One hundred thousand tickets, that's one hundred thousand jin of grain. Converted, that's nearly a hundred shi of grain, how many times more than the five hundred jin yesterday?
The key was that it had only been a few hours!
"You're not mistaken, are you?" Steward Zhao frowned, retorting in a tone full of doubt.
"How would I dare to deceive Steward Zhao? Now… at the thirty-two lottery selling points in Xiapi City, each one is bustling with activity. I wouldn't dare lie!"
The informant's tone was also exceptionally solemn, not like he was joking at all.
Steward Zhao smacked his lips and fell into thought, while other stewards on the side spoke loudly… "Brother Zhao? This isn't much, is it? Yesterday, 500 lottery tickets were sold, and 10,000 jin of grain was lost. Today, so many lottery tickets were sold. If you calculate it, won't the government have to pay out hundreds of thousands of jin of grain?"
"If they keep losing at this rate, I'm afraid not only the granaries of Xuzhou but even the granaries of the Han will not be able to withstand it!"
After hearing this statement.
Steward Zhao repeatedly shook his head. "Hidden Dragon is not a fool. Those who have treated him as a fool over the years… whether on the battlefield or in business, have often died miserably. Look at the situations of our Xiapi Chen clan and Mi clan, and you can glimpse one or two!"
Speaking of this.
Steward Zhao's eyes darted back and forth, his brow furrowed in thought, and he kept muttering… "Hidden Dragon? Why… why do this?"
Indeed, Lu Yu was constantly trying to understand the minds of these gentry and merchants.
These gentry and merchants would also try to understand Lu Yu's mind.
This was a game of strategy…
Just as he thought of this…
Steward Zhao suddenly thought of something. He realized something was wrong… completely wrong! They had gone astray, he and these "smart" merchants had all thought wrongly and gone astray…
Steward Zhao was a thoughtful and perceptive person.
Immediately… after the entire incident went through his mind, he understood. He stood up abruptly… his eyes filled with a hint of amazement!
"I understand, I see it clearly…"
"Brother Zhao? What do you understand?" all the gentry and merchants asked in unison.
Steward Zhao quickly explained, "Making a fool of ourselves, hehe… If we were waiting to see Hidden Dragon make a fool of himself, to see how much grain the government would lose, we would be greatly mistaken. My friends… do you still naively believe that winning the lottery is purely a matter of luck!"
"How naive, we thought too naively. In my opinion, no matter how many people buy lottery tickets… there will only be a few winners… and the grain distributed to the winners will inevitably be less than the grain collected from the common folk! And this is Hidden Dragon's true objective!"
"This lottery is not selling grain at all, but dreams, the dreams of ordinary people… common people… to rise to prominence overnight! Hidden Dragon's move to gather grain… is truly ingenious!"
Hiss…
Since Steward Zhao had spoken to this extent, the merchants present were not fools. How could they not understand?
They had been naive… very foolish and naive!
They had initially thought that the lottery was a fair project, but now that they thought about it, the rules were all set by Hidden Dragon. How could they possibly contend with him?
You think you're playing the Han Welfare Lottery, bullshit, you're playing by the rules set by Hidden Dragon.
Suddenly clear…
All the gentry and merchants suddenly became clear-headed.
Immediately, several principals proposed, "Then… if we leak this conspiracy, won't Hidden Dragon's plan be in vain?"
Heh…
As soon as these words were spoken, many people blinked, thinking there was some sense to it. As the saying goes, no merchant is without deceit.
Who would have thought…
With a "bang," Steward Zhao clenched his fist and slammed the table!
"Stupid, stupid…"
He looked coldly at the people before him. "So what if we leak it? What benefit would we gain? Moreover… this is openly opposing the government, opposing Hidden Dragon? Do you think we'll get away with it? Harming others without benefiting ourselves. In these past few years, your business sense has truly regressed!"
This was why Steward Zhao could become the leading rich merchant in Xuzhou City, after the Zhuge clan, the Lu clan, and the Mi clan.
His way of thinking was completely different.
Many people instinctively chose to suppress new things…
But he understood perfectly. He knew that the development of the new thing called "lottery," with Lu Yu's protection, was inevitable.
Rather than… leaking it, suppressing it… to no avail and harming others without benefiting himself, it was better to… cooperate, to cooperate sincerely, to make this venture even bigger, to make it profitable for everyone!
"Steward Zhao? Then… then we do nothing?" Everyone started clamoring, clearly, they were envious and covetous of the government making money so easily!
Steward Zhao flicked his long sleeves.
"Cooperate…"
"Instead of obstructing Hidden Dragon's business, it's better to find a way to cooperate with Hidden Dragon. If, according to my earlier idea, this lottery business is not limited to Xiapi City, then the entire Xuzhou, and even the entire Central Plains, the entire regions of Si, Xu, Yan, Yu… these places are all business opportunities."
Speaking of this, Steward Zhao paused. "Our Situ Lu is the Situ of the Han, a Marquis granted by imperial decree. He is busy with state affairs and has no time to manage these minor business details. This is an opportunity. Perhaps… we can…"
Heh…
Although Steward Zhao did not finish his sentence, the meaning was perfectly clear.
Business opportunities…
Cooperation and mutual benefit. If they could tightly grasp Lu Yu's leg this time, then the source of wealth… and this lottery business in Si, Xu, Yan, and Yu would come rolling in!
"Brilliant… brilliant!" Everyone stood up, their eyes shining!
The saying goes, scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants.
The identity of merchants was often very awkward in the Han Dynasty. They held the broadest resources, but their status was the lowest!
This was also why the merchant Ding family in Luoyang City had to establish a relationship with the influential Cao family, and why the Ding family's eldest daughter Ding Hui and second daughter Ding Xiang had to marry Cao Cao and Xiahou Yuan.
The combination of scholars and merchants, clinging to business…
In the Han Dynasty, it was a crucial step for merchants to elevate their status.
…
…
On the official road from Langya Commandery to Donghai Commandery.
The Dragon Soaring Camp's cavalry was advancing, and they were very close to Donghai Commandery.
"Young Master Lu, there are merchants from Xiapi City on this official road. They are discussing something. It seems that Sima Cheng of Xiapi City and Governor Chen have already started selling lottery tickets."
Cao Xiu reported the intelligence he had gathered along the way to Lu Yu.
"But…" Cao Xiu's brow furrowed slightly. "According to them, yesterday the lottery only earned over 500 jin of grain, but over 10,000 jin of grain was disbursed from the treasury. Calculated this way… this lottery seems to be losing money!"
As soon as he said this.
Lu Yu, sitting in the four-horse carriage, smiled faintly.
"It's good that it's losing money… As the saying goes, 'What you want to take, you must first give.' If they don't lose some, who will see hope, who will see light… who will invest in it madly?"
Lu Yu appeared very confident.
Since the matter was brought up, Lu Yu immediately thought of the families in Xiapi City. "Did Sima Cheng's letter last time not mention the major wealthy merchants in Xiapi City? Send people to keep an eye on them… especially the patriarch of the Zhao family."
Speaking of this, Lu Yu paused.
"If nothing unexpected happens, he will surely bring a group of Xiapi City merchants to visit Sima Cheng… and then… request an audience with this humble one!"
This…
Although he didn't know where Lu Yu's confidence came from, Cao Xiu was already accustomed to it.
Young Master Lu always did strange things, but the results, at least so far, had never been flawed. It was an exaggeration to say he turned death into life, but at least… he always achieved "possibility" in the impossible!
"Does Young Master Lu want to meet these merchants?"
Cao Xiu asked.
Lu Yu waved his hand directly. "No, the more they want to see us, the less we will see them… Keep them hanging!"
Speaking of this, Lu Yu narrowed his eyes. "The good show has just begun. Since it's about gathering grain, naturally we must sell it at a good price!"
As soon as he finished speaking…
"Young Master Lu, Donghai Commandery is ten li ahead…"
A clear voice came…
It was Zhao Yun, riding a white horse. Before Lu Yu could speak, Zhao Yun continued, "The Dragon Soaring Knights sent news that the three young masters have arrived and are eagerly waiting for Young Master Lu in Donghai Commandery!"
Hmm…
Lu Yu's eyes suddenly opened, and he muttered inwardly, "How fast!"
He hadn't expected them to set out from Xudu City and arrive faster than the Dragon Soaring Camp. They must have traveled day and night!
Lu Yu's eyes blinked with delight.
At this moment, he thought of the name "Three Cobblers"!
Gathering grain in Donghai…
It's impossible to do everything personally… But isn't it… necessary to have these three "cobblers" with a spirit of research!
"Report…"
Just then… *da da da*… a fast horse galloped over, reaching the Dragon Soaring Camp's cavalry, and immediately shouted, "Is this Situ Lu's cavalry?"
"Precisely!" the leading soldier of the Dragon Soaring Camp replied.
Upon hearing the affirmative reply, the knight dismounted and cupped his hands, saying, "I am under the orders of the Governor of Donghai Commandery, specially sent to inform the Situ that the Governor, along with all the civil and military officials of the city, have come out ten li to welcome Situ Lu!"
Hoo…
Lu Yu was slightly surprised. What a grand reception!
Coming out ten li to welcome him… this Marquis-Governor of Donghai Commandery had certainly put on quite a show.
Lu Yu curiously asked.
"Ask that knight, who is the current Governor of Donghai Commandery?"
"Yes!" Cao Xiu responded and spurred his horse forward. In a moment, Cao Xiu reported, "The current Governor of Donghai Commandery in Xuzhou is Hou Cheng, from Taiyuan, Bing Province!"
Hmm… Hou Cheng?
Upon hearing this name, Lu Yu's eyes darted. Wasn't this Lü Bu's subordinate from the past?
Speaking of which, among Lü Bu's surrendered generals on White Gate Tower in Xiapi City, there were two distinct factions – the "Protect Lü Bu" faction, or the "Kill Lü Bu" faction!
Among them, Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, and Chen Gong were steadfast members of the "Protect Lü Bu" faction!
While Hou Cheng, Wei Xu, Cheng Lian, and Song Xian were clear members of the "Kill Lü Bu" faction. One must know that it was these few who stole the Red Hare horse, the Fang Tian Hua Ji halberd, and the beast-faced helmet with interlocking armor.
At that time, Lu Yu had devised a plan… both "killed" Lü Bu and "spared" Lü Bu, balancing these two factions. He hadn't expected that Hou Cheng, Lü Bu's former subordinate, the one who "stole the Red Hare horse," had now become a regional governor.
He shook his head slightly…
Lu Yu waved his hand. "Let's go, let's go meet our Governor Hou Cheng!"
…
…
Time flew.
The entire afternoon quickly passed. In Xiapi City, Xuzhou, the number of people buying lottery tickets had exceeded 30,000!
However, the grain collected from sales had already exceeded 200,000. Like ticket holders in later generations, once people became addicted, who would buy just one ticket?
At this moment…
Everyone was waiting, waiting for the moment of the lottery drawing.
The lottery stage was crowded, with a sea of people. Over 20,000 people gathered here, and even the taverns near the lottery stage were full!
Time passed, hour by hour.
Finally…
——"Dong dong dong!"
With several gongs and drums, the highly anticipated lottery drawing began.
——"Auspicious hour has arrived, prepare for the lottery drawing!"
——"Auspicious hour has arrived, prepare for the lottery drawing!"
As the officials shouted a few times, the giant roulette was spun again. However, unlike last time, this time… the officials selected seven common folk to shake out the winning numbers, to appear even fairer and more just!
Even some officials and guards had bought lottery tickets… They would never have dreamed that they would be so enthusiastic about this thing.
Of course, this was not enthusiasm for the lottery itself, but for the ten thousand jin of grain behind the lottery.
"The first number is… Three!"
"The second number is… Three!"
…
"The seventh number is… Five!"
"The winning numbers for this period are, Three, Three, Three, Eight, Nine, Five, Three!"
There was a moment of silence among the crowd…
Then, countless people complained, "This damned 'Three'!"
"Why are there so many Threes? Is something wrong?"
After a brief period of complaining, only sighs of regret could be heard from the crowd. However, at this moment, an excited voice suddenly rang out, instantly breaking the silence!
"I won, I won… I won!"
A young man waved the lottery ticket in his hand…
Instantly, countless sharp-eyed soldiers escorted him to the stage. The tens of thousands of people present immediately perked up.
Following closely was the same verification process as yesterday. After verification, this lucky youth received ten thousand jin of grain!
The crowd still looked at him with envious eyes!
Everything seemed to be exactly the same as yesterday!
But… at this moment.
The gentry and merchants on the second floor of the tavern couldn't help but focus their gazes.
Especially Steward Zhao, the richest man in Xuzhou.
His eyes were almost narrowed into slits…
——"As expected, yesterday one out of five hundred people won, and today, with over 200,000 tickets, only one person won. Hehe… as expected, as expected…"
Saying this, he paused, stroked his beard, and continued to lament, "As expected of Hidden Dragon, as expected of Hidden Dragon who can 'reveal heavenly secrets' with a word. What a brilliant way to gather grain, what a way to gather grain!"
Everything that was happening before his eyes now completely confirmed his conjecture…
Compared to doing business, Hidden Dragon was far more capable than them, the merchants and gentry! Clearly, Hidden Dragon understood human nature better!
Just then…
Some merchants spoke, "Yesterday, only one person won, and today there are a hundred times more buyers… yet still only one winner! Don't the common folk suspect foul play?"
As soon as this was said…
Everyone looked at Steward Zhao. Steward Zhao calmly shook his head.
——"Hehe, for us merchants, perhaps there is an essential difference between one winner and ten winners, but… for them!"
Steward Zhao pointed outside the window at the common folk who were still full of envy.
——"For them, whether it's one, ten, or a hundred… the difference is not significant, because as long as someone wins, it represents hope, the hope of getting rich overnight! As long as this hope exists, countless common people will flock to it!"
"How terrifying will be the speed of accumulating wealth, of accumulating grain!"
Light…
Steward Zhao's eyes were shining, as if he could see through everything.
However, how could he know that the praying mantis catches the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind…
At this moment…
He and the group of merchants and gentry around him were gradually falling into a large net specially woven for them by Hidden Dragon!
——The common folk as bait!
——Fishing for the gentry!
…
…