The rise of the poor

Chapter 2308 Voting Results

"Third Master, I have a question for you." Luo Longwen asked, clasping his hands in a gesture of respect, while Wang San was counting the silver notes.

"Of course, of course, go ahead and ask." Wang San stuffed the silver notes into his pocket and looked at Luo Longwen with a smile. He had only accepted a thousand taels of silver from him, so was it too much for him to ask a question? Not at all.

Luo Longwen leaned closer to Wang San and asked in a low voice, "Third Master, how do the King and the generals usually hold meetings behind closed doors?"

"This isn't a big secret," Wang San chuckled, then explained their internal closed-door decision-making process to Luo Longwen. "It's very simple. We always vote by show of hands. We only hold closed-door meetings when there's a major issue affecting the very survival of us all. It's always the King who convenes these meetings, and the participants are all decided by the King. However, without exception, it usually includes the captains of the major ships. If a matter is passed by a unanimous show of hands, or by an overwhelming majority, it's implemented immediately. If it's a 50/50 or 60/40 split, then the matter cannot be passed on the spot. The King will send someone back to consider it, and then convene everyone again for a show of hands in two or three days. If it passes, it's implemented; if it still doesn't pass by an overwhelming majority, then it's rejected, and the matter is not implemented."

"Thank you for clearing up my doubts, Third Master." Luo Longwen clasped his hands in thanks.

Then, Luo Longwen sighed again, "Sigh, I wonder if the king and the others have finished raising their hands to vote yet."

"Hehe, the vote should be over by now, they raised their hands so quickly." Wang San chuckled.

"Ah, the vote is over?! I wonder what the result is?!" Upon hearing that the closed-door resolution had been voted on, Luo Longwen became anxious and restless, eager to know the outcome of Wang Zhi's closed-door vote, whether Wang Zhi would cooperate with his side or with the scoundrel Zhu Ping'an.

“We weren’t there, so if we want to know the result, we’ll have to ask around,” Wang San said slowly, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Third Master, when it comes to connections, who can compare to you? We'll have to trouble you with this matter." Luo Longwen said, taking out three more one-hundred-tael silver notes from his pocket and handing them to Wang San with both hands.

"Hey, Brother Luo, what are you doing?" Wang San looked displeased and weakly pushed Luo Longwen's hands, but Luo Longwen's hands seemed to weigh more than a thousand pounds, and Wang San couldn't push him away even a millimeter.

"Third Master, I know you are a righteous and helpful person, but we still need to trouble others to inquire. We can't let them work for nothing." Luo Longwen insisted on handing the silver notes to Wang San with both hands, his face full of determination.

"You... sigh, I can't argue with you. This is the last time, the last time, okay?" Wang San reluctantly accepted the silver note handed over by Luo Longwen.

After receiving the silver notes, Wang San told Luo Longwen to wait there, promising to return shortly. Once Wang San was gone, the gates of the cliffside villa were tightly shut, and fully armed Japanese pirates protected Luo Longwen on the watchtowers and around the courtyard, ensuring not a single fly escaped.

Luo Longwen paced back and forth in the courtyard, staring intently at the gate. Finally, just as tears welled up in his eyes, the gate opened, and Wang San appeared at the door. Luo Longwen rushed forward eagerly, "Third Master, what's the result? Has the King decided to cooperate with our master or with that scoundrel Zhu Ping'an?"

"The result is already out, but..." Wang San paused here.

"But what can we do?" Luo Longwen was almost frantic.

"However, the result may disappoint Brother Luo," Wang San sighed softly and said slowly.

Upon hearing this, Luo Longwen's heart skipped a beat. He immediately realized something was wrong and hurriedly said anxiously, "Ah?! Does Your Majesty intend to cooperate with that scoundrel Zhu Ping'an?! Let me tell you, don't be fooled by Zhu Ping'an's honest-looking face. He's incredibly cunning and shrewd. You'll be easily deceived by him, and you'll be sold out by him while he counts the silver for you."

Damn it! Why did Wang Zhi and his gang choose to cooperate with Zhu Ping'an?! How am I going to complete my mission?!

Zhu Pingan has granted amnesty to Wang Zhi; wouldn't that mean he's about to achieve another earth-shattering feat?!

Wouldn't that make Grand Secretary Yan and Brother Donglou a laughingstock again?! They demoted Zhu Ping'an to a small county in Jiangnan and gave him a good beating, but unexpectedly, in less than a year, this petty scoundrel Zhu Ping'an has risen to an even higher position than before his demotion! Is this a demotion or an achievement?!

If Zhu Ping'an were to achieve another great feat and be promoted again, some people in the capital would laugh at Grand Secretary Yan and Brother Donglou behind their backs.

No, absolutely not!

Luo Longwen was about to walk out the door when Wang San grabbed him, saying, "Have you forgotten? The King has ordered that you cannot go out!"

Luo Longwen was agitated, slapping his thigh with his hand, his voice hoarse, "But, but the King is going to cooperate with Zhu Ping'an! I need to see the King! I can't cooperate with Zhu Ping'an! Zhu Ping'an is not a good person!"

“I didn’t say that Your Majesty wanted to cooperate with Zhu Ping’an!” Wang San released Luo Longwen’s arm and glanced at him.

"Ah?! Hehehe, that's great! The King wants to cooperate with us! Third Master, you're so humorous. You still have the mood to joke with me at a time like this. The King is indeed the King. He saw through the true colors of the scoundrel Zhu Ping'an at a glance and avoided danger in time by choosing to cooperate with my master?!" Luo Longwen was very excited and grinned.

Wang San is really humorous, joking about something like this. He just said the result disappointed him, but what's disappointing about the result?!

Since they didn't cooperate with Zhu Pingan, they've cooperated with our master. What other outcome could there be?

"Brother Luo, the King doesn't want to cooperate with you." Wang San interrupted Luo Longwen's reverie in time.

"Third Master, please don't joke around. If the King isn't cooperating with us, nor with Zhu Ping'an, then who is he cooperating with?" Luo Longwen asked, puzzled.

Wang San explained, “Today, in a closed-door vote, the number of people willing to cooperate with your master was about the same as the number willing to cooperate with Zhu Ping’an. To be precise, the number of people willing to cooperate with your master was two more, but it did not constitute an absolute majority. Therefore, no decision was reached today. His Majesty said that a vote would be held again in a few days.”

"Huh?" Luo Longwen sighed in disappointment after hearing this, and then asked again, "Will it be a few more days before the vote?"

Wang San shook his head. "His Majesty didn't say exactly when the vote would be held, only that it would be in a few days." He then added, "Don't worry, His Majesty said it would be in a few days, and there will definitely be another vote."

Luo Longwen bowed to Wang San with a fawning expression and said ingratiatingly, "Third Master, Third Master, I'll have to trouble you again."

"What is it?" Wang San neither refused nor agreed.

Luo Longwen pulled out a thick wad of silver notes from his pocket, barely counting them, and handed them to Wang San with both hands. "I'll have to trouble you, Third Master, to find out which generals have sided with us. I want to thank them properly. Also, which generals have sided with Zhu Ping'an, and which of them are worth trying to win over?"

"Look at what you've done." Wang San looked troubled.

"I'll leave everything to you, Third Master. You'll be generously rewarded once it's done." Luo Longwen then pulled out a stack of silver notes from his pocket.

"Well, I guess I'll give it a try, albeit reluctantly," Wang San said, accepting the silver note with a helpless expression.

"Thank you very much, Third Master." Luo Longwen expressed his gratitude profusely. (End of Chapter)