NOVEL WEB Chapter 45
The next day, the officials listed the new prices.
It was soon noticed by the sharp-eyed commoners, who exclaimed, “Mister official, the price of this cement house was still 20 taels yesterday. Why has it been marked up to 21 taels today?”
The official said helplessly, “Because His Majesty knows that the welfare houses he prepared for you are not selling, and he’s very unhappy about it, so he raised the price by one tael of silver!”
The common people exclaimed, “F*ck!”
They were all completely stunned!
They had only been watching for two days! Even if the house was cheap, it was still worth 20 taels of silver, which was the equivalent of several years of their income!
They would only spend such a significant amount after careful consideration!
But then, just because you were in a bad mood, you raised the price, and by a whole tael of silver at that!
Your Majesty, aren’t you being too fickle?
Oh, foolish emperor!The number of people buying houses was still very few, with many more just watching and waiting.
……
Another day passed just like that.
An official tore off the old housing prices and posted new ones.
The common people quickly noticed and exclaimed in shock, “How come the price has gone up again? With this increase, it’s now 22 taels of silver, which is 2 taels more expensive than the original price!”
Once again, the official responded helplessly, “Because His Majesty knows that the houses are still not selling, he is very, very unhappy and couldn’t help but raise the price by another tael. Please try to understand and bear with us!”
The common people: “F*ck!”
Are you kidding me? Just because the house isn’t selling, they’re raising the price again?
If you’re unhappy, don’t take it out on the house!
We’re the ones who suffer for it!
……
After a day passed, the official came over again with a new list.
The sharp-eyed common people spotted it once more and called out, “Mister, you’re not going to tell me the price of the house has gone up again, are you?”
The official nodded, “You guessed right, it’s gone up by another tael of silver!”
The common people exclaimed, “Why has it gone up again? Is His Majesty unhappy once more?”
The official shook his head: “No, His Majesty is in a very good mood today!”
The common people exclaimed: “If he’s happy, why is he raising prices?”
“Because His Majesty said he wants to share his joy with the people. When the prices were low, you didn’t buy houses, which meant you didn’t like them! So, he raised the prices, and then more people are buying them. You should like it now, right?”
The common people: “F*ck!”
What kind of twisted logic is this?
You want to raise prices when you’re unhappy, and you also want to raise prices when you’re happy!
So you’re just going to raise the price!
Your Majesty, can you please stop being so fickle?
……
On the fourth day, Lin Beifan raised the price by another tael of silver, claiming that the fish bones he ate today were not fresh enough, leaving him in a very bad mood. Therefore, he increased the price to share his misery with everyone.
The common people: “Damn it…”
……
On the fifth day, he raised the price by another tael of silver.
The reason was, “I’m just raising the price for fun. Come and bite me if you dare.”
The common people: “I’ll be damned…”
……
The matter soon became known to the outside world, and everyone was laughing so hard they nearly peed themselves.
“A one tael silver increase per day, the foolish emperor must be unable to sell the house, acting recklessly out of frustration!”
“Haha, that’s right! It’s completely erratic and irresponsible!”
“The country will sooner or later perish at the hands of such a person!”
“I just want to see how he dies! Haha!”
……
On the sixth day, the official once again took out the house price list, ready to paste it up.
Just then, he was surrounded by a group of common people.
“Official, please don’t post it yet. Wait until I buy a house, I beg you!”
“Yes, if the prices go up any further, I won’t be able to afford a house!”
“The price increases by a tael of silver every day. Who can sustain this?”
“Please, have mercy on us!”
The official was in a difficult position: “But I must post it! If I don’t, I’ll be violating the imperial edict and could be beheaded! It’s your own fault for not acting sooner, and now you regret it?”
The crowd of common people was in deep distress.
“We really regret it. Just hesitating for a few days, and the price went up by thirty to forty percent!”
“I was so angry that I couldn’t sleep all night. I’ve been suffering from insomnia for several nights!”
“So we came over in the middle of the night, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to afford a house!”
“Your Honor, please show mercy. Give us a chance. Buying a house is not easy!”
Under the people’s pleading, the official could only sigh and say, “Alright then, you are indeed pitiable, it’s not easy at all! I will help you with the procedures first, and after the procedures are done, I will cover the difference in the housing price!”
The crowd of common people was ecstatic.
“Thank you, my lord, thank you so much!”
“You are truly a just and noble official!”
“A living Bodhisattva among us!”
Consequently, the official first processed the home-buying procedures for everyone.
When the other common people found out, they all swarmed in to buy houses, crowding the entrance until it was packed to the point where not even water could trickle through.
“Let me go first. I’ve brought enough silver!”
“I’m older, seniors should have priority, let me buy the house first!”
“I’m a woman, if you touch me again I’ll scream s*xual harassment!”
Everyone was scrambling to be first, fearing that if they were even a minute late, the prices would rise again.
The scene was incredibly chaotic, and Heshen had no choice but to call over a hundred officers to barely maintain order.
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