Chapter 416: The road to fund raising is long and hard, and running around is not easy

Zhu Gang was frowning at the difficult problem at the moment, and his brows looked as if they were tightly locked by a big lock.

Anyone who saw him could see the heaviness in his heart.

The sad expression on his face was as depressing as the gloomy sky in the capital.

But don’t underestimate this prince. Although there is a difficult problem in front of him, Zhu Gang doesn’t show any sign of backing down.
He knew clearly in his mind that if he wanted to solve the funding problem, he had to find a way to raise enough money, otherwise he would not be able to accomplish anything.

As soon as this thought flashed through his mind, Zhu Gang immediately thought of the wealthy businessmen in Yingtian Prefecture.

These people usually make a lot of money, have solid family assets, and have accumulated a lot of wealth.

Zhu Gang thought that if he could get their support, the financial pressure would at least be alleviated to a large extent.

Zhu Gang immediately embarked on this difficult visiting journey.

One day, he came to the residence of Mr. Li, the richest businessman in Yingtian Prefecture.

Zhu Gang stood in front of the mansion gate and first carefully adjusted his clothes.

Look left and right to make sure you are presentable and neat.

After everything was ready, he respectfully handed over his business card and explained his purpose in a gentle voice.

The doorman took the business card and looked at it, wow!
This was His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin coming in person to visit. He was so frightened that his calves almost cramped, and he quickly ran inside to report.

In less than half a cup of tea, I heard a noise inside.

It turned out that it was Mr. Li who, upon hearing that His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin was coming in person, was rushing out in a hurry.

He walked quickly and shouted at the top of his voice.

“Oh my! Your Highness, I am sorry for not welcoming you in person. I am sorry for not welcoming you in person!

This is really embarrassing for me!”

After everyone was seated, Zhu Gang picked up the teacup and took a sip to moisten his throat.

Then he said sincerely: “Master Li, you also know that the city wall of Yingtian Prefecture concerns the safety of the people in the whole city.

Now that the city wall has been severely damaged, the restoration work will be extremely difficult.

You have been doing business in Yingtian Prefecture for so many years. The stability of this city must be crucial to your business.

So I hope you can be generous and give us a helping hand.

If you need my help in the future, I will definitely reward you handsomely, without hesitation!”

After hearing what Zhu Gang said, Mr. Li was stunned at first, and then he showed a trace of embarrassment.

He stretched out his hand and slowly stroked his beard, and after thinking for a moment, he slowly said, “Your Highness Prince Jin, it’s not that I don’t want to help.

You see, this is a disaster year, business is difficult, and everything is a mess.

Although my house looks well-off, you also know that our whole family depends on this business to make a living.

Besides, after this disaster, I don’t know whether the business can recover as before.

But since Your Highness has spoken personally, I will consider it carefully and do my best. “

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gang felt extremely disappointed, as if a basin of cold water had been poured over his head, but he still managed a forced smile on his face.

“I am extremely grateful to Master Li for his kindness.

I hope Master Li can make a decision soon. The people of Yingtian Prefecture are eagerly waiting for the city wall to be repaired so that they can continue to live a peaceful life.”

Master Li looked embarrassed when he heard this, and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, “Your Highness Prince Jin, it’s not that I don’t want to help.

It’s just that this business is really difficult to do, and it’s also difficult to turn over funds.

Besides, this city wall repair project is huge and requires a lot of money. I really don’t have the energy to do it! But since His Highness has personally asked, I will do my best.

It’s just hard to say how much I can help.”

Zhu Gang’s heart sank, thinking that this matter might be difficult to handle.

But he still did not give up, and continued to persuade: “Master Li, if the city wall is not repaired properly, there will be a natural disaster or man-made disaster in the future, and Yingtian Prefecture will be in danger.

By then, not to mention that business will be difficult, it is hard to say whether Yingtian Prefecture can regain its former prosperity.

Your help is not only for the people, but also for the long-term consideration of your own business.

Think about it, if the city wall is repaired, the people will live and work in peace and contentment, and your business will also be more prosperous.”

After hearing what Zhu Gang said, Mr. Li couldn’t help but frowned slightly and pondered for a long time.

He sighed and said, “Your Highness has a point, but I am indeed short of funds.

How about this, I’ll take out one thousand taels of silver first.

Although the money is not much, it is a token of my appreciation. I hope Your Highness will not despise it.”

Upon seeing this, Zhu Gang quickly stood up, clasped his hands together, and thanked him respectfully, “Master Li, I will always remember this kindness.

Although this one thousand taels of silver may not be enough to solve all the problems, it is a timely help, and I am very grateful. “

In this way, Zhu Gang continued his journey of visiting other wealthy businessmen, working hard to raise funds for the restoration project of the Yingtianfu city wall.

But this was not so easy. In the following days, Zhu Gang visited every family one by one and experienced all the ups and downs of life.

Some wealthy businessmen were quite polite, but they only took out a small amount of money to deal with the situation, and said some polite words.

Something like “Your Highness’s affairs are our affairs, but we are not well off, so let me express my gratitude first.”

Some simply refused to see him, causing Zhu Gang to be turned away many times.

Zhu Gang shouted at the top of his lungs outside the door, but no one paid any attention to him.

You can’t even describe how miserable he felt.

Although Zhu Gang ran around and talked a lot for several days, the funds he raised were far from enough for the restoration project.

In addition to the wealthy businessmen in Yingtian Prefecture, Zhu Gang also thought of asking for help from some officials.

He thought that since these people were officials in the court and enjoyed salaries from the court, they should also contribute to the city wall repair project which was related to the safety of all the people in the city.

However, when Zhu Gang mentioned this matter to some officials, he encountered a lot of resistance.

Some officials frowned upon hearing this and said helplessly, “Your Highness Prince Jin, it’s not that our family is unwilling to help.

The family expenses are really huge, and there are many things that require money recently.

You also know that with our big family, everything from eating, drinking, defecating and urinating requires money.

The money has been almost spent, and I really can’t spare much to help with this matter.”

Some officials’ families were even more cautious, fearing that their money would be wasted if the city wall restoration project failed, so they were only willing to pay a small portion of the money.

They also asked Zhu Gang to write a letter of guarantee, promising that he would not be implicated if there were any problems in the future.

He looked so cautious, as if this matter was a hot potato that he dared not even touch.

Faced with these situations, Zhu Gang felt helpless and angry.

However, for the sake of the city wall restoration project, he had no choice but to swallow his anger and try his best to obtain every possible financial support.

(End of this chapter)