Chapter 575: Changing the Plan

The rumor that stock distribution was unfair immediately made people suspect foul play by the top restaurants. If the total amount of shares and the accounting records were made public and notarized by the government, it would eliminate those restaurants’ chances of profiting from stock distribution. Moreover, during notarization, those restaurants would have to guarantee that each share still entitled the holder to five taels of silver per month. Otherwise, if dividends were based solely on profits, the value of those shares would be minimal, reducing their appeal significantly.

“Are you all really determined not to give up stock distribution?” Liu Dahua asked.
“Boss Liu, if we give up, won’t all our efforts be in vain? And we’ll end up looking foolish,” said Zhang Qinglin, owner of Qinghui Restaurant, with a bitter smile.
Everyone nodded in agreement with Zhang Qinglin’s words.
“If we don’t give up stock distribution, the only option is to make the accounts and total number of shares public. And also…” Liu Dahua said helplessly, “To keep stock distribution effective, we must ensure that dividends still amount to five taels of silver per month.”
“We don’t need five taels. I think one tael per month is enough,” said Yang Cheng’an, owner of Yansun Restaurant. “After all, we haven’t announced our first dividend yet, so no one knows we originally planned to give five taels per month. Changing it to one tael won’t draw criticism. Although the effect will be weaker, it should still be sufficient to deal with Linji Inn.”
Everyone nodded. With no other options left and their plans to make huge profits ruined, they had to be more cautious. Defeating Linji Inn at the lowest cost was what mattered most.
If they still insisted on five taels per month, those top restaurants could keep their tables full every day, but they would also incur greater losses. A single mistake might even lead to Linji Inn closing down.
“If everyone agrees to one tael of silver per month as the dividend, then that’s settled,” Liu Dahua said, scanning the faces of the gathered people.
“Let’s settle it this way! A bunch of fools! I really want to post a notice telling everyone that if they didn’t cause trouble, the dividend would have been five taels per month,” said Liu Changman, owner of Xingrong Restaurant, resentfully.

Everyone was at a loss as to what to do—laughing or crying—but no one spoke up to dissuade them, let alone argue. They all knew that Liu Changman was merely venting his frustration. Once such a notice was posted, it wouldn’t only fail to address previous complaints of unfairness but would also give Linji Inn more opportunities to spread rumors. As a result, the public would only realize that the top restaurants had long planned to offer some perks at first before slandering them harshly later on.

“Since everyone agrees, next is figuring out how to get it certified by the imperial authorities,” Liu Dahua said. “I believe everyone’s accounts are mostly in order, and making them public isn’t a big deal. The most important thing is to ensure that each share certificate generates one or two silver coins per month.”

“Just call it a discount!” Peng Kun, the owner of Qiuyu Restaurant, suggested. “Set the discount period at one year. That way, even if Linji Inn tries to turn the situation around, we can cut losses in time. Besides, a one-year discount should still be quite attractive.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“That’s a good idea. What do you all think?” Liu Dahua asked.

“I think it should be changed to three years, and this applies to all share certificates regardless of when they were issued. Otherwise, it gives Linji Inn a reason to hold on. With Linji Inn’s financial resources, supporting it for a year shouldn’t be difficult. That way, the appeal can also increase,” Ling Weifeng suddenly said.

After some deliberation, everyone, including Peng Kun, agreed.

“Since everyone agrees, let’s go with that. Make public all the accounts and the total number of share certificates. For dividends, use the discount as an excuse,” Liu Dahua said.

Everyone nodded in approval.

“Next is the matter with the imperial authorities,” Liu Dahua said with a smile. “I believe everyone’s accounts are mostly fine, but there must be some minor issues, right?”

Everyone smiled in acknowledgment. In business, there are always some irregularities in the accounts. At the very least, no restaurant can avoid bribing various officials and authorities every year. But as Liu Dahua said, they were all minor issues. Doing business under the emperor’s rule, especially on a large scale, meant that to sustain it long-term and avoid having one’s home raided by an official short of funds, they would try their best to avoid any major problems.

“I wonder who has a closer relationship with Governor Jiang. This matter probably requires Governor Jiang’s approval,” Liu Dahua asked.

“I’ll give it a try!” Liu Ciyue, the owner of Haoye Restaurant, said.

His biggest backer was actually Governor Jiang Hanyuan of the imperial authorities.

“Well then, it’s up to Boss Liu. As for the amount of silver, what do you all think is appropriate?” Liu Dahua looked at the group.
“What about 200,000 taels?” Ling Weifeng asked.
Everyone nodded. No one thought the price was too high. Although this was just a simple task, the Jianghan Academy didn’t need to take too much risk. Moreover, he was only a fifth-rank prefect, but his status as such was far greater than that of any fifth-rank prefect in the Great Han Kingdom. The reason was undoubtedly that this fifth-rank prefect of the Jianghan Academy was one under the emperor’s direct authority.
To be honest, even the imperial palace fell under the jurisdiction of the Jianghan Academy, and everything in the capital was also under its control. Though it was troublesome to manage and often meant enduring humiliation, it also allowed one to make many connections with nobles and even receive imperial summons. Such an honor was beyond comparison to that of any other prefect.
Its status could rival that of any high-ranking official in a province.
200,000 taels of silver wasn’t considered high. Of course, it wasn’t low either.
“Since that’s the case, let’s settle on it. As for the banknotes, we’ll send someone to deliver them to Boss Liu later. What does Boss Liu think?” Liu Dahua asked.
“Anytime works,” Liu Ciyue nodded. 200,000 taels of silver wasn’t too much for him, but in business, one had to be thrifty. He certainly wouldn’t pretend to be generous and cover the cost for everyone.
“Alright, let’s discuss how much time is needed to sort out the accounts and other matters, and then unify our efforts as soon as possible,” Liu Dahua said firmly. “We must let Lin’s Inn know as soon as possible. No matter how capable they are, they can’t turn back the clock.”
“That’s right! Lin’s Inn has done this to easily cut off one of our backup plans and prevent us from recovering our losses. If we don’t make them pay, they’ll think our fifteen top restaurants are living off handouts,” said Liu Changman, the owner of Xingrong Restaurant, angrily.
“It’s fourteen!” Liu Dahua reminded him with a smile.
“Right, fourteen!” Liu Changman laughed heartily.
The others also smiled, though more reserved than Liu Changman. When Renheng Restaurant was sealed, they initially thought it was Lin’s Inn’s doing, feeling both panicked and relieved, fearing Lin’s Inn might target them next. Once they realized it wasn’t Lin’s Inn, they calmed down. Although they felt sorry for Renheng Restaurant suffering unjustly and the loss of one restaurant among the fifteen did affect their overall strength, they were mostly secretly pleased.

Renheng Restaurant has been shut down; it seems it’s involved in serious trouble, and undoubtedly, this problem won’t be resolved in just a few days. If it takes two to three months, even if Li Yiliang manages to escape, Renheng Restaurant will struggle to operate without the support of its regular customers. With a little more pressure, it’s certain they can drive Renheng Restaurant out of the ranks of top restaurants. Losing a competitor means more customers for their own restaurant—a huge advantage. “If everyone has no objections, shall we stop here for today?” Liu Dahua asked once everyone’s smiles faded. Everyone stood up; the sooner the accounts and total number of shares were made public, the sooner Linji Inn could be suppressed. Just thinking about it made them eager to go back and prepare, so as to quickly put an end to Linji Inn’s habit of spreading rumors. “Let’s go!” Liu Changman was the first to turn around. Having been tricked by Linji Inn before, he wanted it closed faster than anyone else. Five days later, as fewer and fewer customers came for the free shares, the top restaurants finally got everything ready. That night, Liu Ciyue took silver bills to the government office. Everything went smoothly. On the third day, the top restaurants simultaneously posted notices announcing the total number of shares and accounts notarized by the government. By the next day, this news caused a surge in customers to these top restaurants. After all, besides the financial benefits, the free shares had many other attractions. As long as fairness and transparency were ensured, even if the monthly dividends weren’t high, many people wanted to give it a try and experience what it was like to be the owner of a top restaurant. Of course, since no one expected high dividends from these top restaurants, the appeal of the free shares wouldn’t last long. After about a month, its appeal began to decline significantly. The top restaurants promptly announced their dividends: one tael of silver per share, which far exceeded everyone’s expectations. Moreover, these high dividends weren’t just for one month but were guaranteed for at least three years. This meant that for every hundred taels spent, a person could receive at least thirty-six taels in dividends. These shares wouldn’t become worthless later but would generate dividends based on the profits of the top restaurants.

If a banquet is indeed necessary, visiting fourteen top-tier restaurants will surely not be a loss. Even if a banquet isn’t required, spending money at these fourteen top restaurants is still not a bad deal. After all, as long as the restaurants remain in business, these shares will act like chickens that lay eggs—though the eggs may be small, there will always be a day when the investment pays off. Soon, the business of these fourteen top-tier restaurants became even more prosperous than when the free shares were offered, and this prosperity continued. After all, no matter when the shares were acquired, one could receive at least one or two silver coins in dividends every month for three years.