Chapter 197: Taking drastic measures to deal with a situation
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Mingzhu hesitated, grabbing Yuwen Chu’s sleeve and rubbing it over and over again. Every time she saw Jiang Shanshan, she couldn’t feel at ease! Good reputation, good at pleasing people, fluent in Wusun language, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and now even doing business! Look at the shop she opened, so magnificent! The things she sells are extraordinary, making herself look like a bumpkin…
No, in her past life, Jiang Shanshan also ran a business and opened a shop, but she didn’t sell glass products and soap. Instead, she sold a kind of pot. That kind of pot was special, and the food made from it was remarkable… Thinking about it, Jiang Shanshan shamelessly took out the design of the bed crossbow and secretly gave it to Yuwen Chu last time. This time, she wanted to give those glass products and soap. Of course, these things weren’t for her, but for Yuwen Chu.
What’s the use of giving these things? It can’t just be to show how generous Jiang Shanshan is, right? There must be something fishy! Isn’t this stuff the most profitable? What does Yuwen Chu love? Money! Is Jiang Shanshan going to give Yuwen Chu this shop or something else?
She absolutely wouldn’t allow it! She wouldn’t give Jiang Shanshan any chance. Not to mention Jiang Shanshan’s suspicion of being involved in persecuting the Fu family, just based on Jiang Shanshan’s double-dealing character, she must be guarded against! There must be something she hasn’t thought of…
As Mingzhu was lost in thought, she suddenly heard Yuwen Chu cough softly, so she snapped out of it. Yuwen Chu looked at her with a smile that wasn’t a smile, “What are you thinking about? It’s rare to see you so downcast.”
Who’s downcast? Mingzhu refused to admit it. She was clearly seriously considering how to deal with the enemy, right? She immediately said, “Your Highness, you’re mistaken. When am I ever downcast?”
“Then why didn’t you want to leave when you saw Jiang Shanshan just now? Did you have something confidential to say to her?” Yuwen Chu leaned back in his seat, smiling meaningfully.
Mingzhu suddenly understood and shook him, “You knew it was her shop, and you still brought me here? It makes me sick! Who wants the things she gave? Even if its myself spending money recklessly, I won’t take them!”
Yuwen Chu lazily leaned back, letting her rant, and just asked, “Is your hand sore?”
Mingzhu shook for a while but couldn’t move it anymore, admitting defeat dejectedly, “Your Highness ate too much, it’s heavy.”
Yuwen Chu suppressed a smile and said leisurely, “Those glass products and soap are actually good. If you don’t want them, I’ll take them.”
Mingzhu immediately raised her eyebrows and looked at him sarcastically, “Of course they’re good things. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have eagerly come over to take care of someone else’s business. In fact, she just wants people to give you gifts, right?”
Yuwen Chu found her sour and ungrateful appearance particularly amusing, teasing her, “Clearly, she wants you to pick a good gift to give to win people’s hearts. How did it become about taking care of someone else’s business? I actually wanted to buy elsewhere, but this is the only place available. What should I do?”
The people in the royal family have seen everything, but only these novel things can impress them. Although he knew his arrangement was quite reasonable, Mingzhu felt extremely uncomfortable thinking about Jiang Shanshan. She suppressed her feelings and asked, “Are these things very profitable?”
“Naturally, look, only her shop has them in the entire capital, and everyone is coming to her. If I guess correctly, other merchants will be attracted here to buy in a few days.” Yuwen Chu took out a stack of documents from a hidden compartment, preparing to deal with them.
He was really busy now. Mingzhu leaned on his documents to cover them, not allowing him to see, “There’s something I don’t understand. Please explain it to me, husband.”
Yuwen Chu, rarely seeing her so attentive, put aside the documents and smiled, “If I know, I’ll answer.”
“My uncle in our family also sells overseas treasures. I’ve heard them say that overseas trade is extremely risky. Only about five or six out of ten who go can return, and even fewer can bring back a whole ship full of goods. That’s why overseas treasures are so rare and precious. So, I’m curious, if the things bought in Jiang Shanshan’s shop are all brought from overseas, how can they support such a large volume of sales? Especially those cheap soap, which probably don’t even cover the shipping costs. Yet she openly sells them, which is very strange. My husband is so wise, please enlighten me.” Mingzhu finished and stared at Yuwen Chu, afraid that he would brush her off or refuse to tell her the truth. If even she could think of it, Yuwen Chu must have thought of it too, and he must have an answer.
“You’re absolutely right. The reason why overseas treasures are rare is because the risk is too great, so they’re hard to come by. After going around overseas, even if a tenfold or several dozenfold profit is made, it’s understandable. Her behavior is indeed unreasonable.” Yuwen Chu listened to her with great interest and couldn’t help but smile, “I didn’t expect you to be concerned about such things?”
Mingzhu grabbed his sleeve and didn’t let go, “Don’t change the subject. Tell me quickly, don’t say you don’t know, you must know!”
“People say that Second Miss Jiang is extremely intelligent. With just a few gifts given to Changxing Marquis, she researched the production methods of glass and soap, and then opened a shop to benefit the people of the capital. It’s really rare…” Yuwen Chu imitated the tone and expression of others when they talked about this, shaking his head and saying, “So, the most capable and kind-hearted person in the capital is Second Miss Jiang, even if it’s just a trivial matter, she still benefits the poor people.”
He really knows everything! Mingzhu was so angry that she clenched her teeth and twisted his arm in a circle, “Don’t praise her!”
Yuwen Chu suppressed his laughter and said, “When did I praise her? I’m just repeating what others said to you.”
Mingzhu pouted. In saying so, Jiang Shanshan is really too capable and too powerful. It seems that she can only watch her flourish… No, since these things are made by Jiang Shanshan herself, they must need materials, right? Especially for large-scale production, it means that a large amount of raw materials will be needed. If the Fu family has no other way, monopolizing several types of raw materials for sale should be possible, right?
As long as they control the raw materials for making glass and whatever soap, no matter how good Jiang Shanshan’s business is, they can only buy from her. If Jiang Shanshan earns two cents, she earns one from Jiang Shanshan; if Jiang Shanshan earns three cents, she earns two from Jiang Shanshan, and so on. The point is not to let Jiang Shanshan make money. If Jiang Shanshan wants to continue her business, she can only help her make money. Otherwise, she shouldn’t do this business of seeking popularity anymore! So, even if Jiang Shanshan gives this prescription and shop to Yuwen Chu, it will only lead to a dead end!
If Jiang Shanshan is not convinced, then let her go overseas to buy raw materials!
Mingzhu thought of this and couldn’t help but smile.
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