The business at Yunshang Garment Shop was booming more than ever. Not only was there no sign of slowing down, but with the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, things were even livelier.
Everyone went out to watch the races during the festival, and noble ladies and young misses would all appear in public. Who wanted to be outshone?
You Sanping came to see Mingxi.
Though tendon and bone injuries took a hundred days to heal, You Sanping was not one to sit idle. Now that his splint was off, he was already out and about with Li Quan at his side.
Though unspoken, Li Quan now treated You Sanping like a master, following him everywhere with diligence and care.
“As for the hot spring produce from the manor, supplies to the Imperial Kitchen are still steady. Yuxian Tower continues as usual, though orders from other restaurants have dropped a bit now that the weather’s gotten hotter.”
Mingxi nodded slightly, not surprised. The price of hot spring vegetables was high, and now that the weather was warmer, the fresh vegetables from the fields could be served on the table. It made sense for them to choose vegetables based on cost.
Yuxian Tower was Mingxi’s own restaurant, and now that hot spring vegetables had become a major specialty of the restaurant, naturally, they wouldn’t cancel it.
“Has the portion from the Imperial Kitchen decreased?” Mingxi was a bit surprised by this.
You Sanping smiled. “I heard from Second Master Duan that they were originally going to reduce the amount, but just at that moment, His Majesty conferred the title of ‘Yi Shang’ to the Duan family, so the matter was put on hold.”
Mingxi glanced at You Sanping upon hearing this. She knew that he must have had a hand in it, but the result was good, and she wouldn’t ask about the details.
“As for the hot spring farm, we’ll leave it like this. When the weather gets colder, business will naturally return to normal,” Mingxi had initially just wanted to use the hot spring vegetables to send Second Master Duan into the Imperial Kitchen, but unexpectedly, it led to business dealings with other restaurants, resulting in significant profits.
A pleasant surprise, and no need to force anything; maintaining it was enough.
“How are things going with Yunshang?” Mingxi was more concerned about this. Her family’s finances, while not exactly emptied, had lost a large portion, most of which was taken by Xiao Muchen. Recently, Yunshang’s profits were good, and Mingxi’s small treasury had grown quite nicely.
“I’ve brought in a lot of embroiderers from the counties around Jiangcheng to the capital. All of them have signed ten-year contracts, and their skills are excellent. Now the shop can process fifty orders a day. Although there is still some room for more, we won’t increase the quantity,” You Sanping replied.
Mingxi nodded. “Anything in excess is no good. We must make steady progress and avoid exhausting resources. Noblewomen and young ladies want elegance and rarity, not mass-produced items.”
The workmanship was fine and intricate. Though they were taking fifty orders a day, they couldn’t complete them all in a day. The cycle for making a single piece of clothing now took seven or eight days, which was double the time it would take at a regular ready-made clothing store.
“And what about Huarong?” Mingxi asked again.
You Sanping responded, “Huarong’s most important task is weaving. If we only rely on shipping goods from Jiangcheng, it takes too long, costs too much, and the risks at sea are high. If the weather is bad, the consequences are hard to predict.
So, I bought two underperforming weaving workshops and brought all their craftsmen with contracts to Huarong. In half a month, we’ll be able to supply our own fabric here without relying on Jiangcheng.”
“Have the three shipments of fabric been used up?” Mingxi frowned. It couldn’t be that fast. There was so much fabric; how could it be used up so quickly?
“No,” You Sanping replied slowly. “Many people have been inquiring about the fabric on the ships. I plan to exchange one ship’s worth of fabric with some old weaving workshops.”
Mingxi was surprised. “What kind of exchange? Don’t tell me; let me think.”
You Sanping fell silent and waited for her to think.
Mingxi knew that You Sanping was skilled in business, and if he was willing to exchange the fabric, it must be because there was something of value in return.
Besides the patterns and craftsmanship of the fabric, what else would others be interested in?
As a businessperson, she knew very well—market channels.
Large weaving workshops always had their own networks for selling goods.
The Duan family had a weak foundation in the capital, but they could stand firm, thanks to Duan Pingchang’s connection with Xu Donglin.
However, You Sanping had clearly realized that Xu Donglin was no longer favorable to the Crown Prince. The incident with Tong Gaozhuo had already been a warning.
Losing a batch of summer palace fabrics was nothing, but with the autumn fabrics also at risk, the Duan family’s business in the capital would definitely be affected.
The world was often about who had the right connections.
Fortunately, with the title of ‘Yi Shang,’ they had a chance to compete for the autumn fabrics.
But You Sanping, with his character, wouldn’t bet everything on the internal weaving and dyeing bureau.
Mingxi had thought the same.
She had sensed that with the Empress and Crown Prince involved in the internal weaving and dyeing bureau, Xu Donglin would face difficulties.
Although Xu Donglin had benefited from the Duan family, he would never take on the Empress and Crown Prince just for their sake.
Thus, when she opened Yunshang and Huarong, it was part of her long-term plan.
She hadn’t expected that You Sanping would think of what she was planning and act so quickly and effectively, even faster and better than she had anticipated.
Mingxi raised her eyes to look at You Sanping and smiled. “I’ve thought of it. I just didn’t expect those weaving workshops would agree.”
“It’s simple. I promised them that if their fabric doesn’t sell, I’ll buy it all,” You Sanping explained.
The fabric for the palace was high-quality and expensive, meaning that only wealthy people could afford it. There weren’t many buyers in the capital, so once large quantities of fabric arrived, there would be surplus.
The Duan family’s connections in the capital were narrow, but outside the capital, centered around Jiangcheng, they had opened trade routes in all directions except the coastal areas.
Even if there was surplus silk, they wouldn’t worry. They could sell it outside the capital under the name of “capital silk.”
Though it would be a bit more trouble, once this route was established, it would bring substantial profits to Mingxi in the future.
Mingxi had already planned to expand the business outside the capital using her advantages. She hadn’t expected You Sanping to act so quickly.
Both of them were thinking along the same lines.
You Sanping looked at Mingxi’s bright smile, and he couldn’t help but smile too. After a moment, he shifted his gaze and slowly said, “I’ll handle all these matters. Young Miss, just stay at the family estate and don’t worry.”
Mingxi looked at him. “What, do you think I’ll be too embarrassed to leave the house because the wedding date has been delayed?”
Without the Emperor’s reward, there would definitely be rumors.
But now, even though people might still gossip, most knew that despite the delay, the marriage wouldn’t change.
You Sanping didn’t speak, just nodded lightly.
Mingxi smiled, “Thank you for your concern, don’t worry, it’s fine. Besides that, there’s something else I need you to do. I wonder if you have time now.”
The text is a repeat of the text in Chapter 310
fixed!