Chapter 158 Something Happened

"Brother, please sit down first." Chunzhi asked Song Anlan to sit down and said to him, "This is what I mean. I have some dowry money in my hand. I feel that it is useless to leave it there. I want to find some stable business to do. Brother is a leader here, so I want to ask him to come over and give me some advice."

Song Anlan had long known that Chunzhi was not the kind of woman who would only rely on others, but he did not expect that Chunzhi would grow so quickly after marrying King Chang'an.

Chunzhi has been wandering around for so many years, making a living by selling tofu. Without her mother's personal education, she knows very little about the affairs of the noble families. However, she has been married to Prince Chang'an for only more than a month, but she has already sorted out the affairs of the palace and started thinking about doing business.

This really surprised Song Anlan.

It also proves that his decision to entrust the Song family business and his sister to Chunzhi when he knew that he was dying was right.

Song Anlan said, "It's good that you want to do business. I have recently bought some properties in the capital. If you are interested, you can choose one or two from them."

Chunzhi said, "The property that my brother has acquired is certainly good. I'm just following him to observe and learn from him."

While the two were talking, the maids made tea and brought up snacks.

Qingye stood by and served, and the maids all retreated behind their chairs.

Although Song Anlan is Chunzhi's nominal brother, he is a stranger after all, and the two cannot be alone together to avoid gossip.

Chunzhi didn't intend to hide her business plan from anyone, so the maids standing by and hearing her didn't care much. They drank tea and asked Song Anlan for business advice.

The property purchased by Song Anlan is naturally good, but she has already obtained too many things from the Song family and cannot get involved in the Song family's property anymore.

So Chunzhi said she would just follow and learn, and that was really all she wanted to do. Once she had a good idea, she would still buy her own property.

Chunzhi asked Song Anlan, "Brother, what's the best business to do in the capital?"

Song Anlan said to him, "The capital is prosperous, and you belong to the Chang'an Palace. If you want to do business, gold, silver, jade, silk and satin fabrics are naturally preferred. Rouge, powder, seasonal flowers and fruits are also suitable..."

In fact, the most important thing in doing business is connections. With Chunzhi's current status as the Princess of Chang'an, it would be great for her to open a silk shop or a gold and jade shop.

Because of this princess, many people want to curry favor with her but cannot, and even sending money to the palace is impossible.

Once Chunzhi starts doing business, the first batch of customers will naturally come in droves. If the products are good, the quality is good, and the reputation is good, the subsequent business will naturally be good.

And it is much easier to make money from rich people than from ordinary people.

Song Anlan and Chunzhi analyzed the pros and cons. As a final question, he asked Chunzhi, "Does the King of Chang'an know that you want to do business?"

Huo Zheng did not look down on businessmen, and even strongly advocated improving the status of businessmen, wanting to fill the national treasury and benefit the people.

But Chunzhi is the Princess of Chang'an after all. If the Prince of Chang'an doesn't want her to show up in public, then she will naturally not be able to do business.

Song Anlan was worried that Chunzhi would devote herself to business without discussing it with Huo Zheng, and that the couple would have an unhappy relationship.

"I haven't told him yet." Chunzhi said, "I was thinking about asking my brother if this is feasible, but if it is really feasible, it won't be too late to discuss it with him."

Song Anlan said, "The noble families in the capital all have farms and shops outside to maintain their dignity. However, no woman in the family would personally engage in business outside. They... value respectability the most. No matter how rich a businessman is, he is still the lowest class in this dynasty..."

"That was in the past." Chunzhi interrupted gently, "I believe Huo Zheng. He said he would change the way people look down on businessmen, and he will definitely do it."

When Song Anlan saw the light in Chunzhi's eyes when she mentioned Huo Zheng, he seemed to have suddenly discovered something and said softly, "You and Prince Chang'an seem to be a little different than before."

When in Dongzhou, Chunzhi compromised with Huo Zheng because of him and Xiaoxinghui.

Song Anlan knew it clearly, so he was worried no matter what and wanted to take his sister with them to Beijing.

He couldn't feel at ease until he saw with his own eyes that Chunzhi was doing well.

Before Chunzhi married into the Chang'an Palace, Song Anlan saw that although she and Huo Zheng got along well, there was always a faint feeling of helplessness and he could only accept his fate and compromise.

When he saw Chunzhi again today, she had a bright and positive spirit that he had never seen before.

This little extra vitality makes Chunzhi look warm and tough, as if all the good things in the world are in her hands.

Hearing this, Chunzhi raised her lips and smiled, "I talked to him about it."

She said: "Life is short, and he and I are lucky enough to have met and become husband and wife, so we should live happily ever after."

When Song Anlan heard Chunzhi say this, he knew that she really accepted Huo Zheng.

He looked at Chunzhi for a long time, picked up the teacup, drank the tea in the cup, and suppressed all the unspeakable emotions in his heart.

After a long while, Song Anlan finally put down his teacup and said to Chunzhi, "It's very good for you and Prince Chang'an to be like this now. It's really very good."

Chunzhi hummed, bringing the topic back to business. Just as she was about to speak, a maid came in and said, "There's a maid outside. She claims to be a maid from the Song residence, her name is Jinshu. She's in a hurry to see Master Song and the princess."

Chunzhi said, "Jinshu is here, bring her in."

Jinshu is Song Wan'er's maid. She is inseparable from Song Wan'er on weekdays, but for some reason she came alone today.

Song Anlan frowned slightly when he heard this, feeling that something bad had happened.

Not long after, the maid who had just delivered the message came over with the brocade letter.

Jinshu was soaking wet and covered in mud, looking miserable. As soon as she saw Song Anlan and Chunzhi, she knelt down and cried, "Master! Princess! The young lady has been kidnapped by criminals, please save her!"

Song Anlan stood up immediately and said, "Don't cry, explain yourself first!"

Chunzhi said anxiously, "Didn't Wan'er take you and Luo Shang to the bookstore to buy storybooks? How could you be kidnapped by these bad guys for no reason?"

Qingye was also very anxious: "The capital is under the rule of the emperor, and there are soldiers patrolling day and night. How could such a thing as kidnapping people happen in broad daylight?"

Jinshu raised her hand and wiped away a tear. "Going to the bookstore to buy books was just a pretext. The young lady took Luo Shang and me to Lotus Lake outside the city. We were originally enjoying a boat tour on the lake, but for some reason, several boats suddenly came and surrounded the pleasure boat we were on—"

Jinshu choked up and said, "They, they came for our Song family. The young lady knew I was a good swimmer, so she protected me and found an opportunity to jump off the boat and swim back to shore, and then go home to tell the young master!"

It just so happened that Song Anlan was not at the Song residence today, but came to the Chang'an Palace.

Jinshu returned to Song's residence first, and after learning that the young master was in Chang'an's mansion, he immediately rushed here.

A lot of time was wasted in the middle.

Song Anlan frowned and was about to go out immediately.

"Brother," Chunzhi called out to him, "Wan'er being abducted by criminals is a serious matter. I will send the palace's guards and servants to accompany you."