Making money is a technical job

Starting a business to supplement your household income isn't something you can rush. If you want to make money, you have to take it one step at a time. Even if you're trying to commit fraud, you'd have to set up a plan, right? Even if you want to beg for food, you'd have to get a broken pot first, right? Even if you have a lot of money to rob a bank, you'd still have to get a mask first, right? What's more, the amount you need isn't small, and it's something you'll need year-round.

It is very necessary to make a sample first to test the ability of the person doing the work.

The business of buying foreign goods has a long history, but it's not particularly widespread. Those who have memorized history textbooks likely remember that before the Opium War, China was trading at a deficit in international trade. While Chinese products were popular abroad, foreign goods had little market in China.

I have to make a point here: when it comes to daily necessities, imported goods aren't as popular as domestic products these days. However, when it comes to luxury goods, there are still quite a few items that are popular with everyone (meaning those who can afford them).

For example, foreign ivory (domestic production is also small), jewelry, and certain spices are traditional imported commodities. In addition, there are new ones such as large clocks, small pocket watches, novel glassware, and ornately decorated mirrors.

Some things require some technical skills (or experience) just to ship them. For example, you can't ship a glass mirror like a bronze mirror.

Also, what kind of things are popular among people in Beijing? Don’t really think that this is a place with a lot of rich people and stupid people. They really don’t want to buy some things.

A major drawback of the Crown Princess's job was that it was almost impossible to meet with outsiders, so Shujia could only convey information through Qingjin and others. After Shujia passed the order, the outsiders began to move nervously - efficiency was also within the scope of the assessment.

That day, Shujia received only the news that they would be heading south the next day. Yinreng, on the other hand, now had a few reliable people on his side. They went outside to half-check, half-supervise, and saw that they were indeed working.

That was one thing. Regarding Hongyang's question about his mother's nap, the Crown Princess could only regretfully admit that there were no rooms available. She kindly asked Li Jiashi if she wanted to squeeze in for lunch, which frightened her to death. She couldn't blame Hongyang, but she didn't dare to express herself further, thinking, "Even if I tell him, he might not believe it."

Be cautious and perform well to achieve good results in the future.

Yinreng had long since forgotten about this matter. After hearing about his family's business problems, he said, "In that case, let them handle it first. I estimate that with all the back and forth transactions and the money being held in collateral, it will take several months to complete."

"It's good to be back before the New Year. I don't expect to make much profit this time. Even if we use it for ourselves, it's still more cost-effective than buying it in Beijing."

Yinreng jokingly said, "Now that we've calculated everything, we look like a pair of misers."

Shujia rolled her eyes at him. "How many people in this world don't worry about money? You were just saying yesterday that the treasury wasn't flush with cash."

"I'm dealing with state affairs." Every year, dozens of places are exempted from taxes and levies. Doesn't the emperor travel for free? Didn't the war with Galdan drain half the treasury? And this year, there was a flood. Repairing dams and providing relief to the victims cost money.

Well, anyone who's in charge of a household knows how expensive fuel and rice are. Don't laugh at each other, and don't even think about expressing your feelings.

Yinreng sighed again, "Khan Ama will be back soon."

"Isn't this a good thing?"

He raised his eyelids and looked at his wife: "It's scheduled for early September."

"Yes, I told you long ago that the money for the trip has been spent, so it won't cost much to welcome Khan Ama back."

"Next month is the Empress Dowager's birthday..." This is where the dilemma lies.

"What's the big deal? I've already prepared everything," Shujia counted on her fingers. "Screen inserts, Buddha statues, clothes, decorations... We still have enough left over from what we originally prepared. Even if we have to work a little tight, it's enough to last us two years."

"This little bit is not enough. This year they have opened a government office and have more money. When the Khan's birthday was celebrated, they only added some new things, which was already quite impressive. Now it's the Empress Dowager's birthday, they have to do even better. Let's not talk about that, what about the New Year gifts? They have to prepare a complete set. We don't know if we can use the things sent from the south."

Shujia sighed: "That's right."

They were all wrong. The people who moved out were not well off at all.

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"Tell them to come here and give me an account," Third Lady Dong E calmly ordered. "You two, go to the outer accounting office and call the manager to the second gate and prepare to question him. Ask the people from the inner accounting office to come here as well."

When he said this, Kangxi had already returned to Beijing with his large army. Everyone was in high spirits, but the most unhappy ones were the Third Prince and his wife.

This year, Sanfujin didn't accompany Yinzhi north. Their family had just separated, and cleaning up the courtyard had already taken a month. She also had to communicate with various officials, familiarize herself with household affairs, and inventory her property. Halfway through, she was diagnosed with pregnancy, so Sanfujin simply didn't go. She also blamed Yinzhi in her heart. How could he be so confused about such important matters?

The most hateful thing was that he shaved his head without any prior notice. At that time, the Third Lady was visiting the sick First Lady. When she returned, she heard that her husband had shaved his head. The emperor was so angry that he wanted to sever his title of Prince. This also implicated his mother, wife, and children.

There's no way to beg for mercy on this matter.

The idea of ​​the Third Lady was to please the Empress Dowager, please the Emperor, build relationships with the various palace mistresses, frequently visit the palace to chat with the Second Lady to enhance their relationship, and then remember Yinzhi when good things happen, thus taking a roundabout way to rise in rank.

The Empress Dowager's birthday, October 3rd, was less than a month away. This was a prime opportunity to show off. The gifts needed to be delivered, and the sentiments expressed well, but that required some investment. The Third Lady first opened the storeroom to inspect the items. Because she wanted to be formal, she felt that everything was light. She reluctantly selected a few items, deciding they needed to be purchased.

Over the past month or so, she had been intermittently sorting out her finances and collecting quite a bit of stuff. However, the golden Buddha statue she had cast the other day had arrived, and while it looked satisfying, she felt the pattern of the fabric on the back wasn't smooth enough. The Third Lady wanted to replace the statue, as if it were a replacement.

This would require money. There were also two garments that had been presented as tribute, but the advance payment had already been made, and they needed to be rushed. The Third Lady wanted to have them presented a few days beforehand so she could inspect them herself and have time to make changes if she wasn't satisfied.

The account book was brought in first, and the person was waiting outside the second gate for a reply. Dong E frowned as she looked through it: "Why is there not much money in the account book?"

The maid here would run to the second gate and ask the question again.

Someone outside said, "Besides preparing for the Empress Dowager's birthday, we also have to start preparing for this year's annual gifts. Although there's no rush, we've already prepared a dozen or so items, and this has cost us another twenty thousand. We don't have hundreds of thousands of silver lying around in our mansion; some of it is still in the treasury."

The old woman came back and reported to Dong E: "People outside said..." The accountant had another sentence that she didn't dare to imitate, 'Even if all the money is distributed, it can't be used up in one year.'

While the maid was running errands, Dong E was still looking through the account book. "This one, it should be something distributed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, how come they bought it themselves? Where's Ma Ke Du? Shouldn't he have sent someone to pick it up?"

The old woman ran out again.

The person outside replied, "Didn't he ask to be dismissed?"

Inside, Dong E was speechless. Yes, Yinzhi was no longer a prince, so where did he get the title of Chief Secretary? She said bitterly, "This whole mess is all because they didn't persuade the prince. They caused this kind of trouble, but he got away with it."

That's not fair.

The third prince, the former Prince Cheng, Yinzhi, hurriedly shaved his head during the 100-day mourning period for Concubine Min, prompting the 13th Prince Yinxiang to punch him. After receiving the beating, he was also beaten by his father because he was in the wrong.

Kangxi was known for his chastising, and once he struck a blow, there was no small amount of fuss. Just before leaving, he gave Yinzhi a beating, but due to time constraints and other priorities, Kangxi didn't finish the job. Once again, don't underestimate the emperor's memory, and don't forget their pettiness. Don't think they'll be done with you once and for all; the emperor is just cutting the leeks, one crop at a time. He's the master of striking you down just when you think you've been scolded enough.

After returning from the Great Wall, Kangxi had more time and energy to carefully deal with his third son. Kangxi's characteristic approach to dealing with his sons was to punish all the victims involved. His sons were all good, born well-behaved. If they weren't, it was definitely someone who had led them astray. This was the case with Yinreng, who had previously beaten the eunuch Cui, who served as the crown prince, into a pig's head.

This time, because the incident was so serious, nearly every member of Prince Cheng's palace was in trouble. Emperor Kangxi's exact words: "The officials handling palace affairs, the chief secretary, and others who failed to remonstrate with the emperor are extremely despicable. Arrest them and punish them severely."

Now it was a lively scene, no one came to intercede, and the discussion of the crime began. The third prince was neither good nor bad in terms of popularity, and the court officials were not allowed to speak freely about the prince's right and wrong, but his subordinates were in trouble.

"The Ministers Suise and Xinbao, who are in charge of the royal palace affairs, the Chief Clerk of the royal palace, Maktu, and the First-Class Guard, Harsa, shall all be dismissed from their posts, shackled for three months, and flogged 100 times, with no redemption allowed. ... Xinbao, Maktu, and Harsa shall all be dismissed from their posts, flogged 100 times, and allowed to redeem themselves. Suise has served diligently since he became Minister, so he shall be pardoned."

While others were beaten and punished, he was the one who was fine. He should be the one who had the best life.

Dong E's anger was still lingering, and she flipped through the account book loudly. Unable to restrain herself any longer, she flipped straight to the last page, and the balance gave her head a headache.

The Third Prince and his wife...are also starting to run out of money.

Compared with the unlucky guy who was beaten, Yinzhi's ending was considered good.

Although the official demotion had been approved, he was detained, his ceremonial guards were reduced, his wife and children's treatment was reduced, and Chen Menglei, who had been entrusted to him for support, continued to be his care, consuming the Beile Mansion's rations. However, it should be noted that his position as a lieutenant was not reduced, and his influence remained. He was not fined or his land was confiscated. He simply felt humiliated and unhappy.

When it came to Sanfujin, there was an extra layer of dissatisfaction. The annual salary of a Beile and a Junwang was different! The annual salary of a Junwang was 5,000 taels of silver and 5,000 hu of rice, while the annual salary of a Beile was 2,500 taels of silver and 2,500 hu of rice, a difference of exactly double! How could they live like this?

To be clear, this rice isn't always the best quality, inferior to the fine rice you're used to eating in the palace. You need to sell it and buy premium rice. Rice costs money! A year short of 2,500 taels of silver and 2,500 hu of rice would mean even more shortfalls in two years. The Third Lady could only be thankful that everyone's salary wasn't monthly, but semi-annual, paid twice a year. She'd already received both today before the pay cut.

A prince must have a grand ceremony, and the Third Prince is also quite elegant. He likes to collect all kinds of calligraphy and paintings by famous people, books published in the Song Dynasty, and he also has to keep a few guests and hold poetry gatherings from time to time!

When moving out, especially during the holidays, there was one thing that was essential: entertainment and drinking! Even by the standards of a prince's household, a day of entertainment and drinking would cost over a thousand, and that was still a budget. Unlike the Rongguo Mansion, where the old lady entertained the young masters and young ladies with just one opera, the Beile Mansion's banquets required at least one group of men and one group of women, and at least ten tables—in each place.

The New Year ceremonies in various places in the palace, the New Year ceremonies at the brothers' homes...

That's not all. When Dong E saw the account book, she was very surprised: "Where did the five thousand silvers go?"

The voice from outside replied: "Our prince is called Zhi. He saw a temple he liked while he was away and wants to expand it. He will spend 5,000 first, and the rest will follow..."

More money? What temple are we building? Dong E was furious, too impatient to keep repeating the message back and forth. She simply ordered, "You guys, carry a large screen out and place it by the second gate. I'll go talk to them myself!"

If she keeps going like this, she'll be so angry she'll die!

"Fujin, you are pregnant..."

"go!"

“Yeah.”

At the second gate, through the door, they could vaguely see a stout woman carrying a screen approaching. The stewards hurriedly sat up from the small stools that their flatterers had secretly brought in. "Quick, put this away! Stupid! The screen is inside. The concubine is about to come out." As expected of a steward, they were quite astute. Of course, the account was not yet completed. The concubine wanted to ask more questions, so besides calling them in, she was the only one who came out.

There was a flurry of activity outside, and finally, the evidence was hidden. Inside, a screen was raised. The accountant lowered his head, listening to the rustling of footsteps and the rustling of clothes, and then silence. The maid stood beside the screen and signaled that the Third Lady had taken her seat.

Several people greeted each other through the screen. The Third Lady suppressed her anger and said, "Get up and set up seats for them."

"Even after deducting these, why do I remember there are still ten thousand silver coins?"

"Didn't Fu-jin order us to build another farm outside and two more suitable shops so we can collect rent and spend money together?"

Dong E: "..."

Later, Yinzhi finally returned. After a lot of trouble, the stubble on his head had grown back, and his beard had also grown. Dong E was worried, but she still served him wholeheartedly, asking someone to fetch water for him to wash his face and change his clothes.

The kitchen was called to serve the meal, and the couple ate in silence. When the meal was finally finished and tea was served, Yinzhi took a sip and said, "I'll go to the East Courtyard to rest," adding, "You're pregnant." In the East Courtyard lived Yinzhi's concubine, Tian Jiashi.

Yinzhi washed his face, ate a meal, and came back to life.

Dong E, who was about four or five months pregnant, sneered, "Who cares where you're going? I'm just discussing a birthday gift for the Empress Dowager."

Yinzhi's face flushed for a moment, then he pretended to be calm again, frowning and saying, "What's wrong? Is there any difficulty?"

Dong E said, "We still need a few things, we need to buy them."

"Just withdraw the money from the account. Just give the order. We are not short of money."

Damn it!

Dong E patiently told Yinzhi, "You spend money too quickly. I spent ten thousand silver coins in March, and it was all gone in a flash (for Kangxi's birthday, we gave him a lot of birthday gifts because he was dividing the palace; then we did a major interior renovation and bought some furniture he wanted; we also installed Chen Menglei and gave greeting gifts to the servants). In April, I asked them to collect another twenty thousand silver coins, and by May, it was all gone (in May, it was the Crown Prince's birthday; Yinzhi had lived there for a while and felt dissatisfied, so he wanted a more elegant study, so he renovated the furniture and planted flowers; and for the birthdays of various nephews and nieces, we bought a small farm). In June, we started preparing gifts for the Empress Dowager's grandmother's birthday, and then there were Mid-Autumn Festival gifts, so we spent another thirty thousand silver coins... As of now, including your salary, there's only three thousand left in the account."

Yinzhi was troubled by the previous words and only refrained from interrupting to save face for his wife. Unexpectedly, he heard the last sentence: "Three thousand?"

"In half a year, we've only got three thousand left out of sixty or seventy thousand. I asked the accountant today, and they only have three thousand left. At this rate, we won't have enough to last two years." You've even been demoted and reduced in salary. I still have to provide all the servants in my household with clothes for four seasons and pay them wages. They alone cost several thousand taels a year."

Yinzhi's mouth twitched, the problem became serious: "Don't we have farms and shops to rent? Now it's just a new mansion, and there are more things to buy. We won't have to do this in the future."

Dong E and Yinzhi settled accounts. While the farms and shops had a good income, it only added up to enough for half a year's expenses. "The house won't need renovations anymore. Master, have you forgotten? We haven't prepared the annual gifts yet! Which of the gifts to the palace is less than five thousand? There are several places in the palace that must receive gifts, and the total is tens of thousands." Giving gifts to these people is not something that can be wrapped up in a bundle. The gift list must include at least twenty items. How much will that cost?

Yinzhi was too busy hugging his concubine to think about countermeasures with his wife...

The Third Lady took the opportunity to ask, "You spent money on the temple renovation? Five thousand isn't enough?"

"Yes, I also want to give the temple a new name, Yong'en Temple, what do you think? I just hope Khan Ama can calm down soon..." He continued to think about countermeasures.

After hearing about this story about Yinzhi, the Third Lady stopped talking and started to worry as well.

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Compared to the Crown Princess and the Third Lady, the First Lady's misery was even worse. The Crown Princess had a husband who was already quite reliable, and the Third Lady's husband at least listened to his wife on this matter. As for the First Lady, her husband was completely absent-minded.

The emperor returned, and the preparations for the empress dowager's birthday celebrations began. Not only the Yuqing Palace and the Prince Zhi's Mansion, but also the Prince Zhi's Mansion were short of money.

To show his loyalty, Yinzhi spent far more on building temples and supporting monks than he did on building his study. Even with his princely salary, it still wasn't enough, and he had to contribute several thousand taels from his family. He also had to pay a small amount of tribute for the birthdays of the emperor, the emperor, and Consort Hui, as well as other important figures in the palace.

The first wife had another worry: her health was deteriorating, and she, sensing the signs of trouble, began desperately saving dowries for her daughters! Four daughters! One for each. They say fewer people make food easier and more people make work easier, but when it comes to dividing money, the more people there are, the less there is to go around. Furthermore, the eldest daughter would be married in two or three years, and the subsequent weddings would be one after another, leaving her with no time to rest. She was running out of time to expand her reproduction and raise funds.

The prince's daughter couldn't be any less, right? Her daughter was only a princess, the difference between her and a princess wasn't just in rank, but also in the treatment she received. Dowry was also part of the woman's support. It included all sorts of precious materials, rare calligraphy and paintings, daily necessities, clothing and jewelry, adding to her estate, buying a shop...

The eldest wife calculated that, apart from the money she had already spent, her family's remaining wealth was just enough for the dowry. Raising a daughter these days was actually quite costly. Her son wasn't even grown up yet, so there was no way she could earn enough to marry a wife. From the moment she moved, sorted out the household chores, compiled the dowry list, and began preparing it, she felt completely strapped for cash and had no other options.

So, the first wife came to Yinzhi to discuss the matter.

Yinzhi returned a little late today and had sent word that he would not be back for dinner and that he would be staying with Mingzhu. The eldest wife waited until dusk before he finally arrived.

"Are you busy today?"

"I'm fine. What's up?"

The eldest wife also brought up the Empress Dowager's birthday first, but Yinzhi didn't take it seriously: "What are you afraid of? Just do it." As long as I'm here, there's no problem.

The problem is no money!

After saying this, the eldest wife also did some economic calculations. In addition to the lines that the third wife had memorized (replacing the study with the temple), she added a few more words: "The maids are all grown up, and the dowries are not small. When the time comes, we will also have to give them farmland and shops. There will be even less things left in the mansion to make a living. How are we going to live in the future?"

Yinzhi didn't take it to heart. With the huge fortune of Mingzhu behind him, he had many ways to illegally make money, so he thought money was not a problem. "Don't worry about this."

He had other things to worry about. This year was the provincial examination year, and the spring exams would begin tomorrow. He had to admit that the Manchu nobles held power, but in officialdom, you couldn't avoid co-opting Han officials. He'd come to discuss this matter with Mingzhu today, his mind racing with thoughts like, "If next year's candidate isn't to our liking, we'll consider the personal preference first," and "There are bannermen among the candidates; if they're not completely clueless, we could have a chat."

Seeing her husband like this, the first wife knew that she could not continue the discussion and had to give up.

In the days that followed, she had no chance to discuss this with Yinzhi. In September, Grand Secretary Alantai fell ill. Kangxi, who was highly regarded by him, sent the prince to visit him. It happened that Yinzhi reported to Kangxi that the temple had been built and asked them to chant sutras to pray for the Empress Dowager's grandmother.

Kangxi received these two reports at the same time. After weighing the pros and cons, he found that he didn't like the third brother because he was too close, the fourth brother was a bit irritable, the fifth brother was dull, and the seventh brother had no image... In the end, he chose Yinzhi to visit the patient.

The eldest prince showed up again and devoted all his attention to these matters. He didn't care about the "little things" at home.

Then, Alantai died after being visited by the eldest prince. Kangxi gave Alantai a memorial ceremony and a posthumous title, which was a high honor. He also gave him the commendatory posthumous title of "Wenqing".

The eldest prince wanted to show off, so he took money from his home and went to Alantai's house to present gifts to show that he was respectful to the wise and polite to the court officials.

The eldest wife looked at the money on the account book flowing out, and she was worried that the income from the farm and shop would not be paid for another two months.

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Gradually, everyone who lived outside the branch felt that life was becoming increasingly tight. As Yinzhi's accountant had said, no one would just pile up over two hundred thousand silver coins at home; they would store them in the treasury and then withdraw them bit by bit.

Now it's the second half of the year, and we've spent a lot, but our income hasn't increased. Once, he said there was no money in the account and he had to go to the treasury to withdraw it, twice, and by the third and fourth time, the wives in charge were starting to get alarmed.

Among these people, the fifth and seventh princes were better off, but the rest lived a very tight life.

Besides the normal expenses, the Fourth Prince also had extra costs. Although he was indifferent on the surface, he was still considerate of his relatives. Defei's family was not prominent, and life was not particularly comfortable, so he needed some financial support. Although the concubine Li was from the banner, her family was very poor and had no one to show for it. To save his own face, and also because Li had given birth to children, Yinzhen suggested that he pay Li's father, Li Wenbi, to get a job.

As mentioned before, the fourth brother has quite high tastes, and he doesn't like ordinary things...

And so on and so forth.

The salary of a prince was not high enough, and the Fourth Lady began to worry.

The situation with Yinsi is quite different.

If Yinsi wants to pursue living space, he has to interact with others, and favors are the most expensive thing.

The Eighth Concubine's maternal uncles were a must-have. The Eighth Concubine's uncle, currently the highest-ranking official, was ranked fifteenth, and he had many younger brothers. So...how many uncles did she have? Many of these uncles, with their fathers being princes and their mothers being daughters of Soni, held high status. Even after being repeatedly demoted by Emperor Kangxi for so long, they couldn't be ignored. What about her aunt?

After a long struggle with the Tong family, Marhun finally decided to welcome his wife next month. He would have to pay for this out of his own pocket.

Yinsi also had to show respect to other clan elders, visiting their homes from time to time, and sometimes even inviting them to his own home. Prince Yu and Prince Gong's health had been declining recently, so you couldn't visit them empty-handed.

Kangxi asked him to gain a foothold in the Zhenglan Banner and win over the people. He also asked that officials under the rank of Zuoling be given financial support if their families were in financial difficulty. He didn't need to do much at once, but he would suffer if he did it too often.

As for the Eighth Lady, she had always lived a life of luxury and generosity. By the time she discovered it, she had spent as much as the eldest lady who had built the temple.

Who would have thought that even the rich and powerful would worry about money?

The first to make a move was at the Prince of Zhi's Mansion. In October, Kangxi inspected the Yongding River works and strolled around. When he returned, he discovered that Grand Secretary Li Tianfu had died. He was given a funeral and his posthumous title was determined.

Yinzhi still had to send money to the bereaved family, and at the same time said to his first wife, "You take care of this matter." He had other things to worry about. For example, Li Tianfu was dead, and the position of Grand Secretary was vacant. How could he get this vacant position to the person he wanted?

The eldest wife couldn't help herself any longer. As winter approached, she began to prepare for the New Year gifts, spending tens of thousands of silver coins in just a few days. Finally, she asked Yinzhi, "Master, how can you balance this debt? At this rate, we won't have enough silver to last for two years. We can't wait until we run out of money to figure out a solution."

Yinzhi attached great importance to his wife's opinion. After deciding to discuss it with Mingzhu later, he casually said, "I'll go to Mingzhu later to see if he has any solutions."

Well, Mingzhu is a capable man. He went from being a poor and destitute man to his current millionaire fortune. He's quite resourceful. As for the eldest concubine, her father was a key member of the Ming Party. She had heard Mingzhu's good and powerful words since she was a child. Without any doubt, she said to Yinzhi, "When will you be back? Do you want me to prepare some midnight snack?"

"Let's make some duck congee. The heating in the house has been too hot these past few days, and it's a bit dry."

"good."

The advice Mingzhu gave to Yinzhi was not much different from the advice Suo'etu gave to the crown prince. It was nothing more than this: "If Prince Zhi is short of money now, I can help him out. If you want long-term benefits, there is a way. Nowadays, officials, farmers, merchants, and artisans are the most profitable."

"How do you say that?"

"Officials, people give you money. You're already a prince, so you're not going to get less during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but you just can't exchange it for cash. A servant can do this, but you can't do it now. You need to have a good reputation, so from now on, only accept gifts from your servants. Just give them a little hint, and they'll give you more and more gifts and money."

"What about Shang?"

"Lü Buwei, a native of Puyang, was a merchant in Handan. He met Yiren, the Qin hostage, and asked his father, 'How many times is the profit from farming?' Yiren replied, 'Ten times.' 'How many times is the profit from pearls and jade?' Yiren replied, 'A hundred times.'"

"So they are rich! That's good, but I am a prince, do I have to do business? Oh! Ask my servants to do it? Or..." Collect protection fees.

You see, these people only have a few simple ways to make money.

Mingzhu was helpless and dropped another bag of books. "How many times can you win by establishing a ruler and stabilizing a country?" He said, "Countless." Then he explained, "The same principle applies to both government and business. If you help officials, they will naturally show their respect. They show their respect to you because you help them. However, a cunning rabbit has three burrows; it can't just do one thing."

Mingzhu spent half a day teaching Yinzhi how to get rich, and almost said, "Don't do it anymore. I'll give you money. Is 100,000 yuan a year enough?"

Yinzhi finally understood: "Okay, I'll let my servants do the easy-to-earn business, and for the hard-to-earn business, they can just join the membership. Or, I'll let them join my sect."

You finally understand.

As a veteran corrupt official who has engaged in numerous acts of corruption and bribery, frequently demanding bribes and remaining timid despite being reported, Mingzhu sees nothing wrong with his actions. He himself has resorted to coercion and bribery. His claim that "the eldest brother needs a good reputation" simply means, "Wipe your ass clean and smile when you grab the money."

Unlike the Soetu family, who was severely punished, although he did not reform, he learned to avoid landmines. Unlike the Shi family, they had ready-made channels and could collude with officials and businessmen all the way.

After discussing the money, they began to plot the position of Grand Secretary. Mingzhu had two strategies: first, since he couldn't show up, he would let his followers perform and promote his own people; second, he would report the people who were not in his favor and remove them.

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"Master, master, I'm coming." Qing Jin came over happily.

It was cold at the time, and Shujia had just returned from outside: "I come home every day, why are you so happy?"

"It's our people who went south who are back."

"Hmm?" It was already November, and several months had passed since the order was issued. "That's great! I was just about to count the New Year gifts when they arrived. What did they bring?"

Qing Jin handed over the list: "It's all here."

The paper, folded into an accordion shape, was about half an inch thick. When it was unrolled, it revealed tiny calligraphy, with a greeting written at the top. Shujia first looked at the names of the staff members: Qingjin's brother, Hongxiu's uncle, two other Guangzhou merchants recommended by Shi Lin earlier, and finally, Suo'etu's team.

After several incidents of servants rebelling or running away, Suo Etu's vigilance had greatly increased. Meanwhile, the unsteady elements had mostly left. Lord Suo Xiang selected the most intelligent of his own sons and placed them all in his household as servants.

It seems that the whole family is doing well, but in fact, those who want to escape are just a large group of people. The target is too big, it is difficult to disperse and transfer, and it is very easy to control.

Shujia laughed: "It's hard for them. They have to travel and pick up goods in such a short time."

Opening the first two pages to see the official content, they contained various gifts presented to the Crown Prince and his family, including a coral bonsai tree for the Crown Prince, a pair of carved rubies (written below as pigeon blood red) for the Crown Princess, and toy boxes for the children...

Further down was the cargo list: "Two large ivory tusks, one large Western chime clock, six small chime clocks, twelve pocket watches, one large dressing mirror, four half-length mirrors, twenty target mirrors, twelve pieces of exquisite amber, eight rolls of new serge satin, twelve rolls of medium serge satin, five rolls of gold-woven satin, fifty jars each of clove oil, rose oil, sandalwood oil, and osmanthus oil..."

Each major item was detailed below. The pocket watch category had the following: a plain gold case, a gold case with a twined branch pattern, a gold case inlaid with gemstones, etc. The small chime clocks listed a four-poster pavilion-style chime clock, a baby-playing-with-flowers chime clock (Shujia suspected it was the type with angels surrounding the dial), and so on.

Further down there were some gemstones: pearls from the South Sea, coral beads of varying sizes, a few branches of coral about three or four feet high, and various medium and high-quality gemstones from Ceylon.

Some glassware is labeled "different-style XX cup" or "different-style XX bowl," presumably because of the different patterns. Some are even specifically labeled "transparent."

After reading to the end, Shujia asked Qingjin, "How much silver will all this cost?"

Qing Jin said, "I heard from outsiders that things there, especially jewelry, are much cheaper than in Beijing. It's just that the taxes are high, and they have to use connections to make a profit, so they only feel expensive in Beijing. These are not all paid for by our family ourselves, but also contributed by the fourth old master from the south who helped to make a contribution. The merchants in Guangdong and Guangxi who helped to purchase the goods are all experienced and have sharp eyes. There is also capital from Master Suo."

The profit of luxury goods, wow. Lü Bubu's father said a hundredfold profit, that was an exaggeration, but quadrupling is indeed guaranteed.

Shujia picked out a pocket watch, amber, and a target mirror, meticulously marking the patterns on them. "Send these over for us to see." She also selected two half-length mirrors. Of the gems, she only kept one marked as a gift for herself. She also kept a small box of twenty large pearls. "Tell them to make a few small boxes."

After leaving the list behind and waiting for Yinreng to come back to discuss things, Qingjin started telling jokes from outside. "They all say that working for their masters is a blessing. Not only is the money easy to make, but it also saves a lot of trouble. They've been in Beijing for three days now, unloading the goods, putting them into the warehouse, copying the list, and repacking them into boxes. They've been busy day and night, but after seeing the servants in the Prince Zhi's Mansion, they laughed their heads off."

"How do you say that?"

"The Prince of Zhi opened a pawnshop last month. It's a sure-win business for anyone with a good eye, and Mingzhu gave him some experienced pawnbrokers, who were more than enough to assess the situation. But the Prince of Zhi still complained about the low profits and slow growth. He wanted to go into the jewelry business and sent his retainers. He had a shop, but couldn't recruit skilled craftsmen or assistants. Guess what happened?"

"?"

"Those in this business are incredibly lucrative. It's all connected from the source. Without someone to guide you, you can't get in. Even if you do get in, you'll suffer losses. The stuff they import from Guangzhou is three times more expensive than normal, and it's all inferior. Some are just replacing one thing with another. Mr. Chen, the man recommended by the Fourth Old Master, laughed when he saw the clerk from the Prince of Zhi's mansion: 'This guy just came back from our business before we arrived. The amount he ripped off is enough to make you laugh in your dreams.'"

"This shop just opened in Prince Zhi's Mansion, how come..."

"Later, they found out that this man originally worked for a side company, but later came here to seek the support of the Prince of Zhi's Mansion. You can imagine that he was completely clueless to begin with, and I'm afraid he's still completely confused now."

Shujia rubbed her brows. "Why doesn't he find someone who understands?" Each palace has its own businesses, and the best ones have backers. If they want to abandon one and join another, it depends on whether the original master agrees. It's not easy to compete with the master, and they can't deal with you, a servant? I guarantee I'll kill you without even having to do it myself.

Qing Jin came up and rubbed her shoulders. "Didn't I just say that? Mingzhu came here to help him find capable people, but he's so impatient that he wants to get involved in everything. Mingzhu himself hasn't even been able to reap all the benefits of the world. In my opinion, among all these businesses, pawnshops are the best. The profit is high, and you don't have to run around. All you need to do is keep the warehouse in good condition. He has people with good eyesight, and it's also the capital of the palace. But if you have to go there, the journey is dangerous, and you have to rely on the weather and be prepared for accidents."

"That's right. Every princess who marries into the palace has a pawnshop as one of their businesses."

It is said that not long after that, the jewelry shop of Prince Zhi's Mansion went bankrupt, and from then on Yinzhi began to ruthlessly seize other people's established business opportunities - this is a later story.

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Yinreng was also in high spirits when he came back. When Kangxi went to visit the mausoleum, he made personnel appointments on the way: Ma Qi, Fulun, Xiong Cilü and Zhang Ying were appointed as Grand Secretaries, Chen Tingjing as Minister of Personnel, Li Zhenyu as Minister of Revenue, Du Zhen as Minister of Rites, Ma Erhan and Fan Chengxun as Minister of War, and Wang Shizhen as Minister of Punishment.

Except for Fulun, everyone else was within the tolerable range, especially Zhang Ying and Xiong Cilü, who were both his teachers.

Hearing that his family's business was going well and that his eldest son had suffered a loss, Yinreng couldn't help but smile. "We can't keep all these things. Pick out a few that are usable and put the discount on our account. Let them sell the rest. We've almost prepared the New Year gifts, so we won't need these much this year."

"Okay," Shujia reported on the things she had left behind. "They each have something to honor you, me, and the children. I'll keep this. They're grown up now, so each of them will have a pocket watch to tell time, and an amber target mirror. You can give it to the princesses to play with..."

"You decide on these matters." Yinreng was thinking: This is a good deal, I can't mess it up like the boss did. As long as Soetu and the Shi family don't quarrel, it would be a good idea to let the two families promote each other.

Voiceover: From then on, the shops in the capital began to suffer. The princes, hoping to supplement their family income, started to grab business on a large scale. The chaos began.

The author has something to say: I crawled through BS and found a way to recover the reviews. I excitedly tried it, and sure enough, I recovered a lot. There's a review system in the backend, and I had to manually recover them one by one. I happily pressed and pressed, and then... the system crashed, and over a hundred reviews disappeared...

I regret that I shouldn't have let a sick and weak person bear such a heavy workload.

I'm saying this to everyone who cares about someone, that someone is now alive. Well, everyone, please continue reading. Those who want to stay away can continue reading; there's no need to be upset about someone's temporary vulnerability. Leaving a review isn't easy, time-consuming, or laborious; just enjoy reading.

Finally, try to post the handwriting of Mr. Ba

In fact, Lao Ba’s handwriting seems okay to us now, but it was a tragedy at that time.

The following is with adults and handsome men. I have liked this for a long time. I imagine that Shujia's handwriting should be similar to this.