Bai Wanyi's face flushed red. She knew that the household expenses were important, but they didn't know that the Marquis' Mansion had no money. If she was in charge of the household expenses, she would have to pay for it herself.
She wasn't like the foolish Qin Wan who had been giving cold shoulder to cold shoulder for eight years.
What's more, can she take charge of the household chores whenever she wants?
Seeing that her face looked unhappy, Madam Sun stopped trying to persuade her.
But how could anyone let her go? They kept saying things like, "I heard it," but they didn't mention her name.
Bai Wanyi couldn't help herself. She was so angry! She was so angry!
She glanced around at everyone and spoke loudly, "What's wrong with merchants? Are merchants eating your rice? Without merchants paying taxes, who would support all the officials in the Great Zhou Dynasty?"
"If there were no merchants to pay taxes, how would the roads be built? How would the wars be fought? They rely on merchants for everything, yet they look down on them. They are truly hypocritical."
As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at each other in surprise. Madam Lu, are you going to be furious when your concubine comes into the house tomorrow?
Madam Sun frowned. "Agriculture is the foundation of a nation. Of the four classes of scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans, merchants come last. Merchants prioritize profit, buying low and selling high, and it's the common people who suffer. Therefore, merchants must pay heavy taxes to support the people. As the Marquis' wife, it's not appropriate for you to intervene in such matters that compete with the people for profit. Just leave it to the steward."
Bai Wanyi rolled her eyes, feeling tired of talking to this group of ladies and young ladies. "If you look down on merchants, then don't use the things they sell. Don't the goods that travel north and south all rely on merchants to exchange what they have? There are also Confucian merchants, so how can everyone be unscrupulous? Aren't they all trying to make a living?"
"Everything in this world has two sides. You only see the bad side and not the good. Is this the perspective of a young lady from an official family? Without merchants, where would farmers and artisans sell their products? How would they make money? Without merchants, would you wear silk and satin? Use such precious oriental pearls? Wear emerald green jade?"
"Scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans are the most important, but aren't corrupt officials rampant? You don't say officials are bad, but you say merchants are bad. You are like the governor who is allowed to set fires but the people who are not allowed to light lamps!"
The words became more and more serious. Even though Madam Sun was unhappy, she was afraid of being implicated, so she quickly covered Bai Wanyi's mouth and said, "Be careful with your words!"
When Bai Wanyi saw the gloomy faces of the crowd, she realized that she had said the wrong thing. She pushed Madam Sun's hand away with a frown and turned to go upstairs.
This time no one followed her. Madam Sun sighed and left with her servants.
The hosts had all left, and the remaining ladies also left one after another.
Of course, not all of them went home. Those who were curious went to Liuhuaju to take a look. If the items were all the same, who would be willing to buy the expensive ones?
No one's money comes from the wind, and no one is crazy. Who would be willing to waste money and be taken advantage of?
Bai Wanyi's remarks were passed on without Qin Wan's people having to respond.
Madam Chen shook her head. "That's the truth, but why are her words so awkward? It's only because the current emperor is wise, otherwise her words would be enough to punish her."
Qin Wan smiled and said, "It's true that businessmen pursue profit, but who in this world doesn't pursue profit? It's just that she's both a proponent and a hypocrite, so her words are naturally awkward to listen to."
"Speaking of business, families like yours and mine all have a few businesses and shops. It's just that we haven't personally handled the business. There's no reason for anyone in this world to look down on anyone else. It's useless to look down on anyone else. Only by looking down on yourself and being an upright person can you avoid being laughed at."
Mrs. Chen smiled and said, "Well said."
Mrs. Lu also smiled and said, "That's exactly the truth. Miss Qin said the same thing. It's so comforting to hear."
Qin Wan turned around and smiled at Madam Lu. She had just bought a large glass mirror, saying that she wanted to give it to Miss Qian to add to her makeup. This was a very valuable gift.
In addition to these, Mrs. Lu also ordered a lot of glass from the glass shop, saying that it was for Miss Qian's makeup.
Qian Jingyi's wedding is scheduled for next spring, but the journey is long. She will soon set off to the south to get married, and the Chang'an Marquis Mansion is also preparing to send off the bride.
Those colored glazes were for her to use in building a greenhouse in the south.
The south is warmer than the north. This glazed greenhouse has good lighting and is well kept warm, so it is very comfortable to live in even in winter.
While they were talking, they saw someone else coming into the shop.
It turned out to be the wife of Marquis Chang'an. Wei came to visit with her daughters.
When Mrs. Lu saw Miss Qian Jingyi, tears welled up in her eyes and she looked very distressed.
Qin Wan looked at her curiously and asked Madam Chen in a low voice, "Does Madam Lu know Miss Qian? I've never heard of her."
Madam Chen sighed softly, "Madam Lu and Miss Qian's biological mother, Madam Su, were close friends. After Madam Su got married, they were very close. Later, when Madam Su passed away, it was inconvenient for her to visit the Qian family, and she was squeezed out by the Wei family several times, so she had to reduce her contact. But she still took good care of her in secret."
Qin Wan pressed on, "What about Miss Qian's marriage..."
Mrs. Chen and Qin Wan looked at each other and instantly understood the meaning of her words. Qin Wan guessed that the person that day was Miss Qian.
Madam Chen said softly, "The man isn't from our Great Zhou, but from Gusu, Eastern Wu. His family does business in Guangling. He came to the capital this time to look for some rare items to sell back home. By chance, he entered the Pingyang Marquis's Mansion, and not long after that, he went to the Chang'an Marquis's Mansion to propose marriage."
Coincidence? Who would believe it?
Qin Wan also didn't believe that the other party was just a random person. Otherwise, with so many people present, how could he have found Miss Qian?
He has a noble family background, but he is not loved. When something happens, he can only accept it with a pinch of his nose.
With such a Yue family, if the Chang'an Marquis' Mansion has no real power in the officialdom, it will certainly not be of any help. But if it is just a business, using the tiger's skin as a banner will be the most effective.
The affairs between the two families were secretive, and even Madam Chen, despite her extraordinary powers, only knew this much: "Later, it was the old lady of the Marquis of Pingyang who acted as a matchmaker. Although she married into a merchant family, the betrothal gift was generous, which saved her face."
There's nothing we can do if it's not complete, otherwise how will this matter end?
Once something happens, how will the women in the Qian family cope with the situation?
Everyone understood this truth, and Qin Wan could only sigh.
On the other side, Wei brought her three daughters and greeted the other ladies. Then, pretending to be generous, she said to Qian Jingyi, "Go pick some and I'll give them to you as a dowry later."
Wei also found out that there were two shops on this street today, both selling crystal mirrors that could clearly reflect every detail of a person.
Jing Hua Yuan was opened by the wife of the Marquis of Pingyang, and its products are expensive.
Liuhuaju is run by Qin Wan, and they sell things at a low price.
Anyone with a discerning eye can tell that the two companies are competing with each other.
Wei planned to show up at Qin Wan's place to gain a good reputation so that she could pass the title to her son in the future.
Then go to Jing Hua Yuan and ask Bai Wanyi to give you two large mirrors.
Wei's abacus was beating loudly, so Qian Jingyi naturally wanted her to be even louder. She walked to the largest mirror and saw the bamboo plaque hanging next to it. She smiled and said, "Mother is kind, and my daughter likes this. Is it okay?"
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