Chapter 124 Making Money is a Big Deal
Yu Qingci had mentioned this matter before when she was managing the household under the care of Old Madam Ning. Granny Wang was aware of it, and when the young mistress asked about it, she carefully considered her words and expressed her thoughts.
"Although our General's Mansion cannot compare with those centuries-old families with profound heritage, in recent years, with the two generals repeatedly making military achievements, the status of the General's Mansion in the court has risen. The rules of the mansion and the staff in various places are also quite complete."
Currently, the kitchen, ceremonial office, accounting office, criminal investigation office, embroidery room, flower room, gatehouse, and other facilities that should be set up in the manor are all staffed according to regulations. It would be reasonable to reduce staff now, as I have carefully considered several places where staff could be eliminated or reduced.
Take the main kitchen for example. Now that most of the masters in the mansion are gone, the old lady has set up a small kitchen. The main kitchen now only cooks meals for the servants in addition to the three meals a day for the young mistress and young lady. It really doesn't need that many people.
The same applies elsewhere.
For example, the rites room is not very useful now, so we might as well abolish it; the affairs of the punishment room will be handed over to the steward's guards, and some of the rough servants and maids in each courtyard and room can also be laid off. When the time comes, this old servant will watch and lay off those who are good at cheating and shirking.
Ask those who remain about their wishes. If any want to redeem themselves and leave, do the same: pay the money and let them go.
For a family like ours, we need to be careful when dismissing servants. Selling them off is the worst possible option, unless someone has committed a serious offense and we have no choice but to resort to this tactic.
However, the indenture should not be returned directly. The best way is to let them redeem themselves with silver. As long as they are willing to leave, they can pay some silver. However, it is best to have a set amount so that they are not put in a difficult position.
Over the years, the General and the Old Madam have been kind and rarely harsh to the servants. Now that the two difficult servants from those two branches have all moved out, it's estimated that very few servants in the entire household have left voluntarily.
Yu Qingci nodded repeatedly as she listened, occasionally offering her own insights, and the two quickly drafted the rules.
When the family divided the property, some servants' indentures were released. Most of these people had family members in the second or fourth branch of the household, so they were simply sent away as well.
Since there weren't many people, Yu Qingci did a good deed and generously gave the indentures of these people to the second and fourth wives, thus preventing the servants of the different wives from getting entangled in private matters.
As for how the second and fourth wives would settle these people after they had taken their indentures, that was none of the General's Mansion's business.
After agreeing on the plan, Yu Qingci said, "Let Wang Mama and Pei Mama handle this matter together. I trust the two of you to do things perfectly."
Wang and Pei immediately agreed, saying in unison, "We will certainly not fail the young mistress's trust."
With the help of Granny Wang and Granny Pei, it took several days to sort out all the servants in the mansion, dismiss most of them, and close several deserted courtyards, making the mansion even more quiet and tidy.
However, most of the guards and servants from the outer courtyard remained.
Firstly, most of these guards and servants were retired soldiers under the general's command, and they were extremely loyal to the general. With Steward Lu in charge, there shouldn't be any problems.
Secondly, the huge general's mansion now only has three masters, all of whom are women, so it is also necessary to keep more reliable guards.
Once everything was settled, Yu Qingci was finally able to sit down and let out a long sigh of relief.
Upon returning to Guanlan Pavilion, Granny Pei came forward to report:
"Young Madam, another letter has arrived from Madam."
"Really? Let me see."
Yu Qingci hurriedly took her mother's letter and sat down to read it carefully.
Since entering the General's Mansion, she has never stepped out of the mansion due to the restrictions of her status, but that does not prevent her from asking Granny Pei to visit her mother every few days.
The mother and daughter frequently corresponded, exchanging pleasantries. In her letters, Yu Qingci told her mother about the General's Mansion and asked for her mother's advice.
For example, how to deal with the second and fourth wives, how to manage servants, and how to operate external businesses—in these aspects, Su Chengniang was far superior to her mother-in-law, Old Madam Ning.
After many upheavals, the General's Mansion's wealth was almost depleted. Now that she was in charge, she naturally had to find ways to make money to replenish the treasury. She couldn't possibly use her dowry to support the entire household like she did in her previous life.
No matter how good her mother-in-law and sister-in-law are in this life, she has no intention of repeating the same mistakes.
So she wrote to her mother early on to ask her to find a few experienced shopkeepers and hire some new employees, so that they could work in the shops under the General's Mansion.
"Granny Pei, please tell the steward to bring these managers into the mansion so I can meet them."
Granny Pei agreed.
Now that we have a manager, the next step is to think carefully about how to run the shop properly.
Aside from the few that were separated, there were less than ten shops left in the mansion, and each had its own shortcomings in terms of location and size.
Two of the shops had decent storefronts, specializing in various silk fabrics. However, business declined, and they are now mostly selling mid- to low-grade fabrics, barely managing to stay afloat.
Yu Qingci had seen the deeds to the two cloth shops and found that both shops were in a bustling area, in a good location, and that most of the customers were either rich or noble.
Under such conditions, it would be difficult to sell the low- to mid-range fabrics in the shop. It would be better to take the high-end route and sell high-quality goods.
However, it's easier said than done. Putting everything else aside, where does the money for purchasing high-end fabrics and clothing come from? It's no small sum.
Although she had a large dowry, she still needed to plan it carefully.
She had been racking her brains these past few days, and something actually came to mind.
In two months, the Empress's birthday banquet will be held in the palace. I remember that in my previous life, the one who stole the show at the birthday banquet was not the Empress, but the Noble Consort.
It is said that the palace dress worn by the Imperial Concubine was made of newly imported brocade from the south. This brocade was extremely rich and beautiful in color and pattern, and the fabric was thick and delicate. It was soft to wear and accentuated her temperament, making the Imperial Concubine the center of attention.
After the grand banquet, the ladies of high-ranking families in the capital all inquired where they could buy this kind of fabric.
However, things are valued for their rarity. Xia Guang brocade was very rare because it was newly introduced and difficult to weave. Apart from the few bolts that the government presented to the palace, it was impossible to buy it anywhere else in the capital.
Later, some shrewd wealthy merchants sensed a business opportunity and rushed to transport the first batch of Xia Guang brocade from the south before the Spring Festival. It sold out in the capital in just a few days, and it was said that a single piece was so sought after that it was extremely difficult to find. It is said that a single piece was sold for as much as three hundred taels of silver.
Realizing the urgency of the situation, Yu Qingci immediately wrote a letter to her mother and asked Granny Pei to send out several silver notes totaling 30,000 taels, reminding her mother to arrange for her caravan to head south to purchase goods as soon as possible.
As long as she can buy the Xia Guang Jin sooner, she will have earned her first pot of gold.
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