Chapter 127 Business Acumen
Granny Pei agreed with the young mistress's arrangement. No matter how close the relationship is, a woman should still keep her dowry and keep it separate from her husband's family's assets.
So he replied with a "yes" and turned to leave, but in his heart he was still worried for the young mistress.
When the young mistress suddenly took out 30,000 taels of silver and ordered people to buy that brocade, Granny Pei had never heard of it or seen it before. She felt it was unreliable and told the mistress about her concerns when she went out to see Su Chengniang.
She thought the madam would think the same way, but to her surprise, the madam immediately ordered someone to make arrangements and told her to do whatever the young mistress asked in the future.
So even though she still had some worries and didn't understand why such expensive fabric, which had finally been transported back, wasn't intended to be sold, she still resolutely carried out the young mistress's orders.
Su Chengniang has been busy these days. She sent people to the south to buy Xia Guang brocade. Xia Guang brocade has only recently appeared on the market and the production process is quite complicated, so it is not easy to buy. Most importantly, the price is much higher than other brocades. The more they buy, the more capital they will be tied up in it.
This kind of brocade is rare and expensive in the south, with a single bolt selling for eighty taels of silver. With transportation and labor costs added, a single bolt would have to sell for at least one hundred taels of silver to break even when transported to the capital.
Besides the 30,000 taels of capital that Yu Qingci put out, Su Chengniang also invested 10,000 taels. If the situation her daughter described didn't happen, the loss would be huge if so many expensive fabrics were stuck in her hands.
The first batch of Xia Guang brocade has now been delivered, and the second batch is on its way. Su Cheng's mother sent someone to ask her daughter how to sell the first batch of goods.
But the daughter said to wait and not to sell it yet.
Su Chengniang couldn't help but feel anxious and frustrated, but she still held back and listened to her daughter's arrangements.
Since the fire at the City God Temple, Su Chengniang has mostly believed her daughter's words. So when she heard that Xia Guang brocade would soon be popular in the capital, she did not hesitate to order her shopkeeper to go to the south to purchase the goods.
Now that the goods have been delivered, Su Chengniang eagerly awaits the arrival of the Empress's birthday banquet.
With only a few days left until the Empress's birthday banquet, the noble ladies and young women from prominent families in the capital who were qualified to enter the palace were busy preparing their outfits.
Attending a palace banquet naturally required dressing in the most luxurious way possible. As a result, the business of the most famous embroidery shops, jewelry stores, and fabric shops in the capital suddenly became much busier during this period.
Some people don't even blink at the sight of Shu brocade or Yun damask that cost tens of taels a bolt; they only choose the color and don't consider the price at all.
After receiving the news, Yu Qingci thought for a moment that if they took out the Xia Guang Jin to sell at this time, they might be able to ride the wave of popularity and get off to a good start. Even if no one recognized its value for the time being, it would still be a form of publicity.
However, compared to other fabrics popular among the noble ladies of the capital, the price of Xia Guang Jin was indeed much higher, and since it had just been introduced, they had to be prepared for it not to sell.
After making the decision, Yu Qingci instructed Pei Mama: "Mama, go out and make another trip. The Xia Guang brocade in the shop can be put out for sale now, priced at 150 taels per bolt. Also, go and tell my mother to put it out for sale as well."
Tell the shopkeeper not to worry even if they don't sell, things might get better in a few days.
These past few days, Granny Pei had been secretly worried about the batch of brocade. Now that her master had finally given the order to sell it, she immediately perked up and left.
Soon, Granny Pei returned with a message: "The shopkeeper asked me to ask the young mistress that Xia Guang brocade is currently rarely sold in the capital. Although the material is indeed of superior quality, it is a new product that has just arrived. If we set the price so high, many people will turn around and choose Shu brocade or Yunduan instead. So, should we lower the price a little?"
Granny Pei phrased it rather tactfully, but in truth, all the shopkeepers felt that the young mistress's price was outrageous. Currently, the most expensive and sought-after fabrics in the capital were those like Yun brocade and Shu brocade, with each bolt typically priced under a hundred taels.
The price of this brocade was set at 150 taels per bolt. Those noble ladies weren't fools; why would they spend so much money to buy a piece of unknown brocade?
It would be more cost-effective to buy two more bolts of Shu brocade and cloud-patterned brocade with that spare money.
Besides, their fabric shop can't compare to those famous stores. Who would make a special trip to buy from them?
Some people secretly shook their heads, thinking that this young mistress was too young and didn't know anything about doing business.
Yu Qingci casually replied, "No need, just sell it at this price."
Granny Pei had no choice but to nod in agreement.
For several days in a row, Granny Pei went out to inquire about news every day. Every time she returned, she couldn't help but sigh and hesitate to speak in front of Yu Qingci.
The shop has put out all the brocade, but because the price is too high, many people have asked about it these past few days, but very few have actually bought it. How can she not be worried?
Yu Qingci naturally knew what Pei Mama was thinking. Counting the days, it was the Empress's birthday in a few days, and at most a few more days would be enough to find out the outcome.
Now she has something else to worry about.
In the past, both Madam Ning and she were entitled to attend the birthday banquet at the palace, as they were both officials. However, since the mourning period had not yet ended, both mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were exempted from going to the palace to pay their respects to the noble person.
However, the necessary congratulatory gifts still need to be sent.
The General's Mansion has fallen on hard times and is not as wealthy as before, but the birthday gift for the Empress cannot be perfunctory in the slightest. She decided to go to the storeroom to select the gift herself.
So he took Tong'er, Lianqiao, and a few other maids to the general's mansion storeroom.
The wooden door to the warehouse was opened, and the group slowly walked in.
The warehouse was large, with rows of rosewood shelves neatly arranged inside, but there weren't many items piled on them.
After the family divided the property, she ordered people to take stock of the estate and even sent people to clean the storeroom inside and out several times. Now it seems that the servants have been very diligent. The cabinets, boxes and other items inside are wiped very carefully and there is very little dust.
Looking around, the huge warehouse didn't seem to hold many items, making it appear rather empty.
Passing the rosewood shelf, a row of weapons was placed against the wall on the east side.
Items used on the battlefield, such as bows and arrows, long swords, armor, and black iron breastplates, have all been carefully wiped clean, with clear marks on them, indicating that they were treasures that had been with their owners for a long time.
Yu Qingci looked around and then turned her gaze elsewhere, instructing several maids to open the wooden boxes on the shelf one by one, and finally selected two items from them.
A beautifully carved agarwood sculpture, shaped like a pine tree and crane symbolizing longevity, is about one foot square in size. The subtle fragrance emanating from it brings a sense of tranquility and peace.
This item looks valuable and has a good meaning, making it a suitable gift for older, distinguished female relatives.
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