Chapter 54 Talking Business with the Emperor
Entering the palace again, Jiang Yuyan was familiar with the situation. However, this time she had a mission and purpose to meet the emperor, so she was a little nervous.
Ever since Emperor Sheng Yuan met Jiang at the palace banquet on New Year's Eve, the image of that confident, proud and unparalleled person always appeared in his mind.
However, as an emperor, he had been determined for many years and was extremely averse to such emotions. Therefore, he refrained from attending the Queen's birthday party that day.
Not long ago, the Qin family presented a 21-string Yue Zheng to him. He did not know how to play it, so he sent someone to inquire about it out of curiosity. Only then did he learn that the Zheng was improved by his daughter-in-law Jiang.
Emperor Sheng Yuan inexplicably developed a desire to see her...
When Jiang Yuyan followed the chief eunuch into the Qianyuan Hall, she saw the emperor, wearing a bright yellow robe with dragon patterns, standing in front of the window with his hands behind his back, thinking about something.
Jiang Yuyan didn't dare to disturb him, so she bowed down quietly.
"Your Majesty, may your Majesty be well and safe!"
Emperor Sheng Yuan slowly turned around, stared at the top of her head, then raised his hand to let her stand up.
"I summoned you here today. It's nothing serious. Don't be nervous."
"Yes." Jiang Yuyan stood aside obediently.
Emperor Sheng Yuan: "This twenty-one-string Yue Zheng is something that has never been seen in the Great Yue Kingdom. Where did you learn it from?"
"It is also from an old book of miscellaneous notes of my master. My third husband and I discussed for a long time before we made this zither."
Jiang Yuyan had already thought of her words and looked very humble.
Emperor Sheng Yuan sat down in front of the zither and said, "When I was young, I learned to play the zither, but the zither was highly praised by the late emperor. I have tried it, and it plays just as well as the Yue Zheng."
Emperor Sheng Yuan fiddled with the zither twice and said, "But there is no music score that matches it. I wonder if your master has any zither music score that has been preserved in the world?"
Jiang Yuyan came prepared and immediately presented a song "Weaving Dreams Like Clouds" (originally sung by Bai Suzhen at the Foot of Qingcheng Mountain).
Emperor Sheng Yuan stood up and motioned with his hand for her to go first.
Jiang Yuyan sat down and played calmly. Her hands were slender and her fingering was superb. The music was bright and soft, and it made people feel better.
Emperor Sheng Yuan watched with admiration. Seeing that the atmosphere was very good, the eunuch at the side quietly led the palace people out and closed the palace door.
After Jiang Yuyan finished playing the guitar, she respectfully taught Emperor Sheng Yuan some finger techniques.
Emperor Sheng Yuan was indeed an expert in this field, and soon he was able to play the instrument with some difficulty.
Jiang Yuyan also took out her flute and sang along with him.
Emperor Sheng Yuan's thoughts were surging. How much did he not know about this woman? She had a broad mind, extraordinary conversation, a beauty comparable to that of an immortal, and outstanding talent, but she was not at all conceited or arrogant.
Thinking about my only daughter, I couldn't help but sigh in my heart...
Inside the hall, there was a harmonious atmosphere, but a sharp, discordant voice sounded outside the hall.
"What are you all doing waiting outside?!"
It was the voice of Concubine Jia!
"Reporting to Her Majesty, His Majesty is practicing the zither inside..." the eunuch replied quickly.
"Xi Zheng, why are you closing the palace door? Open it for me!"
Concubine Jia's face darkened, and she shouted again: "Your Majesty! I beg to see you!"
Emperor Sheng Yuan frowned. It was the first time he felt that his favorite concubine was so noisy.
"What is it?"
As the palace door opened, Emperor Sheng Yuan asked with a stern look on his face.
As soon as Concubine Jia entered the hall, she discovered that the two people were very close to each other. Emperor Sheng Yuan was sitting in front of the zither, and Jiang was standing behind him.
His blood boiled up, and he said sternly: "Your Majesty! Why is Jiang here?!"
Emperor Sheng Yuan frowned even more tightly.
"My dear, this is not the question you should ask!"
Concubine Jia seemed extremely angry, "Your Majesty, do you want this bitch to replace me? Your Majesty, don't forget that she is already married!"
"Be careful with your words!"
Emperor Sheng Yuan shouted angrily, "Noble Concubine Jia, stick to your duties!"
Concubine Jia seemed to be sobered up by the roar, and she stared at Jiang Yuyan's face with hatred and resentment. Her originally pretty face was distorted at this moment, looking extremely terrifying.
After a long stalemate, Concubine Jia walked away with a gloomy face.
Jiang Yuyan was no longer surprised by this inexplicable hostility, and she just felt inexplicably anxious.
There was silence in Qianyuan Hall for a moment.
Emperor Sheng Yuan seemed to want to ease the atmosphere and said, "The soap you gave to the Queen last time was very useful. I heard that you opened a shop in the capital. Can you give me some in the future?"
Jiang Yuyan thought that the main topic had come. She had been waiting for this!
She immediately knelt down and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, I want to do a small business with you..."
Emperor Sheng Yuan found it interesting, "Oh? Tell me in detail..."
Jiang Yuyan continued, "The Jiang family is willing to provide the royal family with a fixed amount of soap and soap every year. And to be honest with you, Your Majesty, I do have some profit. I want to exchange 10% of the profits from the Jiang family's soap business for a favor from Your Majesty."
Emperor Sheng Yuan's eyes sparkled. "Interesting, you are the first one who wants to discuss business with me. You know that the whole world belongs to me. If I want you to, I must give it to you. Whether you can do business with me or not depends on me. Why should I give you this grace?"
Emperor Sheng Yuan seemed to be teasing her intentionally.
Jiang Yuyan heard it and was not afraid of him anymore. She just said softly, "Your Majesty is brave and strict, and abides by the law. Since you have rules for doing things, I also run a shop according to the rules. How could Your Majesty make things difficult for me? Besides..."
Jiang Yuyan blinked and said, "My 10% profit is just a business between you and me. Isn't it good to put it into your private vault?"
The beauty acted coquettishly, which made Emperor Sheng Yuan distracted.
"Tell me, what grace do you want?"
"I hope that His Majesty will issue an edict to make my Jiang family an imperial merchant and give us a product patent, which means that this soap can only be sold by my Jiang family."
Emperor Sheng Yuan struggled to understand her words and asked, "Can your Jiang family handle such a big business?"
Jiang Yuyan smiled, "Your Majesty, don't worry. Some villains just sneaked into my workshop at night a few days ago and tried to get the formula. I just took precautions to completely stop these people's thoughts.
In the future, I will let merchants in various states sell soap and perfumed soap under the name of my Jiang family. This will benefit the people and also help these merchants earn some money. Of course, I also want a share of the profits. "
Emperor Sheng Yuan understood what he heard and was secretly shocked. This was a very profitable business, she could just sit back and reap the benefits while letting others earn money for her!
I couldn't help but sigh, "Jiang Shuren is really an outstanding woman!"
Jiang Yuyan grinned, "Your Majesty, you are too kind!"
That smile was like the melting of winter snow and the blooming of hundreds of flowers. Emperor Sheng Yuan was also dazzled by this smile, and his mind was blinded by it.
"I approve!"
Jiang Yuyan was overjoyed. "It's a deal! I will work hard to earn money for you!"
“.……….” Emperor Sheng Yuan thought to himself, is it too late for me to regret now…
Jiang Yuyan got the news and went back happily humming a song.
On the other side, Concubine Jia was very angry!
There was a lot of hostility in Yiyue Palace, and Princess Baoyue Xie Siqi stayed by her side to comfort her mother.
"It's all that vixen! Your Majesty has never spoken to me like this!"
As Concubine Jia spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.
"Men tend to favor whoever is prettier, right?" Xie Siqi curled her lips and gritted her teeth, "I still have a debt to settle with her!"
Concubine Jia looked at her daughter with dissatisfaction, "Is that bitch really prettier than me?"
Xie Siqi had a headache, "You also said that it was a reincarnation of a fox spirit!"
Concubine Jia twisted the handkerchief tightly in her hands, "What if His Majesty really has such thoughts......"
"Mother, please don't let your imagination run wild. She has been married three times. How can a broken woman like her enter the palace?"
"But when I see the way His Majesty looks at her... I feel uneasy..."
Concubine Jia pinched her palms, turned around and cursed: "You tie your waist so tightly all day long, who are you trying to seduce?! Bah, you bitch!"
"She is just a village woman with a pretty face! Don't worry, mother. I will definitely help you solve your worries."
Xie Siqi's mind moved, and at this moment a vicious plan was quietly buried in her heart. If she destroyed this face... I wonder if that village woman can still be arrogant?
After Jiang Yuyan got the emperor's approval, she discussed franchising and chain operations with Xie Jingyu.
Xie Jingyu's Qionghua Building has branches in all state capitals and has close connections with businesses in each state capital, so it would be easy for him to build another business network.
Jiang Yuyan plans to establish a production base in each provincial capital to supply goods to major counties, towns and villages within the provincial capital.
Now that we have the emperor's blessing, if we strengthen management, this will be the Jiang family's unique business, and no one else can snatch it away. Then we can ask merchants to pay a franchise fee and sell soap under the Jiang family's name, which will be very profitable.
After receiving the order, Xie Jingyu immediately rushed to various prefectures to do business. He bought a farm to build a workshop and talked to the Chamber of Commerce about cooperation. He was busy and happy for his wife's affairs!
The imperial edict arrived at the Jiang Mansion ten days later, confirming the Jiang family's status as a royal merchant and its exclusive "patent" rights.
Jiang Yuyan was so happy that she wrote a few more zheng scores and asked King Wu to present them to the emperor. Emperor Sheng Yuan was really pleased and couldn't put them down!
Jiang Yuyan worked hard for a long time before she managed to run the capital's Canshang Restaurant, Jinxiufang, and Jiang's Soap Industry steadily.
Now Xie Jingyu helps her with work outside, Xiao Yuanyan helps her manage the capital, and Qin Shangyu studies with peace of mind. Everyone follows the routine and lives a particularly hopeful life. Only the matter of Princess Baoyue is like a thorn in Jiang Yuyan's heart.
She worked hard to make money in order to become powerful, but having money was not enough... If she wanted to compete with Princess Baoyue, who was unique in Dayue, she also needed a certain amount of political power. Now Qin Shangyu was studying for the imperial examination to pave the way for her...
It’s just that things in this world are sometimes so unreasonable, and fortune and disaster all depend on a single thought.
Jiang Yuyan's strategy of keeping a low profile had not yet grown into a towering tree before a fatal accident had already defeated everyone.
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