Chapter 287 The Disappearing Industry
Yuwen You stayed in the Prince's Mansion and did not go out again. Although he seemed calm, his heart was in turmoil because Zhou Jirou put the account book of the family property in front of him.
"I don't understand Fu Xuezhi's affairs. Sister Li is in charge of them. I think it would be more appropriate for you to ask her about this matter." Zhou Jirou got rid of the biggest blame first.
"Okay, let's just assume that she's in charge of Fu Xuezhi. What about the others? Why are they in such a miserable state?"
"It's my incompetence." Zhou Jirou murmured.
"Tell me in detail." Yuwen You suppressed his anger.
"Someone is deliberately targeting our industry. They do whatever we do. We sell for ten coins, they sell for five coins. We sell for two ounces, they sell for one ounce. And their products are better than ours. In short, their goal is to completely shut down our business."
Yuwen You frowned and looked at her.
"I also sent people to investigate. Those bosses have never appeared behind the scenes. There are only a few managers. Even if I kill them, there will be other managers to take their place. It's useless. So..."
Zhou Jirou couldn't say anything more because what Yuwen You said was true. It was true that she had not managed the situation well, but it was also true that someone had done it on purpose.
Yuwen You clenched his fists: "Who else could it be besides Lao Wu? He's the only one who's good at this kind of insidious trick."
Zhou Jirou nodded. This was also the reason why she was in a dilemma.
The most important thing is that these people are extremely skilled. Basically, by the time she finds out, she has no power to fight back unless she takes them by force.
It's not impossible to use force, but it won't do any good to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's reputation.
"If I don't come back soon, I'm afraid our Prince's Mansion won't be able to afford food. I see that the number of servants at home has been reduced, and the food and clothing expenses of each courtyard have also been reduced."
Zhou Jirou replied in a low voice: "That's true, but there's nothing we can do about it. Since something has happened in the mansion, we all have to work together."
Yuwen You rubbed his forehead. He always thought Zhou Jirou was stable and capable, but he didn't expect that she would manage the family in such a mess. Now that it has come to this, there is no way he can change it.
Zhou Jirou also told him that behind these industries there were big families and even royal families. For example, the Qilin brocade that replaced Fu Xuezhi was owned by Prince Yu, the gold factory was owned by Princess Ting, and the oil mill was a partnership between several marquises.
However, these people are not Yuwen You's followers, but they are not his opponents either. Most importantly, they are people you cannot kill or offend.
Yuwen You sighed and said, "I didn't expect that Lao Wu was not only hiding so well, but he had also won over these people."
Zhou Jirou said slowly, "So this is why I didn't confront them head-on. Firstly, Your Highness is not here. Secondly, if I confront them head-on, I'm afraid it will cause everyone to misunderstand Your Highness, so..."
Yuwen You interrupted her: "Alright, there's no need to say more now. I will transfer the cash from the industries of several other countries. I need a lot of cash now, so I can only use that."
"What's happening outside isn't your business, so just stop worrying about it. Just focus on what's left at home. It's fine if they save money. Father is currently vigorously promoting the policy of 'eliminating extravagance,' and we must lead the way in implementing it. We want him to know I'm obedient."
Zhou Jirou nodded: "Yes, I think so too."
Zhou Jirou packed up the account book and returned to her yard. A lean camel is still bigger than a horse. The income from these businesses has indeed decreased, but it is not necessary to live frugally. It's just that they are not as extravagant as before.
But people in the hospital still complained, and Zhou Jirou had headaches every day.
She had just sat down to sort out the things at hand when she heard the maid in the courtyard calling her: "Crown Princess, come and take a look, the Crown Prince seems to be feeling unwell."
When Zhou Jirou heard this, she hurried out of the yard and went to her son's room.
I saw my son's face flushed and he was breathing heavily.
The maidservant accompanying the Crown Prince hurriedly said, "He was fine when he woke up this morning and even went to pay his respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. He came back and played alone for a while, and also read and practiced calligraphy. For some reason, he started feeling unwell after lunch."
"Have you summoned the imperial physician?"
"I went to invite him. He's too far away and hasn't arrived yet."
The doctor from the palace came to check on the Crown Prince and said that he had a fever caused by wind and heat. He prescribed some medicine but still asked the Crown Princess to wait and make a decision after the imperial physician arrived.
By now the redness on his face had faded, and he seemed to be much better. Zhou Jirou was no longer anxious and stayed by her son's bed, waiting for the imperial physician to come and see him.
Unfortunately, the imperial physician was extremely busy today. Many people were sick in spring. In one city, the number of sick people even reached dozens, with symptoms such as coughing, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
So the imperial doctors thought there was an epidemic and all rushed there to investigate. By the time they arrived at the Prince's Mansion, it was already dusk.
The imperial physician changed his clothes and came to check on the child. He also said that the child had a fever, which was most common in spring. It was not a big deal, so he prescribed some antipyretic medicine.
But what no one expected was that the antipyretic medicine not only did not reduce the fever, but the Crown Prince's fever actually got even higher, his face flushed red, and his whole body felt like burning coals. It was already night, and Zhou Jirou was extremely anxious.
"Go and invite Lord Fenghua." Zhou Jirou said to her maid.
At this moment, Yuwen You entered his son's room. He heard from the servants that the crown prince was sick, so he came to see him.
"What do you want Lord Fenghua to do?" Yuwen You shouted.
Zhou Jirou hurriedly explained: "Your Highness, you just came back, and I have a lot of things I haven't told you yet. Before..."
"This is ridiculous! Our Tianyao doesn't even have a doctor? And we still have to ask him for help!"
"Your Highness!" Zhou Jirou was very anxious and interrupted Yuwen You.
"Feng Huajun is the best doctor. Not only did she save the queen, she also saved Ji'er before!"
"Go and ask the imperial physician to come over. What Fenghua Jun? I wonder who dares to ask him!"
He glanced at the child and thought it was just a common fever, there was no need to make a fuss about it.
Zhou Jirou was so anxious that her voice rose: "Your Highness, the child's life is the most important. As long as the child's life can be cured, whoever he is doesn't matter! Now is not the time to talk about these things. The child's life is the most important!"
Unexpectedly, Yuwen You still refused.
"Don't think I don't know anything just because I haven't come back! You once cut down all the trees in the city because of her words! Do you know how many people are pointing fingers behind your back?! If she came today and shouted to kill everyone in the mansion, would you agree?"
"Your Highness, I think Ji'er is inappropriate! I'm a mother, I know!"
"Children are bound to get sick, so what's wrong with calling in the imperial physician?"
Zhou Jirou was so angry that she was about to faint, but was helped up by Xue Jiaer, who came with Yuwen You to see the child.
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