Chapter 41 Yes, make them feel the pinch.
Almost everyone who came to Yuelai Teahouse today was a government official's wife who came to watch the excitement. Now that the excitement has ended, everyone is coming out one after another, inevitably bumping into each other at the entrance and exchanging a few pleasantries.
The appearance of Jiang Yu and her entourage attracted considerable attention. This was partly because Princess Wenxin was with them, and partly because of Jiang Yu herself.
The powerful and influential people in the capital all had their own sources of information. The Duke of Chu's mansion did not publicly disclose Jiang Yu's identity, nor did it mention the entanglements between Jiang Yu and Qi Yuanhong and Su Yuezhen. However, from the moment Jiang Yu stepped through the palace gates, these powerful and influential people knew what they needed to know.
Now, everyone's eyes are frequently falling on Jiang Yu, but she doesn't feel uncomfortable at all. When she meets someone's gaze, she can even give that person a generous smile.
Everyone came to pay their respects to Princess Wenxin, and then exchanged pleasantries with Lu Yifang. Jiang Yu was inevitably brought out to meet everyone. She remained poised and generous, which silenced several people who had a bad relationship with Lu Yifang and wanted to ridicule and mock the mother and daughter. Their expressions turned somewhat unpleasant.
When Lu Yifang saw this, she felt even more that Jiang Yu was right. If they don't care about certain things, others can't use them to attack them.
Once in the carriage, she said to Jiang Yu with some delight, "That Ye Mingmei, the one in the purple dress, has always liked to compete with me since we were little. If she can't beat me, she'll do bad things behind my back; if she wins, she'll come to me and swagger around. Did you see the look on her face just now?"
"Hmph! She must have spent all night thinking about how to mock me today, but your performance definitely rendered all her prepared words useless."
Jiang Yu smiled. Her biological mother was still too well protected. Although she had a husband and son who caused her a lot of trouble, the powerful Duke of Chu's mansion and the Marquis of Anyuan's mansion made it impossible for ordinary people to oppose her. Therefore, she could still maintain some of the mentality of a young girl.
Actually, this is fine; everyone has their own way of life.
Jiang Yu listened to her for a while with a smile, and then asked, "Mother, the Emperor said that the Qingshan Marquis's Mansion should compensate me for the loss of my house when it was burned down. How much do you think they should pay so that it will hurt them but not to the point of desperation?"
Lu Yifang was taken aback for a moment after hearing this, then clapped her hands and said, "Yes, let them feel the pinch."
After speaking, she thought for a moment and said, "It can't exceed 50,000 taels. The Qingshan Marquis's mansion looks impressive, but it's probably not very wealthy inside. Consort Su's expenses in the palace are quite high, and their family doesn't have someone like the Marquis of Anling who knows how to manage things."
After listening, Jiang Yu nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "Then let's make it forty thousand taels."
After listening, Lu Yifang nodded and said, "But we can't just ask for 40,000 taels; we need to have a clear purpose."
Jiang Yu smiled and said, "Don't worry, this is my specialty."
Lu Yifang was unaware that her business had spread throughout Yingzhou Prefecture. She looked somewhat suspicious, but still said, "My Zhu'er is the smartest."
Jiang Yu: "......"
Well, mothers always view their own children through a very strong lens of prejudice.
The carriage soon arrived at the Duke of Chu's residence. Upon alighting, they saw a woman in blue standing to one side, seemingly waiting for someone. Jiang Yu smiled as soon as she saw her, and Xia He ran over and pulled her closer.
"Greetings, Master and Madam, greetings, Miss." Dongshuang bowed to them, and Jiang Yu pulled her aside to introduce her to Lu Yifang, "Mother, this is my maid, Dongshuang. She had some things to take care of before, so she didn't come to the capital with me."
Dong Shuang quickly bowed to Lu Yifang, "This servant greets the Crown Prince's wife. May the Crown Prince's wife be well."
Seeing that she looked very capable and dressed smartly, Lu Yifang liked her a bit and said with a smile, "She looks like a good one."
The group entered the Duke of Chu's mansion together and parted ways at the crossroads. Jiang Yu and the others first went to the courtyard where Cheng Yunxiu and her husband were temporarily staying. After talking for a while, Jiang Yu took Xia He and Dong Shuang back to their own courtyard.
Dong Shuang was an efficient person. After Jiang Yu sat down, she began to report: "I have checked all the shops in Yingzhou Prefecture and there are no major problems."
She took out an account book and handed it to Jiang Yu. Watching her look down at the account book, she said, "Since you will be staying in the capital from now on, I planned the route for transporting goods to the capital. Yesterday, when I arrived in the capital, I happened to run into Master Ge from the canal gang and asked him about the freight. Master Ge said that there was a problem with one of the routes and he would get back to me in a couple of days."
Jiang Yu looked at the ledger and asked, "What went wrong?"
Dongshuang: "It seems that a route from Jiangzhou Prefecture to Shangjing has changed hands and has taken away a lot of their business."
Jiang Yu nodded and said, "Keep a close eye on this matter and make sure you understand everything inside and out."
"Yes, this servant will go see Master Ge again tomorrow," Dongshuang replied.
Jiang Yu nodded and said, "Our house in Nanshi Town was burned down, so the Qingshan Marquis's Mansion has to compensate us. Make a detailed list, and it turns out it will cost 40,000 taels."
“This…” Dong Shuang was somewhat embarrassed. After all, Nan Shi Town was just a small town, and a house wasn’t worth much money. Moreover, Jiang Yu’s business couldn’t be exposed too much. Forty thousand taels was not a small amount, and it was not easy to come up with that number.
Seeing her expression, Jiang Yu thought to herself that she was still too honest, and said, "Our family's warehouse is in the house, and we just used up all our savings to stock up on a batch of goods."
Dongshuang's eyes lit up instantly, and she smiled and said, "Miss, don't worry, I will make sure this bill is done flawlessly."
Jiang Yu smiled and nodded, "Go to my study."
Dongshuang bowed and withdrew, and Xiahe hurriedly bowed as well, saying, "This servant will go with Dongshuang."
Jiang Yu knew they hadn't seen each other for a long time and must have a lot to talk about, so she smiled and waved for her to go. Xia He walked out with a grin, but Jiang Yu called her back at the door and whispered to her:
"Ask Dongshuang what's going on between her and Ge Da from the canal gang. I always feel their relationship is unusual."
Xia He covered her mouth and laughed, then bowed and withdrew. Jiang Yu watched her disappear, sighing, "Girls grow up and leave home!"
Dong Shuang was very efficient. She finished the compensation list after lunch and handed it in with a slightly flushed face, which suggests that she really had something going on with that Ge Da.
Jiang Yu took the list from her and said, "You're not getting any younger, so you should start thinking about marriage. But you have to be careful about who you marry. I'll meet with that Mr. Ge later."
"It...it hasn't come to that yet," Winter Frost whispered.
Jiang Yu nodded, "Then when the time comes, bring the person back. I need to investigate them thoroughly."
Dong Shuang nodded, and Jiang Yu continued, "My identity has changed, and so have yours. We don't bully others, but sometimes we can use our power to intimidate people."
Dongshuang replied, "Yes, this servant understands."
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