104 Egg Tarts
◎Combining kindness and severity◎
Prince's Mansion.
By noon, the kitchen staff had already asked twice, and the attendant Sun Guo asked them to serve the dishes to the Crown Princess first, and as for the Crown Prince... wait for a while.
Sun Guo sat in the lobby for a moment, but could no longer contain himself and strolled towards the corridor, thinking that the court meeting had already ended, and no matter what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said, he should be back at this time.
Just as he was wondering if something happened in the palace, he suddenly saw a piece of gray-blue clothes flash behind the corridor pillar. It was the servant guarding the hanging flower gate. He walked in with his head down, but was stopped by him unexpectedly.
"So impatient!" He scolded her coldly at first, then asked, "But the prince is back?"
The servant shook his head and said he didn't know. Someone from the East Corner Gate came to see the prince with a visiting card. Only then did he pass through the Chuihua Gate and arrive at the lobby.
Sun Guo saw that the servant was indeed holding a visiting card. He took it and took a look. It was signed by Song, the shopkeeper of Juxing Tower. He said with disdain, "You are just a merchant, and you really think you are made of gold and jade. Do you think this is a place where you can meet anyone you want?"
He threw the visiting card back into the servant's hands and said, "Tell him that the prince is very busy and has no time to meet with idle people."
The servant hesitated and said to him, "I originally told her the same thing, but she said she had a way to solve the problem of the victims in the city and asked me to spread the word."
Sun Guo snorted coldly, suddenly grabbed the servant's wrist, and took out a silver ingot of unknown weight from his sleeve, "Useless thing!"
"What are you doing?" A clear voice came from behind the two of them, like the sound of bluestone in a stream.
Sun Guo quickly turned around and saluted, "Your Highness, these are just trivial matters that shouldn't concern you. We will handle them ourselves."
Gu Jinyan said nothing, but reached out and took the invitation. After reading it carefully, he said, "A hero doesn't ask where he came from. Since this Miss Song has a good idea, why not meet her?"
Song Jinyi calculated the time, worked out the roll call time, and left time for the return trip, but she didn't expect to come back empty-handed. She waited outside for an hour, and her calves were stiff from standing.
Fortunately, the door finally opened and someone greeted her and led her to the study for reception.
There were several pots of green plums on the flower table in the study, and on the small rosewood table next to it was a green-glazed Boshan stove, which was filled with a faint sandalwood scent. She glanced around, and if she didn't know that this was the Prince's Mansion, she would have thought she had come to the study of an ordinary family.
She looked at the stone-blue figure behind the desk. His eyebrows were like distant mountains, his eyes were like lacquer, and his figure was as clean as a willow in the spring moon. He did not look like a prince who was above everyone else but second only to the emperor. Instead, he looked like a young man who was tutoring in a family.
She bowed and saluted, "I greet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Three years ago, I was fortunate enough to have the Crown Prince's help in the imperial prison, and I was lucky enough to survive. I will always remember this kindness."
"Now that I've returned to Shengjing, I've heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is worried about the refugee issue. I, a humble woman, have come up with a few unsophisticated solutions to help relieve his worries."
When Gu Jinyan heard her mention "Imperial Prison", a moment of confusion flashed across his face, and it was obvious that he had already forgotten what happened.
Song Jinyi handed the food box in her hand to the maid beside her and said, "These are some snacks I made by myself as a token of my appreciation. I hope you don't mind."
Open the food box, and you'll find all sorts of snacks inside: egg tarts, red bean cakes, peach cakes...
Gu Jinyan was slightly startled, took a piece of egg tart and looked at it for a moment. Although he was not favored, he was from the royal family after all. He had seen all kinds of delicacies, but he had never heard of this thing before.
When you put your nose close to it, you can immediately smell a rich milky aroma. The outer shell is fluffy and crispy. When you take a half bite, it collapses and reveals milk jelly inside that is as tender and smooth as tofu, very fresh and tender.
Sun Guo, who was standing nearby, was also bewitched by the unique aroma and asked curiously, "What is this? I've never seen it in the capital."
Gu Jinyan also looked at her.
Song Jinyi smiled slightly, "These snacks are the result of my latest exclusive secret recipe. Not only in Shengjing, but also in the whole of Daxia, these snacks are unique."
Why was Song Jinyi willing to wade into this mess? Of course, she had her own little calculations. Without a substantial return, why would she go through so much trouble?
The refugee issue has indeed had a significant impact on business, but that is not the main reason why Song Jinyi came here today.
It was a sentence that Shen Lingyuan mentioned unintentionally yesterday, "The national treasury has no money..." The refugee issue is urgent. The national treasury has no money, but it does not mean that the people below have no money.
Although Song Jinyi could not be said to be knowledgeable, he had read a few pages of history books. Since ancient times, when financial crises occurred, wealthy businessmen with money but no power were the first targets to be killed to get the eggs.
She thought about it and decided that it would be better to be proactive than passive. Besides that, she also thought of another layer, "It's easier to be an official if you have someone in the court." Today's snack was to test the waters.
If you can use this to climb up the towering tree, you will have more support in your future actions.
In such a place with class inequality, dealing with these people who are naturally rich in resources, she knows that the most important thing is value, and solving the refugee problem is her greatest value.
However, she did not mention the matter right away. Instead, she started with the topic of gratitude, hoping to reduce the utilitarian nature of the subsequent conversation and base everything on repaying the favor.
This scale is just right, reasonable and not abrupt. As long as it succeeds, regardless of whether she really wants to repay the favor or not, Gu Jinyan owes her a favor.
Gu Jinyan tasted an egg tart and praised it generously. He sent the dessert to the Crown Princess and turned to business. "I just heard Madam Song talking about disaster relief. I wonder what you think?"
Song Jinyi said slowly, "Disaster relief is a major undertaking and cannot be accomplished overnight. I have three suggestions. The first is that if you want to do your job well, you must first sharpen your tools."
Winter is coming, and we need money to build temporary shelters and buy food for disaster relief, so the most important issue is getting money..."
******
Three days later.
In the Prince's Mansion, Song Jinyi followed the maid to the flower hall and saw Sun Guo greeting guests.
He led Song Jinyi to sit on a chair near the main seat. After he left, Zhang Yao said to Song Jinyi excitedly, "Master, this is my first time in the Crown Prince's Mansion. I heard that the Crown Prince is so handsome, like a god descending from heaven. But is that true?
And that Sun Guo from earlier, he was very cold to everyone else, but when he saw you, he became a little more polite."
Song Jinyi listened to Zhang Yao chattering on and on about trivial matters with a faint smile on her face, but said nothing. She glanced at Sun Guo and thought: Your master also suffered from his cold stare a few days ago.
After a stick of incense, the banquet began. Song Jinyi looked around and saw that half of the people were seated, and nearly half of them had not yet arrived.
Song Jinyi stared at the empty seat. Three days ago, when Song Jinyi proposed a fundraising method, Sun Guo immediately laughed at her. "What clever tricks do I have as a wife? It's just a rehash of old tricks."
She took Sun Guo's ridicule calmly and was not angry at all. Instead, she asked, "I wonder how Sun Guo raised funds?"
Sun Guo thought she was trying to stir up trouble and said unhappily, "Of course I summoned them in the name of the Crown Prince, and persuaded them with reason and emotion to make them understand the bigger picture."
Song Jinyi sneered in her heart, but she didn't show it on her face. She said patiently, "Sun Guo probably only deals with scholars and officials, and has never dealt with businessmen, right?
"Merchants value profit over loyalty. If you want them to pay, you have to do business."
Sun Guo frowned and said, "Aren't you talking about fundraising? Why are you talking about business again?" He blurted out and paused at the end of his words. Who said that fundraising can't be business?
The money raised can be used to buy food, and who can buy food? Clothes, wood...
Song Jinyi observed Sun Zhanshi's expression, thinking that he had seen through the mystery. He then said to Gu Jinyan, "In addition to this, if I donate a thousand taels of silver to show my deep understanding of justice, could Your Highness ask for an imperial decree to commend me for this?"
"A jingbiao is similar to a certificate of honor from the past life. It's useless to ordinary people, but it's not surprising that wealthy people would spend thousands of taels to buy it in order to increase their status and reputation.
Gu Jinyan pondered for a moment, "If someone really makes a generous donation, it wouldn't be difficult to ask for an imperial decree to commend them. But..."
The honorific was just an empty title, and some smaller merchants, without many connections, needed it. But the rest of the merchants, having been struggling in Shengjing City for so many years, were already savvy and would not take it seriously.
"Reputation alone is certainly not enough..." Song Jinyi said frankly.
Song Jinyi himself is also a businessman, so he naturally knows what everyone cares about most - in the unequal system of ancient times, as long as those in power are willing, they can come up with several reasons to ask for money.
"So, Your Highness needs to use both kindness and power."
The banquet had already begun, but the host was late in arriving. Sun Guo stood in the middle and told everyone apologetically that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was busy with matters in the palace and could not come back for the time being, so he would host the banquet on his behalf.
There was a sudden burst of dissatisfaction below.
Sun Guo was less than forty years old and was neither deaf nor blind, but he pretended not to have heard anything and began to talk about some big principles in a bureaucratic manner.
Before Sun Guo finished speaking, someone stood up impatiently and said, "I came here for the prince's sake. Since the prince is not here, it would be a waste of time to stay here." After he said that, he strode out of the courtyard without looking back.
Sun Guo continued his work without looking around.
The rest of the people looked at each other in confusion. "Then shall we go too?" Just as they were about to move, they saw the person who had just left come back.
What is going on?
Song Jinyi seemed to have anticipated this situation and tasted a piece of chestnut pastry nonchalantly. The crust was a bit dry and the filling inside was too sweet.
Song Jinyi's eyes fell on the gate of the flower hall. There were two ginkgo trees planted on both sides, and hibiscus colorful tassel lanterns hung on them. After a while, a figure in white came slowly.
The two looked at each other, Gu Jinyan nodded slightly at her, and went straight to the main seat.
Everyone saluted.
Zhang Yao stood behind Song Jinyi and exclaimed, "Is that the Crown Prince? He's so handsome!"
Listening to Zhang Yao's sigh, Song Jinyi couldn't help but think of a pair of emerald eyes. Her heart suddenly tightened, and she clenched her hands in her sleeves tightly to suppress the discomfort.
Song Jinyi turned her head slightly and asked Zhang Yao who was from Zhaixing Tower.
Zhang Yao looked around and her eyes fell on the man who had just left. "I have never seen the manager of Zhaixing Tower, but the person following behind him is Li Si, who followed Huang Yan. He should be from Zhaixing Tower."
Song Jinyi nodded slightly, ready to watch a good show.
Gu Jinyan first said some polite words to express his apologies for being late, and then personally talked about the fundraising. His tone was steady and his speech rhythm was neither fast nor slow, but the oppression brought by his identity was vaguely weighing on everyone's neck.
The manager of Zhaixing Tower spoke first, "Your Highness the Crown Prince works tirelessly for the country and the people. This is truly remarkable. We would like to donate fifty taels of silver as a token of our gratitude."
When he said this, Song Jinyi was taking a sip of tea. When she heard this, she almost spit it out. She said a lot of things in a very eloquent way, but this was the result?
The other merchants were originally worried about the amount of donations. No one wanted to donate more, but they didn't dare not donate. Now that they saw the offer from Zhaixing Tower, they had an idea in mind and said generously, "Since Zhaixing Tower is donating fifty taels, then I will donate fifty taels too."
"Our shop is a small business, so twenty taels is enough..."
Zhang Yao said, "Zhaixing Tower's daily revenue is more than fifty taels..." She thought for a long time and finally said, "Isn't this embarrassing to the Crown Prince?!"
Gu Jinyan was very well-educated, and his expression remained calm. He picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, and sipped it carefully. In this huge play, he seemed to be an outsider spectator.
Soon, countless officers poured into the hall, surrounding the door. The leader claimed to be a judicial officer. Someone reported that the owner of Zhaixing Tower and his accomplices were bullying people, using malicious means to force purchases and sales, and evading taxes...
The manager of Zhaixing Tower kept shouting that he was innocent, but when he turned to look at the prince, his voice stopped.
This is the Prince’s Mansion!
Even the Jinwu Guards needed the Emperor's permission to enter. Now, a seventh-rank soldier barged in as if it were no man's land. Who wouldn't know that this was the Crown Prince's tacit approval?
Gu Jinyan immediately asked someone to bring a stack of testimonies and summoned several victims whose land and properties were forcibly expropriated by Zhaixinglou.
The manager of Zhaixing Tower had already turned pale with fright. As the "white gloves", they knew what kind of person their master was and whether he had done such things.
He was worried. His master was not someone to be trifled with. He rolled his eyes and said stubbornly, "What did the army say? I don't know!"
"Okay, then follow me to the Dali Temple. Someone will explain it to you." After saying that, two officers were about to carry him away.
He struggled and danced, "My master is Pei Ze, the uncle of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Who dares to touch me?"
Song Jinyi was also a little surprised at this moment. She learned about the evil nature of Zhaixing Tower from Huo Changqing, and it was just a good opportunity to use the evidence to give to Gu Jinyan, asking him to make an example of him.
But I didn't expect that the owner of Zhaixing Tower had such a relationship with the prince.
No wonder, after she finished speaking that day, Sun Guo's expression became extremely strange.
【Author’s words】
Ask for a collection [scatter flowers]
By the way, take a look at the new article "Has the Number One Scholar Been Burned to the Crematorium?"
Shen Wanqing was born in a humble family and has always been cautious and law-abiding. The only thing that was out of the ordinary was her love for Meng Jue, a new noble in the court and an important minister of the emperor.
Knowing the huge difference between them, she kept her love hidden deep in her heart. Until the day of the county lady's birthday banquet, she and Meng Jue had a love affair by chance, and Meng Jue was forced to marry her.
Everyone said that she was scheming and was willing to destroy her own innocence in order to get close to Meng Jue.
The mistress of the Meng family regarded her as a despicable person who would do anything to achieve her goals, and her sister-in-law regarded her as a bad woman who broke up her brother's good marriage, and made things difficult for her many times.
She had nothing to argue about, so she just behaved herself, abided by the code of conduct for women, was filial to her parents-in-law, managed the household business, and treated Meng Jue with respect, and their days passed in a dull and peaceful manner.
******
Meng Jue was a beautiful and elegant man with a jade-like complexion and golden appearance. Not only was he born into a noble family, he was also the new top scholar in the imperial examination. He had outstanding abilities and a bright future. Even the princess favored him. Everyone thought he would marry the princess, but unexpectedly he married a concubine's daughter of humble birth.
Meng Jue disliked his first wife because of the drugging incident at his birthday banquet, but as they got along, he found that she was gentle, diligent, docile, and committed to her duties. He gradually let go of their grudges and was willing to live a simple life with her.
Until one day, she realized the misunderstanding and handed in the divorce papers.
Later, he realized that the drugging incident was a misunderstanding.
Later, he discovered that his wife, whose eyes were once filled with admiration, now only had indifference and alienation in them.
Later, he realized that his wife was so capable that she could make his mother and sister dependent on her.
…
Meng Jue had a smooth life. He studied, took the imperial examinations, investigated cases... He never failed in his studies, but he suffered a crushing defeat in love.
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