Zhao Minggeng was unmarried, a fact known to all the officials in the capital.
As a result, this low-ranking official has recently become a darling of the marriage market.
Not all officials' residences are so clean, so clean that there isn't even a concubine.
Although there are two unmarried sons in the family.
However, it is said that the two sons have already separated from the family and are both promising scholars with unlimited potential.
With these conditions, any girl who marries into this family should be blessed.
At least you won't suffer from the troubles of women in your backyard.
Isn't that how people are? The more you dislike someone, the more attention you pay to them.
In the imperial court, men engage in open and covert struggles, while their families see through appearances to the true nature of things.
We must not underestimate these experts in the inner quarters; they are very well-informed.
Mr. Huang has been very busy lately.
Originally, she was an old lady of no rank who had never met so many people.
As a result, the ranks of the women who came to visit were all higher than the last.
Even though Huang was very good at socializing, she disliked being around people of much higher status than herself.
Every word you say must be carefully considered.
Otherwise, things could get out of hand, and this old woman might even have to kowtow and kneel before them, which would be outrageous.
They were implying they wanted to arrange a marriage, but there has to be a goal behind such a marriage.
There are three bachelors in her family right now, waiting to find a wife.
If you don't mention the son or the father, the old woman won't be able to respond.
Everyone was really unhappy.
Even someone as outspoken as Huang was finding it hard to handle.
He found his granddaughter and complained.
In the end, Zhao Qingyan felt so sorry for her grandmother that she dragged Xu Dongsheng into the palace once.
At a considerable cost, they managed to obtain an imperial edict from the Emperor for Lady Huang.
The privilege of not having to kneel.
Otherwise, I'm really worried that the old lady might get sick if she's disturbed.
Out of consideration for their kinship, Zhao Qingyan actually gave the Emperor 90% of the profits from the glass and cement business.
This finally filled the emperor's deep, gaping maw.
Zhao Qingyan had long been intentionally or unintentionally giving concessions to the Emperor, and was even gradually reducing her assets.
The goal is to find a way out. Even if someone is incredibly wealthy, they'll eventually be swallowed up by the state.
Therefore, they gradually reduced the business of Hui Cui Ge, and the business of Hui Cui Ge shifted from being open to being operated covertly.
They acquired large amounts of land and transitioned from commerce to agriculture.
The land deed is not in Zhao Qingyan's name, nor in the name of anyone in the Zhao family.
The orphanage has raised so many children, and they are all capable of standing on their own two feet now.
Their growth has added a significant chapter to Zhao Qingyan's business empire.
I have been back in the capital for almost a year.
Zhao Minggeng attended several wedding banquets at the homes of his colleagues.
"To take a concubine and then hold a grand banquet, isn't that disrupting the established order?"
While complaining, Zhao Minggeng changed into his everyday clothes and prepared to go out to the Marquis's residence for a banquet.
Zhao Qingyang suddenly reminded him,
"Dad, you must take good care of yourself."
We don't object to you getting married, but you must find someone who is compatible with you.
Don't fall into people's traps.
"A wife like that, let alone you finding her disgusting, we'd be fed up with her too."
Zhao Minggeng turned around and glared at his son.
"You jinx! I'm not some silver coin that everyone loves. I'm getting old, so don't worry."
"But you, lad, when are you going to bring home a wife for your father?"
Zhao Qingyang turned his head,
"I'm talking to you. Be serious. I've done some calculations, and I'm sure there's something fishy going on at this wedding banquet. Be careful."
Although Zhao Minggeng did not believe his eldest son's advice, as a good man, he understood the importance of protecting himself.
When Zhao Minggeng arrived, most of the guests had already left.
Zhao Minggeng carried a gift box containing a day's worth of porcelain.
Brought back from Hongling County
There was a problem with the color matching during the initial production, but the final result after firing was exceptionally beautiful.
Although no fixed pattern is visible, the blurring effect, combined with the light texture, delicate glaze, and the smooth, oily feel of jade, makes it very appealing.
This batch of porcelain is quite outstanding, but it doesn't quite conform to mainstream aesthetics.
Therefore, the county magistrate accepted this batch of "defective products".
Of course, he paid for it; Zhao Minggeng paid for the labor.
He's not the type to take advantage of others easily.
Zhao Qingyan helped bring this batch of porcelain back.
Although Zhao Minggeng had only been back for a short time, he was initially ostracized.
Later, there was another uproar over the issue of tax-free farmland.
His reputation has improved a bit now, and as a result, he gets invitations to weddings and baby showers.
The old lady sent out invitations for her birthday celebration, and now, even more outrageous, she's sending out invitations for taking a concubine.
Damn it, a bunch of pear blossoms overshadowing a crabapple, and that shameless person actually dares to show it off.
Zhao Minggeng politely declined all invitations to banquets.
But he couldn't just not show up. If he went, he had to bring gifts, so Zhao Minggeng began giving away a large quantity of porcelain.
Whenever someone in a family has a happy occasion, if their official rank is similar to his, it's likely that they'll receive a pair of beautiful, decorative plates.
If it is of a higher grade, it is a tea set; and if it is of an even higher grade, it is a set of tableware for six people.
What was presented to the emperor was nothing more than a beautiful set of Kung Fu tea utensils.
Of course, he also brought a coffee table, but Zhao Minggeng didn't think much of it.
After all, the wood wasn't anything particularly precious; its advantage lay in its natural state, coupled with the carving craftsmanship.
The drain pipe did cost some money; it was made of gold.
After all, only gold doesn't rust. But it didn't cost more than three ounces of gold.
However, that set of Kung Fu tea set brought in quite a few rewards; roughly calculated, it could be worth at least five or six thousand taels of silver.
Zhao Minggeng is just that simple and unpretentious, yet he has such refined taste.
The porcelain gifts they gave were all so dazzling.
Today, Zhao Minggeng gave away a set of tableware for six people.
Because the packaging was so beautiful, with the finest cotton and brocade lining inside, the set of tableware was absolutely stunning.
The gift ledger at the entrance records that all gifts received will be opened and checked on the spot before being registered to avoid any mistakes when returning gifts in the future.
The person in charge has been doing this kind of gift-giving work for years, and has seen plenty of good stuff.
But when I opened this set of porcelain, I was still secretly amazed.
I haven't seen porcelain of such high quality and such beautiful color in all these years.
This isn't for eating; it's purely for admiring.
The manager set a price for the porcelain set in his mind: 800 taels of silver.
After presenting the gift, Zhao Minggeng stepped into the courtyard of the Marquis of Changyi's residence.
Indeed, there were many guests gathered, and at a glance, there were quite a few high-ranking officials of the first and second ranks.
This Marquis Changyi is quite interesting. He's over 50 years old, and he's been taking in concubines one after another in his household, but only his wife has given birth to two daughters.
The concubines, let alone having children, didn't even lay a single egg.
This greatly troubled the Marquis, as it is said that a large and prosperous family is a sign of a thriving household.
But his family's thousand acres of fertile land had only two seedlings, like spilled water; with no one to inherit the vast family fortune, how could the Marquis be content?
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