The titles of nobility in Daqing are all hereditary. There are more than a dozen marquises, two dukes, and nearly twenty earls in Daqing.
The Duke is a first-class marquis. Only those whose ancestors have outstanding military merits or outstanding contributions can be awarded the first-class title. Marquis is a second-class title, and Earl is a third-class title.
But the reality is that the favored marquis families who still have real power and whose families make contributions to the court all stay in the capital, at the feet of the emperor.
Those marquis families who only had titles but whose families made no contribution to the court were assigned to other prefectures. They had been passing down the title from generation to generation, but no outstanding children were born in their families. Gradually, they would be forgotten by the emperor and would not receive any benefits.
However, theirs was a large family with deep roots and a large population, and they were used to living a luxurious life. The fiefs given by the court were simply not enough to support the entire population.
Therefore, they had no choice but to set up businesses privately and seek personal gain.
But they did not want the court to know, so they chose to start businesses in a nominal manner. The nominal owners were not actually the real owners at all.
Although Yuelai Restaurant and Xiaoxiang Restaurant are not as good as Feihualou, they still do good business in the south of the city. The former serves Jeju local cuisine, while the latter serves Jiangnan cuisine, and they do not interfere with each other.
As for who is the boss behind Feihua Tower, no one knows. All we know is that he is a big shot, the kind that even Marquis Shunyi and Earl Changyi don't dare to offend.
These two are the top dignitaries in Jeju. They always think highly of themselves. They only hang out with people in official circles, such as the officials' families in Jeju. They are one circle, and the businessmen are another circle.
However, these dignitaries only seem noble, but for a little benefit, they cannot avoid dealing with some wealthy businessmen, such as the Xie family and the Su family.
Mrs. Su and Mrs. Xie were often invited by Mrs. Hou and Mrs. Bo to participate in tea parties and poetry gatherings.
Every time I went there, I felt a low sense of presence and was looked down upon behind my back by these officials' wives, but I had to give them face and not go.
After reading it, Jiang Sui still had to go back and think about it carefully, and then discuss it with Xiao Hechuan. Opening a restaurant is not like opening a noodle shop, and the investment is very large.
In a nutshell, starting a business is risky and investment needs to be cautious. Once you start, you are going all in. Once you fail, you have to start all over again.
It requires careful planning and consideration of many factors before you can take action.
After leaving the south of the city, Jiang Sui estimated the time and asked Ranqiu what time it was. Ranqiu looked up at the sky and said:
"It's almost time. I'll accompany my wife to pick up the Fourth Master!"
The ancients judged the time by looking at the sky, but Jiang Sui, as a modern person, does not have this skill, so she asks several times a day what time it is.
The place where they were was not far from Sima Mansion, and it would only take twenty minutes to walk there. However, there was no one looking after Xiaoji's shop on West Street today, so Jiang Sui asked Ranqiu to go to the shop first and wait for her to come back.
Ranqiu was a little hesitant, but Jiang Sui insisted, so she had no choice but to compromise.
After separating from Ran Qiu, Jiang Sui went straight to Sima Mansion to pick up Xiao Hechuan. She had been thinking about the restaurant in her mind, thinking about choosing one of the two and trying to keep the cost within 6,000 taels.
She actually preferred the building that cost four thousand five hundred taels of silver, but the other one was also good. She had to discuss the details with Xiao Hechuan.
But she didn't know that there were several people following her for a long time.
For example, government offices are usually built in remote and sparsely populated places to facilitate office work and case handling, so there are very few passers-by passing by.
Today is the annual provincial examination. The government office has been put under martial law. Before the examination is over, no one is allowed to approach within three kilometers to avoid disturbing the candidates in the office.
Jiang Sui calculated the time, thinking that by this time, the ban would be lifted.
But it was precisely because of this that the criminals took advantage of her. She was thinking about something, so when the criminals covered her mouth and nose with a cloth soaked in drugs from behind, she didn't react at all. Her whole body instantly became weak and her consciousness fell into chaos.
When she was about to die, she only felt as if she was put into a sack and then carried away by someone.
Fortunately, this scene was seen by two little beggars hiding in the corner. These two little beggars were none other than the little beggar that Xiao Hechuan had helped.
Yesterday, when the two little beggars went to Xiaoji to get free steamed buns, Jiang Sui and Xiao Hechuan saw the two brothers.
The two of them came often, and Xiao Hechuan specially greeted them and said that he could give them two extra steamed buns when they came, because the two children were pitiful.
Jiang Sui was talking to them at that time. The couple was discussing the provincial examination the next day, and the two little ones happened to hear it.
There were several heavy snowfalls before the New Year, and one of the brothers caught a cold. As expected, Xiao Hechuan was right. He told them not to spend the money they had indiscriminately, but to save it for emergencies, which could save lives at critical moments.
The two of them were able to get some alms by begging on the streets, and with the money given by Xiao Hechuan and buried in the corner of the ancestral hall, they had a few hundred copper coins. With these copper coins, they bought some medicine to dispel the wind and cold, and the two brothers shared it, and they barely got through the winter.
Moreover, Xiao's mother also knew about the two of them, and she specially gave them the old clothes that Yuan Ge'er had changed and could no longer wear. Since they could not be worn anymore, it would be a pity to throw them away, and these two little beggars just happened to need them.
They are older than Yuan Ge, but they are thin and look really pitiful. They have no parents and can only survive by begging.
They survived the winter thanks to the charity and kindness of the Xiao family, so they were very grateful and kept it in mind.
Hearing that their benefactor was going to take the examination for a scholar, in their eyes, Xiao Hechuan was what they expected to be in the future. They came to the Sima government office today on purpose, wanting to take a look from afar, but because of the martial law they couldn't get close, so they simply stayed nearby.
Unexpectedly, I happened to see Jiang Sui being taken away by criminals.
The two little guys were terribly scared, but they didn't dare to alert the enemy.
The older one said directly to his younger brother:
"You go and report the news to our benefactor, and I'll follow them to prevent them from bullying my sister!"
The younger one nodded vigorously, then ran towards Sima Mansion, while the older one quietly followed the group of criminals.
He is small in stature and makes almost no sound when he runs, so he is hard to be spotted.
As for Xiao Hechuan, he had just sent the young man to Xiaoji to look for someone, when the little beggar came right after him, running out of breath. From a distance, he recognized Xiao Hechuan, who had an extraordinary temperament among the students, and shouted loudly:
“Benefactor, benefactor…”
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