Liu Zhao sent the Thirteenth Prince away and immediately went to attend the banquet hosted by the Fifth Prince.
The phrase "pools of wine and meat" is not enough to describe this banquet.
Everyone is immersed in it and enjoys it to the fullest.
Only Liu Zhao remained sober.
"Prince Zhao, do you look down on my banquet?" the fifth prince asked.
Liu Zhao laughed heartily.
"why are you laughing?"
"I am laughing at His Highness's pity and lament."
Bang!
The general drew the sword from his waist and rushed towards Liu Zhao to kill him.
Guard Zhao San jumped out to block, and the two sides fought each other.
The Fifth Prince did not speak out to stop the general, nor did Liu Zhao, allowing Zhao San and Wu Jiang to engage in a life-and-death battle.
Liu Zhao picked up the wine glass and took a sip. "Poor Queen, deposed and killed. Your Highness has no desire to avenge your mother, but only knows how to live a life of drunkenness and debauchery, a coward. I'm afraid that next time, the butcher's knife will fall on Your Highness's head."
“Bold!”
Several more generals stood up.
The fifth prince narrowed his eyes, waved his hand, and everyone retreated.
Guard Zhao San also retreated behind Liu Zhao.
"Gongzi Zhao, don't try to sow discord between the father-son relationship between the king and me."
Liu Zhao sneered, "Your Highness, do you know that in our Great Zhou, there's a saying that the hatred for killing one's mother is irreconcilable. The King deposed and killed the Queen for a woman. Not only did Your Highness lose your mother, but you also lost your status as a legitimate son, effectively depriving you of the right to inherit the throne. Is this the love between father and son? Enemies are nothing more than this."
Furthermore, your Highness's uncle had his military power taken away by that woman's brother. Is Your Highness really willing to accept this? General Huala could have humiliated a princess to death, so I'm afraid the King wouldn't even care if he killed a few princes.
When General Huala kills you all, that woman's son will have no more obstacles, and he will be the next king. "I ask, Your Highness, are you willing to wait for death?"
"Gongzi Zhao, please stop exaggerating."
Liu Zhao sneered, "Am I being sensational, Your Highness? You might as well ask yourself. Will General Huala one day lead his troops to surround your mansion, chop off your head, and then go to the palace to seek credit for your crime?"
You, already on General Huala's death list, actually have time to feast here. If the Queen is still alive, she'd be furious. Of course, if Your Highness just wants to indulge in some crazy things before dying, just pretend I never said anything."
The fifth prince's expression changed constantly.
Liu Zhao knew the time had come. He lowered his voice and asked, "Your Highness, don't you want revenge? Don't you want to rush into the palace and kill that woman? Don't you want to ascend the throne? You are the legitimate son. According to the rules of our Great Zhou, that position originally belonged to you. You are simply taking back what originally belonged to you from someone else."
The fifth prince stared at Liu Zhao, "What do you want to do?"
Liu Zhao spoke nonsense in a serious tone, "We, the Great Zhou, are the Celestial Empire, a nation of propriety. We cannot sit idly by and watch the beasts do what they do. We, the Great Zhou, must rectify the government, uphold morality, and purge the emperor's court."
When the three words "clear the court" came out, the fifth prince's heart began to beat violently.
The sky in Beirong is about to change.
…
Gu Jiu invited people to have tea and booked the entire second floor of the teahouse to avoid being disturbed.
"Sister Mei, come quickly."
Gu Jiu asked Gu Mei to sit down.
Gu Mei said apologetically: "I'm late, please forgive me, Sister Xiaojiu."
"Sister Mei, you're welcome."
Qingmei served tea and retreated to a corner of the private room to wait.
Gu Mei picked up the teacup and took a sip. "This is the tea that Xiaojiu brought from the palace."
"Exactly. Sister Mei is indeed a good judge of taste."
Gu Mei covered her mouth and smiled, "I'm not appreciating it. I know that the teahouse can't possibly have such good tea, so I made this guess."
Gu Jiu also started laughing.
The window was open and outside was the street, bustling with people coming and going.
Gu Mei asked, "Sister Xiaojiu, there's been quite a commotion in Yuhua Lane. I heard today is the opening day. Oh, the word 'opening' is a bit of a mouthful."
"Little Jiu, why do you have so many ideas? The launch, pre-sale, model homes, and that dock? Even my housekeeper said that it makes shipping much more convenient. How do you come up with so many new and exciting things?"
Gu Jiu pointed to his head and said, "I figured it out here."
Gu Mei giggled, "My brain isn't as useful as yours."
After laughing, she became worried again. "I've heard from many people that your Yuhua Lane is going to lose money. Building the dock and the houses will cost a lot of money. Sister Xiaojiu, tell me, will it really lose money? If it does, you don't have to pay back the money I invested. Just think of it as a gift from me to you."
Gu Jiu was touched. "Thank you, Sister Mei. But do you think I'm someone who would lose money?"
"That's not the case. It's just that in business, there are bound to be gains and losses. If you really lose money, don't be discouraged. There will be opportunities in the future."
Gu Jiu shook his head and smiled, "Sister Mei, don't worry, Yuhuaxiang won't lose money. By the end of the year, I promise to send you the money with interest, so that you can also make some money."
Gu Mei laughed. "That's great. I also hope this business can make money. You don't know, when people in the mansion learned that I invested money in Yuhua Lane, they all said that my money would be wasted. I don't know how to refute them, after all, the house hasn't been sold yet.
These days, I heard that Yuhuaxiang was going to be sold, and I was so worried. I just couldn't bear to be laughed at. I was thinking, if Yuhuaxiang can make money, or even if it doesn't make money and just breaks even, I'm going to go back and give them a good slap in the face.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Don't worry, Sister Mei, you can go back today and give them a good slap in the face."
After a pause, she asked again, "But Aunt Qu laughed at you?"
Gu Mei nodded, "Not only Aunt Qu, but also the old lady. You know, my old lady is the most partial, she believes everything Aunt Qu says.
Aunt Qu made a few slanderous remarks, and the old lady took them seriously. She almost pointed at my nose and scolded me for involving the Dai Hou Mansion.
Fortunately, when Princess Huyang fought against the Li family, she won in the end. Otherwise, I don’t know how many words they would have used to shut me up.
Gu Jiu felt sorry for Gu Mei, "That Miss Qu, is she still trying to provoke Sister Mei?"
"She doesn't dare. She was frightened by you, Sister Jiu. Your warning is still fresh in her mind, and she hasn't forgotten it."
Gu Jiu laughed, "That's great. If Miss Qu dares to provoke Sister Mei again, and Sister Mei is not convenient to come forward, I will teach her a lesson for you. The Daihou Mansion should not bully our Gu family."
Gu Mei was touched and said, "Thank you, sister Xiaojiu."
"Sister Mei, you don't have to be polite to me."
The eunuch Ma Xiaoliu went up to the teahouse,
"Madam, it has already started over at Yuhua Lane."
“Oh, how many people are here?”
"One thousand two hundred license plates were issued, and one thousand have arrived."
Gu Jiu nodded. One thousand license plates were basically within her expectations.
After all, this is a new sales model, and many people are skeptical of this pre-order method. Even if you get a license plate, you may not necessarily go to the site. And even if you go, you may not necessarily pay for the house.
Gu Jiu was not in a hurry.
With the support of Yuhua Lane Wharf and the Sihai Trading Company working hard to promote the houses, there is no worry about not being able to sell the houses in Yuhua Lane, and there is no worry about not being able to sell them at a high price.
You know, Yuhua Lane is in an excellent location. The reason it was worthless in the past was simply because the surrounding environment was too bad and not conducive to business.
With the overall improvement of the environment, the upgrading of houses, and the proximity to the wharf, Yuhua Lane is the perfect place for businesses to buy houses and use them as shops or warehouses. It is undoubtedly the top choice for real estate investment in Beijing.
A discerning businessman, seeing the overall plan, knows that buying a house in Yuhua Lane is a sure win. The value of a house in Yuhua Lane will undoubtedly increase in the future.
Gu Mei was a little worried, "Is there a problem?"
Gu Jiu shook his head and said with a smile: "Sister Mei, everything is as expected."
She then asked Ma Xiaoliu, "Who are these people?"
Ma Xiaoliu bowed and said, "About 80% are merchants from other places, and only 20% are local merchants in Beijing."
Gu Jiu smiled knowingly, "Go tell Bai Zhong to pay special attention to the 80% of merchants from other places. As for the local merchants in the capital, I'm afraid few of them will make up their minds to take action this time."
"I understand. I'll be right there."
Ma Xiaoliu left in a hurry.
Gu Mei asked, "Is it because the local merchants in Beijing already have real estate, so they won't buy houses in Yuhua Lane?"
Gu Jiu nodded. "That's right! The 20% of local merchants in Beijing are mostly here to watch the fun. The real buyers are the 80% of merchants from other places. They need a place to stay in Beijing and a place to ship their goods. Yuhua Alley is their best choice."
Gu Mei said, "I didn't expect that doing business has so many tricks. Sister Xiaojiu sent people to the Weishui Wharf to attract foreign merchants?"
"That's right!"
In order to attract foreign merchants, Gu Jiu opened the Yuhua Lane Wharf in advance.
To this end, she personally went to the Shaofu Household Director's Mansion several times, and also asked people to go to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the City Gate Guard, the Five Cities Bingmass, the Jingzhao Mansion, and even the Ministry of Revenue in the name of the Ning Wang Mansion.
You know, in order to get a license to pay taxes on behalf of others, all these government offices must be in place.
As the saying goes, it is easy to see the King of Hell, but difficult to deal with little devils.
Don't think that just because you're using the name of the royal palace, the city gate guards will politely let you through, the tax officials of the Ministry of Revenue won't make things difficult for you, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Five Cities Military Command won't cause trouble for you, and the Jingzhao Prefecture won't make things difficult for you.
Even if you are polite once or twice, you won't be polite forever. They will always find a chance to find fault and turn a small matter into a big one.
Therefore, before the Sihai Trading Company started operating, Gu Jiu spent a lot of time and money to manage these government offices.
Some shares were even divided and given to certain government offices and certain individuals.
What she wants is for others to cooperate willingly, rather than to cooperate out of fear of power.
Only when everyone cooperates willingly and benefits, can this business continue for a long time.
She put all the government offices in place, so when merchants from other places shipped goods to the capital, they only had to ask Sihai Trading Company to transport the goods, and they could avoid the difficulties posed by these government offices and conduct their business smoothly.
This is the biggest advantage of water transportation along this short inner city river.
Thanks to the publicity of Sihai Trading Company, Yuhua Lane has become well-known among merchants from other places.
Some merchants had originally planned to leave the capital a few days ago.
I stayed here until today in order to buy a property in Yuhua Lane.
Gu Mei asked curiously, "Can all the houses be sold out?"
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "Don't worry, Sister Mei, there will definitely not be enough houses to sell in Yuhua Lane. When the time comes, I will withdraw from the second phase of the project. Sister Mei, do you want to continue investing money then?"
“Cough cough cough…”
Gu Mei coughed repeatedly, "Do you still want to continue doing this business?"
Gu Jiu nodded, "Yeah. Renovating a house is so much fun."
Developer!
Is there any business in the world that is more profitable than developers?
She can make money without doing anything, how could she give up?
It’s just Yuhua Lane, where can we go?
Why did she ask the Shaofu to borrow 200,000 taels of silver? Did she really think she could just have fun with the money?
Of course, it’s to buy houses and land.
Before anyone could react, Gu Jiu had already taken the money and started shopping everywhere, becoming a shopaholic.
By today, not a penny of the two hundred thousand taels had been left.
Gu Jiu felt a sense of accomplishment about this.
Don’t be fooled by her being good at making money, what she is best at is actually spending money.
She is a person with great ambitions.
If she wasn't so bad at chemistry and didn't have enough money, she could even make cement and directly drag the emperor into becoming an infrastructure fanatic. Do you believe it?
There is no cement, but there is soil cement, which is also known as mortar.
Although the effect is not as good as cement, it is sufficient in this era.
Gu Mei couldn't help laughing, "Next time, I will invest money again. I will invest more money."
Gu Jiu asked with a smile, "Sister Mei, aren't you worried about losing money? The more you invest, the more you lose."
Gu Mei smiled and said, "Seeing that you are so confident, I believe Yuhua Lane will definitely make money. You can also make money by doing other businesses in the future."
"Thank you, Sister Mei. If there's a good project in the future, I'll definitely bring you on board. I'll have you fill up the coffers and use the money to slap Aunt Qu in the face."
Gu Mei burst into laughter. "If I make money, Aunt Qu's face will be so ugly. I'm afraid the old lady won't be happy either."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "What I want is for them to be unhappy."
…
Yuhua Lane is still a big construction site.
In order to prepare for today's opening, we have specially cleared an open area for everyone to settle down.
The two model houses located at the entrance of the alley are particularly eye-catching.
Under the arrangement of the clerk, the merchants entered the model house in batches to take a look.
The model apartment is fully equipped, and its functions are clear at a glance. There's a shop in the front and a yard in the back, allowing for business use while the backyard serves as a warehouse. There's a small second floor, used for living, complete with a kitchen, a well, and a clean toilet.
The model houses are divided into one-room and two-room models, in two sizes.
There is also a kind of extra-large luxurious house with three rooms and a courtyard gate.
In addition to the model house, what attracts everyone most is the huge model located in the center of the living room.
The carpenters used their skillful hands to scale down Yuhua Lane, the wharf, and the surrounding environment, and placed them in the center of the living room for all merchants to visit.
Room 1, Room 2, Room 3...
The layout, size and location of each apartment are all clearly visible.
The customers looked at the model and nodded silently, thinking that this would sell well. Although the environment was not very good, with a construction site outside, every aspect had been thought of, which was quite thoughtful.
Zhou Jin walked into the checkpoint room with his license plate, full of curiosity.
When he saw the model in the middle of the hall, he kept looking at it like a curious baby.
This trip to the capital really broadened my horizons.
After viewing the model house and model, if you are interested in buying, you can go to the simple shed built outside to negotiate.
If you are sure you want to buy the house, pay half of the price first, and then pay the other half when you get the house three months later.
Zhou Jin pointed at the model and said to the manager beside him, "Go and negotiate to buy numbers 8, 10, and 12."
The steward was surprised. "Sir, are you sure you want to buy so many? Why not just buy one set?"
Zhou Jin shook his head and said, "Do as I say."
If it weren't for other things that required a large sum of money, he would have wanted to buy the entire Yuhua Lane.
With his sharp eyes, he saw at a glance that the houses in Yuhua Lane would definitely appreciate in value.
Houses in Yuhua Lane are not cheap.
When Gu Jiu was building this area, he never thought about selling it to ordinary people. His initial target customers were wealthy merchants.
The cheapest shop room, depending on the location, cost four thousand taels of silver, while the most expensive one cost a full eight thousand taels.
The cheapest of the two shop houses starts at eight thousand taels.
The asking price for three shop houses was over ten thousand taels, but there were only eight of them.
The house in Yuhua Lane refuses to be bargained. The most I can offer you is a 20% discount on freight from Sihai Trading Company, valid for one year.
This housing price caused an uproar among local merchants in Beijing.
Yuhua Lane, which used to be shabby and no one wanted, is now priced at a very high price. A new house is priced at four thousand taels. It’s a money grab!
But for foreign merchants, this price is reasonable.
Living in the capital is not easy.
It is not expensive at all to buy a house in the capital with four thousand taels, which is close to the dock, has a great location, a large flow of people, and can be used as a shop, warehouse, and also for living.
Merchants from other places, especially those from the south, are all wealthy and can directly use silver notes to buy houses.
When the northern merchants saw this, they were unwilling to be left behind and bought three or five sets in one go.
The onlookers whose identities were yet to be determined, mixed in the crowd, gasped when they saw this scene.
Who said that Yuhua Lane couldn’t be sold?
Among these onlookers whose identities were yet to be determined were the emperor's secret agents, servants of the Li family, stewards of the royal palace, and errand boys for the various mansions in the capital...
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