"Your Majesty, all the houses in Yuhua Lane have been sold. I calculated that the total price paid is 700,000 taels. Half of the price has been collected in advance, and Madam Zhao has received 350,000 taels today alone."
"really?"
The emperor was rich, but he was still surprised to hear that Gu Jiu earned 350,000 taels in one day.
"Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you. The houses in Yuhua Lane are clearly priced, and there is no bargaining. I will only offer Sihai Trading Company a 20% discount on freight for one year. In less than two hours, all eighty or ninety houses in Yuhua Lane were sold."
The emperor nodded secretly, he knew that Gu Jiu knew how to make money.
He then asked, "What about half the house payment?"
"Because the house in Yuhua Lane isn't finished yet, it won't be delivered for another three months. Therefore, we're only collecting half of the payment today, and the other half will be collected upon delivery."
"In other words, Gu Jiu managed to get something for nothing, using dozens of houses that were nowhere to be found and making 350,000 taels of silver in just one day."
"That's right! Your Majesty, I'm afraid Madam Zhao's actions will set a bad precedent. Should we suppress them?"
"They clearly mark their prices, make money honestly, and never cheat anyone. They don't do anything behind closed doors. Why should they be suppressed?"
The emperor questioned.
The left guard of the Embroidered Uniform Guard bowed his head and said yes.
"Ha ha……"
Then the emperor was heard laughing.
"I was right about Gu Jiu. I knew her Yuhua Alley could make money. But I underestimated her. I didn't expect that a small Yuhua Alley with dozens of houses could be sold for hundreds of thousands of taels of silver after renovation. It's astonishing.
I see the dock she built will become quite large in the future. This involves taxation, so how can she be in control of it alone? Tomorrow, I will have her come to the palace to discuss this matter."
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"Keep watching and see what she does next."
"Your humble servant obeys your order!"
…
Li family.
Li Dalang lay on the bed half dead.
The emperor chopped him down with one sword, and then beat him with twenty sticks in court, which really took half his life.
It is not easy to survive.
Moreover, because of the blow the emperor had struck, his bones and muscles were injured. The imperial physician said that even if he recovered, there would be sequelae.
In the future, his left arm will lose its strength and flexibility.
He yelled, cried, and cursed, but nothing worked.
Now that things have come to this, he has no choice but to accept it.
Listening to the servant's report on the situation in Yuhua Lane and hearing that Gu Jiu earned hundreds of thousands of taels a day, he was so angry that his heart ached.
He raised his fists and punched the bed again and again.
"Does God have eyes? Are those foreign merchants fools? Why would they buy such an expensive house? The houses in Yuhua Lane are worthless."
The servant said tremblingly, "Master, because of the Yuhua Lane dock, those foreign merchants don't think the houses in Yuhua Lane are expensive. Some people bought three or five houses at once."
Li Dalang gritted his teeth, "Those people are all idiots. Don't I know what Yuhua Alley looks like? It's just shabby."
The servant cautiously reminded him, "All the original houses in Yuhua Lane have been demolished. The houses for sale now are newly built. The sewage and roads have been renovated, and they are completely different from before."
"Shut up! Who are you from? Who are you speaking for?"
Li Dalang picked up the medicine bowl and smashed it on the boy's head.
The servant hid secretly for a while and was discovered by Li Dalang.
Li Dalang was furious, "Drag him away and beat him severely."
In a blink of an eye, the servant was dragged away and beaten with a stick in the yard.
The steward comforted Li Dalang, "Master, the imperial physician advised us not to be impatient or anxious, as this will affect the healing of the wound."
"What if I'm healed? Can I still be an official? Can I still lift my hands? Get out, all of you get out."
Li Dalang was furious.
A bigger blow than being defeated by a rival is that his rival's life is getting more prosperous and his business is getting bigger and bigger, making him look even more miserable.
Watching Gu Jiu getting rich while he could only lie in bed recuperating from his injuries, it was obvious that the opportunity to make a fortune was his, but it was Gu Jiu who set up a trap and snatched it away from him. He felt extremely upset and wanted to kill someone.
"ah……"
Li Dalang roared in anger, like a trapped beast that couldn't find a way out.
The people in the yard didn't even dare to breathe as they listened to his roar, for fear of irritating him.
The steward was anxious and angry, "Master, you can't do this. The queen has told you to be steady and not impatient."
Li Dalang angrily shouted, "Shut up! Does the Queen know how I feel right now? Do you know the pain I'm in? The Queen knows nothing. The Queen only cares about her own wealth and glory, and the little prince. How could she care less about my situation, or the Li family's?"
"presumptuous!"
Mr. Li came in from outside with a stern face.
He waved his hand and all the servants retreated.
Master Li was furious. "How dare you slander the Empress? How many heads do you have? Without the Empress, would you be able to order servants around? Would you be able to lie on a carved nanmu bed?"
After just a few years of prosperity, you've forgotten the hard times, forgetting that your current situation is all thanks to the Empress. If it weren't for the Empress, you would have been beheaded long ago.
You are so ungrateful that you even dare to harbor resentment. I think you have been made stupid by those twenty strokes of the cane."
Li Dalang was silent, his face gloomy.
Master Li snorted, "If you continue like this, you can just become a playboy and don't have to worry about the affairs of the family."
Li Dalang couldn't believe it. "A father wants to take away his son's power? Is it possible that even the father has begun to dislike his son?"
Bang!
Mr. Li slapped the table, and the teacups and teapots jumped in fright.
"Look at you now. You've completely disgraced Consort De. With you complaining all day long, why should I give you power?"
Li Dalang gritted his teeth and said, "My son was just shocked and couldn't accept it for a while, so he became abnormal."
When Mr. Li saw that Li Dalang began to give in, his tone softened a little.
"I've heard about what happened in Yuhua Alley. I never could have imagined the transformation it's undergone and the situation it's in today. When Yuhua Alley was in ruins, why didn't you consider investing in its renovations?"
Li Dalang argued, "The people living here are just peasants. If we spend money on renovations, wouldn't that just be giving them a break?"
Master Li snorted coldly, "This shows that your vision is indeed inferior to the other party. This loss is not unfair, and you have no right to be dissatisfied. But this business is definitely not Gu Jiu's exclusive business. We can also do it. I have asked people to look for a location, and tomorrow we will also build a house and sell it."
Li Dalang suddenly became alert, "Father is planning to go against Gu Jiu?"
"What do you mean by going against the grain? This means everyone makes money. The capital doesn't belong to Gu Jiu alone, so it's naturally not her turn to make money alone."
"Father is right. Our Li family can also make this money."
…
Gu Mei was worried about her child, so after making sure all the houses were sold, she said goodbye to Gu Jiu and set off to return to Dai Hou Mansion.
Gu Jiu was still sitting in the teahouse drinking tea.
Ma Xiaoliu will report the situation in Yuhua Lane in a timely manner.
The house was sold, the money was received, and everything went smoothly.
Although I had anticipated all this, I only felt at ease when the dust finally settled.
Bai Zhong will handle the rest of the matters, and Gu Jiu is also preparing to return to the palace.
"Madam, someone wants to see you. Here's a visiting card!"
Gu Jiu was wondering how anyone knew she was here.
"Who sent the visiting card?"
"I don't know him, but his accent sounds like he's from the South."
Gu Jiu opened the visiting card and saw the powerful and vigorous characters "Respectfully paying homage to the owner of Yuhua Lane" written on the paper.
She laughed, there are smart people everywhere.
He actually found his way here by following Ma Xiaoliu and confirmed her identity.
She waved the visiting card and said to Ma Xiaoliu, "Do you know that you are being followed?"
ah?
Ma Xiaoliu was confused, terrified, and very uneasy, "Damn it, little one."
"Damn it, you'll be more careful next time. Go and invite this Mr. Zhou from the south up here."
This capable person tracked Ma Xiaoliu without anyone noticing, and was able to determine that she was the owner of Yuhua Lane based on a few clues. It must be said that he was a smart person, very smart.
Gu Jiu enjoys dealing with smart people.
She also wanted to meet this Mr. Zhou and find out where he came from.
Zhou Jin was invited to the private room on the second floor.
The door opened and he walked in, fanning himself.
When he saw Gu Jiu sitting at the table, he was obviously stunned and his expression was a little unnatural.
Gu Jiu looked at him with a half-smile, "Mr. Zhou, are you surprised to see me? Are you wondering if you were wrong? How could the owner of Yuhua Lane be a woman?"
In the blink of an eye, Zhou Jin returned to normal. "I pay my respects to Madam Zhao. Before I came here, I had no idea that Yuhua Lane was actually Madam Zhao's property. I hope Madam Zhao will forgive me for my impoliteness."
He is indeed a smart man.
"You know me?"
Gu Jiu looked the other person up and down. No matter how he looked at him, he looked like a handsome young man with good looks, not like a businessman.
Zhou Jin smiled and said, "I know a thing or two."
Gu Jiu smiled and invited the other party to sit down.
"You judged my identity the first time you met me. I'm curious, what was your basis?"
Zhou Jin and Gu Jiu sat opposite each other. "If I say I have no basis for this and it's all based on intuition, do you believe me, Madam?"
Gu Jiu shook her head. "If someone else said this, I would believe it. But if Master Zhou said it, I wouldn't believe it."
Zhou Jin gave a wry smile. "Thank you, Madam, for your high regard for me. To be honest, after arriving in the capital and hearing about the great achievements of Princess Huyang, I made a special effort to inquire about both the Princess's Mansion and Prince Ning's Mansion. I suspect that the events surrounding Yuhua Alley were likely orchestrated by someone in Prince Ning's Mansion. I've made many bold assumptions, but I never imagined that the true mastermind would be Madam Zhao."
Gu Jiu smiled softly, "You are very perceptive. I heard you are from the south. What is your business?"
"Doing business from north to south."
"A wealthy businessman?"
"Just an ordinary small businessman."
"Mr. Zhou, there's no need to be so modest. You can tell my identity at a glance. Someone who could buy three houses in Yuhua Lane at once is no ordinary small businessman. Mr. Zhou, if you don't tell me about your background, I won't ask. I wonder what you want to talk to me about?"
"If Madam doesn't mind, I would like to cooperate with you in business."
This was an idea that suddenly came to Zhou Jin.
Before coming, he just wanted to make a good connection and verify his judgment.
But the moment he saw Gu Jiu, he felt nervous for the first time in his life.
Living in the south, he had seen many outstanding women who were as capable as any man. It was not uncommon for women to run businesses, even those ten times larger than those in Yuhua Alley.
There is no shortage of such women in the South.
However, for someone as young, beautiful, and dignified as Gu Jiu, who was of such a high status, to personally manage such a large business, with such a novel business method, Zhou Jin was instantly astonished.
After a few words of casual chat, he became more and more amazed.
So, he changed his mind and decided to cooperate with the lady in front of him.
Gu Jiu smiled softly, "I don't do business between the north and the south."
"Common people don't just do business between the north and the south."
Zhou Jin regretted not being honest enough at the beginning.
Gu Jiu said: "I'm not interested in cooperation at the moment, we can talk again when there's a chance."
She served tea to the guests.
Zhou Jin's heart choked, and he felt choked up. In an instant, he calmed down again.
"I'm sorry to bother you today, Madam. I'm Zhou Jin, a businessman, and I'd like to formally meet you, Madam."
Gu Jiu looked at him with a half-smile, "We already know each other."
Zhou Jin understood and said, "I'll take my leave."
He was decisive and graceful, and remained neither humble nor overbearing from the beginning to the end, leaving without any regrets or loss.
Zhou Jin hurried downstairs.
As he got into the carriage, he looked back toward the second floor.
He saw a pair of bright eyes, which flashed by.
Zhou Jin laughed, got on the carriage and left.
Instead of returning to the inn, he went directly to the alley.
Walking into the shabby courtyard in the alley, Zhou Jin bowed to the person in front of him and said, "Greetings, uncle."
Zhou Shi'an looked up at Zhou Jin with a strange and scrutinizing look in his eyes.
Zhou Shian, the cynical, down-and-out scholar who once lived in a dilapidated temple in the northwest, was inspired by Gu Jiu's words and decided to strive again. So he came to the capital and studied hard behind closed doors.
The little beggar who had accompanied him at the beginning had long disappeared since they left the dilapidated temple.
He didn't know that the little beggar had already entered the palace and changed his name to Zhou Miao. He was already an eunuch in the Imperial Kitchen and was doing very well in the harem.
"Uncle, I am Zhou Jin from the Huai'an Zhou family. My father told me to come and pay my respects to you when I arrive in the capital."
Zhou Shi'an's face was serious. "I know you, the pirate leader. The Zhou family's reputation has been ruined by you."
Zhou Jin smiled faintly, "Uncle, you really think too highly of me. If I were the pirate leader, I could appear before the Emperor, wouldn't I be afraid of the Embroidered Uniform Guards coming to arrest me?"
Zhou Shian raised his eyebrows and sneered, "Don't try to coax me with words that you would use to coax a three-year-old. I know exactly what kind of person you are. Tell me, why did you come to see me?"
"The Zhou family of Jiangnan originally shared the same ancestor. Why would my uncle reject his nephew from such a distance?"
"We share the same ancestors but different clans. Your Huai'an Zhou family and our Chuzhou Zhou family are already five generations apart. Don't just randomly claim kinship with anyone with the last name Zhou."
Zhou Jin heard this and smiled indifferently, "Uncle, what you said makes sense. This time I went to the capital, in addition to delivering a batch of goods, I also wanted to buy some dowry for my elder sister. I heard that my elder sister will be marrying into the Pingnan Marquis Mansion as the eldest daughter-in-law. We are all descendants of the Zhou family. It would be fine if I didn't make it, but since I did, of course I have to show my gratitude."
Zhou Shian said, "It's useless to tell me. I have long since severed ties with the people over there. I am a descendant of the Chuzhou Zhou family, but not a descendant of the Chuzhou Zhou family. You don't need to ask me about weddings and funerals."
Zhou Jin said seriously, "I've heard a little about the unpleasantness between my uncle and the family. But after so many years, it's time for my uncle to be more open-minded. Since he can pick up books again and sell goods to the imperial family, why can't he make peace with the family?"
Zhou Shian laughed sarcastically, "It's not your turn to comment on my affairs. If you have nothing else to say, just get out of here."
Zhou Jin bowed slightly and said, "I have prepared a small gift for you today. I hope you will accept it."
Zhou Shian didn't give any face at all, "No matter what the gift is, take it all."
Zhou Jin said nothing, clapped his hands, and two servants and two maids came in one after another.
"From now on, these four people will take care of your daily life and run errands. You don't have to worry about your wages, I have already thought of everything for you. You are busy, so I will take my leave now."
"I don't want these four people, take them all away."
"The people have been given to my uncle. You can beat or kill them as you wish. But you cannot return them to my nephew."
Zhou Jin spoke briefly and decisively, then stood up and left.
Zhou Shi'an was not given any chance to retreat.
Zhou Shian was slow, and by the time he chased after him, Zhou Jin had already disappeared. Furious, Zhou Shian scolded Zhou Jin for a full quarter of an hour, never repeating himself.
He said to the four servants, "Get out! I don't need anyone to serve me here."
The four servants and maids knelt on the ground together, "Please have mercy, Master."
"roll!"
Zhou Shi'an closed the door and ignored the four people. They could kneel if they wanted to, or leave if they wanted to. He didn't care.
As a result, these four people knelt outside for a whole day and night without eating a single grain of rice.
Zhou Shian was furious.
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