Gu Jiu didn't care about the silver that the second young master brought back from Jiangnan, but others did.
It can be said that in the entire palace, everyone except Gu Jiu and Liu Zhao is curious about them.
After eating the vegetarian meal and taking a short rest, everyone set off to return to the palace.
After entering the second gate and getting off the carriage, Ouyang Fu planned to go back to her room first to ask the second young master how much silver he had brought back from the south.
Unexpectedly, Pei took the lead and ordered the eunuch: "Go, invite the second young master to Chunhe Hall. This princess has something to ask him. Also, invite the Lord of the Household."
The eunuch received the order and arranged for people to act separately.
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Fu exchanged a look with Concubine Shen. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law decided not to return to their room first, but to follow Pei to Chunhe Hall.
Xiao Qin'er also wants to join in the fun.
Last year, Liu Yi went to Jiangnan to collect money and made a mistake.
She wanted to see what the second young master was like this year.
It would be fine if the second young master brought back enough silver.
If the money the second young master brought back was not even as much as Liu Yi's, she would force the second young master and his wife Ouyang Fu to return the money.
Gu Jiu didn't want to join in the fun. It was cold and he just wanted to go back to his room and spend the winter.
She doesn't care whether it's money or not.
She doesn't need the money from the palace to spend.
She opened her mouth, intending to say goodbye to Pei.
Unexpectedly, Pei disagreed, "Old Lady, you are the eldest daughter-in-law, how can you stay out of the affairs of the mansion?"
Gu Jiu's eyebrows twitched. At this moment, he thought of her as the eldest daughter-in-law. Why didn't he think of her identity on weekdays?
Pei didn't give Gu Jiu a chance to refuse. As soon as she finished speaking, she walked out.
Gu Jiu had no choice but to follow.
Xiao Qin'er snorted and muttered to Gu Jiu, "The Second Young Master must have embezzled money. Sister-in-law, you are the eldest daughter-in-law, you can't just sit back and watch."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Without evidence, please don't talk nonsense. Let's see the situation first."
Gu Jiu guessed that the second young master must have been corrupt, but he would never be as blatant as Liu Yi.
The second young master was born out of wedlock, so he dared not do his job carelessly.
While doing his job diligently, King Ning condoned a little bit of corruption.
Jiangnan’s accounts will definitely pass this time.
It's probably not that easy for Pei to find fault.
Everyone arrived at Chunhe Hall and sat down.
After waiting for a while, the second young master arrived at Chunhe Hall, having changed his clothes but looking a little tired.
The palace steward has also arrived.
"Thank you for your hard work, second brother. Did the journey go smoothly?"
The Second Young Master bowed and replied, "My Lady, the journey was smooth. Thank you for your concern."
Pei asked again, "Is the situation in Jiangnan okay?"
The second young master said, "Everything is fine. The weather in Jiangnan has been good this year, and the farm's income has increased by 20% compared to last year."
"oh?"
Pei was a little surprised and looked at the head of the household.
The housekeeper took out the account book and handed it to Pei, "This year's income is indeed 20% higher than in previous years."
Pei looked through the account books. The farm had good profits, but the business of the shop and the maritime trade were not satisfactory.
She couldn't help but frown.
"My eldest daughter-in-law, I remember that you are good at accounting. Please take a look at these account books for me to see if there are any problems."
Gu Jiu was surprised. She never expected that Pei would ask her to check Jiangnan's accounts, and in front of everyone.
Gu Jiu didn't rush to agree. She calmly observed the reactions of everyone present.
Concubine Shen was obviously nervous, and Ouyang Fu beside her was breathing rapidly.
The second young master looked calm and composed.
Xiao Qin'er stretched her neck, very curious about what was recorded in the account book.
She finally looked at Pei and her eyes met Pei's.
"Big brother's wife, why aren't you moving? Hurry and take the account book."
Gu Jiu smiled softly, "My daughter-in-law obeys your command."
She took the account book with both hands and flipped through it casually.
Qingmei took out a small abacus from her body and placed it next to Gu Jiu.
I saw Gu Jiu flipping through the account book with one hand and moving the abacus with the other.
Her eyes were always on the account book, and she didn't even look at the abacus in her hand.
However, the fingers of the right hand that was moving the abacus moved up and down so fast that it seemed like a shadow.
Everyone present was amazed when they saw this scene.
I have seen people who are very good at using an abacus, but this is the first time I have seen someone as good as Gu Jiu.
Seeing her calculating, everyone thought, no wonder she is so good at business.
It seems that people who are good at accounting are good at doing business.
The farm's accounts are simple.
Most of the palace's farmland in the south of the Yangtze River was used to grow mulberry trees and raise silkworms.
As the price of silk rises, the farm's income also increases. No wonder this year's income is 20% higher than in previous years.
However, the business and maritime trade were not satisfactory.
Gu Jiu didn't have the account books from previous years, so he couldn't make a comparison.
Judging from the accounts alone, the shop's profit is very low, only 15% at most.
In retail business, is it a waste of money to make a profit of 15%?
If the retail business does not have a profit of more than 30%, the store cannot be operated at all.
Gu Jiu lowered her eyebrows and smiled. She didn't believe that there was no trick here.
I just don't know whether the blame lies with the steward or the second young master.
This year's sea trade business has made money, but the profit from sea trade is only satisfactory.
Bang!
The last piece on the abacus fell, making a crisp sound.
Gu Jiu stopped his right hand, closed the account book, and said to Princess Pei: "The account is clear, there is no problem."
Pei was suspicious.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Every entry is clear and there is no discrepancy with the general ledger."
Pei immediately understood what Gu Jiu meant.
The account books are fine and the accounts are clear. If there are any problems, they are the fault of the accountants.
If there is a problem with the person who does the accounting, then these account books are fake, and there is no question of whether there is a problem or not.
The fake account books are naturally perfect.
Without reference materials, actual transaction documents, and original accounts, there is no way to audit the accounts.
Gu Jiu returned the account book to Pei.
It didn't take her long to reconcile the accounts.
By the time everyone came to their senses, she had already finished.
Pei was flipping through the account book. The second young master brought back 170,000 taels of silver from Jiangnan this time. Compared with previous years, this income was not much different and was acceptable.
Pei asked the head of the household, "What do you think?"
The Shaofu Household Manager said vaguely, "With this money, we will be able to relax a little next year."
Pei laughed and cursed the old fox in her heart.
The housekeeper didn't say whether the second young master brought back too much or too little money, only that it was enough. Sure enough, he was good at smoothing things over.
Gu Jiu lowered his eyes and smiled.
Seventeen thousand taels, this amount of money is indeed not a small amount, enough to cover the expenses of the palace for several months.
But considering the scale of Jiangnan’s industry, a profit of 170,000 taels, is that a joke?
Not to mention the income from the farm and shop.
Just based on the scale of the palace's maritime trade, if it were left to Gu Jiu to handle, she could earn back not only 170,000 taels, but even 370,000 taels.
Of course, Gu Jiu would not rashly expose the truth.
After all, the people below also need to eat.
In other words, the people below did not let the palace go bankrupt, which was considered to be conscientious.
A less ruthless manager would simply bankrupt you. The emperor is far away, what can the palace do?
Beat up the steward? Kick him out?
It's useless.
Everyone knows that maintaining the status quo is the best solution.
Unless a strong person comes to power and handles all industries and affairs with drastic measures, and has enough people to replace the vacant positions, and can calm the shock in a short time and get the business back on track.
Are there such people?
No!
Gu Jiu can't do it either.
Because she has no one.
She is not short of money now, and if she runs out of money she can borrow money from the Shaofu.
She is short of people now, a large number of multi-talented people who can stand on their own.
In ancient times, talent was still the most valuable thing.
This year alone, Gu Jiu's business has expanded several times. However, his talent pool has not kept pace with the business expansion.
Not everyone has the ability to manage a shop or a business and ensure profitability.
Any talent must be trained and tempered.
There is no such thing as a person who is born knowing everything without paying tuition.
Geniuses also need time to accumulate and learn. The difference is that geniuses can greatly shorten the time it takes to accumulate and learn.
In just a few years, all the talents that Er Zhuang had helped Gu Jiu to reserve were sent out.
She no longer had any extra staff to send out to manage the palace's assets.
In the past, Gu Jiu also had the idea of competing for the right to be the steward of the palace and taking over the palace's property.
But now, she no longer has that intention.
She was so busy with her own business that she had no time or energy to take care of the palace's business.
And she also has to find time to get pregnant and have a baby, so she is extremely busy.
It would be better to leave the palace's property to Princess Pei.
When people are busy, they won’t have any random thoughts and won’t have time to do anything weird.
Only people with nothing to do would think about making trouble every day, such as Princess Huyang.
Pei said to the second young master, "You are quite good. You have brought back 170,000 taels of silver, which has lived up to the expectations of the prince and this princess."
The second young master felt relieved, and his heart, which had been weighing on his mind, finally settled down.
He bowed and said, "It's what a son should do."
Pei originally wanted to find fault and suppress the second young master.
However, she remembered Liu Yi's situation last year. At this time last year, the silver Liu Yi brought back was only a few tens of thousands of taels.
Comparing the two sides, Liu Yi was completely defeated.
Since her biological son was not doing well, she had no right to find fault with her illegitimate son.
Moreover, three months ago, the Second Young Master had sent someone to deliver silver. The total amount was over 200,000 taels.
This income is really my best effort.
Pei stopped trying to find fault and simply sent everyone away.
Concubine Shen smiled happily.
How could she not be happy that her own son brought honor to her?
She told the second young master that she had prepared a banquet and they would have dinner together in the evening.
The second young master readily agreed.
The second young master and Ouyang Fu returned to their room first.
The couple hadn't seen each other for more than half a year and missed each other very much.
The second young master squatted down, put his ear to the bulging belly, and listened to the baby's movements.
"He's moving." The second young master looked surprised.
Ouyang Fu laughed, covering her lips and saying, "Of course he will move. In another month, he will be born."
"It must be the son."
The second young master spoke with great force, expressing his strong desire for a son.
Ouyang Fu felt the pressure, "What if it's a daughter?"
The second young master shook his head repeatedly, "It can't be a daughter, it must be a son."
Ouyang Fu was a little panicked.
She also hoped that this baby would be a son. She was extremely eager for it, and her desire for a son was no less than that of the second young master.
But at the same time, she was mentally prepared to have a daughter.
I even thought about what I would say and do if it was a daughter, and even what kind of pressure she would be under.
But when she saw that the second young master was determined to have a son, she felt very panicked.
If it was a girl, he would be so disappointed.
What will he do?
Would he not even look at the child? Would he just follow the princess's instructions and take a concubine?
"What's wrong with you? You don't look well. Do you have a stomachache?"
The second young master asked nervously.
Ouyang Fu tried hard to smile, "It's okay, I'm fine. Don't worry."
The second young master breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled and said, "Guess what I brought back?"
Ouyang Fu was delighted when she heard this. "Is it silver?"
The second young master nodded and, like a magic trick, took out a thick envelope and said, "Take a look."
Ouyang Fu couldn't wait to open it excitedly, and found it was filled with silver notes. One hundred taels a piece, a thick stack, there must be tens of thousands of taels.
"It's thirty thousand taels in total, and we scraped it together with great difficulty. Take this money and keep it safe for our son."
Ouyang Fu smiled sweetly, "Thank you for your hard work, my husband."
"Finally, all the hard work was not in vain."
He then sighed, "Only after going to Jiangnan did I realize that all those stewards were born in the Year of the Monkey, and they're very cunning. Over the years, they've all become incredibly wealthy thanks to the assets of the palace. This young master has been dealing with them for six months, and it took a lot of effort to scrape together this much money."
"Is the manager of Jiangnan so arrogant?" Ouyang Fu looked incredulous.
The Second Young Master laughed at himself, "The emperor is far away, how can I not be arrogant? Luckily, my fourth brother set an example last year. This time when I went south of the Yangtze River, I was careful and learned from my fourth brother's lesson, so I didn't fall into their trap.
Otherwise, the mission assigned by my father would be impossible to complete. Last year, when my fourth brother went to Jiangnan, he was fooled around by those stewards. It was not his fault. To this day, those people are still spreading jokes about my fourth brother.
Ouyang Fu asked curiously, "You and the Fourth Young Master, the grandchildren of the emperor, how dare those stewards play tricks on you?"
The Second Young Master shook his head. "There's nothing they wouldn't dare do. You know there's a problem, but you can't find out where it is. Instead, they team up to fool you."
I finally understood that the Jiangnan gang had already reached an agreement in private. As long as people from the capital go there, they will unite and deal with us together.
Unless my father is determined to lay off all the people in Jiangnan, from top to bottom. But if that happens, the business in Jiangnan will be completely ruined. Maintaining the status quo, there will be at least 100,000 or 200,000 taels of income each year. If those people are moved, I'm afraid I won't get even a tael of silver."
In the final analysis, the Jiangnan officials had united to overthrow the royal palace. It was a bit like a general being out in the field and not obeying military orders.
They obey orders but not announcements, they act on their own and make their own decisions on everything.
Of course, they also don't want the palace to overturn the table and fire them.
Therefore, they would carefully maintain the status quo and ensure that they would hand over silver to the palace every year.
As for how much to pay, it all depends on who the person is from the capital.
If you are a more powerful person, you will have to pay more money.
If you are a fool, you will have to pay less money.
No matter what, the money must be paid.
As long as they paid the money, King Ning would turn a blind eye to them. Everyone was happy!
After hearing this, Ouyang Fu was secretly shocked.
"If you say so, then Jiangnan would be a den of dragons and tigers."
"That's about right. Without some skills, it's really hard to get out of this situation. Didn't my fourth brother get into trouble last year?"
"Why has the eldest son never been defeated?"
The Second Young Master frowned, "I don't know. The manager in Jiangnan is keeping his mouth shut about my eldest brother's affairs and won't reveal a single word."
He didn't know that in the early years, that is, the first ten years or so when the palace sent people to Jiangnan to purchase properties, the amount of silver paid by Jiangnan each year was less than 100,000 taels.
At that time, the palace had a small population and low expenses, and Prince Ning's attention was focused on the court, so he didn't care.
Later, Liu Zhao was able to stand on his own, so King Ning sent him to Jiangnan.
Liu Zhao is a ruthless man.
He knew that when it came to business, cooking the books, and deceiving people, he was no match for those in charge.
He was too lazy to bother with those managers.
When the money was due, everyone was locked up and given no food but only water.
Anyone who paid more than double the amount would be released, otherwise he would remain in custody.
Someone carried it for three days, paid the money and left.
Some people held on for half a month, but they couldn't hold on any longer and were almost dying, so they had no choice but to compromise and pay the money.
That year, the amount of silver paid by Jiangnan increased from tens of thousands of taels to hundreds of thousands of taels.
Prince Ning knew this matter very well.
Because Prince Ning had intercepted 80,000 taels of silver as his own money and kept it a secret from Mrs. Pei for so many years.
In the next two years, King Ning still sent Liu Zhao to the south of the Yangtze River.
Liu Zhao's style is always the same. This young master will not argue with you. This young master has been a soldier since he was young, and he only wants to show off his strength and muscles.
The subtext is:
Be honest!
Otherwise I will kill you in minutes!
Since then, the amount of silver paid by Jiangnan has increased from tens of thousands of taels per year to hundreds of thousands of taels, and occasionally exceeded 200,000 taels.
Liu Zhao has not been to Jiangnan for many years, but his legend is still circulating in Jiangnan.
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