When Gu Jiu met with the Minister of War, there was no tension or confrontation.
The whole process was harmonious and peaceful, with warm spring breeze and sunshine.
When she offered to sell her cotton coat at a price 20% lower than the market price in exchange for her old cotton coat, the Minister of War readily agreed to the deal.
The initial number of cotton coats was set at 20,000 sets, enough for the entire Jingxi Battalion to change clothes.
But at the same time, the Minister of War put forward two conditions.
First, a one-month deposit is required. This means the goods are delivered first and payment is made one month after delivery.
Gu Jiu gritted his teeth, thinking that all the ministers were shameless old bastards.
After bargaining, the two sides finally reached an agreement: the Ministry of War would pay a 40% deposit first, and the remaining 60% would be paid one month after delivery. Once the cotton clothes were handed over, they would not be returned or exchanged unless there were quality issues.
The second condition was that the Ministry of War would determine how worn out the old cotton clothes were. Gu Jiu was not allowed to make any demands.
Gu Jiu bared her teeth. Is he trying to trick her? He is trying to trick her.
Gu Jiu simply said, "Old cotton clothes must be delivered dry, weigh no less than three kilograms, and have no more than four patches. The quantity is 30,000 sets."
"We just agreed on two or three sets, and now you've changed it to 30,000. Madam Zhao, your business is dishonest."
Gu Jiu smiled lightly, "Old man, you have to let me make some money. Brand new cotton clothes, with wool and lining made entirely of this year's new cotton, sold to the Ministry of War at 20% below the market price.
"This kind of deal is unbelievable if you miss it. Take a look at our samples. Aren't they thicker, warmer, and feel better than traditional cotton jackets?"
The Minister of War touched the sample and found it felt truly fine. Made of genuine cotton and linen. It was double-layered, with the inner layer made of wool. The lining was made of tightly packed new cotton. It felt incredibly comfortable.
"Can you guarantee that all 20,000 sets will be of this quality?"
"Of course! The old man can send someone to ask about my reputation. I never sell inferior goods as good ones in business. You can also ask about the Marquis of Lu."
The Minister of War smiled knowingly.
Of course he knew about the Duke of Lu. The Duke of Lu ordered pure wool warm cotton clothes every year, and the Ministry of War kept records of it.
However, the cost of pure wool warm cotton clothing was high, so the Ministry of War had never purchased it on a large scale. Only the troops of the Marquis of Lu insisted on purchasing light and warm pure wool warm cotton clothing.
A padded jacket that was half wool and half cotton was at least two-thirds cheaper than a pure wool jacket. Naturally, the military officer preferred a jacket that was equally warm, but bulkier and stuffed with cotton.
He said to Gu Jiu, "As long as you can guarantee that all 20,000 sets are of this quality, I will give you 30,000 sets of old cotton clothes."
"No more than four patches, and no less than three kilograms in weight."
"Don't worry, you won't suffer any loss."
The two parties signed an agreement.
As soon as winter begins, textile workshops will start delivering goods one after another.
After leaving the Ministry of War, she handed the order to Bai Zhong and said, "Go ahead and arrange it."
Bai Zhong grinned, "With Madam's intervention, the workshop received an additional 20,000 sets of military supply orders. If we cooperate well this year, we might be able to secure an order for 100,000 sets next year."
Gu Jiu laughed. "The Ministry of War is broke, and they're still dreaming of an order for 100,000 sets. It's better to hope for more orders from Marquis Lu. Send the samples to him. Maybe he'll be interested in cotton-padded clothes made with a blend of wool and cotton."
"I'll arrange for someone to deliver the samples right away."
In reality, the Ministry of War wasn't as poor as Gu Jiu claimed; it just had more money to spend. The money available for purchasing new cotton clothes was truly minimal.
The deposit was only for one month, which was already a preferential treatment given to Gu Jiu's family for Liu Zhao's sake.
If we change to another military supply supplier, if they don’t pay the money for half a year or a year, they are not called the Ministry of War.
The Ministry of War is such a rogue.
"Go to the Ministry of Revenue!"
She also had an appointment with the Minister of Revenue today.
She bypassed Lord Gu and asked the tax officer of the Ministry of Revenue to arrange a time for her. Coincidentally, the meeting with the Minister of War happened to be on the same day.
When I arrived at the Ministry of Revenue, as expected, I met Lord Gu.
Lord Gu frowned when he saw Gu Jiu.
"It's not decent for you to go out every day with a big belly."
Gu Jiu blinked and ordered Xu Yousi beside him, "Bring half a pound of the young master's tea and send it to Master Gu to cool down the fire!"
"presumptuous!"
Lord Gu was furious. "You caused such a big disturbance earlier, and it just calmed down, and now you're showing up in public again. How can you behave like a woman? It's your responsibility to stay at home and take care of your husband and children."
Gu Jiu pursed her lips and smiled, not bothering to argue with Master Gu. "My father taught me that after the child is born, I will stay in the palace and take care of my husband and children."
Gu Daren said with a stern face, "As long as you know that your father is doing this for your own good, that's all. What are you doing here at the Ministry of Revenue today?"
Gu Jiu looked around and said, "Oh, I have an appointment with the old man from the Ministry of Revenue to discuss something, so don't worry about it, father."
Lord Gu frowned, incredulous. "When did you make the appointment with the Minister? How come I didn't know?"
"Because it doesn't involve my father's mission, I didn't tell you in advance. But it's not too late for me to know now."
"Ridiculous!" Lord Gu was extremely angry.
He felt looked down upon by Gu Jiu and that his authority was being trampled upon.
Just as he was about to lose his temper, the tax officer from the Ministry of Revenue came rushing over. "Madam Zhao, please come this way. The master has been waiting for you. Master Gu, please go and do your work. The master said that he doesn't need you to be present when he talks to Madam Zhao."
Lord Gu, who was supposed to go with them, was so angry that he almost vomited blood.
This is really too much.
He was so angry that his face turned blue and he couldn't say a word. He just waved his sleeves and left.
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "My father has a bad temper, please don't mind, Mr. Tax Officer."
"I'm used to it, I'm used to it. Madam Zhao, please come this way."
Obviously, in the eyes of the tax officer of the Ministry of Revenue, Lord Gu Jiu and Lord Gu were treated separately.
I won't be extra polite to Lord Gu just because they are father and daughter.
Although the rank of the Tax Officer of the Ministry of Revenue is not as high as that of Lord Gu, he has real power.
In terms of power, benefits, and importance, Lord Gu, the Minister of Revenue, is really not as powerful as the Tax Officer of the Ministry of Revenue.
Moreover, the tax officer of the Ministry of Revenue is the subordinate of the Minister of Revenue, so he doesn't need to pay any attention to Lord Gu.
Gu Jiu was invited into the signing room.
The Minister of Revenue said cheerfully, "Madam, please take a seat. I have been waiting for you for a long time."
Instead of calling himself "this official", he calls himself "old man". Is he preparing to chat about family matters?
Gu Jiu smiled knowingly, "It's my fault for making you wait so long."
"Madam Zhao, did you just come out of the Ministry of War?"
"Nothing can be hidden from the old man's eyes and ears." Gu Jiu sat down opposite.
The Minister of Revenue laughed heartily, "It seems Madam Zhao has negotiated another business deal?"
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "No matter how many businesses we have, we will pay all the taxes."
"That's excellent. What I'm most pleased with is that you've set a good example. Taking the initiative to pay taxes benefits the country and the people. The whole world should learn from you."
"No! Please don't. I'm small and weak, and I'm about to give birth. I can't stand the heat and smoke. Please spare me, old man."
The Minister of Revenue laughed heartily. "Since you are unwilling, let's drop the matter. You didn't come to see me today just to chat, did you?"
"Of course not. Your Excellency's time is precious, how dare I engage in idle chat with you? I came here today to discuss the stored grain in the capital's warehouses."
The Minister of Revenue's eyebrows moved slightly. He didn't expect that Gu Jiu would actually set his sights on Jingcang.
This year's new grain is about to be stored in the warehouse, so the old grain naturally needs to be disposed of.
There were tens of thousands of refugees outside the city, and everyone was waiting for Gu Jiu to start work and eat.
With such a huge demand for food, even a penny cheaper would be a good thing.
So, she went to the Ministry of Revenue.
"Sir, the tens of thousands of refugees outside the South City Gate are the responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue. I risked bankruptcy and was nearly killed by the Zhu family on the way to feed those refugees. Autumn is approaching, and winter is not far away. It's time to deal with the old grain in the Beijing warehouse. Could you please sell me some of that old grain? I'll at least help give those tens of thousands of refugees a safe winter."
The Minister of Revenue was silent for a moment. "You should know that the Ministry of Revenue has fixed grain merchants to deal with the old grain in the Beijing warehouse. This year's old grain has already been reserved. You came too late, and I can't help you."
Gu Jiu frowned, "My Lord, are you going to sit back and watch tens of thousands of refugees outside the city starve?"
The Minister of Revenue looked at Gu Jiu with a half-smile, "Madam Zhao, please don't convict me. The tricks you used to deal with Lord Cheng En will not work on me. The Ministry of Revenue has its own rules."
Gu Ji pursed his lips and smiled, "I said the wrong thing just now, please forgive me, sir. It's just that the refugees outside the city are the responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue. Now the Ministry of Revenue wants to completely shirk all responsibility. May I ask, can you really do so?"
"You can buy grain from a grain merchant."
"Your Excellency clearly knows that the Zhu family is the largest grain merchant in the capital."
The Minister of Revenue smiled but said nothing.
Gu Jiu suddenly realized, "All the old grain in the Beijing warehouse was sold to the Zhu family. Can the Zhu family eat so much grain?"
"I still have faith in the Zhu family's strength. After all, we've been working together for so many years, and it's always been smooth sailing. Furthermore, the Zhu family just recently paid over a million in back taxes, resolving a major issue with the Ministry of Revenue. It's only natural that I should give the Zhu family some face."
I'm so angry.
Unexpectedly, the Zhu family got there first.
The people in the Ministry of Revenue are indeed cunning. They deal with money and grain all day long, and each one is more calculating than anyone else. They're nowhere near as easy to talk to as the people in the Ministry of War.
What’s even more infuriating is that the people in the Ministry of Revenue are blinded by money.
Just because the Zhu family paid more taxes than her, she gave priority to the Zhu family.
It’s really frustrating!
"Are you dissatisfied that the taxes you pay are not as high as those of the Zhu family?"
"Haha... Madam Zhao really knows how to joke. You are an excellent taxpayer. I only like you and never dislike you."
"Even though I'm a high-quality taxpayer, I can't even buy old grain. It seems like being a high-quality taxpayer doesn't do much good."
"Let's put one thing on one foot and the other on the other. You can't confuse the two. Besides, you've already made a killing buying the vast tract of land outside the South City Gate from the Minister of the Treasury. Forget about the little old grain in the Ministry of Revenue's Beijing warehouse. Come early next year, and I promise to give you some of it."
Gu Jiu was very upset. Soft tactics and hard tactics didn't work, so money was the only option.
She smiled. "The Zhu family hasn't paid yet. One hundred thousand silver coins can be paid today. Are you selling grain? Not just old grain, but also rice bran, wheat bran, distiller's grains, all of them."
The Minister of Revenue's expression finally changed slightly, which was accurately captured by Gu Jiu.
She suddenly had an idea.
"The Zhu family just paid 1.55 million taels in taxes and fines, and they also have to keep their business afloat. They probably don't have much cash on hand. It seems the Zhu family currently has no money to pay the Ministry of Revenue for grain. No wonder the old grain is still piling up in the Beijing warehouses, even though the new grain is about to be delivered."
The Minister of Revenue was calm and composed, "Madam Zhao knows a lot."
Gu Jiu smiled faintly, "It's okay. My husband is the grandson of the emperor. If I ask around, I'll know whether the old grain in the capital warehouse has been released."
He is really showing off with confidence that he has someone to back him up.
Is it a big deal to have Gongzi Zhao as your backer and provide you with information?
Um!
It's really amazing.
If it were an ordinary merchant, it would be impossible for him to know how much old grain there was in the Beijing warehouse.
Jingcang is the pillar that stabilizes people's hearts, how can we allow people to find out the situation at will?
Only Liu Zhao, as the emperor's grandson, could easily obtain information about the capital warehouse.
The Minister of Revenue was furious and extremely dissatisfied with Liu Zhao and Gu Jiu.
"I will advise His Majesty to strictly discipline all the emperor's grandchildren."
Liu Zhao was in the Ministry of War, but he was asking about the situation in the Ministry of Revenue, which was overstepping his bounds.
Gu Jiu lowered his head and smiled, "Sir, please calm down. This is all for the sake of the tens of thousands of refugees outside the city. You, old man, don't want tens of thousands of refugees outside the city to starve, freeze and die of hunger, right?"
The Minister of Revenue snorted, "The refugees have all moved into new houses, so they won't freeze to death."
"If you don't freeze to death, you'll starve to death."
The Minister of Revenue rubbed his brows and asked, "Do we have to go to the Ministry of Revenue to buy grain?"
Gu Jiu blinked his eyes and said sincerely, "The old grain from the Ministry of Revenue is cheaper, which can save a lot of money. If the Ministry of Revenue can release the grain today, I will pay you in cash today. The Ministry of Revenue's bank can exchange silver notes nationwide. You can go to the Ministry of Revenue's office next door to exchange the silver notes immediately."
The Minister of Revenue shook his beard and said, "I will never set foot in the Ministry of Finance in my lifetime."
Gu Jiu laughed, "I know you have a grudge against the Shaofu."
Of course there is hatred.
The most generous salt and iron taxes are in the hands of the Shaofu. It would be strange if the Minister of Revenue could be satisfied with the Shaofu.
Every time the Ministry of Revenue was out of money, he had to beg the Shaofu for money like a jerk. As the Minister of Revenue, it would be strange if he could be happy.
Does the Ministry of Revenue have no shame?
They are both from the finance and taxation departments, one enjoys a good life while the other eats coarse food and drinks poorly. If they can get along well with each other, there must be something fishy going on.
"Pay today?"
Gu Jiu nodded, this is possible.
Sure enough, the Zhu family is not as powerful as it looks from the outside.
Even if there is a huge cash flow, taking out 1.55 million taels in one go would cost the Zhu family half their life.
Now we are barely maintaining the cash flow of the shop. If anything unexpected happens, we will have to sell off our assets and reduce our business scope.
But how should this accident be created?
Many thoughts flashed through Gu Jiu's mind, but she rejected them all.
Forget it, it’s more important to buy food first.
I’ll deal with the Zhu family later.
The Minister of Revenue said, "Then you pay."
"Your Excellency, this is truly a first-rate business. Payment is simple, but at least you have to let me see the goods."
The Minister of Revenue shouted outside the custody room, and the grain officer of the Ministry of Revenue came in in response.
"Take Madam Zhao's people to the Jingcang warehouse to inspect the goods. After the inspection, I will collect the payment. Once the goods are shipped, there will be no returns or exchanges."
The grain officer of the Ministry of Revenue asked, "How much goods does Madam Zhao want?"
"One hundred thousand taels of goods."
“How to distribute it?”
"Old Deng, you negotiate with this grain officer." Gu Jiu pointed at Deng Cunli.
"It's Eunuch Deng, please come this way."
Lord Gu got the news from somewhere and knew that Gu Jiu was going to spend 100,000 taels to buy old grain.
He rushed to the signing room and stood at the door and shouted angrily: "Are you crazy? Why did you buy so much old grain?"
Gu Jiu looked around.
The Minister of Revenue frowned, "Master Gu, standing at the door and yelling is unbecoming. If you have anything to say, come in and speak."
Lord Gu stepped into the signing room and pointed at Gu Jiu, furious.
Gu Jiu was puzzled, "Why is father angry?"
"Who allowed you to spend 100,000 taels to buy old grain?" Lord Gu asked sternly.
Gu Jiu laughed immediately, "I'm spending my own money to buy food, do I need my father's permission?"
"Where did you get the 100,000 taels? The dowry I prepared for you is not that much. Did you embezzle the money from the palace? Return the money immediately."
Hearing this, Gu Jiu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. "There are so many rumors about me in Jingcheng. How did I get this money? Does my father really not know?"
Lord Gu snorted coldly, "I know how capable you are. Those are all the palace's assets, just under your name. Do you really treat the palace's money as your own?"
"Father, who told you that all that property belonged to the royal palace? You're the Minister of Revenue, how could you not know who the property belongs to?"
"If they are not from the palace, are they all yours?"
"Of course they're all mine."
Gu Jiu was so angry that he laughed.
What caused Lord Gu to have the illusion that all those properties belonged to the royal palace?
"In just a few years, you were able to build such a large business. Who are you kidding? How come I didn't know you had this ability before you got married?"
Gu Jiu shook his head and smiled, "Before she gets married, you should give her a chance to show her abilities. First, without opportunities, second, without capital, and third, with unclear property rights, how can she make money? Father, think about it yourself. Before she gets married, if she can't even leave the house, how can she run a business?"
Lord Gu was full of doubts, "Are all those properties really yours?"
"Absolutely true!"
Lord Gu looked shocked!
My daughter is so capable, but I have been kept in the dark this whole time!
What the hell!
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