This was exactly what Qin Yuan was most concerned about, so she asked, "How much is pepper per pound now?"
"It's 42 taels a catty now."
"oh."
Shen Changle asked, "How much do you think it will fall to, Madam?"
Qin Yuan held up three fingers.
Thirty taels?
Qin Yuan nodded.
Shen Changle hesitated and said, "This drop is too much."
Qin Yuan said, "Prices in the surrounding provinces will only drop even more. I'll have you travel to other places to try and lower them as quickly as possible. You can think of another way."
Shen Changle understood that this was to ask him to find another way to send out some messages, and that he would also be sent to other places to collect pepper.
"I will certainly do what you have instructed, Madam. But do you think the price of pepper will definitely rise?"
Qin Yuan nodded.
Shen Changle didn't ask any more questions. After saying some other things, he said, "This servant still needs to go and pay my respects to Sixth Master."
Qin Yuan nodded: "Go ahead."
As Shen Changle stepped out of the gate of Wutong Garden, she bumped into Manager Wu.
Manager Wu, accompanied by a servant carrying various boxes, smiled and stroked his beard upon seeing him, asking, "Manager Shen, have you come to see Madam?"
Manager Wu was the old manager, originally left by the Cui family; while Shen Changle was a newcomer and Qin Yuan's maid.
The two sides were secretly showing signs of rivalry.
Shen Changle nodded and said, "Yes, regarding the poetry collection, it might need to be reprinted. I need to ask Sixth Master again."
Manager Wu's eyes darkened.
"The capable are given more work, and this is why Manager Shen is appreciated."
"It's just that our master trusts us. We servants have no choice but to think of ways to help our master solve his problems. If we keep our master's affairs in mind, our master will naturally appreciate us."
Manager Wu said, "Manager Shen is right, that's the truth, but not many people can actually do it."
Shen Changle cupped his hands in greeting and said, "I'm going to find Sixth Master. Talk to you later."
The two then parted ways.
When Qin Yuan heard from the maid that Manager Wu had arrived, she smiled and said, "Today is really busy, one after another. Let them go to the hall first, I'll be there in a bit."
Cuiming asked, "The account books arrived so quickly?"
Qin Yuan said, "Perhaps there are other things. I heard from Shen Changle that those shopkeepers want to switch to other businesses."
In addition to bringing the account books for the past few months, Manager Wu also brought several trendy little items, all packaged in exquisite boxes, which looked quite valuable.
Qin Yuan had Cui Ming put away the account books and asked curiously, "Why were these sent over?"
Shopkeeper Wu said with a forced smile, "These are trinkets that the shop assistants brought back from the south. Recently, the rich and powerful in Nanjing and Suzhou have taken a liking to the local Qiu family's aluminum kettles, Lian family's fans, Zhou family's screens... and some earthenware. I don't know why, but the prices are several times higher than the surrounding areas, and you have to queue up to buy them. The shop assistants thought they were novel, so they bought them to present to our master for him to play with."
After Qin Yuan looked through them one by one, she nodded and smiled, "Thank you for your thoughtfulness."
She knew that in her past life, there were many sycophants who had studied but failed the imperial examinations. They conspired to coax wealthy young men into spending money, wrote many good articles, spread many good words, and touted the uniqueness of some craftsmen's creations, as if using these things made one's taste extraordinary.
I suppose these are what Manager Wu sent.
When she and Lin Ziqi were in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, they heard about a salt merchant in Yangzhou whose sons were good-for-nothings. After the family fell into poverty, they tried to pawn the things they had bought when they were rich, but the pawnshops said they were just a pile of junk.
The money you can buy is enough to craft several gold coins.
Shopkeeper Wu tentatively asked, "These things have recently become fashionable in the South, and the local young masters are very fond of them. It seems this trend is about to reach the capital. The capital has always liked things from the South, so could we perhaps make something similar?"
Qin Yuan neither confirmed nor denied it, saying, "Let me think about it."
Just then, someone came to report that Manager Leng from Ranxiangju had arrived.
Qin Yuan said happily, "Please come in and sit down, Manager Leng."
Cuiming then went to instruct someone to prepare tea.
Manager Wu felt rather awkward. He ran a small shop, which couldn't compare to the well-known spice shops in the capital.
When Manager Leng entered, he was also taken aback, clearly not expecting there to be any customers here.
Qin Yuan greeted him and then introduced them.
Manager Leng and Manager Wu exchanged greetings and exchanged a few pleasantries.
Qin Yuan didn't shy away from others and began discussing the sale of the incense pills with Manager Leng.
Manager Wu was increasingly alarmed as he listened, realizing just how capable his employer was.
Compared to the fragrant pills, the businesses he mentioned had higher costs, lower profits, and higher risks, which made him want to give up.
Qin Yuan then showed these items to Manager Leng and asked, "These were bought by the shop assistant from the south. I heard that this is very popular there. I wonder how it would be to do this business in the capital?"
Because of the pepper-buying incident, Qin Yuan knew that Manager Leng was a straightforward person.
Sure enough, Manager Leng didn't deny it, saying, "These things are well made, with ingenious designs, and more elegant than similar items, but..."
"Just what?"
"But these are all deliberately hyped up by some people. Not only do the prices far exceed the quality, but they are also easy to miss out on. Just like the makeup and hair accessories that ladies are fashionable today, they are out of fashion tomorrow. If you keep up, you can make a profit; if you don't, you will lose everything. It's really too risky. Since ladies are not in a hurry to use money, it's better to do some stable business. Over time, you will earn more and lose less, and the amount will be quite considerable."
Manager Wu nodded.
Qin Yuan then said, "I don't have any shop assistants in my shops who are good at dealing with these kinds of people, so let's forget about it."
Manager Wu looked ashamed and said, "Manager Leng is absolutely right. A single conversation with you is worth more than ten years of study. I still have much to learn, and I hope Manager Leng will not hesitate to teach me."
Manager Leng said, "No problem, no problem. We're just doing this for the lady, no need to be so polite."
These words greatly excited Manager Wu.
The owners of these small shops rarely have the opportunity to interact with a big boss like Manager Leng.
Without an introduction, they would never recognize each other in their lifetime.
Qin Yuan laughed and said, "Refrigerator is too modest. How can you say that you are working for me? You are working for the Marquis's mansion."
"Now that the Marquis's residence is managed by the Madam, I wasn't wrong," Manager Leng replied with a smile.
Manager Wu stood to the side, looking utterly shocked.
When he came last time, it was clear that the Lady Hou was highly regarded by the Hou family; at that time, it was still Lady Gu, the sixth wife, who was in charge of the household.
It hasn't been that long.
The Lady of the Marquis had actually taken control of the entire Marquis's mansion.
Seeing his appearance, Manager Leng knew that he was out of touch with the news and had not yet received any information, so he picked up his teacup and took a small sip.
Qin Yuan laughed and said, "I just took over and I don't know anything about it. The business of Ranxiangju is supported by Manager Leng, so there's no need for me to ask questions. As for the big and small matters in this mansion, they are all supported by the stewards and stewardesses left over from when the old lady and sixth sister-in-law were in charge, and there are several stewards above them. I'm really just a hands-off manager. It's good that others don't mind that I'm young and ignorant."
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