The women in charge, who had been all smiles, were stunned by what they heard.
Madam Gu Liu hurriedly asked, "What did Third Sister-in-law say?"
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "I know that Sixth Sister-in-law is considerate of their hard work running around and wants to help them get rich, but..."
"Just what?"
Qin Yuan glanced at the anxious housekeepers and said with a smile, "But if Sixth Sister-in-law wanted to make money with them, she shouldn't have come to me. Pepper is a valuable commodity, and valuable commodities tend to increase in price, unlike cheap items that might increase by a few coins per pound today and then drop by a few coins tomorrow due to some reason. If there's an opportunity and a shortage occurs, the price can increase tenfold."
Madam Gu frowned: "Third Sister-in-law means that we should buy pepper and store it, waiting for the price to rise, and not sell it until then."
“Yes,” Qin Yuan said with a smile, “Sixth sister-in-law is clever and saw the key point at a glance.”
Madam Gu quickly patted her chest to assure her.
"I handed the silver over to my third sister-in-law, and she can do whatever she wants with it."
The stewardesses quickly chimed in, "Madam, we agree. We'll do whatever you say. We'll sell whenever you say it's time."
Qin Yuan feigned helplessness and said, "The goods haven't been delivered yet. You should all go back and think it over before discussing contributing. Since I've already accepted Cai Mama's contribution, how can I refuse yours?"
The implication is that they all have a sense of shame.
The women in charge relaxed and looked at Qin Yuan with much more affection.
Madam Gu lowered her eyes, watching the tea stems rise and fall in the teacup, and remained silent.
Someone asked directly, "Madam, do you think there's something wrong with this pepper trade?"
Qin Yuan nodded.
She glanced at Hongye, who stepped forward and said in a clear voice, "Madam went to see Manager Leng of Ranxiangju. Manager Leng found out that several wealthy merchants are determined to go overseas to buy pepper this year. If this route is successful, the price of pepper may drop. Pepper is valuable, and not many people can afford it. Please be careful."
A few hesitated.
The man continued, "Then why does Madam still need to stockpile pepper?"
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Hongye.
Hongye said, "Madam had a dream and received a good omen. She felt that if she didn't take what Heaven had given her, she would suffer misfortune, so she wanted to give it a try. If you all want to invest, you should understand that business has its ups and downs, and there is no such thing as a sure thing. If you withdraw halfway, Madam will only refund you the money according to the market price at that time, deducting the losses from the transaction."
The supervising mothers fell silent.
Who would have thought that Lady Hou would be making such a large deal for such a vague and unrealistic dream?
This young lady has only recently become a little wealthier after marrying into the Marquis's household, and she's already so restless. I wonder how much of her dowry is so dilapidated.
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "The old lady and the sixth madam are just thinking that I'm planning to do some business as soon as I enter the manor, and they'd like to contribute some money. If you want to come along, I won't stop you, but if you lose money, don't blame me. Think it over and come find Hongye or Cuiming in a couple of days. They will record it and fill out a receipt."
Madam Gu Liu never expected that Qin Yuan would be so patient; no matter how she tried to reason with her, she couldn't get through to her.
If she hadn't been very optimistic about pepper, she wouldn't have ignored Manager Leng's advice to buy so much merchandise and accept money from the old lady and others.
Even in this state, she still can't be supported.
She's really difficult to deal with.
Madam Gu Liu laughed and said, "I'm not just happy for you. I truly believe in Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law's abilities. But Third Sister-in-law is right. There are always gains and losses in business. We have to be upfront about that."
They had already given up, but after hearing this, the supervising mothers thought it was okay.
The Lady of the Marquis, being ignorant, wanted to throw silver into the water to hear the sound, but the Marquis didn't know how.
Qin Yuan glanced at Madam Gu Liu and said with a smile, "The Marquis was afraid that I would take my mother's and your money, make grand promises, and then fail to accomplish anything. That's why he helped me inquire. He has been fighting in the northern frontier for many years. He doesn't have time to think about these things. To be honest, I'm a little uneasy too. This is my dowry money that I'm investing."
The implication was that this was her private property and had nothing to do with Lord Gu.
The supervising mothers backed down again.
Seeing this, Madam Gu Liu could only say, "Third Sister-in-law, don't worry. Since you had a lucky dream, it will naturally come true. I believe you."
Even if we can't get the supervising mothers involved, we still have to make this pepper deal happen.
Qin Yuan smiled shyly.
She was already as beautiful as a sunset, and her shyness made her even more radiant.
What caught the eye of Madam Gu was glaring.
Being with her, I felt just like the burnt pancake that Sixth Master had described.
This young woman is fresh-faced and delicate, yet impossible to seduce.
No wonder Zhao Niangzi couldn't make a fuss.
Several quick-witted stewardesses, watching from the sidelines, suddenly realized that while the pepper business might not be profitable, the Lady Hou's beauty was truly captivating.
With such a beautiful woman by his side, how could Lord Gu possibly be thinking only about Fengxuan Pavilion?
They immediately had other plans in mind.
Mother Cai is indeed cunning.
I see.
Madam Gu, unaware that the head maids around her had other ideas, asked with concern, "Third Sister-in-law, when we arrived, we saw Bai Que lying at the entrance of Wutong Courtyard. Did she bump into you?"
"White Sparrow?"
Qin Yuan looked at Madam Gu with a puzzled expression.
He looked completely bewildered, clearly having no idea who this person was.
Madam Gu didn't believe she didn't know, but she could only pretend she didn't. She quickly spat at herself and said, "Look at me, I actually forgot that Third Sister-in-law doesn't even recognize everyone. Bai Que is a second-class maidservant of the Old Madam, assigned to serve Lady Zhao. She's considered to have some standing. Just now, as we approached the courtyard gate, we saw that girl, in this sweltering heat, standing straight in the sun without seeking shade, her face flushed and swollen. When she saw me, before she could even speak, she collapsed. She must have suffered heatstroke. The Marquis's mansion always gives some face to those who have served the Old Madam. I was just worried..."
Qin Yuan asked in surprise, "Is that so?"
Hongye hurriedly replied, "Madam, you don't know. I was just following the Marquis's instructions to tell that girl to report to the Old Madam if anything happens, and not to come looking for the Marquis again. If there's anything lacking or needed, the Old Madam will arrange it properly and won't mistreat them. But that girl kept saying I was lying and wanted to find the Marquis to verify. I didn't know she used to serve the Old Madam, and I was wondering how there could be such a shameless and ignorant maid, so I didn't argue with her and went straight back to Wutong Courtyard. Who would have thought that in such a hot day, while she was standing outside guarding, and the Marquis didn't even go out, she would get heatstroke like that."
Everyone: "..."
The woman next to the lady, named Hongye, is quite the smooth talker.
Qin Yuan glanced at Hongye.
Hongye pursed her lips and said, "When I went out to greet the Sixth Madam just now, I saw that she had already ordered people to carry her back to Fengxuan Pavilion. Perhaps a doctor should be called for her by now. I just thought this girl was strange and didn't think it was a big deal, so I didn't report it to the Marquis and Madam. I took it upon myself to do so, and I beg Madam to punish me."
These words stung Madam Gu's face.
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