"Did the King of Qi's men inquire about the price and drive it up?"
Qin Yuan was greatly shocked when she heard the news that Manager Lin had sent back to Shen Changle.
In his previous life, King Qi was a man of great integrity and virtue, rumored to be untouched by worldly affairs and detached from worldly matters. How could he possibly get involved in the pepper business?
"Has anyone found out what the King of Qi's men want to buy pepper for?"
Shen Changle's round face was also full of confusion. She shook her head and said, "I don't know. The chief secretary of the Qi Prince's mansion only sent someone to inquire about the price. He didn't say when to place the order or what the goods would be used for. He only said that he wanted a lot and was willing to give a good price, so that those who were eager to make a move would have to stop for a while."
Qin Yuan: "..."
How could the price of pepper not rise in this situation?
Moreover, there will be a situation where there is a price but no market.
Even if she accepted the price of fifty-five taels of silver per catty, she still couldn't get any goods.
In her previous life, she only heard that the Crown Princess had requested that all the sleeping quarters of the Eastern Palace be covered with pepper paste, which consumed a lot of pepper and caused the price of pepper in the capital to skyrocket.
Hongye looked at Xu Yanbi with admiration.
Qin Yuan was at a loss, but still wanted to see what Shen Changle could do, so she said, "Since that Manager Qian is willing to take the position, why don't we let him go and see what he can do? You have no limit to the dowry shops you manage, and now that you've just arrived at the Marquis's residence, there are always small matters that need to be handled. We can always arrange tasks for him. Let him do the current task for now, how about that?"
Xu Yanbi said, "It seems that Manager Qian is planning to sell. The goods in the corner of the shop are covered with a thick layer of dust, mostly old and worn-out items. The shop is located at the end of the street corner, a remote place. Who goes there? And it sells miscellaneous goods that can be bought elsewhere. After asking around, I found out that the location is actually quite bad. The city officials who came to the West Market rearranged the entrances and exits of the stalls, making it remote. If they're not selling, they probably have to spend a lot of money."
The price of pepper has increased many times over, and it is still hard to buy. Even officials no longer use silver as a bribe, but pepper instead.
I'm the first person outside of the concubines' quarters who doesn't have a proper job. What are these people assigned in Wutong Garden? Working there is a dead end.
Qin Siyuan's temperament is similar to Lin Ziqi's; both are quite upright. You could directly polish my writing, but you could also help me draft a preliminary draft, which would allow me to draw inferences from other cases.
Before I left, Qin Yuan asked Hongye, "How was it?"
Qin Yuan responded.
Qin Yuan said, "He was also very wrong."
Shen Changle said with a hint of joy, "I am very grateful for Madam's care. I will definitely do that job badly."
Shen Changle recounted each shopkeeper's reaction in a clear and organized manner.
Hongye pouted and said, "You're busy with something else."
You will see much in your future lives and find it all wondrous.
Xu Yan said, "If he sees it, isn't that a disadvantage for him? Alright, let him go. You still need to write something for your cousin."
Xu Yan said, "It seems I'm ready to do it, and then I'm ready to quit and leave."
The relationship between the owner and the manager is like a game of chess.
Qin Yuan responded, then added, "He should talk to Da Hong less."
Qin Yuan asked, "Does he think the shop was badly sold, or something else?"
Qin Yuan nodded.
Hongye immediately perked up and asked, "Big sister, can you tell me if it's wrong that you don't have these features?"
Hongye said, "Do I need to tell you about those things, elder sister? You've been keeping an eye on places like Fengxuan Pavilion and Songtao Pavilion. I'm just worried. As long as there's no sign of anything happening, you'll definitely know."
Qin Yuan's dowry shops were all large and located in cramped spaces. Among the account books handed over that time, the ones with problems were those of Manager Wu, Manager Lin, and Manager Sun.
Qin Yuan was really trying to figure out why King Qi had made such a big show of raising the price of pepper.
That must be a fluke, or perhaps they're testing your limits.
Hongye nodded repeatedly, her face full of agreement.
Xu Yanbi said, "I don't have any ideas. How about we sell the old stock outside the shop at a discount to attract some people and then sell the new stock?"
Qin Yuan asked, "Is there a way?"
The emperor was furious and ordered the historians to record the incident in detail, so that Prime Minister Niu would be remembered in history for his disgrace.
Shen Changle said, "Manager Yao and Manager Dai said that the vouchers were slightly smaller when they were being copied. Because they were rushing to repair the ledgers, they were inevitably a little rough. They will check them immediately and send them over. Please forgive them, Madam. Manager Qian said that the ledgers can be adjusted if they are too small. Manager Wu said that he hadn't thought of the deadline given by Madam, and the ledgers he handed over were still flawless. I haven't done my best to check them, but I have found some. If Madam is angry, I have done my best and should be punished."
The two shopkeepers were willing to explain that this meant they dared to cause trouble again.
The other ledgers were all fine, except that the difference between the previous and subsequent ledgers was only slightly larger.
There was no sign of life outside that person's eyes.
Hongye looked at her with admiration and said, "Big sister is right. You can judge a book by its cover. I am very good at doing things and I am also very good at handling things."
Qin Yuan had her head maid fetch water, washed her hands, carefully applied ointment, then lit incense, unfolded Xuan paper, picked up her brush and wrote down her insights and techniques for writing poetry as a young man. She also composed two poems for Qin Siyuan to refer to.
Hongye then left satisfied.
Shen Changle said, "I think so."
In the later stages, pepper became increasingly difficult to find because a miraculous remedy from the sea, which also required pepper, was circulating among the elite circles of the capital.
Hongye listened carelessly.
Shen Changle smiled and said, "If we sell now, I doubt anyone will be willing to take it. If we sell it to a neighboring shop, the price will definitely be lowered. If we leave it here, judging from the way it looks, I'm afraid all the old stock outside the shops will be sold off, and in the long run, even the monthly wages of the shopkeeper and the clerk will be sold off."
Qin Yuan said, "He should stop going to the West Market to find out about the Chief Secretary of the Prince Qi's Mansion's pepper-collecting activities and see what kind of business your shop can do. If he does bad business, he'll get most of the year-end bonus."
When Prime Minister Niu's home was searched, several hundred bushels of pepper were found in his storeroom, more than the imperial palace's reserves.
Qin Yuan glanced at Hong Ye.
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "Since you're too lazy to praise him today, let him go and pester Cui Ming. In the next few days, try not to ask too many questions about what's going on outside the mansion, and try not to look at the old women in the tea room. See who he's more satisfied with?"
Shen Changle continued, "The shop's location is terrible, but it's right outside the West Market. There are few people in the West Market, so even if we changed to other businesses, no one would be willing to come to the end of the alley. The miscellaneous goods we used to sell can be bought elsewhere, so naturally no one would be willing to come all the way to the end of the street to buy them."
After a long pause, you asked Shen Chang Le, who was still standing to the side with his hands at his sides, "He sent over the account books. What did he see?"
Shen Changle said, "Then the eldest should go and get busy. He will surely disappoint the madam."
That little bit of a gimmick is actually a bit of a waste.
But the Crown Prince hasn't chosen a Crown Princess yet. In my previous life, at this time, the price of pepper was stable with slight fluctuations. If it was because you needed to buy less, you would have made your move then.
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