Su Qingyu nodded and said solemnly, "Yes, this time we're sending the second batch of food and military supplies to the northern border for this winter, and we're also sending the thickened cotton clothes this time."
Lin Wanyin suddenly became anxious. In such a cold day, if the cotton clothes were not thick enough, people would freeze to death.
She looked at Su Shunci, "Ah Ci, how many cotton clothes have we made?"
Su Shunci knew all these accounts by heart. She said, "Last time, my mother said that selling cotton clothes and quilts is easier than selling cotton. So I ordered a batch of cotton cloth from several major brocade weaving companies."
"My third cousin found women in the towns outside Beijing to help with sewing. Because there were so many people, they were able to sew over 200,000 cotton-padded jackets and 100,000 quilts in the past two months."
“We can still produce a lot before the end of the year.”
It sounds like a large number, but it is just a drop in the bucket for this cold disaster. It can only help a very small number of people and cannot meet the needs of everyone.
Su Qingyu didn't know that the two of them had made cotton and cotton cloth into finished products. When she heard this, her expression suddenly brightened.
"So many? Pack up all the men's cotton-padded jackets and bring them over when the time comes."
"Take the quilt with you too."
Su Shunci agreed to all of them. Not to mention that Li Yunzhou was their eldest brother, even if Li Yunzhou was not there, they would still be willing to use these things to support the soldiers in the border town.
Su Qingyu looked at Lin Wuchen again, "Third cousin, how much silver do the charcoal and herbs cost? Tell me the number."
Lin Wuchen raised his eyebrows, "What?"
"Even if I give you money, don't think about making money from me. I'm only giving you the capital." Su Qingyu said jokingly.
Lin Wuchen was unhappy and patted Su Qingyu's forehead.
"If you say that again, I'll complain to my grandmother and father. How come you're married and you're having an affair with me?"
"Yunzhou is my cousin, and the Northern Frontier soldiers are guarding ordinary people like us. I'm sending some things over, so why should I ask for money?"
Every year, the Lin family spends one-tenth of their income on disaster relief, so even if Li Yunzhou is not there this time, he will not stand idly by.
It's said that merchants are all about profit, but those who can make a business as successful as the Lin family have their own vision. Not only the Lin family is like this, but also several families with the same reputation as the Lin family.
The old man of the Lin family once said that you can’t just think about money in order to make money.
Although the words are blunt, they do make some sense.
Three days later, Chen Ping set out with Li Yunsi's 5,000 personal guards to escort food and military supplies to the northern border.
These past few days, the Shen family was doing just like any other day. Shen Zhixiu returned home after court, and Su Qingyu rarely went out.
Li Chaoyun secretly observed for several days and confirmed that Shen Zhixiu and Su Qingyu were not concerned about the food supply in the northern border. Including Shen Zhixiu's subordinates, there was nothing unusual.
As for the Lin family's recent situation, no one paid attention.
Lin Wuchen didn't gather a caravan, fearing it would attract too much attention. All the goods were delivered in batches to the nearby city of Tongzhou by his men.
He then rushed to Tongzhou City and entrusted these matters to his trusted subordinates.
The Lin family has business in the northern border and has already made arrangements along the way, so there is no danger along the way.
Lin Wuchen had wanted to go in person, but with this cold snap, the Lin family would have to step in to provide relief. It was unacceptable for the capital to have no one in charge.
It was snowing heavily and he didn't want to bother his family to come and replace him.
Fortunately, the people who were escorting the grain and fodder to the northern border this time were extremely reliable, so he had nothing to worry about.
Before Lin Wuchen left the capital for Tongzhou, Su Qingyu came to see him specially.
When she entered, Lin Wuchen had already packed his luggage and was wearing a dark green fox fur cloak.
"Why are you here at this hour? Are you here to see me off?"
Lin Wuchen teased.
Su Qingyu motioned for him to sit down first, then she remembered what Shen Zhixiu had told her before she left today, and spoke.
"Tell your steward to make sure these things are delivered when we get to Northern Frontier. Have my brother sign the document, specifying the exact amount of silver."
"We won't profit from national disasters, but we can't lose money either."
Lin Wuchen was a little surprised. He thought these were all gifts from them to Li Yunzhou.
"You and your brother, are you still calculating like this?"
Su Qingyu smiled and said, "My brother is my brother, and the court is the court. The army belongs to the court, not my brother."
"The accounts must be calculated clearly, even the losses on the way must be taken into account."
Before leaving the house, Shen Zhixiu's words sent a chill down her spine. She hadn't originally planned to ask for the silver, as she, her mother, and the Lin family could all afford it.
Whether it's for my brother or for the people of the Great Zhou, this little money is nothing.
But then Shen Zhixiu asked back: "I am the second-in-command of the cabinet, and Li Yunzhou is the commander-in-chief of the Northern Frontier. You are providing money to support the war in the Northern Frontier. Are you trying to buy off a hundred thousand troops, or are you treating the Great Zhou as your own?"
Just this one sentence made Su Qingyu break out in cold sweat on her back.
She was worried and confused. If this matter could be made public, she, her mother, her fourth sister, and her third cousin would all be praised by the emperor.
But this matter can only be done in secret. After the war is over, it will be too long and difficult to explain.
Lin Wuchen asked in confusion: "What do you mean?"
Su Qingyu asked Lin Wuchen the same questions that Shen Zhixiu had asked her.
Lin Wuchen's expression froze for a moment. After a long pause, he finally spoke, "As expected, Elder Chen is still responsible for matters concerning the imperial court. I hadn't even thought of this."
Seeing that Lin Wuchen understood what she meant, Su Qingyu personally sent him to the carriage.
When Su Qingyu was returning from Lin Wuchen's visit, she happened to see people from Hanshuiyuan carrying a few baskets of charcoal in. She heard that it was sent by Princess Yongjia, specifically for Li Chaoyun.
Feicui saw the people from Hanshuiyuan carefully carrying the charcoal, and whispered to Su Qingyu, "Madam, this time, we and the Third Cousin Young Master are going to make a lot of money."
Especially Lin Wuchen, now both silver bone charcoal and ordinary charcoal are increasing in price every day. In addition, the mountains are closed due to heavy snow in winter, making it impossible to make charcoal.
Su Qingyu shook her head. "Silver from natural disasters is easy to earn but hard to spend. We can't sell all this charcoal for silver."
The silver bone charcoal in Lin Wuchen's hand is used to make money, and specifically to make money from rich families.
As for the ordinary charcoal, it will be used to shut the court up, save the lives of the people, and promote the reputation of the Lin family.
The same goes for the cotton in Su Shunci's hands. The best long-staple cotton is sold to the wealthy families in Beijing, while the ordinary cotton is used to help the poor people.
Although it was cold, the capital had not yet reached the point of being severely affected. Therefore, apart from the soaring prices of charcoal and cotton, everything in the capital was normal.
Lin Wuchen returned from Tongzhou Prefecture half a month later.
The first thing he did when he returned to Beijing was to knock on the gate of the Shen family's west courtyard.
It also brought important news to Shen Zhixiu and Su Qingyu.
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