Not only Su Qingyu thought so, Su Chengxun and his wife were also very nervous at this moment.
Before, Song Hongshen was a bastard son of the Song family and a prince of a different surname, which was considered high-ranking for the Su family.
After much difficulty, Su Zhilan was conferred the title of County Lady, and Song Hongshen became the legitimate son of the late queen.
Apart from anything else, the fight for the throne was a life-or-death struggle. Given Song Hongshen's status, even if he didn't fight, the crown prince wouldn't let him go.
Su Chengxun felt uneasy, so he went to Su Chengye to talk about this matter, and the old lady lying on the bed also heard it.
The last time Su Zhilan was conferred the title of County Lady, the old lady still felt unbalanced.
But this time Song Hongshen became the legitimate son of the late queen, so Su Zhilan would definitely be a prince's consort in the future, and further, a crown princess or even a queen.
The old lady suddenly became very excited. Could it be that she was the Queen's grandmother?
A scene flashed through her mind: Su Zhilan was sitting on the phoenix throne, and she was surrounded by the ladies, who were praising her like the moon surrounded by stars.
This scene made her heart surge, and a light shone from her cloudy eyes.
Song Hongshen himself probably didn't expect that his life experience would inspire the old lady of the Su family to fight for survival.
In the past, whenever Su Chengye gave her medicine, she would turn her head in resistance. From that day on, no one had to worry about her taking medicine or eating.
Two days later, the palace issued an imperial decree, conferring the title of Prince Gong on Song Hongshen.
The Prince of Loyalty and Bravery Mansion previously bestowed upon him was changed into the Prince of Gong Mansion and was renovated again according to the prince's regulations.
After respectfully informing his ancestors, Emperor Xuande issued another decree, ordering Prince Gong and the Crown Prince to assist in managing state affairs together.
As soon as this imperial edict came out, all the officials in the Zhanshi Mansion and the Eastern Palace were panicked.
Assisting in the administration of state affairs has always been the exclusive province of the crown prince. Doesn't the emperor's decree indicate that he intends to change the crown prince?
Song Hongshen did not change at all because of this imperial edict. In fact, he acted no differently than when he was a bastard of the Song family.
If there is any change, it is only in his attitude towards the emperor, which is becoming more and more like Song Zan.
But Emperor Xuande just fell for it, as if coaxing his son could alleviate his guilt.
Chen Zheng was afraid that the prince might lose his composure and do something that would offend the emperor, so he gave him a lot of private instruction.
Coupled with the warnings from Concubine Xian, the prince seemed more calm.
The court suddenly fell into an eerie calm, and the royal family was performing dramas of loving fathers and filial sons, and brothers being friendly and respectful to each other.
In fact, anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is just the brief calm before the storm.
In early October, Xuanwu King Zhang Pan married Qin Yingxin, the second daughter of the Qin family. A few days after the wedding, he took his wife and grandmother south to Fujian.
Several officials from the Ministry of Works also accompanied them, carrying silver and blueprints for shipbuilding.
A few days after Zhang Pan left the capital, Ning Wang Su Yuanzhou also left for the northern border. Every winter, the northern border was in turmoil, and as the commander-in-chief, he was required to stay in the northern border.
In the blink of an eye, it was deep winter and Su Qingyu's belly grew bigger.
She barely went out during the entire winter, staying in the yard to rest and nurture her baby. Every few days, Lin Wanyin would bring Shen Yue and Su Shunci to the Shen family.
Not only can she accompany Shen Yue to visit the old lady, but she can also talk to Su Qingyu.
In late November, the merchant ship sent by the Lin family finally returned. After the ship docked in Fujian, the Lin family's steward arrived in the capital in mid-December, carrying silver, account books, and dozens of carts of goods.
In the hall of Lin's Trading Company, Lin Wuchen and Su Shunci were sitting in the main seats.
Su Shunci was wearing a brightly colored jacket and skirt embroidered with silver silk and a white fur cape.
She wore two red coral hairpins and flower-shaped hairpins on her head, and earrings made of oriental pearls.
When looking at the account book, the corners of her eyes were slightly raised and her thick eyelashes curled up.
With a slight smile, the dimples on her cheeks bring out an indescribable charm.
"Third cousin, this is our first victory, right? Aside from the dozen or so cars we brought back, we've made a net profit of over 800,000 taels of silver."
Lin Wuchen turned to look at Su Shunci, his eyes full of doting.
"You can finally let go of your worries."
Su Shunci had been thinking about this matter for a while. Even though he often comforted her, she was still worried, fearing that something might go wrong.
Su Shunci put down the account book and said with a smile: "The next step is to sell these overseas goods, so that we can have a good New Year."
In the room, besides the steward who went out to sea with the merchant ship and was reporting the accounts, there was also Lin Jin, Lin Wuchen's capable steward.
Hearing Su Shunci say that he wanted to sell those things, Lin Jin said, "I've already taken a look. Most of the things they brought back are gems, carpets, medicinal herbs, and spices."
"How much should we mark up? I've checked the account books, and the purchase prices aren't high. For ordinary goods, according to our industry practice, we usually mark up 30%. These are imported from overseas, so how about a 50% markup?"
Lin Jin looked at Lin Wuchen, but Lin Wuchen looked at Su Shunci.
"Fourth cousin, how much do you think the price should be increased?" Lin Wuchen asked softly.
In fact, he already had an idea in mind, but he still wanted to ask Su Shunci's opinion. If Su Shunci's words were inappropriate, he would take the opportunity to teach her.
This is how both of them have been going through the past two years.
Lin Jin looked at his young master helplessly. If they got married, he was afraid that the husband would lose his authority.
Almost all of Lin Wuchen's confidants knew his thoughts and treated Su Shunci like their master. However, Lin Wuchen had issued a strict order, forbidding any irresponsible comments, let alone such jokes with Fourth Miss Su. Therefore, they dared only secretly criticize him in their hearts and did not dare to speak out loud.
Su Shunci smiled slyly when he heard this, "Add 50%? Are you kidding?"
Lin Jin was stunned. "What does Miss Fourth Cousin mean?"
Su Shunci suppressed his smile and said, "The value of these things doesn't lie in how much money we spent on them, but in the high risk and cost of shipping them. Furthermore, they are rare and valuable, and they are not available in the capital, so their value is even higher."
"Even if the stone was picked up overseas, it's still an overseas stone. You can't find it in Beijing, understand?"
"If you ask me, all the gemstones should be priced at no less than a thousand taels. Carpets, medicinal herbs, and spices should also be at least ten times higher than the market price."
Lin Jin hesitated for a moment, "Won't the people call us profiteers?"
Su Shunci chuckled, "These things are not meant to be sold to the people. Which one do you think the people must buy?"
"These things are to be sold to the powerful in the capital. Don't worry, the more expensive they are, the better they will sell."
After saying that, she turned and said to Lin Wuchen.
"Third cousin, I think we should open a new shop in the capital, specializing in selling goods shipped from overseas."
"The next merchant ship will not go out to sea until next year, so the price can't be low. If it sells quickly, what will I sell it for in the next few months?"
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