Chapter 93: Distress Yinzhen actually had some thoughts about this matter a long time ago,...
Yinzhen actually had some idea about this matter a long time ago, but he just wanted to work hard and earn the title and reward.
Qi Buchen certainly encouraged his idea, but he also said his own thoughts: "Now that the government office is gradually getting back on track, there are not many things that need my attention. So I thought, why not do some business to kill time."
"Sure, do whatever you want." Yinzhen didn't object. "Do you have enough money for your dowry? If not, take it from the public treasury. Any profits are yours, and any losses I lose will be returned to you."
Look at what the young man said, which girl wouldn't be overjoyed.
Qi Buchen was no exception. She said with a half-smile, "Really? Aren't you afraid that I'll lose all your wealth?"
"It's okay, I'll earn it back for you later." Even if no one taught him, Yinzhen knew how to answer at this time.
But after thinking it over, he said, "I'll find you a few experienced shopkeepers later. You should listen to their advice." Then he hurriedly explained, "I'm not worried about you losing money. I'm just worried that if you get fooled, you'll be upset again."
With such thoughtful consideration, what else could Qi Buchen say? She felt that she had to give the boy some feedback to let him know that this behavior was correct and that he must continue to work hard in this direction in the future.
She blinked her eyes, a light blush on her face, and leaned forward. Yinzhen couldn't help but move closer, and then he heard Fu Jin's sweet and soft voice whispering, "Master, how can you be so kind~"
This was the first time that Fu Jin called him "Master". He did not feel uncomfortable. Instead, it was as if his heart was hit by an arrow. Blood gushed out and rushed to his face and exploded.
Qi Buchen saw that Yinzhen's face turned as red as a steamed shrimp and dripping with blood after she said that.
Yinzhen probably also noticed the change on his face. He covered most of his face with his hands, quickly glanced at the servants in the room, and said vaguely, "It's good that you know."
Qi Buchen chuckled secretly twice, but didn't try to expose the young man. He pretended to be serious and asked, "What kind of business do you think is good? My dowry includes a rouge shop and a cloth shop. Why don't you practice with these two first?"
Yinzhen restrained his racing mind and tried to think about Fu Jin's question. He thought for a moment, frowned slightly, and said frankly: "I don't know much about business affairs. Why don't I ask them after I find the shopkeeper?"
"That's fine," Qi Buchen said. "Western goods are actually quite popular in the capital. I heard our porcelain and silk are also very popular in Europe. Alas, unfortunately, I've inquired and found that it would be too expensive to set up our own fleet and go to sea, and we don't have anyone who knows how to sail."
"Maritime trade has indeed flourished in recent years. I heard that ships from Guangdong and Fujian travel back and forth non-stop every day." Yinzhen nodded and thought for a moment before saying, "If you're truly interested, I'll ask around and see if anyone has their own fleet. We could invest money and invest in a share."
Qi Buchen's eyes sparkled: "Is it okay? Then can we send someone to go out to sea with you and buy things that interest you?" In fact, he wanted to send someone to secretly learn navigation technology so that he could form his own fleet in the future.
Yinzhen laughed: "Of course."
The two talked about this for a long time before Qi Buchen ended the topic with satisfaction and ran to look through some economics books.
After talking about serious matters for a long time, the heat on Yinzhen's face finally subsided. He put down his hand and looked at Fu Jin's cheerful back with some helplessness.
In fact, he not only blushed, but was also a little impulsive in some unspeakable ways. However, Fu Jin was only fourteen and didn't understand anything. She was so shy and resistant just to be hugged. If he showed other signs, Fu Jin would probably be scared.
But, alas, this kind of thing always needs to be known. After all, the two of them will be able to sleep together in a year. Other girls are taught by female elders before they get married, but when Fu Jin married him, they were both young and knew that they would not sleep together, so Fu Jin's mother probably didn't tell her about this. Even if she did, Fu Jin probably didn't understand it at that time.
How could he let Fu Jin know about these things without leaving any trace? Could he let Fu Jin accidentally find some pamphlets? Or could he have the Imperial Household Department send a maid to teach Fu Jin?
No, it’s too obvious, Yinzhen was a little distressed.
Qi Buchen didn't know that her young husband had already started thinking about such dirty things. She was completely immersed in her upcoming career and even kept planning in her mind while eating.
Yinzhen was somewhat dissatisfied that Fu Jin's attention was not on him at all. In the afternoon, the two went to the training ground to exercise. When practicing archery, he found an excuse to send Master Wu away and personally gave instructions.
It's really about getting started, holding hands to adjust the angle, holding arms to adjust the height, and half-hugging the person from behind to adjust the posture...
Qi Buchen soon discovered his little tricks, and when he became more and more excessive, he complained in a low voice: "Don't get so close. We are outside. It would be embarrassing if someone saw us."
Yinzhen could only stop here regretfully, but the previous contact was enough for him to reminisce for a while.
The two spent several days in such a sticky relationship. Yinzhen always looked for opportunities to hold hands with Fu Jin and hug her, while Qi Buchen cautiously rejected some of his excessive actions. The two of them pulled each other back and forth like playing chess.
It was Kangxi who saved Qi Buchen.
After more than half a year, Yinzhen finally got a job, which was to renovate a house. Although it was painful for him not to be able to see the person he loved all the time when he was in love, Yinzhen still used his strong self-control to convince himself that in order for the two of them to stay together longer in the future, he must work hard now to do the job better and make the emperor more satisfied with him, so that he would not think that he was too indulging in love and vent his anger on his wife.
Yes, he had to create an image to the outside world of being absorbed in official duties and not interested in women, so that others would only think that he was not interested in women, rather than that his wife was jealous.
With this in mind, Yinzhen forced himself to devote himself to the task with utmost dedication. Even though it was just welfare housing for ordinary soldiers, he was strict and even harsh. The Ministry of Works, who had thought they had landed a good job, secretly complained when they learned that the person in charge was the notoriously strict Fourth Prince. After experiencing Yinzhen's ruthless and impartial attitude, they complained bitterly. Not only did they not get any benefits, but they also had to toil day and night to meet the deadline.
Their resentment even alarmed Samuha, the then Minister of Works. This relative of Concubine De personally invited Yinzhen to have a talk, and tactfully stated that Yinzhen's standards were too harsh, and that the people under him were very resentful, and that the requirements should be relaxed appropriately.
But Yinzhen retorted expressionlessly, "The court employs them to do their jobs, not to keep them as masters. They are all lazy and don't know the difference between grains. They are in charge of the food and beverage department, but they can't even understand the most basic building blueprints. I wonder how the Minister of the Court conducts his annual evaluations? He actually allows such incompetent people to stay in office!"
Samuha hadn't been criticized like this in a long time. If it was the emperor, it would be fine, but a bald prince dared to criticize him to his face. He immediately said calmly: "Managing a government office is not as simple as Fourth Prince thinks. Fourth Prince's behavior is only suitable for handling some specific matters, but not for taking charge of everything."
"Whether I am suitable or not does not require the comment of the Minister." Yinzhen lifted his robe and stood up to say goodbye.
Samuha looked at Yinzhen's cold back and sneered, "Hmph, brother." He's just a kid who hasn't even grown all his hair yet, and he thinks everything is black and white.
When Kangxi occasionally asked Yinzhen how his mission was going, Samuha said with a smile, "The Fourth Prince is upright and incorruptible. He has intimidated many old-timers since he started his mission. Now that the atmosphere in the Ministry of Works has become clear, I have benefited from it and saved myself a lot of trouble."
Kangxi nodded: "The fourth brother's temper is indeed a bit too straightforward."
Yinzhen was unaware of this discord between the emperor and his ministers, and he continued diligently carrying out his duties. Even when faced with Yinzhi's sarcastic remarks, he merely felt a brief irritation, then feigned grievance in front of his wife, asking for a hug, and then moved on. With such efficiency, within just two months, the plans for the twelve thousand houses were complete. All the wood, stone, and craftsmen were in place, and groundbreaking had begun. If the Ministry of Works had been operating at its usual pace, they would have been lucky to have completed the plans in two months.
During this busy period, Qi Buchen was not idle either. He took the shopkeeper found by Yinzhen to sort out the business situation in the capital. Finally, they decided to start with cosmetics and clothing. In this way, the cosmetics shop did not need to be changed, and only new products needed to be researched. The cloth shop had to be converted into a ready-made clothing shop first, and then some reliable embroiderers had to be hired.
Qi Buchen, the new product of the cosmetics shop, decided to start with lip balm. At that time, there were no special lipsticks. Lip balm and rouge were made of the same product, and there were few colors, mostly vermilion. The other colors were not too bright and beautiful, but there was a nude color called sandalwood that was quite good.
Qi Buchen used to like watching videos of people making things, including a lot of cosmetics. Although he had never tried it himself, he still remembered most of the processes, which were not much different from the craftsmanship at that time. He directed the original master of the cosmetics shop to try a few times and he succeeded.
In fact, the most important thing about lipstick is to match the color. She spent a lot of time on this before mixing a few satisfactory colors. She didn't dare to make too exaggerated orange, purple, etc., because people at that time could not accept it. She only picked safe bright red, peach pink, nude pink, tomato red, etc.
As for the packaging, she didn't insist on using a lipstick tube, and still used a porcelain box, but made a slight breakthrough in the appearance.
As for clothing, it was even simpler. The cheongsams at that time were wide and bulky, and had no style at all. Qi Buchen planned to make adjustments to the style and color first. The adjustment should not be too big, and people should have time to slowly accept the changes.
After the new clothes were made, Qi Buchen tried them on first. She planned to promote them as her own spokesperson. Baozhu and others praised them for being beautiful, but their praise was not very credible. After all, they said she looked good in everything she wore.
She should wait for Yinzhen to come back and ask him.
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Author's words: Yinzhen: Fujin, come, let me show you something good~ [Spring Palace Picture]
Qi Buchen: That’s it?
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