To be able to open a jewelry shop in Tai'an City, one must have some financial strength behind them.
Ordinary merchants could not possibly afford five thousand taels of silver to buy a shop.
Therefore, those who have the ability to open shops in Tai'an City are basically from prestigious families.
With the reform of commercial laws, some restrictions on scions of aristocratic families were also lifted.
It is no longer the case that if one member of the family is an official, the entire family is forbidden from engaging in business.
His Majesty the Great's idea is good, aiming to prevent collusion between officials and merchants and the exploitation of the people.
However, where there are policies from above, there are countermeasures from below.
On the surface, they are all honest and upright officials, but behind the scenes, who knows how much land and property they possess.
With the decline of imperial power, some of the decrees of the founding emperor were like a toilet paper, having no binding force whatsoever.
These officials only use them when necessary.
With the reform of commercial laws, Li Chang'an lifted restrictions on officials engaging in commerce and strengthened the management and punishment of businesses.
The punishment of skinning daylilies, which had been removed, was reinstated by Li Chang'an.
With the lifting of restrictions, all the major families began to openly engage in business, seizing a huge piece of the pie in Tai'an City.
With the emergence of these individuals, business competition has intensified.
Many monopolistic industries have also been invaded by these people, leading to various forms of competition.
The Ming Dynasty was a paradise for commerce; as long as you had enough capital, you could make money no matter what you did.
Therefore, after the opening of commercial laws, commerce actually flourished.
The only drawback is that it requires a bit more oversight personnel.
The owner behind the Treasure Pavilion is Niu Baoguo, the Duke of Lu of the Ming Dynasty, one of the few remaining dukes.
Previously, he was the richest and most powerful duke among the noble families.
Now he can only rank third. Yang Guofu and Zhang Liang, following behind Li Chang'an, are making a fortune, earning a fortune every day.
With their family's wealth, the two of them also employed a considerable number of workers.
The conditions they offered to the workers were exactly the same as those offered to Li Chang'an: free room and board, five taels of silver a month, pensions in old age, and free schooling for their children.
Before Li Chang'an appeared, the bodyguards kept by these noble families did not receive such high treatment.
Yang Guofu and Zhang Liang owned hundreds of shops and thousands of workers. In addition, their guards and personal soldiers numbered nearly ten thousand.
These people are workers in normal times, but if anything happens, they are the best suicide soldiers.
If it weren't for Li Chang'an keeping them in check, these two could probably have rebelled together.
Therefore, among the nobles, Yang Guofu and Zhang Liang are currently the most powerful.
However, the two of them, now following behind Li Chang'an, no longer bothered to associate with others.
Niu Baoguo was the one who criticized these two people the most.
So when he heard that Lin Youchu had come to the store to buy something, he immediately asked his wife to go downstairs to greet her.
"Madam, we are entrusting our family of over eighty people to you."
"The Ming Dynasty will surely rise to great heights from now on. Whether we can seize this opportunity depends on you."
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Niu, along with her daughters-in-law, hurriedly arrived at the shop.
The current state of the Ming Dynasty has left many nobles feeling lost, and Li Chang'an's actions have made them somewhat uneasy.
Niu Baoguo experienced the great purge at the founding of the dynasty and also the era of rampant corrupt officials. He knew very well that the current Ming Dynasty was just a name.
He didn't know what Li Chang'an was waiting for, but he knew that what he saw now was just the calm before the storm.
The Ming Dynasty needed a purge to be completely renewed.
He understood this principle, and so did Emperor Jianyuan.
They simply lacked the ability, while Li Chang'an possessed it.
Therefore, when Niu Baoguo entered Tai'an City, he knew that if he wanted to survive, he had to make a statement.
It's just that Li Chang'an is elusive and rarely seen, so he didn't have the chance.
Lin Youchu's arrival was his opportunity.
Luo Yang held up a string of pearls and gestured around You Chu's neck, saying, "You Chu, You Chu, these pearls will definitely look beautiful on you."
Looking at the string of pearls in her hand, Youchu felt it was too precious and didn't dare to reach out to take it.
Lin Doudou, who was in her arms, was quick-witted and grabbed it, putting it in her mouth and biting it.
This thing looks white and moist, it looks delicious.
Looking at her younger sister, Youchu quickly removed the pearl from her mouth. Seeing the saliva on it, Youchu didn't know what to do.
The shopkeeper wasn't angry; instead, he watched with a smile. Before he could say anything, a voice came from outside the door.
"The Second Madam has excellent taste."
Old Madam Niu, leaning on her cane, walked in from the shop entrance. The shop assistants and manager of Treasure Pavilion all bowed to her.
Her gaze wasn't on the servants, but rather on Lin Youchu.
The only person who could be so close to Li Chang'an's second wife was the legendary Regent's Consort.
So the moment Old Lady Niu entered the door, she recognized Lin Youchu.
Looking at the pearl in Luoyang's hand, she smiled and said, "This pearl is a walking pearl that was given to me by Governor Huang He of Zhejiang for my sixtieth birthday."
"I'm getting old, and people will laugh at me if I carry this around. So I'll leave it in the shop and see if it can keep the treasure from getting dusty and find a good owner."
"Now it seems that this treasure does indeed possess a spirit."
After saying that, Old Madam Niu took the pearl and placed it in Lin Doudou's hand.
"It's a blessing that this little trinket is liked by the young lady. Your Highness, please accept it. It'll be good for the young lady to chew on."
"This is too expensive, I can't accept it."
Youchu looked at the old woman in front of her and wanted to return the string of pearls to her from Doudou's hand.
As it turned out, Lin Doudou seemed to really like this novel gadget, holding on to it tightly and unwilling to let go.
"oh oh!"
Lin Doudou, who had her things stolen, was a little unhappy. She said "oh" twice to her sister, and then said angrily, "Sister is bad, she wants brother-in-law."
Upon hearing the little girl's words, Old Madam Niu beamed with joy: "This must be the Princess's younger sister. She's so beautiful. I, for one, love girls the most."
"These good-for-nothing wives in my family have only given birth to boys; they haven't given me a single lovely granddaughter."
"I'll take the liberty of giving this pearl to the little child. Your Highness, please don't stand on ceremony. Consider it a small gift from me to the little child."
Upon hearing this, Luo Yang crossed her arms and said, "Madam Niu, my husband said that free things are the most expensive."
"We'll pay whatever price this pearl costs."
"What do you mean by giving or not giving? People who don't know any better would think that my Regent's Palace is short of money."
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