Chapter 336 Speaking Freely
Upon returning to her residence, Shangguan Jin immediately gathered all the necessary people together.
It was still in her room.
Inside the main hall, several charcoal stoves were placed, making the temperature inside the room much higher than outside.
Shangguan Jin remained seated in the seat of honor. Although she was only wearing a padded jacket, Dongmai had still placed a hand warmer in her hand.
Dongmai stood on Shangguan Jin's side as before.
Aunt Xin was standing on the other side.
Below them, sitting, are Shen Qingyue, Shen Qingming, Shen Qingrui, and Shen Qingyu.
In addition, Qian Qingqing helped Madam Shen sit down on a chair on the other side.
As soon as Shangguan Jin finished speaking, everyone immediately fell silent.
Shen Qingyue and Dongmai kept their mouths tightly shut, not saying a word.
The two of them already knew about it when Shen Huaichen entered the mansion.
In just one day, Shen Qingyue had her butler deliver things to the courtyard where Shen Huaichen lived more than ten times.
A charcoal stove, the finest silver charcoal, and a hand warmer were provided. The maids were also instructed to change all the bedding in the courtyard.
As for other items, such as tea, snacks, and even games like Go and storybooks to pass the time...
Burileg was flattered.
"Abu! Are all the people of Chongqing this hospitable?"
Shen Huaichen, of course, knew what was going on.
"Because we were sent here by Changsheng Gong, they are giving Changsheng Gong face."
"Furthermore, visitors from afar, as long as they come with good intentions, will be warmly welcomed by the people of Dayu," Shen Huaichen explained.
As Burileg thought about the scenes he had seen along the way, he couldn't help but sigh.
"I wish the border cities could be as prosperous as the capital."
Shen Huaichen patted Burilege on the shoulder.
"Believe in Abu! That day will definitely come."
......
"Mother, do you mean His Majesty also wants the government to take the lead in developing border trade?" Shen Qingming asked excitedly.
Shangguan Jin nodded, indicating that what she said was true.
Shen Qingming was even more excited.
Oh my, he's finally got his chance!
Although he currently works in the Ministry of Revenue's Department of Commerce, his daily job is to check how much tax the merchants in the capital are paying...
Who underpaid taxes? Who didn't pay taxes at all...?
These tasks meant nothing to him.
It's much more interesting to stroll down the street and watch how antique shop owners swindle visiting merchants...
Suddenly, the border town wants to establish an official trade channel with Dayu...
This is absolutely a fantastic opportunity!
"Mother, don't worry, I will definitely talk to my cousin the Emperor properly tomorrow."
Make sure he assigns this task to me.
Haha, this is truly a stroke of luck, my brother isn't here.
If my elder brother were here, he would definitely stop him from doing it. He might even go to the palace to plead with His Majesty to stop his cousin, the Emperor, from doing these things!
Shen Qingming's excited expression left everyone in the room speechless.
But upon closer reflection...
Given Shen Qingjun's attitude of wanting to force everyone in Dayu to farm, he might actually be capable of doing such things.
"Alright! Ming-ge, now I'm telling you about this."
As for whether His Majesty will entrust the matter to you, that depends on your abilities.
It's not like this task will definitely be assigned to you.
There are so many people in the Merchant Guild, and quite a few of them are older and more experienced than you.
"What if someone else is more suitable than you!" Shangguan Jin poured cold water on Shen Qingming's hopes.
Shen Qingming immediately came to his senses.
Yes, my cousin the emperor always judges people by their abilities. If you're not capable, he'll support you, but he'll never entrust you with important responsibilities.
Therefore, I must come up with something useful...
Looking at the room full of people, Shen Qingming quickly came up with an idea.
"Mother, when you were buying and selling things, did you ever encounter any problems that you wanted to solve?" Shen Qingming suddenly asked.
The people inside...
What happened to them? That's unlikely! They're now the First Duke's Mansion of the Great Yu...
Shangguan Jin, however, knew what Shen Qingming meant.
This is just a simple market research project!
Only by understanding everyone's problems can we better propose solutions.
but......
"I have no problem. After all, the manor is thriving now. Whether buying or selling things, no one will cheat the Duke of Dingguo's manor," Shangguan Jin said with a smile.
Shen Qingming, who still wants to hear Shangguan Jin's insightful opinions...
"Um... I have a question, can I ask it? It's a little small!" Dongmai suddenly raised her hand.
Upon seeing this, Shen Qingming quickly looked at Dongmai.
"Aunt Dongmai, please speak!"
After thinking for a moment, Dongmai immediately explained the problem she had encountered.
"I'm talking about myself. When I sell the embroidered purses and handkerchiefs, different shops will give me different prices."
Some shopkeepers were kind enough to give me an extra two coins.
In some cases, the money given wasn't even enough to cover the cost of the embroidery thread.
"Wouldn't it be better if we could have a standardized price that everyone agreed on?" Dongmai asked.
Shen Qingming understood.
This is actually a problem of unclear pricing.
Very good, that's a good question, I should write it down.
The merchants bought their goods from ordinary people, and the prices varied depending on who paid them.
If the government had a specific standard, it might protect the interests of ordinary people to some extent.
"Is there any more?" Shen Qingming asked Dongmai eagerly.
Winter wheat immediately shook its head.
"there is none left!"
The only things she could do to buy and sell were handkerchiefs and purses she embroidered herself.
"Second Young Master, I have a question, may I ask it?" Aunt Xin suddenly raised her hand cautiously.
"Please speak, Auntie!" Shen Qingming immediately looked at Aunt Xin again.
Aunt Xin owns many shops, so she must be facing a lot of problems.
Aunt Xin has become much more generous than before, and she can now check the accounts herself.
"Well... I was just thinking that my shopkeepers said that many goods weren't expensive when they were brought from the place of origin."
But the challenges along the way...
You have to pay a fee every time you go to a new place, and sometimes you have to pay twice.
They were even chased by officials from various government departments demanding money.
Could we have a unified standard?
We will definitely hand over what needs to be handed over to the authorities.
"But those people took the money and went off to eat, drink, and have fun, without handing it over to the authorities!" Aunt Xin whispered.
Shangguan Jin and Shen Qingming both understood.
This is a very serious problem.
The problem of arbitrary charges.
If this problem is not solved, it will not only be the merchants who suffer losses.
In the end, ordinary people suffer the greatest losses.
Shen Qingming immediately took out his notebook and wrote it down again.
Good question, I must write it down...
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