He Zhuo suggested visiting the homes of ordinary people, saying he would bring the children along in a few days to experience the hardships of life. Yin Zhi was not a spoiled brat, so the two of them came together.
He Zhuo inquired in detail about the prices of meat, rice, flour, eggs, duck eggs, and so on.
The two had been strolling around outside for quite some time. When it was time to eat, they went to He Zhuo's dowry shop, which was now being run very successfully by Yin Tang.
When He Zhuo first married into the family, she considered that if she were to bring out the fruit wines and honeys produced there in the future, it would be bad if there was no source for them. So, in the first year after she married into the family, she bought several hills in the south to plant flowers and fruit trees. Now, in addition to selling to the locals, she also makes wine from the fruits and flowers, and turns them into spices, flower teas, and so on.
Every year, the wine is sent to the capital. Apart from some of it being sold at his own winery, the rest is given to the Ninth Prince, Yin Tang, who will find a way to sell it.
So He Zhuo's income has been quite good in the past two years, with a net income of at least 50,000 taels of silver per year. However, He Zhuo has sold about ten pieces of jade in the past two years, and he did so through the Ninth Prince, but he did not do it himself. The group of people that He Zhuo had arranged for the medicine shop when he was a child have also been dispersed. He Zhuo will contact them when he has something to do.
At the Empress Dowager's 55th birthday celebration, the white jade Guanyin and white jade Ruyi presented by the Crown Prince were both made from jade sold by He Zhuo. The two pieces came from the same piece of jade, which was actually a medium-to-high-grade item in He Zhuo's storage ring. However, it was quite large and the color was very even, so it could barely be considered a top-grade item, because top-grade items are usually smaller.
He Zhuo received more than 10,000 taels of silver from this alone, so it's no exaggeration to say that He Zhuo is now rolling in money.
Keep a low profile, keep a low profile, hide your wealth!
Today, when He Zhuo inquired about the prices of rice, flour, meat, chicken, and duck, Yin Zhi was by his side. Upon returning to the residence, He Zhuo handed Yin Zhi an account book.
The document clearly records the daily food expenses of the household: 30 coins for a chicken egg, 40 coins for a duck egg, 200 coins for a catty of pork, 400 coins for a catty of mutton, several kinds of rice, the most expensive being 150 coins per catty, and several kinds of noodles, the most expensive being 100 coins per catty.
And what about the prices that ordinary people hear about today?
Two chicken eggs cost one coin, two ducks cost one coin, or one duck egg cost one coin. Pork cost 10-15 coins per pound. I didn't see any mutton. Rice cost 8-25 coins, and noodles were about the same price.
The accounts in this mansion are outrageous! These treacherous servants are reporting exorbitant amounts, sometimes tenfold, sometimes even dozens of times higher. Back in the palace, everyone in the mansion received a stipend, even the palace maids' monthly allowances were paid by the palace. Now that they're out here, apart from Yinzhi, Hezhuo, and Consort Nalan who have salaries and stipends, everyone else has to pay for their own money. These damned servants are actually trying to embezzle from the master!
As a member of the royal family, Yinzhi naturally knew that if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. However, he did not expect that the water would be stirred up so turbidly. So much food alone in the mansion had been embezzled, and there were many other things as well. Wouldn't the master soon be hollowed out by these parasites?
In fact, Yinzhi was misled by Hezhuo. After all, in other places, there are usually no prices that are dozens of times higher than the asking price; they are usually only ten or ten times higher. This is a common practice among wealthy families.
He Zhuo didn't care about what happened next. Yin Zhi rushed over and ransacked the homes of several purchasing agents in the mansion. Several purchasing agents were killed by Yin Zhi. Indeed, betrayal is more hateful than embezzlement. Among these purchasing agents were Consort Hui's personal servants, the son of the manager of Yin Zhi's external businesses, and the son of the wet nurse who had been driven away before.
After all, the wet nurse had taken care of Yinzhi for many years, so there must have been some affection between them.
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