The world is changing too fast, and people are becoming increasingly clueless. Sun Miaoqing felt that Da Pangju's skin had thickened day by day, to the point that it was comparable to the walls of the Forbidden City.
He can actually say so calmly that he's the most reasonable person...
Is it reasonable to save hundreds of thousands of taels of silver from her?
Sun Miaoqing couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty is the most reasonable person, but the national treasury was empty before, so you must have used your private treasury to make up for it quite a bit, right?"
"May I ask if all the necessary documents have been written? Although the entire Qing Dynasty belongs to you, it is only right to spend some money on your own estate."
"But now that the world is at peace, it's best to distinguish things clearly, lest those ministers think it doesn't matter if the national treasury is empty."
"I'm not saying anything bad about those ministers, but when I think about how His Majesty is worried about money, and how the ladies in the harem are also being frugal, I feel sorry for His Majesty."
"How can there be a situation where the emperor is frugal while his ministers are extravagant?"
The fat orange cat was speechless. None of the things he took out had been given a receipt!
He knew that the princes and ministers in the capital were extremely wealthy.
Putting everything else aside, this vixen in front of me, even when she was just a lowly concubine in the palace, had already complained a lot about how her quality of life was worse than before after marrying into the palace.
Although he knew the demon was deliberately trying to embarrass him because of the smallpox issue, he was an emperor with a forgiving heart and wouldn't hold a grudge over such trivial matters.
Listening to both sides leads to enlightenment, while believing only one side leads to darkness. He has the magnanimity to tolerate others; listening to a few more words will always be of some use.
The chubby orange cat asked, "What, does Consort Cheng have a solution?"
Sun Miaoqing said smugly, "I do have some ideas. If Your Majesty doesn't think I'm shallow, I'll just tell you for fun."
The chubby orange cat snorted, "Hmm, go ahead and say it."
Sun Miaoqing said, "This is what I think: Your Majesty also has a 30% stake in Honey Sugar House."
“If you earn ten taels of silver, you can get three taels. Although smallpox vaccination doesn’t cost much silver, it will take a lot of manpower and resources to supply the whole world.”
“The common people have paid taxes, but when the court needs them, they are also required to perform corvée labor, which is really hard work.”
“Since ancient times, wise rulers have always reduced taxes and levies, but Your Majesty has only been on the throne for less than three years, and the court’s revenue and expenditure have only just balanced up a little. We cannot reduce taxes by so much.”
"Why not allocate a sum of money from the national treasury to distribute smallpox vaccines to the people free of charge, starting with areas where smallpox is rampant? This would not cost much, and it would make everyone in the world grateful for the Emperor's benevolence."
"What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Big Fat Orange pondered carefully. If the national treasury were to allocate 100,000 taels of silver, 30,000 taels would immediately return to his hands. If this were done consistently, he could save a considerable amount of silver.
"That's a good idea, but I remember you just promised me that the smallpox vaccine would be provided free of charge. What, does Consort Cheng want to go back on her word?"
Sun Miaoqing gave an awkward smile, "How could that be? Your Majesty is joking. I am just feeling sorry for Your Majesty."
[I feel sorry for you, you idiot! You're so greedy! What emperor would be so fixated on this? All you do is take advantage of women.]
Big Fatty Orange took the lotus-shaped pastry and ate it smugly. So what if he took it? The person was his, not to mention anything else.
Under heaven, all land belongs to the king. Within the borders, all people are subjects of the king, let alone a mere woman.
He would feel embarrassed if it were any other concubine, but with Sun Miaoqing, he felt no burden whatsoever.
The chubby orange said, "Since Consort Cheng cares so much about me, I can't be ungrateful. So, I'll have the Ministry of Revenue allocate 200,000 taels of silver as payment for smallpox vaccination."
"After you accept the money from Honey Sugar House, remember to add this 200,000 taels to my share of the profits."
"There's no need to rush to give it to me. Although the milk candy business is good, it's still just a small-scale operation."
"Instead of locking up that silver in the vault, we should use it to start a couple more businesses. Rouge, face powder, or spices would be quite good."
"I believe you can definitely run a few more shops like Honey Shop."
[Human greed is insatiable; like a snake trying to swallow an elephant, or someone who can't be greedy enough to eat the moon. The candy business alone isn't enough; cosmetic brands also want a piece of the pie.]
[That fat cat has it all figured out! What does he take me for? A meddlesome old woman?!]
Circumstances dictate my actions; I'll endure it!
Sun Miaoqing gritted her teeth and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your praise. I will certainly not let you down."
"After all, no matter how many industries there are, they will eventually belong to the children."
*
Back at Changchun Immortal Pavilion, Sun Miaoqing grabbed a potted rose on the windowsill and, in a fit of rage, ruthlessly destroyed the flower.
The flowers, which were once in full bloom, were reduced to nothing in just a few breaths, with not a single petal left and the leaves scattered and broken, as if they had been ravaged by a storm.
After Sun Miaoqing had vented her anger, Linglan came over and advised, "Your Highness, please calm down. Getting angry will harm your health. Tomorrow, when the Madam and the two young masters see you like this, they will be very worried."
Sun Miaoqing said, "It would be strange if I weren't angry."
"The matter of the cosmetics shop had only just begun when the Emperor set his sights on it again. It seems that apart from me, there's nowhere else for him to get money!"
Linglan advised, "But Her Majesty also said that the milk candy business is just a small-scale operation, while the cosmetics and fragrance business is the one that is extremely profitable."
"You can't fight city hall. The Emperor has already tasted the benefits, so how could he let go? Even if we don't mention it now, he'll still want a piece of the pie once the business takes off."
Liuli said, "Your Majesty, Linglan is right. Fortunately, it's just a share, and in the end, it will still be inherited by the princes and princesses under your name, so no one else benefits."
Sun Miaoqing said, "He has his brilliant strategies, and I have my own ways of dealing with them. Originally, I was thinking of starting anew and separating from Honey Candy Shop."
"Since His Majesty says so, then the two hundred thousand taels of silver will be considered as the shares invested by Honey Candy House, still representing a 30% stake."
Besides the Emperor's shares, Honey Candy House also has shares held by Sun Miaoqing, the Sun family, and the Zhang family.
If Big Fat Orange invests 200,000 taels of silver as everyone's contribution, after dilution, he will only account for less than 10% of the share.
But even this 10% share is considerable. Sun Miaoqing was also planning to sell these goods overseas after the ban on maritime trade in the South China Sea was lifted.
They reaped the benefits of the world's nobility, making queens, empresses, and noble ladies indispensable to them. At that time, the sales of packaging alone could cover the taxes of a hundred acres of land.
The initial accumulation of capital should now fall into Sun Miaoqing's hands!
"It's good that the Emperor has joined in. Now that the time is right, we can earn more and make things smoother."
Linglan said, "Yes, without the Emperor's endorsement, Honey Candy Shop wouldn't be doing so well, and those powerful and wealthy people wouldn't be buying into it."
"Every loss has its gain. Your Majesty, please bear this humiliation. Besides, bowing down to the Emperor is nothing shameful."
With a helpless sigh, Linglan's words, though unpleasant to hear, were the truth.
The day she's single and in charge, she'll make Big Fat Orange kneel down in the bathroom and sing "Conquer" to her!
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