Who gave her the courage?
Where did this woman get such audacity?
Song Yi was breathing rapidly, his head was throbbing, his mind was filled with too many thoughts, and even drinking a pot of tea couldn't calm him down. Finally, he took a few deep breaths before he could barely compose himself.
Song Yi stared straight at Jiang Shuwan.
He is always prudent in his work and believes in doing only what one is capable of.
Jiang Shuwan is quite something; a mere ant dares to borrow the strength of an elephant to fight another herd of elephants.
That's incredibly audacious and arrogant!
Isn't she afraid that if she fails to get a boost, she'll be trampled to death by the elephant?
Moreover, she spoke so casually that anyone who didn't know better would think she was just using someone else's stick to attack someone else's chicken—something so trivial.
She was scheming against a wealthy businessman with assets in the millions or even tens of millions.
"Young mistress is truly fearless, daring to say and think anything."
"Those are Shanxi merchants, Zhejiang merchants, and Anhui merchants. How much wealth, manpower, and resources do they have? And you think you can just let them scheme against you like that, young mistress?"
"You really don't respect them at all!"
"You think they're brainless? You think they can scheme against you however they want?"
Song Yi paced back and forth in the room, his tone growing increasingly forceful as he spoke.
"Let alone all the chambers of commerce, just the Shanxi merchants alone are enough to give you a hard time..."
“Young mistress, you are safe with the Marquis’s mansion backing you, but they have both legal and illegal methods. You, a mere maid, dare to scheme against them. If they don’t let you suffer, where will they put their face?”
"Young Madam, please stop talking. Offending the merchants of Beijing is bad enough, but do you want to offend others as well?"
Song Yi's words were harsh; he was almost about to call Jiang Shuwan a daydreamer, someone who was delusional and ignorant of her own limitations.
Jiang Shuwan: "..."
She looked at Song Yi with a strange expression. "Brother Song, is there some misunderstanding? I know they outnumber me and I can't afford to offend them."
"So I don't plot against them, nor do I scheme against them."
"This is an open strategy."
"A conspiracy?" Song Yi's expression changed drastically, looking at him in disbelief. "You're going to tell them all your schemes?"
His voice was hoarse when he said this.
Jiang Shuwan nodded.
"Jiang Taigong fishes, and those who are willing will take the bait."
"Anyway, I don't care. If this idea doesn't work, I'll think of another way."
"But are they willing to miss this opportunity?"
"If it were you, would you be willing to miss out?"
Song Yi's expression changed instantly, his palms sweated profusely, and he unconsciously clenched his hands, pondering to himself.
Yes.
If it were him, he would never miss this opportunity.
First of all, foreign businesses have always wanted to establish themselves in Beijing, and this is a rare opportunity.
Secondly, Jiang Shuwan was the one who spearheaded this matter, and she will also be the one making the decisions in the future. If it were people from other chambers of commerce, they would definitely be suspicious of each other and unable to work together. After all, everyone is in business, and there have been many conflicts between them over the years.
It's fair to say they wouldn't feel comfortable with anyone in charge.
If it were Jiang Shuwan, she wouldn't have this concern.
She has a relatively clean background, with few conflicts of interest and no grudges against them. Moreover, they will help Jiang Shuwan win the position of president of the Beijing Chamber of Commerce in the future, so if Jiang Shuwan acts unfairly, they can use this as an excuse to control her.
To put it bluntly, it's all about mutual exploitation.
They'll do it if they want, and they won't if they don't.
No coercion, it's entirely voluntary.
so?
Is this feasible?
Song Yi became more and more excited as he thought about it, and the more he thought about it, the more feasible, quite feasible, and very feasible it seemed.
Once Jiang Shuwan's idea is realized, it will be much more than just making money.
It should be noted that this is the first luxury shopping street in the Great Jing Dynasty, and being located there is undoubtedly a symbol of their status and honor.
For these wealthy merchants, status and honor were extremely important.
When the time comes, they can boast to each other without mentioning how much money they have or how big their business is. They can simply say that they own a shop on Donglin Street, so the other person will know that they are in the high-end luxury business.
Countless thoughts raced through Song Yi's mind. He took several deep breaths to calm himself down before clasping his hands in a respectful greeting to Jiang Shuwan.
“This matter is of great importance. Please rest for a while, young mistress. I need to discuss it with my father before I can give you an answer.”
"Can!"
Jiang Shuwan gestured for him to leave, and Song Yi took his leave.
This wait lasted for almost an hour.
"Why is Song Yi taking so long? If we keep waiting like this, we'll have to have dinner at his house!"
Qingxing and the others were furious and kept looking out the door. "Isn't Patriarch Song recuperating in the back courtyard? Anyone who didn't know better would think he'd run off outside. He hasn't come back yet after all this time."
"They're probably just being cautious. After all, the Song family ended up in this situation because they saved the Zhou family, so they're bound to be more careful now," Brother Nai comforted Qingxing. "Besides, once the Song family gets on Miss's ship, they'll never be able to get off. This is a major family matter, and who knows, the Song family might have already held a clan meeting in the inner quarters."
"Hold a clan meeting?" Qingxing was startled. "Then I'd better not rush it."
She knew that clan meetings were for matters of life and death for the clan, and they wouldn't be held for trivial matters.
"Miss, are you hungry?" Qingxing walked over to Jiang Shuwan's side again.
Jiang Shuwan swallowed the pastry in her mouth, her pretty little face wrinkling up. "A little."
"Then how about we have dinner at the Song family's house? It's a bit against the rules, but I don't think the Song family would dare to tell anyone."
Just then, Song Yi came in, looking travel-worn. His eyes were bright and his expression relaxed, showing that he was in a good mood.
Upon seeing Jiang Shuwan, he was in an even better mood, a flamboyant smile spreading across his face. He clasped his hands together and bowed deeply in greeting.
"The Song family is very grateful to the young mistress for saving us. The entire Song family is willing to form an alliance with the young mistress."
"We stand together through thick and thin, fearing both glory and loss."
Jiang Shuwan ultimately decided not to stay for dinner at the Song family's house. Given her current status and the fact that she was traveling alone, she needed to be cautious.
"Miss, please take your time."
Jiang Shuwan held Qingxing's hand as she carried the carriage, and the five ruts on the muddy road became six.
For the next few days, Jiang Shuwan stayed at home, while Brother Nai and Song Yi were busy running around, talking to representatives of Shanxi, Anhui, and Zhejiang merchants. These major foreign merchants had long wanted to set up shop in the capital. There were many dignitaries in the capital, and they knew that the profits were astonishing, so they quickly reached an agreement.
However, these business representatives were very dissatisfied with the shop rent.
"Young Madam's ingenuity is admirable, but the shop rent is really unreasonable."
"A shop with one courtyard and four small rooms in the back, and the price is a hundred taels of silver. Even the rent on Zhuque Street isn't that expensive, is it?"
"Of course, we are in the high-end business. As long as business is good, these rents are nothing. It's just that the young madam seems to have forgotten that what you provided is just an ordinary shop. What really attracts distinguished guests is our prestigious brand and our goods."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com