Chapter 43: Chamber of Commerce Mu Xue said nothing, but threw a backhand punch,
Mu Xue said nothing, but just punched him in the chest.
A low laugh sounded, and Dorji gently grasped her hand. His thumb, which was covered with calluses, rubbed the back of her hand, feeling a little rough.
"Okay, I won't make trouble anymore. Look, the sun is about to set."
They then stopped talking and just quietly admired the sunset.
Dorji had seen the sunset on the grassland many times, but this time, he felt it was particularly beautiful.
He glanced at the princess from the side. The twilight fell on her face, bringing a little loneliness and tenderness. She was particularly pitiful. If the princess had not refused, he really wanted to hold her in his arms. He wanted to protect her completely so that no one could hurt her.
The princess only had him to rely on in this grassland. This thought was a little mean, but he also felt a little unspeakable joy. No matter what, he would treat her well, not only to show respect for the Qing court, but also for his own good.
Thinking that from now on, he could watch countless sunsets with her, Dorji smiled.
On the vast grassland, dusk is falling. In the distance, a group of sheep are slowly approaching the sheepfold. The afterglow of the setting sun makes their wool shine golden.
The same setting sun also shone on the princess's personal account room.
After the farewell today, the princess said that everyone, except for a few "on duty", could rest for half a day.
The little maid Yingzi therefore lay on the couch and cried for half a day.
Yingzi was one of the maids bought back by the princess's mansion. She usually followed the maids to teach them how to watch the stove and boil water. She was only fourteen years old, and because of her young age, she was particularly sad.
Although she was annoyed and hated her family for selling her, she couldn't help feeling sad when she thought that she would never see her parents, brothers and sisters again. Her nose turned red from crying.
It was not until the twilight shone near the account office that he finally tired of crying. He sat cross-legged on the couch, staring blankly at the fading red light on the ground.
The other three maids in the accounting office were similar, with tear marks on their faces.
The door curtain woven with Stipa was lifted, and a maid came in holding a lantern and looked around at the little apprentices.
"That's enough. You've cried your heart out today. Do your job well tomorrow and don't be upset in front of the master." She reminded, "The master is kind-hearted, and the maids are watching. The rules are here. If you break the taboos, don't blame me for spanking you."
Yingzi immediately straightened her back and said "yes" in unison with the others.
In the light of the candle, Yingzi could clearly see that the maid's eyelids were a little swollen.
"That's all you need to know. Come out. We have some mutton soup to drink today."
A large jar of mutton soup was placed on the campfire, gurgling. The soup was clear in color, with a few specks of mutton fat. The smell of mutton from the grassland was slight, and all you could smell was the aroma. Some green floated on the surface of the soup.
"Thank you for getting some vegetables." Mother Zhao filled a bowl of soup and handed it to Yunqi sitting opposite her.
Before being appreciated by the princess, Yunqi was originally a vegetable farmer.
Yunqi thanked him, took the mutton soup, and said, "Where are the green vegetables? We just went to a place a little further away and picked some wild sand onions. Just for show. The soil and water here are not suitable for planting. People who are nomads naturally have their own reasons."
"That's right," Zhao's mother saw that she looked normal and joked, "Why, you didn't cry?"
"At my age, I'm used to the mess of the world. Besides, crying takes strength. Qiu Niang is watching over me, so I'm fine." Yun Qi was concerned, "Is the princess okay?"
Mother Zhao nodded: "The princess looks very sad. She is having dinner with her husband right now."
"Is it inconvenient for me to go and ask for an interview later?"
"It's hard to say." said Mother Zhao.
Today, the princess' husband wants to stay in the princess's tent to rest. Her family has all left, so as a husband, shouldn't he stay with her to make her feel at ease? But if the princess' husband is here, she usually won't listen to important matters.
She and Aunt Wu spent a lot of time with the princess, and could sense the princess' attitude. Aunt Wu was a married woman with children, and perhaps she could empathize with her and think that the princess and her husband got along very well. But Mother Zhao thought that the princess had always been wary of her husband.
For a girl who married far away, this was not a bad thing. She preferred to work for such a princess. If she really loved this princess who was devoted to her husband, she would feel a little nauseous. After all, no one could predict how long a man's love would last.
Mother Zhao smiled and asked, "What's the matter?"
"It's a businessman's business."
The Mongolian merchants who followed the princess's team counted their goods and prepared to open the market. There was no proper market on the grassland, so they simply cleared a small area behind the princess's tent and used it as a market for trading.
After checking the almanac, they chose the day after tomorrow to open the market. The merchants wrote a note, eagerly hoping that the princess would attend, and prepared for the Fan family to send the note tomorrow.
Yunqi thought about reporting to the princess in advance.
She could see that the princess valued these merchants very much. These people were indeed useful and worth recruiting. Many things on the grassland were difficult to make and could only be transported by merchants. Moreover, the post roads were not accessible now. If one wanted to pass on information, these merchants who came and went to do business would definitely be useful.
When the moon rose, a maid came to report to Mother Zhao that the princess had finished her meal and the prince consort had returned to his tent.
Mother Zhao stood up and said, "Then let's go over there and report to the princess before she goes to bed."
They walked quickly towards the princess's tent. It was time for a change of guard. One group of guards took over from another and stood under a row of halberds in front of the tent.
Yunqi nodded secretly. These guards still maintained their attitude, and even though the prince had left, their attitude did not relax immediately.
Tong Shoulu, the leader of the night guard, saw them and nodded.
Mother Zhao also smiled and nodded, leading Yunqi towards the big tent.
There were two eunuchs guarding the door of the big tent. When they saw Mama Zhao leading people in, one of them went in to pass the message and only after getting the order did he let them in.
The big tent was brightly lit with many palace lanterns and candles burning. The princess was used to lighting more lanterns at night to make the tent look bright.
Nanny Wu stood by while the princess sat down and turned a page of the Heart Sutra.
This was a rare thing. Mother Zhao glanced at the desk and saw a pile of yellow-covered scriptures.
"Okay, let's set up a small Buddhist shrine next to the front living room. People should be able to see it when they come in."
After Mu Xue finished instructing Madam Wu, she closed the sutra and looked at Madam Zhao and Yun Qi, "What's the matter?"
Yunqi told Muxue about the news that the merchants were going to open the market. Muxue agreed: "I will go and take a look."
She thought for a moment and added, "Why not have a ribbon-cutting ceremony?"
"A ribbon-cutting ceremony?"
This word "Yunqi" is the first time I hear it.
Mu Xue explained: "Make two pillars as the door, tie a big red ribbon in the middle, and then ask the merchants to ask me to cut it open with scissors to get a good start."
Yunqi said, "I'll go and make the arrangements later and make it lively. If the people on the grassland see it, they will definitely want to join in the fun."
"Is that what you mean?"
Seeing that there was no one else in the tent, Yun Qi bowed and said, "Actually, I have an idea."
"you say."
"If the princess wants to guide these merchants, why not set up a guild?" Yunqi said, "In the past, in the capital, there was at least the Ministry of Internal Affairs to manage these merchants, but now there are no officials stationed in Mobei. If you are interested, you might as well take the lead so that they can at least have a sense of belonging and rules for doing things. I have also inquired privately, and these merchants are also happy to have such a guild. In case of disputes, there will be people who can come forward to mediate."
This is almost very straightforward. Tell her that while the imperial officials have not yet taken charge of this area, we should take charge of it first.
Mu Xue tapped her fingertips on the desk and said thoughtfully, "It is indeed feasible."
Now is the first time that serious merchants have come to Mobei to do business, and all the rules are blank. It is just a good opportunity to seize the initiative and win them over.
She thought more about it. Some merchants might not be completely convinced by a nominal leader. So she hinted to Yunqi: "I heard that the court is very strict about the qualifications of Mobei merchants. They must get a ticket number every year before they can trade on this grassland. But the court cannot predict the future. If there are dishonest merchants who mix in and cause chaos, arousing public anger, then they will inevitably cancel this ticket number, don't you think?"
Talking to smart people doesn't require much effort.
"What the princess said is very true," Yun Qi understood immediately after hearing it, "If there are any dishonest merchants doing this, we must report the bad apples to the government and remove them from the list!"
First courtesy, then force. If you are sensible, establishing this chamber of commerce can help protect your interests. If you are not so sensible, you may be a profiteer and your ticket number will be cancelled. As for your question about who on the grassland will judge whether someone is a profiteer, the answer is self-evident.
Coming out of the princess's tent, Yunqi walked out in the night with big strides. Leaving the city, passing through felt tents one after another, he saw some old small tents, which were the residences of merchants. Some of these people used to do business in the south of the desert, and the tents they carried were also weathered by the wind and sand, so they looked old. And because they were afraid of being robbed by sand bandits, few merchants were willing to make some luxurious decorations, and they all looked gray and gloomy.
The curtains of the Fan family were also half new and half old, and their wealth was not exposed. A servant was waiting for Yun Qi and immediately greeted him with a smile.
"Aunt Yun is here so late."
Everyone is not stupid. Zou Yunqi, a maid, doesn't study vegetable cultivation, but has the leisure to look here and there. Even the nanny beside the princess smiles at her. She must be no ordinary person.
When Fan Yuqi heard the noise, he came out to greet them. His wife saw that it was a female guest, came out to serve tea, and then quietly huddled in a corner of the tent.
Yunqi thanked him and said, "Mrs. Fan looks better today."
Business is hard, and it is even harder in a remote place like Mobei. These merchants are almost all men, and only Fan Yuqi brought a wife. Yunqi therefore had some impression of Mrs. Fan, who was a very virtuous woman.
Mrs. Fan smiled shyly: "Yes."
"She was in great pain a few days ago, but now she has settled down and is feeling a little better." Fan Yuqi smiled, "But is there any good news?"
"There are two good things indeed." Zou Yunqi said, "The princess is willing to attend the opening ceremony. In addition, perhaps you have an important responsibility to shoulder, and you should have a chamber of commerce."
Fan Yuqi was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately asked about the situation in detail, promising that he would follow the princess's lead.
After seeing the guests off, Fan Yuqi saw Madam Fan and frowned, "Don't be so petty in front of the princess anymore."
He had brought Mrs. Fan here, hoping that she could help him speak in front of the princess. But the longer she walked, the more uncomfortable and haggard Mrs. Fan became. She looked so sick that she could not possibly appear in front of the princess.
Mrs. Fan felt very guilty and was afraid of delaying his work, so she quickly answered yes.
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