Jiang Jiuniang fell into deep thought. So the current situation in Qianzhou is that it is entirely supported by those coal bosses. The coal bosses are big and powerful, and they have countless slaves to work for them. They don't need ordinary people. Even if they are useful, they are directly bought as slaves.
As a result, people had no opportunity to make money and no hope of surviving, so they naturally started to give up, had as many children as possible, and then sent their children to steal to support the whole family.
Jiang Jiuniang originally thought she had a wealth of experience and had seen all sorts of strange things, but she never expected that what she saw here would be truly eye-opening.
The government tacitly approves of it, since they can achieve the KPI without relying on the people, and the imperial court will naturally not hold them accountable. In fact, because there are many wealthy people here, they can even exceed the quota to complete the task, which makes them happy.
Once their own rights are guaranteed, the lives of ordinary people become irrelevant.
It turns out that in places far from the capital, one can really do whatever one wants.
The family of three had dinner at a Miao family's home that evening. The elderly Miao couple prepared many local specialties from Guizhou for them, and every dish was delicious. They finished every plate completely.
However, things were not peaceful in the Miao family. Miao Shan's two sons had been corrupted by Liu Shi and kept calling Miao Lanlan a worthless woman. After learning that Liu Shi had been divorced, they made a scene at home all night. In the end, Miao Shan got angry and locked them in the woodshed to quiet them down.
Seeing the mess at the Miao family's house, Lu Baichuan didn't linger and left early with his wife and children.
After returning to the inn, Jiang Jiuniang told Lu Baichuan what she had learned from Miao Lanlan.
Jiang Jiuniang expressed her opinion: "This situation has been going on for many years. Once it is changed, it will affect the interests of many people. We cannot change it, but I think it doesn't matter if we can't change it, we can join in."
At this point, Jiang Jiuniang raised her eyebrows, looking smug.
Lu Baichuan, however, was somewhat confused by her meaning, his face full of doubt.
Jiang Jiuniang grinned and laughed heartily: "Our family's business involves all walks of life, so why can't we get involved in the coal mining industry? There are many coal mines here, and the government outsources them. We can just take over a few mountains and hire local people to work, so that the people will have something to do."
Although she cannot take care of all the people, she is not a saint and cannot help everyone, and some people are not worth her help.
"Besides, I've discovered that the prices here are quite low, with very few options for the wealthy. Couldn't we move our Jiayuan Pavilion here? I'll also open a rouge shop, and I'll have all the rich women in Qianzhou City covered by my own face-making service!"
In other words, she leased several mines and started recruiting workers to mine them. She also opened several high-end shops specifically targeting the wealthy in the area, making money off them. This way, she could help the ordinary people in the area while also filling her own pockets. There's no more profitable business than this.
Lu Baichuan looked at her with some surprise. Sure enough, his wife was quite the businesswoman; he hadn't thought of that at all.
He had originally planned to use some of his authority to rectify the situation, but such a large-scale operation would definitely be troublesome. Moreover, they would be traveling light, making it particularly difficult to carry out their plans. Furthermore, they would be making enemies everywhere, which would make it difficult for the Lu family to maintain a good reputation in the capital in the future.
Now that the emperor has begun to fear his power, if he offends everyone, the Lu family will be in a dilemma if the emperor turns his back on them.
It would be better to do as his wife suggested: if you can't beat them, join them. This way, you can develop your own power and wealth, avoid offending anyone, and maintain good relations with local officials, making the emperor wary and less likely to take action against the Lu family.
However, the problem now is that coal mines are limited and cannot be bought at will. They may have already been divided up by local wealthy businessmen, and they have a close relationship with Qian Xiao, so it will not be easy to deal with them in the short term.
Jiang Jiuniang waved her hand and said, "If the prefect were healthy, I really wouldn't have any way to help him, but he looks like he won't live much longer. He'll definitely come to me for help someday. Just wait and see, it won't be long."
As for the coal mines, she felt that they must have quite a few, and Qian Xiao must have something on them. It wouldn't be a big deal to find a couple of things to use against them and force them to give up a few mines.
Jiang Jiuniang has plenty of ways to deal with these treacherous, cunning, and bullying rich people, and she feels no guilt whatsoever.
After all, Master Lin initially intended to forcibly take her away, which shows that he is not a good person. So, her dealing with the Lin family can be considered punishing evil and promoting good.
Lu Baichuan was speechless; his wife's idea was brilliant.
Jiang Jiuniang then remembered something else and said, "The Lin family will probably still cause trouble for the Miao family. While we're doing business here, we should also keep an eye on the Miao family. After all, they're the first friends we've made here, and we might have more dealings with them in the future."
After spending the day with them, she felt that the Miao people were easy to get along with, especially Miao's mother and Miao Lanlan, who both possessed great wisdom.
"good."
Lu Baichuan nodded. After a busy day, he decided to tidy up and go to bed as soon as possible.
In the middle of the night, there was a knock on the door. Lu Baichuan got up to open the door and saw an unfamiliar face. He instinctively tried to close the door, but the person quickly stopped him.
"Sir, our master invites you! Is it true that your lady can cure my master's illness, as you mentioned before?"
The man was in a great hurry; his forehead was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, indicating that he had run all the way here.
Lu Baichuan instantly understood what his wife meant by "soon," and he admired her and nodded.
"My master fell ill after dinner and is now bedridden and unconscious. If you, Madam, can truly save my master, we will repay you handsomely!"
As he spoke, the man bowed to Lu Baichuan with a very devout attitude.
"Hold on."
Lu Baichuan responded and closed the door. He went back to call Jiang Jiuniang, who was already prepared and had sat up.
"I'll leave as soon as I get dressed. We'll take our son with us; I don't feel comfortable leaving him here alone."
"good."
The family of three followed the man to Qian Xiao's house, where the house was in complete chaos. When they arrived at the room, they discovered that in addition to her, there was a large group of doctors who were at a loss for what to do.
When they saw the servant suddenly run out, they thought he was going to invite some expert, but he just brought in a woman. The doctors all showed disdain on their faces.
Jiang Jiuniang naturally wouldn't miss the disdainful expressions on their faces. Since they didn't respect her, she didn't need to care about their feelings and said directly, "Only I can cure your adults' illnesses. Let them all go back."
Upon hearing this, the group of doctors instantly flew into a rage, and some even wanted to stand up and berate her. However, Qian Xiao on the bed was still waiting for her life, and the servants did not allow them to say anything more. They immediately took them all out as Jiang Jiuniang had requested.
However, none of them wanted to leave, so they waited outside the courtyard, wanting to see if Jiang Jiuniang was just bragging or if she really had the ability.
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