"But the price..." Manager Fan paused, observing Liao Ziwan's expression.
"We're willing to pay twice the market price."
Manager Fan shook his head and held up ten fingers.
[Exorbitant demands?!]
[They look all polite and well-mannered, but are they just trying to extort money from me?]
Manager Fan looked honest and kind, but I never expected him to be an opportunist.
He must have wanted to raise money as soon as possible to settle his frail and helpless mistress.
Liao Ziwan's heart sank, realizing that this matter was not easy to handle. She thought to herself that it seemed she could only try an unconventional method.
"Brother Fan, if you don't mind, Ziwan would like to ask if your beloved concubine has been settled?"
Seeing that no one was around, Liao Ziwan leaned close to Manager Fan's ear and whispered a question.
Manager Fan shook his head somewhat embarrassedly, then frowned slightly, becoming wary, and said in a somewhat unfriendly tone: "Miss Ziwan, what do you mean by that? Are you trying to threaten me? I, Fan Xiangwen, am the least afraid of being threatened!"
Liao Ziwan waved her hand, "Brother Fan, you misunderstand. How could I tell your wife about this? It's just that this time, Ziwan really needs your help."
Seeing that Manager Fan's expression had softened slightly, Liao Ziwan continued, "This time, I can sign the contract with you, Brother Fan, instead of with your wife's Liu's Cloth Shop. Brother Fan, do you understand what I mean?"
Manager Fan paused for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and pondered.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Liao Ziwan knew that things were starting to turn around. "This time, I will buy the undergarments at three times the market price. After the matter is settled, I can send someone to deliver the money to you privately without letting your wife know."
"One-tenth of it can be counted as part of your sister-in-law's capital."
"This extra 20% is Ziwan's way of thanking Brother Fan. We'll give it to Brother Fan separately later."
Liao Ziwan's implication was that if Manager Fan didn't help her, or if he questioned her and asked for an exorbitant price, such as ten times the original price, she couldn't guarantee she could keep her mouth shut and not reveal his secret concubine.
"Um……"
After hesitating for a while, Manager Fan nodded slightly: "Alright, then three times the price, and delivery within five days."
All these years of hard work running the cloth shop have turned out to be a waste of time and effort, with no personal gain whatsoever!
Take advantage of this opportunity to earn more.
"In the future, I'll open a fabric shop on my own. At that time, Manager Ziwan, you must come and patronize Brother Fan's business often!"
"Definitely, definitely!"
Hearing this, Liao Ziwan knew that the matter had been settled. "Thank you, Brother Fan. I will have the steward bring the contract to you later today."
"Alright, since Sister Ziwan has asked, Brother Fan will naturally help. I'll get started on this matter right away!"
"Thank you so much, Brother Fan!"
Liao Ziwan bowed to Fan Xiangwen and then left Liu's Cloth Shop.
...
Back at the Brocade Silk Shop, Liao Ziwan had the manager send a message to Manager Wen, saying that Manager Fan would be making a batch of undergarments and that she should have the helpers wash and dry the undergarments that had been stored in the warehouse and gotten wet in the rain, so that they could continue to be used.
The silk shop manager looked surprised and hesitant: "Shopkeeper, aren't you going to make a new one? This undergarment has been soaked by the rain, so it's bound to have some flaws. It might not be appropriate to send it to the palace guards."
Not only does this fabric get dirty from the rain, but it also needs to be completely washed and dried. If it is dried directly, yellow circles of varying sizes will appear on the fabric. If it is treated, the damage caused by rain to the lining can be greatly reduced, but the quality of such an lining is not as good as a brand new one.
"I've already found someone to work on the new one, and of course, you'll also need to continue working on the new one here."
"I was thinking that if we don't have enough new undergarments by then, we can pick out a few of the best ones from the ones that have been dried and treated, and hand them in together," Liao Ziwan said.
"I understand. The shopkeeper is very thoughtful."
"Therefore, you must tell Manager Wen to instruct people to properly treat and dry the undergarments that have been soaked by the rain."
...
Inside the Changqiu Palace of the Nanyang Imperial Palace, Yun Yishu received a message from Liao Ziwan.
"Your Highness, this is a letter from the Brocade Silk Company."
Shi Tou handed a note to Yun Yishu.
Yun Yishu's expression changed slightly after reading it.
"How could this happen?"
He clutched the note tightly in his hand.
The heavy rain caused them a significant financial loss!
"Let's go to Fu Shuang Palace."
Yun Yishu, carrying Shi Tou, strode into Fu Shuang Palace, where Yun Duoduo was studying poison with Jin Zhuangzhuang by the window.
Seeing Yun Yishu walk in with a somewhat anxious expression, she dismissed the servants around her.
"Third brother, what's wrong? What happened?"
"Didn't Jinxiu Silk Shop take on an order from the palace a while ago?"
Yun Duoduo nodded, signaling him to continue.
"Ziwan found several shopkeepers to cooperate with, but the roof of one of the shopkeepers' warehouses was leaking, and all the undergarments were soaked by the rain."
"ah?"
Yun Duoduo's two little hands were clasped tightly together.
This shopkeeper is so careless.
"This is Ziwan's letter."
Yun Yishu handed the note to Yun Duoduo, who quickly glanced at it.
Ziwan suspected that someone had tampered with the tiles and replaced them with cloth.
“Today, it’s been raining a lot in the capital. That person calculated that they needed this batch of goods urgently, and that there would be heavy rain recently, so they made their move after careful preparation,” Yun Yishu explained the current situation.
Yun Duoduo slammed her hand on the table: "You heartless bastard!"
"What Sister Ziwan means is that they have found help to expedite the production of this batch of lingerie."
"However, the person behind this hasn't been found yet, so there's no guarantee that more problems won't arise later." Yun Duoduo frowned slightly.
"Third brother, do you have any capable people among your men?"
She is still young and has no trusted confidants around her. Apart from Ah Xiang and Granny Liu, there are only eunuchs and maids in Fu Shuang Palace, as well as imperial guards and secret guards stationed near Fu Shuang Palace.
It seems I need to cultivate some of my own people.
"I do have a few guards who have been by my side for years," Yun Yishu pondered, seemingly selecting which people would be suitable.
"Third brother, send a few people to keep a close eye on the Steward Yu that Sister Ziwan mentioned in her heart."
“If the people from the silk trade were to keep an eye on things, it would be too conspicuous. Your people are all in the shadows, so Manager Yu and the person behind the scenes definitely wouldn’t recognize them.”
Yun Yishu nodded: "Alright, that's exactly what I was thinking too. I'll send someone to keep an eye on the vicinity of Wen's Cloth Shop in a bit. If Manager Yu sneaks up on anyone, we'll arrest that person."
"Yes, that's what we'll do!"
After discussing it, the two agreed to go to Jinxiu Silk Shop together the next evening to talk to Liao Ziwan about the matter.
Watching Yun Yishu's departing figure, Yun Duoduo murmured, "Who could have done this?"
...?
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