Youqing was unaware that Consort Tong wanted her portrait; she was busy calculating accounts!
Business is good, and the books look great.
"Master, as per your request, only one shop in the antique street remains; all the others are already open."
Youqing planned to use the last shop to buy some ingenious and unusual items in order to seize the market for imported goods.
It's not really a matter of seizing market share; the market wasn't saturated to begin with.
"Well done."
Youqing bought so many shops, three of which became Yan Yue Ge, one became a teahouse, one became a flower tea shop, and one became a clothing store.
There's one left.
In the Qianqing Palace, Liang Jiugong said, "Your Majesty, Master Shu has sent someone to deliver this month's share. Should it be put directly into the treasury?"
Emperor Kangxi casually asked, "How many?"
After signing the contract with Youqing, Kangxi received silver a few times. He only asked about it briefly the first time, as he was too busy afterwards. Now that he had some free time, Kangxi asked, "How much was sent?"
"One hundred thousand taels of silver."
Actually, there was more than that; there were some odd amounts left over. Youqing planned to round it up and give it to them later.
"so much!!"
Emperor Kangxi was stunned.
One hundred thousand taels is not a lot for Kangxi, but it depends on how you look at it. A profit of one hundred thousand taels in a month. He remembered that when he first asked about it, it was only a few thousand taels. At that time, he did not take it to heart. How long has it been? One hundred thousand taels is only one-tenth of the profit.
Just how profitable is Youqing's shop?
How much was it last month?
"About 80,000 taels."
In just one month, a 10% profit margin can grow from the original 80,000 taels to the current 100,000 taels. This speed at which money is made even Emperor Kangxi couldn't help but marvel.
"After verification, send it to my private treasury."
The garden renovation cost a lot of money, but judging from the current situation, all that money has been recouped.
After returning home, Madam Tong sent people to investigate Youqing.
Longkodo noticed Madam Tong's actions and couldn't help but frown: "Mother, why are you investigating things you shouldn't be investigating again? The people His Majesty is protecting, are you going to go against His Majesty?"
"Do you think your mother wanted this?"
Madam Tong didn't want to investigate, but her daughter made her do it. When her son found out, he scolded her, and she was caught in the middle.
“I went to the palace a couple of days ago and told the Empress about the recent things that happened at home. It was the Empress who ordered the investigation. The Empress also wants You Qing’s portrait.”
"Why does Your Majesty need a portrait of a merchant?" Longkodo was very puzzled. In his mind, his sister was more reliable than his mother. Hearing that it was his sister who asked him to investigate, he was less agitated.
"Empress doesn't know either. Her Majesty only told me to investigate, but didn't say why."
"Since it's Her Majesty's decision, let your son handle this matter!"
"Okay."
Madam Tong was happy to let the matter drop; she was more than pleased that her son was willing to accept it.
Longkodo is actually quite talented; he can also draw portraits. However, it has been several months since he last saw Youqing, and he can't remember what she looks like.
He sent people to keep an eye on the estate where Youqing lived. After learning that she had come out of the estate, Youqing ran into Longkodo while she was out shopping.
Youqing didn't think much of it, just felt it was quite a coincidence.
"Young Master You, what a coincidence, you're here shopping too?"
Longkodo was very friendly, but Youqing felt uneasy in his presence because of her. As a result, Madam Tong lost face and the Tong family also lost a considerable amount of money.
Even if she didn't have a lot of hatred for the Tong family, they would definitely not get along peacefully. It's very abnormal for Longkodo to be so friendly.
As the saying goes, those who offer unsolicited favors are either treacherous or thieves.
"It's quite a coincidence that Third Master Tong is also out shopping."
“My niece is getting older and she kept asking me to buy her jewelry, so I came out to take a look.”
"Oh, Master Tong really dotes on his niece. I won't bother Master Tong any longer."
After Youqing finished speaking, she was about to leave when Longkodo said, "Wait a moment. I heard that Young Master You has opened several shops. I wonder if I would have the honor of visiting them and also buying some things for my elders at home."
Youqing refused without hesitation. Although she didn't know his purpose, she really didn't have a good impression of Longkodo.
After Youqing left, Longkodo's previously polite face suddenly went expressionless, turning as cold as ice.
Youqing was right. Because of her, the Tong family has not been having a good time lately. Although they haven't suffered any serious damage, they are inevitably being ridiculed by their peers.
How could Longkodo possibly have no resentment towards Youqing at all?
Although Youqing was also a victim, Longkodo didn't care about that; all he knew was that the Tong family had lost face because of her.
Not long after, Consort Tong of Jingren Palace received a portrait of Youqing.
Upon seeing the portrait, Consort Tong was astonished. It was too much like the portrait. Except for the hairstyle, it looked exactly like that vile Consort Shu. No wonder she had lured His Majesty away from the palace.
Previously, seeing His Majesty's cold treatment of Lin Miaoting, I thought His Majesty disliked others who resembled Consort Shu. Who knew His Majesty found someone who resembled her even more? Now it seems that Lin Miaoting is still not similar enough. If she really looked like You Qing, even if she were a man, she could still seduce His Majesty.
Thinking about it this way, Consort Tong felt terrible. All the women in the harem were less attractive than one man. If she hadn't known, it would have been fine, but now that she did, Consort Tong felt like dying.
They can't compare to the dead, nor to men.
"Granny, Consort Hesheli should not be too busy lately. Find a way to let her know that there is a young master You who looks exactly like Consort Shu living outside the palace. Let her handle the rest herself."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
