Chapter 3 Buying People's Hearts
Zhu Youtong hadn't wanted to tell his sister about this, but when she pressed him, he answered honestly, "I heard the other ladies and palace maids whispering that ever since the sword dance, Grandma has grown fond of my older brother and isn't as devoted to me as she used to be. Even the Emperor always praises me in front of the ministers... They also say that if I don't enjoy the Emperor's favor like before, Mother's position as Empress won't be secure... I thought that was why my sister keeps visiting the Taoist temple, reeking of incense..."
Zhu Yuhuan said with a puzzled look, "Is that what everyone says?"
Zhu Youtong nodded seriously, "Actually, I overheard what the palace maids and eunuchs were saying. They only said a few words before they were scolded by the eunuch in charge..."
Zhu Yuhuan thought about it and immediately realized that this so-called rumor was probably intentional. She just wanted to use it to put pressure on Zhu Yuhuan. The trick was exactly the same as the one she used on Concubine Sun.
However, even if Zhu Yuhuan did not go to the Wunong Temple or leave the palace every day, he was busy reading and riding and shooting. He had no time to care about these things, so the pressure did not fall on Zhu Yuhuan, but was transferred to Zhu Youtong instead.
However, the purpose of Zhu Yuhuan's fasting and worshipping the gods was to prove that he was "honest". If it had not affected Zhu Youtong, Zhu Yuhuan would have wanted to thank the other party for taking the initiative to help.
In reality, Empress Dowager Zhang only sought her attitude; she didn't insist that Zhu Yuhuan become a Taoist priest. Furthermore, even if Empress Dowager Zhang wanted to plot against Zhu Yuhuan, she wouldn't have needed to resort to such a low-brow method. After all, the grandfather and grandson had lived together for a while and knew each other intimately. Empress Dowager Zhang knew Zhu Yuhuan better than anyone else. She was like a spring: the harder she pressed, the stronger it rebounded... even though springs didn't exist in that era.
Therefore, rather than letting Zhu Yuhuan become alienated from the royal family, it would be better to suppress him moderately. Under normal circumstances, no matter how ambitious Zhu Yuhuan was, no one in the court or the public would dare to support him openly.
In this way, Empress Dowager Zhang plays the bad guy, and the emperor and the next emperor play the good guys. As long as Zhu Yuhuan does not develop unnecessary ambitions, he will naturally be rich and powerful all his life.
Zhu Yuhuan thought for a moment, patted her sister's shoulder, and said, "Tongtong, I have something important to tell you."
Zhu Youtong blinked in confusion and said, "What's the important matter?"
"Sister doesn't have that much energy to devote to the palace. From now on, can you help her pay more attention to the direction of the palace?"
Zhu Yuhuan planned this mainly because he took into account that his sister was still young and had grown up in a relatively simple environment. Therefore, she had a straightforward and innocent personality, so few people in the palace were wary of her, even Concubine Sun was no exception, otherwise she would not have allowed the sisters Zhu Youtong and Zhu Hanjia to play together.
In addition, Zhu Yuhuan also hopes that her sister can properly understand the growth environment in the palace. It is not that she wants to put pressure on her sister, but she hopes that she can cultivate a strong enough heart.
A person may not be stronger than others physically, or more talented than others, but his mind must never be inferior to others.
Once you lose your determination, you will always be inferior to others no matter what you do.
Upon receiving the commission from his sister, who always seemed to be "all-powerful," Zhu Youtong immediately puffed out his chest, as if he had taken on the most important task in the world. He nodded solemnly and said, "Okay! I'm sure I can help you, sister!"
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and nodded, touched his chin and began to think.
Since the other party has set a trap for her, she should fight back in time, otherwise the other party will take advantage of the situation to climb up.
"Girl, Mr. Shen is here."
Zhu Yuhuan came back to his senses, touched his sister's head, and said, "Wait for me for a while, okay?"
Zhu Youtong knew that his sister had her own things to do, so he nodded obediently and said, "Okay, I'll wait here for you to come back."
Zhu Yuhuan gave Huai En a look, indicating that he must take good care of Zhu Youtong, and then went to the private room next door.
Shen Guangci had been waiting inside for a long time. He hadn't seen him for several months. He was only wearing a simple cloth robe and looked exhausted. He must have arrived at Taiping Teahouse not long after arriving in Beijing.
Seeing Zhu Yuhuan dressed in women's clothing, Shen Guangci immediately stood up and saluted, saying, "I greet your Highness."
"You're welcome, sit down and have some tea." Zhu Yuhuan sat at the table and flipped through the account books brought by Shen Guangci, but his eyes did not touch the boxes of silver and money in the house.
Having money is of course good, but what is most important to Zhu Yuhuan at the moment is not money, but reliable manpower.
After Zhu Yuhuan took a rough look, he looked up and found that Shen Guangci was still standing there, not sitting down, with a vaguely uneasy look on his face.
There's nothing wrong with the account book, so why is he so nervous? Even if he falsified the accounts, he couldn't show it so obviously.
Seeing that he was alone, Zhu Yuhuan asked curiously, "Why didn't you bring your son with you this time?"
Shen Guangci explained with a smile: "They all took the goods to trade everywhere. Your Highness's goods, whether expensive like glass or cheap like soap, are also very popular in the Jiangnan area. I also hope to get more goods from Your Highness this time so that I can sell them everywhere, otherwise the current quantity may not be enough to sell..." He said this cautiously, obviously worried that Zhu Yuhuan would object.
Zhu Yuhuan thought for a moment and said, "No need. Transporting goods from north to south, whether by land or by canal, will only increase the cost of goods. In this way, some cheap goods that should be popular will become unsalable."
Although Shen Guangci had already considered that he would be rejected, when he really heard Zhu Yuhuan's words, he still felt a little disappointed and was subconsciously stunned.
Fortunately, Shen Guangci reacted quickly. Fearing that Zhu Yuhuan would be displeased by his reaction, he quickly apologized with a smile, "Your Highness, you have a point..."
Zhu Yuhuan noticed Shen Guangci's subtle disappointment, looked at him sideways, and said, "I understand what you mean. You want to be the sole agent of Jiangnan, right?"
Shen Guangci only half understood what she meant, but he nodded repeatedly and said, "I do have this idea, but Your Highness must have his own reasons. I will naturally follow Your Highness's arrangements..."
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but laugh, patted Shen Guangci's arm, and said, "There's no need for an agent. I trust you. I can teach you all the methods for these things. This way, you can produce and sell them directly in Jiangnan, which is more convenient than transporting them from south to north."
There are many people and a lot of money in Jiangnan. It would be great if we could train more useful people and expand our industrial chain and business scope!
After hearing her words, Shen Guangci could not help but stand there in a daze. He felt that the world was silent, and the only thing echoing in his mind was Zhu Yuhuan's words "I trust you".
If you don't really trust him, why give him all these ways to make money? Jiangnan is a rich place, and the wealth of these things is not limited to this!
Furthermore, the Shen family had been merchants for generations, even having been exiled by their great-grandfather, and their descendants had only managed to survive to this day with great difficulty. In a world that prioritized agriculture over commerce, who would dare to trust merchants? Furthermore, Zhu Yuhuan, a descendant of their great-grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang, was the most legitimate and qualified person in the world to distrust the Shen family.
Shen Guangci chose to help Zhu Yuhuan and explained to his three sons that "Princess Shunde is a descendant of a royal family, so how can we merchants refuse her?" But only Shen Guangci himself knew that he hoped to use Princess Shunde to revitalize the Shen family and restore the glory of their ancestors.
He wanted to use the princess, but the princess trusted him completely.
For a moment, Shen Guangci was overwhelmed with emotions and couldn't help crying.
Zhu Yuhuan didn't expect that Shen Guangci was not ecstatic, but burst into tears. He was startled and hurriedly asked, "Hey, why are you crying?"
She was here to win people's hearts, so there was no need to be so moved, right? She felt that if she didn't hug Shen Guangci and cry bitterly, and become sworn sisters, she would be sorry for Shen Guangci's tears.
Han Guilan heard the noise inside and hurriedly looked in. Unexpectedly, she saw Shen Guangci with tears streaming down his face. Han Guilan quietly retreated and said to the bewildered little girl at the door: "Go get a basin of water and wipe Mr. Shen's face."
"good!"
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