Chapter 673: Wonders in the Inner Quarters

The Zhen family's grand mansion, the main branch's residence.

Although Zhen Yingjia could guess his wife's intentions, he did not know them entirely. He frowned and asked, "What are you planning now?"

The eldest wife of the Zhen family said, "Master, given the current situation, to speak of something inauspicious for our house, I fear the Zhen family will struggle to find a good outcome.

We are both people with one foot in the grave; the only thing I cannot set my mind at ease about is the child, Baoyu.

Since he was small, he has been doted on by the Old Matriarch and raised in luxury; where has he ever suffered the slightest hardship?

If the Zhen family truly meets with misfortune, how will he live in the future, and how will the bloodline of our main branch continue?

As his mother, I must plan for him. These past few days, I have already sorted through the assets our main branch has accumulated over the years.

It is just that after Shiwen passed away, the Old Matriarch issued an order that all the Zhen family's businesses be managed by the second branch.

Although Fangqing has gone to the Love Shenjing, the second branch's steward she left behind, Liu Xian, keeps a very tight grip on the family's businesses.

I have tried every possible method, and I have only been able to extract a portion of the silver belonging to the main branch's share from the various shops.

After gathering and organizing everything, I have put together over a dozen chests of goods. Even if the Zhen family truly meets with disaster, with these things, our main branch will at least not be at a dead end.

When Baoyu establishes his own household in the future, he will have a foundation.

However, to be safe, these things must absolutely not be kept at home. Nowadays, among the old family friends in Jin Ling, which one of them isn't avoiding our Zhen family like the plague?

Therefore, keeping these chests in Jin Ling is also very unreliable.

I am thinking of sending trusted family-born servants, and having my brother accompany the carts to escort these chests to the Love Shenjing.

I will write a letter to inform our second girl, wanting to store these dozen or so chests at the Prince Beijing's mansion.

If the Zhen family truly meets with disaster, our main branch will at least have an extra path of retreat, and Baoyu will have an extra source of support in the future, so he can suffer a little less."

Hearing his wife's words, Zhen Yingjia was also startled. He had not expected his wife to go to such lengths, even hiding family wealth thousands of miles away.

After thinking about it slightly, he said, "Now that disaster is looming over the Zhen family and the mansion is about to collapse, I fear things will not go well. It is good to have some preparations.

People living in this world are nothing more than power and wealth. Once the Zhen family meets with misfortune and can no longer serve as officials, having some wealth on hand is essential.

But this batch of goods must absolutely not be stored at the Prince Beijing's mansion; otherwise, it will surely invite disaster."

The eldest Zhen wife asked in surprise, "Master, what are you saying? The Prince Beijing's mansion is our main branch's closest relative, the Master's own son-in-law. Can we not trust the bond between father-in-law and son-in-law?"

Zhen Yingjia smiled bitterly, "Wife, you are oversimplifying things. Although Shui Rong is my son-in-law, the bond is naturally true.

But back then, the marriage between the Prince Beijing's mansion and the Zhen family's main branch was not because of me, Zhen Yingjia, but because the Old Matriarch held a noble position and had the Retired Emperor standing behind her.

The old Prince Beijing merely wanted to use this connection to balance power and give the Prince Beijing's mansion an extra layer of support.

Although Shui Rong holds the noble title of Prince and a prestigious position, he enjoys associating with scholars and literati, maintaining the demeanor of a virtuous prince who respects the wise.

But the line of the Prince Beijing is composed of deep-thinking people; not one of them is a fool.

Although Shui Rong is kind in his dealings with others, he is a shrewd and meticulous person who knows how to seek good fortune and avoid disaster.

Even with the bond of father-in-law and son-in-law, I fear he would not be willing to easily invite trouble at this time. If he were truly that foolish, the Prince Beijing's mansion would not still be able to inherit the title today.

A Prince of a different surname is already very delicate in the eyes of the Imperial family, and Shui Rong values his title extremely highly, having more misgivings than ordinary people.

Even if you send the chests over, he will likely find an excuse to decline. Wife, do not make things difficult for our second girl."

Hearing her husband's words, the eldest Zhen wife's brows were tightly locked, and she muttered to herself, "The Master's words are reasonable, but then where should these chests be stored?"

Zhen Yingjia said, "Our Zhen family has more than just the Prince Beijing's mansion as old relatives in the Love Shenjing."

The eldest Zhen wife's eyes lit up, and she said, "Master, are you speaking of the Rongguo Jia family?"

Zhen Yingjia nodded and said, "Although our generation has no marriage ties with the Jia family, our Old Matriarch and the Lady Shi were handkerchief friends in their youth.

As for Fangqing, she even had a betrothal to Jia Cong. Although there was a change in the end and the betrothal was revoked, the Retired Emperor's edict was set in stone.

Matters endorsed by the Imperial family are no small thing. Even if the marriage did not happen, Fangqing cannot marry anyone else in this life. Her connection with Jia Cong is extraordinary.

Based solely on these origins between the two families, and since the Rongguo Jia family does not hold the status of a Prince and does not have so many misgivings, they should not stand idly by.

It is just that Jia Cong is a youth who became famous early and is also a person of outstanding wisdom. I am worried that he, too, will have misgivings..."

The eldest Zhen wife's eyes suddenly lit up, and she said, "The Master's concerns are reasonable, but the situation of the Jia family today is somewhat different from the past, which the Master does not know."

Zhen Yingjia looked puzzled and asked, "How is the Jia family different now?"

The eldest Zhen wife said, "This matter is quite a coincidence. Among the old relatives I visited today, one was the eldest wife of the Jin Ling Wang family.

The eldest daughter of the Wang family's main branch, whose given name is Wang Xifeng, was called Feng Ge'er by old relatives in her early years. She is now married to the eldest grandson of the Rongguo main branch.

The eldest grandson of the Rongguo main branch, Jia Lian, is currently exiled to Liaodong due to committing an offense.

But this Miss Feng is a capable person; she has not lost her momentum in the Jia family because of this, but has instead become even more prestigious.

Because she is Cong Ge'er's proper eldest sister-in-law, and Cong Ge'er's biological father and mother have both passed away, his legal mother, Lady Xing, now lives in widowhood in the inner courtyard and does not manage worldly affairs.

This Miss Feng treats Cong Ge'er much like an eldest sister acting as a mother, and she is highly trusted by Cong Ge'er.

Cong Ge'er lives in the Jia family's East Prefecture himself and has handed the management of the Rongguo West Prefecture entirely to Miss Feng. She is now the mistress in charge of the Rongguo mansion.

According to my thinking, there is no need to alarm Cong Ge'er about these wealth matters; we just need to find Miss Feng to help.

I am thinking that tomorrow I will go to the Wang family again, send a respectful gift, and ask the Wang family's wife to speak with her daughter.

Plus, Miss Feng is helping Cong Ge'er manage the household, and Fangqing and Cong Ge'er were only one step away from becoming husband and wife.

With this sentiment, she, as a sister-in-law, will surely take it into account. This matter will definitely succeed.

As long as Miss Feng helps find an inconspicuous place to temporarily store the dozen or so chests, after a year or half a year, when things settle down, we can retrieve them in time.

The matter will be simpler, and there will be no need to alarm others. It will definitely be secure."

Hearing this, Zhen Yingjia nodded slightly and said, "Wife, put this way, this matter is indeed feasible. Matters of wealth are much more convenient when handled among the women in the inner quarters."

Seeing that her husband also agreed with her method, the eldest Zhen wife felt a bit proud.

She said, "I will go prepare the gifts now and go to the Wang family early tomorrow.

As long as this matter is handled early, my heart will be somewhat more at ease. After that, it will depend on the fate of our Zhen family..."

Gusu, Jingqian Street, Fengxiang Shop.

This is a prosperous commercial district in Gusu, with shops lining the streets and a bustling crowd; it is very lively.

As a well-known commercial port along the Jiangnan coast of the Great Zhou, Gusu is no less wealthy and prosperous than Jin Ling, and even more elegant and refined.

Back then, after Jia Cong's planning, the Xinchun Firm became an Imperial merchant for the Imperial Household Department, and Qu Hongxiu laid out commercial routes in Jiangnan, with officials from the Imperial Household Department also participating in the promotion.

Later, when the Xinchun Firm opened a branch in Fuzhou, officials from the Imperial Household Department also intervened.

Therefore, the Xinchun Firm branches in Jin Ling and Fuzhou are Imperial firms known to officials and the public, and they are under the watchful eyes of all.

Back then, a single Xiuniang perfume shop in the Love Shenjing could earn 50,000 taels of profit annually.

Jia Cong and Qu Hongxiu knew clearly that with unique and exquisite products and different marketing methods, the future profits of the Xinchun Firm would surely be even more astonishing and would attract even more attention.

For any matter, when the implied benefits are too huge, it will always attract unexpected covetousness.

Just like the Xiuniang perfume shop back then, which aroused the greed of Jia Zhen and his son...

Even though the Xinchun Firm now has the title of Imperial merchant, which can prevent most troubles, times change, and no one can predict the future; there is no such thing as a permanent solution in this world.

As the saying goes, "a merchant travels two paths, a wily rabbit has three burrows." To build necessary safeguards and retreats for the future of the Xinchun Firm.

Jia Cong laid out commercial routes for the Xinchun Firm in Yangzhou, Gusu, and other places, borrowing the background and connections of the Gusu Lin family.

The firms established in these places one after another have no apparent connection to the Xinchun Firm on the surface.

Gusu has two such firms. Established for two years, by selling maritime commercial goods and Xinchun Firm creations, they have gradually become large local firms in Gusu.

Coupled with the support of the local prominent family, the Gusu Lin clan, the business of these two firms in the local area can be considered smooth sailing.

One of these two firms is the Fengxiang Firm located on Jingqian Street...

Early this day, the Fengxiang Firm was still bustling with people coming and going, and business was booming.

At this time, a carriage stopped at the shop entrance, and a young girl of thirteen or fourteen years old stepped down.

She had a slim figure, exquisite clothing, and a beautiful appearance. When she pursed her lips, two cute dimples appeared.

She entered the shop, wandered back and forth in front of the shelves, picked up a beautifully packaged piece of perfume soap, sniffed it at her nose, and a look of intoxication appeared on her small face.

A steward woman in the shop came up with a smile and said, "Miss has a good eye, happening to pick the most trendy perfume soap in the shop."

The young girl said, "Auntie, my family also frequently uses the perfume soap from the Xinchun Firm.

Why is yours different? Although it is the same fragrance, it smells cool and is very refreshing."

Seeing that she was dressed exquisitely and said her family frequently used perfume soap, the steward woman felt she must be from a wealthy family.

She smiled and said, "Miss is an expert and truly knows goods, recognizing the benefits of the perfume soap in the shop.

!

This kind of soap has top-grade Taihe peppermint leaves added. Using it to wash your face and bathe in the middle of summer makes your whole body feel cool and very comfortable after washing.

This new product sells extremely well in the shop, and it is snatched up every time it arrives. Would Miss like to buy a piece to try?"

The young girl asked, "Half a year ago at the Xinchun Firm's main shop in Jin Ling, I hadn't seen this kind of soap. Is it a new release?"

The steward woman smiled and said, "The method for making this soap was thought of by our shop's young lady, who asked the Jin Ling Xinchun Firm to specially make it.

It has only been on the market for about a month. Naturally, it didn't exist half a year ago, so Miss naturally wouldn't have seen it in Jin Ling half a year ago."

The young girl smiled and said, "This new soap is quite rare. It turns out the shop's manager is a young lady, and she has such clever thoughts, just like our family..."

The young girl had an innocent nature, but she was also a person who knew her limits, so she stopped talking halfway.

She continued, "Such new soap must be tried. I will buy five pieces, please wrap them up for me."

The steward woman agreed with a full face of smiles, thinking to herself that she hadn't misjudged; this little girl was indeed from a wealthy family.

This newly released perfume soap sold for eight qian of silver per piece. This young girl didn't even ask the price and bought five pieces at once, which was a full four taels of silver. This was truly generous.

……

After finishing her business with the young girl, the managing matron turned back to organize the accounts on the counter, then turned and headed up to the second floor of the shop, walking toward the room at the very end of the corridor.

A young maid sat at the entrance of that room, dozing off in a daze.

The matron paid her no mind and walked straight into the room, where a young lady sat, her appearance beautiful and touchingly delicate.

She wore a pink-white base jacket with a front-opening design, embroidered with exquisite emerald-green plum blossoms on broken branches, and a pale blue silk satin pleated skirt on her lower body.

Her thick, beautiful hair was coiled into a bun, with no other head ornaments save for a single plum blossom-shaped kingfisher-feather gold hairpin, its jewel light glowing dimly, stunningly elegant and captivating.

At this moment, she was hunched over the desk, writing something with a brush. Seeing the managing matron enter, she smiled, set down the brush, and asked, "Matron, how is business in the shop today?"

The managing matron handed her the account book and said with a smile, "Business is still quite good today. It was truly the young lady's clever idea to think of adding peppermint leaves to the perfumed soap.

Recently, this new product has been selling very briskly, and since our firm is the only one in the entire city of Gusu that sells it, it gets bought out the moment it arrives.

I just balanced the accounts; in the last month, business in the shop has grown by a full thirty percent. It really is the young lady who has the knack for doing business.

Shopkeeper Wang truly has a keen eye to be able to invite the young lady to manage the shop."

Zou Min'er smiled and said, "I have often been looked after by the shop while in Gusu. Now that Shopkeeper Wang has important matters to attend to and cannot return to Gusu for the time being,

since he asked me for help, I naturally could not refuse."

……

Originally, the two shops in Gusu were both managed by Wang Dequan, who also frequently traveled between Gusu and Jin Ling.

But ever since he followed the Zhen family's merchant ship to transport goods from the Xin Chun Hao firm for sale overseas, the Zhen family's ship lost contact halfway, and Wang Dequan has been missing ever since.

The two shops in Gusu held special significance for the Xin Chun Hao firm, and the sudden loss of the person in charge gave both Jia Cong and Qu Hongxiu a headache.

The several shops of the Jin Ling Xin Chun Hao firm did have quite a few capable young apprentices, all orphans taken in and raised by the Xin Chun Hao firm over the past few years.

Although these youths were diligent and loyal to the Xin Chun Hao firm, they were, after all, too young and inexperienced in the world to have the ability to manage a region.

Qu Hongxiu could not gather suitable personnel in a short time, so she thought of Zou Min'er, who was living in seclusion in Gusu.

Although Jia Cong's deep concern for Zou Min'er made Qu Hongxiu feel quite sour, and she was also very clear that the relationship between these two was likely quite ambiguous,

Jia Cong had not hidden Zou Min'er's background from her.

Therefore, Qu Hongxiu knew that Zou Min'er was originally the daughter of an official, literate, and quite knowledgeable.

Furthermore, having been tempered through many hardships, and having served in the Zhongche Office as a lady from the Music Conservatory, her courage and resolve were different from those of ordinary women.

Although Qu Hongxiu felt a bit jealous of this woman, she was already used to it...

Moreover, the nature of the two shops in Gusu was very special; only by handing them over to someone absolutely trustworthy could Jia Cong and Qu Hongxiu feel at ease.

Qu Hongxiu knew Zou Min'er's background and knew that she and Jia Cong had once had grievances, their love and hate intertwined and deeply entangled. Now that the past was gone, she feared that she had long since been devoted to Jia Cong...

No matter from which angle Qu Hongxiu considered it, there was no one else in Gusu she could trust, and only Zou Min'er was the best candidate.

Letting Zou Min'er temporarily manage the Gusu firm was something Qu Hongxiu didn't have to worry about, and Jia Cong would certainly be at ease. Although the situation was truly strange, it seemed to be the fact...

……

Since arriving in Gusu, Zou Min'er had lived a quiet life in Heguang Fang. Although her heart was full of longing and she felt like a drifter with nowhere to anchor, her days were peaceful and calm.

Originally, she thought that having someone in her heart for this life and guarding an empty courtyard by herself, while a bit regrettable,

but with the past being unbearable, being able to retreat unscathed was already a blessing, and she no longer had any wild hopes or extravagant expectations.

Originally, she thought her days would remain peaceful until she received the letter from Qu Hongxiu.

When she learned that the two shops in Gusu were actually Jia Cong's property, she naturally would not refuse Qu Hongxiu's plan.

She was originally just an official's daughter who never stepped out of her door, but after experiencing many hardships, her intellect and courage were no longer what they once were.

The two shops in Gusu had already had their foundations firmly established by Wang Dequan; as long as Zou Min'er maintained the status quo, it was not a difficult task for her.

When she took over the shops, it was just the beginning of summer. Having grown up in a wealthy family and seen many exotic techniques from foreign lands in Jin Ling, she came up with the idea of adding peppermint herb to the perfumed soap.

Afterward, through the processing and creation of the Xin Chun Hao workshop, this seasonal perfumed soap sold remarkably well in Gusu, causing the shop's business to surge significantly.

……

After the managing matron left, Zou Min'er finished writing the letter in her hand and woke up the maid, Shuang He, who was dozing at the door.

She said, "Go to Qinghong Lane and have Miss Chen send this letter to the Love Shenjing."

Shuang He took the letter and said with a smile, "This is a letter to Young Master Jia, right? Now, every street and alley is talking about how the Young Master has achieved great glory.

Not only did he become a Jieyuan, but he also became a Hanlin Academician. They all say that for the Great Zhou Dynasty to have such a young Hanlin Academician, this is the first time, and I'm afraid there won't be another in the future."

Zou Min'er smiled and said, "I knew he was brilliant at his studies, but I didn't expect him to be this brilliant. It's just that Gusu and the Love Shenjing are far apart, and we received the news very late.

I made him a long gown and an embroidered handkerchief as a congratulatory gift. After you send the letter, have Matron Zhou of the shop help me mail them out..."

……

Gusu, Chayuan Street.

There was an exquisite two-courtyard residence here, a property purchased by Zhen Yingquan back in the day, which had been left vacant for many years.

Last year, because Zhen Fangqing was implicated in the firearms case by Zhen Shiwen, she worried that her family would face changes sooner or later, so she secretly sold off her idle properties one after another, but she kept this residence on Chayuan Street in Gusu.

Since leaving the Love Shenjing to return to Jin Ling, she had traveled for six days on the road, and after arriving in Gusu, she stopped her journey and had been staying at the Chayuan Street residence for two days.

Before she left the Love Shenjing, she received a letter from her trusted manager, Liu Xian, which mentioned that the Embroidered Uniform Guard Battalion Commander Wang Zhangjiang had already taken men south to Quanzhou to arrest Chen Rong, the official in charge of the Zhen family's Haiyun Pavilion.

Zhen Fangqing was very clear that Chen Rong was the trusted aide of her cousin Zhen Shiwen. As long as he fell into Wang Zhangjiang's hands, the evidence of her cousin's involvement in the private manufacture of firearms would likely be confirmed.

By that time, the Zhen family would face an unpredictable crisis. It was not a wise move for her to rashly enter Jin Ling City at this time... (End of chapter)