Chapter 171
In the past year, what has been the most talked about topic in Da Qi? It is the Fulishan Copper Mine in the south and Yichuntang in the north, which have emerged in the past two years and can compete with the four major families.
Let's talk about Yichuntang first. It came into being two years ago. In just two years, branches of Yichuntang have sprung up all over Da Qi. The owner of Yichuntang is known as the God of Medicine. He takes a completely lower-class business approach. In the past two years, he has never made friends with the powerful and wealthy. He has conquered the entire Da Qi people with the word "trust" and a reputation for high quality and low prices.
Xichuntang also sells some precious and rare exotic medicines. For these, you will be charged without negotiation, but the dignitaries are eager to get them and line up to buy them every day with money. This kind of medicine is only available in branches in several major cities of Da Qi. Most branches sell commonly used medicines, which are cheap and have miraculous effects.
Yichuntang was run on the principle of small profits but quick turnover and passing on the profits to the people. Her move was like a spring breeze and rain that nourished the people, making the people of Da Qi full of admiration and gratitude for the owner of Yichuntang, the God of Medicine.
To put it in the words of the common people, you may not know the name of the current emperor, but you must know the name of the God of Medicine. In other words, if you stand on the street and curse the current emperor as a tyrant and a tyrant, no one will pay attention to you unless you are unlucky enough to have a team of royal guards pass by. But if you dare to shout that the God of Medicine is a fraud and a name-stealer, and curse him a few times, just wait and see, someone will definitely throw eggs and stones at you, and I guarantee that you will be beaten so badly that even your own parents will not be able to recognize you.
The most famous people in Yichuntang are two people, one is a scholar and the other is a warrior. The scholar is Li Du, who has a talent for business and is the number one manager of Yichuntang. He is in charge of the Yichuntang head office and supervises all branches. In the past two years, he has trained a large number of business geniuses and sent them to branches in various places, making the management of Yichuntang flawless.
In the martial arts, there is Ouyang Di. It is said that this person has mastered the Three Purities Sword Technique to perfection and has few rivals. However, he is willing to obey the orders of the God of Medicine and becomes the number one bodyguard of Yichuntang. A year ago, this person built a medicine garden a hundred miles away from Jinyang City, named Baicao Garden, and called himself the owner of Baicao Garden. He planted various herbs for Yichuntang's use, which is also the main reason why Yichuntang's medicine is cheaper than other places.
Of course, there were also those who were blind enough to cause trouble for Yichuntang, but firstly, they had the support of the prince, and secondly, Yichuntang had trained a large number of well-trained bodyguards in the past year. Although they were serious businessmen, their power was stronger than that of the big sects in the underworld. With Ouyang Di in charge, no one would easily come to cause trouble. Moreover, Cheng Xixiang, the leader of the Green Bamboo Gang, the largest gang in the underworld, issued the Green Bamboo Order to thank the God of Medicine for saving his life, claiming that Yichuntang was a friend of the Green Bamboo Gang, and whoever went against Yichuntang would be against the Green Bamboo Gang. With the support of the prince and the Green Bamboo Gang, Yichuntang had already formed an unshakable momentum.
Let's talk about the Fulishan Copper Mine. A year and a half ago, the crown prince was critically ill and Emperor Jin had just shown signs of appointing a new crown prince. However, Prince Yan contacted court officials externally and formed an alliance with the empress dowager internally, and his determination to seize the throne made Emperor Jin, who was in his prime, very frightened. He was worried that Prince Yan would cause a tragedy of forcing the emperor to abdicate, which would not only destabilize his country but also ruin his reputation.
As soon as the prince's illness improved, Emperor Jin dismissed a number of officials with lightning speed, readjusted the court, and broke the monopoly of the four major families in Da Qi's salt, mining, transportation, grain and other industries related to the national economy and people's livelihood. He handed over the mining rights of the newly discovered Fulishan Copper Mine, which should have been managed by the Ouyang family, directly to the newly appointed Shangguan Jun.
A month later, Emperor Jin granted Shangguan Jun part of the trading rights in the grain and silk industries that had been monopolized by the Xiao and Situ families.
Shangguan Jun's background was also very mysterious. People didn't know where his money came from. They only knew that he was extremely wealthy and that he was swift and ruthless in business. He often used his superior financial and material resources as well as ingenious ideas to suppress his business rivals at lightning speed and obtained the right to trade grain and silk. After several rounds, he managed to snatch most of the Xiao and Situ families' business in the south, and developed the Fulishan Copper Mine. In just a year and a half, he had become a hot new upstart besides the four major families.
Even with the power of the Xiao family, they were defeated by Shangguan Jun. This makes people even more suspicious of the identity and background of Shangguan Jun, the owner of the Fulishan Copper Mine.
"Shangguan" is the imperial surname, so some people spread the rumor that this person is the prince of the current emperor. Emperor Jin did this intentionally in order to suppress the four major families. This makes Shangguan Jun's life experience even more legendary, and there are several different versions circulating in the market.
Another reason why the owner of Yichuntang and Shangguan Jun are full of legends is the mystery of these two people. The owner of Yichuntang is said to be a jade-like young man named Li Mengtan, whose whereabouts are unknown. All affairs of Yichuntang are managed by the chief shopkeeper Li Du. The number of people who have seen his true face in the past two years can be counted on two hands.
Shangguan Jun was even more strange. He was said to be a cold-blooded young man with extraordinary skills. Most of his business was managed by Shangguan Kui. When he occasionally showed up, he wore a cold mask. No one had ever seen his true face, which made people more suspicious of his identity.
People are amazed and not only speculating about the rise of these two upstarts. Because of the dispute over the throne, the current emperor has personally broken the pattern of the four major families monopolizing the economy of Da Qi for many years. What does this portend?
…
Xiao Jun sat in the study room of the outer mansion, with his desk piled with documents and accounts. After a year and a half of hard work, with the secret promotion of the Xiao family and Concubine Jing, he developed the Fulishan Copper Mine and transferred most of the Xiao family's business in the south to Shangguan Jun's name. In order to cover up his tracks, he also snatched part of the Situ family's business in the south and quickly gained a foothold in the south. Now that the business is on the right track, he doesn't need to be in charge himself.
Xiao Xia came in with a stack of account books and said to the Second Master:
"Second Master, this is the account sent by Yingcheng and Baokang's branch office. Please take a look."
"let it go"
Xiao Jun responded casually. He had no intention of caring about business at the moment. He was flipping through the letter from home that Xiao Xia had sent earlier. After flipping through it several times, he didn't find what he was looking for. He threw the letter to the ground and sat there in a daze. It had been a year and a half since Xier came to the south, but she had never written him a single word.
Every time he received a letter from home, he longed to receive a letter from her the most, even if it was just one sentence. Didn't she find out that the Suzhou embroidery he sent back last time was carefully selected by him, and was many times better than his aunt's? He spent so much time and effort , just hoping to see a few words from her, even if it was just a word of thanks.
If you like someone, you will pay attention to her, and the same goes for if you hate someone. Xiao Jun was initially deceived by the rumors in the market, and he had a preconceived notion that she was not a virgin. He hated Mengxi so much that he wished he could destroy this beautiful little woman who made his heart beat with his own hands. While deliberately finding fault with her, he also paid extra attention to her, and unknowingly engraved her deeply in his heart.
I remember that before leaving this time, I was shocked to hear that she was a concubine's daughter, and I also knew that he had let her down due to misunderstanding before. I left without saying goodbye in pain.
That night, he caught a cold and was sick all the way. He almost died on the road. He was afraid that if he died, she would not be able to live. If he lived, he could look at her and arrange a future for her even if it hurt. It was this belief that kept him alive.
When the old lady heard that he was sick on the road, she sent people to take him back to Pingyang for recuperation more than once, but he thought of the person in Pingyang who broke his heart, and still resolutely insisted on going south.
Leaving was just to forget, but the distance in time and space for more than a year did not make him forget, but made the feelings stronger, making him realize that he was hopeless and would suffocate to death without her.
Xiao Xia, who was standing aside, had been with the Second Master for so long and knew his thoughts best. When she saw him throw away the letters, she hurried forward to pick them up one by one and said:
"Second Master, Xiao Yun wrote to say that Second Madam is doing well. Apart from paying respects to the old lady every day, she only practices calligraphy and reads books in her room. She rarely goes out. She even skips paying respects to the concubines. She only goes out to have a good time and occasionally goes out to have tea at Yipin Teahouse."
"Who is the person in charge of this teahouse? Why does Second Madam always go there?"
"This teahouse is run by a woman. Li Quan went to ask about it and the woman said that she and the Second Mistress get along very well."
After hearing this, Xiao Jun frowned, raised his head and said:
"Get ready and leave for Pingyang in the next few days."
"Second Master, didn't you say it would take more than two months? Why are you coming back now? Isn't it a bit hasty?"
"No need to wait, let's go back first and let Xiao Kui take care of it here."
Seeing that the Second Master spoke decisively, Xiao Xia quickly responded, turned around and walked out.
Xiao Xia went out, and Erye opened the portrait of Mengxi again. This was the one he painted in Pingyang, and it had been with him for more than a year. Yes, he couldn't wait any longer. He didn't care whether she was a virgin or not. He just wanted her to be his real wife. If he wanted her, he might feel a little sorry for her not being a virgin, but without her, what would it matter if he owned the world!
As long as Xier and he are of one mind, according to the Xiao family's ancestral teachings, they will always find a way to fight back.
…
The affection that Erye showed a year ago must have melted away like ice and snow in early spring due to the separation of time and space. At least, she no longer remembers it.
The gifts for a wife are naturally of higher standards than those for a concubine. Mengxi was not at all excited about the different gifts sent by the Second Master. She only asked her aunt to write a letter home to express her gratitude, and then asked Zhiqiu to send it to the storehouse and put it aside. At this time, Mengxi was concentrating on practicing her calligraphy.
The second master left in a hurry last time, Mengxi didn't have time to ask for a divorce. Fortunately, Xiu'er was sent away by the old lady as soon as the second master left. Without the support of the second master, the concubines lost their temper. Mengxi lived a carefree life in the Xiao Mansion. The first wife often found fault with her, but with the old lady's pressure, she couldn't do anything to her. Even Mengxi was surprised that the old lady supported her especially after the second master left. In this way, she spent more than a year in Xiao Mansion safely and developed Yichuntang.
Mengxi was confident that she could now walk around the Xiao Mansion with her head held high and proud, and could proudly pat her chest in front of the Second Master and say:
"We won't serve you anymore!"
