Chapter 182 Entering the East Wing
Xiao Zhang, who was in charge of the Fulishan Copper Mine in the south, stood there with his hands hanging down. Seeing the Second Master staring at the painting on the desk in a trance, he stood on tiptoe, raised his head, and leaned forward, wanting to see what painting was on the Second Master's desk.
"Go on, why don't you say anything?"
Hearing the Second Master's cold question, Xiao Zhang came back to his senses and stood up straight. He came back this time to report to the Second Master about the Fulishan Copper Mine and the business in the south. He had just finished talking about the copper mine and was talking about the business in the south. Seeing that the Second Master was fascinated by the painting on the desk, he stopped unconsciously.
Now when I heard the second master ask this, I forgot what I was talking about just now. After thinking for a while, I said:
"Second Master, Chief Kui asked me to report to you that the grain price in the south has risen sharply in recent days. Many wealthy families in Jiangnan have come to us to buy grain at high prices. Our grain reserves have almost doubled. Xiao Kui asked me to ask you, Second Master, whether we should sell them immediately."
Xiao Jun pondered for a while and said:
"Tell Xiao Kui, who is stationed in the south, to wait and see. Instruct all branches not to supply grain to the big households for the time being. Ensure the supply of the people first."
"Second Master, there has been a lot of rain in Jiangnan this year, and it is difficult to store grain in this season. The cost is frighteningly high. If we only sell to the people, we won't lose money, but we really can't make a few taels of silver. Now that the market is so good, why not find a few big households to sell it to, just in time to get some working money, and we can store some silk. Besides, the copper mine has also started to ship goods, and we need silver to turn over."
"I heard that the rainfall in Jiangnan has increased over the past month, and there is a trend of flooding. Normally, this season is not the time of shortage, and ordinary people still have old grain at home. According to the situation in previous years, the price should not rise so fast at this time. These big households must have foreseen that the harvest in Jiangnan will be poor this year, so they bought up the old grain at a high price, hoarded it, and sought to make a profit. If the rainfall in Jiangnan continues to increase next month, there will be floods and no harvest. At that time, the price of grain will definitely rise sharply. If the grain is hoarded in the hands of the big households by then, and they are allowed to drive up the price of grain, the Bai family in Jiangnan will suffer terribly, and the life of the second master will be difficult."
"Second Master, there are disaster years. The court has its own disaster relief grain. It is not our job as businessmen to help the people. Second Master, please do not be so soft-hearted."
"Since ancient times, the grain and salt industries have been industries that are related to the stability of people's lives. At the beginning of the founding of the Great Qi, these were controlled by the court. When Taizu handed over most of the privileges to the four major families, there was an unwritten rule that in times of disaster, they were not allowed to arbitrarily raise grain prices. They must ensure the stability of the people and the stability of the Great Qi, otherwise the court would take back the privileges of the families."
"We at Fulishan Copper Mine are not a family-run company, so we don't have to abide by these rules."
"The reason why Fulishan Copper Mine was able to gain a foothold so quickly is not only because of the financial support from the Xiao family, but more importantly, it is supported by Concubine Jing and the court. Although it is not under the name of the Xiao family, it is still the property of the Xiao family. This rule cannot be broken. Besides, how can the Xiao family ignore the lives of the people for a mere profit after running the business for generations?"
"Second Master is right. I will pass the message to Xiao Kui as ordered by Second Master."
"This year, the rain in the south is heavier than in previous years. Send a message to Xiao Kui and ask him to make early preparations for flood prevention, especially at the copper mine. If anything happens, have him bring his head to me."
"When I came here, Chief Kui had already made arrangements. I will go back and tell him what you said."
"By the way, have you heard any news about the Third Master since returning from Jiangnan these days?"
"I heard that the Third Master tried to break into Baicao Garden a few days ago, but he got caught in a trap and was injured. Fortunately, the owner of Baicao Garden, Master Ouyang, had no intention of becoming an enemy of the Xiao family, so he bandaged the Third Master and sent him out. When I heard about this and sent someone to look for him, the Third Master had already left. I heard that he went to Jinyang. I am sending someone to find out as soon as possible."
"It's good that Third Master is okay. In order to find the God of Medicine, Third Master will definitely go to Yichuntang branches in various places. I have already sent people to the north, and I will ask Xiao Kui to send more people to the south. We must find Third Master and protect him."
"Yes, I will arrange it when I get back."
Xiao Jun nodded. The two talked about the silk business in Jiangnan. As they were talking, Xiao Xia came in and said:
"Second Master, the first wife sent someone to tell me that Miss Xiu has come to the mansion and is in Yangxin Garden. Second Master, please go over and have a chat."
Xiao Jun nodded and said:
"Got it. Tell Hongzhu to tell Second Madam to get ready and go see her cousin."
Xiao Xia hurriedly responded, turned around and walked out of the study. Just as he reached the door, he was stopped by the Second Master again.
"No need, tell someone to prepare a sedan chair and wait outside the second gate."
Xiao Xia looked at the Second Master in confusion, responded , and walked out.
When Xiao Zhang heard the eldest wife tell the second master, he hurriedly stood up and said goodbye. Xiao Jun nodded and said:
"Rest in your house for a day or two, then leave. If there is a real flood, Xiao Kui won't be able to handle it alone."
"Second Master is right. I was originally busy too. This time, it was for the birthday gift for the old lady that Chief Steward Kui sent me back. According to my opinion, the old lady's birthday is not until August, so it is not too late to come back a month later. But Chief Steward Kui said that if I was gone for a month, there might be a disaster in the south, and I would be even more busy. So he sent me back early. I will leave early tomorrow morning. Second Master, do you have any other instructions?"
"No, it's better to go back early. Be careful on the way."
Xiao Zhang responded and walked out.
Xiao Jun walked out of the South Study and came to the courtyard. He was blinded by the strong light outside and couldn't open his eyes. He squinted for a while before he adapted.
He looked at the east wing and saw Zhidong and Zhixia playing in front of the door. He walked over and wanted to find Xier in person to go see his cousin.
Arriving at the door, Zhixia and Zhidong looked up and saw the Second Master coming, and quickly knelt on the ground:
"Second Master An"
Xiao Jun motioned for them to get up while walking towards the door. Zhidong quickly stood up and ran to the second master and said:
"Second Master, please wait. I will tell Second Madam that I will come out to greet you."
"Shut up, stand here and don't move"
Seeing Zhidong's nervous expression, Xiao Jun thought to himself, "What is Xi'er doing?"
The two maids were so scared that they just stood there.
After entering the room and turning around the screen, he saw Zhichun and Zhixia dozing off, so he didn't disturb them. He walked gently to the north room, lifted the curtain, and his eyes lit up. He saw Mengxi wearing a goose yellow Baiheyun cotton dress, leaning leisurely on the soft couch in front of the window, reading a book in his left hand and holding a pear in his right hand, which was left with only the pear bone.
Xiao Jun's heart was moved. He liked her free and unrestrained nature. This was her true nature. She liked a free and unrestrained life, but she never showed it in front of him. She wore a mask in front of him every day. Thinking of this, he felt a pain in his heart. At this moment, he wanted Mengxi like this and wanted to shatter the eternal calmness on her face.
Xiao Jun looked for a while, then walked lightly to the couch. Mengxi heard the footsteps and thought it was Zhiqiu coming in. Without looking up, she handed the pear bone in her hand over and said:
"Pour me a cup of tea"
Xiao Jun was stunned for a moment, then raised the corner of his mouth slightly. He took the pear bone handed over by Mengxi, glanced around, not knowing where to throw it. Seeing tea and cups on the table, he walked forward, threw the pear bone into the tea tray on the table, and poured a cup of tea and brought it over. Mengxi took the tea and drank two sips, then handed it over and said:
"You go down"
It seemed as if a pair of eyes were always watching her, making Mengxi feel tense all over. She raised her head suddenly and found that the Second Master was standing in front of the couch, holding the cup of tea in his hand, looking at her with a smile on his face.
Seeing a hint of panic in her eyes and a slightly flushed face when she looked up and saw him, Xiao Jun felt very happy. He finally saw that she could also be panicked and shy sometimes.
But Mengxi's panic only lasted for a moment, and in the next moment, she calmed down again. She put down the book, stood up from the couch, stood up straight, and bowed to Xiao Jun:
"Hello, Second Master. I didn't know you were coming. I'm sorry for not coming to greet you. Please forgive me."
Mengxi's sudden alienation made Xiao Jun's heart tighten. She was wary of him after all. Xiao Jun looked at Mengxi's slightly red face. Although he was unhappy about her alienation, he didn't want to scare his little wife with his dominance as he did before.
"What's the matter, Second Grandma?"
Zhiqiu and Zhichun heard the noise in the room and hurried in. When they saw the Second Master in the room, they were startled and knelt down on the ground:
"Hello, Second Master. Second Master is here. Why didn't you let me know?"
The Second Master drank the tea in his hand, put down the cup and said:
"Get up and help Second Madam wash up."
Seeing Mengxi looking at him in confusion, Xiao Jun added:
"My cousin is here, and my mother asked us to go to Yangxin Garden."
After saying this, the Second Master picked up the book Mengxi had just put down, sat on the couch, and flipped through it. It turned out to be a local chronicle of the Great Qi Dynasty. He said casually:
"Xi'er also likes to read this kind of miscellaneous books. This book was written by Cui Qiong, a famous scholar in the previous dynasty. It is said that Cui Qiong liked to hunt for novelties since he was a child. When he was young, he traveled all over Da Qi. He would explore any strange things he heard and intercept any dangerous places he saw. And every time he went to a place, no matter how tired he was, he insisted on writing down his thoughts and experiences. In his later years, he sorted out his thoughts and compiled them into three volumes for future generations to understand the customs, geography, and human feelings of our Da Qi. This book caused a sensation in the previous dynasty and was praised by many celebrities and righteous men. Even some quacks rushed to circulate it. I didn't expect Xi'er to like it too."
Mengxi has been studying the local history of Da Qi these days, just in preparation for the return of the Second Master. After she got the divorce letter, she went traveling. In the past two years, she has thoroughly adopted Chairman Mao’s original strategic approach of surrounding the cities with the countryside. She first established branches in villages all over the country, making Yichuntang a prairie fire.
She planned to inspect her branches one by one after leaving the Xiao Mansion, and travel around the country. However, things were not as convenient in ancient times as they are today. If you want to travel, there are endless maps and travel guides that allow you to travel around the world without fear, as long as you can understand foreign languages. In ancient times, it was really difficult to find a book that comprehensively explained the geography of the Great Qi Dynasty.
This book was bought by Li Du in exchange for a Lengxiang Pill. Mengxi couldn't put it down at first sight and couldn't wait to study it. Normally, no outsiders were allowed to enter her room, but she didn't expect that the Second Master, who never set foot in her room, would suddenly visit. She didn't have time to put the book away, and when the Second Master asked about it, she couldn't help feeling guilty. She didn't want the Second Master to guess what was on her mind.
