Chapter 516: The Women Settle in the Capital (I)
Daiyu took Baochai's hand and said, "Sister Bao, I know you are a man of ideas, and your family runs such a big business. Do you think we can do something to help?"
Baochai thought for a moment and then said to Daiyu, "How about you and I gather all the sisters together to discuss this?"
Daiyu naturally agreed. After a brief discussion, the two of them let the children play by themselves, took Tanchun and Xiangyun with them, and sent someone to call Youshi, Keqing, and Yuanyang, and also sent someone to find Wang Xifeng.
After the two arrived at Ningzheng Hall, they waited for about half an hour before everyone arrived.
Baochai and Daiyu once again took the first seat, with the other women sitting on either side! This scene had already happened for the second time! Seeing the solemn expressions on the two women's faces, the others did not speak easily, just waiting for them to speak.
Baochai glanced at Daiyu, and then said, " Sister Lin and I have something to discuss with you!"
As he spoke, he told the other girls what Daiyu had said.
"Now that Third Brother is fighting at the front, if there's trouble in the rear, it's bound to have consequences!" Daiyu said, "So, Sister Bao and I are discussing how we can help. Although our forces are small, if we unite, we won't be looked down upon. If we can help the court and Third Brother, it will be worth the friendship he's shown us in the past."
Xiangyun was delighted to hear this and immediately jumped up and said, "Sisters, what do you think we should do? I will go back and gather the servants, and we will attack them directly."
Tanchun, standing by, helplessly pulled him back. "If it were that simple, how could it have caused such trouble to His Majesty and the court? Besides, the Cao Gang has tens of thousands of strong men. If Third Brother were here, it would certainly be no problem. But with just us or our servants, we are no match for them."
"Sister Bao just said that besides completely turning hostile, we can also use the same method to deal with it. I think Sister Lin and Sister Bao have already made up their minds to resolve this matter in a business way."
After hearing this, Xiangyun
"Since Bao and Lin have already discussed it, you can just give the order directly. Anyone who doesn't want to get involved will not be qualified to sit here ." Wang Xifeng said.
The rest of the people also nodded.
Baochai pulled Daiyu aside, glanced around at everyone, and then spoke, "Sister Lin and I have already thought about this. In reality, the Cao Gang is just buying time. The grain from Jiangnan will eventually be shipped here, but they're just finding excuses to delay it. But they can't keep delaying forever."
"They can threaten the imperial court from the side, but they also dare not completely turn against it. After all, that consequence is also not what the Cao Gang wants. Therefore, as long as they can delay for a while, the problem will naturally be solved."
"But if we want to delay, we need to compete with them on grain prices. To do that, we'll need a large amount of silver and a considerable amount of grain."
"So, the first step is to raise money! With silver, whether we secretly purchase from wealthy families or go to nearby prefectures and counties to buy, we will have enough food. And the more silver we have, the better!"
"Since you have said that you will listen to Sister Lin and me, then we two will take charge of this matter."
"Sister Feng, you control Cong'er's business. You need to gather all the cash within three days! Sister-in-law and Keqing, you are in charge of the East Palace's treasury. You need to take out all the money from the treasury as well."
"The money our clan had allocated for the garden has been put on hold for now. It doesn't matter if the garden is completed earlier or later. Let's focus on this important project first."
"I'll go home and collect some money too!" Xiangyun said without hesitation.
Baochai said, "Sister Yun, there's no need to go. There are other things that need to be done by Sister Yun. Also, I've asked my family to prepare some money. I think it should be enough. If there's still a lot missing, we'll find a way when the time comes."
"As for the silver, the Xue family, Feng girl, and the East Mansion will first collect it, but there are many other matters to be considered!"
"It's not convenient for us to travel outside, so we'll let Jia Yun and Xue Ke handle all the outside matters. They're used to handling all kinds of business matters, and they're also cautious people, so there won't be any delays."
After saying this, Baochai looked at Daiyu.
Daiyu paused for a moment before saying, "Yuanyang, Xiuyan, the two of you should select some trustworthy maids and servants from within the mansion to follow our orders. Although we have Jia Yun and others outside the mansion to provide support, we still need to communicate with each other."
"Third girl, I know you're a quick thinker, so stay and help Baojie and I manage things and fix any gaps. Also, there's no need to tell anyone else about this for now, so as to prevent Fourth Sister and the others from leaking the information due to their young age."
"Murning, I also want to ask you a favor!"
Mu Ning quickly stood up and said, "Sister Lin, please speak!"
"This matter may be a little difficult for you, so you can think about it and do it on your own!"
"First, your Zhen family is in Jiangnan, and the Cao Gang's grain needs to be transported from Jiangnan. We need to know the true situation, and we must not let your Zhen family know what we are doing. We are sisters, so of course we can trust each other, but I cannot trust the Zhen family. Do you understand?"
Mu Ning bit her lip lightly, nodded, and said, "Don't worry, Sister Lin, I know everything about this matter. I will go and find out about Jiangnan."
"Secondly, although the Beijing Prince's Mansion has fallen into decline, it's impossible to say that it has no roots at all. If this power still exists, it must be in the hands of your sister! We need to use this power, especially to stockpile grain. If it is feasible, you should go see your sister in the next two days!"
Zhen Muring's mind suddenly recalled what her sister said to her on the day of her marriage!
"Obey your father at home and your husband after marriage! It's imperative that you give your family as much help as you can. I think Marquis Guanjun understands! However, since you've carried the surname Jia, and since you've become Marquis Guanjun's woman, your honor, disgrace, life and death are now tied to Marquis Guanjun's!"
At this moment, she finally understood this sentence!
"Don't worry, Sister Lin. I will go see you tomorrow, but I need the master's seal!"
"I have a token from my third brother here. I will give it to you and let Jia Zhong bring people to escort you there!" Daiyu said.
"Xiangyun!"
Seeing that she was finally mentioned, Xiangyun stood up excitedly. It was the first time for her to do such a big thing, and she was so excited.
