Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2712 Still Vigorous in Old Age 96.0
"Which one? You've asked so clearly, which one could it be?"

Xia Chen, Shen Cha, Song Yaojia, and Xue Ruitian exchanged glances and simultaneously snorted.

"It's either the Empress Dowager's family, the little prince himself, or the Ning family, on whom high hopes were once placed." Jin Miaomiao spread her hands. "Choose one of the three!"

"Wrong, wrong, wrong, completely wrong!" Chu Han waved his hand lightly, revealing a smug expression, and laughed, "I knew you would guess this."

"It's not?" Jin Miaomiao was taken aback. She looked at the others, who were also somewhat incredulous. She turned to look at Chu Han, "Could it be the Prince of Jing's residence?"

“The Prince of Jing’s mansion only occupies a small part, not the largest part.” Chu Han looked at Shen Cha with a smile and said, “Actually, you should be able to guess that.”

"How could I guess? And what does it have to do with me?" Shen Cha thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, "It's not the Qin family, is it?"

“The Qin family’s appetite isn’t that big. Like our Prince Jing’s Mansion, they only take a portion.” Chu Han sighed. “The Qin family is the top imperial merchant in Jiangnan. Their business is relatively simple and not very diversified. Various silks, fabrics, embroidery workshops, and matching jewelry and accessories are their main businesses. Therefore, the portion they want is more or less the same as their original business or on the same line as their business.”

"I remember now!" Shen Cha stroked her chin. "I remember when we were little, Master joked with my master that their family's escort agency didn't need special training; the family's guards could just come to the agency to serve their remaining needs once they reached a certain age. However, my master also said that those escort agencies were all taken from others. The family's own agencies were responsible for escorting more important goods or people, while the ones they stole were responsible for general tasks." She looked at Chu Han. "So, those that were stolen are..."

“That’s right!” Chu Han nodded. “However, they only robbed a few escort agencies, nothing else. So, the one that robbed the most wasn’t the Qin family.” He raised an eyebrow, glanced at Song Yaojia, and smiled, “I’ve made it so obvious, can’t you guess?”

"Grand Uncle, why are you looking at me like that?" Song Yaojia stroked his chin. "Could it be my father and uncle?" Seeing Chu Han nod with a smile, he paused for a moment and said, "Our family doesn't have many businesses, does it? We haven't noticed it in the past few years!"

“Those businesses don’t need your father and uncle to manage. Just remember to collect the money each year. The Eagle King has people specifically in charge of handling these things.” Chu Han took a sip of tea and said, “You have no idea how much effort it took to snatch these businesses!”

"Are these their products in high demand?" Song Yaojia looked at the pastries on the table, picked out a light milky-white one, smelled it, and looked at Qi Zhifeng. "What's this flavor?"

"It's creamy cheese flavor." Qi Zhifeng's eyes lit up when he saw the pastry Song Yaojia was holding. He introduced it, "Brother Yaojia, this flavor is my top recommendation among these new products. It's not too sweet or greasy, but it has a slight milky aroma. It's especially delicious."

"That's true." Chu Han nodded after tasting the new product. "I also recommend this one. It's suitable for all ages, and I don't think anyone would dislike the flavor. However, I think this flavor should be launched last. Let the previous flavors sell for a while before launching this one."

"Really?" Song Yaojia took a bite, savoring the flavor. "Hey, this flavor is indeed quite novel, not bad, at least it's not available on the market." He stuffed the rest of the pastry into his mouth, nodding to Chu Han as he chewed. "I agree to push this one last, let's push the others out first, and then push them out later." "Why?" Shen Cha had just recovered from a serious illness and was still taking medicine and avoiding certain foods, so she could only look at these pastries and enjoy them.

"This batch of new pastries is generally good in appearance and taste, but only this one stands out." Song Yaojia pointed to the one she had just eaten. "Selling these less outstanding ones first will retain many old customers and attract new ones. Once the customer base is stable, we can launch this one, and that will amaze everyone."

“That’s right!” Chu Han snapped his fingers. “I just said the same thing to Miss Ning, and she has agreed.” He looked at Song Yaojia. “She does have quite a talent for business.”

“Maximizing profits isn’t just for business; it applies to everything.” Song Yaojia smiled, glancing at Old Madam Ning, who was chatting with Third Grandfather and Sister Ning, and raised an eyebrow slightly. “My family has taken so much business from others; didn’t anyone in Jiangnan object? If I remember correctly, the great families in Jiangnan also have branches that specialize in trade. For example, in the Wang family, Old Madam’s family is specifically in charge of business. They were willing to hand over the fat meat that was already in their mouths without any objection? I don’t believe it.”

“Young Master, I was just praising you for having some talent in this area, how come you're asking such a stupid question now?” Chu Han shook his head helplessly, nodded at Shen Cha, Xue Ruitian and Xia Chen, then looked at Jin Miaomiao, and finally at Xiao Fengqi and Qi Zhifeng. He raised an eyebrow and said, “Come on, which of you can answer his question?”

"Because of maximizing profits, those powerful families in Jiangnan," Shen Cha sneered, glancing at Song Yaojia, "are probably being held accountable for some kind of wrongdoing, using these deals to gain something beneficial to themselves! Moreover, they know very well that these deals falling into the hands of the Prince of Dai's mansion don't truly benefit the Prince of Dai's mansion, but rather the palace. Therefore…"

“My benefactor.” Xiao Fengqi looked at Chu Han, “When you investigated Mian back then, you actually discovered some things that the aristocratic families didn’t want others to know, right? They had to use something to keep those secrets quiet?”

"Hmm," Chu Han thought for a moment, "You guessed half right. Think about what they don't want people to know." He looked at Xiao Fengqi and Qi Zhifeng, "You don't need to feel embarrassed, it's related to you too."

"It has something to do with us too?"

"To be precise, it has a very large connection with you."

"Is it because we're related?"

“A little closer.” Chu Han glanced at Xiao Fengqi, who was racking his brains, and Qi Zhifeng, who looked completely bewildered, smiled, then turned to look at Shen Cha and said,

"Xiao Cha, what do you think we've found that's worth such a high price from these powerful families in Jiangnan?"

"This isn't a particularly high price, is it?" Shen Cha chuckled. "The fact that they used these shops and these transactions to exchange for it means it wasn't a crime punishable by confiscation of property and extermination. You also mentioned that it's related to Young Master Xiao and Little Qi, so..." She raised an eyebrow and said, "It's because they discovered that since the previous dynasty, they've maintained contact with the nobles of the Liao and Jin dynasties, that is, with some of their relatives. Some of these relatives not only maintain contact but also live in their ancestral homes and have a place there, right?"