Optimus One Pillar of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 144
The next evening, Wang Daoqiu came back from his shift in Xiyuan. As soon as he entered the middle courtyard, he saw his mother-in-law and his mother-in-law learning to walk in the yard.My mother-in-law's steps were graceful, but my mother's hands and feet were stiff, as if she were walking like a robot.

Seeing the two people like this, Wang Daoqiu was very surprised, so he asked loudly: "Mom, mother-in-law, what are you two doing?"

"Hey, Shitou, you're back! Shitou, can you go and tell the emperor tomorrow, then the palace mother won't go! She can't even walk like this."

Go to the palace!When Wang Daoqiu heard this, he understood. This morning, he used the reason that he wanted his unborn child to come to the palace to be noble.I asked Emperor Jiajing to let his mother and mother-in-law support his wife Shen Xiangning and walk around the Xiyuan.Emperor Jiajing agreed generously at that time.

Now his mother and his mother-in-law are learning to walk here. It seems that relevant departments of the imperial court have come to teach them the etiquette of entering the palace.Knowing that his mother, an illiterate country woman, did not understand this, Wang Daoqiu asked his mother-in-law, Du Shi, "Mother-in-law, did the imperial court send someone here today?"

"Yes, Liangzhen. A little before noon today, an official from Honglu Temple came to our house together with two female officials from the palace. He said that the emperor summoned me, your mother, and Xiangning to the palace. We have an audience. They said they would teach us etiquette. Once we learn it, we can go to the palace."

The reason for entering the palace was that Du wanted to see her sister Du Kangfei, so her daughter Shen Xiangning begged Wang Daoqiu.Du Shi originally thought that this matter would be difficult, but she didn't expect that Wang Daoqiu would accomplish what she just said last night.At this moment, Mrs. Du was also proud of herself for having such a capable son-in-law, so now she spoke to Wang Daoqiu in a very polite tone.

After listening to Du's words, before Wang Daoqiu had time to reply, Wang Daoqiu's mother, Xu, said with a bitter look on her face: "Shitou, my mother is a country farmer who doesn't understand anything, so she doesn't go to the palace to give me anything." You are in disgrace. Besides, I am stupid and can’t learn the etiquette in the palace. Today, I caused a lot of trouble for those noble people, so I’d better not go!"

"Mom, as the saying goes, a dog doesn't think the family is poor, and a son doesn't think the mother is ugly. You are my mother, and you will always be the best in my heart. I have never felt that you are embarrassed. And this time the emperor promises you Going to Xiyuan is a gift to my son. If you, my biological mother, don’t go, how can Xiangning and my mother-in-law go? Can they represent me, Wang Daoqiu? So mother, this time you and Xiangning and When my mother-in-law goes to the palace, you are the master, Xiangning and my mother-in-law just go with you."

"Ah! How can it be done if you take me as the leader? Shitou, mother, you know that she is just a peasant woman farming in the countryside and can't speak at all. If you take me as the leader, what should those noble people ask me? , how can mother respond!"

"It's okay mother, if people ask you anything, you can answer it truthfully, it doesn't matter if you are right or wrong. If someone dares to laugh at you, you don't have to answer them, come back and tell me, I will let the emperor deal with them."

"This, this, this won't work. Don't offend those noble people, Shitou. If there is anything, I will bear with you and get over it."

Tolerate!As a mother, I can say that I have endured bullying from others for most of my life.She has a submissive nature, so Wang Daoqiu is not going to persuade her on this matter.Anyway, if the so-called "nobles" in the palace dare to look down on his mother, he will just come back in the future.

After persuading his own mother to continue learning etiquette here, Wang Daoqiu walked towards his father Wang Zhaowen and Lao Taishan Shen Yishi.

Wang Zhaowen and Shen Yishi were still sitting under the grape trellis in the courtyard drinking tea, waiting for Gao Yi and Zhang Juzheng to come back and have dinner together.Seeing Wang Daoqiu walking over, Wang Zhaowen had a gloomy face, while Shen Yishi had a springy look on his face.

Seeing his father's hostile expression when he saw him, Wang Daoqiu cautiously asked Shen Yishi, "Old Taishan, what's wrong with my father? Why does he look so ugly?"

"Hey, your dad! He is angry with you! He is angry with you for not letting him follow your mother and go into the palace together to broaden your horizons! Hahahaha"

"Brother Shen Xian, don't talk nonsense, there's no point in being a brother!"

"Okay, okay, brother, you didn't mean that. It's all nonsense from the younger brother. Is this okay? Hahahaha!" It turns out that dad is jealous!But there was nothing Wang Daoqiu could do about it.So he had no choice but not to provoke Wang Zhaowen, changed the subject and asked Shen Yishi: "Master Taishan, where did you and dad go shopping today?"

"Why are you shopping! The business in Tongzhou has not been settled yet! Hey, speaking of this, Xianxiang, I regret it so much? Tongzhou Trade City opened that day, and Tongzhou Trade City ended its trial operation for one month a few days ago , when the commercial assistants in the Trade City were officially rented. At that time, many friends recommended it to me and asked me to go north to take a look. But at that time, I didn’t care about it at all and just ran around in Zhejiang. Collecting silkworm cocoons everywhere. But today I went to the Tongzhou Commercial City and saw, oh, there are so many people there, and the business is booming! And the business here is not a small street business, it is all wholesale! There must be a person inside Shang Fu, how much will you earn this year?"

"Did you know my dear son-in-law? My business partner of more than ten years, Jiang Guohai, a silk merchant from Ningbo Prefecture, recommended me to go north to Tongzhou Trade City last month. He was at the leasing meeting of Tongzhou Trade City ten days ago. He immediately rented the five-year right to use ten commercial buildings facing the entrance of the Trade City. He said that he rented these ten commercial buildings for five years and spent more than 7000 taels of silver. But in just these ten days, he He made a business of more than 9 taels of silver and earned back the rent of more than 7000 taels. And now if he is willing to transfer, he can find anyone to take over these ten businesses with 1 taels of silver. It only takes ten days! That Shang Fu’s investment not only paid back, but also increased by [-]%.”

"Hey, dear son-in-law, I regret it! If I had known this, I would still be collecting silkworm cocoons in Zhejiang! Bringing a few hundred thousand taels of silver and renting a few hundred auxiliary rooms is no more profitable than collecting silkworm cocoons to weave silk. Oh! By the way, my dear son-in-law, you are considered to be a very powerful person in Beijing now. Can you help me build ten auxiliary restaurants in Tongzhou Trade City? I want to sell our Zhejiang silk tea there."

After a month of trial operation in Tongzhou Trade City, all the merchants who have done transactions there have seen the "money path" there.So at the leasing meeting ten days ago, the annual rent of a relatively good auxiliary noodle shop here was raised by businessmen to more than one hundred taels.

The annual rent for an auxiliary apartment is more than 200 taels. What is the concept?You must know that last year Jiang Laocai bought a courtyard house with an area of ​​nearly one acre and nine rooms in Nei Gongjian Hutong for his son Fatty Jiang, for less than [-] taels of silver.

With 200 taels of silver, you can buy a courtyard house near the Forbidden City in Beijing, but in Tongzhou Trade City, you can only rent two business houses for a year.Look at this comparison, does it look like the Yiniao International Trade City of later generations?

The shrewd businessmen have raised the rent so high and sent money to Jin Yiwei. So one can imagine the "money path" of this business assistant in the eyes of the businessmen.So after Shen Yishi went to see the prosperity of the Trade City in person today, he now regrets that he didn't listen to his friends' advice and didn't come to the leasing meeting of the Trade City.

Seeing Shen Yishi's regret, Wang Daoqiu was also amused.However, Shen Yishi is his father-in-law, so if he should help, he should still help.

So facing Shen Yishi's request, Wang Daoqiu thought for a while and said: "Old Taishan, you have also been to the Trade City today. You have also seen how popular it is. Even the auxiliary seats in the corner have been rented out. , where are the auxiliary positions available? And now those auxiliary noodles are appreciating in value, in business, you don’t need to tell me, you know it. Now, unless you are willing to pay a lot of money, Lao Taishan, you don’t even think about those auxiliary noodles. I'll give it to you."

"Then, what should we do? If I, Shen Yishi, don't have a support here in such a treasured Feng Shui land, how can I have the nerve to negotiate business with others?"

Damn it!The businessman's way of thinking is indeed hard-core. Whether he has a supporting position in Tongzhou Trade City is directly linked to his strength!
Thinking of this, Wang Daoqiu thought hard, and then he said to Shen Yishi: "Master Taishan, since you have said so, I will take you to Inspector Lu of Jinyiwei for questioning after dinner! I won't hide it! Lao Taishan, the proprietors behind Tongzhou Trade City are Jin Yiwei and Gong Li. The palace takes the majority of the profits, while Jin Yiwei takes [-]% of the profits and is responsible for the specific operations. The business assistants in the Trade City are so valuable, I believe Governor Lu We should have arranged for businessmen who are attached to their Jinyiwei to help their Jinyiwei and take advantage of it. After dinner, I will take you, Mr. Taishan, to discuss with Governor Lu and ask him to spit out some for you."

"What? My dear son-in-law, you are friends with Lu Bing from the Jinyi Guards! That's incredible, that's incredible, my dear son-in-law, what have you been doing in the capital these past few months? How come you have such great hands and eyes?"

"It was a coincidence, a coincidence, to be honest with Lao Taishan, it was purely a coincidence that my son-in-law and Governor Lu met. Later, Governor Lu recommended my son-in-law to the emperor, and from then on, my son-in-law became what he is today."

"So it is, so it is!"

(End of this chapter)