After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 1115 Gossip
If the Hai and Jin families really wanted to get involved in the glassware and wine business and set up a new business in Beijing, they would definitely involve the Zhou family.

This is not only because these two industries were originally established by the Northwest Frontier Army under the auspices of the Zhenguogong Mansion, but also because the Northwest has always sold these two in-demand products to large caravans that go to Chang'an to purchase, and let them sell them to the capital or Jiangnan and Shuzhong. And none of the caravans that can purchase large quantities of goods are small families, and they all have powerful backers behind them. Just from what Haijiao knows, there are several adults in the cabinet who receive dividends from several businesses on a quarterly basis, and at the same time they also support those businesses and caravans.

Hai Jiao even knew that before and after the succession of the throne, several of the most famous merchants and caravans in the capital had changed their backers. He even knew the names of the people behind them. This kind of information was not a secret at all in the Jinyiwei.

The Northwest Frontier Army has earned a lot of money in recent years from the glassware and wine industries. They have always been concerned with production, not sales, so they have been at peace with the backers behind the big businesses and caravans. However, as time goes by, the latter will inevitably become more greedy and try to unite to control prices and squeeze the profits of the Northwest Frontier Army. If it weren't for the new king's succession, the Zhou family's contribution to the establishment of the king, and the future queen, those big businesses and caravans might have gone even further, instead of being honest and humble like they are now, and offering generous prices.

However, the Zhou family almost suffered a loss, so they naturally became wary. In order to avoid being forced to lower their prices by the caravans, they deliberately opened up new trade routes and transported those specialties from the northwest to the capital for sale. Even if it only accounted for a small part of the production, it was better than being monopolized by outsiders and being restricted by them.

However, although the Zhou family had this idea, they only discussed it privately and had not yet put it into action. The Duke of Zhenguo was seriously ill now, so who could take care of these things?
Hai Jiao heard the news from Zhou Yijun. He didn't have any idea at that time, but now he feels that he can get involved: "Whether it is our Hai family or Xiao Jin, there is no need to take the lion's share. It is enough to just drink a little soup. My younger sister and I know how profitable these two businesses are. Even if we can only take half of the dividends, our family will not have to worry about money for the next 30 years."

Haitang had no objection to this, but she had one thing: "The Duke of Zhenguo is seriously ill now. If he can't hold on any longer, the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion will have to observe mourning, and the several major generals will have to temporarily leave their current positions. Even if they want to develop new industries and new sources of income for the Northwest Frontier Army in the capital, I'm afraid they may not be able to take care of it. If my brother gives any suggestions to the Zhou family at this time, I'm afraid they won't listen."

Hai Jiao sighed, "Others naturally won't listen, but General Zhou Si knows it. If the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo really wants to retire in Beijing in the future, then in order to turn this bad thing into a good thing, he has to act more flexibly and not be too rigid. For example... he can let the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo bring a few young people to serve her, so that they can find jobs in the capital at that time, and increase the weight of the Zhou family in the capital. Whether it is the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo's retirement, or the young children seeking jobs in the capital, managing the various guards and offices, and socializing with people, it is inevitable to spend money. The Zhou family vowed to have an industry in the capital, and the sooner the better. With industry and money, it will be much easier for General Zhou Si to do anything in the future, not to mention... Miss Xuejun will enter the central palace in the future, and there will be many places where she needs to spend money."

With the Zhou family, the wine and glass workshops that the Hai and Jin families wanted to merge had a backer, a source of goods, and even caravans and convoys to transport goods. There were many veterans in the northwest. Even if they were old, injured, or disabled, veterans who had experienced many battles were not comparable to ordinary caravan guards. In addition to veterans, each military household also had children of soldiers who failed to become regular soldiers, who were also available.

Hai Jiao also said: "Xiao Jin also wants to include the share of Prince Kang's Mansion and the Marquis Cheng'en's Mansion. I think it would be better to include the share of the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager's wife in the palace. Then there is no need to worry about being coveted. Anyway, the Grand Empress Dowager has the Zhou family behind her, and the Empress Dowager only has Xiao Jin as a relative outside the palace. It's the same for everyone."

The more people get involved, the less benefits the Hai and Jin families will get. But Haitang doesn't really care about this. As long as the money can be earned safely, it doesn't matter if it's a little less. It's better to make a steady income than to suddenly become rich and then go bankrupt.

Haitang said, "I'm afraid this matter is not something that my brother can have the final say on. You still have to discuss it with Big Brother Jin, Prince Kang, and Wu Ke. You also have to ask the opinions of General Zhou Si's family. Big Brother Jin and Wu Ke are fine, but will Prince Kang and General Zhou Si's family listen to my brother's proposal?" To be honest, even if the Zhou family and Prince Kang's Mansion are interested, they may not necessarily include the Shanghai family. At most, they will involve Jin Jiashu for the sake of the Queen Mother.

Haijiao smiled confidently: "Don't worry about this, little sister. I know what I am doing and I won't mess it up."

Haitang raised her eyebrows and wanted to ask her brother what he was going to do, but then she thought that since his rebirth, Haijiao had become more mature and capable, and he was more experienced in doing things. Even if there were some minor mistakes, it would not affect the overall situation. She could actually trust her brother more. He was so proactive and hardworking, and now he had a successful career, a bright future, a wide network of contacts, and was reliable in doing things. It was no longer the time when he needed her advice on everything.

What's more, Jin Jiashu, who is now cooperating with Haijiao, is also a smart man, and he has the support of Queen Mother Xu and the new emperor. The two of them have a good relationship, cooperate happily, and discuss things. Even if things don't succeed, there will be no bad impact.

She just needs to keep an eye on it and doesn't have to worry too much. She can just lie down and enjoy her life!

Thinking of this, Haitang saw that her brother Haijiao seemed to want to keep the secret, so she smiled calmly: "Okay, since you know the answer, I won't ask any more questions. I'll just wait for you to bring back good news."

Seeing that she stopped asking questions, Haijiao was a little surprised: "Little sister, don't you want to know what I plan to do?"

Haitang changed the subject: "Brother, I have been busy with your wedding these days and have not paid attention to the news outside. At the wedding banquet yesterday, I heard several ladies talking about gossip in a mysterious way. I wanted to ask them about it, but they were vague. I only know that it is related to the eldest daughter of the Zhang family, but I don't know the specific situation. Since you went to see Brother Jin today, did you hear anything?"

"The daughter of the Zhang family?" Hai Jiao thought for a moment. "Oh, I have heard something about her. It's a joke. It seems that she had a scandal with the prince of Prince Ping's mansion. Many people say that she is eyeing the position of the prince's consort."

Prince Ping's wife?
Haitang blinked: "But... I remember the prince of Prince Ping's mansion... he has a princess, right?"