Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 256: Business Talk in the Boudoir
The reason why Jia Cong was able to enter the Ministry of War to observe government affairs was because of the recommendation of the Minister of War Gu Yankui.

Others think that Gu Yankui is upright and serious, and has poor interpersonal relationships, but he and Jia Cong get along well and Gu Yankui even wants to support Jia Cong.

When he took the provincial examination, his policy essay shocked the scholars and he was selected as the first place in the provincial examination.

He was famous for his talent in writing poetry and had a dazzling literary aura, and was regarded by many as a natural born civil servant.

Ge Hongzheng, who was in charge of the Hanlin Academy, once wrote a letter to recommend him as a seventh-rank librarian in the Hanlin Academy.

If a top scorer in the provincial examination is admitted to the Hanlin Academy as an exception, then he will have a glorious start on the path to becoming a civil servant.

However, this bright prospect was lightly dismissed by Emperor Jia Zhao's words: The sons of nobles should cultivate a spirit of bravery and martial arts.

The implication is not obvious. The emperor is not averse to a less than 20-year-old champion.

Instead, in the court, the civil and military officials coexist, and conquests and secret fights are more conducive to the balance and control of the saint monarch.

A person with military merit and both civil and military talents is not conducive to the emperor's checks and balances between civil and military officials and the prevention of potential troubles.

Now he had been appointed as the Director of the Firearms Bureau, an official position that was neither civil nor military, equivalent to a master craftsman. His future path became somewhat unclear.

Out of consideration for his own future and safety, he had to make more plans.

In the future, if you are born into a noble family, you may encounter obstacles in your career as a civil servant.

At least he can have the support and protection of seniors like Gu Yankui in the field of military affairs.

Therefore, whether for public or private reasons, he hoped that Gu Yankui could take the position of commander of nine provinces.

In the eyes of others, Gu Yankui is not humble enough and does not have a virtuous reputation, but this old minister is truly in the emperor's heart and the emperor stands behind him.

Even if you are more realistic, you should choose the thickest one when hugging someone's thigh.

As for Prince Beijing Shui Rong, Jia Cong had no impression of this person originally.

But after the incident with Keqing, his impression of this person naturally became extremely bad.

For many things, if a person does it once, he will do it a second time, and the probability is even beyond doubt.

The best way is to dig a hole and bury it to prevent future troubles.

Although digging a pit may not necessarily kill him, it is always possible to seriously injure him and weaken his power.

If you cheat him too many times, he will eventually die.

As for whether there are risks involved?

Just keep a good balance and don't overdo it, so that things will appear to be a natural outcome.

Under the premise of information asymmetry, any flaws can be perfectly covered up.

At the beginning, he overthrew Zhang Shouan, eliminated Jia Zhen and his son, and pushed Xiuniang's perfume shop into the imperial merchant channel. Each of these was an unconventional move and a victory in danger.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Daiyu's boudoir.

Daiyu finished writing the letter in her hand, read it carefully to make sure it was correct, and then folded it neatly and put it into the envelope.

On one side of the desk were two freshly embroidered sachets, a set of newly made autumn clothes, and some knickknacks from the capital city of Shenjing.

These are the gifts that Daiyu wants to send to her father.

Zijuan came up to replace the cold tea, took a look at the thick envelope, and asked, "Miss, what did the Third Master ask you to do in the letter?"

"Well, Xinchun has already established trade routes in Jiangnan. Third brother wants to open branches in Gusu and Yangzhou. He is asking for Dad's help."

"Miss, it's being said in the mansion that Xinchunhao is actually the property of the Third Master. Is that true?"

Daiyu smiled and said, "It's probably true. Third brother has been doing many strange things since he was a child. I asked him about it and he made the perfume.

He would ask his father for help. He is so concerned about it, Xinchun must have been bought by him himself."

Zijuan's eyes lit up, and she asked curiously, "I heard that the female shopkeeper of Xinchun has a special relationship with the Third Master. She is the Third Master's..."

At this time, slow and steady footsteps were heard outside.

Jia Cong came to Daiyu's room more often. Now Zijuan could even recognize his footsteps. She stuck out her tongue and swallowed the gossip that followed.

Daiyu glared at Zijuan with some reproach. In fact, not only Zijuan was curious, but all the sisters including Daiyu were curious.

……

At this time, Jia Cong entered the room, and Zijuan went out to pour tea, leaving the two of them to talk.

"Third brother, I have already written the letter, asking father to use his connections in Jiangnan to coordinate shops and trade routes for Xinchun in Suzhou, Yangzhou and other places.

My father has served as the inspector of Lianghuai Salt for many years and has had many official contacts with the salt merchants in Lianghuai. I think this matter is not difficult to handle. "Jia Cong smiled and said, "Thank you so much, sister. With the help of my uncle, Xinchunhao will soon be able to gain a firm foothold in Jiangnan!"

Daiyu smiled and said, "I didn't expect that Third Brother has the appearance of a top scholar and even has the ambition of Tao Zhuyi Dun."

Jia Cong smiled and said, “People divide people into scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, and they always think that merchants are the lowest. However, for a country to be strong, it is naturally indispensable to have a prosperous agriculture and a strong military.

The way of business, to exchange what is needed, to promote the flow of money, to introduce new things, and to eliminate old malpractices, actually has its miraculous effects.

It’s just that people in the world only think that merchants are lowly and don’t understand their profoundness.

Moreover, the way of business can accumulate wealth and nourish people's livelihood.

Only with money can we help the poor, channel new wisdom, and start a new trend…”

Although people nowadays think that scholars are the most educated, Daiyu has no objection to Jia Cong's involvement in business affairs.

She had been well-read since childhood, which made her different from ordinary girls. In addition, she was a little rebellious in character, and her insights were even more extraordinary.

She grew up in Suzhou and Yangzhou, where the people have always been open-minded and merchants are prevalent, and she has long been accustomed to this.

His father, Lin Ruhai, served as the Lianghuai Salt Inspector for many years and interacted with many wealthy salt merchants on a daily basis. He was influenced by them and did not feel that being a merchant was beneath him.

However, her knowledge and experience in business affairs were limited, so it was impossible for her to understand them as deeply and thoroughly as Jia Cong did. When she heard his strange theory, she found it novel and unique, and her beautiful eyes sparkled.

I casually talked about business matters. It seemed that my third brother, like everyone else, treated business as an ordinary way of making a living, which was nothing special.

But he came up with such a novel idea that was refreshing.

Daiyu smiled and said, "Third brother has been an unexpected person since he was young. I never thought that business would be so glorious and brilliant for him.

If Xinchunhao opens branches in Yangzhou and Suzhou in the future, I really want to go and see them.”

Jia Cong was slightly moved when he heard Daiyu talking and laughing.

He smiled and said, "My sister is smart and talented, full of poetry and literature, and a leader among women. It's a pity that she stays in the boudoir all day.

If I have the chance one day, I will definitely take my sister around to see more of the world."

Daiyu's eyes lit up when she heard this. The more a girl like her was trapped in the boudoir, the more she yearned for things outside.

Not only him, but also Tanchun, Yingchun and others, that girl is not like that.

If a person like Baochai comes from a royal merchant family, he or she will have more knowledge of the outside world.

"Third brother, don't flatter me so easily. Remember what I said. I'm waiting for you to take me out to see it someday!"

"Actually, I'm quite envious of that... Miss Qu, who can work outside with Third Brother and travel the world."

At this point, Daiyu suddenly remembered what Zijuan had said just now. A blush appeared on her face and her voice seemed to be hesitant and hesitant.

Although she was in love with Jia Cong, she was still young after all, and she actually thought very little about the desires of men and women and marriage, or was too embarrassed to think too much about it.

But it is women's nature to be curious and concerned about the women close to Jia Cong.

Jia Cong was a little surprised to see her suddenly look strange.

"Third brother, I heard from people in the mansion that Miss Qu is your mistress, but... is it true?"

When Jia Cong saw Daiyu's eyes full of charm and the obvious anger in them, his heart softened slightly.

At the beginning, Jia's grandmother wanted him to go to the Dali Temple to exonerate Jia Zhen on the grounds that Xiuniang's perfume shop was a private property, so the rumor that Qu Hongxiu was his mistress had already spread throughout the Jia family.

Although cousins ​​such as Tanchun and Yingchun were curious, they did not ask too many questions as it was their brothers' private matter.

Baochai did care about it, but she and Jia Cong were not close after all, so she was too embarrassed to ask.

Only Daiyu cares about Jia Cong the most, and they have grown up together for many years.

On that day, the spirit tablet of Jia Cong's biological mother could not be brought into the ancestral temple, so it could only be placed in the Muni Temple. Among the sisters in the family, only Daiyu ignored the suspicion and went alone to pay homage and accompany her, which made the relationship between the two of them much closer.

Although there was no oath of marriage, they were willing to stay together. Just now, they talked about Xinchunhao, so naturally, Daiyu asked the question that had been lingering in her mind for a long time.

Jia Cong looked strange and said, "Sister, don't listen to those people's nonsense. Miss Qu is not my concubine.

I met Miss Qu three years ago. She and I went through hardships together. She even taught me martial arts."

So he told Daiyu about his acquaintance with Qu Hongxiu and the opening of Xiuniang's shop.

But he didn't reveal a single word about Qu Hongxiu's background or the management of the women's dormitory. It was not because he didn't trust Daiyu, but because it would involve disaster and it would do no good to let her know.

Moreover, in the next few days, some incidents will happen in the women's dormitory, and at this juncture, nothing can be revealed.

(End of this chapter)