My younger sister insisted on marrying me and made me the Marquis' wife.

Chapter 440 Dilemma
Qin Yuan had been busy dealing with Xu's funeral and had not inquired about the price of pepper. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "I didn't expect the King of Qi to be so capable. By the Mid-Autumn Festival, the price of pepper will probably be much lower than thirty taels of silver per pound."

Shen Changle asked eagerly: "Can we buy it now?"

Qin Yuan asked curiously: "Why do you say that?"

Shen Changle did not hide it from her: "I am worried that others will take advantage of this opportunity to buy it, because the master said that all the external messages should be taken back. I have been paying attention to the market. Some people from the Yelu family have been asking for prices frequently recently."

The Yelu clan should have their own trade routes in the northern border. If the price of pepper is too low, they might stockpile it and resell it elsewhere.

Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "You keep a close eye on it and report anything immediately. If there are any expenses, just put them directly into the account."

Shen Changle waved his hands hurriedly: "No need, it won't take much."

Qin Yuan said seriously, "You do business differently from others. Whether you are operating behind the scenes or sending people to spy, you always have to spend some money to do favors. Even if you don't use money, it will wear out your shoes if you walk a few more steps, not to mention that you have to treat people to some snacks and tea. Money is needed everywhere in the capital, and I would be sorry for your efforts if I don't spend this little money."

Shen Changle was grateful in his heart but couldn't say it out loud. He only secretly made up his mind to do something big to live up to his master's trust.

Almost everything had been discussed, and Shen Changle still had to go find Mr. Gu Liu to discuss the woodcut illustrations.

After he left, Hongye lowered her voice and asked anxiously, "Miss, can the price of this pepper be lower than thirty taels of silver per pound?"

Qin Yuan closed his eyes and thought, then said slowly, "I think it should be possible... It's not Mid-Autumn Festival yet. Didn't the King of Qi say that we'll know the result before Mid-Autumn Festival? If it's close, the King of Qi will send someone to deliver the letter."

Hongye took a deep breath and said, "Oh my god, those who bought it at a high price must be heartbroken."

Qin Yuan responded.

Hongye sighed again: "When we first said we wanted to buy it, it was fifty taels of silver."

Cui Ming said, "It seems that God is helping us and not letting us spend money. I just don't know how much Madam Gu Liu lost."

Hongye said, "Didn't the young lady say that if you hold on and don't sell, the price will go up in the future, but you will just make less money."

Cui Ming chuckled.

"What can I say to you? They are probably anxious to sell it now, afraid that no one will take it over. How can they keep it? If Sixth Master wants to sue them, how can he explain it if he doesn't tell us something? Miss thinks that the price will rise sharply in the future, and she wants them to think so too."

Hongye sighed and laughed.

Qin Yuan opened her eyes, propped her chin with her hand, and sighed, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten. The housekeepers in the mansion probably saw that there was a funeral in the mansion and that my sixth brother was going to sue the Xu family, so they didn't dare to make a fuss. I think they must have scolded someone harshly, but I don't know if they scolded me... No wonder my ears are always hot and I'm sneezing these days."

Hongye was the first one who was unwilling.

"What does this have to do with Miss?"

Qin Yuan was helpless: "After all, this matter was caused by me... I was the one who started to stock up on pepper..."

Cui Ming said, "If a person becomes resentful and refuses to accept his fate, he will always look for someone to take the blame. If he can't bear to blame himself, he will find someone else to blame."

Hongye curled her lips and said, "Shouldn't Zhao Ma be blamed more?"

There is no place to blame for the death of a person. But Aunt Zhao is still alive. She was actively involved in recruiting people to join the gang.

Qin Yuan said: "Who knows what they are thinking?"

After thinking for a while, he said, "Sixth Master went to talk to Aunt Zhao, and I don't know how the money was settled."

Half of the housekeepers in the mansion are involved in this, and they really need an explanation.

Otherwise, they might secretly resent their master. Hongye said, "Why not let them decide for themselves whether to just hold on to the stocks and wait for the price to go up, or to exchange them for silver at the market price now? But they will still be scolded if they do that. What if the price really goes up in the future? Even if they don't get scolded if it goes up in the future, they all bought at a high price now, and they will still be scolded for losing so much money for nothing."

Anyway, no matter what, you will be scolded.

Qin Yuan: "...this matter...ah..."

Cui Ming smiled and said, "It's rare to see Miss being in a dilemma."

Qin Yuan said, "I want to be generous, but I'm afraid of encouraging their thoughts. We've already agreed that this is a matter of self-financing and loss-making. If I'm not generous, there are things going on inside and outside the mansion now. It's not good to let the people below have other thoughts for this little money and cause trouble for themselves."

When Mr. Gu Liu handled the matter, he mostly listened to the opinions of Mr. Gu Hou and her.

You have to think about it sooner or later.

Hongye said: "It is indeed a bit difficult."

"What's the problem?"

Lord Gu's voice rang out.

Hongye was so scared that she quickly stood behind Qin Yuan, while Cuiming asked the maid to add water to make tea.

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "You are always so elusive. Look how scared Hongye is. Why did you come back so early today?"

As he spoke, he walked forward and took Lord Gu's official hat.

Lord Gu glanced at Hongye casually, not taking it seriously: "She is usually aggressive, how come she is frightened by me now?"

Hongye hurriedly said, "I am always very careful and attentive in serving you. I will go to the small kitchen and take a look."

Before he could finish his words, he had already sneaked to the door from the side.

Qin Yuan was a little surprised and asked quietly, "Did you say something behind her back? Why is she so scared when she sees you?"

Lord Gu chuckled and said, "That's not the case."

Qin Yuan stared at him suspiciously.

Lord Gu stretched out his arms and said leisurely, "Madam, please help me change my clothes."

Cui Ming pursed her lips, chuckled, and also walked out.

Qin Yuan asked, "Did you get along well with the people from the six ministries today?"

Gu Jinghui nodded, his sharp eyes and eyebrows showing a smile, and he let Qin Yuan control him comfortably.

"I used Mr. Songshan's method to wrestle back with the Minister of Personnel and gave them a warning. After noon, the Minister of Personnel sent a few more people to help with the work, and the officials from other departments were no longer as lazy as they were at the beginning."

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "It seems that you didn't know what it meant to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys when you were in the military camp. Even the prisoners had to be beaten with a stick first when they were escorted to the government office."

"Of course I know, but I am a military commander. Apart from asking for things, I rarely interact with these civil officials. I can't understand their ways."

Lord Gu hurriedly changed his clothes, drank a cup of tea, and said, "I still need to go to Mr. Songshan to ask for some more advice. Can the small kitchen make some dishes that southerners like to eat and send them over?"

This is the time to have dinner with Mr. Matsuyama.

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "I see. Hongye already knows exactly what Mr. Songshan likes to eat. Just go ahead and tell me what you want to do. I'll have something to tell you in detail when you come back in the evening."