Ye Shi's expression became unsightly when she heard Lil Boy He's illness alarmed Han Jianming. If one didn't know better, one might think she, as the mistress, had been negligent! When she arrived at Guihua Courtyard, she couldn't find Han Jianming there. Ye Shi asked, "Where is the Duke?"
Concubine Jia respectfully replied, "The Duke has something to do and has gone to the front courtyard." Although Concubine Jia had given birth to two sons, with the eldest being raised under Ye Shi, she always followed the rules and never dared to overstep them. It was not that Concubine Jia was truly sincere; it was that Han Jianming had deep respect and trust for Ye Shi. Even if someone tried to sow discord, Han Jianming would always stand by Ye Shi's side.
Ye Shi looked relieved and asked, "What's wrong with the Fourth Young Master? How did he get sick again? How have you been taking care of him?"
Concubine Jia whispered, "Because of my carelessness, the Fourth Young Master has gotten a chill from the wind, which caused him to catch a fever."
Ye Shi's face darkened upon hearing this, and she sternly reprimanded Concubine Jia. She only stopped when Imperial Physician Le arrived.
Imperial Physician Le left with his medical kit after examining the child, prescribing medicine and giving Concubine Jia various instructions. He was an expert in paediatrics, so he was pretty busy.
Ye Shi waited until Concubine Jia had administered the medicine to Lil Boy He before returning to the Main Courtyard. However, before she left, she sternly reminded Concubine Jia, "The child is still young and delicate; you must take extra care of him." Lil Boy Chang had been well cared for by her; he was now almost four years old and rarely fell ill.
Concubine Jia stammered, "Yes, my Lady, I will take good care of the Fourth Young Master in the future." Ye Shi had absolute authority in the backyard; Jia Yiniang had to obey.
Once Ye Shi left, Shui Ping said uncomfortably, "Madam, the Fourth Young Master didn't get a fever from being chilled by the wind; why did you say that?"
Concubine Jia replied, "If I didn't say so, the Lady would not rest." Ye Shi was eager for her to make mistakes to highlight her own virtues.
Shui Ping's eyes welled up as she lamented, "Madam, you are truly suffering." Concubine Jia, who was supposed to live in splendour in the backyard, had to endure the Lady's wrath all the time.
Concubine Jia Yiniang said, "To be a concubine is to endure suffering." In this backyard, it was either to submit oneself or had to be forced to subdue. Concubine Jia had considered challenging Ye Shi, but with the Duke and the Old Lady siding with Ye Shi, she couldn't exert her influence and had to give in. Although she now felt stifled, she had two sons. As long as she lived well, she would eventually prevail.
Han Jianming was called away due to the news of the flooding in Jiangnan.
Mr Zhao said, "It started raining in Jiangnan at the beginning of the sixth month and didn't stop for several days." The sixth lunar month was the harvest season, and if it rained during this time, the rice crops would rot in the fields. Reduced yields were certain; it was just a question of how much.
Han Jianming looked strange. "Flood? Flood is better than drought." If it were a drought, even he would be horrified, let alone the Emperor.
The Wu family members reacted differently to this news. Second Y ung Master Wu, Wu Qian, said, "Father, the Northwest Army has purchased six hundred thousand dan1 of grain, and there are still two hundred thousand that haven't been delivered." Han Ji bought this batch of grain at half the market price. Because he bought in bulk, it was still profitable for the Wu family. However, now that Jiangnan had been hit by natural disasters and grain production had been severely reduced, prices were bound to soar. They would make a huge loss on this deal because their stocks had been depleted, and they had been buying grain from other merchants.
Wu Meng asked with a straight face, "What are you trying to say? The contracts have already been signed. Do you want to raise the price on the spot?" His younger son had a talent for business that everyone acknowledged. Still, he did not deny that Wu Qian's pursuit of quick profits and his prioritisation of self-interest were not to Wu Meng's liking. Although it was said that there was no honesty in business, one could not be blinded by money.
Wu Qian replied, "How can that be? The contracts have already been signed. There is no reason to increase the price. It's just that the risk of transporting those two hundred thousand dan of grain to the northwest has definitely increased with the severe reduction in grain production in the fields now." Wu Qian meant that the transportation costs would have to increase.
After some thought, Wu Meng said, "Since this matter has been entrusted to your elder brother, I believe he will handle it well." Although his younger son had a knack for business, Wu Meng still relied on his eldest son the most.
Upon hearing this, Wu Qian felt extremely uncomfortable. The people in the mansion felt that Wu Kuo had spent the whole year managing the business outside and was rarely at home, which made him less favoured by his parents. On the other hand, he, Wu Qian, had always been obedient and respectful to his parents, thus gaining their favour. In fact, over the years, Wu Kuo gained knowledge and made many acquaintances while managing the business outside, while Wu Qian only assisted his father and could not make any decisions.
As an outstanding merchant, Wu Meng was adept at observing other people's words and expressions. Looking at his son's expression, he sighed slightly in his heart and said, "Your mother mentioned you at lunch; go see her."
Wu Qian reluctantly went downstairs.
Wu Meng called Wu Kuo and asked, "Your younger brother proposed doubling the transportation fee; what do you think?" It was inevitable that the transportation fee would increase; it was just that if they doubled it, Yun Qing would definitely not agree.
Wu Kuo shook his head. "The transportation fee will definitely go up. How much it should increase depends on the additional costs incurred now." The additional costs were typically twenty per cent on top of the basic costs.
Wu Meng nodded slightly. Although it was said that all merchants were dishonest, it was still necessary for them to be tactful in their dealings. Raising the price was inevitable in an unexpected situation, but the reason for it had to be made perfectly clear. That way, the other party would be willing to pay the extra money. Otherwise, they wouldn't do business with you again. "What do you think of this year's floods?" Originally, they had expected another bumper harvest, but there was an unexpected flood.
A noob translator, きつね, translated this noob translation. Please read this chapter at xin-shou.site. If you read this in another location other than the site stated, it has been taken without the translator's permission. Please don't support this kind of act.
Wu Kuo knew that Yun Qing had not only bought 600,000 dan of grain from them but also more than 300,000 dan of grain from Taiyuan. This amount of grain was enough to feed the Northwest Army for a year. When Wu Kuo first received this news, he suspected Yun Qing was planning a rebellion, so why else would he buy so much grain? However, he quickly dismissed this thought. If Yun Qing wanted to rebel, he wouldn't be so blatant. "The Northwest Army's purchase of grain this time is very puzzling. It's as if they knew that this year's harvest would be bad? Father, I'm planning to go to Yu City again."
Wu Meng nodded. "It's good to try to discover Yun Qing's intentions." This matter was very strange, so trying to find out more was good.
Wu Kuo shook his head and said, "I'll try my best, but I'm not very hopeful." Such matters were confidential and not easy to uncover.
Wu Meng replied, "It's fine if we can't find out; the key is to convince Yun Qing to allow us to do business in the Western Regions." Doing business in the Western Regions would bring in substantial wealth. Until now, Wu Meng still felt regretful, thinking that Yun Qing was too stuck in his ways to know how to take advantage of this golden opportunity.
Wu Meng said this because Wu Kuo had previously told him he had already persuaded Yuxi, but Yun Qing disagreed. Wu Meng absolutely trusted his eldest son, so he didn't doubt him.
Wu Kuo said, "Yun Qing is a very stubborn person. As long as he has money, he will never agree to sell goods to the northwest people. Only when he has spent all his money and is pushed into a corner will he possibly agree."
Wu Meng expressed, "Just do your best."
After their conversation, Wu Kuo returned to his own courtyard. When he saw his wife holding and amusing their infant son, he smiled and asked, "Shu-er didn't cry today, did he?" Their son, Jinshu, was not yet one month old and could only eat and sleep. The last time Wu Kuo came over, Jinshu had been crying a lot.
Fang Shi smiled and replied, "Shu-er was well-behaved today; he slept right after eating." Fang Shi came from a wealthy family, a good match for the Wu family. Although they had been married for several years and Wu Kuo was often away, their relationship was still strong.
After chatting for a while, Wu Kuo finally mentioned his upcoming trip to Yu City, saying, "After I leave, you just focus on taking care of Bao-er and Shu-er. You don't need to worry about things in the mansion." Jinbao was their eldest son.
Fang Shi nodded. "Don't worry; I will take good care of Bao-er and Shu-er." The head of the Wu household, Yu Shi, was in poor health, and although the household affairs should have been handed over to Fang Shi, Madam Wu did not like her and entrusted all the internal affairs to Wu Qian's wife, her niece, the younger Yu Shi. Those in the inner courtyard who were short-sighted often flattered the second household and didn't show much respect for Fang Shi.
Wu Kuo said, "All right, just take care of the matters in our own courtyard; don't worry about the rest." His mother was biased, and no one could change that.🦊
Fang Shi leaned against the headboard as she advised, "Master, I'm fine. You should be careful. There are many bandits in the northwest. It's too dangerous." However, she couldn't bring herself to tell Wu Kuo not to go out because that would only make Wu Kuo think that she was unwise.
Fang Shi was a clever person, and she never opposed Madam Wu's decisions precisely because of her intelligence. She clearly understood that as long as her father-in-law had no intention of changing the heir, no matter how much Wu Qian and the younger Yu Shi made a fuss, the family business would still belong to them.
Wu Kuo held Fang Shi's hand and comforted her, "Don't worry. I will definitely take care of myself. I will be back before the New Year."
Back in the study, Wu Kuo's confidant, Wu Shun, said, "Eldest Master, the northwest is in chaos now; it's too dangerous to go there. I can handle things in Yu City; you shouldn't go." There were many bandits in the northwest before, but they were still manageable. But now, with Ji Xuan cracking down on the bandits, they were running amok without any moral restraints. If they, the Wu, encountered a group of ruthless bandits, it would be disastrous.
Wu Kuo shook his head. "I must go to Yu City."
Wu Shun asked, "Eldest Master, what compels you to make this trip?" Having grown up together, they were more like brothers than a master and a servant, so there were no reservations between them.
Wu Kuo replied, "With the protection of the Yu family, we are naturally safe. But if the Yu family falls, the Wu family will be like a piece of fatty meat everyone wants a bite of." The Wu family was wealthy but lacked the strength to protect their wealth.
Wu Shun quickly understood and asked, "Eldest Master, are you saying the Yu family is not stable? But with Grand Chancellor Yu..."
Wu Kuo shook his head. "The Yu family has great power, but this power is like the moon reflected in water or a flower in a mirror3." Over the years, Wu Kuo had gained insight from his experiences outside. Although the Yu family had great power at this moment, their lack of military authority was their fatal flaw.
Frowning, Wu Shun remarked, "Yun Qing is not a good ally either!" While Yun Qing was skilled in warfare, he was too rigid in character. Teaming up with him would be a burden to them in the future.
Wu Kuo explained, "It's not an alliance; it's just establishing good relations." They were still considered part of the Yu family for now and couldn't switch allegiance until the Yu family fell. However, there was no harm in befriending Yun Qing first, considering he was a general with military power.
Footnotes Full List
- a traditional unit of volume, esp. for grain, equal to 100 sheng (市升), and equivalent to 100 litres or 176 pints
- I thought he was mistreated because he had a different mother. But it seems his family has the same problem as the Tu family, except his mother favoured the clever younger son over the eldest.
- an invisible but intangible experience—an illusion, a fleeting shadow, or a vision
Tags:
The Rebirth of Han Yuxi