bookpower Chapter 32 - 32 Stockpiling Grain and Taking Over the Colored Glaze Workshop
Chapter 32 - 32 Stockpiling Grain and Taking Over the Colored Glaze Workshop
Chapter 32: Chapter 32 Stockpiling Grain and Taking Over the Colored Glaze Workshop
Murong Jiu was about to climb into the carriage when the Old Madam hurriedly let go of her dignity and grabbed her.
“Xiao Jiu,” said the Old Madam, “even if the Prince is in a hurry, it won’t hurt to delay for a moment longer. Let’s go inside and have a quick chat before your grandmother leaves.”
“If Grandmother has something to say, why not speak plainly here? The shop hasn’t been cleaned up yet, and I’d hate for your and my elder sister’s clothes to get dirty. If there’s something you wish to say, let’s talk about it here,” Murong Jiu responded, her feet firmly rooted in place.
Murong Jiu stood her ground, unmoved by persuasion. Glancing at Manager Chai behind her and the heads of several neighboring shopkeepers peeking out, the Old Madam’s expression darkened. But if she chose not to speak now, she would miss an opportune moment.
Having lived to her ripe age, the Old Madam truly couldn’t bring herself to lower her face that much, thus she nudged Murong Man lightly, “Let your elder sister speak with you.”
Within her heart, Murong Man definitely felt reluctant to speak, but the Marquis Mansion was indeed living beyond its means. A few days ago, the Second Prince had given her a few hundred taels, but it was far from enough to fill the deep holes in the Marquis Mansion’s finances.
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Though the Second Prince was wealthy and now willing to spend money on her, she did not wish to be tainted by the scent of copper, making the Second Prince think of her as someone seeking only money. She yearned to be nothing more than a tender Flower Solving People for the Second Prince.
The best ways to acquire money was definitely through Murong Jiu.
After all, Murong Jiu was part of the Marquis Mansion. Was it not her duty to contribute financially to her own family?
Murong Man lowered her voice and spoke gently to Murong Jiu:
“Ninth Sister, here’s the situation. The Phoenix Fairy Restaurant to the south of the city is up for sale. Our second uncle feels that the location is excellent, and he happens to know several outstanding chefs, so he wants to take over the place. But as you are aware of the financial strains on the Marquis Mansion, he now finds himself short of more than twenty thousand taels. He thought to ask you for a loan.”
Her words sounded pleasing enough, merely requesting a loan. Yet with this loan, it was clear they would never see any repayment.
Surprised, Murong Jiu turned to Manager Chai and asked:
“That much? Has my second uncle been deceived? Manager Chai, the Phoenix Fairy Restaurant isn’t that big. Does it really require more than twenty thousand taels to take over?”
Her voice was loud. The moment she spoke, the faces of the Old Madam and Murong Man grew even uglier, as if they wanted nothing more than to cover her mouth.
Having already acquired a rough understanding of the various shops in the Capital City these past few days, Manager Chai quickly replied:
By now, Old Madam’s face looked as unappealing as leftover vegetables from the night before.
Murong Man clenched her handkerchief; the looks from the people around made her feel embarrassed for the first time.
Murong Jiu is truly, unreasonable!
Anxious about leaving a bad impression on others, Murong Man had no choice but to say to Old Madam,
“Grandmother, perhaps Ninth Sister is not entirely wrong. The matter of Uncle wanting to take over the restaurant should be carefully considered. Manman is just too worried about Ninth Sister. She has spent so much silver hoarding grain, and now she wants to buy the Colored Glaze Workshop. When the time comes, I’m afraid she’ll lose so much that not even the principal will remain.”
Hearing this, everyone thought that the eldest daughter of Marquis Mansion was truly gentle and kind.
In fact, the matter of Princess Consort Ling hoarding grain had already spread throughout the Capital City, and people secretly mocked her for knowing nothing yet trying to imitate others in doing business.
And now she wanted to open a Colored Glaze Workshop—wasn’t that just throwing money away?
What others said and thought didn’t concern Manager Chai; his only task was to negotiate the acquisition of the suburban Colored Glaze Workshop at the cheapest price.
Manager Chai was very reliable in handling affairs, which put Murong Jiu at ease.
The following afternoon, she received good news from Manager Chai: with just two thousand taels, the entire Colored Glaze Workshop had been taken over, and not only were all the master craftsmen retained, but numerous additional craftsmen were also recruited.
The workshop would not stop, and within half a month, it should be able to produce tens of thousands of colored glaze pieces.
With this, Murong Jiu was extremely pleased.
The rain in the Capital City continued to patter down.
Everybody had initially treated Princess Consort Ling’s massive grain hoarding as a joke, but gradually, they couldn’t laugh anymore.
Other grain shops realized too late and wanted to hoard grain, but it was already too late. Manager Chai had acquired all the grain within hundreds of miles around, and by then, it was certainly impossible to get any more from even further away. Even if they could, the price would surely be too high to be worthwhile.
“Second Prince, there’s a rush for grain all over the country now, and our Auspicious Rice Shop can no longer supply it. In the surrounding areas of the Capital City, all the grain is in Princess Consort Ling’s hands.”
Jun Haoze, listening to the words of the rice shop manager, looked up in surprise, “What are you saying, Princess Consort Ling is hoarding grain?”
He had been out of the Capital City for a few days and had just returned, unaware of what had happened.