Chapter 778: Overwrought
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
This was the first time she had heard Song Mingzhao clearly express his feelings for Yu Youyao.
“I like her!”
These three words revealed a sense of certainty.
Him taking a gamble was like a moth flying into a fire.
Song Mingzhao lowered his head. “Previously, the pirates had invaded the southeast coast on a large scale and Dehua County had suffered a calamity. Originally, the position of county magistrate had to be revoked much earlier, but because of the delay in the imperial examination, it was delayed until now. The porcelain produced by Dehua County is an indispensable item for maritime trade. It has always been sold overseas. The various porcelain shops in Dehua County have close ties with the Xie family.”
Old Madam Song sighed softly. Song Mingzhao had planned everything out clearly, so it was obvious how determined he was. “If you want to strive to befriend the Xie family and get to know Yu Youyao through the Xie family, with the approval of your elders, it’ll be logical to discuss the marriage in the future.”
Song Mingzhao did not deny that marriage was a matter of parents’ orders and matchmaking. Since men and women could not cross the line, he would start with the elders.
Old Madam Song sighed. “I actually didn’t know that the Zhenguo Marquis Residence would have such a devoted person like you. Forget it, forget it. In the end, we, as relatives, owe you. I’ll talk to your father.”
Song Mingzhao was overjoyed. “Thank you, Grandmother.”
In the blink of an eye, it was already Laba.
The medicinal herbs for disaster relief were already prepared and sent to the merchant ship along with the resources that the Xie family had evacuated.
After that, the Xie Residence clearly felt that the atmosphere in Quanzhou had become tense. The various ports began to increase their troops and cordon off the area, investigating the merchant ships and merchants coming and going.
The investigation was only a little stricter than usual, and it did not cause much dissatisfaction and suspicion.
However, Yu Youyao guessed that this investigation would gradually intensify.
This further confirmed that the Jiazhou Residence had already sided with King Liang and had been secretly paying attention to the movements of the Xie Residence.
It was very likely that a portion of King Liang’s people had already entered Quanzhou without anyone noticing. After everyone entered the city in batches, they would control the entire Quanzhou City.
Regarding this, the Xie family was very glad that they had listened to Yu Youyao’s suggestion and given up on evacuating to the Huai River area. They accelerated the evacuation process and transferred most of their manpower and businesses to the North in advance. The remaining small number of businesses mostly sold antiques, jade artifacts, calligraphy, paintings, and so on. As there were not many of them, they would not attract much attention if they were carried on merchant ships.
Otherwise, before the people from the Xie family could leave Quanzhou, they would probably have already been noticed by the Jiazhou Residence.
After that, Yu Youyao arranged to meet the directors of the Lin and Yan families. They would go to the Guiyuan Temple to discuss the cooperation of the medicinal herbs.
All three sides were sincere. The “Happy Heart” escort business had become famous in the underworld and the underworld. Yu Youyao’s financial resources were in place, so the benefits were also satisfying. There were almost no twists and turns in the cooperation.
Yu Youyao said, “The first trade will be arranged after the Lantern Festival. Your two families will try your best to gather medicinal herbs and collect as many as you can. At that time, I’ll arrange for the steward to come over and contact you.”
The Lin and Yan families had no objections.
Old Master Lin probed, “The amount of medicinal herbs that County Head needs are very large. I’m going back to Zhejiang to make some preparations. I’ll definitely send your greetings to Lord Ye.”
Yu Youyao smiled. “That’s good.”
Old Master Lin calmed down.
Due to the reminder from the County Head of Shaoyi, he had been secretly observing the movements in Quanzhou. He had also vaguely sensed the recent changes in Quanzhou and strengthened his plan to return to Zhejiang.
However, he still needed to plan carefully how to leave Quanzhou.
After the business discussion, Yu Youyao ate vegetarian food at the Guiyuan Temple. On the way back to the residence, she passed by the Jade Pavilion. Yu Youyao got out of the carriage, planning to see how business was going.
The layout of the Jade Pavilion had already been changed. The glass was made into a rectangular transparent counter. Samples of various products were displayed inside, and the functions and effects of the products were roughly introduced.
Some special products were marked with basic combinations of spices and medicinal herbs that were easy to sensitize. They would also be marked in the introduction. It was dazzling to look at, causing one to linger.
There were more than a hundred types of products in Jade Pavilion now, almost 50% as many as before. Many incense medicines had been added, and every one of them had their own uses. They had even specially invited a doctor to sit in the hall.
After customers entered the shop, they could choose the goods they were interested in according to their needs and preferences. They could also achieve the effect of stimulating consumption.
There were a total of twelve cubicles on the first and second floors. They were separated nto small rooms by exquisite partition screens. There were tables, chairs, tea, and snacks to receive guests.
If one did not know the effect of the makeup, they could try it in the cubicle.
If one did not know the function of the incense and medicine, they could also ask the doctor in the hall.
The management was more humane and thorough.
It was already afternoon, and there were still many people in the shop. Manager Ren was also so busy that his feet did not touch the ground. When he saw Yu Youyao coming over, he quickly brought her to the room on the second floor.
Before Yu Youyao could ask, Manager Ren had already said non-stop, “It’s been less than a month, and many products are already in short supply. From next month, the incense shop will increase production…”
Yu Youyao already had an idea of the situation at the Jade Pavilion.
Manager Ren had broken his contract with the Xie Residence and was free. After a while, Yu Youyao would be leaving Quanzhou. She did not plan to transfer the Jade Pavilion to someone else, so she would let Manager Ren manage it on her behalf.
Manager Ren was quite capable. He had run Zhiyu Pavilion for so many years and had never made a mistake. There was no doubt about his loyalty.
The core ingredients of the incense medicine were always in her hands. They could be sent to Quanzhou through a merchant ship.
After the Xie Residence left Quanzhou, the Jiazhou Residence would not do anything unnecessary to make things difficult for those who had once been related to the Xie Residence. Since they had already left, it was useless to cause trouble.
After Yu Youyao arrived in the North, the Jiazhou Residence could guess that the backer of the Xie family was Yue Fei, the King of the North. They would not make things difficult for her for a few commoners.
Business still had to be done.
Not only did business have to be done, but the Jade Pavilion in Quanzhou would also be used as a bridge for her to communicate with the entire country’s trade. In the future, the goods under her name would be sold far away from the country and overseas through trade routes. Spices from overseas were in high demand in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Many rouge, powder, and incense medicine from the country were also in high demand overseas.
Through her understanding of the incense business during this period of time, Yu Youyao finally had a precise understanding of what kind of treasure mountain with unlimited potential she had.
… .
Just as the Xie Residence was preparing to leave Quanzhou, the Imperial Court sent over an urgent document from the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs and the Imperial Court. They impeached the Jiazhou Residence for more than ten crimes, and ordered them to settle their matters within three days.
The Jiazhou Residence immediately fell into an overwrought state.
Immediately, they couldn’t care less about the Xie Residence.
However, just as the Jiazhou Residence was sending the memorial into the capital.
Another shocking news came from the capital.
Far away in the North, Yue Fei, the King of the North, joined forces with the officials who had gone to the North to seek credit from the Imperial Court for the County Head of Shaoyi.
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