Chapter 120 - Large Tree for Cooling
Zuo Shuhui took a deep breath, then blushed and said, “I'm afraid Master Lu suffered some hidden injuries on the battlefield.”
“This…?” Mrs. Xue's face was red and white. She opened her mouth but could not utter a single word for a long time.
There was a sudden soft sound from the roof, and both mother and daughter raised their heads, oblivious to the change.
The two women had no idea that there was a man on their roof every day.
Yinyi covered his mouth with one hand, lifted his foot from a piece of broken tile and silently returned to Zuo Shaoqing's yard.
He felt that he should first write a letter reporting what he had heard today. He wondered if his master would want to kill him after reading it.
Actually, this kind of news had been going around since the new year, but no one in Duke Zhen's residence cared about it. No one dared to talk about it in front of everyone, so if they overreacted, it would make them feel guilty.
However, Yinyi couldn't hold it in any longer, he still reported this matter to Zuo Shaoqing the next morning after he woke up.
“Say, if they believed this rumor without a doubt, would Zuo Shuhui still want to marry your grandpa?” Zuo Shaoqing's heart started to thump once again.
Yinyi objected immediately. This was related to the dignity of his master, how could he let Zuo Shaoqing plot against him?
“That woman is only interested in my master's family background.”
“You believe that?” Zuo Shaoqing twitched his mouth. Lu Zheng had to be talented, have to be good-looking, have to be powerful, set aside his family background, and a lot of women rushed to marry him.
Yinyi did not want to discuss the charm of his master with his future wife. Everyone said that in the eyes of a lover, Master Lu was more attractive than even the emperor.
After getting up and having breakfast, Zuo Shaoqing still went to pay his respects as usual. He didn't want others to feel that he, as the son of a concubine, was disrespectful to his mother.
Thinking about the schedule for today, Zuo Shaoqing left early in the morning. He got in the carriage prepared by the butler and rushed to Zuo Yunyang's new home.
His second uncle's new house was not far from Zuo's Mansion, but its location was much better than Zuo's Mansion. It was also a three-way courtyard, but the decorations inside were completely different.
Zuo Shaoqing was sure that Mrs. Xue had never been here before. Otherwise, she wouldn't have only mocked Zuo Yunyang's figure last night.
“Second Uncle's new house is decorated pretty well.” Zuo Shaoqing looked around and found that many of the furnishings in the room were still rare overseas items.
“Haha… This is all thanks to Shao Qing. Second Uncle bought quite a few good things from Supervisor Ke at a low price. When your Treasure Pavilion opens, I'm afraid Second Uncle won't be able to buy them.”
“Second Uncle is too formal. If you have a fancy to something, just ask Supervisor Ke to deliver it to you. How are you even going to buy it?” Zuo Shaoqing was actually quite satisfied with the money he received from Zuo Yunyang.
Others might not understand, but he knew that his second uncle's business was very rich. In addition to the profits from Cao Sect, it was probably far beyond what ordinary merchants could compare to.
Zuo Yunyang waved his hand, “No matter what, Supervisor Ke worked hard to find him overseas, how could I let him come here for nothing. Honestly speaking, Shao Qing was smart. Second Uncle actually misjudged him back then. Supervisor Ke is really talented!”
“Really?” Zuo Shaoqing pretended to be pleasantly surprised, “Then your nephew will have to rely on Supervisor Ke to make some money.”
Previously, Zuo Shaoqing had planned to open a Treasure Pavilion in the capital. Ke Youliang had been busy choosing a location and renovating his new store.
Zuo Shaoqing had already decided that the opening day would be the day of the announcement of the results. As long as there was any news about it, there would be a lot of people supporting them.
As for the days before the store opened, Ke Youliang had already bought a relatively small general store for goods that had been eliminated from the Treasure Pavilion. Although the items weren't expensive, they were rare and had good business.
“Don't hesitate to let him go all out. Right now, we need boats with people on them, and once Master Lu is in charge of the Great Yang navy, it will be much easier for him to go in and out of the port. As long as he doesn't encounter a strong storm on the sea and his ships don't have any lives, he will definitely earn a lot.”
Zuo Shaoqing naturally understood this, and he also planned to let Ke Youliang make use of this opportunity to run a few more times before coastal merchant had developed.
After visiting the house, Zuo Yunyang brought Zuo Shaoqing to his newly opened Treasure Pavilion.
Although it had yet to open, it was already completely installed inside. The goods were already neatly placed on the shelves, and as soon as they walked in, the visual impact was not small.
Zuo Shaoqing had limited experience, and in his previous life, he had only seen some precious things in Jiang's Mansion. Now, he was standing in his own shop, looking at the treasures on the shelves, he was momentarily stunned.
“Is Boss satisfied?” Ke Youliang asked proudly.
Zuo Shaoqing looked around and nodded, “You've picked a good address. East Street is the place with the most traffic. Near it is the Crown Prince. There are many young masters who are willing to spend money.”
“Set up the items on the shelves a little more sparsely. Ask a carpenter to make a frame and box for each item, don't be reluctant to spend money. Leave one on each item shelf, Treasure Pavilion is not like a grocery store, the more things the better.”
Ke Youliang nodded as he listened, secretly taking note of these important points in his heart.
“If you have time, you can find a shopkeeper. From now on, you should specially bring people to sail the ship. If you find the sea very tiring, you can train a successor as soon as possible. Our Treasure Pavilion's main source of goods will come from overseas.”
When Supervisor Ke first heard that someone was going to take over as his manager, he was a bit panicked. However, after hearing Zuo Shaoqing's words, he immediately understood what Zuo Shaoqing meant. He wanted him to be the manager.
He smiled and squinted his eyes, repeatedly saying yes. At the same time, he was thinking about whether he should bring all his family over to the capital.
“Boss, this little one has left you a few items that were carefully selected. Do you want to take a look at them now?”
“Oh? What treasure is it? I must open my eyes.” Zuo Shaoqing was in high spirits and followed Ke Youliang to the warehouse.
When he saw what Ke Youliang had left for him, he was so surprised that he almost forgot to breathe. His eyes were glued to the boxes.
Ke Youliang pointed to a bonsai and said, “This coral tree was bought by a small one for ten cloud brocades. If it was sold at the market price, it would earn you more than ten times the profit.”
Zuo Shaoqing looked at the dazzling red color and felt that it would definitely look good on the wedding day between him and Lu Zheng. “Alright, I'll keep it.”
Ko was busy introducing him to a few other things, a jeweled mirror with a plain, but ornate frame.
Zuo Shaoqing felt that this thing wasn't of much use. Thinking about it, he decided to give it to the madame. Subconsciously, he felt that all women like gorgeous things.
There was also a box of East Pearls. All of them were about the same in size, and they were all glowing with a bright light. It was obvious that they were all of high quality.
Zuo Shaoqing knew that this item was the one that the Lady liked the most, so he told Ke Youliang to put it away since it was going to be a gift in the future.
Zuo Shaoqing was dazzled by the sight of several boxes filled with gems. He heard Ke Youliang say, “The islands outside of the Southern Sea abound with gems and jades. Their craftsmanship is rather rough and they can't make anything that looks too good.”
“Alright!” Zuo Shaoqing said with a smile, “Supervisor Ke is really smart!”
He picked out a few colored gems from within the box and took them out before putting them into another bag. “First, make a complete set of these for me. I want them in the shape of a woman.”
Ke Youliang thought that he was here to honor his mother, so he carefully packed everything away.
“Let's put these things in the store first. I'll come pick them up when I have something to use.” Zuo Shaoqing did not dare to bring these precious things back to the Zuo Family.
“Yes.”
“Tell the world that this shop belongs to my second uncle.”
“Yes.”
Zuo Shaoqing thought for a moment and added, “If anyone dares to cause trouble, report the name of Wu Steel Manor.”
Supervisor Ke gawked for a moment. He thought Zuo Shaoqing was trying to use the Liu Steel Manor's power and influence to ask worriedly, “What if the Liu Steel Manor brings an investigation…?”
Zuo Shaoqing waved his hand, “It's fine, I'll just say it like that.” Since the tree was big and cool, how could Zuo Shaoqing let go of such a good chance to rely on it?
Zuo Yunyang looked at him silently for a long time before he finally spoke, “Supervisor Ke, just do as Shao Qing says. It can't be wrong.”
Although Supervisor Ke was still puzzled by what the old boss said, he still took it down.
At first, he was worried that Zuo Shaoqing wouldn't be able to find a strong backer. With the capital's deep waters, it was not easy for a Treasure Pavilion to drive down safely.
Zuo Shaoqing also agreed with him on the opening day. Even the headache-inducing signboard and opening ceremony were taken over by Zuo Shaoqing.
He got Lu Zheng to write down the signboard in advance, as long as it was carved and mounted. As for the guests that were invited to the banquet on the day of the opening, he didn't want to put too much emphasis on it.
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