[Qing Chuan] Yongzheng's embarrassing empress

The fourth elder brother knew that Shuwan was just holding grudges against him.Remember how he hated him a few days ago for not letting her take care of things outside the house.

What else can we do in this situation?Coax it!

But the fourth elder brother didn't want to coax him, he was obviously kind, for Shuwan's good, and didn't want her to worry too much, why didn't she appreciate it?

The fourth elder brother poked Shuwan's back to prevent her from sleeping peacefully.

Shuwan pushed his hand away and glared at him.

When she turned back, the fourth elder brother poked her back again.

Shuwan got up angrily and glared at him, got out of bed, put on her clothes, and went to sleep with Xiaobao next door.

The fourth elder brother got up and followed to the door, the eunuch who was on guard at night asked: "Will the prince also go to sleep in the little elder brother's room? The servant is going to prepare the bedding."

The fourth brother coughed twice, "No need! Fujin is worried about the little brother, and wants to sleep with the little brother for a night, so I won't squeeze."

The fourth elder brother went back to sleep, and for a while, he was thinking of Mr. Cao, for a while, for Jiangnan, and for a while, it was Shuwan glaring at him again.

Thinking about it like this, I almost didn't sleep all night.

The next morning, Brother Si had two big dark circles under his eyes.

Shuwan got up very early, and she asked her servants to prepare breakfast.

The fourth elder brother asked Kang Bao and Xiaobao to go back to his room for dinner, he threw the servants out, pretended to be casual, and chatted with Shuwan about Mrs. Cao.

"This Mr. Cao is average in learning, but he has a flexible mind and is quite comprehensive in his work. In addition, he spent his wife's dowry to pursue careers, which can be regarded as a prosperous official career."

Immediately afterwards, the fourth elder brother sighed, "It's a pity! It's a pity that his family is poor, he has no backing, and his future is limited."

Shuwan took a small steamed bun for the fourth elder brother, she said with a smile: "Elder brother, eat quickly! Don't say that there are some of these, the food is almost cold."

The fourth prince: "...this Mr. Cao is actually from Suo'etu."

"Oh." Shuwan was very indifferent, as if she had no interest at all, "But what does this have to do with me?"

The fourth elder brother really couldn't continue talking, so he could only apologize.

He said helplessly: "My dear Fujin, I was wrong. I shouldn't have said that it's fine for a woman to just take care of the family. Please forgive me, madam!"

Now Shuwan was proud, she laughed loudly: "Hmph! It's fine to admit your mistakes obediently like this earlier, and you have to talk to me in a roundabout way!"

Shuwan squeezed to Si elder brother's side to coax him.

"It's time for you to change your temper. What's wrong with relying on a wife? This is called socializing with ladies! You men do big things outside, and wives surround you, and your words and actions will show your feet. You can't send someone to watch you adults. My daughter-in-law, it is most suitable for me to do this kind of work."

Shuwan held Si elder brother's face in her hands, protecting his useless self-esteem.

"Don't forget, I still have a shop! The lady in the back house likes to go to my shop, and I'm the most suitable for this!"

The fourth elder brother glanced at Shuwan helplessly, and he held Shuwan's face and rubbed it vigorously.

"Just coax me! I won't let you get involved in outside affairs, not because I look down on you, but because I'm afraid you'll get tired!"

Shuwan patted her chest, extremely proud, "I'm not afraid of being tired! I'm crazy about you, I'm crazy about you, and I can even bang bang bang against a big wall for you!"

Shuwan's words pleased the fourth elder brother. He and Shuwan held each other's faces, and the fourth elder brother pressed her forehead against her.

"Slick little liar!"

"Hmph! Just be content! You let me lie to others, I'm too lazy to lie!"

The fourth elder brother let go of Shuwan, and also wrapped a steamed bun for her.

"You are willing to help me share the burden, and I won't stop it, but you have to keep in mind one thing. Be careful when investigating the news, and don't be caught by others."

Shuwan nodded, "I won't send someone to investigate the news, but just tell you something abnormal."

The fourth elder brother nodded, "I'm always at ease when you do things."

Then he told Shuwan about Master Cao.

"You should know what kind of person this Mr. Cao is. He wants to climb up and often gives gifts to Shangfeng. Later, I don't know who he hooked up with, and he became a person of Suo'etu. There are countless officials in Etu in the court hall."

Shuwan felt that something was wrong, "After the Longevity Festival, the capital became lively again, and the prince's place was also very quiet. It stands to reason that the turmoil of the suspension of the southern tour has passed. Why is this Lord Cao still cautious?"

"It may be that he is naturally timid, and a little bit of wind scares him. He hides in the hole like a mouse and never dares to come out. There is also a possibility that Suo'etu is planning something. He knows some inside information. It scares him."

Shuwan leaned close to the fourth elder brother's ear and whispered, "Suo'etu, you don't want to rebel, do you?"

The fourth elder brother gave her a sideways look, "He doesn't have the guts."

Shuwan breathed a sigh of relief, and the fourth elder brother said again: "But if it's for the prince, it's not impossible."

Shuwan: "..."

After successfully playing with Shuwan, the fourth elder brother was in a happy mood, and picked up the steamed buns and started eating.

Shuwan stared at him with her mouth flattened, and the fourth elder brother pinched a piece of chestnut cake and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Let Xia Er pay more attention to Jiangnan. Jiangnan is rich and rich. The crown prince wants to make money there, and the eighth elder brother wants to win the hearts of scholars there. The situation there is more complicated."

Shuwan asked him, "Then...do you want to make arrangements over there?"

The fourth elder brother thought for a while, "No, the old man likes to put on a show, so let him pretend! I think he is dishonest. Why would an honest prince go to the south of the Yangtze River to buy people's hearts? He must have other ideas in his heart."

The fourth elder brother said disdainfully: "Where is he a scholar? A fake is a fake after all. He spends all his time on winning people's hearts. How can he have time to study?"

When the eighth elder brother was mentioned, the fourth elder brother became angry.

He is the best at playing the trick of courteous and virtuous corporals, coaxing the ministers of the court into obedience.

The emperor and Prince Yu have a good relationship with each other. The eighth elder brother has somehow won the favor of Prince Yu, and Prince Yu always speaks well of him around the emperor.

The fourth elder brother thought to himself: Old Ba has been pretending for many years, let's see how long he can pretend!

The fourth elder brother went out after eating, and Shuwan felt as uncomfortable as a cat scratching at home.

Will Suo'etu rebel?If he is rebellious, the emperor should be able to control it, right?

Shuwan couldn't help but want to sigh. The past few years were fairly peaceful, but I'm afraid it will become more and more chaotic in the future.Up to now, the fourth elder brother has not shown any ambition to seize the heir, and he doesn't know what will happen in the future.

After thinking wildly for a while, Shuwan asked Chun'er to grind the ink, and she wrote back to Xia'er.

In the letter, she asked Xia Er to train more female buddies, not only to receive female customers who came to the door, but also to provide sex to wealthy customers.These specially trained guys don't have to be beautiful, but they must be able to speak well and obey the rules.

These female buddies also have a task, to inquire about things as much as possible without annoying the guests, and remember to write back if there is anything interesting.

Shuwan didn't write very clearly, but she believed that Xia'er had been in the mansion for so many years, she was not an ordinary maid, she would definitely understand what she meant.

After writing the letter, Shuwan sent someone to deliver the letter.

She wanted to help the fourth elder brother, so collecting and sorting out information became particularly important.

Leave Jiangnan to Xia'er, send the news back to Qiuxiang or Bingxiang to sort it out, Shuwan is the most at ease when the two of them work.

It's a bit troublesome here in the capital, Ningzhuang Pavilion is managed by Wu Fujin, and there is no Shuwan in the store.

Shuwan was also embarrassed to put people in it, as it would appear that she was going to seize power.At the beginning, Xia'er was just learning to do business there, and everyone knew that she was going to Jiangnan.

Shuwan was thinking about whether to open another shop and sell whatever she wanted, as long as she could get news.

The opening of a new store has to be well planned, there is no rush.Besides, Shuwan is also busy, so she really doesn't have time to do business.

No, Prince Yu was ill a few days ago, and the emperor went to visit him in person.The princes did not dare to be negligent, and everyone brought gifts to visit the emperor's uncle.

The marriage of the fifth princess has also been settled, and Shuwan enters the palace to congratulate her.

Speaking of the fifth princess's marriage, everyone in the palace envied her.The forehead chosen by the emperor is Tong Guowei's grandson Shun Anyan.

Who is Tong Guowei?It's Uncle Guo!On his [-]th birthday last year, the emperor personally wrote a poem and presented it to him. Who in the court has this honor?

Suo'etu is so arrogant, he has to be polite when he sees Tong Guowei, which shows Tong Guowei's status.

Now that the fifth princess has got such a good marriage, not only can she live in the capital for a long time, but also married into such a prominent family, the other princesses are jealous.

Shuwan went to the Yonghe Palace to congratulate her, and the concubine Defei was also full of joy.

She took the fifth princess's hand and smiled at Shuwan: "Your sister is blessed, she can stay in the capital, this is something I never dreamed of."

Shuwan smiled and said: "It may be that Er Niang's kind mother's heart moved God and moved the emperor, so my sister made an exception and stayed in the capital."

Concubine De pointed at Shuwan and scolded with a smile: "You! You are slick!"

Shuwan smiled and said: "My sister stays in the capital, and I can often go back to the palace to see you in the future. If the son-in-law is not considerate to my sister, let the fourth elder brother call directly, and I will definitely not make my sister feel wronged."

The fifth princess shyly said: "Sister-in-law is telling jokes all the time. Fourth brother has business to do. What do you say when you call on me for me?"

Shuwan smiled at Concubine De: "Look at Erniang, she started worrying about her son-in-law before she got married, and she doesn't allow Si elder brother to beat others, she is really an extrovert!"

The fifth princess was in a hurry, "Sister-in-law is really bad, she deliberately misinterpreted my words, mother-in-law, look at her!"

Concubine De also deliberately angered her, "Well, although your sister-in-law is bad, she speaks very well. You are helping your husband's family to speak before you get married!"

The fifth princess was ashamed and anxious, "You guys! Alas, I can't say no to you!"

Concubine De smiled and rubbed her daughter's back, "Okay! Don't get angry! Take your sister-in-law to your residence to play! I know, your sister-in-law always has a lot of whispers, and you can't let your elders know."

Shuwan and the fifth princess bid farewell to Concubine De, and they went to the residence of the fifth princess.

The fifth princess ordered someone to serve tea, and Shuwan asked with a smile, "We're getting married soon, how do you feel?"

The fifth princess sighed softly, "I don't feel anything, it just feels like a dream. I never dared to imagine that I could stay in the capital."

Shuwan shook her head in her heart, the fifth princess is too modest, the little girl looks simple, but it's not like she doesn't have a city.The empress dowager and the emperor all liked her. Among so many princesses, she was the only one left in the capital, which explained the problem.

Shuwan asked: "These days, the other princesses will inevitably say sour words, right?"

The fifth princess smiled and nodded, "It's unavoidable, I just ignore them and it's over. The sisters have no bad intentions, but they are just envious. Seeing what Huang Ama means, the sisters still want to go to Mongolia. Even the elder brother’s grand princess was betrothed to the prince of Mongolia. I’m so lucky, I’m bound to be envied.”

The fifth princess is a perfect template for a winner in life, Er Niang is one of the four concubines, and her elder brother is the county king.Her husband's family is prominent, and she can stay in the capital without having to go to the bitter cold outside the Great Wall. There is no one more fortunate than her in the palace.

"Right now... I feel a little nervous." The fifth princess said, "To put it bluntly, I don't know how to get along with my son-in-law. Fourth sister-in-law, how did you and fourth brother achieve love and harmony?"

Shuwan was a little embarrassed, "This... I don't have any tricks, and my experience may not be suitable for you. Your fourth brother and I have similar temperaments. We got along well after we got married and almost never quarreled."

Shuwan touched her cheek, of course, it is also possible that she is very good-looking, so the fourth elder brother is reluctant to quarrel with her.

"Actually, you don't have to worry. You are a princess of gold and jade. No matter how good your family background is, you will be lowered. If a husband and wife want to live in harmony, you have to be tolerant of each other. My son-in-law must respect you, and you must respect your forehead too." Son-in-law. The family matters are discussed and resolved together. After a long time, the relationship will naturally improve."

The fifth princess nodded, "Sister-in-law Si is right."

"Hey, everyone can say such a big truth, but it is difficult to do it. Everyone has different experiences and personalities, so when husband and wife get along, bumps and bumps are inevitable. For example, your fourth brother and I, you The fourth brother likes to raise dogs, and makes clothes and toys for dogs, and knows how to play with dogs when he returns home without accompanying the children."

The fifth princess laughed, "I know about this. At that time, many nobles in the palace felt uncomfortable. Their clothes are not as valuable as dog clothes."

"Yeah! Your fourth brother is offending people! I was so angry at the time, but when I saw your fourth brother, I stopped being angry." Shuwan sighed, "Don't say anything else, your fourth brother looks so good. It's really nice."

The fifth princess: "My fourth brother? Does he look good?"

Among the princes, the eighth elder brother followed the Wei family and had the best appearance, and the sixteenth elder brother was born to the Jiangnan Wang family, but the sixteenth elder brother was only nine years old, too young, and his appearance had not yet been determined.

The fifth princess thought to herself: Sis-in-law, this is Xi Shi in the eye of the beholder!

"Yeah! Seeing your fourth brother's face, I can't get angry anymore." Shuwan smiled shyly, "Of course, I also have shortcomings. Your fourth brother is very tolerant of me. Every time he goes out, he will bring me a When the gift comes back, he will remember what I like to eat and wear.”

The fifth princess smiled and said, "I can't tell, but the fourth brother is quite considerate."

"That's not right!" Shuwan began to chatter, showing affection to the fifth princess, and telling the story of the fourth elder brother being considerate of her.

At first, the fifth princess could still listen politely, but then she gradually lost her smile and her expression became numb.

Fortunately, Shuwan doesn't live in the palace, she always has to go home.After she left, the fifth princess felt that her ears were clean.

The maid entered the room to wait on her, she joked casually: "Princess and Si Fujin have chatted for a long time, has Si Fujin taught the princess how to be a husband?"

"Bad girl, you dare to make fun of me!"

The maid said seriously: "It's not that I'm making fun of the princess, it's just that the princess is about to get married, so it's time to learn from Sifu Jin. No one in the palace or outside the palace knows that Sifujin is the only favorite when she marries. You learn three tricks from Sifujin Two formulas are enough for you."

The fifth princess smiled, and said maliciously: "Sifu Jin's art of controlling husbands is very simple, just let me pray to gods and worship Buddha."

The maid didn't believe it, "No way! I remember that Sifu Jin doesn't believe in Buddhism!"

"It's true that there is nothing wrong with praying to God and worshiping Buddha!" ​​The fifth princess smirked. Dejun, you can hold my heart for the rest of your life!"

Palace Maid: "..."

The days are passing smoothly, and the new spring products of Ningzhuang Pavilion are on sale, and the sales volume is rising steadily.

Looking at the bustling scene in the store, Wu Fujin suggested recruiting more apprentices.

"Our shop is well-known, and more and more merchants come from other places to resell. There are so many new products ordered this time, it is almost not enough to sell. Now the workshop is working with lamps and oil every day, and the manpower is not enough."

Shuwan said: "Then hire more people, the brothers and sisters can make the decision. As for reselling, I have an idea, I don't know if it can be done."

"Sister-in-law, tell me quickly."

"It's a pity that we don't open a branch after our reputation has been spread, it's like money slipping away from the palm of our hand.

But the cost of opening a branch is too high, and you have to hire people, rent a storefront, and find ways to promote it.

I think we can choose a few reliable ones among reselling merchants and let them be our agents. "

"Agent?" Wu Fujin asked, "A businessman who sells things for us?"

"Yes! We sell our things in the agent's shop, and we can give the agent a low price. For example, the original price is five taels of silver, and the agent's price is four taels. This will save worry and open up sales in other places."

Wu Fujin's eyes lit up, "That's a good idea! It's just that there are more agents, and we need to expand our workshop."

Shuwan smiled and nodded, "As the business grows, of course we have to expand production. In addition to the expansion of the workshop in the capital, I suggest building a few workshops in other places, just in the city where the agent is located."

"This... the workshop has been built, so it's no different from opening a branch, right?"

"Of course there is a difference!" Shuwan sent someone to fetch a pen and paper, and she settled the accounts for Wu Fujin.

"Expanding the workshop in the capital will inevitably use more raw materials. The most difficult raw material to obtain is fresh flowers. Now the flowers in the capital and nearby are only enough for us. If we expand the workshop, the raw materials will not be enough. We must Buy from elsewhere.

But flowers are not cloth or food, they are delicate and inconvenient to transport and store.

Of course, we can roughly process the flowers into toilet water and essential oils, transport them to the capital, and then make them into balms and powders and ship them out.But this undoubtedly increases the cost.

It costs money to transport the essential oil of toilet dew, and it is another sum of money to send the finished product to other places.If a workshop is established in another place, the agent will pick up the goods directly from the workshop, which saves the money for transportation. "

Shuwan wrote and drew on the paper, and Wu Fujin understood what she meant.

"It's not difficult to build a workshop, and it's easier to find an apprentice than a buddy. Workshops in other places can also use local unique flowers, like the Jiangnan branch, to make local special products."

Shuwan smiled and said, "That's exactly the truth."

"But the workshop is arranged in another place, and the craftsmanship will be stolen! Without the secret recipe, the foundation of our shop will be destroyed."

"That's true. Now the eunuch who manages the secret recipe in the workshop is the fourth elder brother's eunuch, and he is responsible for the ratio of the secret recipe."

Shuwan thought for a while and said: "The big deal is to let the eunuchs go to other places to manage the workshop. Their wealth and life are in the hands of the master, so they dare not mess around. Our workshop is an assembly line production, and everyone is only responsible for the immediate thing. They don't Knowing the whole process of making rouge, it is not so easy to steal a master."

Wu Fujin smiled and nodded, "The idea of ​​an agent and building a workshop is good. Let's discuss a charter and get this matter done as soon as possible."

The two discussed the matter of the agent, and Shuwan suggested that their products have a unified price across the country. The agent cannot lower or increase the price at will, and must achieve a national uniformity.

There are too many agents, so the quality must be well controlled, and there should be no such thing as better quality products in Beijing.

It is not so easy to be their agent, and they must go through strict examination.

The two sisters-in-law were talking, and the eunuch knocked on the door to report that Mrs. Cao had come and wanted to invite the two Fujins to dinner.

Wu Fujin likes Mrs. Cao who is generous and simple-minded.

She said to Shuwan: "Mrs. Cao treats guests, I must go, fourth sister-in-law, will you go?"

Mr. Cao is a member of Suo'etu, and in order to collect more information, Shuwan also agreed.

Mrs. Cao was overjoyed when she learned that the two Fujins were so appreciative, and she didn't know what to do.He hurriedly ordered someone to order food from the restaurant and send it to Ningzhuang Pavilion.

After the wine and food arrived, Mrs. Cao was busy pouring wine and serving dishes.

"There are a lot of people in the capital who want to invite the two Fujins to dinner, and they can line up from the north gate to the south gate. I never expected that the two Fujins are so generous!"

Mrs. Cao laughed from ear to ear, "Just this matter, I can brag about it for half my life."

Wu Fujin smiled and said: "It's not a big deal, I just hit it off with Mrs. Cao."

Shuwan complained in her heart, yes, she really hit it off, and this fate was all due to Mrs. Cao's top-up and spending money.

Shuwan persuaded Mrs. Cao to sit down, "It's natural for the servants to do the serving of wine and dishes. Mrs. Cao can sit down and drink at ease, don't be too busy."

Mrs. Cao refused twice, and Shuwan persuaded her sincerely, so Mrs. Cao carefully sat down.

She held up her glass to toast, "The last time I came here to buy something, I said I would treat the two Fujins to a drink. Today, I finally went out for a trip, and it was even more rare to happen to meet the two Fujins. For this reason, invite Fujin Do yourself a favor and have a drink."

Wu Fujin and Shuwan drank the wine with a smile, and Shuwan asked, "I remember last time Mrs. Cao said that Lord Cao doesn't like you going out to buy things. Why did you allow you to go out again today?"

Mrs. Cao rubbed her nose, "Hey, all the money in the house is in my hand, I can buy it whenever I want, who cares about him? I searched all over the capital, only Ningzhuang Pavilion has the best things, I don't come here for a day It's itchy!"

Mrs. Cao changed the subject and praised the Ningzhuang Pavilion so much that Wu Fujin was very happy when she heard that.Mrs. Cao persuaded her to drink frequently, and Wu Fujin couldn't help drinking a few more glasses, and became drunk after a few mouthfuls of food.

Shuwan asked the maid to send Wu Fujin to the next room to sober up, so that she could accompany Wu Fujin.

Chun'er and Xiaohua were the only ones in the room, and Shuwan was playing with the wine glass, looking at Mrs. Cao with a half-smile.

"Wu Fujin is drunk, there is no one else here, Mrs. Cao can speak directly!"

Mrs. Cao smiled wryly, "It really can't be hidden from Si Fujin's eyes."

She held up her skirt and knelt on the ground, "I beg Sifu Jin to show mercy and save our family!"

Shuwan smiled casually, "You asked the wrong person. I am the prince Fujin. I have always done my duty and never asked about court affairs. If Mr. Cao has problems with his official career, he should go to the emperor. No matter how bad he is, he can also go to Shangfeng. , really shouldn’t have come looking for me.”

Mrs. Cao's complexion changed again and again.

Shuwan said again: "Wu Fujin likes Mrs. Cao very much, and thinks that Mrs. Cao is simple and straightforward. I didn't expect you to deliberately pour Wu Fujin down because of your simplicity."

Mrs. Cao's complexion changed, and she quickly kowtowed to admit her mistake, "I know I was wrong, I shouldn't have used Wu Fujin, and when Wu Fujin wakes up, I'll go and apologize.

I just ask Si Fujin to have mercy, my natal family is a merchant, my husband is a poor boy, the family has no background, even if he becomes an official, he will be looked down upon by the dignitaries.

Now my husband is in trouble, and he loses his hair every day.The children in the poor family are still young and have not yet married.The noble ladies in the capital look down on me, I really can't get along with others, so I can only be cheeky and ask Fujin. "

"Wu Fujin likes you more, why don't you ask her?"

Mrs. Cao gritted her teeth and told the truth, "Wu Fujin is not liked by her husband. If she goes to beg Wu Belle, Lord Belle may not agree. You are loved by the county king, and the county king has more prestige in the court."

Shuwan smiled and drank a glass of wine, "It seems that what you want is not small!"

Mrs. Cao looked up at Shuwan cautiously, "Fu Jin, my master clings to Master Suo'etu in order to get promoted, but Master Suo'etu..."

"Stop!" Shuwan interrupted her with a smile, "I haven't promised to help you, and I don't want to hear about your family. Go back and wait for the news! If the county king wants to take care of it, I will send someone to inform you. I don’t want to worry about it, you go back and pray to the gods and Buddha, and find another way!”

Such a result is already very good, Shuwan is a woman in the back house, and Mrs. Cao does not expect her to make decisions for King Yong.

Mrs. Cao knelt on the ground and kowtowed, thanking Shuwan for giving their family a chance.

Shuwan put down her glass and chased Mrs. Cao out.

The food on the table was removed, and Shuwan went to the next door to see Wu Fujin.

"Still pretending to be drunk? You only ate so much, aren't you hungry?"

Wu Fujin smiled and opened his eyes, how could he look drunk?

She smiled and said, "Mrs. Cao has made it clear that she is here to beg you. Of course I want to be sensible and make room for you."

Shuwan rolled her eyes, "In my shop, you want to use me for a little money? How can it be so easy! Unless her money for the rest of her life is spent in my shop."

Wu Fujin smiled and said: "That's good, if you do something for her, if the money is spent in our shop, I can still get half of it for nothing."

"It's better for me to treat you better! Go back and set up a longevity tablet for me, and burn incense and kowtow in the morning and evening, remember?"

Wu Fujin scolded: "Bah! Look at your ability, you are not afraid of losing your life!"