Chapter 1344 The Black-Hearted Ninth Brother (asking for a guaranteed monthly ticket)
When Shengjia was in the palace, Brother Jiu went home at noon. When Shengjia was not in the palace, he had no errands and was too lazy to stay up, so he left first.
He sent someone to the clan's mansion to tell him that he would go back first.
Now I went back to pick up Shu Shu, just in time to have lunch.
However, since the restaurant's business is booming, Brother Jiu had no choice but to tell Chun Lin, who was following him out today: "Go and book a private room."
Chunlin went directly to Nancheng.
Shu Shu didn't expect Brother Jiu to be so impatient. He said he wanted to go to a restaurant and he would go to a restaurant today.
But if you have nothing to do, just go.
People in the Eight Banners all dress according to the month.
Now that it is February, the weather is getting warmer, so I have changed my sweater clothes and wear quilted clothes, or camel hair materials, or Western woolen materials.
Cao Yin's New Year's gift last year included two pieces of cashmere.
One is peach pink and the other is peacock blue.
Shu Shu asked the sewing room to make spring sweaters, and she and Brother Jiu each had one suit.
Today I had to go out to a restaurant, so Shu Shu changed into new clothes.
Cashmere is soft and bright in color.
It's just that with today's dyeing and washing technology, the clothes may not be good after a few times of water.
Compared with fur clothes, they don't last long.
Brother Jiu lowered his head, glanced at his body, and said to Shu Shu: "It would be a pity to add a silk surface to this material. Without the silk surface, it can only be dyed dark, otherwise it will not be washed."
Shu Shu thought of the woolen coats of later generations, which were either dry-cleaned or not washed for a season. Indeed, black and indigo were the mainstream.
Brother Jiu said: "Jiangning's site has been fully prepared since 1938, and it has been two years now. The production should also increase this year, but where to sell it is a problem."
Shu Shu said: "No matter where you sell it, don't lower the price. This is not a high-quality and cheap thing. On the contrary, the price will increase. It is only a little less than foreign woolen cloth, so more people will recognize it."
Not to mention that the cashmere material is really comfortable to the touch, but if you think about it as a wealthy person, you would be happy to buy it, but it is expensive.
Things are expensive when you leave your hometown, but people are cheap when you leave your hometown.
This is something from Jiangnan. The capital will recognize it, but the people in Jiangnan may not recognize it.
Shu Shu thought of the rich and powerful people in the capital rushing to buy tribute goods, and said to Jiu Age: "These materials cannot be much cheaper than foreign goods, otherwise everyone will get used to being cheaper than foreign goods in the future, and they will feel bad.
Yes, it can be divided into two prices. The plain one is less than the foreign woolen one. The rest can be made into embroidery at a cheaper price due to the many embroidery workers in Jiangning. Then it is not sold directly in Jiangnan. It is all shipped to the capital and half of it is put into the inner warehouse.
, the emperor rewards people, half of them go directly as tribute..."
After hearing this, Brother Jiu understood and said with some hesitation: "Before, I was thinking of going to Guangzhou to sell to Southeast Asia or the West."
Shu Shu said: "Without delay, you can ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to choose a store in the Thirteenth Bank that specializes in selling things from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. These things are only allowed to be exported and are not allowed to be sold domestically. It will be fine..."
In this way, others will not know how much it sold.
It would be disrespectful to use the word palace casually in the Qing Dynasty, but in the West, this name was recognized.
Brother Jiu thinks it’s good.
He said: "I'll ask Cao Yin later about his original plan and how many pieces of material he can produce each year."
Brother Jiu wears a yellow belt and drives lightly. After all, Nancheng is also a city, but the white dragon fish suit is not acceptable.
If you really encounter someone who doesn't open your eyes, isn't that just looking for trouble?
Shu Shu went to Ning'an Hall to talk to Mrs. Bo, and by the way, she sent little Princess to Ning'an Hall first.
Little Gege is one and a half months older than Niguzhu, but only half the weight of Niguzhu. She looks slender and well-behaved.
The third elder brother and his wife are both good-looking, and little Gege is good-looking, with almond-shaped eyes filled with water, looking like a thin version of a New Year painting doll.
Niguzhu liked this sister very much. She put out all her little toys and wanted to play with little Gege.
Little Princess only has two older brothers, and now she has a younger brother, whom she has never met.
This was the first time she saw a child about her own age, and she was also curious about Ni Guzhu.
Mrs. Bo was standing by, pointing at Ni Guzhu, and said to little Gege: "This is my sister..."
Then she said to Ni Guzhu: "This is my sister..."
Little Princess hasn't learned to speak yet, she just looks at the nanny next to her.
The nanny looked at the young master and explained softly: "Like my brother, these are all close friends."
In addition to her biological brothers and cousins, she has the closest blood relationship with her cousins from the Ninth Prince.
Little Gege seemed to understand but not quite.
Ni Guzhu was already learning from the side.
"Catch", "Catch"...
She smiled like a flower, and even hugged little Gege. With her two chubby arms, she hugged little Gege, which showed that she was really close to her.
Little Princess didn't break free, she was babbling.
The two little sisters communicated in baby talk.
Seeing that the two of them were in harmony, Shu Shu whispered goodbye to Mrs. Bo and quietly left.
Fengsheng and Akdan just settled down and kept each other company.
There is only one Ni Guzhu here, so he is a bit lonely on weekdays.
Just don't be in a hurry to choose a partner.
When the weather gets warmer, you can set aside time every day for all three children to go to the main courtyard.
Let them get along more with each other as brothers and sisters.
*
After settling down in the house, the couple left the house and got into the carriage hand in hand.
Fu Qing took turns with Chun Lin, and brought twenty guards with him on horseback.
In the carriage, Shu Shu and Brother Jiu looked at me and I looked at you, and they both smiled.
Although the couple traveled alone without their children in October last year, the feeling was not the same as now.
"I have inquired, and Jin Yiren is quite capable. It is a pity for this old boy. He is capable and has a smooth temper. He talks to others and talks to ghosts. If he is down-to-earth, he will have a bright future. But now the death knell has sounded.
, the days are not long, and my wife and children will also have a bad end." Brother Jiu said.
Shu Shu said: "The officials in the imperial court are all wandering officials, just to avoid gaining power and making money. Jiangnan Sanwei has become a world official. It is not easy to start well and end well."
They were the emperor's eyes, ears and minions.
The Jiangnan officialdom and scholars also knew this, otherwise who would take the fourth- and fifth-rank officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs seriously?
Brother Jiu frowned and said, "I'm not familiar with Li Xu, but Cao Yin is cautious and loyal to Khan Ama. He shouldn't lie to the Jin family like this."
Shu Shu also had a good impression of Cao Yin.
Historically, the Cao family suffered losses, mostly due to bad debts during Kangxi's several southern tours.
Starting from the Southern Tour in 1938, and the three subsequent Southern Tours, Cao Yin and Li Xu were responsible for preparing for the Southern Tour.
The amount of money allocated by the imperial court was limited, but as the population of the southern tour increased, the ostentation became more and more grand, and the money consumed was the money the Cao family borrowed from the Ministry of Household Affairs.
Shu Shu said: "If something happens to the Jin family, the emperor will increase supervision. I don't think it will be a good thing for them."
After hearing this, Brother Jiu breathed a sigh of relief and said: "It's true. It's better if someone keeps an eye on it, just like the Ministry of Internal Affairs. After those few censors set up, the atmosphere is different from before..."
The Prince's Mansion was at the northernmost part of the inner city. The couple took a carriage and walked to the southernmost part. They left the inner city and arrived at the restaurant that Brother Jiu mentioned.
The time was just right, there was still two quarters of an hour before noon, which was the time for dinner.
The couple got off the carriage and went to the private room upstairs.
The guests in the main room became a little quiet when Brother Jiu made his appearance.
Yellow Belt Master.
Although it is not too rare, it is not something that the gentry and the common people can provoke.
After the two of them went up the stairs and entered the private room, things returned to normal downstairs.
*
In the private room, Shu Shu and Jiu Age were already seated.
There are small dishes of nuts on the table.
Shu Shu sat down and said: "Whose business looks quite impressive?"
Although this is not a shop in the inner city, it is also the busiest street in the south city. The two-story restaurant with seven rooms on the front is very spacious and much more stylish than Shu Shu's Baiweiju.
The room is elegantly decorated, with tables and chairs made of willow wood, and calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls.
Brother Jiu said: "Guess?"
How to guess this?
Brother Jiu gave him a hint: "A well-known wealthy businessman from other places."
Shu Shu thought for a while, it was not the Ji family.
If it were the Ji family, Brother Jiu would not ask this question.
Scholars, farmers, industry and merchants, if they can be called rich by the prince, they are truly rich.
Shu Shu thought of the Kang family in "Southern Ji Beikang", which was as famous as the Ji family.
"Is it someone from the Kang family who came to Beijing?"
The Kang family is the richest man in the North, and they are from Shanxi. They seem to have followed the path of Prince Yu's palace.
Brother Jiu shook his head and said, "My guess is wrong. Beikang will become 'Xikang' in the future. In the past two years, there has been another 'Bei'an' in the north, and now it is also called 'Bei'an Xikang'!"
install……
Shu Shu heard this surname and said, "Is it the slave released by the Mingzhu family?"
Something strange happened in her heart.
The bad comments about the ninth elder brother in later generations include the incident of embezzling millions of dollars in property from his son-in-law's family.
His son-in-law is Mingzhu's grandson Yongfu.
Shu Shu felt that this statement might not be very accurate.
If it was really about fields, houses and real estate, it would be difficult for Ninth Prince to usurp it, even if he were a prince.
Let’s not talk about the Nalan family, let’s talk about Yongfu himself. His adopted mother is Kangxi’s niece Geng Gege who grew up in the palace.
Kangxi loved his niece very much and pointed out Mingzhu's son. He also cared about his niece's heirs and took the initiative to adopt two heirs.
How could he allow Brother Jiu to bully Geng Gege's heir?
What the ninth elder brother occupied was more like the commercial territory of the Nalan family.
The slave who was released from the house, when the two generations of Nalan family's pearl father and son passed away one after another, and only two young masters could not support the family, he should have switched to the sect of the Nalan family's in-laws, the ninth elder brother.
Brother Jiu nodded and said, "I thought he was an old man before. He has been famous for several years. How old do you think he is?"
This is really unfamiliar, and merchants did not have much weight at this time. It may have been recorded in history, but it is not known to the public.
Shu Shu thought for a while and said, "What's not enough?"
Nowadays, men in their thirties start to grow beards.
There is also the old saying that "a hairless mouth means a weak workmanship", so the age of thirty is considered a dividing line.
Those under thirty are considered young, and thirty are considered middle-aged.
Brother Jiu shook his head and said: "I am Tonggeng..."
Shu Shu was really surprised and said: "It was him who went to Huainan to be a salt merchant, not his father and brother?"
This person has been famous for several years.
If he is 19 this year, he will really be a genius businessman.
Brother Jiu said: "I thought just like you. I thought that An Qi was like Ji Hong, helping the family. But it turned out that he was the one who organized it himself. I heard that he was only fourteen when he was released and had not yet matured.
Ding, after five or six years, he has gained a place not only as famous as the Kang family and the Ji family. The key is that with the money he earned in the past five years, in addition to the shop he bought in Jiangnan, he also bought the Xianghe River.
There are now tens of thousands of acres of fertile land in Xianghe..."
Shu Shu listened and said: "Xianghe? The place where Gao Bin took office?"
Gao Bin passed the six-level examination and became an eighth-grade official. He was sent to another place and found a job as magistrate of Xianghe County. He will go to Xianghe to take up his post in a few days.
Xianghe County is 120 miles away from the capital and is under the jurisdiction of Shuntianfu East Road Department.
Gao Bin became a local official in Gyeonggi Province in order to promote corn and potatoes.
Only then did Shu Shu realize that Jiu Age came out to eat out, not just for eating out.
Brother Jiu said: "I just remembered this person. He is a seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister. If Gao Bin comes to him on his own and finds it difficult to talk to him, I will come over and see if I can set up a connection."
The main reason is that the Ministry of Internal Affairs plans to follow Gao Bin's plan to cook pot.
When Gao Bin's corn and potatoes are promoted, Guanshao Guo will be able to harvest these two to make wine.
If Gao Bin drags his feet and tries so hard to promote Baali, then the plan of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to cook the official hot pot will also be delayed.
Shu Shu said: "Should we tell An Qi directly? Do we need to tell Mingzhu?"
We are all relatives. The second eldest son in the Mingzhu family is the cousin-in-law of the ninth elder brother, and the third eldest son is the cousin-in-law of Shu Shu.
Even if I don't know Mingzhu personally, I can still talk to him.
Brother Jiu shook his head and said: "Those properties are under the name of An Qi. No matter who the real owner is, it is still An Qi's property on the surface. Just tell An Qi that the Mingzhu family is the eldest brother's power, so we still keep a respectful distance."
"
In this way, An Qi will naturally ask for instructions without dealing directly with the Mingzhu family.
alright, that's fine.
Brother Jiu had already made preparations, but if it didn't work out, he asked the emperor for permission to convert the Huangzhuang in Baoding into a corn plantation, and set up the cooking pot directly in Baoding.
Seeing that he knew what he was thinking, Shu Shu said no more.
The tea doctor served tea, and then the table was served.
Huaiyang cuisine is exquisite, and now the canal has been cultivated, and fresh ingredients are now flowing northward.
Shu Shu and Brother Jiu ordered a few signature dishes, braised shredded eel, crab meat lion head, Huainan dried tofu, etc.
For people in the capital, Huaiyang cuisine is a bit light.
Brother Jiu took two bites of the dried tofu, looked at the carved radish flowers on the plate, and said: "It's fancy and tastes ordinary, how can it be so popular? The lobby is full of tables, this is not as good as our Baiweizhai dish...
…”
Shu Shu said: "It is more suitable for the taste of southerners. Among the Han officials in the imperial court, there are more people who are from the south."
Brother Jiu also knew something about this because Fusong took the provincial examination the year before last.
For the provincial examination held every three years, each province has a quota.
The so-called quota refers to the number of candidates admitted.
This is a limit set by the court based on the level of writing style, population size, and the severity of Ding Fu.
The literary style in Jiangnan was at its peak, and each province had a large number of quotas.
When they came to the capital to take the Jinshi examination, a relatively large proportion of Jiangnan scholars were Jinshi.
Shu Shu prefers the crab meat and lion head dish, which tastes more refreshing and has water chestnuts in it.
After the two of them had finished a round, He Yuzhu at the door came in and said, "Master, Fujin, the owner of the restaurant, An Qi, has come to say hello."
Brother Jiu looked at Shu Shu and said, "Should I ask him to come in, or should I meet him outside?"
Shu Shu was also very curious about this nineteen-year-old wealthy businessman, and said: "Call him in, and let me take a look. There are actually people like me who have managed to accumulate such a large fortune through finance at such a young age."
Brother Jiu hummed softly: "It's just taking advantage of Mingzhu's influence. An in-law of Mingzhu's family was involved in salt affairs a few years ago."
Shu Shu stopped praising.
Brother Jiu ordered He Yuzhu: "Call in!"
He Yuzhu went out and brought someone in.
If Brother Jiu hadn't mentioned it in advance and knew that this person was of the same age as the couple, it would have been hard to tell that he was only nineteen years old. He looked more mature and felt like he was in his late twenties.
He is tall, with a Chinese character face, single eyelids, and an obvious Korean look. He wears plain silk quilted clothes, simple and unpretentious.
"The villain An Qi has met Jiu Ye, Jiu Fu Jin, please invite Jiu Ye, Jiu Fu Jinan..."
When this person came in, he performed a thousand rituals.
He is a member of the Mingzhu family and a bannerman.
Brother Jiu raised his hand and said, "Get up."
When others got up, Brother Ninth glanced at him several times and said: "Manager Jin of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was born in Gao Lizuo. When I look at your appearance, why do you look a bit like him, but are you related?"
An Qi said: "The villain's grandmother is from the Jin family. Manager Jin is the villain's cousin, but the Jin family has been out of town for a long time, so the two families don't move around much."
Brother Jiu felt relieved after hearing this.
Don’t be afraid if you have relatives, the Eight Banners are all relatives trying to control relatives.
It's better not to get close, otherwise, this person's good life will not last long.
He pointed to the seat and said: "In that case, if you are not an outsider, please sit down and talk!"
The merchants were humble, but An Qi relied on the power of the pearl to make money in the south of the Yangtze River, and often dealt with the government.
But the royal family is the royal family. This is the first time for him to deal directly with a noble person like Jiu Age, and he is even more respectful.
Brother Jiu asked: "I heard that you have purchased 26,000 acres of land in Xianghe?"
An Qi felt uneasy and did not dare to be vague. He said directly: "Master Jiu, you should know that this villain was born as a handyman for the master's family, just in name."
Everyone is short of space.
An Qi had already heard that Brother Jiu had made a lot of money on Xiaotang Mountain last year. There were two theories about the money. One said he made three to five hundred thousand taels, and the second said it was even more.
It's an exaggeration to say it's millions of taels of silver.
Many people in the Eight Banners speculated how Brother Jiu would spend his money, and it would be nothing more than buying shops and fields.
As a result, there was no movement afterward.
Are you targeting his 26,000 acres of land?
Brother Jiu said: "It doesn't matter whether I have your name or Mingzhu's name. It's just that my servant will go to Xianghe to be the magistrate of the county in a while, and he will promote new grain varieties under the emperor's order. I will come to fight with you."
I want to say hello to see if we can try growing new grains on Zhuangzi. You can go back and ask Master Ming what he wants. If this happens, I owe you a favor!"
Mingzhu is a descendant of the country's lord, a royal relative for several generations, and her family is not short of money.
Their family's land is only farmed to collect rent.
It is no big deal whether you sow or not.
After all, when Gao Bin served as county magistrate in the past, he would exchange the millet in the official warehouse in Xianghe for new grain, so the people did not have to worry about losing their rations if they exchanged grain.
This request is not a difficult one.
An Qi said hurriedly: "Master Jiu, you're welcome. The promotion of new grain varieties is a good thing that benefits the country and the people. We, the adults, know about it. We can only support it. I will go and ask us, the adults, for instructions on this matter soon."
Brother Jiu nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work. If you have any news, just go to our house and tell us."
An Qi responded, and Brother Jiu served tea to see the guests off.
When the others went out, Shu Shu looked at Brother Jiu and said, "How do you plan to repay the favor?"
The prince's favor is not easy to shoulder.
Even relatives of the emperor would not dare to go to Brother Jiu to ask for favors.
Brother Jiu was very close to An Qi and agreed to a favor.
Brother Jiu is also a thief. He only said that he owed An Qi a favor. He obviously thought that this person was good and wanted to continue dealing with him.
Brother Jiu raised his eyebrows and said, "Don't worry, let's make a good relationship first. Mingzhu is getting old, and our family is in need of a steward who can take charge of all business matters..."
This is a deliberate attempt to poach someone.
Shu Shu said: "There are two brothers, Kuixu and Kuifang!"
An Qi is not the God of Wealth, but also a boy who attracts wealth. He is not a fool, so how can he let go?
The two brothers, the former is the young head of the Nalan family and the nephew and son-in-law of Kangxi; the latter is the brother-in-law of Prince Kang Chun Tai and the consort of Heshuo.
Historically, the ninth elder brother should have endured the death of two generations. In the last years of Kangxi, he became an in-law with the Nalan family, and then gathered the Nalan family's business power.
Brother Jiu shook his head and said, "I don't have the patience to wait that long. We'll see when the time comes. If Mingzhu dies and the two sons observe filial piety, it will probably take a few years of silence..."
That's the opportunity to poach people.
At worst, if there is any money-making business, let's leave some part for the Nalan brothers. It can be regarded as compensation to the Nalan family...
*
Two-in-one looking for a guaranteed monthly ticket.
The next update will be around 12 noon on August 1st