Hua Zhi knew that her grandmother was still worried, so she told her how she dealt with the situation, what medicine she used, and how she paid attention to the diet. She behaved as well as always, but the old lady had been in charge of the household for many years, and although she had no other ideas, her eyesight was first-rate. She winked at the housekeeper where Hua Zhi couldn't see.
The housekeeper understood, went out and came back and said, "Madam, the shopkeeper outside has something to report, please see..."
"Tell him to wait in the hall. I'll be there soon."
"yes."
The old lady stood up and said, "You two can chat first. Zhi'er, are you free to have dinner here tonight?"
Hua Zhi also stood up and said, "I'm afraid it's not possible today. Grandma, please forgive me. I will come to accompany you another day."
"Why are you talking about all this nonsense? You're busy anyway, so who can blame you?" After straightening her clothes, the old lady sighed secretly, "Okay, go talk to your grandfather."
After watching her grandmother leave, Hua Zhi gently leaned towards her grandmother and said, "This is a serious matter. Please find a place where you won't be disturbed."
Zhu Bowen's heart sank and he took her to the study.
At the corner, the old lady who was supposed to leave watched the grandparents and grandchildren walk out of sight before turning around and walking in another direction, whispering, "Zhi Niang, have someone check if anything has happened in the capital recently. Go to the Hua family and ask the aunt for some information, and then ask Lin Shuang."
The maid named Zhi Niang agreed, and helped the person walk forward, whispering to comfort her: "It shouldn't be a big deal, otherwise it would have spread all over the city. Don't think too much about it. Even if there is something wrong with the eldest lady's business, with you here, how can she suffer any loss?"
The old lady shook her head and said nothing more. Zhi'er's temperament was usually steady and calm, but today she was obviously angry. Besides, everyone around her was capable, so why would she fall like that for no reason? She even suspected that it was not a fall. However, this was the Hua family's business after all, and Zhi'er obviously didn't want her to know. She could only avoid it and go back to ask the master, who would never hide it from her.
In the study, Hua Zhi told everything without hiding anything.
Even Zhu Bowen, who believed he had experienced countless ups and downs in the officialdom, was so shocked that he could not sit still. He paced back and forth to ease the shock in his heart, "Does anyone else know about this?"
"Chief of the Seven Stars Division, Shaoyao, you and me."
Zhu Bowen knew that the female doctor was the leader of the Seven Stars Division...
Zhu Bowen looked at his granddaughter, "The one with the scar on his face?"
"yes."
At this time, Zhu Bowen was happy that his granddaughter did not hide the truth from him, but he also had a headache. The matter was too big. It was a big deal that Zhier and the leader of the Qisu Division had secretly decided to spend their lives together. It was an even bigger deal to put such a big thing on Zhier's shoulders.
"What's his attitude?"
“He’s on my side.”
"Are you sure?"
Hua Zhi didn't rush to answer. After thinking about it for a few times, she nodded, "Yes, I believe him."
"Well, I will also promise you. If the emperor gives the order, I will lead the Ministry of Revenue to cooperate with you to the utmost. Even if the emperor fails to keep his word, my grandfather will also do my best to help you."
Hua Zhi's eyes were a little red and she kowtowed sincerely.
Zhu Bowen helped her up and asked her, "Do you regret what you have done in the past year?"
"No regrets." Hua Zhi didn't need to think too much. Even if this led to the emperor's calculations, she didn't regret it. "If time could be turned back, I would still come forward to support the Hua family, but I would be more cautious."
Zhu Bowen was very relieved. He was worrying for nothing. If she was so easily defeated, she wouldn't be the eldest daughter of the Hua family. But...
He sighed secretly. A minister should not criticize the king's mistakes. Even if the king was really wrong, the minister could only grit his teeth and admit it. Let's solve the problem.
"Have you figured out where to start?"
"I have a general idea and have reported it to the emperor. But if you want me to be your money-grubber, you have to give me capital first. What can I do with the assets I have?" Hua Zhi looked at her grandfather. "Once I get the money, I will do several things at the same time. It will cause a lot of trouble to the Ministry of Revenue. You have to be prepared."
"Tell me, let me have a general idea first."
Hua Zhi organized her words and talked about tea first. "First, we need to purchase tea gardens. It's already September now. If we're quick, we can harvest a round of winter tea in October. Although winter tea is not as good as autumn tea or spring tea, it won't be hard to sell if it's well roasted."
"Make tea the way you do?"
"yes."
Zhu Bowen sat down and tapped the armrest of the chair with his fingers. "Once your tea appears on the market, it will be sought after. Have you thought about how to deal with the interests of all parties involved in this matter?"
"No matter what kind of business, it can't be done alone. If someone wants to do this, we can talk about it and share the profits with me."
Zhu Bowen nodded. His granddaughter had been giving him tea as a gift over the past few years. He had mentioned explicitly and implicitly when he first received it that this was a profitable business, but was mocked by the old man Hua Yizhen for being money-minded. This year, when he saw Zhier struggling with the food business, he thought she had not had time to do the tea business. But now he thought that this business touched the interests of too many people and the Hua family could not get involved in it.
But things are different now. With the emperor standing behind him, there is no business that cannot be done.
"If we can occupy this market, the profits will be huge."
"Nowadays, I won't do anything unless it's a big deal. This is one thing. Then there's food. I want to contract a few places in the south in my personal name to try to grow two crops of rice. I know that the late emperor tried it but failed. Please listen to me. The Seven Stars Division will find a way to get some people from Yan Country. They can grow three crops there and have more experience in grasping time than the farmers in Daqing. The climate in the south is also suitable, so it may not be impossible."
Zhu Bowen still didn't hold out much hope. How could they not be jealous of Yan Country's ability to grow crops for three seasons? However, their attempts at planting crops had never been successful. He opened his mouth to persuade her, but seeing his granddaughter's confident look, he swallowed the words back. He really couldn't bear to discourage her. Not to mention the Daqing Dynasty, if you open the historical records and look back, there was no dynasty or generation where a woman had shouldered such a heavy burden. The emperor was really...
Zhu Bowen suppressed his disrespect and nodded, "If this matter can be recorded in history books, you will have a place in it."
"That false reputation is of no use to me. Even if it really comes true, it is all due to my grandfather's efforts."
Zhu Bowen laughed, "Do I want to take your credit? If Hua Yi knew about this, he would tear my face off when he comes back."
"If you are not greedy, it will fall on the emperor's head. I am not happy." Hua Zhi'er's tone was light, but Zhu Bowen could hear anger in it. It was true that Zhi'er had to take this job because the emperor had a weak spot. It would be impossible for her to give all the good things to the emperor.
However, "If you control your emotions and let outsiders see it, it will be a serious sin."
Hua Zhi pursed her lips and answered yes. She knew that her grandfather was doing this for her own good. The emperor just needed her at that time. He couldn't do anything to her after knowing that she was disrespectful, but he definitely wouldn't mind taking action against the people around her. He might even be waiting for her to make a mistake so that he could give him a reason to take action.
The fire that had been burning for the past two days was like being poured with a bucket of ice water because of this thought. Hua Zhi only then realized how big a mistake she had made. If her grandfather had not reminded her, if she had relied on herself that the emperor would not touch her and acted disrespectfully and without scruples... just thinking about the possible consequences made her shudder.
How could she forget that this was an imperial society where a single word from the king could lead to rivers of blood.