Gu Jiu doesn't care much about the money that the Second Young Master brought back from Jiangnan, but others do.
It can be said that in the entire palace, except for Gu Jiu and Liu Zhao, everyone is rare.
Everyone had a vegetarian meal, took a short rest, and then set off to return to the palace.
After entering the second gate and getting off the carriage, Ouyang Fu planned to go back to the room first and ask the second young master how much money he brought back from the south.
Unexpectedly, Mrs. Pei took the first step and ordered the servant: "Go, invite the second son to the Chunhe Hall. This princess has something to ask him. Also, invite the family order."
The servant took the order and arranged for the people to act separately.
Hearing this, Ouyang Fu exchanged glances with Concubine Shen, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law decided not to go back to their room, but to go to Chunhetang with Mrs. Pei.
Xiao Qin'er also wanted to join in the fun.
Last year, when Liu Yi went to Jiangnan to pick up money, something went wrong.
She wanted to see what happened to the second son this year.
If the second young master brings back enough silver, then that's all.
If the money brought back by the second son is not as good as Liu Yi, she must force the second son Ouyang Fu and his wife to spit out the money.
Gu Jiu didn't want to join in the fun, it was cold, and she just wanted to go back to her room.
Money or not, she doesn't care.
She is not short of the little money from the palace.
She opened her mouth, intending to say goodbye to Mrs. Pei.
Unexpectedly, Mrs. Pei disagreed, "Boss daughter-in-law, you are the eldest daughter-in-law, how can you stay out of the affairs of the mansion."
Gu Jiu twitched her brows and eyes. At this moment, she thought of her as the eldest daughter-in-law. Why didn't she usually think of her identity.
Pei didn't give Gu Jiu a chance to refuse, and walked out as soon as the words fell.
Gu Jiu had no choice but to follow.
Xiao Qin'er snorted, and murmured to Gu Jiu, "Second Young Master must be greedy for money. Sister-in-law, you are the eldest daughter-in-law, so you can't just sit idly by."
Gu Jiu smiled, "There is no evidence, the fourth siblings should not talk nonsense. Let's see the situation first."
Gu Jiu guessed that the second son must be greedy for ink, but he would never be as blatantly greedy for ink as Liu Yi.
The second son is a concubine, so he dare not not do his job wholeheartedly.
While doing his job with all his heart, Prince Ning acquiesced in being a little bit greedy.
This time Jiangnan's accounts must be cleared.
Pei's delusion to find fault, I'm afraid it's not that easy.
When they arrived at Chunhe Hall, they sat down separately.
After waiting for a while, the second son, who had already changed and washed, but looked a little tired, arrived at Chunhetang.
The order of the royal family has also arrived.
"The second child has worked hard all the way. Did the journey go well?"
The second son bowed and replied, "I told my concubine that the journey was smooth. Thank you for your concern."
Pei asked again: "Is the situation in Jiangnan all right?"
The second son said: "Everything is fine. The weather in the south of the Yangtze River is good this year, and the income of the farm has increased by 20% compared to last year."
"Oh?"
Mrs. Pei was a little surprised, and looked at Mr. Jialing.
Master Jialing took out the ledger and handed it to Mrs. Pei, "This year's income has indeed increased by 20% compared to previous years."
Mrs. Pei looked at the account books, and found that the income of the farm was good, but the business in the shop, as well as the sea trade business, were not satisfactory.
She couldn't help frowning.
"Boss daughter-in-law, this princess remembers that you are good at calculating accounts. You can look at these books for this princess, and see if there is any problem."
Gu Jiu was surprised, she never expected that Mrs. Pei would let her check Jiangnan's accounts, and it was still in front of everyone.
Gu Jiu didn't rush to agree, she quietly observed the reactions of everyone present.
Concubine Shen was obviously nervous, and Ouyang Fu beside her was a little short of breath.
The second young master looked calm and calm.
Xiao Qin'er stretched her neck, curious about what was recorded in the ledger.
She finally looked towards Pei Shi, and met Pei's eyes.
"Boss daughter-in-law, why don't you move? Hurry up and take the account book."
Gu Jiu smiled softly, "Daughter-in-law obeys."
She took the ledger with both hands and flipped through it casually.
Qing Mei took out a small abacus from her body and placed it by Gu Jiu's hand.
I saw Gu Jiu flipping through the ledger with one hand and flipping through the abacus with the other.
Her eyes were always on the ledger, and she didn't even look at the abacus in her hand.
However, moving the right hand of the abacus, the fingers move up and down, so fast that it looks like a phantom.
Everyone present was amazed when they saw this scene.
I've seen people who are very good at planning, but it's the first time I've seen someone as good as Gu Jiu.
Seeing her plan, everyone thought, no wonder she is so good at business.
It seems that people who are good at calculating accounts are very good at doing business.
Grange accounts are simple.
Most of the farms of the Wangfu in the south of the Yangtze River are used to plant mulberry trees and raise silkworms.
As the price of silk rises, the income of the farm also rises accordingly. No wonder this year's income has increased by 20% compared with previous years.
But the shops and sea trade are not satisfactory.
Gu Jiu didn't have the account books of previous years in his hand, so he couldn't make a comparison.
From the book alone, the profit of the shop is very low, and it is only 15% if it is full.
Do retail business, 15% of the profits drink the northwest wind
The retail business does not have more than 30% of the profit, and the shop cannot be opened at all.
Gu Jiu lowered her eyebrows and smiled. She wouldn't believe it if it was said that there was nothing famous in it.
I just don't know if the name came from the steward or from the second young master.
This year's sea trade business has made money. But the profit of sea trade can only be said to be unsatisfactory.
Snapped!
The last drop of the abacus made a crisp sound.
Gu Jiu stopped her right hand, closed the account book, and said to Princess Pei, "The accounts are clear, there is no problem."
Pei was suspicious.
Gu Jiu smiled, "Every transaction is clear, and there is no discrepancy with the general ledger."
Pei immediately understood what Gu Jiu meant.
There is no problem with the books, and the accounts are very clear. If there is a problem, the problem is also with the person who makes the account.
If there is a problem with the person making the account, then these account books are fake account books, and there is no such thing as whether there is a problem.
Fake ledgers are naturally perfect.
There is no reference, no actual transaction documents, no original accounts, and there is no way to talk about auditing.
Gu Jiu returned the ledger to Mrs. Pei.
It didn't take her long to reconcile the accounts.
When everyone just came to their senses, her side was over.
Mrs. Pei flipped through the ledger, and the second young master brought back 170,000 taels of silver from Jiangnan this time. Compared with previous years, the difference between this income is not big and it is acceptable.
Mrs. Pei asked Master Jia Ling, "What do you think?"
The Shaofu family order said vaguely: "With this money, next year we will be able to relax."
Mrs. Pei laughed, and cursed the old fox in her heart.
The family order didn't say that the second son brought back more or less money, but only said that it was enough. Sure enough, it will be mixed with mud.
Gu Jiu lowered her eyes and smiled.
One hundred and seventy thousand taels, this amount of money is indeed quite a lot, enough to cover the expenses of the palace for several months.
But with the scale of Jiangnan's industry, the income of 170,000 taels, are you kidding
Not to mention the farm, the income of the shop.
With the scale of Wangfu Maritime Trade alone, if Gu Jiu were to operate it, let alone 170,000 taels, she could earn back 370,000 taels.
Of course, Gu Jiu would not expose the truth rashly.
After all, the people below also have to eat.
To put it another way, the people below did not let the palace go bankrupt, they already had a conscience.
A manager with a darker heart will directly make you bankrupt and bankrupt. The sky is high and the emperor is far away, what can the palace do
Will the steward be beaten up? Get out
It's useless.
Everyone knows that maintaining the status quo is the best solution.
Unless there is a strong person who comes to power, handles all industries and management by means of a thunderbolt, and has enough manpower to replace those vacant positions, and can calm the shock in a short time and get the business on the right track.
Is there such a person
No!
Neither can Gu Jiu.
Because she is nobody.
She is not short of money now, and if she has no money, she can ask the Shaofu for a loan.
She is short of people now, and she lacks a large number of compound talents who can stand on their own.
In ancient times, the most precious thing is still talent.
Just this year alone, Gu Jiu's business has expanded several times. However, the talent pool cannot keep up with business expansion.
Not everyone has the ability to manage a shop, a business, and ensure profitability.
Any talent must be trained and experienced.
There is no such thing as a talent who does not pay tuition and is born capable of everything.
Genius is not enough, genius also needs time to accumulate and learn. The difference is that genius can greatly shorten the time to accumulate learning.
In just a few years, Er Zhuang sent out all the talent that Er Zhuang helped Gu Jiu reserve.
She no longer has any extra manpower to send out to take care of the property of the palace.
In the past, Gu Jiu had the idea of competing for the right to be the housekeeper of the palace and taking over the property of the palace.
But now, she has lost that thought.
She is too busy with her own property, so how can she have the thought and energy to take care of the property of the palace.
And she has to find time to conceive and have a baby, she is extremely busy.
The property of the palace should be left to Princess Pei to take care of it.
When people are busy, they don't think wildly, and they don't have time to be a monster.
Only those who have nothing to do will think about being a monster every day and causing trouble everywhere. For example, Huyang Princess.
Pei said to the second son: "You are very good. You can bring back 170,000 taels of silver, and you have lived up to the expectations of the prince and this princess."
The second young master felt relieved, and the heart he was holding finally came to fruition.
He bowed and said, "It's what a son should do."
Pei wanted to be picky and suppress the second young master.
However, she remembered Liu Yi's situation last year. At this time last year, Liu Yi brought back only tens of thousands of taels of silver.
When the two sides compared each other, Liu Yi was completely defeated.
Her own son didn't live up to expectations, and she didn't have the confidence to find fault with the bastard.
And three months ago, the second son sent someone to send money back. Adding up the two times, there are more than 200,000 taels.
This income is really trying my best.
Mrs. Pei stopped thinking about finding fault, and sent everyone away neatly.
Concubine Shen smiled openly.
How can she be unhappy that her son is fighting for her face
She told the second son that she had set up a banquet and had dinner together in the evening.
The second son readily agreed.
The second son and Ouyang Fu went back to the room first.
The couple haven't seen each other for more than half a year, and they miss each other very much.
The second son squatted down, put his ear against his swollen belly, and listened to the child's movements.
"He's moving." The second young master looked surprised.
Ouyang Fu laughed, covered her lips and said, "Of course he can move. In another month, he will be born."
"It must be the son."
The second son is very vocal, and his desire for his son is very strong.
Ouyang Fu felt pressured, "What if it's a daughter?"
The second young master shook his head again and again, "It can't be a daughter, it must be a son."
Ouyang Fu was a little flustered.
She also hoped that this child would be a son, she was extremely eager, and hoped that her son's mood would not be less than that of the second son.
But at the same time, she was also mentally prepared to have a daughter.
I even thought about it, if it was a daughter, what would she say and how would she do it? I have even thought about what kind of pressure I will bear.
But seeing the second son's attitude that he must be a son, she panicked.
If it was a girl, he would be so disappointed.
what will he do
Will you not even look at the child? Will he accept the concubine's arrangement directly
"What's wrong with you? You don't look very good. Is it a stomachache?"
The second son asked nervously.
Ouyang Fu laughed hard, "It's okay, I'm fine. Don't worry."
Second Young Master heaved a sigh of relief, he smiled and said, "Guess what I brought back?"
When Ouyang Fu heard this, she also became happy, "Is it silver?"
The second young master nodded, and as if juggling, he took out a thick envelope, "Look at it."
Ouyang Fu couldn't wait to open it, and it was full of bank notes. One hundred taels per sheet, in a thick stack, there must be tens of thousands of taels.
"It's 30,000 taels in total. It's hard to get it out. You take the money and collect it for our son."
Ouyang Fu smiled sweetly, "Your husband has worked hard."
"Finally, the hard work was not in vain."
Then he said with emotion, "I didn't know until I went to the south of the Yangtze River that all those managers are monkeys, and they are very smart. These years, relying on the property of the palace, one or two of them have become very rich. My son dealt with them After half a year, it was hard to get so much money."
"The manager in Jiangnan is so arrogant?" Ouyang Fu looked in disbelief.
The second son laughed at himself, "The sky is high and the emperor is far away, can you not be arrogant? Fortunately, the fourth brother set an example last year. This time I went to the south of the Yangtze River, so I kept an eye out and learned from the fourth brother's lesson so that I didn't follow their way.
Otherwise, there is no way to complete the task assigned by the father. Last year, when my fourth brother went to Jiangnan, he was played around by those stewards. It was not a crime of war. Until now, those people are still spreading jokes about the fourth brother. "
Ouyang Fu asked curiously, "You and the fourth son, grand grandson, those stewards are so bold that they dare to play tricks on you?"
The Second Young Master shook his head, "There is nothing they dare not do. You clearly know that there is a problem, but you can't find out what the problem is, and you will be tricked by them all together.
I finally understand that those people in Jiangnan have already reached an agreement in private. As long as there are people in the capital, they will huddle together and deal with us together.
Unless the father made up his mind to abolish all the people in Jiangnan from top to bottom. But in this way, Jiangnan's business will be completely ruined. Maintain the status quo, at least one or two million taels of income per year. If you move those people, you may not get a tael of silver. "
In the final analysis, the stewards in Jiangnan united and emptied the palace together. It's a bit like, will be subject to foreign military orders.
They listen to the tune and don't listen to the announcement, they act on their own, and decide everything by themselves.
Of course, they don't want the palace to overturn the table and abolish them.
Therefore, they will carefully maintain the status quo and guarantee that they will hand over money to the palace every year.
As for paying more or less, it all depends on who is coming from the capital.
For more powerful characters, pay more money.
If you are a fool, pay less money.
No matter what, the money must be handed over.
As long as the money is paid, King Ning will turn a blind eye to them. All the best!
After hearing this, Ouyang Fu was secretly speechless.
"According to what you say, isn't that place in the south of the Yangtze River a dragon's pond and a tiger's den?"
"It's about the same. It's not easy to get out if you don't have any skills. Didn't the fourth brother fall down last year?"
"How come the eldest son has never been planted?"
The second young master frowned, "I don't know. The stewards in the south of the Yangtze River were silent about the eldest brother's affairs, and refused to reveal a single word."
He didn't know that in the early years, that is, the first ten or so years when the Wangfu sent people to Jiangnan to buy properties, Jiangnan didn't even hand over a hundred thousand taels of silver every year.
At that time, the population of the palace was small and the expenses were low. King Ning's eyes were always on the court and he didn't care.
Later, Liu Zhao was able to take charge on his own, and King Ning sent Liu Zhao to Jiangnan.
Liu Zhao is a ruthless person.
He knew that in terms of his ability to do business and make fake accounts, and his ability to fool people, he was no match for those in charge.
He didn't bother to mess with those in charge.
When it was time to hand over the money, everyone was locked up directly, and no food was given, only water to drink.
Whoever pays more than double the silver will be released. Otherwise keep it off.
Someone carried it for three days, handed over the money and left.
Someone carried it for half a month, but couldn't hold it out, and his life was almost gone, so he had to compromise and pay the money.
That year, the money Jiangnan handed over changed from tens of thousands of taels to hundreds of thousands of taels.
King Ning is very clear about this matter.
Because King Ning cut off 80,000 taels of silver halfway as private money. After so many years, he has been hiding it from Mrs. Pei.
In the next two years, King Ning still sent Liu Zhao to Jiangnan.
Liu Zhao's usual style, I don't want to flirt with you guys. This young master has been in the military since he was a child, and he only shows off his strength and his muscles.
The subtext is:
be honest!
Otherwise, you will be killed in minutes!
Since then, the amount of silver handed over by Jiangnan has changed from tens of thousands of taels per year to hundreds of thousands of taels, occasionally breaking the 200,000 mark.
Liu Zhao has not been in Jiangnan for many years, but there are still legends about him in Jiangnan.