Mingyu shook her head and said worriedly, "Those business people are much smarter than us housewives. They are not stupid and will not lend us money at such a high interest rate."
Seeing Mingyu so stupid, Madam Xu felt a bit disappointed with him. "Madam, among the three classes of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, those who do business are the lowest class. Since ancient times, people have never fought against officials. The Marquis is from Tianshui City!" She raised her thumbs and said, "They are going crazy trying to curry favor with the Marquis and officials, but they just can't find a way. It's inconvenient for them as officials to come forward, so it's most appropriate for us to lend the money. Many businessmen beg us to lend them money. It's not against the law and they are in the right. You don't have to worry about anything, just wait for the money to come in."
Mingyu couldn't help but curl her lips. It's not so easy to lend money at high interest rates. Even though loan sharking is legal in Da Chu, loan sharks are despised and make money with dirty intentions. The reason why the Jia family in Dream of Red Mansions fell so quickly was closely related to Wang Xifeng's loan sharking that resulted in a death.
If Madam Xu had suggested a legitimate way for her, it would be fine. She could participate in it after giving birth, but it had to be this kind of dirty business. The Anxi Marquisate was just starting out, and they still had a few boxes of private money. They were not so poor that they had to lend money at high interest rates. They could not let the reputation of the Anxi Marquisate be damaged for that little bit of profit.
"I don't have the brains for business. I can only cook and do needlework." Mingyu smiled after making up her mind, "I know nothing about business. Let's just forget it, so as not to lose even my dowry."
What a joke! I heard that she is the one who reviews the accounts of the entire Tianshui. She is so smart in accounting. How can she say that she knows nothing about business? You are kidding me! Mrs. Xu was a little disappointed, but more unwilling to accept it. She said, "Don't worry. Just pay the money. I promise to give you the principal and interest within three months. You will have interest income every month. You don't have to worry about anything, and you don't have to show up. Those businessmen who want to curry favor with you will not have time. I will never tell anyone anything... Mingyu interrupted her, her smile not reaching her eyes, her voice soft but unrefusable, "I don't lend money at high interest."
Mrs. Xu stopped for a moment and glanced at Mingyu awkwardly. Mingyu's beautiful face was gentle and calm, but her eyes were sharp, which frightened her a little. A sense of awe crept into her heart. She secretly regretted that she was too impatient just now. Seeing that Mingyu was weak and amiable, she treated this young lady of the imperial family as a little girl who knew nothing.
"You're right. This is not a good way. Fortunately you reminded me. Otherwise, I would have fallen into it in a fit of anger and it would have been disastrous." Mrs. Xu smiled, with a look of gratitude on her face.
Mingyu smiled at Madam Xu but didn't say anything. She didn't say anything about the business. Madam Xu is also a talent. She is good at adapting to the situation. She immediately greeted people with a smile when she was embarrassed. She is also good at currying favor with people. Just by looking at the pomegranate flower on Madam Xu's head, you can tell that Xu Si has probably made a lot of money in the past few years in charge of the finances. Now that she has reviewed the accounts, Xu Si can't make any money, so he has set his sights on her and wants to borrow money from her as a bribe. Even if there are some problems with the accounts in the future, she will have to turn a blind eye. It is really a good idea.
However, Mrs. Xu's words reminded her that she had to discuss with Sima Hong and take advantage of this opportunity to pick places with good locations and buy a few shops to keep in her hands. It would be convenient for her to do business later. Even if she rented them out, the rent alone would be a considerable income.
At noon, the scorching heat of autumn shone on people's heads. Mingyu tried to hold on for a while, but then she felt dizzy. Sister Liu, who was serving her, hurriedly supported her. Mingyu smiled and said goodbye to the people around her, saying that she was not feeling well and went into the house to rest for a while, and asked them not to be restrained.
Most of the people present were women who had given birth to children. Seeing Mingyu's walking posture and the maid carefully supporting her, they vaguely guessed 70 or 80 percent of the situation. They looked at each other and saw the same message in each other's eyes, but since their master didn't say anything, it was not convenient for them to discuss it in private.
Sima Hong, who was sitting at the male guest table, saw Mingyu went to the backyard. The two of them got up early in the morning to welcome the guests. He was a grown man and was strong and healthy, so it was nothing. But Mingyu was pregnant. He was worried about Mingyu, so he called Baihao over to hold the scene, and quietly went to the backyard to see how Mingyu was.
Mrs. Liu helped Mingyu into the house, helped Mingyu take off her outer robe and lie down on the bed. She wanted to find someone to call a doctor for Mingyu, but Mingyu stopped her.
"I'm fine, I just feel a little dizzy from the sun. I'll be fine after a rest. There are so many people here today, there's no need to make a fuss and make the guests laugh at me." Mingyu said with a smile.
After Liu's wife left, Mingyu couldn't help but sigh. Being an official's wife is a technical job, and being a leader's wife is a high-level technical job. It's been less than half a day, and she can't handle it. Those official wives are more shrewd than each other, full of tricks, and every word they say is clever and mysterious. If you are not careful, you may be tricked by them. When getting along with them, Mingyu can only feel one word: "tired".
When Sima Hong came in, Mingyu was lying on the bed with her eyes closed. When she heard footsteps, she opened her eyes and saw that it was Sima Hong. Mingyu smiled and said, "Why are you here? How could we, the two hosts, abandon our guests?"
Sima Hong moved a small round stool and sat beside Mingyu's bed. He held Mingyu's hand with one hand and tucked the loose hair on Mingyu's forehead behind her ears with the other hand. Seeing that Mingyu was in good spirits, he breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Tell me what happened to you first? Why did you lie down when you were fine? Do you want to ask a doctor to take a look?"
Mingyu smiled and said, "I feel a little dizzy from the sun, I'll be fine after lying down for a while."
"Are you tired?" Sima Hong kissed Mingyu's forehead. "Just lie down first. You don't have to go out later. I'll see the guests off."
Mingyu nodded, and when she saw Sima Hong getting up to leave, she couldn't help but call out, "Husband."
Sima Hong turned around and saw Mingyu was hesitant, as if she had something to say to him. He sat down again and asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"
Mingyu thought for a while before saying, "Today, Xu Si's wife urged me to lend money at high interest, but I refused."
"You did the right thing." Sima Hong's expression remained unchanged as he held Mingyu's hand. "We are not a poor family, so we don't need to get involved in this. If people find out, three generations of our family will not be able to hold their heads up high."
Mingyu smiled and said slowly: "Being your wife is really not an easy thing. There are so many people around me today, and those ladies are smarter than me. I'm just afraid that if I don't do well in some way, you will be laughed at." It was not until today that she deeply understood why people had to look for someone of equal social status when getting married. If Sima Hong had married a rich girl like Luo Lingxiu or Deng Zhenzhu, who had been going to such occasions since childhood and understood these "unspoken" rules, and had been influenced by them, she would surely be able to handle these things with ease, and would not be like her, who was always on high alert, as if she was fighting a war. She was really afraid that she would be careless and say something wrong and lose Sima Hong's face.
Looking at the pitiful Mingyu, who was so cautious and considerate of him wholeheartedly, Sima Hong's heart softened all of a sudden. He kissed Mingyu's lips and said softly, "Silly girl, what are you afraid of? You are a fourth-rank imperial minister, I am a third-rank general, and I have a hereditary title of marquis. Now you are the wife of the marquis, and in the future you will be the mother of the next Marquis of Anxi. They can only please you. Even if you say one or two wrong words, who dares to say anything? Besides." Sima Hong laughed, "No matter what happens, your man can always protect you!"
Mingyu smiled and touched Sima Hong's cheek, nodding and saying, "Yes, you will always protect me. Go quickly, don't let the guests wait anxiously."
Although Sima Hong left quietly, he was the focus of the banquet and people were paying attention to him wherever he went. Seeing that Mrs. Sima was not feeling well and went back to rest, Lord Sima rushed over to visit her. For a while, the female guests could hear praises and jokes one after another, and even the quiet ones revealed envy in their eyes and eyebrows.
Sitting at the same table with Lu Xuer and her daughter was a woman in her thirties. Because she came late, she could only sit at the table at the farthest corner. After Mingyu left the table, she felt a little uneasy. When she saw Xu Si's wife coming over, she quickly stood up, held her hand, and asked in a low voice, "What do you mean?"
Mrs. Xu shook her head, unable to hide her disappointment. "She doesn't want to. I think we should put this matter aside for now, so she won't catch us with anything."
"Don't be afraid." The woman in her thirties smiled and said, "You don't have to worry so much."
Madam Xu curled her lips and whispered, "You don't know her. You probably don't know how shrewd she is. She's better at calculating than my master. You'd better be careful."
The woman smiled. There were people around, so it was not the right place to talk. She took Madam Xu to a secluded place. They didn't stop until they reached the outer wall of the Anxi Marquis's mansion.
"What are you afraid of? Business is all about timing. Once those businessmen try other ways, how many of them will be willing to give face to Mr. Xu?" the woman said with a smile.
Mrs. Xu's face flushed. She couldn't tamper with the accounts. She dared not lend money at high interest rates. She really couldn't make ends meet. Looking at the woman's mocking face, Mrs. Xu gritted her teeth and said, "You didn't see the way she mentioned high interest rates. It was like something very dirty. That's why I told her not to touch it. What if she knew about it and held me accountable..."
"I've told you, don't be afraid of her. I have the leverage over her. I called her here just to borrow her man's name." The woman said with a smile.
"What handle?" The voice sounded, and Mrs. Xu and the woman were startled at the same time. They looked up and saw Lu Xuer climbing over the wall and lying on the top of the courtyard wall, and then turned over neatly.