Zhou Shuren was a little confused, "Madam, you want to give me 20,000 taels?"
Although he didn't care about his family's money, he knew that most of the money sent by the Ning Mansion was given to his daughter as a deposit. His wife had two large sums of money, one from selling the shop, and the other from selling grain on the farm.
Because they bought the grain at a good time, they made a great profit after selling it.
But he also knew that with the approach of the New Year, a lot of money had been spent on gifts and social favors. Now his wife had a maximum of more than 30,000 taels in her hand, and he had to take out 20,000 taels at once.
Zhu Lan continued, "Didn't you say that the emperor wanted to sell antiques and wanted to sell them at a high price?"
Zhou Shuren nodded, "Yes, do you have any good ideas?"
Zhulan squinted her eyes, "Guess the box, blind guess. For example, there are several antiques, books, calligraphy and paintings in each box. The number of items in each box is the same, but the value is different. If you choose the one with high value, you will make a profit. If you choose the one with low value with the same money, you will be unlucky."
Zhou Shuren also had a solution. He also thought of bundling the items, but he thought his wife's method was better. Some people inevitably want to take advantage of others, or they think they are extremely lucky, so even if they originally didn't want to buy it, they would want to try it.
This is quite an attraction. Not to mention Jiangnan, even the capital can handle a large number of them.
Zhu Lan continued, "And you have to get the pricing right. You have to estimate the value of this large batch of antiques first, and then find the average value, which not only guarantees the emperor's requirements, but also satisfies your feeling of spending 30,000 taels for 10,000 taels."
There is a lot of room for maneuverability here. If it were someone else, Zhulan might not be able to guarantee that she would make a profit, but it’s different for Zhou Shuren. Her old man will definitely find a way.
Zhou Shuren was brainstorming and had already thought of various combinations, ahem, and some behind-the-scenes operations. "This is a good idea."
Zhulan also thought it was a good idea. "We'll buy them back with 20,000 taels of silver, keep the ones that are worth passing down to the family, and deal with the rest. We won't go to Jiangnan to deal with them. This time the house search made too much noise, and I wonder how much people in Jiangnan are looking forward to picking up bargains. I think the north is fine."
Although there are many wealthy businessmen in the south of the Yangtze River, there are also many local tyrants in the north. In order to improve their foundation, the local tyrants in the north are willing to spend money.
Zhou Shuren was silent. Qiu Yan came from the south. Every time the Ministry of Revenue dealt with antique calligraphy and paintings, they would be sent to Jiangnan. He really never paid much attention to the north.
Zhou Shuren stroked his beard and said, "Wait two days, I will write a detailed plan for the Minister."
Zhulan was very excited. "I can make a lot of money from this transaction. I can finally get the big manor in Jiangnan that I've been dreaming of."
Zhou Shuren laughed, "I think it's best to buy it and unpack it at home, what do you think?"
Zhulan grinned, "Yes, it is. It will be a surprise when I open it at home."
Zhou Shuren had a plan in mind, and he did not intend to hide his plan from the emperor. At the appropriate time, the emperor should allow it. The only pity was that he could not get the sons of each family to participate, as it would be too much if too many people from the Zhou family were involved.
At the Jiang family, Jiang Sheng watched his wife take out all the banknotes in the house and pack up all the jewelry. He felt helpless and said, "The people sent by my father-in-law haven't arrived yet. You packed up too early."
Xuemei, "I just want to leave early. I can't stay here any longer."
First, there are really no close blood relatives here. If it weren’t for her husband, she would really prefer to stay with her parents. Second, she already feels unsafe here.
After Jiang Sheng learned about his father-in-law's letter, he felt relieved. He thought a lot these days. He had never supported his family. He felt guilty and only thought about his own wishes. "What should I do with the land at home?"
He knew that he would not come back easily after this trip to the capital.
Xuemei paused. Her family had accumulated a lot of land in the past few years. "I plan to sell it. What do you think?"
"Just sell it. Just sell it."
Xuemei's smile deepened. It was great that her husband had no resistance. "Yeah."
Jiang Sheng saw his wife's gentle smile again, and felt satisfied. He also knew more clearly that nothing was more important than making his wife and children happy.
The next day, Zhou Shuren went to court and heard someone calling him. He hadn't heard this voice for a long time. He turned around and said, "Greetings, Fourth Prince."
Zhang Jingxi had a really good impression of Zhou Shuren, if not for anything else, just for this great achievement. He felt that Zhou Shuren was lucky. "It's been a long time since I last saw you, Lord Zhou. How are you doing lately?"
Zhou Shuren was a little uncomfortable with the Fourth Prince's enthusiasm, but he managed to keep a straight face and said, "I have always been fine. I'm sorry to bother you with your concern."
Zhang Jingxi didn't want to talk much. This was an important minister in his father's mind, and he would not try to win him over openly. He just wanted to chat with him for a few more words.
Zhou Shuren was very calm. Just chat, as long as they didn't talk about state affairs. It didn't matter what they talked about. The fourth prince was now in his prime. Look at the second and third princes who were moving forward in this direction. The third prince must want to tear the fourth prince apart. The Qi family occupied several places on the list of people to be purged this time.
As for the Second Prince, he should be under a lot of pressure. Originally there was a Crown Prince above him, and now the Fourth Prince has become the top one, and it's all about lawsuits.
At the morning court session, the Emperor first promoted the rank of the Fourth Prince's mother. All the concubines except the Queen were concubines. Now, there is an Imperial Concubine. The Fourth Prince Jiang Huai's assignment was indeed in line with the Emperor's wishes, and his son brought honor to his mother.
Afterwards, he rewarded the Fourth Prince with a house and other items, but never mentioned the matter of making him a king.
Zhou Shuren saw clearly that the Fourth Prince was disappointed, as he thought he would be the first to be crowned king. Zhou Shuren thought to himself that the Emperor would never do that. If he really let the Fourth Prince be crowned king first, the balance among the princes would be completely broken.
Zhou Shuren glanced at the crown prince, whose expression remained unchanged. This man would do nothing if he didn't take action, but once he took action, it would be a big deal. He had always been thinking about the fourth prince's maternal family. If the fourth prince didn't restrain himself, the crown prince would definitely take all the blame.
After the court session, several princes walked together. The Second Prince and the Third Prince were able to accept today's rewards. They no longer had stern faces and even congratulated the Fourth Prince.
The second prince Zhang Jingyang said, "Congratulations, fourth brother. Mother Consort Feng, no, it should be the noble mother consort. Second brother is really envious!"
The third prince Zhang Jingshi had a gloomy look in his eyes. The fourth prince's ruthless move had caused great damage to the Qi family. He had been extremely worried recently. His father had rejected him several times, and his money bag in Jianghuai was gone.
The fourth prince Zhang Jingxi said, "Third brother, don't you congratulate your younger brother?"
The third prince gritted his teeth and said, "Brother, congratulations to my younger brother."
The fourth prince was very pleased. He did not hesitate when he was in Jianghuai. "Then I will take my leave first. Mother must be waiting for you."
Zhou family, Zhulan received an invitation from the Liu family. It was an invitation to a wedding banquet. The two sons of the Liu family had been engaged for a long time, and the eldest son had reached the age to get married. The wedding day would be in three days.
Zhulan said to Mrs. Song, "Go and ask the eldest daughter-in-law to come over."
Mrs. Song: "Yes."