eurekapd Chapter 390 Down Jacket Specialty Store
Chapter 390 Down Jacket Specialty Store
The Emperor's heart melted at his younger sister's tearful plea. He apologized repeatedly, promising never to think such things again.
She sighed again: "I know you ask for nothing, you don't care about power or status, you only love me. But the more you do that, the more I feel indebted to you."
The younger sister turned his face towards her and said earnestly, "I want you to stay with me forever."
The Emperor was deeply moved, and thus bestowed even greater favor upon his younger sister.
It wasn't just being showered with favor, it was being exclusively favored.
Since his younger sister entered the palace, the emperor has never set foot in the inner palace again.
The only high-ranking concubines in the harem were Consort Xin (Noble Consort) and Consort De (who rarely left the palace). Then there was Consort Rong, who was also favored.
Now, Consort Gui, Consort Xin, and Consort Rong are all essentially nonexistent, and the lower-ranking concubines dare not voice any objections—in the past, when the Emperor visited the inner palace, they might not even get a chance to go more than a few times a year.
It's pretty much the same now.
As for the previous dynasty, although the imperial physicians did not explicitly state that the emperor had not conceived for many years, the general idea was that the emperor was too diligent in his duties and might not be able to have any more children.
Consort Rong's pregnancy was incredibly lucky.
The court officials placed their hopes for the imperial succession on the crown prince, and naturally did not care whether the emperor favored him.
It was the younger sister who took the initiative to suggest, "Your Majesty, why don't you ask the ladies in the harem? If they are willing, let them leave the palace to marry freely. If they are not willing, it is fine for them to stay in the palace."
The Emperor laughed and said, "Is Wan'er afraid that I might think of them one day?"
The younger sister wrinkled her nose, her eyes brimming with tears: "If that day ever comes, I will not live here anymore, and... I will never see His Majesty again."
The emperor was naturally reluctant and immediately ordered the harem to be dismissed.
In fact, he hadn't been actively selecting concubines for many years, and there were very few young concubines, most of whom were of low rank. Three of his concubines chose to leave the palace and return to their parents' homes, and the emperor generously bestowed upon them many rewards.
Those who were unwilling to leave moved to the North Palace, where they could live a peaceful life, but they would never be able to leave this cage.
Summer arrived in the blink of an eye, and Si Muyan's estate was thriving, attracting not only high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants, but also many ordinary people.
In the past, whenever there was a happy occasion in the family, the neighbors would hold a banquet to celebrate.
Those with more money would book banquets at restaurants and also reserve seats at theaters, which was quite troublesome.
Now, we might as well invite our relatives and friends to a farm not far from Kyoto and have a pleasant day or two together. It will cost a little more than hosting at home, but it will be lively and enjoyable, so everyone is happy to pay the price.
The main reason is that people are now living in peace and contentment, and have extra money in their pockets.
Looking at the thriving scene, Si Muyan felt that life was very pleasant.
Among these, Zhu Lao Er from Yuncheng sent several letters, all about the down jacket workshop in Yuncheng.
The down jacket workshop had only just started construction last winter, and there weren't many finished products yet. But with the help of the Xie family and Princess Roushu, Zhu Lao Er became acquainted with the local merchants.
When we showed the down jacket samples to everyone, the merchants all expressed interest and were eager to place orders immediately.
Zhu Lao Er was extremely busy, so he found several capable villagers from Songji Village to help with management. He, on the other hand, was mainly busy with market development.
Although it's not winter yet, the workshops are already in full swing, and down jackets have been successfully produced in batches.
There's absolutely no worry about selling them.
Si Muyan wrote to Zhu Lao Er, instructing him to open Zhu Family Down Jacket specialty stores in Yuncheng and nearby transportation hubs to establish a reputation. She also asked him to instruct the villagers of Songji Village to add special anti-theft marks to the down jacket fabric they were making.
Zhu Lao Er did as instructed, first opening a specialty store in Yuncheng. Because it was winter clothing, many people looked at it, but few bought it.
He then went to inspect the cities surrounding Yuncheng and wrote to Si Muyan, saying that Yanyudu was a thoroughfare connecting many provinces and that the canals were well-connected, making it a very suitable place for him to go and choose a location to open a franchise store.
Si Muyan smiled and said to Lai Qian, "Before, I thought Brother Zhu was more reliable than thoughtful, but I didn't expect him to have mastered it in such a short time."
Lai Qian chuckled and said, "Miss, not everyone is as naturally smart as me, but if you're not naturally smart, you can make up for it with hard work."
Si Muyan laughed heartily: "You little money-grubber, you're just like Wang Po praising her melons, all self-praise."
However, by the end of summer, no further letter from Zhu Lao Er had arrived. Given Zhu Lao Er's personality, he would write a letter every month unless there was something important, and immediately if there was, he would write immediately. It was highly unusual that two months had passed without a single letter.
Si Muyan was very worried and asked Laiqian to inquire about it.
Laiqian quickly sent someone to Yuncheng and comforted her, saying, "Perhaps he's been too busy. I was so busy before that I forgot some trivial matters. Maybe my second brother wrote it down, but he might have forgotten to send it, or there might have been a delay on the way."
After waiting for half a month, they still hadn't received a reply, but instead received a message from Zhu Lao Er covered in blood.
It was the headman of the neighboring village who led his men on patrol. They saw Zhu Lao Er and heard him say that he was a servant of the Marquis's daughter.
Because of her vegetable growing and chicken raising, the villagers in the vicinity were very familiar with Si Muyan. When they heard that she was one of her people, they secretly delivered the vegetables to her without daring to disturb the patrolling officials.
Si Muyan was terrified and hurriedly called for a doctor to examine him.
Although Zhu Lao Er looked terrifying, fortunately, it was all external injuries, and he recovered a lot after the doctor treated him.
Once he felt a little better, Si Muyan asked him what had happened.
Zhu Lao Er drank a bowl of soup and regained some energy before speaking.
"Young Miss, I'm afraid I'm going to lose my life. But I'm really worried about my wife, children, and two younger brothers. After much thought, I have no choice but to come and beg for your help..."
With red eyes, he recounted the whole story.
"Perhaps it's because I got along well with other merchants in Yuncheng, and the other cities around Yuncheng were also quite good. When I arrived at Yanyudu, I thought it would be the same, but I didn't expect things to go wrong."
"The location was fine, but when I was about to pay the deposit, the shop owner asked me if I knew how much the commercial tax was. I told him the commercial tax in Yuncheng, but he said it was too low and that I needed to add 20% more."
Si Muyan was surprised: "Another 20%?"
Commercial tax is the highest of all taxes, and it varies depending on the type of business. Generally, it is about 3% of the transaction amount. After deducting other taxes, about 20% is included in the profit. There are slight differences in different regions. Some places encourage business and may reduce or exempt commercial tax.
But it's rare to see a 20% increase.
The main purpose of a down jacket specialty store is to build a brand rather than generate revenue, and it can't operate on a low-profit, high-volume model. Breaking even is considered good; if taxes are added, Zhu Lao Er definitely won't be able to afford it.
That's not the point. The point is that everything else is normal, so why is there so much more commercial tax at Yanyudu?