eurekapd Chapter 185 Negotiation with the Emperor
Chapter 185 Negotiation with the Emperor
Chen Xiuying also felt that she had a very good chat with this lady from a wealthy family. She nodded vigorously and said, "As long as Madam invites you, I will be at your service at any time."
After seeing off Empress Cao, Chen Xiuying finally relaxed. She returned home and told her daughter that she had done everything she was supposed to do and there was nothing more she could do.
Zhou Sisi expressed her understanding. She felt a little regretful at this point. She had only considered the store's decorating effect and hadn't given it much thought. Who could have imagined that implementation would be so difficult? If she had known this, she wouldn't have mentioned it.
The mirror issue would have to wait, so she put it aside for now and sorted out other things. The store was already being renovated, so she had to hurry up with the design drawings.
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On the other side, Zhihua rubbed her master's shoulders and gently persuaded her, "My lady, your eyes must be tired from reading in the car. You should take a rest."
At this moment, Empress Cao was holding the plan submitted by Chen Xiuying, scrutinizing it one by one, trying to find any flaws. Unfortunately, she searched for a long time but couldn't find a single one. She sighed, "Madam Zhou is very meticulous. I can't find a single flaw in this plan."
Zhihua didn't know Madam Zhou very well, but she thought anyone who could be praised by her master must be very remarkable, so she also agreed, "To be praised so highly by the master, Madam Zhou must be a wonderful person."
Empress Cao gently put down the plan, her eyes filled with appreciation. "This plan concerns the livelihood of the people. If it is truly implemented according to this plan, it will surely benefit many people."
Zhihua was curious: "How does the master plan to tell His Majesty?"
Empress Cao already had a plan in mind and looked at Zhihua: "Have you put away the mirror and glass?"
"My Lady, I've put it away."
"Well! When you return to the palace, give it to Fangruo, and then tell Eunuch Shi that I have something to discuss with the emperor. Please come to Kunning Palace when the emperor is free."
"Your Highness, you are the mistress of the Central Palace. Why do you have to do this? Wouldn't it be better if you just went directly to the Emperor?"
Zhihua felt sorry for her master. Although her queen was the empress dowager, she was still the empress of the inner palace. She didn't understand why the emperor was always so cold and indifferent to her.
The Empress, however, was also stubborn and never tried to curry favor with the Emperor. She only performed the duties of an Empress, spending the rest of her time in Kunning Palace. If not for this incident outside the palace, the Empress would rarely leave. Unlike the other concubines, who flocked to the Emperor whenever they had the chance.
There was a flicker of emotion in Empress Cao's eyes that Zhihua couldn't understand. "When he has time, he can come. If he doesn't have time, I'll wait slowly. There's no rush."
But the master wasn't anxious, and the servants were. The Empress had been in the palace for seven years, and the two had always been cold and indifferent to each other, not even consummating their marriage. And the Empress never said anything, nor did she allow them to return to the Cheng'en Mansion for help. The two of them remained in a stalemate, neither of them giving in.
The servants in the palace, who were always willing to serve the emperor according to his position, were the most opportune. Seeing that the Empress was not in favor, they all rushed to flatter Concubine Zhang, as if their Empress would have to give up her position to Concubine Zhang the next moment. How could this continue?
Empress Cao understood Zhihua's thoughts and patted her hands, saying, "Don't worry, I know what's going on."
It's not entirely true to say Empress Cao had no feelings for the Emperor. She had originally married into the palace with great anticipation. But after entering the palace, the Emperor treated her with indifference and never showed any intimacy. Empress Cao was also a person with a strong sense of self-esteem. Since the Emperor disliked her, she withdrew her feelings and simply did what an Empress should do, treating herself like a minister, just like the ministers of the previous dynasty.
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imperial study room
Upon hearing Eunuch Shi's report, Emperor Jiayou paused his writing and asked, "Did the Empress tell me what she wanted to talk to me about?"
Eunuch Shi lowered his head and said, "No, I just asked you to go to Kunning Palace when you have time."
As the most important person around the Emperor, Eunuch Shi was aware of the discord between the Emperor and Empress, but the Emperor never said anything bad about the Empress, or that he disliked her. It was just that for some unknown reason, the two of them had always treated each other with such icy respect.
Emperor Jiayou remained silent upon hearing this and continued reviewing the memorials. After a long while, he said, "I will proceed to Kunning Palace tonight."
"Yes." Eunuch Shi immediately arranged for his men to use a small stool to pass on the message.
Aunt Fangruo was overjoyed when she heard the message from the little stool and walked into the inner hall, "Your Majesty, the Emperor is coming tonight."
Empress Cao was still studying the plan at this time. Upon hearing this, she simply said, "I understand."
Fang Ruo was also worried about her master, "My Lady, it's getting late, shouldn't we arrange dinner earlier?"
"No, the Emperor will not dine here, let alone stay overnight. Just prepare my portion."
Fang Ruo wanted to persuade him, "My Lady..."
"Go down."
Soon, Emperor Jiayou arrived at Kunning Palace.
After everyone had exchanged greetings, the emperor spoke, "I heard the Empress was looking for me. What's the matter?"
Although Empress Cao had the plan in her hand, she did not present it immediately. Instead, she slowly said, "Your Majesty must be aware that I own a company called Datong Trading Company, which has produced many inventions in recent years."
The Jiayou Emperor was naturally aware of this. If Datong Trading Company had not been able to grow so big, it would not have been safe and sound until now. However, the Jiayou Emperor never mentioned it to the Empress.
Seeing that the emperor had not expressed his opinion, Empress Cao did not stop and continued, "I know that the emperor has always protected me, and I am deeply grateful.
"Recently, our company has stumbled upon a product that I believe could be of great benefit to both the imperial court and the nation. Therefore, I would like to discuss with Your Majesty whether Datong Company could present this product to the imperial court, which would then produce it. Datong Company would purchase it at twice the production cost and then process it separately. Is this possible?"
Emperor Jiayou was amused after hearing this. "Is the Empress trying to play a trick on me? Not only does the company refuse to process the products, but it is buying them at double the cost. What's the meaning of this?"
Seeing the emperor's amusement, Empress Cao also curled her lips slightly. "I'm not joking. I know this product can be used to generate many new products. If we don't negotiate good terms now, you'll regret it later."
"Oh? What on earth is it that the Queen is so fond of?"
Empress Cao offered a rare explanation: "I can't say I'm optimistic about everything. Of these products, only the mirror has been produced. The others are still theoretical, and their effectiveness is still unknown. I just can't resist the itch and want to get involved." As for the cheap raw materials, Empress Cao didn't mention it at all. She was negotiating a business deal with the emperor, so naturally she had to negotiate in a way that benefited her. How could she reveal her secrets so quickly?
After Empress Cao finished speaking, she ordered someone to bring the mirror and glass to the emperor to see.
Emperor Jiayou had many treasures in his own private treasury, including colored glass and various precious mirrors. Seeing that these two items were very similar to his own, and even had a transparency far exceeding that of colored glass, he was surprised and said, "This item is no less than colored glass."
"Your Majesty is wise. This thing is called glass. Although the production process is complicated, it has great prospects. This mirror alone will be popular in the capital, let alone these."
After saying that, Empress Cao handed Chen Xiuying's plan to the emperor.
Emperor Jiayou took them and looked at them carefully one by one.
According to this plan, there are dozens of products that can be processed from glass. There are five types of mirrors listed alone: small round mirror, makeup mirror, dressing mirror, bathroom mirror, and double-sided mirror.
There were other items below, such as windows, cups, wine bottles, etc., until the last item written in bold, which caught the attention of Emperor Jiayou: the functional mirror.
Several products are also written on this item, and each product is also indicated with a thick pen, such as hyperopia glasses, myopia glasses, magnifying glasses, and telescopes!
Emperor Jiayou immediately raised his eyes to look at Empress Cao, "Is this true?"
Although Empress Cao hadn't been staring at him the entire time, she had carefully studied the products on it. She expected Emperor Jiayou's reaction, so she nodded and said, "Seriously!"