The new factory manager seems to be doing okay, and Yaoji also smiles and encourages: "Well done, I hope you will guard against arrogance and impetuosity, and make new achievements again!"
Compared with the dumper who abandoned his martial arts skills, Dongchang is still somewhat useful, and it's not too late to get back to work. At least he can be commanded as a dog.
Fang Zhenghua was in a great mood after receiving the compliment from the Crown Prince. He immediately expressed his sincerity: "I will keep this in mind and fulfill my duties faithfully. I will never let down His Highness the Crown Prince's entrustment!"
As long as he can win the trust of the prince as soon as possible and secure the position of admiral, he can give orders to everyone in the East Factory. Every eunuch is thinking about this position day and night, so he must not be careless.
Empress Zhou was a little surprised that her son suddenly appointed Fang Zhenghua as the general manager of the East Factory, but judging from his ability to do things, he really hired the right person, and rewarded him: "Since Brother Hong is satisfied, these royal meals will be rewarded to you! "
Ever since, the Governor of the East Factory happily returned with a black teak wood multi-layered food box with dark red patterns on his shoulders, which was full of kebabs and steamed buns...
With the fat sheep of Zijin Bonds, Yaoji didn't want to swallow up the money, and said: "After reporting to my mother, I thought that after the accounts were settled clearly and all the jewelry and houses were sold, I would get the money." Do some business with an integer of one hundred thousand taels, and the remaining money should be reserved for the daily expenses of the palace. Once there is income, the inner court's future expenses will not need to be covered by the Ministry of Household Affairs and internal funds."
It is impossible for the queen and the two concubines to directly run the company, but as shareholders, it is entirely possible to enjoy huge dividends behind the scenes.
Empress Zhou remembered what her son had just said about opening a shop, and asked, "Brother Xang, is this the barbecue you mentioned?"
Such delicacies taste great. If you open a shop in a prosperous place, you can make some money, but it is only a drop in the bucket to cope with the huge expenses of the mansion, which is an item worth millions of taels of silver.
Yao Ji has his own plan, and there is more than one money-making project: "I would like to inform my mother that I will leave the catering to others. There are many beauties in the queen's residence, so it may be more appropriate to do some makeup errands." "
Dongchang is the perfect place to open a restaurant. This intelligence agency also needs internal funds to allocate funds. If it can be responsible for its own profits and losses, it is not a bad thing. The most important thing is that by opening this kind of store, you can receive a large number of customers, gather information easily, and can also be used as a liaison station. If it can open all over the country, Dongchang's tentacles can extend to all directions.
Yaoji's short-term expectations for Dongchang are not very high, as long as they return to the Wei Zhongxian period. If even the intelligence agencies are abolished, how can the king of a country obtain the most important first-hand information and rule the Ming Dynasty? Abolition of Dongchang like a scapegoat would mean that one is deaf and blind and can only let the powerful officials do what they want.
Queen Zhou was said to be a little confused, so she had to ask directly to avoid further deviations in her thoughts: "I wonder what business Brother Xang is referring to?"
It was enough to leave the barbecue job to someone else and she would not ask. Could it be that her son had other plans?
"Queen Mother, I think there are three most profitable things in the world!" After Yaoji said this, Concubine Yuan Guifei and Concubine Tian couldn't help but listen respectfully. It sounds like, who doesn't want to make more money these days?
The beautiful mother is extremely curious about this. It seems that her son's return from the immortal journey has broadened his horizons: "Oh? Brother Hong, tell me, what are the three things?"
Yaoji quoted the experience of later generations and said slowly: "These three things are nothing more than the affairs of the elderly, the affairs of children, and the affairs of women!"
Any business that targets its sales at these three groups of people belongs to the category of profiteering industries.
Queen Zhou was even more confused when she was told that, and she quickly asked: "Why does brother Xang say that? Can you explain it in more detail?"
It seems unbelievable. In front of the two aunts, if you talk nonsense, you will have to be reprimanded when you go back.
Seeing that the three beauties and elders all had very suspicious and arrogant expressions, Yaoji took the first step: "The old man's business is medical treatment. In order to survive, even if the master of a wealthy gentry is seriously ill, he will not Save money?"
If he could bring the dead back to life, the patient wouldn't hesitate if he asked for hundreds or even thousands of taels of silver.
Empress Zhou nodded and slightly agreed: "Well, that's true, so why do you explain the second and third ones?"
To outsiders, I would say that in this palace, the expenditure on medical consultations in each palace is as high as tens of thousands of taels every year.
"Children's business is education. If your children are not stupid and have some money at home, they will invite famous private teachers to come to your house to teach them. They may become prosperous when they grow up. Women's business is to put on makeup and clothes. In order to be beautiful, they must be queens. Neither you nor your aunt will be stingy with money for makeup, right?"
It is said that the "History of the Imperial Palace" reflects that the amount of powder money in the palace was once as high as 400,000 taels, which almost set a historical record. There is no way to verify the specific amount, but what is certain is that a large part of the money went into the pockets of father-in-laws at all levels.
After being circled around, Empress Zhou suddenly realized: "... Could it be that Brother Hong wants to run this makeup business in the back house?"
If it spreads out, I'm afraid it will be well-received and disgraced, and it will damage the royal family's reputation. If the internal funds can cover the expenses of the residence, it is better not to do so, so as not to let the people know.
Yaoji didn't want to develop cosmetics, just making some soap would be the end of it. All projects now have to serve political and military affairs. If Donglu forces it, even if you make an anti-dandruff shampoo, it will be in vain: " I report to my mother that the synthesis of the fairy powder materials is too complex and requires a lot of materials, so I can't use it yet. However, I can do some research on clothes, shoes and hats, and maybe earn some money. As long as I send capable people to run it on my behalf, later You can just sit back and enjoy the success, and the queen mother does not need to worry about this matter affecting the reputation of the royal family."
Start with something simple, feasible, and easy to get started with, and then start a slightly more complicated project after you have laid a solid foundation.
This doesn't work, that doesn't work either. The beautiful biological mother is completely confused: "Then what kind of businessman thing does Brother Xang want the queen to do?"
Concubine Yuan Guifei and Concubine Tian Guifei also couldn't understand. Is there such a profitable business in the world?
"For example, women's personal belongings and footwear!" After Yaoji finished speaking, he probably deserved to be scolded.
As expected, Queen Zhou showed surprise when she saw the two concubines, so she lectured her son: "The two concubines are here. Brother Hong, please don't want Meng Lang. How can the rear residence be involved in such a business? Brother Hong, it is really a waste of time." The Book of Sages!”
If a lot of rumors are really generated from this, and outsiders are not allowed to think that the husband is wandering in immortality, the concubines in the Forbidden City will not be able to bear it anymore, and the true nature of Tang Fu will be revealed, which will definitely make people laugh.
Yaoji was not surprised, and the reaction of his beautiful mother was also reasonable. She had to persuade her with good words: "My mother is wrong. Now wars are happening frequently, and money is urgently needed everywhere to calm down! Sons and ministers!" We must find ways to raise money so that we can turn danger into safety and protect our Ming Dynasty."
Well, it might be easier to have a verbal battle with your biological mother than to just climb to the high ground and convince the other party.
Empress Zhou also knew that the household department was extremely tight and the court could not make ends meet, but she still did not want to open the door: "Brother Hong, aren't the southern bandits almost wiped out this year? The refugees have been resettled and the provinces have been settled. The situation is much better than in previous years. Less. After reducing the expenses of the imperial court, and with the confiscated money, the income and expenditure should be almost the same, right?"
Yaoji felt disappointed and had to smile bitterly and said: "I'm sorry to express my gratitude to my mother, this year the Liao Dynasty's salary is about 6 million taels, the salary of the inner court and the vassal king is about 4 million taels, the extermination of southern bandits is about 5 million taels, and the resettlement of refugees in various provinces requires 4 million taels. This is not yet Counting the nine-border military expenditure and official salaries. If we take them all into account, it will be difficult to settle down without more than 23 million taels, and this year’s annual income is about 15 million taels. The queen mother must be very clear about the difference between this!"
"This..." Queen Zhou was very talented and quickly calculated the gap of eight million taels. It was definitely not a small amount. She understood that several important expenses could not be reduced, and she suddenly became worried.
If this wasn't enough, Yaoji also dropped a bombshell: "Before I left, Grandpa Taizu also told me that there will still be natural disasters next year!"
"..."
Queen Zhou had no idea how to raise eight million taels of silver. Her ex-husband was confused every day, not to mention that the prince was now supervising the country. It would be too much work to let my ten-year-old son handle it.
Those expenditure items are all extremely important. Cutting any one of them carries considerable risks and may have unpredictable consequences. However, the expenses of the residence have been greatly reduced. Even if more than one hundred thousand taels of silver are squeezed out, it will only be a drop in the bucket.
Concubine Yuan Guifei was very troubled when she saw the mother and son fighting for money. She also sympathized with the prince who was usually humble and accommodating. Considering that Queen Zhou didn't feel too sorry for herself, she spoke softly: "Sister, I'm not as good as my sister." I also subscribed for three thousand taels of purple gold bonds. Although my sister is willing to help Brother Hong, her wealth is small, so she has to express her thoughts. "
This amount of money is definitely not as rich as the family of a powerful eunuch, but it is far more than the standards of a palace maid. Being able to donate generously in times of crisis is naturally full of deep friendship. It can be regarded as helping others in the same boat and weathering the difficulties together.
Concubine Tian didn't mean this, but Concubine Yuan said that she couldn't do anything without paying for it, and she was always looked down upon by the empress of the palace, and she had to be reprimanded from time to time. If she dealt with her when the emperor was traveling in immortality, then Too passive.
Thinking of this, the stunning beauty couldn't help flashing her bright eyes, and said with a breath: "Sister, don't be impatient. My sister is not talented, but she is also willing to subscribe for three thousand taels of purple gold bonds. Brother Hong has been smart since he was a child, and his sister and mother are well-behaved in the world. He will definitely be able to Turn danger into safety.”
Concubine Tian was very shrewd in her calculations. If she was taught a lesson by the queen, she would just be in a temporary unhappy mood. But whether she was executed by the queen or bullied by bandits, she and her three sons would end up dead.
It is better to choose the lesser of two evils. At the moment, it is better to be kind to the main palace, so as not to lose everything with one careless move. Spending three thousand taels of silver to buy the safety of mother and child seems to be a good deal.
