I thought it was something. Wasn't it just that His Highness the Prince had teamed up with the eight imperial merchants to set up several kilns to grab business? Brother Rong replied lightly.
"Oh, that's good. Didn't you expect that when you presented the concrete square to the palace?"
"The original calculation was that the kiln factory of the Ministry of Internal Affairs would not start production until two years later. Now in less than a year, they will be able to compete with us and steal our business in the Ministry of Industry. If this continues, our kiln factory will Business is going to drop sharply," Qin Zhong said anxiously.
"Don't worry. It is difficult for our Ningguo Mansion to provide for various ministries. Now that the Ministry of Internal Affairs is sharing the burden, it is a good thing."
Brother Rong is confident. Even if the four departments of the Ministry of Industry all purchase from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he doesn't care. Today, the cement in Ningguo Prefecture is mainly supplied to the Water Conservancy Yingtian Prefecture and Hedao Yamen. These two places are the largest consumers of cement.
"Sir, isn't this a good thing? Now His Royal Highness is in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He first grabbed the Ministry of Works, and now he contacted the Hedao Yamen. I'm afraid that within a few months, all the needs of the Ministry of Works and Hedao will be taken over by the Ministry of Internal Affairs."
"That's better." Brother Rong laughed and patted Qin Zhong on the shoulder. Asked: "Has Master Qin gotten better recently? Qing Jing should spend more time with Master Qin at home. Don't worry too much about the cement heavenly things at the moment."
Qin Zhongdao: "After hearing the news, I was very worried. I didn't even eat enough for the past two days, so I came to see you to discuss countermeasures. Master, we need to make plans early. In the future, all ministries in the province will purchase from the Ministry of Internal Affairs." This measure is insufficient.”
"You father and son." Brother Rong sighed, and after calling Qin Zhong into the study room of Ningguo Mansion, he asked people to clear away the maids and fighting cats and dogs around him. He smiled and said to Qin Zhong: "Although the completion date of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Kiln Factory was much earlier than expected, their appearance has solved a disaster for us, so I say it is a great good thing."
"What trouble?"
"I heard the news a few days ago that an official wrote a letter banning natural materials and cement. Although King Zhongshun took charge of it, it was still not safe enough. Now that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has intervened, we are relieved." Brother Rong laughed.
"This?" Qin Zhong said, "But a huge amount of money was made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs..."
"Are we losing money?" Brother Rong asked back and said with a smile: "Even if we give up the business of each department and sell all the cement produced to the Xue family, we will not lose money. You understand the needs of private procurement, than The court's purchasing demand is greater, and we can sell it at a good price. Furthermore, when we were the only ones dealing in natural products, the officials would be jealous. Now that the Ministry of Internal Affairs is involved, there will naturally be a lot of things done along the way. How can the officials be honored? Can you still cut off your own benefits?"
Qin Zhong's eyes lit up and he said: "What do you mean, sir, with the Ministry of Internal Affairs taking care of various ministries, the officials will no longer clamor about banning natural objects?"
"Business." Brother Rong laughed and said, "Do you think this is a good thing? The demand from various ministries is huge, and our two kilns can't bear it for a while, and they can't open new factories at the same time. Instead of It would be better for the Ministry of Internal Affairs to let the ministries wait and let them take care of things."
Qin Zhong nodded repeatedly after hearing this. I was about to praise him, but I thought something was wrong. Originally, the Ningguo Mansion had a monopoly on cement in Dayan, but now the Ministry of Internal Affairs came to the rescue. How could it be a good thing?
Seeing the complicated expression on Qin Zhong's face, Jia Rong couldn't help laughing and said: "The most important thing for a person is to be satisfied. What happened to the Lianghuai salt merchants who didn't know how to be satisfied? What happened to the eight emperor merchants in Shanxi who were the richest in the world? Sending money and benefits to the palace every day? We are special and cannot give benefits to anyone, otherwise it will be suspected of forming a clique. Moreover, the money earned from the cement kiln is just to keep us from poverty. No matter how much we earn, it is Useless."
What’s the use of making more money in such a society? If the Ningguo Mansion had a complete monopoly on the sale of cement products, that would be a real disaster.
Qin Zhong could only hear half-understanding, scratched his head and said, "Shall we just let it go?"
"No, you have to take care of it." Jia Rong chuckled.
"Didn't the uncle say this is a good thing?"
"It's not good enough." Jia Rong chuckled, "I just thought of something. Since the Ministry of Internal Affairs still wants to contact Hedao Yamen to open up the market, we will hand over all the four departments of the Ministry of Industry to them."
Qin Zhong opened his eyes wide and said, "Seek compromise?"
"That's not the case. We seek perfection, but we don't feel wronged. The Hedao Yamen has had constant construction projects in the past few years. Naturally, such a big customer cannot let go. I am in charge of the Water Conservancy and Yingtian Mansion, so they can't get involved. Our two major clients The kiln factory only supplies the Hedao and Yingtian prefectures. The Fourth Department of the Ministry of Industry does not agree with us. Although they have many projects, they purchase very little, so it is better to give them all to the Ministry of Internal Affairs." Brother Rong replied.
Qin Zhong asked again out of curiosity. "The Fourth Department of the Ministry of Industry has very little procurement, how can it fill the huge gap of the Ministry of Internal Affairs?"
"The internal affairs of the Fourth Department of the Ministry of Industry are complex. They do not purchase enough in the Ningguo Mansion, but that may not mean they do less in the Ministry of Internal Affairs." Brother Rong said confidently. The Ministry of Industry has always been a clean-water government office. Now that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has sent over such a big piece of fat, why should the Fourth Department of the Ministry of Industry still bite on it? The Ningguo Mansion does not have that much oil and water for the Ministry of Industry, so it will definitely not be able to compete with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
But the river is different. The governor of the river is loyal to the king and has always been strict in his governance. It is very rare for someone to receive huge kickbacks like the ones from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. After all, Hedao Yamen has limited money, and they cannot buy high-priced cement like the Ministry of Industry.
As for when the palace will discover the huge gap in cement prices between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ningguo Mansion, this is beyond the scope of Brother Rong's consideration. Anyway, the one who will be affected in the end will definitely not be Ning Guofu.
I don’t know who came up with the idea for His Highness the Crown Prince. He is really talented when he can come up with such an idea to make money. Brother Rong felt very happy and secretly sighed, it might be a long-standing tradition of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Jia Rong saw Qin Zhong off, and the next day she took Ke Qing and her eldest brother back to Qin's house to visit. He sent a lot of things, and talked with Qin Ye for half a day about peace of mind, without mentioning it.
Brother Rong spent two days of leisure in Beijing.
On this day, Rongguo Mansion was busy.
It turned out to be Baoyu's birthday, and the girls from Xifu, including Baochai and Daiyu, as well as Zhu's grandmother Li Wan and Jia Lan moved into the Grand View Garden. The Grand View Garden was noisy and lively again, but Qing, Sister Feng, and Mrs. You all went there to have a banquet. Jia Mu led Mrs. Wang, Mrs. Xing, Aunt Zhou and Aunt Zhao to rejoice in the Grand View Garden.
The actors on the stage sang it and the nuns in the nunnery recited it, so I won’t mention it anymore.
Brother Rong looked for an excuse and rushed to Jia Lian's courtyard in Rongguo Mansion, looking at his nanny here with a smile. "Second Aunt Lian asked me to bring a small stone for my brother to match."
The wet nurse was confused as to why she didn't ask Miss Ping to come over, but she didn't say anything more. It's just a slight embarrassment. Now the second wife Lian lives in Dongfu, and the second master Lian has gone to Ping'an Prefecture. There is no one who can make decisions in the courtyard. Although she, a wet nurse, was to be the steward next to her future brother, she could not control her identity in front of her master.
The wet nurse replied nonchalantly: "Brother is still asleep."
Uncle Rong chuckled and said, "Nothing, I'll take a look at him, put the little stone on him and then go back."
It is said to be a small stone, but in fact it is a gold and jade necklace that Jia Rong carefully asked someone to make, but it took him a lot of effort. Although it is not as legendary as Baoyu, it is still carved from excellent materials. Who has not engraved the characters "Don't lose, don't forget, immortality and longevity", but the meaning of the pattern above is not bad at all.
We don’t do those weird stunts, but we still have to have what we need.
The wet nurse was also helpless and could not go to the Grand View Garden to seek confirmation, so she had no choice but to take Uncle Xiao Rong into the side room.
Uncle Rong was so excited that he was gearing up. He turned into the room and saw the brother that Sister Feng had given birth to. There were two little maids accompanying him at all times.
"Uncle Xiao Rong, please be gentler and slower."
When the two maids saw Uncle Xiao Rong, they entered the room and hugged the little brother. They couldn't help but feel nervous and called out hurriedly.
Uncle Rong glared at them and shouted something anxiously. If the maids outside hear this, they will think that I have done something to you in the room.
He held his little brother and looked left and right, with a crazy smile on his face. The wet nurse and the two maids were flustered but did not dare to stop him.
The wet nurse said shamelessly, "Uncle Xiao Rong will put it on my brother now, so as not to make a fuss about breastfeeding later when he wakes up."
How can Jia Rong listen at this moment? I thought to myself, this guy is so handsome. I like it more and more, it looks a bit like me when I was a kid.
His cheerful eyebrows, eyes, and corners of his mouth were raised, and he couldn't help but excitedly said: "Look, these kids look very much alike..."
Before I could say a word, Uncle Rong paused immediately. He glanced at the people in the room with his peripheral vision and said hurriedly: "She really looks like an aunt."
Everyone looked at Uncle Xiao Rong speechless for a while, watching nervously but not daring to say anything. I can only watch Uncle Xiao Rong hugging my little brother and not wanting to let go, sitting in the room happily.
After a while, the little brother was woken up by Uncle Rong's movements.
A wail pierced the sky.
"Wake up." Uncle Rong said happily like a child and was about to tease him with his fingers. But he didn't expect that this kid's little hands were scratching around, and he grabbed the left side of Brother Rong's chest.
Damn it.
It hurts, hurts, hurts.
The little guy doesn't have much strength, but a tug like that is still painful enough for Brother Rong.
The maids nearby saw this and rushed over, blushing and pulling away the little brother's hand. The wet nurse said anxiously: "Brother, I must be hungry."
You can't grab it when you're hungry. Brother Rong felt helpless and saw the nanny's eyes again. I had no choice but to hand my brother over to the nurse to take care of him, but he still refused to leave. Uncle Rong didn't react until he saw the nanny's embarrassed expression.
It's time to feed the little guy.
Ouch, this tug really hurts. Brother Rong curled his lips and exited the room, thinking that he would have to get it back from his biological mother now, otherwise he would suffer a big loss.
However, no matter how old this guy is, he can be so precise with his small hands. As expected, he is my uncle's son, and he has the demeanor of a father.
Jia Rong was sitting on the steps in front of the wing, enjoying herself. The maids in the courtyard did not dare to come forward and disturb him, so they could only look at the old man like a fool.
After waiting for a long time, the door to the wing room opened again, and Uncle Xiao Rong hurried in again. I took a small collar and put it on my brother, hugged him and had fun for a while, then reluctantly left.
"At this moment, they should all be listening to the opera in the Grand View Garden." Brother Rong calculated in a low voice, "Eldest brother, there should be only the wet nurse and a few maids there. I just happened to go over and take a look at the little guy."
Jia Rong hurried back to Ningguo Mansion and saw that there were only a few maids in Youshi's courtyard. She quietly entered the courtyard and knocked on the wing where her eldest brother was.
"Why is no one responding?"
"Where have people gone?"
When he was wondering, a maid in the courtyard saw him and replied: "Sister Yindie came here just now, and called the wet nurse to take the eldest brother to the Grand View Garden."
"What?" Brother Rong was stunned for a while, "Took him away?"
The maid looked at him amused and said happily: "Master, it's better not to think about it anymore. Grandma has told me that if I spoiled my brother since he was a child, he will never be afraid of his majesty in the future."
"What kind of truth is this?" Jia Rong snorted. I felt disappointed for a while, sighed and left.
Several people who were listening to the opera in the Grand View Garden were so happy that they couldn't stand upright when they heard Uncle Rong's movements. It turned out that a few people were listening to the play, but suddenly they heard that a little maid from the Yourong Mansion came to deliver news to Sister Feng, saying that Uncle Xiao Rong had gone to the yard to look for his brother.
Sitting next to Wang Xifeng is Youshi. Youshi was suspected that Sister Feng's child was Brother Rong's, and now it was even more certain. Then he remembered that there was no one in the Dongfu courtyard now, so he hurriedly left with Yindie, found a secluded room and asked Yindie to bring the nanny to bring his eldest brother over.
The shrewd Wang Xifeng saw Youshi calling Keqing and followed him. When Baochai and Daiyu saw what was going on here, they all followed.
"I knew there was something wrong with him. I've never seen a master like him. He misses his brother in the house every day. How can such an older child be looked after by him?" Youshi said with a smile.
Xue Baochai also laughed and said: "If you always stop him from seeing the child, it will arouse his paranoia. When my brothers are a few years older, they still don't know how to pamper them into babies."
Qin Keqing said to You, "Madam, let's make up our minds. It's better for my daughter-in-law not to talk about it."
Wang Xifeng interjected: "Show him when you should see him. It's shameful to be secretive."
Youshi said: "It's not that I won't let him see it. The plan is to let him take care of the area on the day when Ronger returns home every month. Without thinking about these days, Ronger asked the prince for an order to work from home. He After staying in the mansion for a few days, I thought about taking care of my brothers every day, which is not what the master of the mansion should do."
Several people chatted a few words, while Baochai's eyes always fell outside the door, seeming to be looking at something. Suddenly he heard someone calling Grandma Zhu outside the door, and the smile on Baochai's face became even stronger.
Besides, Li Wan, who had watched everyone leave the table and listened to the old lady and asked why, was in a state of turmoil. Although she doesn't like to talk, her thoughts are very delicate. After listening to the conversation in the room, I thought about the reason.
Besides, Li Wan, who had watched everyone leave the table and listened to the old lady and asked why, was in a state of turmoil. Although she doesn't like to talk, her thoughts are very delicate. After listening to the conversation in the room, I thought about the reason.
Besides, Li Wan, who had watched everyone leave the table and listened to the old lady and asked why, was in a state of turmoil. Although she doesn't like to talk, her thoughts are very delicate. After listening to the conversation in the room, I thought about the reason.
