Yongjia Marquis Mansion.
Zhu Liangzu is very happy now.
Because he also made money. It was obviously just to prevent Zhu Ping from making money, but he didn't expect that he made a lot of money.
This method of copying Zhu Xiang's products was taught to him by Hu Weiyong.
In the Ming Dynasty, an era when there were no intellectual property rights, it was not difficult to reproduce Zhu Xi's soap.
After all, Zhu Liangzu was also the Marquis of Yongjia. Even though he was a military commander, he still had his own personal connections.
Therefore, the speed of copying a soap business is not slow, and the degree of copying is also very high.
According to what Hu Weiyong said at the beginning, Zhu Liangzu only needed to set the price of soap at a breakeven price. In this case, Zhu Ping had to lower the price if he wanted to continue his business.
If you lower the price, you won't make money.
But after the actual operation, Zhu Liangzu found that even if the price of Zhu Ping soap was discounted by half, it was still profitable.
"Hahahahaha!"
Zhu Liangzu laughed endlessly. This unexpected joy really made him so excited.
Although he is a marquis, his salary is actually very different from that of a prince.
The money earned from this business, judging from the current situation, is quite considerable.
"Master Hou, Hu Zuocheng would like to see you."
The butler's voice sounded.
Zhu Liangzu immediately said: "Let Hu Zuocheng come in quickly."
In the current situation of the court, most civil and military officials have noticed the news that Li Shanchang is retiring.
As the prime minister, Li Shanchang's low-key attitude was a bit too much.
Moreover, Zhu Yuanzhang hated the situation where his ministers were unable to go to court due to illness, so he did not go to court due to illness three times.
Even a careless person like Zhu Liangzu could see this information.
Therefore, the next candidate for the position of prime minister is very important.
Regarding the next prime minister, officials have already speculated, and the candidates are the two candidates that Zhu Yuanzhang had previously favored.
One is the Right Prime Minister Wang Guangyang, and under the Left Prime Minister is the Right Prime Minister.
If Li Shanchang abdicates, it is a relatively normal operation for the right prime minister to take over.
However, the Ming Dynasty had just been established, and the appointment and dismissal of officials changed very quickly. The positions of the six ministers alone changed many times.
Therefore, this change in the position of prime minister is unusual and normal.
Hu Weiyong is the very likely candidate that everyone recognizes.
Because the relationship between Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong has never been hidden, all officials know that Li Shanchang values Hu Weiyong.
Li Shanchang's suggestions will definitely play a vital role in the selection of the next prime minister.
Zhu Liangzu now has a double blessing. On the one hand, he made a lot of money by sniping at Zhu Ping's soap business. On the other hand, Hu Weiyong is a strong contender for the position of the next prime minister. His recent relationship with Hu Weiyong has been quite good.
If Hu Weiyong really becomes prime minister in the future, then he will naturally be the first to win, and his status in the court will also rise a lot.
Soon, Hu Weiyong came to Zhu Liangzu.
"Yongjia Hou, congratulations!"
As soon as Hu Weiyong arrived, he immediately congratulated Zhu Liangzu and said that he knew very well about the huge profits in the soap business.
Zhu Liangzu said with a smile: "Thanks to Hu Zuocheng. I didn't expect this soap business to be so profitable. That guy Su Jing does have a skill in this area."
"Hey, what I said is just what I said. It was Marquis Yongjia who really did it. Marquis Yongjia did a good job in this matter."
Hu Weiyong boasted.
Hu Weiyong was already very clear about Zhu Liangzu's temperament.
Sure enough, after hearing this, the smile on Zhu Liangzu's face became even more obvious.
He loves to hear flattery like this.
"Hu Zuocheng, next, there should be no problems with King Qin."
Zhu Liangzu asked Hu Weiyong.
The thing was done, but to what extent it was done, Zhu Liangzu didn't know.
He's really not good at using his brain.
Hu Weiyong said: "There is no big problem, but this matter must continue. Uncle Ren Yuan's methods are not simple, so we should not take it lightly."
He didn't have any contempt for Su Jing.
That was the person Li Shanchang warned him over and over again, and he was also a talent that Zhu Yuanzhang valued extremely. It would definitely not be that simple.
"I think Hu Zuocheng, you think too highly of Su Jing, and now it's just King Qin who is in charge, and Su Jing is not here, so there is no need to worry."
Zhu Liangzu didn't think so.
What he said was not unreasonable, because now Zhu Xi did not have Su Jing by his side.
All the civil and military officials knew what the second prince Zhu was like.
If it weren't for Su Jing, no one would have seen Zhu Ping accomplish this.
"Just as long as Marquis Yongjia knows what's going on."
Hu Weiyong didn't persuade him too much. Zhu Liangzu's character was like this. Talking too much would only have the opposite effect.
"Don't worry, this matter is now like this, there will definitely be no mistakes."
Zhu Liangzu didn't take Hu Weiyong's words to heart at all.
Now he was immersed in the pleasure of making money. Such a thing also hit Su Jing, killing two birds with one stone, so unhappy.
Hu Weiyong looked at Zhu Liangzu and sighed inwardly.
I'm afraid there will be a price to pay for underestimating Su Jing so much.
But he couldn't say anything. In such a good situation, saying too much would make Zhu Liangzu a little unhappy.
No need.
This kind of person will only have a long memory when he suffers a loss.
But this matter is not a big deal, and it’s okay to suffer a little loss.
Hu Weiyong knew very well that such a small matter, no matter what the outcome, would have extremely little impact on Su Jing's status in Zhu Yuanzhang's mind.
Judging from the things Su Jing did, it was just a business, not done by herself, so it was insignificant.
But Hu Weiyong still asked Zhu Liangzu to do it. On the one hand, he wanted to see what Su Jing's real methods were and whether he was as powerful as Li Shanchang said.
On the other hand, he also wanted to use this incident to teach Zhu Liangzu a lesson.
If you underestimate Su Jing too much, you will not end well.
In the future, there will be many battles between them and Su Jing, so they must be careful and cautious.
Nowadays, if you suffer a little loss on such a thing, it's nothing.
"Yongjia Hou, if nothing happens, I will leave first."
After Hu Weiyong finished talking about the matter, he decided to leave.
But just as he was about to leave, Zhu Liangzu said: "Hu Zuocheng, wait a moment."
"What? Is there anything else wrong with Marquis Yongjia?"
Hu Weiyong stopped and looked at Zhu Liangzu.
Zhu Liangzu said: "Hu Zuocheng, the South Korean prince, is he going to resign as Prime Minister Zuo?"
Many people want to know when Li Shanchang will retire.
But Li Shanchang was the prime minister and the head of the officials, and Zhu Yuanzhang was very satisfied with him.
This is why Li Shanchang took the initiative to reveal his intention to resign, so that others dared to guess.
"Yongjia Hou, why do you think Prime Minister Zuo is going to resign?"
Hu Weiyong did not answer, but asked rhetorically.
Zhu Liangzu said: "This matter has been circulated in the court for a long time. I heard others saying this, so I asked Hu Zuocheng. After all, everyone knows about your relationship with Prime Minister Li."
It's straightforward, nothing hidden.
At this time, Hu Weiyong felt that Zhu Liangzu's character was quite good.
"Yongjia Marquis, we can't control what others say, but we can't say that Prime Minister Zuo is the head of hundreds of officials. It's not something we can discuss. It wouldn't be a good thing for Your Majesty to hear it."
Hu Weiyong warned quite seriously.
The more critical the moment came, the more cautious Hu Weiyong became.
Hu Weiyong has been thinking about the position of the next prime minister of the Ming Dynasty for a long time.
But he must not be impatient. For this purpose, he endured it for a long time and did not care about such a short time.
Likewise, he will not allow others to stand in the way of his own goals.
"Hu Zuocheng, it doesn't matter. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else."
Zhu Liangzu still didn't take it seriously. He dared to speak arrogantly in front of Zhu Yuanzhang. Hu Weiyong hadn't become prime minister yet.
Hu Weiyong said with a straight face: "Yongjia Hou, I don't know about this matter, so don't ask me again in the future."
After saying that, Hu Weiyong turned around and left without giving Zhu Liangzu any good looks.
"Tch, you're so arrogant even before you become prime minister, Hu Weiyong, you'd better not let me catch you!"
As soon as Hu Weiyong left, Zhu Liangzu spoke openly.
Although his attitude towards Hu Weiyong is really good these days, he is actually just trying to deal with Su Jing.
In fact, Zhu Liangzu did not think highly of Hu Weiyong.
After all, he fought with real swords and guns on the battlefield to gain credit, and then he was awarded the title of Marquis Yongjia.
Where is Hu Weiyong?
The civil servants stopped talking and didn’t make much contribution.
Just because he was close to Li Shanchang, he was promoted smoothly all the way, and now he has reached the position of Zhongshu Zuocheng.
Not only that, but he also hopes to ascend to the position of Prime Minister Zuo.
That was the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, a position below one person and above ten thousand people.
Zhu Liangzu was very unconvinced in his heart, but there was nothing he could do.
…
At this time, a merchant ship appeared along the coast of Shandong.
Due to the coastal ban, merchant ships were immediately surrounded as soon as they appeared.
The interrogation step is indispensable. All kinds of checks, for fear that it may be some Japanese pirates or rebels' dish.
…
Inside Yingtian Mansion.
A piece of news suddenly came out. Zhu Yuanzhang asked Liu Bowen, the sincere uncle, about the choice of prime minister.
Liu Bowen directly rejected both candidates Wang Guangyang and Hu Weiyong.
Of course, no specific evaluation has been released.
Needless to say, this was of course sent by Zhu Yuanzhang.
It is meant to incite hatred, but if it is not spread, it will have no effect.
As soon as the news spread, it naturally aroused a lot of discussion in the court. Liu Bowen immediately came to the forefront, and Li Shanchang naturally did the same.
Because Li Shanchang had previously resigned, it was everyone's guess, and no one dared to confirm it.
At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang asked Liu Bowen about the candidate for the next prime minister, which was equivalent to confirming the matter. This showed that the Ming Dynasty was about to undergo drastic changes.
In the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Li Shanchang is still feeding the fish. Although he is at the center of public opinion, he does not have any mood swings.
The position of prime minister does not seem to be that important to him.
"Sir, Hu Zuocheng would like to see you."
The housekeeper walked to Li Shanchang and whispered.
Li Shanchang paused for a moment while feeding the fish, and then said, "Let him do it."
Not long after, Hu Weiyong appeared in front of Li Shanchang.
"Your Excellency, the Prime Minister, is very elegant. Even though there is a storm outside, he remains unmoved. I admire you."
As soon as Hu Weiyong came over, he immediately flattered Li Shanchang.
But Li Shanchang and Zhu Liangzu are different. They don't just flatter each other and they will be happy.
Li Shanchang looked at the goldfish in the pond and said, "Weiyong, do you think what Uncle Chengyi said makes sense?"
These words directly brought the matter to the matter that Hu Weiyong was most concerned about.
Li Shanchang knew very well why Hu Weiyong came today.
Hu Weiyong had been coveting the position of Prime Minister Zuo of the Ming Dynasty for a long time. Even with his competitor Wang Guangyang, Hu Weiyong was not too worried.
Because behind Hu Weiyong, there is Li Shanchang's strong support.
Li Shanchang is now the leader of the Huaixi Group, and even Zhu Yuanzhang must consider his attitude.
Wang Guangyang, the right prime minister, can only be the highest he can reach.
Originally, Hu Weiyong thought that the matter had been settled, but unexpectedly, Liu Bowen appeared again.
Liu Bowen actually disagreed with being the prime minister of Zuo.
Hu Weiyong knew very well Liu Bowen's status in Zhu Yuanzhang's mind. Liu Bowen had indeed resigned at this time and would no longer interfere in court affairs.
But Zhu Yuanzhang was able to seek Liu Bowen's opinion on the change of prime minister's position, which is enough to explain everything.
My position as Prime Minister of the Left is now somewhat in jeopardy.
Listening to Li Shanchang's words, Hu Weiyong replied: "Weiyong doesn't know, but Chengyi is a great talent comparable to Wolong. Maybe he is right."
"Ah."
Li Shanchang smiled slightly and said: "Wei Yong, you should not be so dishonest in front of me!"
Could it be that Hu Weiyong came so eagerly just to say that Liu Bowen was right?
This is obviously impossible.
Hu Weiyong immediately said: "Please ask the Prime Minister to clarify my doubts. Weiyong is feeling uneasy and really doesn't know what to do."
Now that Li Shanchang has made it clear, Hu Weiyong will no longer hide it.
The position of the prime minister can be ensured in this way, which is what Hu Weiyong is most concerned about now.
Li Shanchang sprinkled the fish food in his hand into the pond, and instantly countless goldfish rushed over, constantly fighting for it.
"Did you see that these goldfish are working so hard to grab the fish food? If you want to eat more, you have to fight harder. This is the survival law of fish."
Li Shanchang continued: "But people are different from fish. Sometimes the more you want something, the less you can express it too strongly. Only by learning to hide your desires can you achieve your goals. Do you understand?"
Listening to Li Shanchang's words silently, Hu Weiyong's anxious heart gradually calmed down.
He also looked at the goldfish that were frantically fighting for fish food, and the vision in his eyes gradually became clear: "What the Prime Minister taught is that Weiyong understands."
The final ownership of the position of prime minister must be decided by Zhu Yuanzhang.
But before that, what is certain is that Li Shanchang will definitely retire, and there will only be a few people who can succeed him.
It was impossible for Liu Bowen to resign. Without Li Shanchang's support, Wang Guangyang was in trouble after all.
Hu Weiyong is still the one with the most advantage.
Sometimes, you don't need to be very good, just have an advantage over your competitors.
(End of chapter)
