Chapter 198
Opening of Yi Bao Xuan
In Yangzhou City, after more than a month’s meticulously repaired of the garden, a signboard that said Bu Xian Luo officially hung . After hanging a few firecrackers, fifty Si Cha stood on both sides, gracefully leading the invited customers into the garden .
They had heard of the reputation of Bu Xian Luo in Jingling City . Rumor said that even the Emperor was drinking tea that was sent up by Bu Xian Luo . Just based on this, they would have to go in and have a cup first .
Just as the atmosphere was bustling, a shop opposite Bu Xian Luo also put off firecrackers, and the lion dance invited to cheer as well . For a moment, Bu Xian Luo completely suppressed!
The people couldn’t help but stare with wide eyes as they saw the red silk curtain lifted, revealing a big golden signboard on the door: Yi Bao Xuan!
“Yi Bao Xuan, does the name mean jewelry seller?”
“But they can choose to open the restaurant across from the Bu Xian Luo at this time . No matter how I look at it, it looks like a tea shop . ”
“Who said anything good . Isn’t it open for business now? Let’s go in and take a look . ” Wu Minzhi naturally invited as well . When he saw Qi Ming standing at the entrance of Yi Bao Xuan, he was keenly aware of the coldness in his eyes and could not help but step forward and ask, “Why is Mister Qi here? I a.s.sume you’ve also received a post from Bu Xian Luo . Let’s go in together and have a cup of tea . ” Qi Ming regained his senses and greeted Wu Minzhi . “Greetings, Chief Wu . There’s no need for tea . I’ve just opened my Yi Bao Xuan and have a lot of work to do . Now, if you come to Yi Bao Xuan to buy clothes and jewelry, I will give you the best Longjing Tea . If Chief Wu is interested, you can come and choose one or two pieces for your wife, and the clothes in here are no worse than those in Ni Yun Fang . ”
Wu Minzhi’s eyes lit up, and he handed the post to someone else . He walked into Yi Bao Xuan and said, “Mister Qi’s clothes and accessories are really gorgeous . However, I heard that the embroidery skill of the small owners of Ni Yun Fang is unparalleled in the world, which is hard for ordinary people to compare . ”
“Her embroidery skills are indeed good, but she taught everything she knew without holding back . Her reputation has earned a lot, which has left her with quite a bit of harm . The female embroiderers that I’ve found are no worse than the small owners of Ni Yun Fang . I have full confidence in this . ”
“Isn’t Mister Qi in the salt business? Why do you want to set up Yi Bao Xuan? “
Qi Ming laughed heartily and purposely started a conversation, “It’s just for fun . I can’t make it to the stage . I’ve let Chief Wu laugh . ”
Seeing this, Wu Minzhi didn’t pursue the matter any further . Instead, he selected several clothes solemnly and brought them back to the residence .
In the following time, Qi Ming spent money like water . He said to buy things from Yi Bao Xuan to get Longjing tea . He really did not hesitate to send it out at any cost, which affected the business of Bu Xian Luo .
Later on, rumors began to spread that the First Prince, who was behind Qi Ming, was dissatisfied with Ni Yun Fang, and that the reason for his dissatisfaction was because Cai Yue Pavilion had been sealed off and had an unexplained relationship with it .
The First Prince wooed Cai Yue Pavilion and was very likely to have Cai Yue Pavilion in his pocket, which will make him wonder how convenient it will be for him . However, who would have thought that Cai Yue Pavilion was involved with Ni Yun Fang . After helping to teach the embroidery needle technique, they had angered the Emperor and had even given the order to seal Cai Yue Pavilion .
As a result, the First Prince was naturally furious at Ni Yun Fang . Since they can’t display the Emperor’s golden signboard could publicly, he had someone open a shop to suppress it . Rumor said that a treasure shop had opened the opposite of Ni Yun Fang in Jingling City, and the business was extremely flourishing .
In the parlor, Wu Minzhi sat at the head of the table, while the Cao family and Wei family sat below . Wu Minzhi put down the teacup and said slowly, “Brother Cao, Brother Wei, I believe you know a little about why the two of you have invited to come here . The person sent by the Emperor to inspect the salt tax is the Governor of Liangjiang, Li Yuanyi . He is the cousin of the First Prince and belongs to the First Prince’s faction . There’s bound to be turmoil in Jiangnan . If we don’t get a pulse, we might be the ones to fall the next moment . “
“Brother Wu’s words are reasonable . However, we do not have much of a plan for what we should do . ”
Wu Minzhi thought for a moment . “What do you think about this guy, Qi Ming?”
They all knew about Qi Ming’s actions in the past few days, and their thoughts varied: “That peony brought up by Qi Ming definitely isn’t an ordinary plant . To be able to find such a flower, it proves that he has a wide range of sources and that his skill and financial resources should not look down on . ”
“After that, he set up Yi Bao Xuan, and in the past few days, he spent no less than several hundred thousand taels of silver . He seemed to be uninhibited and unrestrained, but in reality, he was extremely meticulous and had a goal in mind . Even the shopkeeper Bu Xian Luo suffered a loss in his hand . We had never heard of such a style before . It could be something that revealed after being nurtured by a large family . ”
Wu Minzhi frowned, “I already have doubts in my heart . The timing of his appearance is a bit too coincidental . We have just received the news that the person who came to check the salt tax is Li Yuanyi, and he immediately sent us a greeting card afterward . The next move, quite a bit public, and it seemed that they didn’t care to hide . They are looking at us with eyes that are not lacking in contempt . The backers behind them are likely greatly respected . “
“Listening to Brother Wu’s words, we all felt increasingly uncertain . Could it be that this guy, Qi Ming, was sent by that person?”
Although he did not say it explicitly, everyone present understood that the person he was referring to was the First Prince, Ling w.a.n.g, who was in the Capital .
Wu Minzhi was silent for a moment . “No matter what, we have to deal with him carefully . If he really is the one who sent him here, we might have to rely on him . there is nothing wrong with being careful . ”
“Brother Wu’s words are reasonable . Please give me your guidance on what to do next . ”
“We should observe Qi Ming carefully, let’s people hold on a little bit, and don’t conflict with him . In addition, we can send some people to divulge more or less about the salt tax matter, as long as it does not involve us . That way, even if something really happened in the end, we can only say that there was no proof, and we could not find any evidence . ”
“Alright, I’ll get someone to do it immediately . ” Wu Minzhi nodded his head and said solemnly, “Because of the heavy snow during the winter and the volatile price of the salt before, we have acc.u.mulated a lot of salt . Besides, we have a slight deficit in salt tax earlier, so we need to find ways to make up for it . All the silver comes and goes . We can’t figure out Li Yuanyi’s style of conduct, and we don’t know how many benefits we’ll be able to get from him . It also takes a lot of silver to test and manage the goods . Therefore, it is remarkably necessary to hide the privates’ stuff in our hands with the help of the name of official salt this time . We must not make any mistakes and secure that nothing happens . Otherwise, we’ll probably suffer a huge loss this time . ”
“We hadn’t transported out a large amount of our private salt, and we also had a large amount of silver in our hands . A lot less salt tax had paid before, so when Li Yuan came to investigate it, he could see at a glance that there was a flaw in it . As a result, we needed to take out some silver to make up for it . ” The salt merchants were wealthy, but the silver was not endless . He was very distressed when he spent a large amount of silver in his hand . After thinking about it, he came up with a good idea . He used the name of the government to purchase a large amount of salt, then this batch of official salt accidentally sunk the ship during the transportation, and the salt disappeared in the water without a trace . He can use the silver that was in deficit in the name of purchasing salt . The silver had spent, and the salt had converted, so it was a good deal . As for the actual situation, who could go into the river and check it out?