In these few days, Wu Huifei did not have an easy time. The Emperor had been staying with Empress Wang. Although Empress Wang had just returned from Hua Yuan, it was not to the extent that she would not come to see her.
It was not until Wu Feng deposited the money again and ran back to the capital like an emergency report that Wu Huifei knew the situation was troublesome. She waited anxiously for the Emperor's punishment.
In the end, all she got was a punishment of half a year's salary. The reason was that she had taken something from the Palace to be sold.
This was natural. To raise money to deal with Zhang Xiaobao, the Wu family had to contribute money and strength. Just the service fees for other people were not small. There was also the intelligence personnel running back and forth, as well as the various gatherings held to win people over. It was all money.
Temporarily relieved, Wu Huifei looked at the flowers blooming as the warm wind blew. She asked the serving girl beside her, "Is there any news from home?"
"Your Highness, Wu Feng fell ill as soon as he came back. The doctor has seen him and said he was frightened. He will be fine after a few days of rest. Wu Feng said he thought of a good idea to make the Tang bank compensate, especially after waiving all service fees. However, he did not dare to do it again for fear of losing his head."
The serving girl replied and put a small foot warmer by Wu Huifei's feet. The foot warmer was marked with the authentic symbol of Hai Yunjian.
Wu Huifei had long been used to using things from the Zhang Xiaobao and Wang families. Even if she hated them to death, she would not go against them in terms of enjoyment.
Hearing the serving girl's reply, she nodded and said, "He was frightened. He must have been frightened in Suzhou. Let him tell us the plan. This time, there is no need for him to do it. If it were Wu Yu, I don't believe that Zhang Xiaobao, who is busy with the matter of accumulating benefits while also being busy with business and taking care of Empress Wang's two evil children, can still find time to deal with one attack after another."
"Yes." The serving girl turned and left. Another serving girl took her place and stood by Wu Huifei's side to serve.
The news quickly spread to the Outer House. After Wu Feng, who was lying on the sickbed, heard it, he sighed helplessly and called Wu Yu over to warn her.
"This time, we have to be extremely careful. If we use copper coins to exchange for silk, we can suppress the price of the silk. Then we deposit the silk in the bank and withdraw it from the bank. Then the bank will have more silk and less copper coins. Then we will use copper coins to exchange for silk. After a few rounds, we will have more money and the bank will have more silk."
Wu Yu nodded. "I know. It's just using money to bargain for the silk. You deposit the silk in the bank and then withdraw the money. You can earn money every time. I can do it."
When Wu Feng saw Wu Yu's nonchalant expression, he became even more anxious and said, "It's easy to do, but difficult to hide."
"What's so difficult about it? I won't be in a hurry to withdraw the money. I'll prepare more money to exchange for silk. When the time comes, I'll withdraw the money bit by bit. It will take three months. After accumulating a few times, I'll withdraw it all at once. "
Wu Yu felt that she finally had a chance to go out and do something. She was very excited. It could be said that a newborn calf was not afraid of a tiger.
Wu Feng regretted telling her the plan. He gestured for Wu Yu to sit on the bed and said weakly, "Don't underestimate Zhang Xiaobao. Those who underestimate him are all dealt with by him. Don't tell me you didn't see anything from this confrontation?"
"See what? Zhang Xiaobao discovered our actions, but we still won. The Imperial Concubine didn't suffer any losses, but Zhang Xiaobao caused the bank to lose a portion of its income. The first person to deposit money will not be charged, and after a while, the rest of the people who deposit money will not be charged either. No matter how powerful Zhang Xiaobao is, won't he still be at a disadvantage? "
Wu Yu carefully analyzed the situation and thought that she had taken advantage of Zhang Xiaobao. Thinking that she was about to use the silk to exchange for money, she said, "When I get a certain amount, I'll tell others about this method. Let's see how Zhang Xiaobao will deal with it."
Wu Feng felt that he had lost even more strength. He looked at Wu Yu resentfully and forced himself to sit up. He felt a buzzing in his head and almost fainted. He leaned against the wall beside the bed and said to Wu Yu, who had a concerned expression.
"Zhang Xiaobao doesn't care about the Imperial Concubine at all. It's like an adult looking at a child playing a trick. After easily resolving it, he goes back to doing what he should do. The method that we thought of is a joke to Zhang Xiaobao.
Do you really think that he didn't want to charge a deposit fee because he couldn't think of any other method? That was because all the banks of the Great Tang worked together and were not affected at all. If he really thought of it on the spur of the moment, how could he make all the banks so stable?
This means that he already had such a plan, but he didn't use it. He just happened to use it when we made a move. I'm really worried that the plan of exchanging silk for money will be affected in the same way. You must be careful. One step at a time. Don't be reckless. "
"Really? Yes, I will be careful. "Wu Yu said with uncertainty and promised.
*****
The sound of the waves and the clear blue water.
Zhang Xiaobao, who had already returned to Jili Province, began to instruct his subordinates to get busy with the spring plowing. This year was the same as last year. They would plant more soybeans and less rice. Only when the problem of the river was solved could they plant all rice.
Soybeans were good and the land was good. As for the yield, it wasn't important. The tax paid last year wasn't much. It was just a formality. The surrounding provinces were the same.
The Andong Protectorate had paid most of its taxes. The Rao Le Commandery, Songmo Commandery, and Bohai Commandery were still stubbornly holding on. They weren't willing to set the precedent. Once they paid the tax, they would acknowledge Li Longji's absolute rule. This was different from paying tribute.
Wang Juan wasn't ready for war yet. She continued to train her army and looked forward to the opportunity of a small-scale battle. She could use it to train her soldiers. Soldiers who had never seen blood would always be new recruits.
Besides the daily tasks, Xiaobei and the others now had one more thing to do, which was to watch their younger brother and sister. The two little guys cried for a few days after leaving their mother. Later, they gradually got used to it and were fine.
Usually, they drank milk and slept. Occasionally, when they were awake, they would open their eyes and look at the world curiously, alternating between crying and laughing.
"Why are they crying and laughing at the same time?" Xiaobei propped his chin on his hand and asked curiously.
Xiao Zhu was drawing the two little guys with her brush. Even though the drawing didn't look like them, she was still very serious.
Da Nan and Xiao Nan did not know how to answer, so they remained silent. Zhang Qiang, Zhang Gang, and Zhang Fang were also attracted by Xiaobei's question and were thinking hard. Xiaohai, on the other hand, continued to mumble various mathematical terms.
Only Xiaoyuan was holding a cup of honey water. From time to time, he would take a sip, looking like an old scholar. Occasionally, he would pluck a sentence or two from a book to show his erudite memory.
The two little guys were the ones to answer Xiaobei's question, their mouths making vague sounds.
It wasn't until a ray of sunlight shone in that the room returned from its previous' tranquility 'to liveliness.
Zhang Xiaobao had brought his medical doctor over to see the two little guys. Just like Xiaobei and the others, they had to be examined once a day to avoid any unexpected consequences.
Xiaobei watched the medical doctor examine the two little guys. He pulled on his brother's clothes and asked the same question again.
Zhang Xiaobao thought for a moment. He didn't say that crying and laughing were the easiest actions for people to express their emotions. Instead, he said to Xiaobei, "Because when they were born into this world, they knew that there would be both happiness and disaster in a person's life."
"Oh! So that's how it is. Then, should we not cry when we encounter sad things in the future? Should we just smile all the time? "Xiaobei seemed to understand a little, but it also seemed like he didn't completely understand.
"Cry when you need to, laugh when you need to. Shouldn't Xiaobei also be examined today?" Zhang Xiaobao said as he patted his sister's head.
Xiaobei nodded vigorously. "Yes, once every three days. Exactly three days. Brother, when will Xiaolu be back?"
"Soon. He should be back in a few days." Zhang Xiaobao looked to the north as he spoke. He didn't know if the people he had sent to the Mohe last year had adapted. According to the estimation of the distance, they should have returned by now. It was probably because the road was difficult to travel and they were delayed on the road.
This time, not only did they have to bring back a large amount of ginseng, but they also had to bring back ferrets and various local animals and plants that they could encounter on the road. They would artificially breed those that could be bred. As for those that couldn't be bred, they would see if they could be processed to find a better market.
"Then I'll wait a little longer. They said that there's going to be a war here. Is that true?"
"Are you afraid? No. Even if there is a war, it will be far from here. No one will dare to come here. "
"I'm not afraid. I still have a tripping rope. Brother, I'm all grown up. Can I have a servant? A fifth rank official?" Xiaobei recalled the time when he was rejected when he asked for a servant.
Zhang Xiaobao thought for a while and nodded. "Okay. Xiaobei, you have to find a servant yourself. I won't give you the money to support the servant. Have you thought about where to find a servant with your salary?"
"Yes. I'll tell you when the time comes." Xiaobei shook his head as if he had won a victory.
At this time, the doctor finished examining the two little guys.
"Little Young Master, everything is normal. Do you want to examine Xiaobei and Xiaobei?"
"Yes, check. They have eaten a lot of candy recently. See how their teeth are." Zhang Xiaobao nodded.
*****
While Jili Province was peaceful, everywhere Between the Clouds and the Water and Blue Sea Silver Sand Restaurant was in chaos.
Blue Sea Silver Sand Restaurant was in a price war. The price of wine and dishes dropped again and again, snatching a lot of business from Between the Clouds and the Water.
Just when everyone thought that Between the Clouds and the Water would also lower the price, Between the Clouds and the Water suddenly increased the price of wine and dishes. Many female waitresses were hired to be in charge of welcoming and delivering customers.
The interior of the restaurant was reduced, but there were some extra things in the middle. For example, a small bridge over flowing water and a reflection of the moon in the pond were all made in the restaurant.
As a result, people who paid attention to this matter found that not only did the business Between the Clouds and the Water not decrease, but more rich people were willing to go Between the Clouds and the Water. It seemed that eating Between the Clouds and the Water was better than eating there.
Some people who knew about this were happy, while others were very angry.
Wu Huifei naturally belonged to the angry group. She originally planned to use the merchants of Jiangnan East to weaken Between the Clouds and the Water, but who knew that it would become Between the Clouds and the Water. She immediately sent someone to tell Wu Feng to think of a solution.
Wu Feng's illness was more or less healed, but he was still a little weak. He got up and found Jiang Lan to discuss with her.
"Manager Wu, why are you looking for me?" Jiang Lan asked after the two sat down in the study.
"What else can it be? Between the Clouds and the Water didn't lose money, but earned more. This is different from what we thought at first. Can you think of another way?" Wu Feng was a little helpless when he received this task, so he asked Jiang Lan when he got someone to send tea and snacks.
Jiang Lan frowned when she heard that. She thought for a while and said, "This is not easy. The person behind Between the Clouds and the Water is Song Jinggong, the number one person on the top list of billionaires. If you want to compete with him in business, first of all, it is troublesome to calculate, and second, you don't have enough money."
"You don't have money?" Wu Feng asked.
"Yes, but we can't spend all of it on opposing the Shuiyun Club. Right now, we can't lower the price any further. This won't work against the Shuiyun Club. All of the merchants of the Jiangnan East Road added together will only be able to match the wealth of the Zhang and Wang families. The Zhang and Wang families have a lot of money. If we really go all out, we'll be losing eight hundred of our own men.
Manager Wu, you can't expect us to go all out against Zhang Family and Wang Family, can you? When we first came here, we said that we would make money. Now that we have invested more and earned less, we can't afford to go all out. "
Jiang Lan looked like she was deceived, as if she was complaining and helpless.
Wu Feng also looked a little embarrassed, but he didn't care. After all, a portion of the merchants of Jiangnan East, led by Jiang Lan, had already boarded the pirate ship.
Hearing Jiang Lan's complaints, he asked, "Then what should we do now? We can't just watch Between the Clouds and the Water grow stronger again. "
"Now, now that things are like this, since we are going to go against Between the Clouds and the Water, then we can't be the only ones doing the work. Don't tell me that no one hates Between the Clouds and the Water? Why don't we find more people and join forces? I'll think of a way to distribute a portion of the business to those who are willing to join forces. "
Jiang Lan pondered for a moment and suggested.
"That's fine, I'll go and contact them now. When the time comes, I'll let Zhang Xiaobao know the consequences of offending the Empress." Wu Feng agreed and picked up his teacup again.
Jiang Lan also drank a mouthful of tea, put down the teacup, and left.
Wu Feng, on the other hand, began to busy himself with roping in other people, wanting to deal with Between the Clouds and the Water together.
A few days later, Wu Feng found Jiang Lan again and brought her to a courtyard. At this time, there were already many people gathered in the courtyard, each of them forming a circle and chatting happily.
The moment Wu Feng entered the courtyard, everyone came forward to greet him.
"Come, come, come, let me introduce someone to everyone. The owner of the Jade Sea Silver Sands, Jiang Lan, Owner Jiang. Everyone, please take a look. Owner Jiang, this is Golden Wave Pavilion's Owner Feng, this is Treasure House's Owner Zheng, this is Tasting Tea Garden's Owner Wang, and this is …"
Wu Feng began to introduce everyone.
Compared to Jiang Lan's Jade Sea Silver Sands, the other people's properties were much lesser. If they didn't gather everyone together, they really wouldn't be able to cooperate with the Jade Sea Silver Sands.
The merchants looked at Jiang Lan and felt conflicted. They were jealous of Jiang Lan's Jade Sea Silver Sands, but they also admired it. None of them knew what to say.
Fortunately, Wu Feng was in the middle of it. Gradually, the distance between everyone and Jiang Lan was shortened. Wine and dishes were served, and everyone began to eat. They talked about the wind and the moon, and talked about the north and south of the country. It wasn't until night time when the banquet was removed and replaced with tea and fruits that Wu Feng began to talk about the main topic.
"Everyone, I'm sure you all understand in your hearts that I've called you here today, and that is to work together to deal with Between the Clouds and the Water. As everyone knows, Between the Clouds and the Water has been snatching other people's business all these years. There's the tavern, the dock, and the supermarket, squeezing the original merchants until there's no space left. If they continue to develop, how can we survive?"
"Manager Wu's words are correct." Jiang Lan echoed. "My people from Jiangnan East came here just to earn some money, but Between the Clouds and the Water immediately started to suppress us. If we don't do anything about it, there will be endless trouble in the future. We should work together."
The merchants immediately followed suit, saying that Between the Clouds and the Water was not good. They didn't dare to directly mention the Zhang Family and the Wang Family, afraid that someone would betray them and let Zhang Family and the Wang Family know about it. They only targeted Between the Clouds and the Water, which was a business transaction, so they didn't have to worry about the Zhang Family and the Wang Family using other means.
Although they said that, many people understood that it wasn't Between the Clouds and the Water that went overboard, but that they didn't seize the opportunity.
When Between the Clouds and the Water expanded, it was always the merchants in the same industry who asked about cooperation. It was only after some people read the contract that they thought that they could get more benefits, and even hoped that after Between the Clouds and the Water came over, they would not cooperate with them and would instead benefit from the cooperation.
In the end, they saw what it meant to be a fierce dragon crossing the river. None of them lost money, and they only earned a little less than before. However, when they saw that the others who cooperated with Between the Clouds and the Water were earning more, they felt that it was unfair.
They wanted to bribe the local people who cooperated with Between the Clouds and the Water to produce goods and snatch the business, but because of the contract, they couldn't succeed. They watched as the people, merchants, and various businesses Between the Clouds and the Water profited, but their side was still half-dead.
When they went to look for Between the Clouds and the Water to cooperate, the conditions Between the Clouds and the Water offered were even harsher. A person's life depended on their face, and a tree's life depended on its bark. They couldn't agree to the cooperation even if they wanted to, so they could only secretly hate in their hearts.
Now that they finally found an opportunity, it didn't matter what they said. What was important was whether they could suppress Between the Clouds and the Water.
After a while, the grievance meeting was over. Everyone agreed on the direction of the operation, and that was to defeat Between the Clouds and the Water. As for whether they could defeat it in the end, it didn't matter. They just wanted to give it a try first.
"Manager Wu, what should we do?" Feng Dongjia of the Golden Wave Pavilion asked when he saw that there was no practical way to do it.
Wu Feng also didn't know what to do. He turned his head to look at Jiang Lan, "Let's let Jiang Dongjia speak."
Jiang Lan didn't stand on ceremony. She coughed and said, "Alright, let me say it. Everyone, help me think if there are any omissions."
"Here's what I think. If we want to deal with Between the Clouds and the Water, we have to first destroy his signboard, which is the Wine Embrace Between the Clouds and the Water. Otherwise, as long as there is a Wine Embrace Between the Clouds and the Water, it will be very difficult to deal with his other businesses. What do you think?"
"Yes." A few people nodded in response.
Jiang Lan continued, "If we want to deal with the Wine Embrace Between the Clouds and the Water, we naturally have to rely on the Blue Sea Silver Sand. It's also the Wine Embrace. If we can snatch the business Between the Clouds and the Water, it will be a success."
At this point, Feng Dongjia interrupted, "Jiang Dongjia, the Blue Sea Silver Sand Wine Embrace is not bad, but the recent price reduction doesn't seem to have any effect. Not only did it not suppress Between the Clouds and the Water, but it also made the business Between the Clouds and the Water even better. Many people feel that eating Between the Clouds and the Water is better than eating Between the Clouds and the Water. Could it be that we can continue to reduce the price?"
As if someone had hit a sore spot, Jiang Lan's face turned slightly red. She explained, "Everyone knows that Between the Clouds and the Water is backed by Song Jinggong, the number one on the Top List of Billionaires. Behind Song Jinggong is the young master of the Zhang family, Zhang Xiaobao, an existence that is beyond the rankings.
With their abilities, it's too easy to turn the tables. The Blue Sea Silver Sand Wine Embrace was not prepared at that time and suffered a loss. Now, we have thought of a countermeasure. It's just that we lack money, so we need everyone to work together. "
"I wonder what Jiang Dongjia has thought of?" Wang Dongjia of Tsing Ming Garden saw that Jiang Lan spoke frankly and admitted their shortcomings, so he asked.
"Well … divide the Blue Sea Silver Sand Wine Embrace into three levels. The highest level is on the third floor, the second floor is on the second floor, and the last floor is on the first floor. You can earn money from both the rich and the ordinary people. Between the Clouds and the Water can only earn money from the rich now, and give up on the low-end.
The Blue Sea Silver Sand Wine Embrace has decided to combine the two. You can invest in the Blue Sea Silver Sand Wine Embrace and expand the business. I'm willing to give up the first, second, and third floors. I only need one floor, and the other two floors will be used to invest. "
Jiang Lan explained.
"Then how do we calculate it?" Zheng Dongjia asked again.
Jiang Lan took out a few pieces of paper from her arms and put them on the table. She said, "Except for the capital and the central cities of Gyeonggi Province, other places will be calculated at a discount. For example, the Blue Sea Silver Sand Wine Embrace in Guannei Province is worth 3,000 strings of coins. If you take out 3,000 strings of coins, then each of you will get 50%.
The first floor, second floor, and third floor will be divided into the second, second, and third floors. Those who want the first floor have to pay 20% of the money, those on the second floor have to pay 30% of the money, those on the third floor have to pay 40%, and the extra 10% is used to deal with public relations. In other words, if I want to occupy the first floor, I need to pay 1,200 strings of coins, and if I want to occupy the third floor, I need to pay 2,400 strings of coins. The extra 10% will also be paid, which is 600 divided by 9.
It's more detailed. "Everyone listened to Jiang Lan's words and began to pass the pieces of paper. It was written very clearly that when the money was paid, it would be put together. When the time came, it would be counted separately, including the cooks. If they still wanted to use the original Blue Sea Silver Sand Wine Embrace, they would have to pay separately.
Everyone's investment in each bar could not exceed the original value of the bar. In other words, Jiang Lan wanted to hold the controlling stake. Everyone's investment would be used partly for renovation and partly for advertising.
In order to show her sincerity, Jiang Lan did not charge any signboard fee. Otherwise, the name Blue Sea Silver Sand Wine Embrace would be worth a lot of money.
After that, the money invested would be used to buy the surrounding houses and build more courtyards for people to rest in. The ratio was equal to the second, third, and fourth floors.
The third floor belonged to the high-end, and it had to make the best food. The second floor belonged to the middle. It could be slightly worse, but the scenery must be there. The first floor was low-end. It had the nature of fast food, and one could slowly taste the wine and dishes in it.
In this way, the low-end earned the money of ordinary people. The second floor was the same as the noble guests Between the Clouds and the Water. The third floor was to be high-quality, higher than Between the Clouds and the Water.
The merchants could choose first from the third floor, and Jiang Lan would ask for the rest. As for the Blue Sea Silver Sand Wine Embrace in Gyeonggi Province, others would have to pay more. When they first occupied the space, they spent a lot of money on public relations fees.
The group of merchants began to calculate how much money each person should take and which floor to occupy. In the end, they realized that they could not occupy the third floor of the Blue Sea Silver Sand Wine Embrace.
One was that the third floor was small, and there might not be that many guests. Moreover, the cost was high. The other was that if they wanted to have a foothold on the third floor, they had to have a good chef and ingredients. Otherwise, others would not go to the third floor.
After some discussion, everyone reached an agreement. They immediately prepared the money and occupied the first and second floors. They prepared a separate space for Jiang Lan on the second floor for her to do other things. This way, the arrangement of shares would be reasonable.
In order to 'take revenge', everyone raised money very quickly. In a few days, a large sum of money was sent to Jiang Lan, and a shopkeeper was sent over to see how to spend it.
As the saying went, there was no such thing as an impermeable wall. While Wu Feng and Jiang Lan were preparing, someone spread the news.
Gao Lishi, who had been paying attention to his son, found out about this matter. It just so happened that a lot of things were sent over from Jili Province, including ingredients. Gao Lishi had someone prepare them and bring them to Li Longji.
Li Longji had been in a good mood recently. One reason was that the people sent by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to the north had returned. They said that the land there was good, that there were almost no people, and that there were many resources.
Another reason was that the two of them had bought a large piece of land in the new province's Commander-In-Chief's Office not far from the Andong Protectorate. In the end, they found a lot of coal there, which could be used for smelting. There were also large pieces of amber and coal essence to be sent over to be used as decorations.
In addition, ever since the Great Tang Bank had become more stable in Suzhou, more people were willing to save money. Zhang Xiaobao was gradually diluting the shares of other people.
With more money, they could expand. What they needed to do now was to turn the recruits into conscripts. Actually, the amount of money spent was about the same, but the difference between conscripts and recruits was that they were stronger.
Even though it would cost money to let them go back a few years later to find a job, they knew what they were fighting for when they fought. Soldiers with conviction were invincible.
With so many good things happening at the same time, Li Longji deliberately invited Empress Wang and Wu Huifei to Xingqing Palace during the meal. Although the two women had their own plans in mind, they appeared to be amiable on the surface.
The dishes had already been arranged, but when they were eating, they suddenly realized that there was an extra dish. Li Longji looked at the extra dish and turned his head to ask Gao Lishi.
"Your Majesty, it was just sent over not long ago. Xiao Bao said that this is the meat of the Manchurian Tiger. It tastes good and can nourish the body, so he sent it over. There is also a complete tiger skin, bones, and penis."
Gao Lishi explained and signaled for a eunuch to bring a piece over.
"Good, tiger meat is good. What have Xiao Bao and Cuckoo been busy with recently? Does Lishi know? "Li Longji asked happily.
"Your Majesty, Xiao Bao and Cuckoo sent a letter saying that they want to build a steelmaking furnace. They found many craftsmen to go to the Governor's Office in the new city and sent three thousand soldiers to protect them. They failed a few times and still haven't succeeded. If they succeed, our army will be stronger."
Gao Lishi replied and then frowned. "Your Majesty, I heard that Blue Sea Silver Sand found many merchants to deal with Between the Clouds and the Water. They are currently renovating. I don't know if Xiao Bao and Cuckoo will be able to take care of them."
"There's such a thing?" Li Longji was stunned and also worried.
At this time, Wu Huifei gently explained, "Your Majesty, Xiao Bao is very capable. It shouldn't be a problem for him to deal with Blue Sea Silver Sand. If he really can't do it, Your Majesty can issue a decree and have the Blue Sea Silver Sand officials help Between the Clouds and the Water. If the Blue Sea Silver Sand doesn't listen, then send troops to seize him."
"Your Majesty, you can't. If you send troops, where will Between the Clouds and the Water be?" Gao Lishi hurriedly dissuaded.
"Your concubine was wrong. Indeed, we can't send troops to deal with them. Aiya, what should we do? Xiaobao and Juanjuan have given your concubine a lot of gifts." Wu Huifei quickly followed up.
How could Li Longji not know that Wu Huifei didn't mean what she said? However, he couldn't side with anyone, especially not Wu Huifei. Otherwise, Xiao Bao and Cuckoo would be anxious.
"Write a letter to Xiao Bao and let him know." Li Longji could only remind them.
At this time, Empress Wang also spoke, "Your Majesty, your concubine thinks that Xiao Bao doesn't need others to remind him of such a small matter. Your Majesty can just watch."
These words made Wu Huifei feel surprised. Could it be that Empress Wang didn't protect Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan? Reminding them at a critical time was better than anything else. The two of them were in Jili Province. By the time they got the news, it would be too late.
Gao Lishi also glanced at Empress Wang and didn't say anything.
Li Longji hesitated and nodded, agreeing with Empress Wang.
Everyone began to eat again. Only Empress Wang ate calmly. She knew what was going on with Blue Sea Silver Sand. On the way back to the capital, she guessed it from Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's words. She thought to herself, "I wonder who's going to be unlucky. Xiao Bao always likes to set traps for others. I hope he doesn't teach Jun 'er and Pan' er to be like this."
The meal was eaten peacefully as everyone had their own thoughts. Then, they went back to their own places.
As soon as Empress Wang returned to her palace, she immediately found a group of palace maids to play with. Wu Huifei sent someone to ask Wu Feng how the news was leaked and asked him to keep it a secret.
Gao Lishi still wrote a letter to Zhang Xiaobao, asking if he had any ideas.
When Zhang Xiaobao received the letter, he was thinking about refractory bricks with Wang Juan. If they wanted to build an open-hearth furnace and a blast furnace, they couldn't do it without refractory bricks. They failed again and again, making the two of them lose confidence.
"I say, how did the steel mill be built during the Industrial Revolution? Can't you understand if we copy it? "Zhang Xiaobao was a little discouraged.
"That was developed by many industries together. Don't worry, we can do it bit by bit. The craftsmen still need time. Think about how to make refractory bricks." Wang Juan was not in a hurry. She was thinking hard.
"That's a lot. Let's use clay and then mix in furnace ash. Let the craftsmen test the proportion. I don't believe that they can't do it."
Zhang Xiaobao rubbed his face hard and asked someone to send the formula to the craftsmen.
Wang Juan also pressed her temples. She took the unopened letter that Gao Lishi asked someone to send over and tore it open. After reading it, she said to Zhang Xiaobao, "The fish took the bait. Let's wait and see. Look, there are quite a few people who hate us."
"Oh? There are people in the Blue Sea Silver Sands forming an alliance? Good, it's good that they formed an alliance. After this, a lot of people will be honest. Has there been any news from the Governor's Office of the new city? What's their reaction? "
Zhang Xiaobao took the letter and glanced at it.
"What other reaction can there be? They're not happy. They feel that they lost out and want to buy back the land. Dream on. That's an open-pit mine. It's easy to dig it up and can be used to make steel."
Wang Juan passed another letter from the other side to Zhang Xiaobao.
Zhang Xiaobao waved his hand and didn't take it. It was fine as long as he knew. He asked, "Is it time to send troops up the coast? Let's go to North America first and bring back the good stuff. "
"There's no hurry. Train for another half a month. When the time comes, send a thousand people to explore the road. Your potatoes and corn will be ready soon." Wang Juan didn't know if this trip would be successful. This could be said to be the first time the Tang Empire explored North America. It was a long journey. She hoped that the people sent could overcome all kinds of difficulties.
*****
Under the attention of many people, the renovated Blue Seas Silver Sand reopened. The crackling of firecrackers didn't stop, and there was a long line of people who came to support the opening.
The people gathered to watch the show. The people eating at Between the Clouds and the Water were also very curious. This was another war between two restaurants. It was just that no one knew who would win.
Wu Feng was waiting for success, and Wu Huifei was also looking forward to venting her anger.
For three consecutive days, the business of the Blue Seas Silver Sand was very good. The restaurant also learned from Between the Clouds and the Water and hired many female employees, especially on the third floor.
The grades were determined, and everyone was earning their own money. Jiang Lan and the other businessmen were very happy.
But as the fourth day came, the number of people eating at the Blue Seas Silver Sand gradually decreased. To be precise, the number of people eating at the first and second floor decreased, but the number of people eating at the third floor was still the same.
This situation made the businessmen who cooperated with Jiang Lan puzzled. Why was it like this?
With all kinds of puzzlement, Zheng Dongjia stopped a customer who came to eat at the restaurant a few days ago.
"Master Wan, what have you been busy with recently?" Zheng Dongjia tried to find a topic to talk about.
"Nothing much, just like before. You're busy, and I'm strolling around." Master Wan was obviously perfunctory.
"Don't, it's almost noon. Why don't you come in and eat? My treat." Zheng Dongjia was about to pull the other party into the restaurant as he spoke.
When the other party saw that Zheng Dongjia was going to pull him in through the front door, he struggled with all his might, but he really didn't have the strength to say, "Zheng Dongjia, don't make it difficult for me. I'll just find a place to eat in front."
"Master Wan, why don't you want to eat at the Blue Seas Silver Sand?" Zheng Dongjia asked, puzzled.
"Who said I don't want to come? I'm willing to go up to the third floor from the outside, but it costs too much. I can't eat here every day. As for going in through the front door, forget it. Spending the same amount of money to eat at other restaurants is a cut above the others, but eating on the first and second floors of the Blue Seas Silver Sand is a cut below the others. Am I not looking for trouble for no reason? "
Master Wan finally told the truth. After he finished speaking, he finally took off his clothes while Zheng Dongjia was in a daze. He hurriedly rushed forward, as if he was afraid that Zheng Dongjia would chase after him again.
Zheng Dongjia was dumbfounded. He looked back at the Blue Seas Silver Sand Restaurant and thought about what Master Wan said just now. He suddenly understood.
"So that's how it is. The first and second floors are neither too low nor too high. If you really want to go low-end, you have to continue lowering the price to the level of a small restaurant. But in that case, you won't even be able to recoup your capital. Just the money you spent on renovations is not a small amount.
If you raise the price and the chef's skills are not good enough, wouldn't it be better for people to eat on the third floor or in the water transport room? Why would they come to the first and second floors of the Blue Seas Silver Sand Restaurant? What should I do? Stairs, yes, it's best to tear down the outside stairs. That way, when people enter the restaurant, they won't know which floor to go to. Okay, I'll go find someone to discuss it. "
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