While the Wu Clan and their sisters-in-law were talking with the Old Man in Xiangtan Courtyard, Huarong snuck into the Wu Clan's room. Sure enough, she saw several paintings on the pear blossom table where they usually kept their embroidery.
She hurriedly sat down and opened them for a closer look. The men in the paintings were all handsome and had a quiet and peaceful temperament. Beside them were their names and origins.
Huarong memorized the men's backgrounds, then secretly returned to her doghouse — the Moon Embracing Pavilion.
Based on her previous experience, Huarong guessed that her uncle's anger had mostly subsided, so she personally went to the kitchen to make tea. She even put a few goji berries in the tea and very politely brought it to Gu Weikai's study.
"Uncle, are you here? Anin specially made your favorite hanchun tea for you. "Huarong's voice was gentle and well-behaved. She was a completely different person from the woman who had disguised herself as a man and violated the law.
Gu Weikai was standing by the window of the study, as if he had encountered something difficult. He rubbed the bridge of his nose from time to time. When he heard Huarong's voice, his expression softened. He thought about how Huarong always acted and thought that she couldn't help but want to go out.
"Come in." There was no joy or anger in his voice, but Huarong didn't care. Regardless of whether her uncle was angry or happy, she wasn't afraid.
She brought the tea in and gently placed it on the left corner of the desk. "Is there something bothering you, Uncle?" When she came in, she happened to see Gu Weikai rubbing his forehead.
Huarong was likable not only because she was the only daughter in the family, but also because she had a sense of propriety and knew how to read people's expressions. She could tell that something was bothering him just by rubbing his forehead, and she even dared to ask about it. This was something that many modern girls couldn't do, or didn't dare to do.
Without waiting for Gu Weikai to respond, Huarong continued, "Is it about the salt permits?"
Gu Weikai nodded. "Last time, you secretly followed your second uncle to the southwest. Your second uncle bought a piece of land there so that it would be easier to get the salt permits."
"Although the Prince Of Qi's fief is remote, it has a salt lake. Salt permits are hard to come by everywhere. The Prince Of Qi's fief is remote, which is why Second Uncle is interested in it. Why? Is there a problem with the Prince Of Qi? "Huarong began to chat naturally.
Speaking of which, the family had been unhappy with her for a few years when discussing business matters. They had originally restrained her, but ever since she secretly followed Second Uncle Gu Weicong to the Southwest and even came up with a scheme to let Gu Weicong make a fortune, the family let her do whatever she wanted. As long as she did not break the law, they would turn a blind eye to everything she did.
Gu Weikai sighed and sat down with his jade pot and pipe. "I just received news that His Majesty intends to appoint a marriage between the Prince Of Qi and the Crown Prince. He has already decreed that the Crown Prince of Prince Of Qi should enter the capital."
"His Majesty suspects the Prince Of Qi? He wants to detain the Crown Prince of Prince Of Qi in the capital as a hostage? " The more Huarong thought about it, the more it made sense. "If there really is a problem with the Prince Of Qi, then we can't send our grain over to trade for salt permits. Actually, Anin thinks that selling rice is pretty good. Why sell salt? The competition is so fierce. You might not even be able to get a salt permit even if you break your head. "
"The gods above are fighting. If you're not careful, you'll be used as cannon fodder. It's better to be careful. Let's not compete for salt permits this year." In the end, Gu Weikai made the final decision. After he finished speaking, he said with a pained expression, "I spent tens of thousands of taels of silver on this land. It's a loss, a loss."
Huarong was here to apologize, so he naturally had to make his uncle happy. His eyes lit up as he said, "There are many uses for the rice. If we really can't sell it, we can buy a batch of pigs to raise. We can sell the rice and feed the pigs the chaff. If we can't sell the rice, we won't go to waste. If we don't raise pigs, we can raise chickens and ducks. If we can't sell these poultry, we'll have our own restaurant."
"The transportation costs are already a loss." Gu Weikai didn't think it was feasible. "The southwest is poor and remote. I'm afraid we'll lose even more."
"How can we lose money? The land still belongs to our family. We can plant it every year. Even if we lose money, we'll only lose money on labor and seeds. If Eldest Uncle thinks that we can make more money elsewhere, then you don't have to think so much. There's no business that doesn't lose money. Besides, as Anin said, raising poultry isn't necessarily a loss. "
"Alright, I'll talk to your second uncle tomorrow and ask him to do it." Gu Weikai still felt the pinch, but it was a foregone conclusion. He didn't have a better way.
Huarong immediately poured tea for him. "Eldest Uncle, have some tea. Tomorrow, you can tell second uncle that every inch of land must be put to use. You can plant vegetables when you're not planting grains. You can plant all kinds of food, such as beans and the like. You can't waste an inch of land. Moreover, raising poultry will solve the problem of fertilizer."
Gu Weikai chuckled when he heard this. He felt less pained. "You're so fussy. What's wrong? Are you anxious after hearing that we're going to choose a husband for you? "
Gu Huarong knew that everyone in the family knew. She curled her lips and lowered her head. "Anin doesn't want to get married yet."
"Nonsense. You're already of marriageable age. If you don't talk about marriage, you won't be able to find a good one. Don't worry, our family has no reason to wrong you. Your grandmother said to find someone to marry into our family. Let's see if he dares to bully you."
Huarong widened her eyes in shock. "Marry into our family? There's no need for that. Anin has a lot of older brothers. "
"Of course, we're not looking for someone who has nothing to his name to marry into our family. We have to test his character, knowledge, and temperament." When Gu Weikai talked about Huarong's marriage, he was extremely serious. It was as if it was a matter of life and death for the family.
Huarong secretly heaved a sigh of relief. According to this standard, she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to get married in a short time. "Eldest Uncle, what about Brother Seven? I've ruined his reputation. "
"It's okay. Our Gu family is considered a wealthy family. It doesn't matter if we have one or two playboys. Your Brother Seven doesn't want to be an official or inherit the family business. He's just as passionate about studying as your father. When the time comes, you can just find a well-behaved daughter from an ordinary family."
Huarong didn't dare to continue. The Gu family was a bit biased towards women. She silently lit a candle for Gu Changan in her heart to show her sympathy. She begged for permission to be released from confinement. She felt refreshed and shouted to the sky, "I, Hu Hansan, am back!"
As usual, she changed into men's clothes and appeared at the largest restaurant in the capital — Yipin Restaurant. This restaurant was opened by the richest man in the capital. Needless to say, it was luxurious. The most famous restaurant was the top scholar's table.
It was said that many years ago, the Minister of Shangshu, who was still an examinee, came to the capital to take the exam. Unfortunately, he was robbed of his money and had no money. But people were made of iron and steel. If he didn't eat for a day, he would be hungry. He needed to eat.
What if he didn't have money? He happened to be standing at the side of Yipin Restaurant. When he saw that the people eating inside were all scholars, he thought of a plan.
It was said that when the Minister of Shangshu walked into the restaurant, he boasted loudly, "I have a pair of couplets here. If anyone here can match the second half, I will give him a hundred taels. If not …" He deliberately kept people guessing.
The students who came to the capital to take the exam were inexperienced. Not many people saw through his evil plan. They only felt that this person was very arrogant and wanted to break his spirit. Someone asked, "What if you can't match it?"
"If you can't match it, just give me ten taels. I won't bully you."
He was extremely arrogant. Immediately, the students were eager to give it a try. Just like that, the Minister of Shangshu made a lot of money in Yipin Restaurant.
Huarong's chin was pressed against the window. She stared blankly at the Minister of Shangshu's bowl full of couplets. Nowadays, Yipin Restaurant was no longer a place to earn money for a living. It was a place where scholars could make a name for themselves.
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