Ch. 191
News of Ye Ping Rong's great victory quickly spread throughout the capital.
Since it was a victory report, the messenger rode on horseback, and from the moment he entered the city, he held up the urgent victory dispatch while galloping and shouting: "Victory report from the frontier! Victory report from the frontier!"
Passing by many households and shops along the way, the news naturally spread quickly.
When Ye Jiao heard about it, she didn't even have time to finish eating. She had just picked up a steamed bun but put it back down, looking at Qi Yun with some excitement: "Does this mean they won the battle?"
Qi Yun smiled and nodded: "Yes."
"Then Elder Brother will return soon?"
"I'm afraid we'll have to wait a while longer." Qi Yun picked up the steamed bun and placed it in Ye Jiao's bowl, saying coolly: "Although this is called bandit suppression, in reality those bandits are mostly enemy raiders from other countries harassing the people, just disguised as bandits. There are inevitably some enemy spies mixed in among them."
Ye Jiao was eating the steamed bun when she heard this and asked with some confusion: "I've looked at maps before. Those small countries outside are so tiny, why would they still do such things?"
Qi Yun explained gently: "Our dynasty is now prosperous with a strong military, yet we never engage in unrighteous acts and treat foreign nations with particular generosity. But being too benevolent always gives those people the wrong impression, making them think our people are kind and easily bullied. Such harassment has become commonplace, nothing new."
Because he needed to organize trading caravans, Qi Yun had bought several shops near the frontier and arranged capable personnel there, so he understood the situation quite well.
Although the inside and outside of the city were separated by only a wall, they were two different worlds.
Inside the city, the people were prosperous, life was joyful, merchants came and went frequently, naturally presenting a scene of prosperity.
But outside the city, they were still at the stage of bartering. Many small countries were still nomadic, let alone developing commerce, even food and clothing were problems.
People with nothing often had the greatest courage and the cruelest hearts. It wasn't uncommon for them to disguise as bandits and frequently raid the frontier, robbing homes.
The previous emperor had a soft nature and disliked warfare. The battle Ye Ping Rong had fought alongside General Guo was finally a counterattack after accumulated grievances, but even after winning, there weren't many benefits. Once the enemy surrendered, the previous emperor forgave them.
Now seeing the new emperor ascend the throne, and that he was a "scholarly" emperor who liked calligraphy and painting, they wanted to try the same old tricks again to test Chu Chengyun's temperament.
Qi Yun could guess their thinking somewhat. After all, the barefoot aren't afraid of those wearing shoes. Fight a battle, if you lose then you lose, at worst you admit guilt and surrender. Based on past experience, saying some nice words and crying bitterly, you could always be forgiven.
But if they could win, they could extort Chu Chengyun for money and territory. Calculating it this way, wasn't this a business with enormous profits?
But Chu Chengyun didn't hesitate at all, directly sending Ye Ping Rong and elite troops to suppress the bandits. From this decisive counterattack, you could tell that this young emperor might have been taken advantage of by Qi Yun before, but he wasn't prepared to let those barbarians take advantage of him.
Otherwise, why would mere bandit suppression require deploying tens of thousands of elite troops?
Clearly Chu Chengyun was determined to make those small countries know what they were dealing with. Not only did he want to fight, but he wanted to hurt them badly, make them remember the lesson, which was why he sent Ye Ping Rong out to demonstrate power.
Thinking of this, Qi Yun felt those people still didn't understand what so-called scholarly spirit really was.
You should know that scholarly backbone was never just talk. Although Chu Chengyun was benevolent, he wasn't stupid. What he discussed privately with Third Master Qi were all matters of family and country. This person was definitely not the type to sit on the dragon throne living off past achievements.
Some people's backbones bent because of external things. Whether money or power, both could bend some people's spines. But Chu Chengyun was the supreme ruler with everything he could want, so his backbone could be harder than anyone's.
Whoever dared to interfere with his governing strategies, he dared to deal with them. From the previous purging of officials to the later elimination of the two princes, he had never shown mercy.
Moreover, now he was dealing with enemy raiders with ill intentions, there was even less reason to let them off lightly.
But one great victory would hardly satisfy Chu Chengyun. Going forward, Ye Ping Rong would probably be busy for a while longer.
But Qi Yun would keep these thoughts to himself and rarely speak them aloud. He just said gently to his wife: "Warfare isn't an ordinary matter. After this victory report, Elder Brother will probably have to lead troops to clear the battlefield, comfort the people, and handle many affairs. It will still take some time."
Actually, Ye Ping Rong had mentioned these things to Qi Yun before, but Second Master Qi had never told Ye Jiao, afraid his wife would worry and be frightened.
Now it was good. Since there was a great victory, there was no need to worry about Ye Ping Rong's safety anymore. Only now did Qi Yun tell Ye Jiao about these matters.
Indeed, besides looking at him with an expression of "Husband, you know so much," Ye Jiao showed no other worry. Qi Yun felt relieved and calmly served her another steamed bun.
Then he saw Ye Jiao take a hard-boiled egg, peel it, and place the white egg in Qi Yun's bowl.
Perhaps because this had happened many times, Qi Yun didn't need Ye Jiao to say anything. He picked up the egg himself and ate it.
Actually, Second Master Qi didn't particularly like hard-boiled eggs, but every time after their nighttime intimacy, the next day his wife would insist on boiling him an egg for nourishment. Since the words about eating eggs for health were spoken by Qi Yun himself, he could only accept them all.
But after finishing this one, Ye Jiao peeled another one for him.
Qi Yun stared at it for a moment, then silently ate it as well.
After breakfast, Ye Jiao went to Princess Huaning's residence again.
Since she knew Ye Ping Rong wouldn't return for the time being, Ye Jiao wanted to spend more time with Princess Huaning, not only because she was her sister-in-law, but also because Ye Jiao was close to Princess Huaning and always worried about her and little Anhe. Only by visiting could she feel at ease.
Qi Yun took advantage of this period to frequently have Manager Qin come discuss wine shop matters.
Previously, because they couldn't find suitable porcelain, the plan to launch new wine had been shelved. Now that the Wu family shop had opened and agreed to cooperate with the Qi family wine shop, this matter needed to be handled early.
This day, Manager Qin came to the study to find Qi Yun, with a child following beside him.
Second Master Qi set down his brush and recognized her at a glance: "Miss Wu, are you here to find Little Shi Tou today?"
Wu Miao'er was still dressed in men's clothing, her hair tied high, wearing plain cloth and a blue shirt. She looked completely without feminine airs, more like a refined young gentleman.
Hearing Qi Yun's words, Wu Miao'er also bowed as she usually did at the academy: "Second Young Master Qi, I've come to discuss business with you."
Upon hearing this, Qi Yun raised his eyebrows.
There were many people who wanted to discuss business with him. Just in this capital alone, those wanting to get a share of the Qi family's profits could probably line up from the alley to the main street. But Wu Miao'er was the first seven or eight-year-old child to say she wanted to discuss business with him.
However, Qi Yun didn't look down on Wu Miao'er because of her young age. Since Manager Qin could bring her here, it meant this business was worth doing.
Qi Yun stood up, gestured with his hand, and said calmly: "Miss Wu, please sit."
Actually, from the moment she entered the Qi residence, Wu Miao'er had been extremely nervous. Previously coming here was to find Little Shi Tou, but now it was for the Wu family. Even though she came here often, she inevitably overthought.
In her heart, Qi Yun was the benefactor who had saved her family from fire and water and rescued Old Wu. The Wu family had been tied to the Qi family from the moment they reopened.
But Wu Miao'er also knew how shrewd Qi Yun was. Even just talking to him made Wu Miao'er feel nervous.
Qi Yun's current attitude was treating her as a partner rather than a child. Wu Miao'er felt much more settled and bowed again before sitting in the chair.
Manager Qin guided Wu Miao'er to sit to the side, but soon Manager Qin discovered something interesting.
Since those who usually came to Qi Yun's study were adults, the tables and chairs weren't specially prepared for children, so this chair was slightly too high for Wu Miao'er.
After sitting down, her feet couldn't touch the floor at all and swung back and forth. Combined with Wu Miao'er's serious expression, Manager Qin unconsciously curved his lips.
But he quickly restrained his smile, returning to his usual scholarly appearance, saying gently: "Second Young Master, I invited Miss Wu to come together this time because I wanted you to see if this new batch of porcelain can be used."
Qi Yun nodded, then saw Wu Miao'er present a box.
Her movements were extremely solemn, her expression much more serious. When placing the box on the table, her movements were very gentle, and when opening the lid, there was even a hint of a smile on her face, clearly very fond of it.
Qi Yun only glanced once and didn't pay much attention to Wu Miao'er's expression. He lowered his head and saw the porcelain bottle lying quietly in the box.
This porcelain bottle was a very striking dark blue color with faint red patterns mixed in, very eye-catching. The bottle itself had smooth curves, a large belly and narrow mouth, with beautiful coloring in the sunlight and a hint of translucency.
Qi Yun couldn't help but reach out to pick up the bottle and look at it against the sunlight, somewhat surprised: "This thin?"
Although Manager Qin understood many business matters, he knew nothing about porcelain, so he looked toward Wu Miao'er.
Young Wu Miao'er usually appeared slightly immature, and just now even while forcing herself to be brave, you could still see a trace of nervousness. But once she started talking about porcelain, Wu Miao'er's face showed a smile, obviously very confident, and her voice became much more fluent: "This is thin-bodied porcelain, also called eggshell porcelain. Thin as cicada wings, light as silk gauze, translucent when held to light, and very difficult to fire." Seeing Qi Yun turning the bottle around, Wu Miao'er quickly said: "Second Young Master, please be gentler. This bottle can't withstand bumps."
Upon hearing this, Manager Qin sighed inwardly.
In his view, although Wu Miao'er was already an exceptionally outstanding little girl, she was still young and lacking in her speech.
Although the Wu family and Qi family had an understanding that the Wu family would specifically research porcelain for the Qi family, Qi Yun had never made the Wu family people sell their skills unconditionally. Instead, he always properly paid money for accounts without any delays.
This thin-bodied porcelain that Wu Miao'er was holding would be rare even in the market. If the Qi family could really buy it to hold wine, it would be an enormously profitable business that people would beg for.
But this thin-bodied porcelain looked beautiful yet was extremely fragile, breaking with the slightest touch.
This was a flaw. If discussing business seriously, this should naturally be kept quiet. Yet Wu Miao'er had mentioned it right at the start. What if Qi Yun didn't want it? Wouldn't the deal fall through?
But what surprised Manager Qin was that Qi Yun not only didn't dislike it, but actually curved his lips slightly and said quietly: "Can't withstand bumps? Good, excellent."
Manager Qin couldn't understand what was good about it, but seeing Qi Yun's reaction, he knew this bottle had gained his favor and would probably be decided upon.
So Manager Qin immediately said: "Second Young Master, I tried putting wine in this bottle. When pouring it in, you can see the flow pattern of the liquid entering the bottle against the light. It's very beautiful."
Qi Yun glanced at Manager Qin, knowing in his heart that Manager Qin had gone crazy wanting to sell wine. Having a money-making voice in hand but unable to turn it into silver, Manager Qin had probably been privately anxious for a long time. Now he naturally wanted to quickly take the bottles to fill with wine and sell.
However, Qi Yun didn't respond to Manager Qin's words. Instead, he sat down, carefully placed the bottle back in the box, and said to Wu Miao'er: "I like this bottle. 300 per month, can you supply that many?"
Manager Qin was immediately anxious upon hearing this. How could 300 be enough?
But Wu Miao'er's face first showed some hesitation, then she nodded: "It should be possible, but it depends on the price." She had been following Old Wu in managing their family business and could understand some things.
This porcelain couldn't guarantee that every firing would produce perfect results. Many failed firings were smashed to pieces.
Thin-bodied porcelain was especially difficult to fire. To want 300 finished products would probably occupy most of their porcelain kilns.
Wu Miao'er felt somewhat troubled. The price she had in mind would probably have to double, but the Qi family had been kind to her family. Too expensive seemed inappropriate. For a moment, Wu Miao'er didn't know what to do.
At this time, she heard Qi Yun say: "Ten taels of silver per bottle, is that acceptable?"
Upon hearing this, Wu Miao'er was immediately stunned, and Manager Qin also widened his eyes.
Ten taels of silver was equivalent to ten strings of copper coins, not a small amount. For wealthy families, this wasn't much, but for ordinary people, not many could save three taels of silver in a year.
Especially since Wu Miao'er had originally only wanted one string of coins per bottle, now it was suddenly increased tenfold. She truly felt like she'd been hit by a pie falling from heaven.
She couldn't be bothered with haggling over prices and immediately nodded, as if afraid Qi Yun would change his mind, agreeing right away.
But Qi Yun hadn't finished speaking: "This ten taels of silver isn't given freely. I hope these thin-bodied porcelains aren't just solid colors, but can also be fired pure white as jade, with poems and paintings on top. I'll find craftsmen for this aspect and send them to your shop. The Qi family will pay their wages."
Wu Miao'er naturally agreed. Qi Yun had already considered everything, making things easier for her.
Qi Yun smiled and had someone draft an agreement to give to Wu Miao'er, asking her to return and discuss it carefully with Old Wu. They could talk about specific arrangements at their next meeting.
When Wu Miao'er left the study, her expression was somewhat dazed, obviously still not having recovered from the fact that they would have 3,000 taels of fixed income per month.
Manager Qin didn't see her out but stayed in the study. After Wu Miao'er left, he stood up and bowed to Qi Yun, saying: "Second Young Master, I'm somewhat puzzled."
Qi Yun was carefully examining the bottle and didn't look up when he heard this, saying coolly: "Ask."
Manager Qin bowed again: "Although this thin-bodied porcelain is difficult to fire and somewhat precious, it's neither an antique nor one of a kind. Ten taels of silver for one seems too high, and only 300 bottles per month probably won't yield much profit."
Qi Yun didn't answer immediately but placed the bottle on the table, pointed at it, and asked: "Is this bottle beautiful?"
Manager Qin nodded: "Beautiful."
"If I sold it to you for ten taels each, would you want it?"
Manager Qin immediately shook his head. Thin-bodied porcelain was rare but still not worth ten taels.
Qi Yun didn't mind and continued: "What if it contained Jinzun wine?"
Manager Qin calculated in his mind and shook his head again: "Still not worth it."
"Then what if I had people paint patterns on it, and only sold 300 per month, fifty taels per bottle, requiring careful handling to avoid breaking, and each person could only buy two bottles at most each time. Would you still want it?"
Manager Qin's first reaction upon hearing this was that his second young master had gone mad. Just this small bottle of wine for fifty taels, was it filled with melted gold?
But soon Manager Qin realized, staring at that bottle for a moment, his face showing sudden understanding.
Seeing his reaction, Qi Yun knew Manager Qin understood immediately, feeling satisfied in his heart. After all, having a smart manager could save a lot of trouble. He said aloud: "This bottle and wine separately aren't worth much money, but put together, add some gimmicks, and there will be plenty of buyers."
Manager Qin immediately followed up: "What they're buying isn't whether it's worth it or not, but whether they can have it."
What this capital lacked least were wealthy families. Jinzun wine was already quite expensive. In other places, selling one jar per day would be good, but in this capital, the Qi family wine shop's best seller had always been Jinzun wine.
Was Jinzun wine really much better than Yuye wine? Not necessarily.
But it had a market. Even if sold at gold prices, people would still want it.
Now Qi Yun really was going to sell something at gold prices, and only 300 bottles per month. Manager Qin could almost imagine how the regular customers at the wine shops would react.
These people disliked most having others possess what they didn't have.
This item would probably be in short supply.
Understanding the intricacies involved, Manager Qin looked at Qi Yun with completely different eyes. Once explained, it seemed easy to understand, just grasping the psychology of these wealthy and powerful families. But that Qi Yun could think of this and endure for so long, waiting until finding such a suitable bottle before taking action, was truly impressive.
Manager Qin's mental abacus clicked away noisily. Thinking of the profits to come, his face flushed with excitement.
Only then did Manager Qin remember to ask: "Second Young Master, what will this wine be called?"
Qi Yun thought for a moment: "Since it uses a brewing method similar to Jinzun wine, let's call it Jinling Zui."
Jinling Zui... good name, sounds expensive just hearing it!
Without Qi Yun needing to give many instructions, Manager Qin happily went to prepare, reaching agreement with the Wu family at the fastest speed, finding craftsmen good at calligraphy and painting to make the first batch. When the first ten bottles came out, Manager Qin eagerly wanted to take them out to sell.
But Qi Yun stopped him: "Don't sell any of these ten. Pack them all in good wooden boxes. I'm going to give them as gifts."
Hearing this, Manager Qin felt some heartache. He was most stingy, and now looking at these Jinling Zui bottles was like looking at small gold bars. Giving them away for free made his heart twist with pain.
But Manager Qin also knew his second young master was never one to enjoy doing charity. He must have his own reasons for doing this. Without asking more questions, he just said: "Second Young Master, to whom should they be given?"
"In a couple days, send them to Princess Huaning's residence as a gift from me to my nephew. Also pass along word that if Princess Huaning is interested in doing business together with the Qi family, we can discuss it."
Manager Qin immediately understood that Qi Yun was planning to do the Jinling Zui business together with Princess Huaning's residence. This was purely giving profits to Princess Huaning's household, but thinking that it was Ye Jiao's elder brother's family, having some connections wasn't strange. Manager Qin said nothing more, agreed, and withdrew.
Two days later was little Ye Anhe's full-month celebration.
Although Ye Ping Rong had not yet returned, news of his great victory at the frontier was known to everyone in the capital. Moreover, Princess Huaning was the emperor's most favored sister, and many people wanted to curry favor with her. So this full-month celebration was particularly lively.
Outside Princess Huaning's residence, carriages came and went continuously. Those coming to congratulate included imperial relatives and high-ranking nobles. Regardless of their usual relationships, everyone who came now wore smiling faces and appeared very amiable.
Ye Jiao arrived earlier than everyone else and stayed by Princess Huaning's side the whole time.
Perhaps because of her good foundation, Princess Huaning hadn't developed any problems from childbirth. Just out of confinement, Princess Huaning looked as graceful as ever, her face fair and clean. With light makeup, she was radiant.
She hadn't brought Anhe out. Although the weather was warmer now, Anhe was still small, and Princess Huaning doted on him, afraid he might catch cold or be bumped. She just had people keep the little fellow inside under watch.
The guests attending the full-month celebration weren't there for Anhe but for Princess Huaning and the reputation of the Ye household.
Perceptive people all knew that Ye Ping Rong would definitely receive important positions in the future. With military achievements now, promotions for military officers depended on battle merits. After returning this time, he would probably jump three ranks and become a highly sought-after figure.
Although Princess Huaning didn't particularly like socializing, she now had to consider not only herself but also her child and husband, so Princess Huaning appeared particularly busy.
After Ye Jiao confirmed that Princess Huaning was in good health, she found a place to sit and said to Shi family's wife beside her: "Ying Xiu, what are you looking at?"
Hearing this, Shi family's wife held up the porcelain bottle in her hand for Ye Jiao to see, her eyes filled with admiration: "This wine is delicious, sweet as honey yet not intoxicating. The bottle is also beautiful. Look, the calligraphy and painting on it are all from famous masters."
Ye Jiao looked and said: "This is Jinling Zui from my family's wine shop. It hasn't started selling yet. I brought it here as a gift for Princess Huaning's banquet."
Hearing this, Shi family's wife turned the bottle in her hand and quickly understood the deeper meaning.
This Jinling Zui probably wasn't cheap. Bringing it now served not only as a gift but probably also to let the distinguished guests at the banquet know the wine's reputation. Once they became curious and inquired, when the Qi family wine shop began selling it, this Jinling Zui would quickly become popular.
Truly business material, Shi family's wife thought. This Second Master Qi had a brain made of gold.
Ye Jiao didn't know Shi family's wife had thought so much. Her eyes turned to an ornament at Shi family's wife's waist, and she reached out to touch it curiously, asking: "This carving is beautiful. Where did you buy it?"
Shi family's wife looked down, and before she could speak, her ears turned red first.
What Ye Jiao was looking at was a wooden carved carp she wore at her waist. It wasn't bought but given to her by Liu Rong.
Ever since Liu Rong learned that Shi family's wife liked wood carvings, he had started learning to carve himself. This carp was a finished product Liu Rong had made after practicing for quite some time, and he had happily come to give it to Shi family's wife.
Although Shi family's wife said nothing with her mouth, she had removed her priceless jade pendant and wore this wooden carp daily, never leaving it behind.
Seeing her silence, Ye Jiao was about to say something when she saw Princess Huaning hurrying over.
Seeing some urgency on Princess Huaning's face, those who had originally wanted to approach her all closed their mouths and tactfully stepped aside, not crowding forward.
Princess Huaning sat beside the two of them, and without bothering with pleasantries, said directly: "News just came from the palace that something happened in Dingzhou. Someone used an excuse to rebel, and the court needs to send troops to suppress it."
Ye Jiao said nothing. She didn't understand these matters and just looked at Princess Huaning, while Shi family's wife frowned: "Does it concern you?"
After all, this dynasty's territory was vast with many local officials. There were always some blind ones wanting to cause trouble. Such disturbances were common, and she hadn't seen any that would make Princess Huaning this anxious.
But Princess Huaning shook her head and said to Shi family's wife: "It has nothing to do with me, but it concerns you."
Shi family's wife was startled and instinctively asked: "What do you mean?"
Princess Huaning gripped Shi family's wife's hand tighter and lowered her voice: "I heard that Liu Rong just entered the palace and voluntarily requested to lead troops to suppress the rebellion."