Chapter 192: Gotta Make Some Waves
Qin Yuan thought, Marquis Gu’s clothing each needs to be embroidered with such a mark, the embroideresses in the needlework room would have to embroider day and night for about a month.
Especially since it’s her.
Marquis Gu thought for a moment and said, "I’ll find a way."
Qin Yuan reluctantly responded, "Alright."
Marquis Gu asked, "Yuan’er, do you find it bothersome?"
He asked cautiously.
Qin Yuan said, "If every piece needs to be embroidered by me personally, who knows when it will be finished."
Marquis Gu thought for a moment and said, "Just embroider two pieces for me first."
With two pieces, he could show off in front of others.
Actually, that’s all he originally intended.
"Alright," Qin Yuan didn’t want to continue the topic, "Why did you say Zhenzhen might have been implicated by the Dingbei Marquis Mansion? Have you discovered anything?"
Gu Jinghui hesitated for a while, before saying, "I suspect that Mrs. Zhao has ties with the Yelv Family hostage, Zhenzhen and Mrs. Zhao came and went close together, but the nanny beside Mrs. Zhao insists that Mrs. Zhao left the mansion during daylight the day before. These matters are yet to be confirmed. When you see Brother Cheng and Sister Yu later, don’t let anything slip, as this is just my suspicion."
Qin Yuan’s heart raced.
Looking at many things connected together, it felt deeply intricate.
Seeing Qin Yuan silent for so long, Gu Jinghui hesitated and said, "I’ll be leaving, you should rest first."
Qin Yuan snapped back to reality, hurriedly saying, "I still have something to trouble you with, husband."
"Tell me."
Gu Jinghui sat back down again.
Qin Yuan explained in detail, "I want to find some people to inquire about the current pepper market in the Capital City, has the Prince Qi Mansion done anything, and also have someone send a letter to Shen Changle, there are some things I want him to handle."
"Alright," Gu Jinghui said, "Seventeen has already gathered some intelligence, in Yan State there’s aged pepper available, priced at forty-eight taels of silver per pound, if bought in large quantities, the price can be negotiated."
Qin Yuan nodded and said, "After the information is gathered, is it okay for me to decide then?"
Gu Jinghui replied, "Sure."
Qin Yuan called someone in to clean the table and asked someone to brew tea.
Marquis Gu said, "I have other matters, I’ll skip the tea."
Outside, the sun was blazing.
Qin Yuan asked Hong Ye to bring out the painted umbrella, and had Gu Shiliu hold it for the Marquis.
Marquis Gu felt a bit awkward, but couldn’t refuse Qin Yuan’s kindness, so he went along with her.
After leaving Wutong Garden, Gu Shiliu held the umbrella high, shading Gu Jinghui, and couldn’t help but laugh, "Marquis, madam is showing more care for you."
Marquis Gu said sternly, "Ah, you don’t understand."
Gu Shiliu: "..."
It’s always the same, he would understand everything once he’s married.
Isn’t it?
The Marquis, originally indifferent to wind and rain, has just been married for such a short time, and now needs an umbrella and shade.
Who would believe it if told?
Qin Yuan leisurely tasted tea for a while before opening a box to continue reading Manager Leng’s letter.
Manager Leng mentioned he tried a few Dragon Brain Sandalwood Pills brought by Nanny Rong, they’re calming and suitable for the elderly during the bitter summer, and believes if Qin Yuan intends to sell them, they will quickly gain favor among the nobles.
His considerations were very thorough, saying that if Qin Yuan worries about the recipe spreading, the ingredients could be provided by Ranxiang Inn, and she would only need to blend according to the recipe, while steps like rolling, drying, and baking the incense pills would be completed by Ranxiang Inn, saving much effort.
If Qin Yuan only wants to sell the recipe, it’s okay too, but the best way is for her to invest the recipe in Ranxiang Inn, and share profits according to their income.
That’s indeed a once-and-for-all method.
Qin Yuan handed the letter to Hong Ye and Cui Ming to read, Cui Ming also said, "Using the recipe as investment is the most cost-effective and convenient."
Hong Ye asked, "What does Miss think?"
Qin Yuan laughed, "I let you two see, to consider, and yet you ask me."
Hong Ye said, "I don’t understand what Miss is thinking. If it’s for convenience, handing it over to Ranxiang Inn is best, but if Miss wants to sell it in her own shop, then it’s a different approach."
Qin Yuan checked the hour, this was indeed the time for Old Madam to rest, so it was inconvenient to visit the main house to find Nanny Rong, and said, "I’ll ask my mother and Nanny Rong in the main house in the evening."
She had Hong Ye help her change clothes, loosen her hair, and planned to take a nap.
After lying down, Qin Yuan remembered something, got up and searched the box Gu Shiliu brought, and sure enough, found a neatly bound new book.
On the cover were clearly printed the six large characters "Poetry Collection of Traveling in Yuyuantan."
The title was straightforward, neither good nor bad.
Qin Yuan couldn’t help but smile.
Hong Ye said, "Miss, why did you get up when I could have found it for you."
Qin Yuan said, "I just suddenly remembered, hoping to see if it’s there, this is the poetry collection Shen Changle printed, see how it is?"
Earlier, she was absorbed in questioning Marquis Gu, almost forgetting about this.
Since Sixth Master Gu already had the poetry collection, Shen Changle, being meticulous, would naturally send her a copy.
Qin Yuan slowly flipped through a few pages, the poetry collection was printed with great care, the paper was thick and dense, the characters clear, just the cover was not that eye-catching.
Hong Ye said, "For Shen Changle to accomplish this in such a short time, he’s truly talented, Miss is good at employing people."
Cui Ming also nodded, saying, "I don’t understand these, but it looks refined and valuable, Sixth Master should be pleased."
Qin Yuan put down the poetry collection, saying, "Indeed it’s good, but it could still be improved."
Hong Ye and Cui Ming left her to rest, but though Qin Yuan lay in bed, she was utterly sleepless.
Listening to Marquis Gu, she secretly formed an idea.
In her previous life, military generals were suppressed by civil servants, and civil servants were divided into factions, allowing Lin Ziqi to rise quickly due to factional conflicts giving him opportunities.
Factional conflicts trapped civil servants in muddy struggles, coupled with natural and human disasters, tied Daxing’s hands, and the public feared war and extravagance flourished, all of which greatly benefited the Yelv Family.
Qin Yuan thought, behind this, Yelv Guza’s influence was indispensable.
In her previous life, she urged Lin Ziqi, as Prime Minister, to keep Daxing in mind to protect against being labeled a treacherous minister and leaving a notorious name in history.
But Lin Ziqi had long forgotten in the midst of luxury, even knowing the Yelv Family’s forces would surely return to Daxing, where there’d be no resistance, he showed no willingness to act.
He wouldn’t even listen to Qin Yuan mentioning it, fostering deep suspicion towards her.
In this life, Qin Yuan thought, she had a different beginning, knowing opportunities ahead, she couldn’t possibly lack ways to defend against Yelv Guza and his cohort’s success.
She is a Da Xing person, how could she watch the Yelv Family’s forces march southward, to trample Daxing completely?
Thinking of this, Qin Yuan sat up again, looked down at the poetry collection lying quietly beside her bed, and murmured, "I must think of a way to stir things up, for my cousin Si Yuan, right?"