Chapter 1297 - 1303 Rumours Arise (5)
Cai Wei had also left the palace early in the morning. The release of people from within was drawing to a conclusion, and the several hundred thousand taels of silver she had amassed were nearly spent. Her early departure was twofold: to collect silver and review the books at the various shops and to meet with Xiang Yun, gossip about family matters, and help her alleviate some worries.
When she arrived at Mi Fangzhai, the shopkeeper of Mi Fangzhai saw that the Empress Dowager was gracing them with her presence. He hurriedly invited Cai Wei upstairs and, after serving tea, respectfully presented a contract for her to examine.
Cai Wei took the contract and saw it was a stock transfer contract stating that Mi Fangzhai would split shares between the two, with Cai Wei holding four parts and Manager Wen six.
The sudden appearance of three additional shares wasn’t lost on Cai Wei, who knew it wasn’t a simple matter. She smiled, set the contract down, and said, "Manager Wen, what is this for? Why have you suddenly offered me these three extra shares? If you have any plans or demands, feel free to speak directly to me."
Manager Wen hadn’t expected the Empress Dowager to be so forthright. He thought he would need to express the matter in a more roundabout way but, now that the Empress Dowager had asked, he simply had to bite the bullet and say it.
"Your Highness, I wish to become the Imperial Merchant supplying rouge powder to the palace and hope for your support!"
Cai Wei laughed and said, "As far as I know, even without the title of Imperial Merchant, most of the ladies in the palace use our Mi Fangzhai’s products. Why do you bother doing this?"
Manager Wen replied, "Your Highness, if the name isn’t right, then the words don’t carry weight. Although many High Concubines in the palace use our Mi Fangzhai products, the people of the world do not know of this. There are competitors who malign us, claiming that none of the ladies in the palace actually use our Mi Fangzhai products, accusing us of self-flattery and boasting. Therefore, I want to legitimize this matter and shut up those gluttonous miscreants talking behind our backs."