Chapter 673 - 070 Jealous_1
Lin Yuan almost spit out the tea Xia Zheng handed her, this guy actually dared to haggle with the Emperor himself, thinking he was some kind of lord? Initially, when she heard Xia Zheng mention delivering tofu to the old man in the Capital city for a taste test, she had no clue that the ’old man’ referred to the Emperor. It wasn’t until that day, when she heard Lao Fan complain about not eating or sleeping well in the palace, that she learned it from his complaints.
Lin Yuan silently took a napkin and wiped the tea from her mouth. Xia Zheng’s aunt had entered the palace as a concubine to the Emperor, namely Consort Shu, the Third Prince Zhao Hongde’s birth mother. That said, the Emperor was Xia Zheng’s uncle by marriage. Not only that, but Princess Anle was also the Emperor’s sister. Considering these connections, it made sense that Xia Zheng was on close terms with the Emperor. No wonder he had the audacity to refer to him as an old man.
As for the matter of book printing, in Xia Zheng’s own words, it was this cunning old man’s attempt to scam him of his silver. Putting aside whether the Emperor really wanted to scam him, with the national treasury at hand, would the Emperor even care about his paltry amount of silver?
Originally, the Emperor had considered assigning the task of book printing, which required a considerable amount of Silver Taels, to a private party. Moreover, as Xia Zheng had earned a substantial fortune through his business ventures, the Emperor naturally took an interest in his wealth. To some extent, the decision was also because the Emperor felt Xia Zheng, his own nephew, was a trustworthy choice.
It’s just a pity that this job of book printing really didn’t make any money. Strictly speaking, it might even require additional investment. A shrewd person like Xia Zheng wouldn’t accept this hot potato. With no other recourse, the Emperor let the matter drop.
However, now that they had Lin Yuan’s methods, this matter had to be reconsidered.
Lin Yuan thought for a moment and then patted Xia Zheng’s hand, "You, oh you, are still too naive! Why the need for a bonus? After you go back, first talk to the, cough cough, the Emperor, and get the book printing job. Once it’s in our hands, we can print however we want without having to explain to anyone."