Yun Lie rubbed his nose with his left index finger, sat back down, and smiled guiltily: "Being pregnant, it's inevitable that I'll have some strange requests. Let Xiong Xiaoyi come to eat tomorrow, and it would be best if he brought a few more people with him."
After all, he still owes more than a hundred pear bowls... and who knows how many more he will ruin.
78. Chapter Seventy-Eight
As the new city gradually took shape as expected, the establishment of the Prince Zhao's residence was also finalized with its initial staff.
The six cities of Linchuan were combined into Linzhou, with the prefectural government located in the new city of Linchuan. The left vice minister Song Jiuyuan and the right vice minister Fu Ying jointly oversaw the administration and people's livelihood of the six cities and supervised the officials under the prefectural government.
Xiong Xiaoyi received the military seal of the Linchuan Army Commander, Gao Zhan took office as the Craftsman's Assistant, and Fu Qian, the third son of the Fu family who never showed his age, took the position of "Director of the Imperial Academy" in Linchuan Prefecture.
Ultimately, everyone has their own role, and everything is being improved step by step in an orderly manner. On the land shared by His Highness Prince Zhao and His Highness Princess Zhao, a brand new atmosphere is slowly unfolding.
****
As her pregnancy became more apparent, Luo Cuiwei belatedly realized that her birth mother had died from postpartum hemorrhage. So she made a special trip to Jishetang with Xiahou Ling by her side.
She left Xiahou Ling outside the small consultation room and went in alone to talk with the doctor for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, carefully asking him many questions.
From then on, she followed the doctor's instructions as much as possible in her eating, drinking and behavior, without being careless in the slightest.
Before she knew it, it was early December. Luo Cuiwei had finally overcome the hardships of early pregnancy and her spirits had improved considerably, so she settled down and began to get things done.
To avoid future gossip and unnecessary trouble, Luo Cuiwei instructed Xiahou Ling to consolidate her current miscellaneous business dealings and, like ordinary merchants in the city, obtain official documents from the temporary government office. They then set up shop in the gradually expanding market, establishing "Guanghuitang" as their business name.
Over the past few months, some people have come to know that Xiahou Ling is a close confidante of the Princess. Since it is necessary to keep Luo Cuiwei's relationship with Guanghuitang low-key, it is inconvenient for Xiahou Ling to be at the forefront. Therefore, the two of them decided to help Song Qiuqi get ahead.
Having experienced the coldness and warmth of human relationships at a young age, and endured many days of hunger and hardship, Song Qiuqi, this young girl, has a kind of "newborn calf" courage. Although she knows that the matter is not small, she is very willing to follow Luo Cuiwei and take on the challenge.
And so, the manager of Guanghuitang was decided.
Despite her young age, Song Qiuqi is efficient, diligent, and reliable. Most importantly, she is quick-witted, eager to learn, and well-liked. With her call to action, many young people in the village are immediately eager to seek employment at Guanghuitang.
After careful evaluation in secret, Luo Cuiwei and Xiahou Ling selected some capable young men and women, who quickly helped to maintain order at Guanghuitang.
Afterwards, Xiahou Ling guided Song Qiuqi to gradually get started, and with Luo Cuiwei in charge of the overall situation, the previously unknown Guanghuitang gradually gained some reputation in Linchuan City.
****
As the year drew to a close, seeing that the Prince Zhao's mansion in the city was nearing completion, Luo Cuiwei keenly sensed a business opportunity and summoned Xiahou Ling to her side.
“Our house and the Fu family’s house were the first to be built, and now they are almost finished. This means that many other houses in the city should be completed soon,” Luo Cuiwei said with a smile that made her eyes look like little gold ingots. “Any decent house will need some novel flowers and trees in the garden, right?”
This isn't a big deal; so far, none of the businesses in the city, big or small, have noticed it.
There aren't many types of flowers and trees in Linchuan, and even fewer unique and beautiful varieties. With so many new houses about to be built, if we could import some rare local items from other places, we wouldn't have to worry about selling them.
“Go tell Song Qiuqi to write to Luo Fengming in the name of the manager of Guanghuitang, asking him to buy large flower and tree varieties suitable for transplanting and viewing in the southwest. The goods will be shipped over by water after the New Year,” Luo Cuiwei tapped her fingertips on the table and added, “The quantity doesn’t need to be too large, just enough for at most fifty or sixty houses.”
After all, the Luo family mansion was in the capital, and their business was centered in the Central Plains. Luo Cuiwei and Yun Lie did not want the Luo family to be targeted by the forces in the capital and become an innocent target for others to attack the Prince Zhao's Mansion. Therefore, they decided to make the business between Guanghuitang and the Luo family a purely mutually beneficial business.
The Luo family, of course, had already been informed and knew that the real owner behind Guanghuitang was Luo Cuiwei. As long as it was a business deal for Guanghuitang, whether it was purchasing or shipping goods, large or small, they paid extra attention to it.
Xiahou Ling thought for a moment and cautiously analyzed, "Ordinary small households don't have the financial resources to be particular about the types of flowers and trees. Once these fifty or sixty decent houses in the city have bought up our first batch of goods, if other merchants follow suit, the market will be oversupplied. Could this inadvertently cut off the cash flow of some small merchants?"
In fact, both Luo Cuiwei and Xiahou Ling were apprentices of Luo Huai in business. One of Luo Huai's bottom lines in business was to "leave room for maneuver in everything" and never to set traps for his competitors without good reason.
"Don't worry, once our goods are sold after the New Year, experienced business owners will understand that this is just a one-off deal. Even if they regret missing out on this huge profit, they won't rush to follow suit."
Seeing that Xiahou Ling still had doubts, Luo Cui smiled and said, "After we clear out our goods, if anyone else follows suit, they will be completely stuck with them. It may take three to five years to clear out the stock. After all, even wealthy families don't disturb the garden every few days."
Because this is not a business that can be done in the long run, the merchants in the city have not yet noticed it.
Ironically, this kind of "short-lived business" that others wouldn't notice now is exactly what Luo Cuiwei needs most.
According to the current plan of Prince Zhao's Mansion, the Linchuan Army will start a war against the Northern Di at the latest by the end of autumn or the beginning of winter next year. At that time, the consumption of various military supplies will inevitably increase dramatically. Therefore, she must ensure that the flow of funds on hand does not run out throughout the year in order to continuously guarantee the military supplies of the Linchuan Army.
At this time, Luo Fengming could start preparing goods, and when they were delivered after the New Year, the houses of each family would be completed, which would be the perfect opportunity to sell the goods and turn them into cash. This would greatly shorten the time that cash flow would be tied up due to hoarding.
Nowadays, Guanghuitang's business follows this path: being one step ahead, trading back and forth, making profits very quickly, and accumulating wealth little by little.
****
Refocusing on business again did not increase the burden on Luo Cuiwei's pregnancy. Apart from having a larger appetite and being a little sleepy, everything was fine.
However, Yun Lie did not dare to be careless. As soon as he had a free moment that day, he immediately sent someone to invite the doctor from Jishetang. He could only feel at ease if he heard the doctor confirm it in person.
Jishengtang naturally attached great importance to the affairs of Prince Zhao's residence, and specially dispatched Hua Ming, the most outstanding doctor among the younger generation in the Linchuan branch.
Hua Ming is only in her early twenties, but her medical skills are solid and superb, and she is also very meticulous.
After confirming that Luo Cuiwei's pregnancy was stable, she took the initiative to look at the various recipes carefully prepared by the chef, made suggestions on adding or subtracting some ingredients, and reminded Luo Cuiwei to do appropriate walking activities every day to avoid being too weak during childbirth. Only then did she end the consultation, say goodbye and leave.
Following Luo Cuiwei's instructions, Tao Yin not only gave Hua Ming the consultation fee but also a pair of small gold ingots as a token of gratitude for her thoughtfulness before seeing her off.
When they arrived at the courtyard gate, Song Qiuqi came to report to Luo Cuiwei and Xiahou Ling. They exchanged a few pleasantries with Hua Ming and casually asked, "I heard that childbirth is very dangerous. Just how scary is it?"
The little girl was just asking out of curiosity, but Tao Yin took it to heart. Thinking that there was no woman in the family who had any experience in childbirth, she pressed Hua Ming for more details.
Although Luo Cuiwei was expected to give birth around the turn of summer or autumn next year, Hua Ming, with the caution of a physician, patiently explained in detail the potential risks when asked.
To make it easier to understand, the straightforward Huaming also shared many examples he had treated, such as how some pregnant women were overly pampered during pregnancy, leading to exhaustion during childbirth and difficulty giving birth halfway through...
Or, if the mother is overworked or stressed during pregnancy, it could lead to complications during childbirth...
Also, excessive supplementation during pregnancy can lead to a baby that is too large...
As they talked, the conversation veered off-topic, bringing up potentially terrifying issues like difficult childbirth and postpartum hemorrhage.
Finally, Hua Ming calmly reassured her, "Of course, judging from Her Highness's pulse, there is nothing seriously wrong. I also looked at the diet plan earlier, and most of it is quite nourishing. As long as she doesn't worry or get angry, and I remind her to move around a little more and not to sit or lie down for too long in the next few months, she should be fine."