Zhou Cangsong knew that his son had found something valuable again today, but he really wanted to know how much it was worth. His son had thrown away 80,000 yuan, so it must be worth more than 80,000 yuan, right?
However, his son's luck was such that he would often find hundreds of millions or even over a hundred million in a single stroke of luck, so a tiny bit of money didn't surprise Zhou Cangsong. He just wanted to know the true value of the imperial edict, not how much money he could make. Money was no longer of any interest to Zhou Cangsong.
Anyway, his son's two companies earn over 100 million yuan in profit every month, enough for the Zhou family to live on for several generations. Zhou Cangsong's only shortcomings are that he feels useful and that he is guarding the family business for his son.
"Old Wu, how much is this imperial edict... worth?" Zhou Cangsong stared at the imperial edict on the table, pondering as he asked, "It should be worth more than 80,000 yuan, right?"
In Zhou Cangsong's mind, the emperor was too far away from him, so far away that he thought of him as something only in his imagination. Therefore, the value of the imperial edict was also vague to him. He had no idea how much it was worth. However, his son had just spent 80,000 yuan, and Old Wu did not seem to show any expression that it was not worth 80,000 yuan. Therefore, Zhou Cangsong felt that he would not lose money.
Old Wu chuckled. If someone else had said that, he would have mocked them, but Zhou Cangsong was an honest, simple countryman with little education, just like Zhou Xuan. Moreover, he was Zhou Xuan's father and treated him like a brother. So, he simply smiled at Zhou Cangsong's words and then spoke up.
"Old Zhou, haha, 80,000 yuan is just a drop in the ocean compared to this imperial edict. It was issued by Emperor Kangxi to Ao Bai, who was extremely powerful in the court at the time and whom even he himself was wary of. At that time, Kangxi was still a young man who succeeded to the throne after his father, Emperor Shunzhi, died suddenly. There were three ministers in the court who assisted him, and Ao Bai was the first among them. However, since ancient times, most ministers who assisted the growth of orphans have not had a good ending. This is because they held high positions and suppressed the emperor's authority. Although they did not have the intention to rebel, they were arrogant and thought that they deserved 90% of the credit for governing the country. This is actually the most taboo thing. If a person does not understand his own position, it will lead to the destruction of his entire family."
As Old Wu recounted the origins of the imperial edict concerning Ao Bai, he sipped his tea to moisten his mouth. "Ao Bai was arrogant and conceited, wielding immense power. Back then, even Kangxi's own words weren't necessarily as effective as Ao Bai's. In court, after Kangxi spoke, other ministers wouldn't immediately agree; instead, they would keep their eyes on Ao Bai, only agreeing after Ao Bai spoke. Heh heh, how could an emperor with Kangxi's ambition and methods tolerate that? No matter how great Ao Bai's achievements were, they still aroused Kangxi's murderous intent. However, even though Kangxi had murderous intentions, the rewards and honors he bestowed upon him only grew stronger. The imperial edict we obtained was one of the last few honors bestowed upon Ao Bai before his execution."
Although Old Wu didn't reveal the value of the imperial edict, Zhou Cangsong listened with great interest and didn't ask any further questions. Although Old Wu didn't directly state the value, what he said now undoubtedly meant that the imperial edict was of extraordinary value.
"This imperial edict would have been destroyed after Kangxi confiscated property at the time. This one must have been secretly hidden by the official in charge of the destruction. However, in those days, such a crime, if discovered, would be punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. Therefore, the person who stole this edict was extremely afraid, tearing it apart and hiding it away, not daring to tell even their descendants. Kangxi was still a young man at the time, reigning for sixty-one years, one of the longest reigns of any emperor in history. It's estimated that the official who stole this edict didn't even outlive Emperor Kangxi before dying. Besides, even if he hadn't died, Emperor Yongzheng would have succeeded Kangxi." After Yongzheng came Qianlong, both emperors known for their diligence and achievements, marking the most prosperous era of the Qing Dynasty. Even if the official who stole the imperial edict lived long enough, he wouldn't dare reveal it. Under the Qing imperial authority, even if it weren't for Emperor Kangxi's reign, revealing this would still have resulted in the extermination of his entire family. Perhaps that's why the edict, hidden in the khaki cloth, was never discovered. The official probably never dared to tell his descendants before his death, thus the secret of this treasure was lost forever. Of course, it's also possible that Chen Yuanlei's elders simply didn't tell him.
"After the imperial edict was separated and dismantled, the jade scroll was probably hidden very well by the family's ancestors and was never discovered. As for the actual value of this imperial edict, Lao Zhou, I don't have a sure answer. If it were to be auctioned by some of the major auction houses in Hong Kong and its value was compared with that of similar cultural relics, I estimate it would be between two and five hundred million."
"Two to five hundred million?" Zhou Cangsong was stunned and was indeed shocked. He had never seen Zhou Xuan make money before, but he had witnessed what happened today. Just a piece of yellow cloth could be worth hundreds of millions of cash.
Several hundred million is a lot of money. If you piled it up, it would be like a small mountain, right?
Zhou Xuan didn't care. He knew from the beginning that the item he bought was worth far more than 80,000 yuan, so when Chen Yuanlei offered 80,000 yuan, Zhou Xuan agreed without hesitation.
Although Zhou Xuan no longer had any pursuit or excitement for money, he still felt a bit of joy at finding a bargain because the imperial edict was worth so much. For people who collect antiques, profit is one reason, but an even more important reason is the process of "collecting" antiques. Successfully finding a bargain is like a student receiving a real scholarship or degree certificate. It is an honor, a glory, and also a reputation.
Take Lao Wu, for example. His current status and reputation also come from the foundation he has built up over the years through finding bargains and making appraisals. The foundation has grown thicker and thicker, to the point that now, even if he says a piece of Goose Boutique is genuine, it is worth a lot of money. But if he says a genuine piece is Goose Boutique, then the genuine piece is worthless. This is his authoritative status.
In the antique trade, the key is the process and the thrill.
Zhou Xuan smiled and said to Old Wu, "This imperial edict is flawed; it lacks a jade scroll. But nothing in this world is perfect. So be it. Business can't be perfect either. Old Wu, let's deal with this edict and take 20% of the profits to give everyone in the shop a bonus. Consider it my wedding gift to you all."
Old Wu smiled. That's the good thing about Zhou Xuan. He never cares about money. Everyone can make money together. Even the lowest-ranking employee in his shop earns more in a year than some professional managers. Although the salary isn't high and isn't much different from other shops, the bonuses Zhou Xuan gives after each big win are really generous, far exceeding the salary. The shop now has seven employees, and each employee's total annual income reaches more than one million. Just think about it, which shop's apprentice can earn so much money?
Earning 30,000 to 50,000 yuan a year is considered very high, so whenever Zhou Xuan's shop hires someone, it's more spectacular than hiring flight attendants. The new employees are all dedicated and do their jobs well. They never think about starting their own business, leaving, or getting promoted. In this shop, you can't surpass Lao Wu. If you want to stay, you can only be an employee. But being an employee is a stable, safe, and worry-free way to make a lot of money. Starting your own business is extremely troublesome, and earning around a million yuan a year is just a dream. It's much more comfortable and enjoyable to be an employee. There aren't many employees, it's not tiring, you don't have to take on big responsibilities, and the money you earn is beyond imagination. Even if other companies invite them to be managers or bosses, they won't go. They know their own limitations very well.
The biggest requirement for Zhou Xuan's shop is that the employee doesn't need to do much work, but they need to be hardworking, honest, and down-to-earth, unlike other shops that require a certain level of education or years of experience to hire someone.
Of course, getting a job at Zhou Xuan's shop is not easy. There are only a few positions, and there are a lot of applicants, so it's not easy at all. Those who are hired usually have a two-month probationary period. You can generally tell a person's personality by doing so during those two months. If they are okay, they will be hired.
Of the employees recruited at Zhou Xuan's store, almost none were replaced after the probation period; the recruitment rate reached 100%.
Old Wu chuckled and then asked, "Little Zhou, you're going to spoil us all rotten, huh? It's boring in the shop. On your wedding day, why don't you find somewhere to go? What's there to see and talk about with us old men and antiques?"
Zhou Xuan glanced at Fu Ying. He had been in the capital for a long time, but he knew very little about the city's famous historical sites and had never visited them. He probably knew less about them than Fu Ying did.
"Yingying, where do you want to go? How about we go swimming?" Zhou Xuan noticed that Fu Ying's nose was slightly sweaty. Although the air conditioning in the shop was on full blast, it was still too hot. It was late May, almost June, but the temperature in Beijing had already surpassed that of the same period last year, reaching 36 or 37 degrees Celsius. Amusement parks in Beijing were doing booming business lately, with adults and children alike going to the pools to cool off.
If Zhou Xuan were the only one present, Fu Ying would naturally argue with him, as she was still angry. However, with Old Wu and her father-in-law Zhou Cangsong present, Zhou Xuan's face could not be lost. Fu Ying valued this highly. In private, she could get angry and act spoiled with Zhou Xuan, but when outsiders were present, Fu Ying never embarrassed Zhou Xuan. After all, what men value most is having face in front of women.
“Sure, but swimming is too noisy. How about we find a place to fish? It’s quiet and peaceful, and the water’s edge isn’t hot,” Fu Ying replied after thinking for a moment.
Zhou Xuan was taken aback. He had never fished before. He had caught fish many times at sea and in underground rivers, though. With his special ability, catching fish was a piece of cake. Fishing was too time-consuming.
Old Wu couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "Yingying, you're such a pretty girl, why would you think of something as old-fashioned as fishing? That's something old men do."
Old Wu was using this analogy to illustrate that fishing isn't just for old men; many young people fish these days. However, fishing requires a calm and composed mind, which is why some people in officialdom enjoy fishing. When fishing, they can calm down and think things through, sorting out their troubles. The clearer their thoughts are, the safer they are, and the faster they can be promoted.
Among the people fishing, women were extremely rare, let alone a very beautiful girl like Fu Ying, so when Fu Ying mentioned it, Lao Wu found it amusing.
Fu Ying didn't mean she liked fishing; rather, she wanted to spend time alone with Zhou Xuan at a fishing spot. Fishing spots are usually nestled by mountains and water, with quiet and beautiful environments, which would be a good way to relax one's troubled mind. It's much better than visiting those so-called tourist hotspots in the capital.
Frankly speaking, tourist areas these days are almost entirely tied to money. Everything costs money; the moment they open their mouths, it's all about money. What you see costs money, what you do costs money, even taking a single step costs money. There's practically nothing to do there. All the tour guides do is urge tourists to spend money on shopping so they can get kickbacks.
Zhou Xuan paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, okay, I'll go wherever you want. Anyway, I'm a hands-off boss; I never care about anything at the shop."
Old Wu just smiled. Zhou Xuan was indeed a hands-off boss, but he was different from other bosses. He was the one who brought in all the big money-making opportunities. He brought in the money-making opportunities, but he really didn't care about what happened after the money was made. Most of the time, you couldn't even see his people.
Volume 1, Chapter 518: Wearing Tight Shoes
Chapter 518 Being Given the Cold Shoulder
However, Zhou Xuan thought for a moment and then said, "But I don't know where to fish, and I've never been there before. Where do you think we should go?"
Old Wu was also taken aback. Although he was a middle-aged man, he was not enthusiastic about fishing and was not familiar with fishing spots. Zhou Cangsong was another story.
Seeing that Fu Ying did not show any displeasure, Zhou Xuan thought that it was rare for Fu Ying to ask for help, and besides, it was not a big problem, so he should try to satisfy her.
If we're talking about someone who knows the capital city well, think about the people around you, and there's probably no one who knows the city better than Li Wei.
Without thinking, Zhou Xuan immediately took out his phone and called Li Wei.
"Big brother, please save me! Xiaoying wants me to learn accounting and finance, but when I see a lot of Arabic numerals, it feels like hundreds of chickens are pecking at me. Big brother, only you can save me! Xiaoying won't listen to anyone but you!"
As soon as the call connected, before Zhou Xuan could even speak, Li Wei, upon seeing that it was Zhou Xuan calling, rattled off a string of words as if he had found a savior. Zhou Xuan almost suspected that the call was actually made by Li Wei.
"Stop with that nonsense. You always act like a scoundrel. Even if Zhou Ying resents you, your father and grandfather aren't happy about it either. At least don't embarrass the Li family. Enough said, I have something to discuss with you."
When Li Wei saw that Zhou Xuan wasn't helping him, his arrogance immediately deflated. For a while, Zhou Ying had indeed forced him to work diligently and patiently, but after a while, he felt stifled. He was by nature a lazy person who didn't want to do anything, so how could he stay still?
"Sigh, brother, do you think I still have any face to lose? I've already disgraced the Li family, now it's the Zhou family's face that's being disgraced." Seeing that Zhou Xuan wasn't speaking up for him, Li Wei reluctantly turned the conversation to Zhou Xuan.
Zhou Xuan said, both angry and amused, "What does it have to do with our Zhou family if you embarrass yourself?"
"How can this not be the Zhou family's business? I'm your brother-in-law. Everyone knows I'm Zhou Xuan's brother-in-law and Zhou Ying's husband, whether at the company or outside. Tell me, I'm being watched so closely by a woman every day, it's like she's installing surveillance cameras in the bathroom. How am I supposed to survive?"