Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Bao Jie may be young, but she has gained a certain understanding of the matters in the inner courtyard, all thanks to Aunt Xue. Although Aunt Xue does not have to compete with concubines, she often corresponded with Madam Wang when Madam Wang was still around, complaining about various troubles in the Jia Family Inner Courtyard. Initially, Aunt Xue viewed it as gossip, but when she saw Madam Wang proudly proclaiming that Aunt Zhou, the concubine of Jia Zheng, had been rendered incapable of bearing children by her, Aunt Xue broke out in a cold sweat. The rivalry among wives and concubines was indeed so ruthless?! Since then, whenever Madam Wang wrote, Aunt Xue would show the letters to her daughter and explain the dark sides of the Inner Courtyard. Therefore, Bao Jie was very much looking forward to learning pharmacology from Bai Tang.
Bao Jie's intelligence impressed Bai Tang, and the pharmacological knowledge she imparted was quickly absorbed by Bao Jie. Soon enough, she was able to formulate the Antidote Pill—this type of Antidote Pill had only one-tenth the efficacy of those produced by the system or made by Bai Tang, but it could still neutralize most poisons. With this kind of Antidote Pill, Bao Jie no longer had to fear being given sterilization drugs or other substances; in the struggles within the Inner Courtyard, she would definitely be in an invincible position.
“Master, this is the girl-producing pill I recently developed. As long as you take this pill, you will definitely give birth to daughters. What do you think?” Bao Jie fluttered her long eyelashes, eagerly awaiting praise from Bai Tang.
“Why isn’t it a son-producing pill?” Bai Tang asked, bemused, pinching a pill the size of a peanut. If whether one had a son or daughter could be determined by a single pill, there wouldn’t have been so many families trying to circumvent birth limits in the 1980s and 1990s.
“I don’t expect to be as lucky as my mother. To ensure my future son’s status, I cannot allow any illegitimate sons to be born; daughters are fine though—it’s just a matter of a few dowries!” Bao Jie lowered her head and expressed her true thoughts. She feared that Master would dislike her for this, but the authority of Bai Tang prevented her from lying.
Were children in ancient times this precocious? Bai Tang patted the little girl’s head and reassured her, “Well done, keep up the good work!”
Bao Jie’s eyes sparkled instantly; indeed, Young Master Bai was not an ordinary person. She wouldn’t even dare to tell Master Xue about something like the girl-producing pill.
“You’ve learned quite a bit; I must take my leave now!”
“Master, you’re leaving?” Bao Jie asked in surprise and reluctance.
Bai Tang smiled slightly: “There’s no banquet that doesn’t end. I’ve stayed in Jinling long enough; if it weren’t for teaching you, I would have left long ago.”
Bao Jie lowered her gaze: “It’s because of Baochai that you were delayed, right?”
“Not at all! I’m very happy to have such an intelligent disciple like you!”
Bao Jie asked, "Master, when will you come to Jinling again to check on things?"
Bai Tang replied, "Don't worry, I will come often!"
I still need to do business with your father!
The capital of the Great Shun Dynasty is even more prosperous than Jinling. Bai Tang first found an inn and called over a clever shop assistant, placing a silver ingot in his palm. "I want the information and address of the largest and most reputable dental shop in the capital."
The assistant's eyes widened, and without hesitation, he provided Bai Tang with the details of the dental shops in the capital.
Bai Tang tossed the silver out, and the assistant quickly ran forward to catch it steadily. His face broke into a huge smile; that silver ingot weighed two taels!
Next, following the assistant's introduction, Bai Tang went to the largest dental shop in the city to find a real estate agent. With the help of the dental shop, he purchased a storefront. Behind the shop was a courtyard with five rooms built for living and storing goods. Bai Tang also hired several servants through the dental shop. A middle-aged man named An Ping, in his forties, was appointed as the shopkeeper. His fifteen-year-old son, Andongming, became a shop assistant under An Ping, and there was another assistant named Ma Shi, around twenty years old. His mother, Aunt Ma, was responsible for cooking and various chores. All of them were bound by contracts; Bai Tang had complete control over their lives and deaths. Even if they sensed something unusual about Bai Tang, they could not betray him.
"Young Master, what shall we name our shop? What products will we sell?" As the shopkeeper, An Ping began planning for their store. An Ping had some connections with the Jia family; he was originally the shopkeeper for Jia She's first wife's dowry. After Jia She's first wife passed away, her dowry fell into Madam Shi's hands, making An Ping's life difficult. Later, Madam Wang took over the shop and dismissed all original staff to replace them with her own people. An Ping tried to seek justice from Jia She but was framed by Madam Wang's people through malicious schemes, ending up in court and eventually becoming a slave. Over the years, An Ping suffered greatly; his elderly wife could not bear the hardships and passed away. Now he no longer thought about escaping slavery; he only sought a stable life. Bai Tang's generous attitude made him feel that this master was quite good, and he sincerely wanted to follow Bai Tang.
"It will be called 'Qiqiao Pavilion,' selling foreign goods." Bai Tang took out fifty remaining mirrors from his travel backpack. "You should source some foreign goods through other channels first; it's okay to spend a little more money to get things started along with these mirrors."
An Ping picked up a mirror and looked at his own reflection inside it; after being shocked at first, he felt immense joy. Such clear and exquisite mirrors would definitely be loved by noble ladies and young women; however, there were too few of them and they needed to be sold in limited quantities!
Bai Tang then handed a stack of banknotes to An Ping. "Buy other goods as you see fit; if you run out of money, come find me!"
"That's enough! That's enough!" An Ping hurriedly replied. This stack of banknotes amounted to five thousand taels—enough to buy an established foreign goods store outright. At that moment, An Ping realized that his master was a wealthy fool with plenty of money.
"Uncle Ping, you have lived in the capital for decades. Do you know any skilled Embroideress?" The Great Shun Dynasty did not have specialized embroidery workshops; wealthy families did not need them, as they had dedicated staff for such tasks. Most women from ordinary families could embroider themselves, and only those facing difficulties who wanted to exchange their embroidered works for money would consign their pieces to rouge shops or general stores.
"Young Master, there's no need to look for others; Aunt Ma's embroidery skills are quite good!" An Ping knew Aunt Ma's abilities as they once worked for the same household.
"Oh?" Bai Tang was pleasantly surprised. Had he struck gold? However—
"Aunt Ma alone might not be able to handle it. I need a larger quantity of Embroidered Handkerchiefs. Please help me find a few more Embroideresses, and I can sign long-term supply contracts with them. By the way, also find me two carpenters; I need them to make a screen and some decorative pieces!" Bai Tang instructed.
"Understood!" An Ping did not ask further and took the silver notes as he exited.
Bai Tang took a big sip from his teacup, satisfied as he exhaled. The premium Bashan Sparrow Tongue tea had a rich chestnut aroma, refreshing taste, and sweet aftertaste—it was truly delightful. He planned to bring back a pound for his father when he returned to the modern world.
Comment 0 Comment Count