webnovelfull Chapter 292 Too much is not enough
Chapter 292 Too much is not enough
The box was light and contained only a thin piece of paper with a contract in black and white ink with red ink. It clearly stated that for every bottle of Jasmine Dew sold in the future, each of them would receive ten taels of silver.
Ten taels of silver is not a small amount, but for these ladies, it is not even enough to buy a hairpin.
The ladies in the Zongzheng Temple looked at each other, and their eyes changed several times when they looked at Zhao Fangyu. The original cheerfulness and joy when they first entered the door now had a bit of falseness.
The noble lady in the lead, wearing a jade comb made of mutton-fat jade inlaid with turquoise and ruby and hollowed out laurel, slowly reached out and closed the box.
Her eyes swept across the faces of the eldest lady and Mei Xunyin opposite. The maid had her back to them and could not see what was in the eldest lady and Mei Xunyin's boxes.
But no matter what it was, the lady had a hunch that it was not something she could accept.
Originally they didn't even want to attend the banquet, but it was rare for Zhao Fangyu to hold a banquet, and the guest was the eldest lady. Although the Zhao family was now in decline, they still had a little daughter who was waiting to be married.
As the youngest daughter of the Li family's legitimate daughter and the youngest girl in the family, it is no exaggeration to say that she is loved and cherished to the core.
Zhao Fangyu and Zhao Fangjin, either one of them is capable of establishing a family and is a true lady of honor. How bad can this little girl, who grew up under the influence of the lady and the Zhao sisters, be?
As a member of the royal family, you can't be too ambitious, but you can't be too ambitious either. These ladies are all worried about their children. If the Zhao family's last daughter gets married, can her sisters not add to her dowry? Can the Li family's dowry be too small?
When ordinary officials marry, they must be of equal social status. But it is different for royal family members. For important officials in the Yue court, marrying into a family will attract attention.
In the case of the Zhao family, the father has clearly made a useless chess piece, and the girl is exceptionally outstanding, rich, good-looking, with good character and few troubles in her family. She is simply the best daughter-in-law.
Although it is said that it is not easy to marry someone with the same surname, how difficult is it for the royal family to find a suitable daughter-in-law? It is just a matter of an imperial decree.
It is for this reason that several ladies, even though they knew today's banquet was not simple, still came to the banquet for the sake of their children.
Zhao Fangyu didn't wait for the noble lady to speak, and took the initiative to speak, saying with a smile: "Aunt, please don't despise it. This thing is very expensive and the profit is not much. It's just to give you some extra money for tea and water every month."
The lady smiled and said gently, "How can I ask you for money? It is not easy to cultivate such a rare product. Now that we can see such a rare thing, the aunts should thank you."
Zhao Fangyu shook his head and said, "Aunt, you are just being polite when you tell me these things. It's just a pot of flowers. How can you spoil it by looking at it? How can it compare to the good advice and suggestions you tell me?"
"Besides, I don't see you very often on weekdays. I've always been in poor health and rarely go out. When my husband says something inappropriate on weekdays, I have to trouble you to take care of it for him."
Everyone in the world knew that Zhou Qinghe was a playboy, but this was the first time his wife came out to apologize and speak soft words.
Who is Zhou Qinghe? He is a bastard who just dislikes you, slaps you in the face, and then turns around and slaps you again when he remembers it. Everyone has only suffered in humiliation these years.
If the emperor really wanted to take revenge, he would do it with all his might, and the elders couldn't help but feel distressed.
The royal family had all experienced Zhou Qinghe's temper, but even so, they were more tolerant of him because everyone knew that he was short-lived.
Now that Zhao Fangyu has stepped forward to take care of Zhou Qinghe who is far away in the frontier, the deed worth ten taels of silver does not seem to be so hot to handle anymore.
What Zhao Fangyu said sounded nice, and what he entrusted was not a difficult task. When the ladies took another look at Zhao Fangyu's thin figure and slightly haggard face, they also felt softened in their hearts.
The two poor children put together were truly miserable from head to toe.
Zhao Fangyu deliberately acted sick and had only slept for half the night. Now she coughed lightly in the wind, making people worry that she might faint from lack of breath.
Zhao Fangyu was served by the maid, drank a cup of warm water, and then slowly said: "Aunts, you don't have to worry about me. I just... have been like this for many years."
"It's just a small token of my appreciation, not a token of respect. My husband has offended me many times in the past, and I hope that you aunts will forgive us. If there is any conflict, my husband and I will personally come to your house to apologize when he comes back."
Zhao Fangyu spoke humbly, and the eldest lady sitting opposite him looked at him intently. Even though they never made eye contact, the eldest lady ate and drank as she pleased, which put pressure on everyone.
What a big deal. The ladies had come here for Zhao Fangmo, but they didn't get any information about him, and instead received a hot deed.
Having said that, if they don’t accept it, there will be discord. When Zhou Qinghe comes back, they will ask the young couple to come and apologize...
A bitter egg and a sickly person, when they come to the house, they will definitely make people feel miserable.
The lady wearing the jade comb thought for a moment, then took the box with a smile: "Child, you are alienated from us. It's hard for you to specially hold a banquet and give us this small gift."
Zhao Fangyu drank a bowl of medicine in front of everyone, without changing her expression: "I am really ashamed to hear my husband talk about the past."
"If the aunts don't accept this gift, I will be too embarrassed to talk to them anymore."
The ladies accepted the paper contract, because it was not a valuable item. If the weeping jasmine was so valuable, they would not produce much in a year, let alone perfume.
Ten taels of silver for a bottle is really just the money for a cup of tea.
The amount of silver is not much, it can be considered a bribe, or it can be said to be a filial tribute from Zhou Qinghe and his wife to their elders.
Who has so much wealth that he can win over people with dozens or hundreds of taels of silver every month?
At the banquet, Zhao Fangyu did not say anything to spoil the fun. The rest was all about his ability, and he made the ladies happy without leaving any trace.
Everyone likes to care about their reputation, and everyone hopes to be different and better than ordinary people.
It would be more accurate to say that Zhao Fangyu was being honest rather than flattering. If she thought something was good, she would praise it, and after praising it, she would go on to say how it could be better or how it could be modified.
She was well-versed in all the elegant arts such as music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Even if there was someone who was proficient in ancient Chinese literature, Zhao Fangyu could answer him fluently. It was obvious that she was well-read and was truly a good girl with both inner and outer beauty and a rare insight.
The eldest lady sat on one side, occasionally talking to the other ladies, but most of the time she would hold her teacup and look gently at Zhao Fangyu who was chatting with the other ladies.
The little girl who was almost dying at the beginning has grown up so well now.
By now, the eldest lady had already witnessed many of Zhao Fangyu's methods, and she also understood that Zhao Fangyu had been precocious since childhood, and she probably had an extremely depressing life in Qingping Courtyard in his early years.
Zhao Fangyu's cautiousness back then was due to his ulterior motives, but people are kind-hearted and Zhao Fangyu never harmed anyone. Instead, he treated them sincerely, which is rare.
She is not afraid of people's hypocrisy. If she can be a hypocrite all her life, what is the difference between her and a truly good person?
Whether it is fake or real, it is just a trace of ink in the past.
No one is perfect. Zhao Fangyu is a very good person now. She is also good to her family members. She has achieved what she wanted. She is a rare perfect person.
All good.
"No matter how many powerful means a person has, if his mind is not right, he will destroy himself sooner or later."
The eldest lady tapped the table lightly. Mei Xunyin was closest to her, so she only heard this low sound and remained silent.
"It's not easy for her to get to this point. As long as you are a member of my Zhao family, you must not have any intentions towards her."
The eldest lady had seen through Mei Xunyin's thoughts several years ago, but since Mei Xunyin's behavior was not out of line, the eldest lady never cared.
But now Zhao Fangyu was at a critical moment, and Mei Xunyin happened to ask someone to seize his vital point.
A centipede is still alive even after death; large and powerful families always commit suicide internally first, only then they become deserted and scattered.
Mei Xunyin has always done things properly, but now the eldest lady has to play the role of a bad person, lest she loses her mind and makes a big mistake.
Mei Xunyin bowed her head and responded respectfully. She understood what the eldest lady said and would not argue with her. As a daughter-in-law, she should just listen to her mother-in-law's lecture. She couldn't lose face in public.
What's more, the eldest lady has always been considerate of the reputation of her family members and would not embarrass anyone.
Now, the only ones who could hear the eldest lady speaking were the maids around Zhao Fanghua and the big maid they brought with them.
The ladies on the opposite side exchanged a few polite words, and the more they talked, the more they felt that Zhao Fangyu was truly excellent.
For a moment, his eyes turned towards the eldest lady even more eagerly.
Being able to raise a child like Zhao Fangyu, even if Zhao Fangyu herself is highly gifted and intelligent, how could she learn so thoroughly without the supervision and guidance of others?
If you compare yourself to others, you will die; if you compare goods to others, they will be thrown away. A housewife with good character will bring blessings to three generations and benefit future generations.
The royal family is nothing more than relatives of the emperor. An emperor has more than a dozen sons, just like ripples. This clan is just like a dragonfly skimming the water. Generation after generation of emperors, generation after generation of descendants, spreading out like ripples. The closer to the edge, the more destitute they are.
If there is no elder who can give advice and supervise the younger generation in their studies, they can only rely on the Zongzheng Temple for support.
The relationship is too distant... I can't even see the emperor, so how much silver can the Zongzheng Temple give me?
As long as you won’t starve to death.
The eldest lady chatted with her and when she mentioned Zhao Fangmo, she only said that the child was still young and the youngest daughter. She was usually naughty and loved to be spoiled and playful, so she should stay for a few more years.
The ladies understood the elegant meaning of the music from the strings, but they just didn't want to talk about it.
It was a banquet, and the food was extremely elegant.
The people of Daliang are elegant, and the more noble they are, the more they like this.
Zhao Fangyu got the essence of it even better. He took the tenderest leaf buds from hundreds of locust trees, crushed them and squeezed out the juice, then mixed it with dough to make cold noodles.
Young girls and children pick and clean Sophora japonica flowers and make Sophora japonica flower rice...
Twelve dishes were served in a row, each with a special vessel, accompanied by flowers and green leaves. On the fresh and dewy bananas were placed the sweet and pleasant rice cakes with twelve fillings. White lotus petals were placed as the base, and on top were four kinds of green dumplings with strong mugwort fragrance, assorted vegetables mixed with red oil, and a circle of twelve zodiac animals the size of dates carved out of radishes on the side...
Every dish that comes out is eye-catching.
Today was a small banquet, and Zhao Fangyu was not stingy in showing off his ingenuity. Besides, these people were also considered elders, so it wouldn't be in vain to put in a little more effort.
The banquet made these ladies admire Zhao Fangyu very much, and they asked for some of his recipes before leaving.
After everyone left, Zhao Fangyu also saw off the eldest lady and Mei Xunyin.
All the tables at the banquet were removed, except for the couch, which was moved out again for Zhao Fangyu to rest on.
·
The three carriages that had just left together stopped in front of the same door in the blink of an eye.
We went to Madam Yu Shu's house.
These people have neither a close nor a distant relationship with Zhao Fangyu, and are not on good terms with Zhou Qinghe.
The reason they gathered together at this time was just to discuss another matter regarding the banquet.
"Ten taels of silver... to send away a beggar."
The next moment, he poked a finger at the lady's forehead and said, "I give you hundreds of taels a year, all of which are net profits. What else do you want to say?"
"Even if I give it to the little evildoer at home and leave it to him, the young couple will have some free income in the future."
The lady who was poked groaned twice and hid beside the other man, her mouth curled up like a jar of oil: "I lost more than I gained. I was going after her sister. Who cares about her money?"
Now even the person she was holding couldn't bear it anymore: "If you don't want it, just give me the silver. I'm the most common person in the world, and I'll help you share the burden."
Upon hearing this, the lady who was stabbed stopped complaining, turned around and went to have tea, pretending that she was briefly deaf.
The lady wearing the jade comb slowly sat down in the main seat, took out the contract that Zhao Fangyu had given them, and looked at it for a long time before she slowly said, "It's still right."
The other two looked over immediately, then reacted and quickly opened their deeds.
It is clearly written above that this money is a dividend.
Naturally, the dividends belong to the boss.
Zhao Fangyu quietly gave them a small share that was only given to the boss.
But this share is not for the entire shop, but just for the weeping jasmine fragrance.
"Forget it. It's not easy for a child to run a business."
It's just using the tiger's skin as a banner.
Aren't the elders like them alive today just to support the younger generations?
If we really want to talk about the fault, we can just blame others. According to the temperament of the emperor, the royal family will not take their lives.
Madam Yu Shu looked at it for a while and then put the things away. The other two naturally followed suit.
As expected, there was news in the capital that Zhao Fangyu was going to open a shop, and many people came forward to seek opportunities.
This trick didn't fool anyone, and the remaining noble families remained indifferent.
Zhao Fangyu sat so steadily that even Mei Xunyin felt that something was wrong. Unexpectedly, a turning point occurred the next moment.
The person who came was none other than the wife of Lord Wang.
·
eldest princess mansion
Zhao Fangyu was playing chess with the old lady. The old lady was old and her eyesight was not good. She often had to look for a long time before making a move.
Zhao Fangyu was not fast and took every step carefully.
The eldest princess was bored and was rubbing Zhao Fangyu's cat slave. The fat little cat slave was already used to being treated like this, and was spread out like a cat pancake on the eldest princess's soft dress.
In the middle of the conversation, Old Lady Wang slowly let go of a handful of chess pieces, waved her hand at Zhao Fangyu and said, "From your chess moves, I know that you are a courageous girl."
"It's a pity that my eyesight is blurry now and I can't see the chessboard clearly, otherwise I would have asked you to play for a whole day and night."
The princess smiled and added, "Too much is as bad as too little. Don't be afraid. I'm afraid that Lord Wang is banging on the door of my princess's mansion."
The old lady smiled and looked at Zhao Fangyu, saying meaningfully: "Too much is as bad as too little, that's the truth."