webnovelfull Chapter 288 Shark Fin Bear Paw [Overhaul]
Chapter 288 Shark Fin Bear Paw [Overhaul]
Cui Xueyan is as her name suggests, like frost and snow, with a face covered with frost and a cold temperament, but she is not the kind of person who keeps people at a distance. She is like cold jade, smooth and lustrous, making people dare not touch it.
Cui Xueyan was slightly ahead of Zhao Fangyu by half a body length. Occasionally, when she saw something, she would tell Zhao Fangyu some anecdotes or interesting stories about her family.
If they were just ordinary friends, there would be nothing wrong with such behavior, but these two had only met for the first time, and Zhao Fangyu was a little unsure whether Cui Xueyan's behavior had some deeper meaning or was just a coincidence.
Cui Zimin was wearing an ultramarine round-necked robe. It was rare that he was willing to unbutton a button, revealing a piece of elegant yellow jacquard silk fabric underneath.
Cui Zimin seldom dressed like this. He always dressed like a fairy, as if he was about to attain enlightenment and ascend to heaven. Round-necked robes with a lapel like this have always been worn, but he has never been seen wearing it.
Zhao Fangyu was slightly surprised to see Cui Zimin dressed like this, but seeing Cui Zimin was there, it meant that it was Cui Zimin, not Cui Xueyan, who actually invited her here today.
Is there anything that can't be said directly? Why do you have to beat around the bush?
But the detour is so obvious that it cannot escape anyone's eyes and ears.
Under the guidance of Cui Xueyan, Zhao Fangyu followed Cui Xueyan into the inner courtyard. There were fewer people in the inner courtyard. Apart from the maid brought by Cui Xueyan, there was only the little maid who was originally responsible for cleaning.
Tea sets were placed on the table. When everyone sat down, maids came in one after another and brought fresh food. Cui Xueyan began to roast tea slowly and calmly without saying a word.
After the maid finished cleaning, she was taken away. The only person left in the yard was the old man that Cui Xueyan brought from the Cui family.
"I have just arrived in the capital and have never met any playmates, but I really admire what the princess has done, so I took the liberty of sending a visiting card."
Cui Xueyan was being polite, so Zhao Fangyu wouldn't be a fool to ask why she sent the invitation when he knew it was so presumptuous.
It's just a misleading statement. The word "admiration" belongs to whoever says it.
A very versatile rhetoric.
Zhao Fangyu and Cui Xueyan exchanged a few pleasantries and then quickly got down to business.
"Speaking of which, I heard that the princess originally planned to open a perfume shop together. I wonder if the business is still going on now?"
Cui Xueyan brought the ordered tea to Zhao Fangyu. Her fingers were slender, white and tender, like water onions, and a few blue veins could be vaguely seen hidden under the skin.
Unlike Zhao Fangyu's well-proportioned figure, Cui Xueyan is obviously thinner.
An exquisite orchid is dotted on the cloud-like tea in the teacup. With just a few strokes, it has the charm of rock orchid. The cloud base made from the tea paste is dense and delicate, with a faint tea fragrance, and melts in the mouth.
Zhao Fangyu knew at a glance that Cui Xueyan was an expert in making tea. She once served in the imperial court, and Fang Sishan had naturally taught her how to make tea. However, Cui Xueyan's tea was different from the one made in the palace. It was obvious that she had come up with it herself when she was bored.
"Miss Cui has great skills."
Cui Xueyan pursed her lips and smiled. Just then, a breeze blew, blowing a light-colored ribbon hanging from her head.
"Your Highness, I am too kind. I am just showing off my skills in front of an expert."
The two of them exchanged a few words of business praise before Zhao Fangyu followed Cui Xueyan's words and said, "The current situation is unstable. If Xianglu Shop wants to expand, the most important thing is that it needs one or even multiple stable trade routes to supply goods for dispatch."
"It's still a mess outside, and the roads are not peaceful. There are refugees and bandits in many places. If there is no protection from local officials, no matter how big the shop is, it will only be a wedding dress for others."
Daliang has always valued culture over military affairs. Whether it is farmers on the ridges of the fields or officials in the court, culture is respected.
This also means that when faced with bandit gangs, ordinary guards are most likely unable to cope with them, and escort services are expensive and not infallible.
A strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake, and mountain bandits usually act according to the situation. For example, in Qinghe, even the most vicious bandits dared not touch the Cui family's goods. In Longxi, the people would rather starve themselves than let the Li family's soldiers go hungry.
The noble families were not local tyrants, but in the eyes of the common people, there was little difference between the two, and what they did was not much different. It was just that the noble families ate the meat themselves and left some soup for the others.
Upon hearing this, Cui Xueyan's snow-white fingers moved among different tea cakes, and finally picked out a Pu'er tea.
The one just now was put into Zhao Fangyu's mouth, and this one was made for her.
"Princess, don't belittle yourself. If there is no foolproof plan, how can the princess open Qianjinlou with you?"
Everyone in the capital knew that the eldest princess had invested in Zhao Fangyu. It was precisely because of this that people could not understand what Zhao Fangyu was trying to do.
"Since ancient times, you can't have both shark fin and bear's paw. Princess, you have your own ideas and you will naturally find a way to deal with it."
Zhao Fangyu is not a fool and he cannot do something like that.
But the aristocratic families and the royal family are like the east wind and the west wind. Either you suppress me or I suppress you. When the royal family gains fame, the aristocratic families must benefit. When the aristocratic families gain benefits, they must give up something. Everything needs to be exchanged.
Zhao Fangyu was born into a noble family, so he naturally belongs to an aristocratic family. However, because of his marriage, he became a royal relative. His position is no longer firm, and now it seems that he is secretly conspiring with the royal family, making many aristocratic families unable to figure out Zhao Fangyu's true intentions.
Cui Xueyan asked in a vague way, and Zhao Fangyu took out two pieces of cake from the plate. One piece was as white as snow, and the deeper it went, the deeper and lighter shades of green it revealed. When he took a sniff, he could even smell the scent of jasmine floating in the air.
The other piece was much more ordinary, with no outstanding style and no smell, but when it was broken open, the plump and oily filling inside was revealed, with an extremely special taste and excellent flavor.
Cui Xueyan hesitated for a moment and picked the jasmine cake.
Zhao Fangyu put the jasmine cake into the girl's palm, then broke off half a small cake with a special flavor and slowly placed it on the jasmine cake.
The jasmine pastry is exquisite, and the flavored cake is affordable. A hint of smile flashed across Zhao Fangyu's black and white eyes: "It's not impossible to have both shark fin and bear's paw. It just depends on whether someone is willing to give in."
Cui Xueyan understood what Zhao Fangyu meant, but she still didn't understand. However, she didn't have time to ask in detail. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Zhao Fangyu take the initiative to say, "I gave the jasmine cakes and flavored cakes. I took the initiative to give them up, so this is the extra profit. If I didn't give them, then naturally I would have nothing."
"I do not want shark fins, nor do I want bear paws."
Everything is just a means for her to achieve her goal. Since it is a means, then all she needs to do is look at the results.
To Cui Xueyan, Zhao Fangyu's words sounded like a raging storm, but also like a silent undercurrent.
Is she hinting at the eldest princess, or the aristocratic family that is about to join the game?
The aristocratic families have not joined the game, so what is placed outside at this time is the bait. Then what is the trap she left for the aristocratic families?
Cui Xueyan couldn't see it. For the first time, she hated herself for not being smart enough. She hated Cui Zimin because she wanted to do business with others but because of her reputation and surveillance, she had to let her do it on her behalf, which resulted in her current situation.
She couldn't explain it clearly, and she couldn't speak. But at such a critical moment, she would not bring shame to the Cui family or show her weakness in front of outsiders.
Cui Xueyan was silent for a moment, and countless rumors about Zhao Fangyu flashed through her mind. People only said that she was as beautiful as a flower and rare in the world. Some people also said that she had a generous dowry and was rich enough to rival a country. People in the capital said that she was a natural merchant and was best at the ways of money.
But Cui Xueyan felt that these were just one side of Zhao Fangyu's myriad changes, like a dice, each side was different, and each side was her.
What people say is just one of her countless merits. The real Zhao Fangyu is an intelligent, ambitious, and even scheming woman.
This game of chess involves the five surnames and seven families, and also drags the eldest princess into it. No matter how you look at it, it is not a small game.
Cui Xueyan tried to follow Zhao Fangyu's behavior and infer her intentions, but in the end she couldn't figure out anything because there was too little information.
Zhao Fangyu wanted to keep the secret, so he naturally wouldn't take the initiative to point it out.
She was eating the remaining half of the biscuit with a smiling face like a bodhisattva. No one could guess that she was thinking about rebellion.
Don't judge a book by its cover. It's just like this.
People who are interested may not fail to see it, but they just don’t dare to imagine it. They don’t dare to imagine that a woman like Zhao Fangyu is so bold.
After all, Zhou Qinghe was exiled to the army to be a powerless clerk, and Zhao Fangyu stayed in the capital. Even if she had great abilities and earned a lot of money, it would be in vain.
But Zhao Fangyu did not panic. He temporarily placed Zhou Qinghe there and accelerated the progress according to the original plan.
Originally, she planned to wait until her birthday in autumn to completely pull the five surnames and seven families into the game, but now the situation has changed and the plan has been advanced. It is normal for the Cui family to have doubts. No matter how talented Cui Zimin is, he is not the head of the Cui family and cannot represent the entire Cui family in such a major event.
It is ridiculous to say that he has some unspeakable selfish motives towards Shisiniang.
Cui Xueyan's arrival was a test from the Cui family. If the test failed, they would not get involved in this business.
After taking a sip of tea and rinsing away the unpleasant taste in his mouth, Zhao Fangyu fanned himself slowly, his eyes falling on the flowers planted by the Cui family.
But after all, someone from the Cui family has come, and once they have come, they have one foot on her pirate ship. Zhao Fangyu will not give the Cui family a chance to get off the ship.
Turning around, he saw Cui Xueyan was still preparing the tea paste. Zhao Fangyu also asked someone to bring a set of tea sets and selected a portion of Yuzen Longjiang and a little bit of roasted tea.
His movements were gentle and unhurried, and he looked extremely patient.
The two of them were silent, both thinking. After all, Zhao Fangyu was more reliable. The tea paste he mixed was thick and smooth, but light and fragrant when he took a sip. One could tell from one sip that the person who mixed the tea was very skilled in this art.
Cui Xueyan looked at Zhao Fangyu, and Zhao Fangyu smiled calmly, without any hesitation or resentment towards the Cui family for their sudden betrayal.
Cui Xueyan looked at Zhao Fangyu, and Zhao Fangyu was naturally looking at her. She was very calm about it. She was doing this life-threatening business and did not take any risks at all. She would not have made such grand ambitions in the past.
But what she did was not shameful to the world or the earth, and she never actively harmed anyone, so naturally she had nothing to feel guilty about. Even if someone died because of her, that... was also fate.
The yard was empty and no outsiders were seen, but countless people saw her riding in a carriage and coming to the Cui family.
Be it the emperor or Yang Gushan, no matter who was monitoring her, they could not stop her.
She must come and must see Cui Xueyan.
“A plan for the ages cannot be accomplished in a day, nor can it be achieved in a day.”
"How many years would it take to open a business all over Daliang with the strength of one family?"
Zhao Fangyu dipped the brush in clean water and drew another crooked line on the table to surround the line.
Cui Xueyan couldn't answer. It was not a matter of time, but the imperial power did not allow it.
Over the past thousands of years, few noble families have achieved this accomplishment, and even if they do, it is not the end of prosperity that leads to decline.
This is the law of aristocratic families and also the law of the royal family. No one can stay on the top of the mountain for long. Even a thousand-year-old family will always have ups and downs due to turbulent times.
Zhao Fangyu moved his fingertips slightly, and several more sections extended from the slightly winding line, like a centipede.
"The five surnames and seven families do not interfere with each other."
"You don't leave Qinghe, you only trade within Qinghe and the surrounding areas. The same goes for other noble families."
This alone is enough to cover a large area of Daliang.
"Selling southern goods in the north is just a tiny profit among many small profits."
"The world is so big, it belongs to the king. Do you think you should be in charge of doing business on your own territory?"
Cui Xueyan understood and looked at Zhao Fangyu again. There was an indescribable respect and surprise in her eyes. As the saying goes, dragons give birth to dragons and phoenixes give birth to phoenixes. How come their Zhao family's ancestral graves gave birth to such a smart Zhao Fangyu?
Fortunately, Zhao Fangyu is not a man, otherwise it is unknown whether his brother can secure the top spot!
Zhao Fangyu grew up in the presence of the Eldest Lady, but after all, he had never grown up in a noble family, so there were always some differences.
Cui Xueyan knew what she didn't know, and it was because of this that she was impressed by Zhao Fangyu's intelligence.
The five noble families are closely related and often have business dealings with each other. However, there are so many intricate businesses in the world and they are so complicated that it is difficult to describe.
There had never been any alliance between the five surnames. At most, it was just a back-and-forth exchange in the name of in-laws' dowry.
The connection is quite deep, but it is just an exchange between two or three parties.
Marriage is the strongest yet weakest contract between families.
The choice made by Zhao Fangyu was actually more appropriate than a marriage alliance, because the essence of a marriage alliance is the interaction between wealth and some information channels, and Zhao Fangyu directly grasped the essence.
This is one of the reasons why the five aristocratic families are accustomed to intermarriage, and it is also the reason why outsiders would go to great lengths to marry women from aristocratic families.
Zhao Fangyu's joint shop is a feasible strategy. Unless the Jinyiwei carries out large-scale massacres of the offline shops under the jurisdiction of the aristocratic families, it will be extremely difficult to break this slowly interweaving network.
Cui Xueyan slowly took a bite of the salty and fragrant flavored biscuit, with a smile that did not reach her eyes: "The jasmine fragrance is light and distant, and the flavored biscuits are also interesting. These two are not suitable to be eaten together."
Cui Xueyan closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her bright eyes were clear and bright. No matter what, the Cui family has its bottom line and persistence.
"I love jasmine cakes. Just take a bite of this cake. If you use it every day, I'm afraid you'll get food stagnation and ruin your appetite."
In any case, the aristocratic families would not associate with the royal family.