A Good Country Wife
Chapter 513 - 507_1

Chapter 513: 507_1

"Look at how stingy you are, you’ve snatched plenty of good stuff from me in the past, yet now you can’t bear to part with even these few things, and this alcohol, it’s not something a lady like you should drink. I’m confiscating it." After a visit to Yongle Palace, Huangfu Jing found that half of the things were gone, which made Princess Yongle clench her teeth in anger.

"Bullying the weak with your strength, what kind of ability is that, stinky elder brother! Next time Yueyue sends over some nice things, I’ll make sure you don’t find out, always competing with me for everything."

Not long after, a wet nurse from the Empress Dowager Palace came over, and half of the Princess’s remaining items were taken again. This time, Princess Yongle didn’t complain, as it was for her own mother, after all, and it was only right for her to offer her filial respect. Moreover, the Empress Dowager had caught a cold these past few days and wasn’t in the mood to eat much, so if these items were presented to her, and the Empress Dowager managed to eat more, Princess Yongle could rest easier. There was a natural difference in her attitude toward her mother, who had always doted on her, and her older brother, who merely supervised and bullied her.

The Empress Dowager and the Emperor didn’t just take Princess Yongle’s things for nothing. The next day, they each sent over many precious playthings, but since the storeroom in Yongle Palace was already overflowing with such items, the Princess lost interest after playing with them for a while and had them stored away.

Zhao Erhu handed over the goods he bought from the western lands to the Family Head of the Marquis of Zhenbei’s shop. What happened after that was out of his hands, but the Princely Heir took twenty percent of the shop’s profits and gave it to Zhao Erhu.

"Princely Heir, after deducting the cost of goods, expenses, and rewards for the crew, we’ve made a net profit of 630,000 taels of silver," reported Zhao Erhu calmly, having already been through the initial surprise; he had expected to make money from the sea venture but never imagined such an enormous profit. The value of the goods sent overseas was less than 100,000 taels of silver, so this was a several-fold increase, with some items even making ten times the cost.

This 630,000 did not include Lin Yue’s batch of goods, but Zhao had already discussed this with the Princely Heir, who had agreed that his wife’s goods would be considered separately, with no regard to the profit, similar to the previous batch taken from his storehouse, which was also not accounted for.

The Princely Heir had thoroughly researched the prospect of seafaring trade and was well aware of the potential for high profits, which is why he was interested in the business in the first place. Yet, the reality of such a staggering profit still took him by surprise. But having learned from a young age to maintain his composure, he didn’t show much emotion compared to Zhao Erhu’s initial reactions, "Such an immense profit indeed; with just and fair dealing, when could one earn so much silver? No wonder so many risk the dangers of the sea; the higher the risk, the greater the reward."

"Princely Heir, this is the account book for the sea voyage, all detailed transactions for every good bought and sold are recorded here, as well as the account for the southern purchases; it’s all in these books, except the goods my wife asked me to bring along, those are not included. I’ve mentioned this to you before," Zhao Erhu said as he placed two account books on the table.

The Marquis of Zhenbei’s Princely Heir flipped through the books and was once again surprised. Zhao Erhu and his family kept giving him more and more pleasant surprises. In the beginning, his decision to work with Zhao Erhu was because Zhao had some connections with the Jiang Family and seemed talented. Furthermore, Zhao had saved his life, so the Marquis decided to give it a try and collaborate with Zhao but did not invest all his capital and left himself an out. Now it seemed that his decision was absolutely correct.

"Brother Zhao, where did you learn this bookkeeping method? It’s really very practical, clear and concise, and it’s easy to understand at a glance. It’s far more efficient than the methods used by my businesses and shops. If possible, could you teach me this accounting system?"

The bookkeeping method used by Zhao Erhu was actually taught to him by Lin Yue, using modern accounting techniques she learned, which were time-saving, clear and convenient. However, Zhao remembered his wife’s warning not to be overly conspicuous and to be mindful of keeping his skills a secret. Besides, they had already planned an explanation in case someone inquired about the method.

"To respond to the Princely Heir, regarding this accounting, it was something my wife learned from the Jiang Family Head. Seeing how useful it was, we quickly adopted it for our own accounts. If the Princely Heir wishes to acquire this system, simply sending a couple of people to learn it would suffice. It’s really nothing of great importance," Zhao Erhu lied suo sponte, not showing even a hint of nervousness. He had now gained experience in the cunning world of commerce. Besides, even if the Marquis of Zhenbei’s Princely Heir sent someone to investigate, they would find no lies, as indeed all of the Jiang Family’s underlings used this method. As for where Jiang Ziqi learned it, Zhao was confident the Princely Heir would not inquire, and even if he did, he doubted Jiang Ziqi would reveal it, as Lin Yue had explicitly instructed when teaching him.

The Princely Heir was well aware of Zhao Erhu’s close ties with the Jiang Family Head, so he did not doubt Zhao’s words and nodded, "So it’s from the Jiang Family Head. He has traveled throughout Jiangnan to study medicine, broadening his knowledge extensively. Perhaps he learned it from some exceptional person."

Zhao Erhu, listening to the Marquis of Zhenbei speculate in such a manner, kept silent, thinking to himself that the ’remarkable person’ he referred to was indeed his own wife. There was indeed more to her than the bookkeeping; indeed, she was extraordinary and it was his own great fortune to have married such a treasure.

After settling the transactions and accounts with the Marquis of Zhenbei’s Princely Heir, they both took their agreed share - 315,000 silver notes each, based on the fifty-fifty profit distribution. In addition, the profits from the sale of the treasure Zhao had taken from his storehouse, were also handed over to the Princely Heir. Both were quite content with their substantial earnings from this sea venture.

With business wrapped up, Zhao Erhu was preparing to return to Zhao Family Village. The Marquis of Zhenbei’s Princely Heir hadn’t originally planned to provide Zhao Erhu with a New Year’s gift, only thinking of sending local products with Zhao when he returned home. However, now that Zhao’s wife had officially sent New Year’s gifts, he couldn’t be so casual. He needed to give something of equal value, especially given their noble status; they couldn’t fall short compared to Zhao’s wife’s gifts. It would be unbefitting, and a proper and generous gift was called for. Besides, with Zhao Erhu earning them upwards of thirty to nearly forty million taels, his purse was bursting, and he didn’t care about these minor expenditures.

Now, let us return to where Lin Yue encountered a masked man at the alley entrance. In broad daylight, the man attempted to abduct her. Surprised by such audacity, Lin Yue clenched the hidden dagger inside her sleeve.

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