My wife has a secret

Chapter 256 Huang's Little Sister
"By the way, why didn't I see Xiao Huan coming to the lobby for the meeting?"

Xu Qing suddenly discovered that his personal maid was missing from the lobby meeting just now.

With Xiaohuan's temper, even if she didn't come out to greet him, she would be waiting somewhere in the mansion and say hello, "Young Master" when he appears.

But today was a little strange. Xu Qing looked around the front yard but couldn't find that pretty figure.

"Xiao Huan."

Among the servants, Yang Liu and Cui Er had the best relationship with Xiao Huan because they all worked together in the Xu family in Suzhou.

Therefore, Xiaohuan would often visit the fourth courtyard.

Yang Liu blinked her big watery eyes and said, "She went back to her hometown in Suzhou a month ago... I heard from the Third Young Lady that she had forgotten a treasure in her hometown in Suzhou, and she wanted Xiao Huan to get it back as soon as possible, maybe in time for the Marquis' birthday."

"is it?"

When Xu Qing heard that it was another surprise left by Lu Wanhe for him, his heart warmed.

Seeing Xu Qing's face slightly flushed, Yang Liu also smiled knowingly and asked quietly, "My Lord, are you moved?"

"Go away, stop cricketing in front of me."

Xu Qing waved his hand, which caused Yang Liu to cover her mouth and laugh. The latter looked at him with an ambiguous look and hurried towards the direction of the Fourth Hospital.

If my young lady knew that she was talking too much, I would definitely teach her a lesson.

……

The Huang family's medicinal materials business is based in the East Market of the capital.

This land deed was originally a gift from the governor of Luzhou to the princess's mansion. Later, it was given to the Huang family by the Princess of Danyang, allowing them to have a foothold in the capital.

After obtaining the title deed to the shop in the capital, the Huang family immediately invested a large amount of money in it, turning it into a treasure trove of selling yam and other delicacies, and seized about 40% of the business with low and cost-effective prices.

Since then, the Huang family has become a well-known merchant in the capital.

"Don't push! Don't crowd! The number of people buying Matsutake is limited. Today's specials are raccoon lips, monkey brains, bear paws..."

As soon as the sun rose, a large number of vendors gathered in front of the Huang family shop. They got up early and stayed here late, just to be able to enter the store early and buy the popular yam and other delicacies.

There are always people who have enough money or who have a huge demand for such drugs and buy them from them.

Reselling the Huang family’s things can also make them a fortune.

The shopkeeper of the Huang family, who was standing in front of the main store, turned a blind eye to this. As long as the stock of medicinal materials shipped from Yunnan and Yunnan could be cleared, it didn't matter who they were sold to.

So, he stood in front of the door for a while in a leopard-print vest, read out the products with his head shaking, then closed the account book and signaled the waiter next to him with his eyes to open the door to receive customers.

The shop assistants understood what he meant and used their bodies to separate the noisy crowd below, then started shouting and opening their business.

Some people who had been waiting for a long time soon discovered the trick, because when the Huang's shop assistants separated the crowd, they intentionally put some people into the circle, changing the original order of the queue.

"I was the first one to come here, why should I let these people squeeze in?"

Among those who were squeezed out of their original positions, there was a scholar wearing a turban who looked indignant and protested.

Some people around him looked at him with strange eyes, thinking that this silly boy was pitifully stupid. Those second-hand vendors had already given tips to the shopkeeper, and they could always enter the store half an hour earlier than others.

This person must be new here and doesn't even know the rules.

"I went to buy herbs for my mother. I heard that Huang's herbs were good quality and cheap, so I waited overnight... You are not fair!"

The Huang family's shopkeeper turned a deaf ear and just turned the ring on his finger. Immediately, the servants understood what he meant and stepped forward to carry the ungrateful boy away.

The scholar who was dragged away turned blue in the face and waved his hands desperately, trying to struggle free.

The wealth he obtained from selling off his family fortune was not much, only enough to buy medicine at Huang's pharmacy. He could not afford the high-priced medicine from the middlemen, so he had to wait at the door all night.

The shop assistants who obeyed orders naturally didn't care about so much. In order to drag the scholar away, their veins bulged and they used all their strength.

“What a grand ceremony!”

The two shop assistants were dragging the goods halfway when they suddenly felt that there was someone in the crowd in front of them who did not make way and was standing there.

One of them frowned and asked, "Who are you? If you keep talking, you won't even be able to get in line!"

Although the person blocking the road was dressed richly, he did not look very old and was a stranger.

Therefore, neither of the two shop assistants took it seriously.

"What a coincidence! I really want to see how big the Huang family's arrogance is. Is it bigger than mine?"

Hearing such ostentatious words, the shop assistants secretly complained in their hearts, thinking that this guy was a little crazy.

Where is this?
It's the capital city! Under the emperor's feet!
No matter how great your background is, can it be equal to the title of the Son of Heaven? Anyone who says such things in public is a lunatic who has no respect for his elders and is not worthy of being on the stage.

"This person... seems to be Marquis Guangping, right?"

"It's him. I went to Fugui Street to see him yesterday. He looks exactly like him."

What happened in front of the Marquis's Mansion yesterday was a strange talk in the capital and became a topic of conversation after dinner.

Many people present were impressed by Xu Qing's appearance and recognized his identity all at once.

The two who had been somewhat indifferent at first, after hearing Xu Qing's name, were all stunned where they were, not knowing how to face it.

The shopkeeper of the Huang family pushed everyone away with a flattering smile and leaned towards Xu Qing.

"Your Excellency has come to visit us! It really brings honor to our humble shop..."

If you do business in the capital, you have to be aware of the ranks of these dignitaries.

Xu Qing was ranked behind many people in terms of titles and ranks. But he was the nephew of the current saint. A few days ago, three of the six ministries reported him, and the Imperial Censorate scolded him until his pen broke. But the only punishment was that the marquis donated his family property and was confined to the palace for a month.

You know, disobeying the imperial order and privately mobilizing the army is a serious crime punishable by beheading, which is no different from treason.

But the saint just glossed over it.

This is enough to show that Xu Qing's greatest reliance and backer is the current saint, who dotes on him to an outrageous degree.

"Go aside and let your manager come out to receive the guests."

The shopkeeper of the Huang family was scolded, but he did not dare to show the slightest displeasure or anger. He could only put on a smile and ordered the people behind him to look for the people from the Huang family.

After the man rushed upstairs to report the news, a woman came downstairs slowly and arrived at the door of the store surrounded by Huang's servants.

The other person had her hair tied up in a bun, and wore a green pleated skirt, which looked as if she were surrounded by pearls and jade, and she looked extremely beautiful.

"Is this... the daughter of the Huang family?"

"Look at the people following her. They are all the accountant and the manager of the store. It must be Miss Huang."

"I've been here to buy medicine for so long, but this is the first time I've seen her. It's really strange."

"What a surprise! Who can afford to offend this young master from the capital?" People around were talking about the appearance of the woman.

Xu Qing hadn't expected that Huang Sheng had such a relative, so he looked at him a few more times with an appreciative eye.

The woman ignored Xu Qing's gaze, walked up to him, bowed, and looked extremely respectful, as if she was meeting an elder.

"My name is Huangli, and I am honored to meet Lord Xu."

"You know everything that happened just now?"

"I didn't know it at first, but when the servants came to look for me, they told me on the way."

When the Huang family shopkeeper heard that the conversation was directed at him, he became furious. He had worked hard for most of his life to climb to this position, so how could his job be ruined just because of two blind servants?

"Miss! Miss, please spare my life!"

The young woman named Huang Li didn't say much, but turned sideways to the servant behind her and ordered: "From today on, Manager Song will be removed from the list, and his deeds will be written into a written surrender document and posted on the notice board of the government office, reporting to the officials for handling."

As if she was worried that this would not satiate her anger, she continued, "Give that scholar three times the amount of herbs he needs, and fine all the middlemen..."

"Ahem, that's enough."

Xu Qing really wanted to stand up for the scholar because there were patches on the scholar's robe and he didn't look like he was from a wealthy family.

But Huang Li was too cruel. He dealt with everyone involved in this incident.

"As long as the Lord is satisfied."

Huang Li nodded as if she was following Xu Qing's orders, which made the latter too embarrassed to say anything. He could only go into the high-rise building with Miss Huang to discuss the matter of the nylon thread.

The Huang family obviously made a lot of money in the medicinal materials business, or they were originally very wealthy, so they built their head office to be extremely luxurious.

Not to mention the ornate beams and painted buildings, and the gold and jade doors on the upper floors, even the layout and furnishings inside the house are simple and elegant, which is quite something.

If you didn't mention that this is a drugstore and a brothel with extremely elegant decoration standards, I'm afraid no one would not believe it.

After Xu Qing entered the house, Huang Li followed him in with a group of servants.

"What is your relationship with Huang Sheng?"

"In reply to the Marquis, Huang Sheng is my daughter's biological brother, three years older than her."

No wonder this oriole looks so childish, with fair skin and beautiful appearance, it turns out that she is a little girl who has just reached adulthood.

But the way he does things is quite mature.

When Xu Qing sat down at the arranged guest seat, he saw Huang Li's servants bringing some meals and boxes of precious medicinal materials to the table. Each box was wrapped in yellow silk and placed in a mahogany box.

Obviously, these things are worth a lot of money.

"What does it mean?"

Huang Li did not enter the main seat, but stood by the wall beside the door with her servants, and said respectfully and humbly: "This is something that I, my daughter, have taken the initiative to present to the Marquis. The hundred-year-old ginseng and saffron are the Huang family's most valuable treasures. I hope the Marquis will accept them."

The two largest boxes are of different sizes from the other boxes and are engraved with intricate patterns.

It seems that the Huang family has spent a lot of money to please me.

For the first time, Xu Qing felt what it felt like to abuse his power.

"Is the Marquis dissatisfied?"

Huang Li looked at Xu Qing who was silent, and thought that he was not satisfied. However, these things were the treasures of several generations of the Huang family, and were originally intended to be sent to the palace as gifts.

But she was afraid that Marquis Guangping might be unhappy about what happened today, so she took out these tributes and tried to calm his anger.

Business people are most afraid of offending this kind of big Buddha who is moody and unreasonable.

"Ahem, I came here today mainly for another matter."

"Speak, my Lord."

Huang Li put on an attitude of listening attentively, and this extremely humble attitude made Xu Qing feel embarrassed.

But for the sake of the magical silk stockings, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "You should know that some time ago, something happened in Guangping Marquis's Mansion... Because the funds in the mansion were not circulating, they needed to increase revenue and reduce expenditure."

"My Lord, I understand."

"Got it? Good to know."

Xu Qing looked at such an intelligent woman and a smile appeared on his face.

However, the smile only lasted three seconds before it froze on his face and could no longer be dissipated.

"My Lord, the Huang family accounts for half of the medicine business in the capital. Excluding the expenses of the workers who collect the herbs and make the medicine, and the escorts and guards hired along the way, the profit they can get is only 30%. If my Lord does not mind, the Huang family is willing to give 20% of the profit to my Lord to pay for the expenses of Guangping Marquis's Mansion."

"what?"

After hearing this, Xu Qing knew that something was wrong. This girl had misunderstood what he meant.

He came here with the purpose of cooperation, so how come during the negotiation he turned into a villain who robbed people of their money?
Although the Guangping Marquis's Mansion is short of money, it does not have to rely on this method to make money.

Huang Li saw that Xu Qing's expression did not change, and felt that the 20% profit still did not meet the conditions of Marquis Guangping, so she bit her lip and said with a sly look in her eyes: "Huang is willing to give up 25% and only earn the remaining 50%."

The Huang family servant who was following behind Huang Li saw this scene and felt anxious.

Everyone knows that Marquis Guangping behaved dissolutely when he was in Suzhou and often lingered in red-light districts.

But who could have imagined that he became a marquis with the help of his aunt, and his way of making money was so ruthless that he left almost no way for ordinary merchants to survive.

"My Lord, is that not enough?"

Huang Li felt a little pain in his heart, but the rule of Qi State would not be achieved overnight. If he only cared about the immediate interests, he would probably drag his family into an endless abyss.

If he can firmly obtain the title of imperial merchant and rely on branches in various places to provide blood transfusions to the Huang family, he can also continue this business.

"Then the Huang family...will give 30% of the profits of the general brand to the Marquis."

Seeing that the girl was getting more and more exaggerated, Xu Qing quickly waved his hand and said, "What kind of person do you think I am? Am I the kind of person who is greedy for money? I don't want the profits of your general brand."

He got up early and went to bed late, but it was not for the purpose of robbing.

The stockings business is sure to make a fortune, and it's all about monopoly. Xu Qingke looks down on the Huang family's medicinal materials business, and even more so on the means of competing for it.

“Not for profit?”

Huang Li was slightly startled, and the servants following her were also dumbfounded.

Everyone knows Xu Qing's name, so why did he suddenly change his mind and become uninterested in collecting money?
So what did he like about the Huang family?
Xu Qing said in a serious tone, "Well, can you let these servants go out first? I can only tell you about what's going to happen next."

Upon hearing this, Huang Li's face turned pale and her body trembled slightly. The other servants also had stiff expressions and twitching faces.

(End of this chapter)