The next day, before Zhao Jiaqi could send for Liu Runming and Meng Yang and Li Ben, the three of them came together to visit the Prince and Princess.
Hearing that these three had arrived, Zhao Jiaqi's good mood diminished by half.
Fan Zehao was unsure of their attitude, whether they were friends or foes.
"These three are wolves. If we bring them into the trade city, aren't we inviting trouble?"
Zhao Jiaqi said softly, "What's there to fear? They are wolves, and you are the hunter. The rules of the game are clearly stated. If they maliciously depress prices and disrupt the market, let alone the trade city, they won't be allowed to exist in this territory. I'm even hoping they make a mistake."
What his wife said made perfect sense, so they would proceed accordingly.
In the front courtyard, the Prince met with the three families and laid out the rules of the trade city before them. For a moment, all three were at a loss for words.
These regulations were such that touching any one of them would be unacceptable, and the consequences of punishment were beyond their ability to bear.
Despite this, Liu Runming was the first to agree.
When Meng Yang and Li Ben saw that he had agreed, they realized that if they waited any longer, there would be nothing left for them. So, they also agreed.
It meant that from now on, they could only conduct business formally, and any attempt at minor trickery would be impossible. However, this was still better than being driven out.
Their foundation and connections were here. If they were to leave this place intact, it would be one thing, but they feared that this exasperated Prince, if he were to deal with them like he did Ji Shiyi, they would be truly finished.
Not only would everything be lost, but their families might also be torn apart... the consequences were too dreadful to contemplate.
"Out of consideration for our acquaintance, I will give you a convenience. You may choose your shops now. After you have chosen, I will allow other merchants to choose."
When the Prince said this, the faces of the three twitched madly!
They were being given convenience and allowed to choose first?
Were the people from yesterday merely going to the trade city to look at paintings?
Since the Prince had spoken so, if they were to say anything else, it would seem ungrateful. Thus, the three expressed their gratitude and thanked him, accepting Fan Zehao's favor.
After their selection, the number of shops decreased by nearly half. Concurrently, announcements were posted in five prefectural cities to attract investment.
Suddenly, the trade city was bustling with people, and within three days, all the shops were rented out, and a considerable amount of rent had been collected.
She still had a row of shops in the trade city, which she had requested from Zong Shengguo when designing the blueprints. They had the location and workshops, but they still lacked personnel.
Zhao Jiaqi thought of the steady Bai Lu and called a maid, "Qiufen, go find Bai Lu."
Qiufen went quickly and returned just as fast.
"Is the Princess looking for this servant?" Bai Lu entered the bedroom and saw the Princess reclining on a chaise lounge, looking at a booklet in her hand, and asked.
Zhao Jiaqi looked up as the person arrived and nodded gently, "Yes, I have something to ask of you!"
Closing the ledger, ready to speak, Bai Lu, with great perceptiveness, helped her to sit up, placed a soft pillow behind her back, and then withdrew.
Her head was bowed low, and she stood respectfully to the side, waiting for her to question her.
"Can you read and write? Can you do accounts?"
Bai Lu blinked a few times, a slight surprise in her heart. Had she somehow revealed a clue?
Then she thought, that was impossible. She had been so careful; the Princess shouldn't have discovered anything.
"Replying to Your Highness, this servant knows a little." Bai Lu suppressed her inner doubts and spoke.
Zhao Jiaqi handed her a ledger from the table, "There's a desk over there. Go and calculate this ledger and see what the profit is!"
She took the ledger from the Princess and went to the round table nearby. She settled down to calculate. Not long after a stick of incense had burned, she finished.
"Replying to the Princess, for every catty of cabbage, six taels of preserved cabbage are produced. Cabbage costs two wen per catty, and preserved cabbage sells for seventy wen per catty. Including the cost of salt and laborers, for one hundred catties of cabbage made into preserved cabbage, the profit is six taels."
Zhao Jiaqi nodded. This was a conservative calculation, but it was acceptable. She passed the test.
"Bai Lu, I have a task for you. You will be the manager of my shops in the trade city. Do you want to be this manager?"
Bai Lu was very surprised. She never imagined such a significant matter would fall upon her!
"This servant is naturally willing to try!" This was a great opportunity to distinguish herself, and Bai Lu would not miss it.
Never mind being a grand manager; even if it were the role of Qiufen, she would have been willing. Her heart pounded with excitement, her little deer of a heart thumping uncontrollably, and her face could not hide her joy.
"Then from today onwards, you are the manager. Go and familiarize yourself with the shops and the goods they sell! If you need anything, tell the steward, and he will cooperate with you."
Bai Lu knelt on the ground with a thud and bowed deeply to Zhao Jiaqi, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your support. This servant will certainly not let Your Highness down and will manage the shops well!"
This sudden grand gesture startled Zhao Jiaqi, making her wonder if she was too excited.
She hadn't acted like this when she first entered to see her!
"Get up and get to work."
Kneeling back and forth, didn't her knees hurt?
The Prince's mansion had been very busy lately. Madam Xu had cast a wide net in the inner city, looking for midwives and also wet nurses.
Her search was not in vain, as Fan Zehao also began sending people to look.
Whether in Qingjiang Prefecture or Antai Prefecture, any midwife known for their skill was found and brought to him.
Wet nurses were also invited one after another. Looking at the abundant and buxom wet nurses, the veins on Zhao Jiaqi's forehead pulsed violently.
She was only seven months pregnant, and he was so eager to find wet nurses. Did he want them for himself or what!
Row after row of wet nurses stood in the room, speaking fluent local dialects of the inner city to introduce themselves. She listened with a weary sigh and directly interrupted the remaining people, waving her hands at them, "You... are all very good, but this Princess has not yet given birth and genuinely has no use for you."
"Qiufen, give these ladies some travel expenses so they don't make a wasted trip."
In other words, she truly couldn't afford them, nor did she dare to use them!
Although the wet nurses had complaints, they left with smiles on their faces for the sake of one or two taels of silver.
They vowed to return to serve the little county princess or young prince when the Princess gave birth.
As the opening date drew closer, everyone's hearts were filled with nervous anticipation.
It could be said that now, everything was ready, except for the final crucial element. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Wang Lifeng took charge of the workshops and lived directly in them, personally overseeing every detail, truly treating these workshops as his own enterprise.
In a short period, not only did these workshops become standardized, but some workshops even began production. Masters from the sausage workshop, the pickled vegetable workshop, and the winery began to ferment wine in batches, and the aroma of wine filled the workshops everywhere.
Another part was recruiting blacksmiths with basic ceramic making skills, and those without these skills were also recruited, as long as they had strength. Wang Lifeng assigned these people to the glassware workshops.
Women and young girls looking for work were sent to the clothing workshops.
The clothing workshop was divided into two parts: one sold clothes to Yun Country, and the other produced in batches, specifically for Zong Sheng Country. He had truly utilized everything to its fullest.
"Daughter-in-law, except for the jewelry workshop which has not yet started, almost everything else is in operation. What do you think..."
"We have a goldsmith, we just lack raw materials. Put this aside for now, and I'll go find resources later!"
Gold and silver were indeed difficult to find. She had been so busy lately that she had forgotten about it.
Wang Lifeng was quite knowledgeable about where gold mines were located and casually suggested a place, "Why don't you send someone to inquire? Their gold is of good quality and the price is quite fair."
"Okay, I'll have Xiao Ce go there later." Zhao Jiaqi noted the location in her mind, planning to investigate it later.