Qiu Fen sent the person away and returned to give her master a thumbs-up, "A mansion worth one hundred thousand taels, only Master could have swindled it out."
"I'm punishing him, who told him he had too much money and nowhere to spend it!"
Zhao Jiaqi's anger was thoroughly vented, and her mood was excellent. Supported by Qiu Fen, she went to the front courtyard to see her old friends.
At the banquet, she explained the purpose of inviting everyone.
"The Trade City has been completed and we haven't started recruiting merchants yet. Would you be interested in setting up shop there?"
"The business there is specifically for the Zongsheng Kingdom. Once it opens, the foot traffic will be no less than here, and we'll be dealing with large quantities of goods. You can all discuss this matter."
Xie Kun was in the trade business and had been interested in this matter for a long time. Now that there was such a good opportunity, he naturally wouldn't let it pass.
"Sister-in-law, count me in. To tell you the truth, sister-in-law, I've already stockpiled a lot of silk and ceramics, just waiting to sell them in your territory."
Murong Sheng had heard of the word "trade" from Zhao Jiaqi and was now very interested in it.
Large shipments, short cycles, high returns – this was viable. Without any hesitation, he raised his hand to vote, "I'm in too."
Leng Xiyuan, Peng Shuo, and Dong Ziheng had come here to develop the economy with them, so they naturally wouldn't fall behind.
Especially since these were all shrewd people who wouldn't do business at a loss.
"We're all in."
Zhao Jiaqi was not surprised by everyone's reaction. The next step was to discuss what businesses to engage in.
Zhao Jiaqi organized the event and provided them with a platform to discuss. Watching them discuss excitedly and fiercely, they even neglected their meal.
They talked, and Zhao Jiaqi and Pingting ate.
The dishes on the table grew cold, but these people hadn't come up with a concrete plan.
"Everyone be quiet, listen to me!" After eating her fill, she spoke with renewed vigor.
The table immediately fell silent. When the "Mother Yaksha" spoke, these people still gave her considerable face.
"Here's what I propose: there are so many businesses, each of you pick a few, preferably ones you're familiar with. Try not to venture into unfamiliar territory to avoid losses. I've reserved the best shops in the Trade City for you. Once you've made your selections, we'll start recruiting other merchants."
The Princess Consort showed such great favor, and Wang Lifeng was very grateful. "Thank you for your kindness, Princess Consort."
"Godfather, no one at this table has been in business longer than you. I'd like you to manage my workshops. I'll give you twenty percent of the net profit annually. How about it?"
When Wang Lifeng heard this, his eyes lit up. The workshop outside the city was quite large, and he had visited it with Xie Kun. It involved quite a few industries.
This was a huge piece of cake. Giving him twenty percent meant he could earn more in a year than by opening a shop in the Trade City!
"No problem, I will definitely take good care of the workshops and ensure you have no worries."
Her own matters were resolved first. With the workshops handed over to her godfather, and the land she rented to her elder brother and father, she had no more concerns.
Although Murong Sheng hadn't been in business as long as Wang Lifeng, he wasn't foolish. He raised a question, "Princess Consort, the workshops you're running and the businesses we're about to do are almost the same. This is..."
Was she trying to monopolize the business?
Zhao Jiaqi chuckled and retorted, "Can you supply enough goods to all the merchants in the Zongsheng Kingdom every day?"
Murong Sheng's body stiffened, and his expression became unnatural.
"In business, there must be fair competition. And in my territory, I don't care what your procurement price is; your selling price to me will be consistent. Malicious competition is not allowed. Once discovered, you'll be kicked out directly."
Zhao Jiaqi's words caught them off guard.
Undercutting prices to find customers was the usual practice. Without this tactic, their future businesses might have to be more conventional.
"Although the Trade City was established through the joint efforts of the Prince and the Emperor of the Zongsheng Kingdom, it represents the face of Yun Country. I will only allow the sale of goods with excellent quality, good prices, and high output. Of course, I won't suppress your prices too low, making you lose money to gain attention."
"Princess Consort is right. For similar goods, as long as the quality is good and superior, and the prices are the same, there won't be malicious competition. It also prevents people from the Zongsheng Kingdom from deliberately lowering prices and seeking out merchants everywhere. I support this." Wang Lifeng voiced his concerns and opinions.
"Princess Consort is right. This will also save us trouble and eliminate the need to rack our brains for various ways to retain customers. As long as the goods are good, that's our advantage!" Leng Xiyuan quickly followed suit.
There were no objections to this matter. Zhao Jiaqi reassured them again, "Of course, I won't recruit too many people. Besides you, there are a few exceptions. For the rest, each family can only engage in one type of business. A cloth shop is a cloth shop, and a wine shop is a wine shop. Cross-industry sales are not allowed."
"It was I who invited you back to develop the economy. I will not go back on my word!"
She couldn't be the kind of person who welcomed people when she needed them and cast them aside when she didn't.
She would learn from the great figures and let some people get rich first, then lead others to common prosperity.
The Princess Consort had spoken so clearly. If they still disagreed or didn't support her, wouldn't that be a betrayal of her intentions?
Murong Sheng immediately declared, "I agree!"
"We agree too!" Peng Shuo also voiced his opinion.
Xie Kun smiled and said, "Following sister-in-law is definitely the right choice. Wherever you point, I'll go!"
Such grand pronouncements could only be made after drinking a good amount of alcohol.
"Everyone knows about the workshops I built outside the city, right? I've invited skilled craftsmen from the palace. In terms of technology and design, they are top-notch in Yun Country. You can also place orders at my workshops. If my prices are higher than others, you can choose other workshops. In short, I hope you can all earn money safely."
Zhao Jiaqi took the opportunity to advertise her workshops.
Everyone burst into laughter. The Princess Consort's intentions were well-meaning, and they understood what they needed to do.
As for what each of them would sell, they would discuss it among themselves. Zhao Jiaqi, being pregnant, couldn't manage such matters.
"Tomorrow morning, we'll meet at the Trade City to select shops. The opening day is set for mid-December, which is just over half a month away. You should all hurry!"
Upon hearing that there was only half a month left, and they hadn't prepared their goods or decorated their shops, they dared not delay any longer.
They stopped eating, stopped drinking, and immediately moved to the front hall to discuss.
Fan Zehao had originally accompanied them. Seeing how fiercely they were discussing and realizing he had no part in it, he simply returned to the inner chambers. It was more pleasant to cuddle with his wife than to hang out with a bunch of men.
On the bed, Fan Zehao's face was pressed against her swollen belly, and he babbled to the baby, making her laugh heartily. He was truly childish.
She gently patted his head with her small hand and asked, "How is their discussion going?"
"My side... Fan the Elder and Fan the Second, these two brothers, are going to sell wine. Xie Kun wants to sell quite a few items. When they submit the list of goods to be sold tomorrow morning, you'll know."
Fan Zehao rubbed her round belly, fantasizing about whether the baby would be a boy or a girl, and what names would be good.
As he thought about it, he would smile foolishly, and then look worried, his face showing a multitude of expressions.
"Look at your silly face, anyone would think you were the pregnant one."
This man was simply unbearable. They said that pregnancy made a woman foolish for three years, but she wasn't foolish yet, yet her husband had become foolish!
"Wife, if these two children are born and they fight, who do you think I'll side with?" Fan Zehao suddenly asked her.
She was momentarily stunned. How could she know that!
"Let's sleep." Unable to answer, she simply lay down, closed her eyes, and chose to ignore him.
The excited man, oblivious to her annoyance, continued to chatter, "If we have a son and a daughter, and the daughter is bullied, I'll definitely side with my daughter and beat my son. If they're both daughters..."
He chattered on endlessly, while the person lying down had already fallen asleep.