You expect me to serve your mistress? The mistress is driving this scumbag and his entire family cra

Chapter 105 We're Breaking Up

The first business that Liang Jiang wanted to take over was the Duke's herbal medicine shop.

This is the Duke's mansion's biggest business, and also the culmination of Liangjiang's mother's years of hard work.

Unlike Renhetang, this pharmacy mainly deals in the wholesale of medicinal herbs. It buys herbs from farmers at low prices and then wholesales them to various pharmacy retailers, earning the price difference in the process.

The pharmacy was originally established because Lady Liang needed a large amount of medicinal herbs in the military camp to treat the soldiers' external injuries.

The demand for medicinal herbs is high and time is tight, often resulting in supply shortages and the substitution of inferior goods for superior ones. Therefore, Lady Liang instructed people to contact several large-scale medicinal herb growers to stockpile herbs and alleviate the immediate crisis.

Over time, it developed into a pharmacy.

After Madam Liang left the capital, the pharmacy business declined significantly. Liang Erye, taking advantage of his position, brought in two other managers with some backgrounds to invest in the business. They monopolized part of the military's supply of medicinal materials and made a fortune from it.

Liang Jiang wanted to take back the medicine shop, but how could Master Liang possibly give it up so easily?

So when Liang Jiang entered the herbal medicine shop, the other two partners and Master Liang were already waiting inside.

One was surnamed Zhao, and the other was surnamed Liu.

Liang Jiang never fights a battle unprepared; he had already thoroughly investigated the background and character of the two shopkeepers.

Manager Zhao was in charge of the operation of the Shangjing Medicinal Herbs Store. He had extensive connections in the capital, had some relationship with the managers of various pharmacies, was familiar with the market prices of various medicinal herbs, and was a smooth and opportunistic person.

Another manager, surnamed Liu, was in charge of purchasing medicinal herbs. He was well-versed in the origins and quality of various herbs and could make relatively accurate purchasing plans based on the annual production and demand of various herbs.

Liang Jiang runs Renhetang and has no shortage of shrewd and resourceful people like Manager Zhao. However, if she could get Manager Liu's help, it would greatly reduce Renhetang's procurement costs and be of great benefit.

Liang Jiang greeted the two of them very politely.

The two men gave Liang Jiang a perfunctory bow, and then got straight to the point.

"We two would like to discuss with the princess the matter of withdrawing our investment and ceasing all cooperation with your household."

The three of them were in the main hall of the pharmacy, in a bustling public place. All the pharmacy's employees stopped what they were doing and gathered in twos and threes, listening intently.

This is clearly an attempt to publicly intimidate him.

If not handled properly, not only will the pharmacy suffer losses, but the managers and employees of other shops will also follow suit.

Liang Jiang sat down in front of the three people: "The two managers have been cooperating with our pharmacy for two years. I wonder why you suddenly made this decision?"

"Let's not beat around the bush. The reason we chose to partner with the pharmacy is because Master Liang can secure the supply channels for medicinal herbs in the army, which is the main source of the pharmacy's profits."

Now that we hear that Master Liang is going to withdraw from the operation of the pharmacy, we have discussed it and decided that we are sorry, but we will withdraw our shares and stand with Master Liang to start anew.

Even the shop assistants in this pharmacy, some of them have been with us through thick and thin for years, and I'm afraid they'll have to leave with us too. So, Your Highness, you must make plans early.”

Liang Jiang raised an eyebrow and glanced around, sneering inwardly. This was truly a desperate move; not only were they withdrawing their shares, but they were also taking everyone with them, leaving her with nothing but an empty shell.

Master Liang sat with his legs crossed, sipping tea, his face full of smug satisfaction.

I want to see what you, Liang Jiang, can accomplish without me.
You may be doing very well in Fucheng, but this is the capital! Here, power and connections matter!

Liang Jiang remained calm and casually asked, "Just because of such a trivial matter?"

Manager Zhao squinted at her, his voice full of disdain and sarcasm: "Princess, you have quite the nerve. Do you have such connections?"

Liang Jiang honestly shook his head: "No." "If we can't supply the imperial court, it means the pharmacy will lose most of its orders and will be unprofitable. There is absolutely no need for us to continue cooperating."

Liang Jiang asked earnestly, "Then what do I need to do to persuade the two managers to continue cooperating?"

Manager Zhao slightly raised his chin: "That depends on how Second Master speaks. We have always respected Second Master."

Master Liang sipped his tea slowly and deliberately, putting on airs and feigning politeness: "Brothers, you flatter me. We have sources of goods and connections. It's just a matter of me saying a word to the Ministry of War. Why should we worry about not making money?"
"At worst, we can just change the signboard; it's effortless. Why stay here and have to put up with other people's opinions?"

"Second Master is absolutely right. Princess Heya, I'm sorry. Today, let's settle the accounts of this pharmacy, and you can return the money that my brother and I advanced. Then we can go our separate ways."

Master Liang clicked his tongue and looked troubled: "It's easy to break up the partnership, but asking my eldest niece to come up with so much money all at once is a bit too much to ask."

“I’ve heard that Princess Heya is the famous Lord of Fucheng. For her, a mere twenty or thirty thousand taels of silver should be nothing more than a drop in the ocean, right?” Manager Liu chimed in from the side.

“But if you two brothers leave, won’t this medicine shop fall apart? She will suffer a huge loss. So a smart person would beg you two brothers to stay.”

Master Liang gave Liang Jiang some pointers.

Liang Jiang knew perfectly well that her second uncle was forcing her to beg him.

They begged him to stay and continue running the pharmacy. Starting from scratch—how easy is that?

The three of them chatted amongst themselves, occasionally glancing at Liang Jiang out of the corner of their eyes.

Galangal remained expressionless, showing no emotion whatsoever.

After the three had revealed most of their cards and stirred up a lot of anxiety among the men, Liang Jiang finally spoke up.

"It is not wise to put all your eggs in one basket. Similarly, it is foolish to rely on a single channel for your entire business and become dependent on others."

Master Liang scoffed lightly: "Truly, a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. They're just looking down on us."

Liang Jiang glanced around the pharmacy and said very frankly, "Both of you managers are top-notch in running a pharmacy. I have long admired you and am very sincere in cooperating with you."

I know a little about the pharmacy's past business dealings. The pharmacy mainly makes a profit from medicines such as Panax notoginseng for treating external injuries. In the past two years, Manager Liu has also invested a lot of manpower and resources in the procurement and cultivation of these medicines.

However, large pharmacies, due to their high demand, will find their own direct sourcing channels, while small pharmacies are like a chicken bone, with very few orders.

Therefore, our pharmacy business is in an awkward position. Apart from the needs of the military and the support of Renhetang, we have very few orders from other places.

Do you know who truly controls whether a pharmacy is profitable?

Without hesitation, Manager Liu replied, "Naturally, it's the Ministry of War."

Liang Jiang smiled slightly: "You're completely wrong."

Manager Liu spoke quite politely: "I would like to hear the details."

"Whether the pharmacy is profitable or not does not depend on the Ministry of War, but on the war. These years of war have been exhausting for the people and resources. Both Chang'an and Xiliang need to recuperate and temporarily cease hostilities."

Therefore, the demand for military medicinal materials will inevitably decrease, and our pharmacy must explore new markets and change its business scope; otherwise, we will inevitably suffer losses within a year.

"If you continue to cooperate with my second uncle and start your own business, you are undoubtedly courting death."

Master Liang scoffed dismissively, "That's alarmist. With my connections in the imperial court, how could I possibly worry about selling medicinal herbs? What makes you think you can compete with me?"

(End of this chapter)