The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 7 Creating a Chance Encounter

Shang Mingshu waited for three days and finally waited until Mrs. He went out. She got the news that she had been waiting at the silk shop before Mrs. He.

Lin's silk shop has six branches in the capital city, and the latest materials can be put on the shelves at the same time as those in Jiangnan. Mrs. He went out personally to select gifts for her elders in Beijing during the holidays, and she would definitely choose the Lin's silk shop that was closest to the mansion.

"Manager Qian, I want all these cloths at the price I mentioned." Mrs. He followed the receptionist upstairs and heard a familiar voice.

Today, Miss Shang was wearing a light green three-collar long gown with a snow-white embroidered horse-face skirt. She was tall and slender from behind and was bargaining with the owner of the cloth shop.

"Miss San, these are all top-quality Songjiang cloth and Weitang yarn. Please give me another fifty strings of cash." Shopkeeper Qian said with a bitter face.
What I fear most is that this ancestor will come to purchase, and every year I will squeeze the profit to the lowest level.

The reason is simple: this young lady knows her stuff!

God knows how she, a young lady from a tea merchant, knew so much about their cloth business. In the first few years, their master was so scared that he thought the merchant was going to get involved in the silk and cloth industry. He was on guard for a long time and would even claim to be sick and not attend the banquets hosted by the merchant.

Shang Mingshu touched a few pieces of cloth, and Shopkeeper Qian's eyelids twitched.

"Shopkeeper Qian, we've been dealing with each other for a long time. This cloth is of varying thickness and fineness." She unfolded the two pieces of cloth and measured them with her palm. "The width, length, and length are different..."

"Oh, my little ancestor, please be merciful. I will send someone to ask the manager and tell him your price." Manager Qian stopped him quickly.

He said this, but in fact it was just a formality. Shang Mingshu came to buy the overstocked goods in their shop. These fabrics were indeed high-quality fabrics, but the shortcomings Shang Mingshu mentioned were all true.

This is why it is difficult to sell. People who can afford good materials will naturally buy regular ones, while those who cannot afford good materials are reluctant to spend money on these slightly inferior ones, so it is better to buy some affordable goods.

It’s not that they don’t have a way to deal with it, but Shang Mingshu can clear it out all at once, saving them the trouble. The price is just right for them. It’s much cheaper than selling it bit by bit, but not that much cheaper.

"Shopkeeper Qian is very straightforward. He has packed everything for me as usual. I'll have someone pick it up later." Shang Mingshu was very satisfied. She turned around and came face to face with Madam He. She smiled in surprise and stepped forward to greet him. "Madam He."

Shang Mingshu did not use a respectful title because she did not want to reveal her identity as Mrs. He.

I thought this young lady had finally become more plain, but when she turned around, Mrs. He was dazzled by the emerald feather and gold bead necklace on her chest.

The agility of the emerald feathers and the beauty of the golden beads make the young lady look gorgeous and elegant.

Madam He nodded: "Ms. Shang, why are you here..."

Mrs. He was a little confused when she saw the pile of cloth, at least hundreds of them, at the back.

"My daughter is shopping for the orphanage and the orphanage," Shang Mingshu replied calmly. "Autumn is almost here, so it's time to buy some new clothes for the elderly and children."

"I heard that you have dozens of servants. Do you still need to do such things yourself?" Mrs. He asked casually while looking at the cloth.

"Madam, you know how many servants I have?" Shang Mingshu was surprised at first, then complained, "It's all my father's fault. Every year he has to go to the human traffickers and buy those with disabilities, saying that these people can't find a good place to go... Once they are bought, they have to be arranged. If the farm can't keep them, they can only be kept at home and given some light work.

Over time, there have been many servants, and there have been rumors that my father is greedy for pleasure, and that he has 32 people carrying his sedan chair when he goes out..."

"Puchi." When Shang Mingshu said this, the receptionist who brought Madam He up could not help laughing. Realizing his impoliteness, he quickly apologized, "Ms. Shang, please forgive me. I was just thinking about how big the sedan chair must be if it took thirty-two people to carry it..." His description made everyone think about it, and even Madam He could not help but curl the corners of her lips.

Such an outrageous rumor was actually the work of Shang Mingshu. Shang Jinliang liked to do good deeds. Three years ago, there was a severe drought in Jiahe area for a year, and no crops were harvested. Many people sold their children, and Shang Jinliang bought many poor people at one time.

Last year, rumors that Shang Jia had over a hundred servants and that his family enjoyed a life of luxury and extravagance arose from nowhere. Shang Jinliang was so anxious that his mouth was covered with blisters, but he couldn't explain to anyone.

Shang Mingshu simply added fuel to the fire, having people exaggerate the Shang family's extravagant lifestyle, saying things like thirty-two people carrying sedan chairs in and out, twelve meals a day, and messengers running shoulder to shoulder...

In the end, the matter was left unresolved. Even when someone in the teahouse mentioned something like "Have you heard about the extravagance of merchants...", everyone who had gathered around dispersed. It was really outrageous.

"Madam He, are you here to choose fabrics?" Shang Mingshu volunteered. "I know a little bit about it. Why don't I accompany you to take a look?"

Mrs. He did not refuse: "Thank you."

"It's my daughter's honor." Shang Mingshu walked to Madam He's side and asked, "Madam, are you buying this cloth for your own use or as a gift?"

"Gift to the elders in my family..."

"I heard Madam He grew up in Jining, and her Lu brocade is so gorgeous. I've long admired it." Shang Mingshu began by praising Madam He's hometown. "Let me tell you about these fabrics: Songjiang cloth, a woven silk and cotton fabric, is delicate and soft, the most comfortable. It's also shiny and lustrous, unlike other fabrics..."

Shang Mingshu earnestly recommended it to Madam He. Shopkeeper Qian was waiting on the side. Listening to Miss Shang talking about her own fabrics like the back of her hand, he began to worry again because even their young master and his wife didn't know so much about it.

Mrs. He listened to her story in a soft Wu dialect and with substance, and she couldn't help but sigh in her heart: This young lady is quite knowledgeable.

Shang Mingshu only gave a detailed introduction without any recommendation or words of advice for Madam He. She explained in detail what kind of fabric was suitable for what kind of person, the quality of the fabric, where it was produced, where it was sold, whether it could be purchased in Jining, etc.

With her introduction, Mrs. He bought several horses, and kept some for her own use in addition to the gifts.

"Mrs. San, please go to the old folks' home quickly. Old lady Wang is threatening to jump off the building!" Shang Mingshu and Madam He had just walked out of the silk shop when a middle-aged man with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead and an anxious look on his face came up to them.

Shang Mingshu didn't have time to say goodbye to Mrs. He. She hurriedly bowed and left quickly with the man.

Mrs. He looked at the two people who were in a hurry, pondered for a moment, and then quickened her pace to catch up with them.

There are places like old people's homes and orphanages in every county of Huizhou, and there are several in the capital city. They are all funded by merchants and are used to adopt elderly and widowed people with no one to rely on and homeless babies.

As a result of this action, there were almost no beggars in the city.

Shang Jia built two nursing homes and two orphanages in the city. The one Shang Mingshu rushed to was in the city.

The residences in the prefectural capital were mostly two or three stories high to protect against floods, insects, and moisture. The Shang family's orphanage in the city was expanded three times by Shang Jinliang, now a three-story building. An elderly woman with disheveled silver hair somehow climbed to the roof of the third floor and cried out loudly, "I am an old woman in my sixties, and my innocence has been defiled. I can only die as a witness. Heaven can bear witness. I have always lived an honest life, and I will leave my name clear even in the afterlife—"

(End of this chapter)