Chapter 80 Coveted by all parties
Fu Chenan loves to eat and is good at it. They would often ask Fu Chenan to go to various delicious places to eat and drink.
Sometimes they would also invite Fu Chenan to Zuihonglou for drinks, but Fu Chenan said that his old injury had not healed yet and the doctor forbade him to touch women.
He said that if he started eating meat too early, it would affect his future offspring.
Therefore, whenever Fu Chenan went to Zuihonglou with them, he would only ask people to sing songs and eat snacks. After a while, they became quite familiar with each other.
Several people were laughing and talking about polite things. Cheng Yigui, the illegitimate son of the Minister of Justice, was the first to speak: "Chenan, you have a golden rice bowl in your hand, why are you selling things so cheaply?"
"If you sell it cheaply, we can't sell it too expensive, right?"
"We are the only family selling it. We can definitely sell it at a higher price."
"That way, everyone can get rich together, right?"
Fu Chenan glanced at everyone and looked "very embarrassed".
"If I earn too much, I'm afraid people will gossip about me. I just want to provide for my family and live a slightly better life..."
Everyone knew: the Fu family only had father and son, and the emperor was wary of them.
Now the marshal was defending the country on the front lines, while Fu Chen'an was an idler (a hostage) in the capital.
If Fu Chen'an were to focus solely on money and amass a fortune, the emperor would obviously be even more worried.
The young masters of the aristocratic families glanced at each other and immediately smiled.
Cheng Yigui spoke up again, saying, "If General Fu doesn't mind, why not just close Tao Tao Ji in the future?"
"Just give us the same price you're currently selling Tao Tao Ji to customers, and we'll sell it to you all over the country!"
"Didn't Boss Xisi say that for every 100 taels of silver worth of goods he sends us, you'll get 3 taels."
"If you hadn't spoken well of us to Boss Xisi back then, he might not have chosen us for his partnership."
"So we've discussed it and are willing to give you an extra 10% profit on top of what we already have."
"So for every 100 taels worth of goods we take from you, we'll give you an extra 10 taels."
"So you don't have to go through the trouble of selling them one by one?"
"Don't worry, we won't tell anyone about this without any written agreement."
This way, outsiders would gradually forget that it was Fu Chenan who was selling the goods, and the prices would be entirely determined by these companies.
Fu Chenan made a lot of money, but he would remain hidden from the public eye.
At first glance, this seemed like a good idea for him, and he should be touched and accept the suggestion.
But Fu Chenan laughed.
If Tao Tao Ji abandoned retail sales and only went wholesale, there would be disadvantages.
At least he wouldn't be able to contact the families of the important officials in the court who seemed unwilling to have anything to do with him.
After pondering for a moment, Fu Chenan rubbed his fingers together, with a questioning look on his face.
"How about this, from now on, my Tao Tao Ji shop will limit the daily takeout quantity to no more than 100 of each item, but the price will still be the same."
"As for them not being able to buy it and having to buy it from you, that's up to you to decide. Besides, my Tao Tao Ji only has cosmetics shops in the capital. Do you think that's okay?"
Several young masters from aristocratic families thought for a moment and said, "Okay!"
Even if Fu Chenan disagreed, they couldn't do anything openly. After all,
they still had to purchase goods through Fu Chenan.
After all, Fu Chenan's ability to say this was already a favor to them.
After these young masters from aristocratic families left, Fu Chenan's smile faded: Want to monopolize the market and sell at a high price?
He couldn't agree yet.
The young masters of the noble families returned to their respective homes and reported to their elders the process and results of the negotiations with Fu Chenan.
After listening to Cheng Yigui's report, Cheng Weishan, the Minister of Justice, stroked his beard and said solemnly, "This Fu Chenan is quite smart. You can interact with him more in the future."
"Just one thing: don't cross the line, and don't make promises lightly."
After Cheng Yigui left, Cheng Weishan instructed his attendant, "Go and have Madam come over."
Soon, Cheng Weishan's wife, Madam Sun, arrived. "Master sent for me. What's the matter?"
Cheng Weishan glanced at her. Madam Sun's complexion had improved somewhat recently, perhaps due to the powder and perfume she'd been using.
"I remember Ling'er is sixteen this year, right?"
"Yes." Madam Sun sat down, slightly surprised. Cheng Ling'er was Cheng Weishan's concubine's daughter, stunningly beautiful, yet sixteen and unengaged.
Cheng Weishan had always been generous with this concubine's daughter, spending almost as much on food, clothing, and other expenses as a legitimate daughter.
But Madam Sun didn't mind.
She knew that concubines in a mansion would eventually find a good family to pave the way for their legitimate sons.
"When you go to Anxiang Street again, take her with you more often."
"Huh?" Madam Sun was momentarily bewildered.
Cheng Weishan was dissatisfied with Madam Sun's slowness. "Gui'er got a bow earlier, said to be a famous bow from the previous dynasty, and we don't understand these military items..."
"Tell him to invite the young man
from the Fu family to appreciate it later." Madam Sun connected the dots and finally realized, "Master, you want Ling'er to marry Fu Chen'an?"
Although Fu Chen'an's Taotaoji made a lot of money selling Western goods, the emperor was wary of his family!
Wouldn't marrying into their family... bring trouble to our own family in the future?
Cheng Weishan glanced at Madam Sun. "It's just to let him get to know Ling'er, not to settle down immediately. Why are you so anxious?"
Sometimes, being unattainable is more effective than settling down directly.
Madam Sun suddenly understood. Although she felt strange, she agreed. "Okay."
Cheng Ling'er's mother was a thin horse from Yangzhou, so she was naturally very skilled in seducing men. Over the years, with Cheng Weishan's instruction and tacit approval, Cheng Ling'er had learned the art very well.
Cheng Weishan also asked Madam Sun to teach Ling'er and several other concubines how to manage accounts and personnel.
These concubines were the stepping stones to the Cheng family's advancement!
Madam Sun would usually take them out to banquets and outings, but Cheng Weishan rarely let Cheng Ling'er go along.
The most precious treasures naturally had to be sold at a high price.
Wouldn't it be cheap if everyone could see it?!
And now they were willing to move this chess piece?
Madam Sun got up and went out to make arrangements for the Bow Appreciation Banquet, and she also called Cheng Yigui over to give him some instructions.
Cheng Yigui had indeed misunderstood, with an expectant look on her face: "Mother, you mean..."
Madam Sun's expression was indifferent: "I don't mean anything else."
Cheng Yigui thought about it and understood: this simply meant they hadn't made up their minds yet.
Regardless, it at least proved one thing: their family was serious about their business.
Come to think of it, their own products sold for more than Tao Tao Ji's. A toiletries set could earn five taels of silver, and one hundred sets would be five hundred taels...
If Fu Chenan became a family member in the future, she could buy as much as she wanted and sell it to various places at a high price.
That would be a real daily haul!
The family has spent a lot of money paving the way for Big Brother.
A while ago, we gave a painting to Big Brother's teacher at the academy, and it cost several thousand taels of silver...