The beauty of the Hou family and the king's plan

Shen Baozhao bowed to Mei Qianhe and asked, "I heard that Master Mei came from the shop today?"

"That's true." Mei Qianhe nodded.

Shen Baozhao then asked: "Did you notice the size of the shop? How many customers were there when you arrived at the shop this morning?"

Mei Qianhe knew what she meant when she asked the question, and answered, "Among the clothing stores on Duobao Street, whether in terms of location or customer base, the one owned by Nanhua County Lord is probably ranked first, but it's still in the top three."

"If it is run normally, based on the deed tax collected by the Ministry of Revenue from similar shops every year, it is not too much to say that there will definitely be a profit of three thousand taels."

"Of course, this is just speculation."

Seeing that the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable to her, Wang tugged at the old lady's sleeve.

The old lady didn't want to donate all of this, so she had to stop him: "Master Mei also said that it was just speculation. The fourth girl's account book is clearly here. It's your aunt's poor management that caused the loss."

"You don't have to ask too many questions. If you feel that your aunt is not managing the business well, then your grandmother will help you run it. There will definitely be a surplus, and it will add a lot to your dowry. How about that?"

Shen Baozhao sneered in his heart, the old lady still coaxed him like a child. But she was no longer a child.

"Fourth girl, follow your Third Aunt first. Your father and I will take care of everything here. You don't need to worry about it."

After saying that, he glanced at the third wife, Tang, who was standing like a wooden figure next to Wang.

Tang didn't care about the affairs of the Marquis' Mansion. After hearing the old lady's instructions, she left on her own without even checking whether Baozhao followed her.

The old lady, Mr. Shen, and Wang repeatedly obstructed and interrupted the conversation.

No matter how slow-witted Mr. Shen was, he realized that something was wrong.

He stepped out and stood beside his daughter: "Today we are talking about Nanhua's dowry, which is the matter of our second house. When Nanhua was alive, she said long ago that her dowry would be divided into two parts, both for the two children."

"I think Zhao Zhao has the right to question his own property."

The second master turned to look at Bao Zhao, with an encouraging look in his eyes: "Zhao Zhao, if you have anything to say, just speak up."

Shen Baozhao was very happy to see that his father trusted him so much: "Father, you sit down too. Let me analyze your analysis."

After that, he looked at Wang and asked, "Aunt, I would like to ask when did the shop start to lose money?"

Wang didn't know what Baozhao was up to, so she carefully considered the matter and said, "It wasn't a loss from the beginning. There were occasional surpluses, but generally speaking, the income has been more than the expenditure in the past five or six years."

"Oh? So it seems that the Marquis' Mansion is helping our Second House fill the hole?" Shen Baozhao asked immediately.

Wang thought about what she had said before, and continued, "Yes, Fourth Girl, you don't know that the Marquis's Mansion has been subsidizing the shop for many years to keep it going, otherwise it would not be able to continue."

With a "puff", Shen Baozhao sneered and said, "Aunt, you are the daughter of the Loyalty Earl's Mansion, so you must have learned how to manage the household since you were a child.

I want to know why you continue to open a shop that has been losing money for years instead of closing it and renting it out? "

"The shops my mother bought as a dowry are all excellent shops. Even if they are not opened, the rent for renting them for a year is probably quite high."

"My niece just can't understand. Does the Marquis' Mansion have endless money to spend? Do they not care about these things and continue to open the shop as if it is charity?"

Wang was dumbfounded. She had already fallen into Baozhao's trap without realizing it.

She could only continue to insist on her statement: "That was your mother's dowry shop. It was fate that we became sisters-in-law. It is naturally not easy for me to change her shop."

This statement is far-fetched, but it cannot be considered as evidence.

Shen Baozhao briefly flipped through the account book Mei Qianhe gave her: "It's really strange. Last year there was plenty of rain, and the price of raw silk material kept falling. Why did the purchase price of silk in the garment shop increase by more than two times?"

Wang Shi saw that Shen Baozhao really understood the account book and knew the price of raw silk last year. She felt resentful and secretly thought that she had underestimated her niece.

He immediately snatched the account book away: "Perhaps the raw silk purchased by the shop is of high quality, so the price is high. Or maybe the shopkeeper lied about the purchase price, this is possible. It was just that my aunt failed to notice."

Wang shi downplayed it and fooled him.

But Shen Baozhao would not give up this opportunity so easily: "In fact, it is not difficult to know the real operating status of the shop."

After these words came out, Mei Qianhe also looked at her with interest with a smile on his face: "Fourth Miss, please feel free to speak up. We in the Ministry of Revenue also want to do things clearly. If there is anything I can help with, I will be happy to help."

Seeing that Mei Qianhe was very understanding, Shen Baozhao did not hesitate to say: "Master Mei, you only need to send someone to guard the shop and have them record the accounts for a period of time, and record every item clearly. For a period of seven days, calculate the total gross profit and then take the average."

"This way, it's clear whether you're making a profit or a loss."

Mei Qianhe clapped his hands and said, "Excellent, on-the-spot record, simple and effective. The fourth young lady is truly a kind-hearted lady."

When the second master saw Mei Qianhe always staring at Shen Baozhao, he coughed twice in displeasure.

The old lady saw that if this matter continued to ferment and the Ministry of Revenue found out the true situation and reported it, the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion would lose all its dignity.

So he compromised and said, "Ms. Wang, maybe the servant below took the wrong account book." He spoke sternly, afraid that Ms. Wang would not understand.

Under the intimidation of the old lady and Mr. Shen, Wang changed her words: "Yes, yes, I must have taken the wrong account book. I'll ask someone to look for it."

There was nothing that the people in the Ministry of Revenue did not understand. As long as the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion was considered well-known in the capital, no one would expose it.

Shen Baozhao smiled with a hint of contempt as he looked at Nanny Wang coming with the new account book.

Everyone in the Ministry of Revenue checked the account books again to confirm that every entry was normal. They saw that each shop had an annual income of thousands.

Mei Qianhe did not say anything more. He took the deed and said goodbye to Master Shen: "Tomorrow the Ministry of Revenue will officially send someone to supervise the shop and farm. I hope Master Shen will not stop us."

"Oh, by the way, my subordinates are also injured. Please come to the Ministry of Revenue tomorrow to settle the medical expenses." Several officials in the Ministry of Revenue knew that the Ning'an Marquis' Mansion had such a big handle, so naturally they were not afraid that they would default on their debts.

Master Shen said sternly, "Don't worry, Master Mei, the Marquis's Mansion will not default on the payment."

Mei Qianhe seemed not to notice the master's dark complexion and continued, "Shangshu Shen, aren't you curious about where I live and whether my family is in financial difficulty?"

"My home is not far from the Marquis's Mansion, it's also on Chang'an Street, just east of the Mei Mansion. If Minister Shen is free, I will prepare a bed for you."

After saying this, he walked away with his group in a swagger.

Mr. Shen and the old lady looked at each other. Mei Mansion on Chang'an Street? Isn't that the residence of Hanlin Mei?

Could this person be the son of the Mei family? The master was terrified when he thought about how he had used coercion and bribery.

He slapped his thighs several times. Mei Hanlin had a very high status in the hearts of students all over the world, and he could not afford to offend him!

Before the master could finish his thoughts, the old lady's majestic voice was heard from the other side.

"Second brother, kneel down!"