The whole family died tragically? The eldest daughter is the most powerful in the capital after her

The Duke of Zhenguo is a man who plans before he acts. When he heard Gu Nanyuan mention this matter, he naturally did not want to let last year's predicament happen again.

"It's not just charcoal fire. We also need to prepare quilts, winter clothes and cloaks in advance for the winter. Especially for the men in the family who are going out, they can't be careless about their winter clothes." The Duke of Zhenguo continued, his eyes revealing a thoughtful look.

Gu Nanyuan nodded and added, "Indeed, the men in the family have to travel together, so we need to prepare more cloaks and cotton-padded clothes. And the clothes for grandpa and grandma should be kept warm in winter, so as not to let them get cold."

The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo did not originally pay much attention to the recent rumors of rising prices. After all, being from a noble family like the Gu family, some small price fluctuations would not have much impact on the family.

However, after hearing what Gu Nanyuan and the Duke of Zhenguo said today, she began to realize the seriousness of the problem.

Especially when she mentioned the predicament of almost running out of charcoal supply last year, she felt that she could not be careless.

So, that afternoon, she arranged for her housekeeper to take money to various major stores to purchase charcoal and ready-made clothes for the winter.

However, in the afternoon, the housekeeper returned empty-handed and reported with difficulty: "Madam, the price increase this year is really outrageous. The price of charcoal and quilts is several times higher than last year."

"I originally planned to buy a batch first, but the price was too high, and the shop owners said that the supply was tight and unstable. We have been cooperating with them for many years, but the price suddenly increased so much that I dare not make the decision on my own."

After hearing this, Lady Zhenguo felt a tightness in her heart, realizing that things were more complicated than she had imagined.

Without any hesitation, she decided to go and take a look in person.

"Since the prices are ridiculously high, I will go and see for myself and ask these merchants why."

After saying this, the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo hurried to the Wu family's clothing shop with a few trusted servants.

When she arrived at Wu's store, the store was already crowded with ladies who came to purchase.

Everyone was talking and the atmosphere was a little anxious.

As soon as the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo entered the door, she heard several noble ladies in gorgeous clothes arguing with the shop owner.

"Your prices have increased several times compared to previous years. How can this be a normal increase? Are you deliberately raising prices in the winter to exploit us, your old customers?" One of the older ladies asked in an accusatory tone.

Another noblewoman also echoed: "That's right, my family just ordered a few ready-made clothes and a few quilts, but you want so much money! Are you treating us as suckers by raising the price like this?"

The shopkeeper's face was filled with anxiety, and he kept bowing his hands to apologize.

He patiently explained, "Ladies, please calm down. It's not that our Wu family deliberately raised the price! It's just that the supplier of fabrics is short of supply this year, and the price has risen sharply. We are helpless. Our Wu family has never deliberately raised the price. It's just that the purchase price has doubled, so we have to charge a premium."

The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo stood aside, listening to the shopkeeper's explanation, and she already understood it in her mind.

The ladies in the shop all had sad faces. Although the goods were piled in front of them, the prices were too high to be acceptable.

They exchanged glances, weighing in their minds whether it was worth taking action.

Only a very small number of ladies who really needed winter clothes gritted their teeth and bought one or two pieces, but even so, they were reluctant to buy more, and even seemed very hesitant when picking up clothes.

Some ladies looked around at the clothes and finally couldn't help but complain in a low voice: "The prices are outrageous, more than twice as expensive as in previous years. How can we buy at this rate? Are we being ripped off like this?"

Another lady echoed, "Yes, we have been ordering from Wu's for many years, but we didn't expect the price to go up so much this year! If it continues like this, we might as well not buy it."

Many ladies said that if the Wu family did not lower the price, they would cancel their reservations and not buy the products.

Right now, no one dares to make a purchase easily, for fear of buying goods that are more expensive than those sold by the imperial merchants, which would make them lose face.

The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo witnessed all this, weighed the matter for a moment, and ultimately did not act rashly.

Although the family did need to prepare winter supplies in advance, such high prices were obviously unreasonable, so she decided to go home and discuss it before making plans.

As more and more ladies said they would not buy, the business of the Wu family's clothing store quickly cooled down.

This matter soon spread among the dignitaries in the capital.

In the mansions of various high-ranking nobles, dukes, marquises, and lords began to discuss the price increase of the Wu family.

What's more, some people would even be sarcastic when they saw Lord Wu: "Lord Wu is now very powerful. It seems that there is a big shot backing him up. The prices of this clothing store are even higher than those of the imperial merchants. It's really admirable."

Another marquis also said with a smile: "Master Wu is raising the price like this, is he thinking that he will make a fortune this time and never do it again in the future?"

Lord Wu's face turned pale, but he didn't dare to lose his temper on the spot.

After Lord Wu returned home, he went straight to Mrs. Wu.

"The store incident has become a bit of a fuss. Why did the prices suddenly increase so much? The ladies are dissatisfied and have even cancelled their previous reservations. Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Lord Wu's tone was a little anxious.

When Mrs. Wu heard this, a hint of helplessness appeared on her face.

She explained: "I didn't expect things to develop so seriously. I realized there was a problem before and asked the shopkeeper to keep an eye on it, but there is no result yet."

After hearing this, Lord Wu frowned and felt even more depressed.

The situation in the store was obviously more complicated than he had imagined.

He couldn't sit idly by any longer and immediately went to the store to inquire about the situation.

The atmosphere in the store was dull, with few customers, and the bustling scene of the past was long gone.

Lord Wu walked into the store with a serious expression and called the shopkeeper over to inquire about the situation in detail.

The shopkeeper reported everything from the purchase price to the sales status.

After listening carefully, Mr. Wu realized that the problem was not just an operational issue, but that the overall purchase price had been rising.

He felt that the situation was tricky, so he immediately went to see the supplier, Mr. Li.

When Boss Li saw Lord Wu coming, he stepped forward with a somewhat apologetic look on his face and said, "Lord Wu, I am truly flattered that you have come to my house in person."

Mr. Wu sat down with a sullen face and asked directly, "Boss Li, why has the purchase price of my clothing store suddenly increased so much? The price has increased so much that even our old customers have been scared away!"

"Not only that, but the supply is so small that it can't meet winter demand."