Su Li had been so busy for the past few days that her feet barely touched the ground. She spent her nights drawing embroidery patterns and her days teaching several small-scale medicine merchants how to cultivate medicinal herbs, all while also attending to New Year preparations. She was truly spinning like a top.
This day, Su Li was speaking with a medicine merchant in the courtyard when Jun Mo entered.
Su Li turned around and greeted him, "You're here." She then turned back to continue what she was doing.
Jun Mo stepped forward, took her hand, and led her out, saying as they walked, "I saw a good show on the way here today; I thought you'd like it, so I'm taking you to see it."
Su Li asked curiously, "What kind of show?"
"You'll know when we get there."
Seeing that he wouldn't say, Su Li laughed, "Still keeping me in suspense."
The two boarded the carriage and headed towards East Street.
"Refund! Refund! Cheats!"
"Let your proprietor give us an explanation! Pay up!"
"Cheats! Selling it so expensively, but it's such shoddy rubbish!"
"Everyone, please don't get agitated! Don't get agitated!"
"Our proprietor will be here right away! Please don't push!"
From inside the carriage, Su Li heard the chaotic clamor. She lifted the curtain and saw Yu's Shop surrounded by angry common folk. The crowd was agitated, and the shop assistants of Yu's Shop were shouting themselves hoarse to no avail.
Su Li smiled, "Indeed, it's a good show."
Jun Mo lifted the curtain and disembarked first, then carefully helped her down. "Come, let's go to the teahouse to watch the show."
The two arrived at the teahouse diagonally opposite, seating themselves by the window on the second floor. They drank tea and watched the drama unfold.
After about two kèzhōng (approximately half an hour), a carriage stopped in front of Yu's Shop. Yu Banxia alighted and frowned at the scene before her.
A sharp-eyed shop assistant spotted her and quickly shouted, "Proprietor, you're here?"
Hearing this, everyone turned around.
"You're the proprietor of Yu's Shop? Who would have thought such a young person could have such a dark heart!"
"Hurry up and give us our refunds!"
"Damn down coats! One wear and they're unwearable!"
"Exactly! How are we supposed to wear something that smells so foul?!"
"My child wore your clothes and broke out in rashes all over! Can you afford to compensate us? Cheats, has your conscience been eaten by dogs?"
"It clumps together after one wash, how can we wear it?! Give me my refund!"
"Refund! Refund! Refund!"
Yu Banxia was surrounded by these people, completely unable to move. They thrust the down coats into her face, and the overwhelming stench nearly made her vomit.
"Calm down! Calm down! Everyone, listen to me! Listen to me!" Yu Banxia took a deep breath and shouted loudly.
The buyers quieted down for a moment, wanting to hear what she had to say, each glaring at her like a tiger.
Yu Banxia cleared her throat. "Everyone, if there's a quality issue with the clothes, we will certainly provide refunds. Please rest assured. Shopkeeper!"
A man of about forty came over. "Proprietor."
"Arrange for people to issue refunds to them," Yu Banxia instructed.
One commoner yelled, "And my child's medicine money! My child broke out in rashes all over after wearing your clothes!"
Yu Banxia gritted her teeth. "Compensate! We'll compensate everyone!"
The shopkeeper looked at the situation; not refunding or compensating was no longer an option. The shop might even be smashed by this mob. "Everyone, please queue up here, one by one. Don't worry, you won't be shorted even a single copper coin."
Su Li watched the long queue forming over there and smiled. "This Yu Banxia's idea was indeed good, but the loopholes are too big."
Jun Mo sipped his tea. "One can't act this way when doing business, and especially not when doing commerce; one must be thorough in planning. This time, I'm afraid my imperial brother will suffer a severe blow. As far as I know, he had the embroidery workshops make a lot of these clothes. The stock piled up in the fabric shops and embroidery workshops will be enough to give him a headache."
Su Li chuckled, "Not just that. With Yu's Apparel Shop in trouble, the other Yu's Shops will also be affected." Once reputation is tarnished, it's incredibly difficult to salvage.
Jun Mo glanced at the woman across from him, who was smiling with such ease, and the corner of his lips curved slightly. "This is precisely an oversight in an otherwise perfect plan, leading to utter failure."
Su Li thought of Jun Hui's expression and felt a certain satisfaction in her heart. He thought he could rise again by using Yu Banxia, but he didn't realize that Yu Banxia's consideration of things was very superficial. Her ideas were imaginative, and if successful, they would bring immense profit, but one misstep would lead to cleaning up a huge mess.
Su Li looked at the man opposite her and asked, "What have you been busy with lately? Her Ladyship Consort De said you haven't been to visit her in the palace for a long time."
Jun Mo smiled. "What? Not even married yet, and you're already conveying messages for Imperial Mother?"
Su Li glared at him playfully.
Jun Mo explained, "There's a lot to do at the end of the year, and many memorials from officials reporting on their duties. Imperial Father has entrusted me with some tasks. It will be better once this busy period is over. After the New Year, I should be able to rest properly for a while."
The two leisurely drank tea, enjoyed their snacks, watched the show, and chatted, thoroughly at ease.
In the evening, at the Sixth Prince's Estate.
The study was frighteningly quiet; even the usually outspoken Yu Banxia dared not utter a sound.
After a long while, Jun Hui broke the silence. "Butler, how much have we lost?" His voice was cold, devoid of any warmth.
The Butler whispered, "Reporting to Your Highness, the total of staff wages, plus outstanding payments to the fabric shops and embroidery workshops, amounts to over eight million taels."
Jun Hui slapped the desk, making a loud thud that startled Yu Banxia.
"In just half a month!" Jun Hui said, gritting his teeth somewhat. All that hard work during this period had been for naught, and they had lost a substantial amount.
Yu Banxia softly said, "Your Highness, it's fine, we can still earn it back."
Jun Hui deeply exhaled, thinking that Yu's Shop still had pawn shops and other establishments. He suppressed the anger in his heart, recovering his usual composure.
Yu Banxia thought her words had appeased him, and secretly rejoiced. It seemed she had quite an impact on His Highness.
At this moment, the Butler spoke. "Your Highness, after this incident, I'm afraid Yu's Shop's other establishments will also be affected. Today, the hotpot restaurant had almost no customers."
They had originally named all their shops "Yu's Shop" to compete with Su's Shop, and now they truly regretted it.
Yu Banxia glared at the Butler. How could he be so tactless? His Highness had just calmed down. "What does it matter? Once this blows over, the common folk will quickly forget about it. Don't worry, Your Highness."
Jun Hui said coldly, "Miss Yu, it's getting late, please return home!"
Yu Banxia still wanted to say more, but the Butler interjected, "Miss Yu, please!"
Yu Banxia closed her mouth. "Alright then. Your Highness, there's no need to worry. This matter will soon pass."
Jun Hui gritted his teeth. "You should leave first!" If she didn't leave soon, he would physically throw her out!
After Yu Banxia had left, the Butler asked, "Your Highness, what should be done with the down coats that were rushed through production overnight? We can't just keep piling them up at other embroidery workshops, can we?"
Jun Hui's eyes were slightly red, and his hands were clenched into fists. Seeing how well the down coats had initially sold, he had ordered all the major embroidery workshops in the Imperial Capital to rush production overnight. Now, all those down coats had become useless.
"Destroy them?" Jun Hui uttered with difficulty.
The Butler sighed. Those were all bought with real silver and gold!
"Your Highness, as for our other shops, apart from the hotpot restaurant, the others are operating at a loss, even excluding staff wages and costs." At first, they had opened all of them directly opposite Su's Shop, so business was never very good. Now, with this incident, it would likely be even worse...
After a long pause, Jun Hui's voice finally came. "Close them all for now. We'll reopen them once the hotpot restaurant starts making money again."
The Butler nodded. "Understood."
Jun Hui waved his hand, dismissing the Butler, and sat alone in the study for a long time. The only consolation was that he still had the hotpot restaurant and some other ventures that could earn money.
He had fallen so hard, but he could only blame himself for not planning thoroughly. The hotpot had been profitable initially, and having tasted that sweetness, he had assumed Yu Banxia truly had ability, thus letting down his guard and becoming too eager for quick success.
Everything still needed to be taken slowly.
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