20demayo Chapter 187 Life at This Moment Is Somewhere Above or Below
Chapter 187 Life at This Moment Is Somewhere Above or Below
"Has Seventh Brother been getting too close to Young Master Wu lately?" Tao You's furrowed brows were full of disapproval.
Tao Yang didn't take it to heart. "Tao's Trading Company is based in Yucheng. Shouldn't it be good to maintain a good relationship with the Governor of Yongzhou?"
Tao You frowned even more deeply, “But Yucheng is ultimately under the control of Marquis Yongyi. As long as the relationship is solid, the other local forces can just do a favor. Not only would it cost money to win over another governor, but I'm afraid we'd end up with neither side!”
Tao Yang chuckled, "How many days have we spent sending our visiting cards, and have we even received a meeting with Marquis Yongyi? This clearly shows that this relationship is not very solid."
“But…” Tao You wanted to persuade her further.
"Alright," Tao Yang interrupted impatiently, "Third Brother, caution is correct, but having more friends means having more options. I know what I'm doing. I have a banquet to attend today, so I won't say any more for now."
"Ah..." Tao You couldn't stop him in time, and could only watch Tao Yang's back and sigh. Expanding the business was not easy, but its collapse was imminent. He could only hope that his seventh brother would not ruin his years of hard work.
Thinking of this, Tao You smiled bitterly in silence. The fruits of her painstaking efforts were not appreciated as they should have been; the disparity in their lives was predetermined from the moment they were born...
Tao Shi, who had been waiting at the gate of the mansion, saw his master come out and hurriedly helped Tao You into the carriage. Then, as a trusted confidant, he naturally followed and served him.
"How have the accounts of the trading company been checked over the years?" Tao You asked, and then saw that Tao Shi's face was a little displeased. He laughed and said, "What's wrong? Did Tao Rong upset you again? He is also an old man in the Tao family. Give him some face. There is no need to be confrontational. People who don't know better might think that I am a petty person."
Tao Shi felt wronged upon hearing this and said indignantly, "Although the trading company is extremely profitable, there are large sums of money that are difficult to explain every year. When asked, they say it's for bribing officials. If you ask any further, they start to act like they don't understand social etiquette and that doing business is hard..."
The more he talked, the angrier he got. That old fox was really cunning. He often avoided the important issues and never managed to find any real faults in him. He was so slippery that every time he made himself so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged, he would start talking like a normal person again when the master came, making him look like a villain.
Tao You chuckled and said, "What you're trying to say is that Third Brother has the leisure to line his own pockets. So what if it's true? If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. It would be abnormal if someone had a gold mine and didn't try to make some money out of it. Third Brother has worked hard all these years, even if he hasn't made any great contributions. The business will soon be taken over by us. If we keep arguing, it would seem like we're being unfair."
Most importantly, he had also seen the account books and calculated the income of the manor over the years. Tao You couldn't have embezzled much, so he should just give him a small amount of money.
"You are a magnanimous young man!"
Tao Yang accepted the praise without any modesty, and lazily leaned against the carriage, closing his eyes to rest.
·
Yongzhou border —
Ye Mingzhu and Zhen E sighed in despair, realizing their mistake: the refugees couldn't enter the city.
Just as they were racking their brains about how to sneak into the city, a commotion broke out at the city gate, and soon the news that the Wu family was taking in slaves spread.
Ye Mingzhu and Zhen E exchanged a glance. It was true that the gentry and powerful had a tradition of taking advantage of famine to acquire slaves, which was cheap!
However, in recent years, there have been natural disasters or wars and banditry almost every year. Even the wealthiest families can't keep up with the demand for slaves. If they can still do so, it can only mean that they are consuming a lot of resources.
The Wu residence is definitely not a good place to go.
But the refugees didn't think that far ahead; they were content with just having a place to eat and rushed forward in droves.
Ye Mingzhu and Zhen E remained squatting in place, not intending to compete with the refugees for a chance to "survive".
But even though they didn't move, someone still came to their door. Feeling a shadow looming over them, Zhen looked up and saw a well-off middle-aged man surrounded by a dozen or so strong servants.
"What good luck today! There's such a handsome young man in the refugee camp. I'll take him back, give him a good wash, and my lord is sure to love him!"
Zhen E's expression changed, and he stood protectively in front of Ye Mingzhu: "Don't touch her! If you have any problems, come at me!"
"Of course they came for you," the middle-aged man chuckled, then gave Ye Mingzhu, dressed in men's clothing, a disdainful look. "Could it be for this skinny little girl who has hardly any flesh on her bones?"
"..."