Chapter 186: The Merchant Caravan Returns

Chapter 186: The Merchant Caravan Returns

As July approached, the weather became increasingly hot, and Lu Lingyun switched from her usual small flower hall to a well-ventilated and shady main hall.

The only noteworthy event in the inner quarters was a minor quarrel between Du Ruo and Cheng Yunshuo, which they quickly resolved.

Qiu Ling and Ling Long were eagerly waiting for Du Ruo to lose favor so they could have a good laugh at her expense.

Unfortunately for them, Du Ruo was still enjoying Cheng Yunshuo's undivided attention.

Even after their argument, Cheng Yunshuo personally brought her back from her family home.

Lu Lingyun listened to these minor dramas, smiled, and let them slide.

The only notable event was that Cheng Qi had taken up a position as a guard officer at the East Straight Gate in the capital city.

His sister, Cheng Hui, was brought into the inner chambers by Lu Lingyun to be raised and educated by her.

"Sister-in-law, I've finished writing," Cheng Hui said.

Rising, she brought over a practice calligraphy sheet she had just completed and showed it to Lu Lingyun.

Lu Lingyun looked at the carefully written characters, "Yes, very well done."

Cheng Hui was much more obedient than Du Ruo. Whatever Lu Lingyun asked her to do, she did, and whatever she was asked to learn, she learned.

Cheng Hui's bright, round eyes sparkled, "Sister-in-law, can I play for a while now?"

"Go ahead," Lu Lingyun replied.

With Lu Lingyun's permission, Cheng Hui beamed and ran off to find Xia Mei. The two of them headed to the rose trellis in the courtyard to play games.

Shuang Hong entered carrying a large tray of iced watermelon.

Lu Lingyun called out to them, "Don't just play, take some watermelon to eat."

Cheng Hui ran over, grabbed two pieces of watermelon, and handed one to Xia Mei. They devoured the watermelon, red juice smeared all over their faces.

Seeing this, Shuang Hong chuckled, "Young mistress, they don’t act like proper young ladies at all!"

"Children should be allowed to be children," Lu Lingyun said, fanning herself with a round fan and smiling.

At that moment, a matron from the Marquis’s Mansion entered, her face beaming with joy.

"Young mistress, they're back! They're back!"

"Who's back?"

"Our merchant caravans, both Captain Qian and Captain Qin have returned!"

Hearing of Captain Qian's return, Shuang Hong, who was standing next to Lu Lingyun, immediately brightened.

After the New Year, on Lu Lingyun's suggestion, the two merchant caravans of the Marquis's Mansion had been running the Jiangnan route.

Several batches of goods had been sent back during this time, but neither of the head managers had returned to the mansion. Now, in the middle of the year, both team leaders had come to report on their work.

"Please bring them in right away!" Lu Lingyun said.

Shortly after, both Captain Qian and Captain Qin entered Lu Lingyun's room.

The two knelt down and bowed down upon seeing Lu Lingyun.

"Paying respects to the young mistress!"

"Paying respects to the young mistress!"

"You’ve both been working hard. Please get up," Lu Lingyun said, sitting upright with a smile as she looked at the two returning captains.

"Young mistress, this trip was all thanks to your arrangement to Jiangnan," said Qian Team Leader, praising Lu Lingyun as soon as he stood up. "You have no idea! The other merchant caravans that took the frontier trade routes with me haven't returned yet!"

"Also, the silk you asked us to find in Jiangnan is incredibly popular! As soon as we placed orders at various silk workshops, the prices started to rise, and the fabrics became scarce! The silk merchants in Jiangnan were envious when they saw that we had secured the goods early. They all said we had remarkable good fortune."

Qian Team Leader heaped praise on Lu Lingyun, calling this trip the luckiest he had ever taken.

At the beginning of the year, when Lu Lingyun suggested changing trade routes, Qian Team Leader had doubts about her. He couldn't believe that a lady in the inner quarters would understand trade.

He had always taken the western trade route, which was dangerous but profitable, providing significant revenue for the Marquis's Mansion.

He thought that traveling the Jiangnan trade route with Qin Team Leader would yield less profit and waste time.

Unexpectedly, not long after their departure this year, he heard that his friends who had taken the frontier trade routes were trapped and captured.

As time passed, not only were they not rescued, but many also met with accidents and were killed at the border.

Thinking of this, Qian Team Leader felt both fear and secret joy. Fortunately, this year, a young mistress had come to the Marquis's Mansion and helped them avoid a major disaster. For the Marquis's Mansion, this disaster would have meant a significant financial setback, but for him personally, it was a matter of life and death!

Not to mention, after arriving in Jiangnan with Qin Team Leader, following the young mistress's instructions, they ordered the fabrics she wanted. Soon after their orders were placed, the prices of those fabrics soared, and they became extremely scarce! By the time other merchant caravans traveling with them realized what was happening, all the fabrics had been bought by their Marquis's Mansion. The looks on their faces were unforgettable to Qian Team Leader.

It was deeply gratifying.

Envious and jealous, they all praised their good fortune, and some even speculated that they had manipulated the market, saying it wouldn't last long and the prices would drop, causing them to suffer heavy losses.

Unexpectedly, the fabrics became even more popular and fashionable, eventually spreading all the way to the Imperial City.

In the entire Imperial City, nine out of ten pieces of this fabric were brought by their Ningyang Marquis's Mansion's merchant caravans.

Both caravans made substantial profits on this trip, regretting only that they didn’t have enough hands!

"Young mistress, you are truly far-sighted and insightful!" Qian Team Leader heaped praise, struggling to find words to fully praise her.

Beside him, Qin Team Leader also looked up at Lu Lingyun in awe.

Lu Lingyun smiled and waved her hand, "Thank you both for your hard work. Please take a seat and rest."

The maids had already prepared stools, and Qin Team Leader and Qian Team Leader each took their seats as the maids served them tea.

The tea was served to Qian Team Leader by Shuang Hong, "Please have tea, Qian Team Leader."

Qian Team Leader looked at her and immediately recognized her. "It's you!"

Shuang Hong quickly lowered her head, responded with a single sound, and quickly withdrew.

Meanwhile, Qin Team Leader presented the ledgers and had the items brought in.

The two team leaders not only submitted the ledgers but also brought back several chests of silver and a large quantity of goods.

These are all for the head of the household.

The top-tier rare items collected on each trip are never sold but are always sent directly to the head of the household.

This year, besides bringing several hundred rolls of the latest fashionable fabrics, they also brought a box of ornate hairpins and headdresses in the Jiangnan style, five boxes of porcelain vases and tableware, and three pairs of large screens featuring hand-painted scenes of elegant ladies by a master artist. Additionally, there was a box filled with various small items from Jiangnan, including folding fans, Chinese sabers (Wōdāo), scented pouches, snuff bottles (small containers for holding powdered tobacco), clocks, and decorative mirrors.

Lu Lingyun, the current mistress of the Marquis's Mansion, glanced at the silver and items laid before her and smiled. "You’ve all done an excellent job," she said.

She first verified the silver against the ledger. This trip brought back a total of 78,300 taels of silver, nearly double the usual profit—over 156,000 taels in total. All the silver was securely stored in the treasury.

After glancing over the rare and exotic items, she began to consider how best to distribute them.