The largest timber shop in the capital belonged to the Wang Family.
Manager Wang had originally come today to gauge the situation, but upon hearing such a substantial business opportunity, he couldn’t hold back: "Third Young Madam, our Wang's Timber Shop can accommodate your needs. May I ask how many sets you require and what type of wood?"
Chu Ruoyan lifted her eyelids to glance at him. "As I just said, I want both rosewood and yellow pear wood. Let’s start with one set of each for sampling. If they meet expectations, I’ll replace all the furnishings in both the Dowager’s and my own chambers."
Two sets?!
This was one of the largest orders in the capital!
Manager Wang was so excited he nearly dropped to his knees. A skeptical fellow merchant beside him questioned, "Third Young Madam, are you certain? A single set would cost at least ten thousand taels. Can the General’s Manor… truly afford this?"
The others nodded in agreement.
If they had that much silver to spare, why would they be defaulting on mere tens or hundreds of taels for groceries and meat?
Chu Ruoyan curled her lips and leisurely pulled out a stack of banknotes from her sleeve.
Issued by the Great Prosperity Bank, each note was worth a thousand taels!
"Will this suffice as a deposit?"
Manager Wang hastily cupped his hands in reverence. "More than enough, more than enough!" He then shot a glare at the doubting merchant. "Manager Qian, if your family isn’t here to do business, don’t interfere with ours! This Third Young Madam is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Chu's Mansion. A mere few thousand taels—do you truly think she’d default?"
The crowd fell silent.
If she could casually place an order for tens of thousands of taels’ worth of furnishings, how could she possibly owe them such trivial sums?
Moreover, one mustn’t offend such a wealthy patron—who would dare risk future business opportunities?
The leader of the troublemakers, the tailor shop’s manager, was the first to backtrack. "A misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding! Second Young Madam, regardless of what others say, our fabric payments can be settled by year’s end. Does that suit you?"
Madam Li, still dazed, nodded blankly.
The butcher quickly followed suit. "Ah, it’s all baseless rumors! I won’t press for payment either. Please don’t take offense, both Young Madams!"
In no time, eight or nine out of the ten debt collectors dispersed.
The remaining one or two no longer dared to bring up their demands.
Once they had left, Madam Li finally snapped out of her daze and grasped Chu Ruoyan’s hands. "Dearest sister-in-law, we owe this all to you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known how to handle the situation…"
Though she came from a merchant family, since marrying into the General’s Manor and managing its affairs, everyone had treated her with courtesy. She had never faced such a scene before.
Chu Ruoyan smiled and reassured her with a few words. Madam Li then asked worriedly, "By the way, about the two sets of furnishings you mentioned earlier—do you really have that much silver on hand?"
The Yan Family’s annual expenses barely amounted to five or six thousand taels. Though her sister-in-law hailed from the Duke of Chu's Mansion, she had never been known to be so extravagantly wealthy.
Chu Ruoyan simply replied, "I have my ways. However, the manor’s accounts must be settled as soon as possible, Second Sister-in-law. Today, we managed to placate them, but there’s no guarantee they won’t return. Moreover, we must guard against those who might exploit the chaos…"
Madam Li stiffened. "You’re right. I’ve been so preoccupied lately. I’ll have the accounts reviewed immediately."
With that, she summoned the stewards and accountants to arrange the matter, then hurried off to instruct the gatekeepers.
Chu Ruoyan watched as Madam Li busied herself like a spinning top, her almond-shaped eyes shadowed with exhaustion. Gently, she asked, "Second Sister-in-law… are you truly alright?"
Meeting her concerned gaze, Madam Li smiled. "Don’t worry, I’m fine. In fact, keeping busy is good—it keeps my mind from wandering, and the days pass quicker this way…"
Her tone was light, but her words carried a weight of sorrow.
Chu Ruoyan could only squeeze her hand firmly. "If there’s anything you need, Second Sister-in-law, just say the word. Whatever Ruoyan can do, I’ll do it!"
After their heart-to-heart, Yulu returned with the medicine.
Upon entering the manor, she had heard about the debt collectors and rushed straight to Chu Ruoyan in a fluster. "Miss! Were you joking earlier? The dowry money I told you about—it’s only a few thousand taels left, not tens of thousands!"
The little maid’s forehead was still beaded with sweat, a testament to her panic.
Chu Ruoyan motioned for her to sit. "I know. The funds for the two sets of furnishings won’t come from the dowry."
"Eh? If not the dowry, then where?"
Surely not from the Yan Family’s coffers—she’d heard they only had five hundred taels left!
Chu Ruoyan replied, "Didn’t Mother gift me twelve shops, two hundred acres of fertile land, and two country estates?"
At this, Yulu’s eyes widened. "Miss, you’re not thinking of making them pay, are you? Have you forgotten that the estate managers and shopkeepers are all Lady Jiang the Younger’s people? Getting money from them is like plucking feathers from an iron rooster!"
Chu Ruoyan nodded solemnly. "Precisely. Plucking feathers from an iron rooster."
That afternoon, the estate managers and shopkeepers were summoned.
Leading them was Jiang Tao, manager of the Rouge Shop and a protege of Lady Jiang the Younger. He began with a practiced smile. "Eldest Miss, we’ve heard from Yulu that you’re in urgent need of funds. We wouldn’t dare delay—the Rouge Shop can contribute a hundred taels."
A hundred taels?
Compared to twenty thousand, it was a drop in the bucket!
Yulu nearly jumped in frustration, but Chu Ruoyan stopped her. She swept her gaze over the others. "And the rest of you?"
After exchanging glances, the others chimed in.
"I can spare eighty taels."
"Fifty from us."
"Ah, Eldest Miss, business has been poor this year. At most, I could scrape together twenty taels…"
The figures dwindled until some outright claimed they had no cash on hand due to unpaid debts.
Chu Ruoyan observed the rotund Jiang Family members, knowing full well they had conspired beforehand. Yet she remained composed. "Manager Jiang, as a senior, could you tally the approximate sum for me?"
Jiang Tao gave a careless estimate. "Around five or six hundred taels. If that’s insufficient, Eldest Miss, we might scrounge up a bit more."
This was merely to placate the noblewoman who knew nothing of business.
In truth, the Jiang Family’s enterprises had flourished over the years. The Rouge Shop alone—let alone the others—raked in five thousand taels annually, with cash flowing like water.
But Lady Jiang had made it clear: though they were nominally under the Eldest Miss’s authority, operations would remain unchanged.
Profits and losses? A mere matter of how he phrased it.
Jiang Tao had prepared excuses for losses, but Chu Ruoyan didn’t even ask.
"Manager Jiang, though I know little of commerce, from what you’ve said, it seems your shops are barely scraping by, barely staying afloat. Is that correct?"
Jiang Tao sensed a trap, but others hastily agreed. "Yes, Eldest Miss is most understanding. Business is hard these days—we’re tightening our belts just to survive. Even gathering a few dozen taels is a struggle!"
Chu Ruoyan gave an "ah" of satisfaction and leaned back in her chair. "In that case, let’s shutter all the loss-making shops. No point in everyone toiling for nothing if they yield so little."
"!!!"
The managers choked on their words. Jiang Tao inwardly cursed—the little minx had outmaneuvered them! He hurriedly backtracked. "A misunderstanding, Eldest Miss! It’s not that we’re losing money every year—it’s just that funds are tied up in transactions. There’s little cash on hand."
"However, if you’re truly in urgent need, we’ll grit our teeth and pool together… two thousand taels. How does that sound?"
He had already sensed that this new master was not someone to be trifled with and thus lowered his stance proactively.
However, Chu Ruoyan shook her head. "Twenty thousand taels—not a single coin less."
