The Lucky Farmgirl Chapter 1847 - 1822: Casual Conversation

Manbao counted on her fingers the various loopholes she knew, "They say officials can’t engage in comrce, but which official in the court doesn’t have a shop under the na of a servant or soone else outside the court? Not to ntion relatives and friends; they can all collaborate. Basically, as long as you don’t fall, these collaborations can continue for a long ti."

She didn’t shy away, saying directly, "For example, our Imperial Doctor’s office, Director Xiao’s family has several pharmacies, all under the nas of his two sons. Even though Imperial Doctor Liu doesn’t have his own pharmacy, he has close connections with so pharmacies and occasionally goes there for consultations or helps them treat patients who can’t invite an imperial doctor but are very important..."

"They also introduce so dicine rchants to pharmacies. Just by doing this, they get a share without paying every year," Manbao said. "I co from Jishi Hall, and Shopkeeper Zheng hinted several tis that I could take a share of the profits from the shop in the capital."

Changyu and Mingda’s mouths dropped open. Mingda asked curiously, "Did you take it?"

Manbao shook her head, "I was tempted, but thinking carefully, taking a share would bring more responsibilities in the future. If I went elsewhere, I wouldn’t feel at ease. So it’s best to keep things clear and simple."

Yin Huo: "But don’t you occasionally go to Jishi Hall for consultations? My eldest sister told soone wanted to invite you from the Imperial Doctor’s office, but the office didn’t approve. They eventually invited you through Jishi Hall."

"Oh, are you talking about Lady from Pei Family?" Manbao said. "Last ti I was on leave, I only did this one external consultation."

She laughed, "She paid for it, with consultation fees. Why not do it? Actually, I should thank Shopkeeper Zheng for bringing patients to . This is mutual benefit; how could I ask for more money from him?"

Bai Shan said, "This is the difference between thin-skinned and thick-skinned. But after a few years in the officialdom, if one loves money, even thin skin becos thick. So it’s unrealistic to expect self-regulation from officials; there need to be rules."

Mingda said, "The court has already clearly stipulated that officials can’t engage in comrce. How else can it be regulated? We can’t possibly require that their servants and relatives can’t engage in comrce, can we?"

"That’s definitely not possible," Bai Erlang directly said, without Bai Shan and Manbao needing to object, "If Bai Shan becos an official after passing the imperial examinations, and I don’t, I’ll certainly go back ho to farm."

He said, "I’ll surely have to do so business during the off farming season to make a living. If relatives can’t do business, what will I do?"

Everyone: ...

Mingda looked at him curiously and asked, "You also do business?"

"Of course," Bai Erlang said, "I have so much land; the harvested grain has to be sold outside. If I see nice fabrics and silks elsewhere, I can bring them back to Mianzhou and Yizhou."

His father does this too, though his father seldom does it personally and usually lets the steward handle it while he supervises the steward.

Next to them, the water started boiling on the stove, making bubbling noises, and the steaming pot emitted waves of aty aroma. Just as Yin Huo was about to speak, he paused and turned to ask, "Why is there stead at?"

Manbao said, "I had the teacher bring it today."

Changyu also slled the aroma and took a deep breath, "It slls really nice. How many bowls did you bring?"

"Three bowls. The teacher brought them into the palace, and I brought them all," Manbao said to Yin Huo. "You may eat more of this. The teacher said my eldest sister-in-law ntioned that surely the palace’s nobles don’t lack for rich foods, so this ti she made the powder thicker and put a lot of radish underneath, making the stead at less greasy."

Yin Huo’s expression didn’t change much as he said, "Actually, the sa as before is fine."

Liu Huan turned his head and asked, "You’ve eaten it before?"

Yin Huo nodded, "During the New Year, they sent so to ."

When he received this New Year gift, he was startled because it was the first ti he received cooked stead at as a New Year gift. But that night, he ate two pieces, leaving the rest for his father, grandmother, and sixth sister, feeling regretful.

Liu Huan was envious amidst the fragrance, "Why didn’t you send so to ?"

Manbao blinked and couldn’t help but exchange a glance with Bai Shan, hesitantly saying, "Should I send so next ti? We didn’t give your family’s New Year gift lightly, did we? And this stead at isn’t worth much. With so many people in your family, if I give you a bowl, can you even have a piece?"

Liu Huan thought about it and agreed; there were indeed many people in their family, unlike Yin Huo’s family.

Seeing she had been let off the hook, Manbao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing them go off-topic again, Changyu couldn’t help but knock on the table and ask, "Are you still going to discuss this topic?"

Manbao comforted her, "Don’t worry. These matters can’t be decided in one or two talks anyway. You still have a long ti before you get married and aren’t in a hurry to do business."

Mingda no longer felt rushed. She took a sip of tea, realizing it was true that while discussing matters, they were also truly enjoying delicious food and happy chatting.

She turned to Changyu and said, "Why don’t you stop thinking about doing business, like ? Just manage your fief well when the ti cos, and it’ll be fine. The Wei Family is refined; Young Master Wei may not adapt to your lavishness."

Changyu said, "Then we can live separately. He can stay at Wei Family, and I’ll stay at the Princess’s Mansion. How nice! I feel more at ease."

Mingda didn’t expect her sister to think this way, her eyes widening. Manbao’s eyes widened too, incredulously asking, "Husband and wife don’t live together?"

Changyu said naturally, "Of course, they can live separately. Several of my sisters and brothers-in-law don’t live together; they just call for the consort to the Princess’s Mansion whenever they need to discuss matters."

Bai Shan couldn’t help but be curious, "Do the consort and Princess have a good relationship?"

Changyu thought for a while and said, "So do, so don’t."

Manbao shook her head and said to her, "My parents have never been apart."

Bai Shan: "I kind of feel sorry for Brother Wei now."

Changyu: ...

Mingda didn’t see it that way; she said, "This is the privilege of being an imperial princess. It’s not easy for won in this world—are n allowed to flirt and decide whether to return ho, but won aren’t allowed to have their own houses and places to live?"

Manbao nodded in agreent, "Exactly, exactly."

Bai Shan: "...I’m living in your house now."

Bai Erlang said, "Actually, one person with one house is too big. If you want to play together, you have to walk a long way. If you really want to be at ease, one person with one courtyard would be better; it’s cozy, and if you want to talk or play together, it’s easy to get together."

Yin Huo: "...Are we really not going to talk about officials and relatives engaging in business anymore?"

Bai Shan said, "Actually, there’s nothing much to discuss. These issues are well-known. The solution I currently think of is that close relatives can’t engage in business within the jurisdiction where the official is employed. Close relatives include relatives within three generations and in-laws within two generations; and to strictly assess taxes to minimize tax evasion."