Chapter 147 - Generous Remuneration
Chapter 147 Generous Remuneration
“Do you want to do the business with me that you mentioned before?”
The business with Xia Houmo?
Su Muge thought of her selling medicine to him in the carriage the other day.
“Your Royal Highness, I’m not an imperial merchant.” Moreover, they were husband and wife now, so she always felt a little strange.
“It’s someone else who will buy medicine from you.”
Su Muge frowned. Xia Houmo meant that he would buy medicine from her in the name of others?
Last time, Xia Houmo took Su Muge’s medicine away and found the medicine she made was not only effective and efficient but also very convenient to carry. If it was used in marching and battles, it would be extremely convenient.
“So… how much do you want?”
“The more the better. All the medicines that may be used on the battlefield are needed. Tomorrow, I’ll send you two people. No matter what you need, just ask them to prepare for you.”
It just happened that Su Muge felt so boring to stay in the mansion all day.
“As for remuneration, I’ll let someone send you tomorrow.”
“Your Grace, the wontons are ready.”
“Come in.”
“Your Royal Highness, please go to eat something. Don’t be starved.”
“Okay.”
Xia Houmo had always been very vigorous and resolute. Just as Su Muge got up early the next morning, the two people had arrived.
“Your Grace, Wang Yi pays respects to you.”
“Your Grace, Wang Nuo pays respects to you.”
Wang Yi and Wang Nuo were two smart-looking women. They were dressed differently than other maids in Jin Mansion, seeming to be skilled in martial arts at a glance.
Wang Yi had a small and square face with deep facial features and looked more serious.
Wang Nuo, with a softer facial profile, looked very spirited with a pair of phoenix-look eyes.
“Don’t be over-courteous.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
Su Muge took out a list and put it on the table.
“These are the medicinal materials that need to be obtained. One of you find someone who knows medicine to buy them. And the other find me five reliable veteran pharmacists and a quiet and clean place for me. I have to ensure that no one disturbs me during the production process.” Su Muge directly explained everything without delay.
“Yes, we’ll do it right away.”
After Wang Yi and Wang Nuo left, Su Muge called Yueru and asked her to tell Cheng Ran to control the sales volume of the drugs in the drug store. Recently, she might not be able to provide sufficient supplies to him.
“Your Grace, Housekeeper Liao asks to see you.”
Su Muge was writing a drug formula and stopped writing when she heard the words.
“Invite him to the inner hall. I’ll go there in a moment.”
“Yes.”
In the process of marching and fighting, traumatic for hemostasis and inflammation was the most used medicine. In addition, in order to prevent someone from getting sick, they also need to prepare oral medicines for clearing heat and detoxification as well as for dispelling coldness and keeping warm. Su Muge took down everything she had thought of before going to the inner hall.
Housekeeper Liao was more than forty this year. He was a middle-aged man who looked sophisticated and smooth. And he was standing in the room at this time.
“Your Grace, pay my respects to you.”
According to Xia Houmo, Housekeeper Liao had been in charge of the general affairs in Jin Mansion in recent years, so Su Muge also had to be polite to him.
“Mr. Liao, don’t be over-courteous. Yueru, pour a cup of tea to Mr. Liao.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
After sitting down, Su Muge said with a smile, “Mr. Liao, do you have anything to do with me coming here early in the morning?”
Mr. Liao stood up and said, “Yes, His Royal Highness instructed me to send something to you in the morning.”
Send something?
Su Muge raised her eyebrows.
“Bring it in.”
A maid came in carrying a small box.
Housekeeper Liao stepped forward and opened the box. A series of booklets were placed neatly in it. On top of the booklets was a small brocade box. Housekeeper Liao took the box to Su Muge.
Su Muge opened the box and found the brocade box was filled with title deeds, banknotes, and documents of buying houses.
Su Muge thought of Xia Houmo’s words last night: the remuneration would be sent to her today!
Wow, Xia Houmo turned out to be so rich! She had such a strong backer!
“His Royal Highness said that you would take charge of these things in the future, Your Grace.”
Su Muge kept her countenance while looking at the box. “What are those?” She pointed at the booklets in the box.
“These are the records of the mansion’s expenditure in the past two years and the items sent from the villas. You can take a look, Your Grace. The booklets of the inner courtyard are kept by Miss Liu, so I haven’t brought them over.”
Su Muge raised her eyebrows. “Miss Liu has been in charge of the inner courtyard?”
Housekeeper Liao bowed. “Yes, His Royal Highness has always been away from the mansion before and there was no one else in the inner courtyard, so His Royal Highness let Miss Liu manage.”
Su Muge fiddled with the little lock on the brocade box casually. “How long has Miss Liu been living in the mansion?”
Housekeeper Liao was silent for a while and replied. “About five years.”
Su Muge nodded. “Since she hasn’t made any mistakes, just let her keep in charge for the time being.” When Liu Rumeng came to see her yesterday, she didn’t mention anything about handing over the control of the inner courtyard.
“Yes.”
After Housekeeper Liao left, Su Muge stared at the brocade box with a brightened up look. She had just counted it; there were hundreds of thousands of banknotes in it!
“Your Grace, you are the hostess of Jin Mansion. How can you let an irrelevant woman take charge of the inner court?” Yueru said with dissatisfaction when she handed Su Muge a cup of tea.
Even if there was no hostess in Jin Mansion before, now that Su Muge had entered, Liu Rumeng should have handed over the control.
Su Muge blew the tea carelessly. “Anyway, she has nothing else to do in Jin Mansion. Keeping her busy is better than letting her woolgather all day.”
Yueru pursed her lips and stopped speaking.
They had investigated the identity of Liu Rumeng secretly, but few people in the mansion knew much about her. It was only known that she was taken back by Xia Houmo a few years ago. At the time, they thought Xia Houmo was going to take her as his concubine. But after so many years, the people in the mansion were still calling her Miss Liu. They didn’t know Xia Houmo’s intention, nor did they know where she came from.
Wang Yi and Wang Nuo were very efficient and prepared everything well as she ordered the next day.
There was a back alley on the street where Jin Mansion was located. There was an unoccupied house in the alley, and the place for making medicine was arranged there.
After breakfast, Su Muge went to the house with Wang Yi and Wang Nuo.
This house was not very large, so it would be easier for her to manage.
The needed herbs were neatly placed in the yard. After checking over, she was quite satisfied.
“Your Grace, the people you want me to look for has arrived.”
Su Muge walked into the room.
“Bring them in.”
“Yes.”
The veteran pharmacists found by Wang Nuo had all signed a servitude indenture with Jin Mansion. They were all in their thirties or so. Seeing that their hands had changed the color, Su Muge knew they must have soaked their hands in medicine for a long time.
“From now on, I’ll assign the tasks to you. You only need to do more, think more, and ask me in time if you don’t understand. When things are done, you’ll be rewarded.” Su Muge had made a plan yesterday. Each of the five people had his own tasks. As long as they cooperated properly, they would be highly efficient.
“We’ll do our best.”
“Okay. Tell me your basic information so that I can assign the tasks properly…”
Su Muge stayed in the house until night.
Yueru stood outside and looked inside. She had looked for an opportunity to speak several times but failed to open her mouth seeing Su Muge too busy to raise her head.
Xia Houmo dismounted from the horse and walked into the mansion.
“Your Royal Highness.”
“Okay.”
Xia Houmo walked all the way to Su Muge’s Bamboo Courtyard and found the room dark inside.
“Where is the Rani?”
The mama guarding the door was startled and shuddered, “Your Royal Highness, the Rani went out early and hasn’t returned yet.”
Xia Houmo glanced at Donglin behind him, and Donglin hurriedly replied, “Your Royal Highness, the Rani is probably busy with the business.”
“I see.”
Xia Houmo turned around and prepared to go to the house in the back alley. However, he met Liu Rumeng with a hamper halfway.
Seeing Xia Houmo approaching, Liu Rumeng stood still and waited for him.
“Your Royal Highness, you are back.”
Xia Houmo paused slightly but didn’t stop.
Seeing that he was going to pass her and leave, Liu Rumeng sped up to catch up with him carrying the hamper.
“Your Royal Highness, you haven’t had dinner yet? I’ve made some chicken soup today…”
Xia Houmo stopped suddenly and glanced at her sideways.
Liu Rumeng’s heartbeat accelerated instantly, and she held the hamper more tightly unconsciously.
“No, I’ll have dinner with the Rani tonight.”
Liu Rumeng’s lips turned even paler.
“Yes, it’s cold now, Your Royal Highness. Your ankles can’t bear the coldness, so you should keep soaking your feet with the medicine bags at night…”
“Go back.” Xia Houmo interrupted her and strode away.
Liu Rumeng watched his leaving back with her eyes suddenly turning red.
“Miss, let’s go back. You can’t stand the coldness. Don’t catch a cold.”
The glittering and translucent tears streamed down along her pale cheeks.
“It doesn’t matter whether I’m healthy or not. He doesn’t care.”
“Miss… I’m afraid that His Royal Highness has something urgent…”
Liu Rumeng shook her head, dropped the hamper in her hand, and walked away weakly.
Xia Houmo stopped again when he was reaching the gate of the mansion.
“Donglin, ask the Rani to go back to the mansion and ask Housekeeper Liao to come to the study.”
“Yes.”
Xia Houmo turned around and went to the study.
Housekeeper Liao also arrived at the study soon afterward.
“Your Royal Highness.”
“Well, go to find a man with good look and excellent character these days.”
Housekeeper Liao froze. “Your Royal Highness, you are…”
Xia Houmo tapped his fingertips on the table. “Rumeng is not young, and it’s time for her to get married.”
Housekeeper Liao revealed a flicker of surprise in his eyes. From the moment Liu Rumeng entered the mansion, everyone in the palace had regarded her as the woman of His Royal Highness, but…
“Yes, I’ll go to ask tomorrow.”
“Okay, you may retreat.”
“Yes, please excuse my departure.”
Housekeeper Liao went out of the study. After thinking for a while, he called a maid and whispered something in her ear. And then, the maid nodded and went towards Liu Rumeng’s courtyard.