Chapter 1172 I want both shops

Mo Beihan looked at her with a smile:

"Don't you remember? The maternal family of the former Prime Minister Zhang Buhuai, the former Marquis of Rongcheng, Weng Guci. After the Emperor ascended the throne, Zhang Buhuai was stripped of his position as Prime Minister for treason, and all the male members of his family were beheaded and the female members were exiled."

His maternal family, the Marquis of Rongcheng, often abused their power and committed numerous evils. His grandfather stripped Weng Guci and his sons of their official positions, imprisoned the male members, and confiscated most of their property.

The women of the household eked out a living off what little property they had left. Because their income couldn't cover their expenses, they were forced to slowly sell off their fields and shops. These two large shops were the last two unsold properties; they were part of Old Madam Weng's dowry, brought from her maiden home.

Qiao Ran understood what she meant: such a good opportunity would be hard to come by again. After all, no one would be willing to sell a truly prime shop unless absolutely necessary.

"Go! Go and see!"

The silver notes in Qiao Ran's space were piled up like a small mountain. Price was not a problem. As long as the location was good, she was not worried about not making a profit.

Mo Beihan took Qiao Ran to see two shops, and Qiao Ran was very satisfied with both.

One of them was a restaurant, which turned out to be "Zui Xian Ju" that used to be as famous as Ju Xian Lou, which shows that it was indeed a prime location.

However, ever since Qiao Ran started supplying Juxianlou with her delicious dishes, the restaurant has been snapping up almost all the gourmets in the capital. As a result, Zuixianju's business has been declining and it has gradually become unprofitable, turning its prime location into a liability.

The other shop was a fabric store, which used to do very well. But since the opening of Shenxiangu Supermarket, the fabrics produced by their own Shenxiangu workshop have been of particularly high quality and variety, taking away most of its business. Now it's barely surviving.

It's safe to say that these two shops are in an absolutely prime location; if managed well, making a fortune every day wouldn't be a problem.

Qiao Ran fell in love with him immediately.

“I’ll take both shops. Can you give me a discount? Butler Li, I’ve solved such a big problem for you all at once, so you have to give me some kind of discount. Of course, you’ll also get your share of the benefits.”

She looked at the steward of the Weng family.

The Weng family mansion has now fallen into decline. Many of the maids and servants in the mansion have been sold off, and several stewards have also resigned. Many things now need to be handled personally by the old steward of the Weng family mansion.

Steward Li was Madam Weng's cousin from her maternal family. He had been the steward of the Weng family for most of his life and was deeply trusted by Madam Weng. This time, she entrusted him with all important matters such as leasing and selling shops and land.

Butler Li was a portly old man, dressed in a bright and shiny silk gown, with his leather boots polished to a gleaming shine.

If Mo Beihan hadn't introduced him as the steward of the Weng family, Qiao Ran would have thought he was some wealthy tycoon!

Presumably, being able to work as a steward in the Marquis's mansion would mean a high monthly salary.

However, the most lucrative part is not the monthly silver, but the extra profit.

Judging from Steward Li's demeanor, and recalling Mo Beihan's claim that he had discovered a large number of farmlands and shops belonging to Steward Li, Qiao Ran believed that Steward Li had made a considerable fortune in the Weng family mansion, and that his assets were far greater than those of the current Weng family mansion.

The reason they haven't left the Weng family mansion is probably because there's still some money to be made!

Selling this shop would be a huge lucrative business, wouldn't it?

Sure enough, when Butler Li heard Qiao Ran's words, his eyes flickered.

However, he remained stubborn:

"What are you saying, Princess? This humble subject does not understand."

Qiao Ran didn't beat around the bush and said directly:

“You’ve been the steward of the Weng family for so many years, I don’t believe you’re innocent. Let’s be frank, give me a discount, and you can also get some benefits. I won’t tell anyone else, it’s a good thing for both of us.”