The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 63 Empress Ma's Disappointed Face
"Miss!"

Inside Renshou Palace, Yu'er rushed in, surprising the palace maids and eunuchs serving nearby!
You should know that Yu'er served Empress Ma for many years, and she was more proper in her manners and interactions than the young ladies of ordinary wealthy families.

It's truly astonishing that he's rushing into the palace.

"What happened?"

Empress Ma was enjoying her tea when she saw Yu'er's expression. She simply smiled faintly and put down her teacup.

She naturally knows the people she's mentored better than others.

Yu'er is usually calm and composed, so her loss of composure must mean something important has happened.

"Your Majesty, the sugar mill has already opened. The first batch of sugar produced is three thousand catties. Most importantly..."

Even with the cost of labor, the total cost is only twenty taels!

Yu'er's eyes were filled with surprise!

The reported figure surprised Empress Ma slightly: "Yu'er, you said twenty taels, not one hundred and twenty taels?"

Yu'er nodded and said, "Your Majesty, Yu'er is not wrong, it is indeed twenty taels of silver!"

"The current market price is forty copper coins per catty of sugar. If it's three thousand catties of sugar, that would be seventy-five taels of silver!" (In the Ming Dynasty, one copper coin was equal to one hundred copper coins, and one tael of silver was equal to sixteen copper coins.)
"Our sugar is as white as snowflakes, without any impurities. Compared to our sugar, the appearance of the sugar on the market is much worse, not to mention the taste!"

"This will definitely sell like hotcakes in the market!"

Although Empress Ma maintained a calm expression upon hearing this, her heart was already churning with turmoil!
The sugar mill's profits far exceeded her original estimates!
I originally thought my precious grandson was just being a little mischievous, but I never expected it to be such a pleasant surprise.

If this money were kept in the national treasury, it might be even more terrifying than tax revenue!
Empress Ma rose, her brows furrowed, and paced slightly within the hall.

She was pondering whether this matter could benefit the people!

"Go and call Xiong Ying over here!"

Empress Ma said in a deep voice.

Yu'er was slightly taken aback. Although she didn't know why the Empress was frowning, she quickly replied, "Yes!"

Then, we left Renshou Palace.

"Sister Yu'er, you must have secretly eaten some candy, right?"

On the path leading to the palace, Zhu Xiong Ying looked at Yu'er and spoke with a smile.

"Your Highness, Yu'er was ordered to open the sugar shop, how dare I steal any!"

"Why do you say that, Your Highness?"

Yu'er replied in a flustered manner.

Aside from tasting the quality, she didn't eat much.

Zhu Xiong Ying laughed heartily and asked mysteriously, "Then why is Sister Yu'er getting sweeter and sweeter?"

"You must have stolen some candy, so, amidst the bitterness of this world, only Sister Yu'er is sweet!"

These words made Yu'er blush deeply, and she said softly, "Your Highness's words are too much for me to bear."

Zhu Xiong Ying laughed even harder.

Good heavens, now I finally understand why that young master surnamed Wang likes to use cheesy pickup lines. It turns out that it really has a unique charm when powerful people use cheesy pickup lines.

at least,

The girl won't look down on you.

"Grandmother, did you call me?"

Upon entering Renshou Palace, Zhu Xiong Ying did not offer greetings but instead flashed a sweet smile.

Seeing this, Yu'er couldn't help but mutter to herself: "The little prince's smile is clearly sweeter than mine."

"What? You didn't come if Grandma didn't call you?" Empress Ma chuckled as she picked up Zhu Xiong Ying, placed her on a chair, and gave her a piece of pastry.

Zhu Xiong Ying's lips twitched slightly upon hearing this.

Good heavens, a woman is a woman until the very end, what a statement!
"Grandmother, I miss you terribly! But I'm a man, I have to work hard!"

Zhu Xiong Ying puffed out his chest, looking every bit the successful person who prioritizes work.

This amused Empress Ma, who exclaimed, "Good, good! My grandson has grown up. From now on, Grandma will rely on him to support her in her old age!"

After saying that, he poured Zhu Xiong Ying another cup of tea.

The pastries were rather dry, and she was worried that Zhu Xiong Ying might choke.

"Grandmother, is there something important you need me for?"

Zhu Xiong Ying asked with a smile.

He sensed something was off.

Usually, when my own grandmother calls me over, she gets straight to the point. Why is she beating around the bush for so long?

Upon hearing this, Empress Ma also put away her doting expression and sat down next to Zhu Xiong Ying: "Xiong Ying, the sugar mill has already produced its first batch of sugar, three thousand catties!"

"The quality is exactly the same as what you took out before."

"But the cost is only a mere twenty taels!"

After speaking, Empress Ma fixed her gaze on Zhu Xiong Ying.

She felt a little reluctant to make a request when her grandson was showing such joy.

"what?"

However.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying was not happy at all; instead, she looked dejected: "How could it cost so much—twenty taels! It seems we need to scale up production before we can further reduce costs!"

Empress Ma was slightly taken aback upon hearing this!
Why does my own grandson seem so dissatisfied with the cost?
“Xiongying, do you know that the current market price for sugar is forty wen per catty? Just these three thousand catties of sugar can earn a full fifty-five taels! Grandma wants to discuss with you whether it is possible to sell sugar at a fair price so that the people can eat good sugar without spending too much money.”

"you."

Empress Ma's eyes were filled with disappointment!

She never imagined that her little grandson would be so greedy for money!
With a cost of twenty taels and a net profit of fifty-five taels, Xiong Ying actually complained that the cost was too high?

Wouldn't that mean further reducing the wages of sugar mill workers and further increasing the selling price?
At this moment, Empress Ma even bit her lip slightly, wondering if she should correct her grandson's views!

However, Zhu Xiong Ying was completely oblivious to the change in Empress Ma's expression, and simply shook his head in displeasure:

"Grandmother, twenty taels is indeed too high a cost!"

"According to my grandson's estimate, ten taels of silver for three thousand catties should be about right!"

"I reckon the sugar mill is newly established, the workers' skills are not yet proficient, and the raw materials are too small, so the price wasn't negotiated to be the best."

As he spoke, Zhu Xiong Ying began counting on his fingers, listing things like "detailed division of labor in assembly line processes," "bidding system for procurement channels," and "shift work for staff, so the sugar mill never closes even when people are resting."

He was exactly like a young capitalist, which left Yu'er stunned.

The more she spoke, the more disappointed Empress Ma became.

Just as she was about to give her money-grubbing grandson a good scolding, Zhu Xiong Ying suddenly turned around, looked at Empress Ma very seriously, and said:
"By the way, Grandmother, what you just said about selling sugar at a fair price is not right!"

"At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the common people had been oppressed by the Yuan people for nearly a century. Their lives were already bitter enough. And the price of sugar is so high. We have to give them something sweet!"

"My grandson is thinking that a pound of sugar should sell for thirteen coins, and three thousand pounds would cost twenty-five ounces!"

"Let's pay the price of sugar from the Ming Dynasty!"

"Shoot them down!"

(End of this chapter)