Don't be a salted fish, the daily life of the concubine in the palace

Shen Wei had this intention a long time ago.

She was quite casual in naming the shop at first. She chose "Wei Xue Bing Cheng" over "Cha Qian Dao". But later she thought about it carefully and realized that when opening a shop in ancient times, it was more appropriate to name the shop in accordance with the local customs.

For example, the modern foreign brand McDonald's was directly renamed "Golden Arches" in China, which is also a manifestation of localization.

In addition, the name change is also to prevent accidents. Shen Wei traveled to this world in a car accident, and there may be other travelers in this world. If other travelers see the sign of "Weixue Ice City", it may bring disaster to Shen Wei.

Shen Wei tapped the table with her fingers, and a series of names flashed through her mind.

Weixuezhai, Qiyanji, Jingweixuan, Yanweizhai... After thinking for a moment, Shen Wei spoke: "A person stands alone in the falling flowers, and swallows fly in pairs in the light rain. How about calling it [Weiyanji]?"

Firstly, this name is more in line with the style of the times;

Secondly, the name contains the two characters "Wei" and "Yan". If one day in the future, the fact that Shen Wei opened a shop is exposed, and King Yan finds out that Shen Wei is the owner behind the shop, how touched King Yan will be.

After all, Shen Wei loved him so much that she secretly changed their names into the name of the store!

Ye Qiu Shuang also thought that this name was good, and nodded and replied: "When I go back today, I will ask the carpenter to make a new shop sign."

Shen Wei reminded again: "Rename the snacks in the shop as well."

Mint Tapioca Jelly, the name is too long and hard to remember, so it needs to be changed to a name that is easy to remember or has a good meaning.

The matter of changing the name of the dessert was left to Ye Qiushuang. Shen Wei paused and reminded meaningfully: "In the future, when we cooperate in business, we must always adhere to [honesty is the basis, and profit is based on righteousness]. When doing business, we must not only seek immediate benefits, but also have a long-term vision."

Ye Qiu Shuang and Boss Zhang nodded in unison.

Boss Zhang was even more amazed. Doing business requires "faith and loyalty", and many old businessmen may not have understood this principle.

This boss looks young, but I didn't expect he has such knowledge.

After the discussion, Shen Wei got up and left.

Opening a small dessert shop is just the first corner of her business empire. She needs to slowly accumulate capital such as tea, wood, cotton cloth, textiles, ceramics, inns, restaurants, etc. She wants to expand step by step.

She actually wanted to trade in salt and iron.

In ancient times, the salt and iron business was the most profitable, but unfortunately it was always firmly controlled by the royal family. Shen Wei's current status is not high and her background is not strong, so she cannot touch the salt and iron business for the time being.

"Master, are we going back to the palace?" In the carriage, Aunt Rong asked Shen Wei in a low voice about her plan.

Shen Wei glanced at the bright sky outside. She thought for a moment and asked Aunt Rong, "Aunt Rong, has the female merchant you arranged to go to the Confucian Temple been delivering messages regularly?"

Rong Mama nodded and said, "Don't worry, my master. The merchant goes to the Confucian Temple regularly to collect cloth, and she has a very pleasant conversation with your mother."

In addition to Aunt Rong who went to the Confucian Temple every month to pressure Shen Xiuming, the female merchant who went to purchase cloth was also bribed by Shen Wei.

Shen Wei not only worked hard herself, but also secretly urged Shen Xiuming all the time. Shen Xiuming used to be a gambler, and he had to be constantly punished in order to gradually erase his bad habits and let him focus on preparing for the exam.

The ancient imperial examination was not easy. Memorizing the Four Books and Five Classics was only the basics. The content of the Spring Examination was even more difficult.

To use an analogy, you think the test question for the Spring Examination is - fill in the blank, [The spring river water is warm (? ) in advance].

But the actual spring exam question might be: [An ancient poem says: "The duck knows first when the river water warms in spring." The weather in Jiangnan this spring was strange, and the heavy rainfall caused the rivers to burst their banks. Candidates are requested to scientifically demonstrate how to prevent and control floods in Jiangnan from multiple perspectives, including the national conditions, economy, politics, diplomacy, and people's livelihood of Qing.]

In the Spring Examination, candidates have to write seven or eight essays in one go, as well as verdicts, official documents, and commentaries on current affairs. You can imagine how difficult it is.

Shen Wei lowered the car curtain: "Return to the palace."

Give Shen Xiuming some pressure appropriately, but not too much, as excessive pressure will easily lead to his breaking.

...

In the Confucian Temple outside Beijing, the loom made a slight creaking sound.

In the room of the Confucian Temple, Shen Xiuming was writing, leaving rows of neat words on the rice paper. He was writing very seriously and with full concentration.

Outside the house, Shen's mother was weaving and chatting with the female merchant.

The female merchant often came to collect cloth, and gradually became friends with Shen's mother. Shen's mother wanted to understand her daughter's situation, so she told her about Shen Wei.

The female merchant sighed, "Aunt, I just found out that your daughter is actually Shen's concubine in the palace. Oh, I went to the palace to collect cloth yesterday and found out that your daughter is pregnant!"

Mother Shen paused while weaving: "Pregnant?"

Mother Shen was a little confused, with bitter emotions surging in her heart. Her husband died early, her eldest son died on the battlefield, her eldest daughter was tortured by her husband's family, and her second daughter was tortured in the palace... She had never done anything wrong in her life, why did God punish her like this?

The female merchant said, "Aunt, please don't mind my frankness. In the palace, except for the princess and concubines, concubines are just tools for giving birth to children. Now that your daughter is pregnant, her life may be better. But she is of low status, so even if she gives birth to a child, she can't raise it herself, and it's just giving away money to others."

Mother Shen wiped away her tears secretly.

Yes, concubines in the palace have no status to speak of. Even if Shen Wei is pregnant, I'm afraid her life will not be easy.

"But don't worry too much, auntie. As long as your son has a promising future, your daughter will definitely not have a bad life in the palace." The female merchant gently comforted Shen's mother.

Mother Shen wiped away her tears and looked at Shen Xiuming who was studying hard in the room.

The Confucian Temple was soundproof, so the conversation between the two naturally fell into Shen Xiuming's ears. Shen Xiuming clenched his brush and studied harder.

Third sister, wait for me.

I will definitely be on the list and won't let you become a reproductive tool in the palace...

Just as Shen Xiuming was concentrating on studying, a skinny figure suddenly stumbled in at the entrance of the Confucian Temple.

It was a dishevelled woman, who walked into the Confucian Temple in a daze. Her eyes wandered around until she found Shen's mother in front of the loom. The woman seemed to grasp the last hope, and her tears fell, choking and shouting: "Mother..."

Everything went black and I fainted.