After organizing her previous drafts, Cui Gu stood still at the passageway. The winter draft blowing through the hall turned her lips pale. From this vantage point, she could see the entire process of customers entering the shop and walking toward the high counter.
A new screen had been set up, and she needed to observe closely to see if it made a difference. This way, if the Fourth Princess mentioned the matter, she would be able to give an account.
As the Lantern Festival had not yet passed, there weren't many customers coming to the pawnshop. Those in urgent need of money had finished their borrowing before the New Year; the rest, no matter what, would rather borrow money elsewhere just to redeem a decent set of clothes so they could meet friends and relatives during the festival.
After waiting for a long while, she finally saw someone enter.
That gentleman was cradling an object, which he had specially wrapped in red cloth. When he encountered people on the road and they asked what it was, he would say in a nonchalant tone, "Oh, this is a New Year's gift for a relative. Well, one can't go visiting friends and family empty-handed."
He spoke with a natural attitude—if it hadn't been natural, that would have been suspicious—for he had rehearsed it many times in his mind.
Who would want to come out to pawn things during the New Year? But there was truly no other way. This gentleman, Master Na, had a son who was practically a born debt-collector; he had gambled and owed many people money, then greased his heels and fled. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the creditors knocked on the door, insisting that the father pay the son's debts, otherwise they would take the matter to the Zuoling to let him judge the situation.
Master Na had to empty all the silver savings in the house to settle it. His wife was so angry she fell ill in bed. Relying on his old face, he had managed to get a doctor to see her first, and though the consultation fee was deferred, there was truly no money left to buy medicine.
Master Na sat by his wife's bedside for an entire night before silently picking out a Beast-Headed Bronze Incense Burner from the house. This item had been gifted to his family by a general in the past. It was exquisite in design, and Master Na had never been willing to use it, only keeping it in a cabinet and wiping away the dust every once in a while.
But now, he had no choice but to pawn it first to exchange for some silver to buy medicine.
His family lived in the West City, but he had specifically chosen a pawnshop in the East City, glancing around like a thief the whole way. Once he spotted an acquaintance, he would turn into an alley. He delayed until this time before arriving at the pawnshop.
There were two pawnshops on this street, one at each end. Since he wasn't familiar with either, Master Na walked back and forth twice. In truth, the two pawnshops were about the same size, but Master Na saw a very tall screen placed outside Rong'an Pawnshop. Thinking it could serve as a Shame-Shielding Screen, he timidly entered the shop.
Once inside, he didn't dare speak, standing blankly before the counter.
It was the clerk at the counter who couldn't bear to watch any longer and asked, "Does this gentleman have some business?"
"That… I… I've come to…" Master Na's lips mumbled, his voice as quiet as a mosquito, "pawn something."
As he spoke, he haphazardly placed the bundle on the counter and unwrapped it for the clerk to see.
"Please take a look. How much silver can this bronze incense burner be pawned for?"
The clerk looked at it carefully and smiled. "It's a fine item. It can be pawned for this amount."
He made a hand gesture, meaning eight mace of silver.
Master Na frowned. "I heard that copper prices have risen a lot lately. Even a copper basin would cost double now. My bronze incense burner is far more precious."
"You are right, copper prices are rising," the clerk said. "If you had brought this incense burner a year ago, it would have only pawned for five mace. This is already a very good price."
"Furthermore, regarding your incense burner, its design is so fine. It's not like those copper basins and such that can be melted down and sold to the government to make copper coins or cast into other things. This incense burner surely cannot be melted, can it?"
The clerk added, "I see from your appearance that you must be experiencing temporary hardship. Once your luck turns in the future, you will surely redeem this incense burner. Isn't that right?"
These words spoke directly to Master Na's heart. He nodded and said, "Alright, let it be so. Pawned for one month."
"Very well."
The clerk meticulously wrote out a Pawn Ticket, agreeing on a Live Pawn with a one-month term. The interest was calculated at Two Percent Interest. To redeem the pawn at the end of the term, he would have to pay nine mace and six fen of silver.
Master Na took the Pawn Ticket and watched the clerk use a Small Steelyard to cut and weigh the silver. Only after it was weighed did he breathe a sigh of relief.
This Rong'an Pawnshop acted quite honestly; the purity and weight of the silver were both good. He had been to some black-hearted pawnshops before that used poor-quality silver to deceive people, and their scales were also suspicious. They would claim a pawn was worth eight mace, but by the time it reached his hand, having six mace was about all he could expect.
Wrapping the silver in a handkerchief and tucking it close to his body, Master Na prepared to leave.
Seeing this, Cui Gu stepped out and greeted him with a beaming smile. "Sir, if I may trouble you for a moment, did you notice this screen?"
"I saw it," Master Na said. "This screen is quite good. It saves one from embarrassment. It was because I saw this that I came in."
Cui Gu thanked him and returned to her room to record the situation in detail. Afterward, she observed for several more days, accumulating a thick stack of notes. Once she had organized them, she finally summoned the courage, intending to go near the Fourth Princess's residence to find someone.
With her status, it was certainly impossible to request an audience with the Princess directly. After some thought, she decided to look for Nanny Wu, who had visited Rong'an Pawnshop that day.
As the saying goes, the servant of a Prime Minister is a seventh-rank official. Nanny Wu was the wet nurse of the Fourth Princess and was not someone Cui Gu could see whenever she wished. If she were to show up at the door abruptly, she would be turned away by the gatekeeper before she could even speak.
After thinking it over, she chose a more stable approach. She went through several connections to find the minor official from the Imperial Household Department who used to manage Rong'an Pawnshop, and together they went to Nanny Wu's home to pay their respects.
Nanny Wu's house was not far from the Princess's residence. Cui Gu, her husband, and the minor official all brought gifts and were very polite, yet they only met Nanny's Husband. It was said that Nanny Wu was attending to the Princess and was not at home.
"It's not that I'm putting on airs," Nanny's Husband said. "She is the Fourth Princess's right hand. Right now, she's preparing for the Lantern Festival and sometimes has to accompany the Princess into the palace. It truly is difficult for you to see her. I also have many matters to attend to. To make a long story short, it will be the same if I inform Nanny Wu."
Cui Gu said, "We shouldn't have intruded, but the Mistress previously gave instructions regarding the screen, and perhaps there should be a report. Thanks to the Mistress's blessing, business in the shop is now more prosperous, and these notes are proof."
As she spoke, she handed over a box. Inside were the notes and ten taels of high-quality silver.
Nanny's Husband opened the box, took a glance, and stroked his beard. "You are sensible people. I will remember this."
When Nanny Wu returned late at night, Nanny's Husband explained the matter to her in detail.
Nanny Wu didn't care much for the ten taels of silver; instead, she recalled the Princess's attitude. For the Princess to personally visit the shop and then offer advice meant she was concerned about the management of Rong'an Pawnshop.
Now that the news from Rong'an Pawnshop was good and the Princess's method had been effective, she imagined this news would make the Princess happy.
Because of this, when Nanny Wu went to serve at the princess's residence the next day, she specifically mentioned the matter and even exaggerated slightly, praising the Princess's brilliance in a roundabout way.
"The Princess truly predicts things like a god. Just by having them add a small screen as a Shame-Shielding Screen, it actually caused the Auspicious Purple Qi to Arrive from the East for that pawnshop. The revenue has increased quite a bit…"
Muxue flipped through a few pages of the notes and smiled. "How could it be as miraculous as you say, Matron? In just half a month, could the world have turned upside down? However, this manager is a conscientious one."
These notes not only mentioned the current state of pawnshops in the capital but even recorded the scenes of customers coming to the door, the process of storing goods, and so on.
She spent the entire night reading through this manual. When she reached the final page, the orange lamplight illuminated the ink, which bore the words: "Respectfully submitted by Cui Gu." Muxue's brow twitched, and she suddenly began to laugh.
So it wasn't a male manager, but a woman.
This was truly a good thing.
The next day, Muxue summoned the author of the notes, Cui Gu, to the residence.
She was a woman of about thirty, not very tall, with a slightly square chin that made her look all the more determined.
After the greetings, Muxue ordered someone to bring a stool for Cui Gu to sit on.
"I have read your notes. They are very good. You are also very good—a natural-born manager."
With just one sentence, Cui Gu's vision was instantly blurred by tears.
No wonder the plays spoke of "a scholar dying for the one who recognizes their worth." At this moment, she truly understood.
She desperately suppressed the urge to cry and tried her best to offer her thanks calmly. "To find favor in the Princess's eyes is a immense blessing for this servant."
"Don't say that," Muxue said. "To meet you is also my blessing."
Cui Gu lowered her head, a single tear falling onto the dark black floor tiles, leaving no trace.
Seeing her like this, Muxue was somewhat at a loss. "What's wrong? I'm not being sarcastic, I'm serious."
"Mm, it's nothing. This servant has lost her composure." Cui Gu sniffed and took a deep breath before she could manage to reply with a normal attitude.
Muxue had someone bring some sweets for her to eat. Seeing her gradually calm down, she began to discuss business with Cui Gu.
"I was worried before that once I went to Mobei, I wouldn't be able to look after Rong'an Pawnshop in the capital. Now it's fine, because I have you." Muxue said, "You can periodically write reports on the business status of Rong'an Pawnshop and send them to Nanny Wu's home at set times. Although the two of them are going with me, my foster brother is staying in the capital and can relay the messages."
She instructed her on several details. First, to manage Rong'an Pawnshop with sincerity—do not treat customers like fools. Pawn items for what they are worth and do not play tricks with the silver. Second, pay attention to developing the Deposit Business. Since the imperial court liked to issue Silver Interest Collection, the common people would surely have such a need as well.
"For anyone willing to deposit money, we will provide regular interest. For deposits, we will give One Percent Interest. Those who wish to borrow money are also welcome; for loans, we will collect Two Percent Interest."
Cui Gu calculated the situation of recent years and said, "This servant understands. However, I fear that by then, there will be many willing to deposit money and few willing to borrow it."
"It's no matter," Muxue said with a smile. "As long as we can collect the money, it's fine. Once we have sufficient capital, I have other arrangements for how to make a profit."
These past few days, she had figured one thing out: Mobei was remote and its commerce was undeveloped. This was a drawback, but it could also be a benefit.
Perhaps it was an Economic Blue Ocean just waiting for her to arrive.