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A few days ter, the Qin household received a reply from Qin Kaile—Madam Dong was about to set off for home and would be bringing two children back with her.
When the news arrived, Qin Shuying was in the middle of a conversation with Nanny Mi.
Despite the dust and exhaustion from travel, Nanny Mi’s spirit was high.
“Miss, after borrowing some authority, I finally completed the task you entrusted to me this past month.”
Mi Luo handed over an account book. Qin Shuying quickly flipped through it, scanning each page at a gnce.
Mi Luo secretly marveled—Miss was incredibly intelligent, with a natural talent for business.
Even more so than the former Second Miss of the Qin family!
Back then, the Second Miss had been shrewd, but she cked the ruthlessness that Miss possessed now. The current Miss showed no mercy when crushing her competitors.
Qin Shuying set the account book down and nodded approvingly. “Nanny Mi, you did exceptionally well.”
Thanks to the tireless efforts of Mi Luo and her husband, Qin Shuying’s red sugar empire had finally begun to take shape.
Earlier that year, Mi Luo followed her instructions to recruit merchants and travel south, as well as to cities near the capital, to aggressively promote the Haoji Red Sugar brand and seek alliances.
This strategy was vastly different from how businesses operated in the Great Zhou dynasty.
In Great Zhou, while small businesses operated freely, rge family-run enterprises managed everything from production to distribution and sales within their own circles, maintaining full control over their trade.
However, Qin Shuying’s approach was different—her company only handled production, leaving transportation and sales to franchisees. It was simir to modern manufacturers but with a key distinction.
Most manufacturers only ensured product quality and left everything else to vendors—especially in the food industry.
But to join the Haoji Red Sugar franchise, merchants had to pay an upfront franchise fee. In return, they were granted access to the exclusive red sugar recipe. Franchisees were required to prominently dispy the Haoji Red Sugar brand and implement strict anti-counterfeiting measures in production.
Mi Luo, now widely known as Chief Manager Mi, oversaw the entire Haoji Red Sugar operation. Shopkeeper Du handled production training, teaching franchisees the red sugar recipe. He was also in charge of inspections, ensuring all stores adhered to the contract and maintained quality control.
The brand had taken the capital by storm before the new year, and for two months after, sales remained strong. Once news spread about the franchise opportunity, applicants flooded in.
However, Haoji Red Sugar had strict policies—one of which was that no franchises were allowed in the capital. This meant Qin Shuying retained an absolute monopoly over the red sugar market in the capital.
Fortunately, she had anticipated this scenario and prepared well in advance. She recruited a rge workforce and broke the sugar-making process into five distinct steps, ensuring that different members of the Du and Jin families mastered separate portions of the formu. With their relentless effort, along with Nanny Mi and Shopkeeper Du’s guidance, they managed to keep operations running smoothly.
After a month of intense work, franchises had opened in all four corners of the country, totaling over twenty stores. The franchise fees alone had brought in 18,000 taels of silver.
These fees weren’t a one-time payment, either. Franchisees had to pay annually, though the amount decreased slightly each year.
As long as the Haoji Red Sugar brand remained strong, Qin Shuying could expect to earn at least 10,000 to 20,000 taels of silver annually from the franchise fees alone.
Of course, not just anyone could become a franchisee. Mi Luo conducted thorough evaluations—only one franchise was allowed per town with a popution of 100,000 to prevent market oversaturation and unhealthy competition.
This business model was something Qin Yaoyao had learned in her past life from dealing with overseas merchants.
What Lu Changxuan didn’t know was that Qin Yaoyao understood foreign nguages.
She had no choice—starting with little capital, she pursued every profitable venture she could. The wealth of Great Zhou attracted foreign merchants from across the seas, and these men—whether traders, schors, or travelers—were always wealthy.
Qin Yaoyao had gone to great lengths to interact with them, eager to make money, and over time, she mastered foreign nguages.
Many foreigners sought opportunities in Great Zhou, but despite its openness, the empire imposed many restrictions on them.
For example, foreign merchants were forbidden from opening businesses with more than twenty employees, taxed an extra 10% compared to local merchants, and barred from enrolling in Zhou’s prestigious academies.
Thus, even the wealthiest foreign merchants struggled to expand their businesses within Great Zhou.
But their knowledge of trade fell into the hands of ambitious individuals like Qin Yaoyao.
Qin Yaoyao had long dreamed of applying a franchise model, but in her past life, she cked the necessary funds and proprietary formus to establish a foothold.
Now, the opportunity was finally in her grasp. Qin Shuying seized it with both hands, exhirated by the success.
More importantly, her natural talent for nguages had proven useful once again. Drawing from past experiences and diligently studying Qin Yongzhou’s foreign nguage dictionary, she had gained new insights—not only into complex texts but also into the mystery surrounding Qin Yongzhou’s death.
But for now…
“Luye, bring over the hongbao.”
(Transtor Xiaobai: "Hongbao" (红包), meaning "red envelope" in Mandarin, is a traditional Chinese gift of money given during special occasions like Chinese New Year, weddings, and births, symbolizing good luck and prosperity. )
Luye chirped an acknowledgment and happily brought over a tray covered in red silk, carrying several neatly arranged red envelopes, each beled with a name.
Qin Shuying picked up one marked Nanny Mi and handed it to Mi Luo.
“Nanny Mi, you’ve worked hard. Without you and your husband, Haoji Red Sugar wouldn’t have made such rapid progress. This is my token of appreciation.”
Nanny Mi knew the envelope contained silver banknotes. She hurriedly waved her hands in refusal. “Miss, my monthly stipend is already generous—how could I accept more?”
Qin Shuying smiled. “Nanny, you’ve had to deal with all sorts of people outside the residence. We in the inner courtyard can hardly understand the difficulty of that. You deserve this—don’t refuse. I’m counting on you to keep earning silver for me!”
Nanny Fu chimed in, “Nanny Mi, your skills are beyond anything I could ever learn! Miss often praises your efforts. Just accept it—it’s her way of showing gratitude.”
“This…”
Mi Luo’s eyes grew misty.
Miss had bought their entire family, freeing them from servitude. That kindness alone was impossible to repay.
The work had been exhausting, but it allowed Nanny Mi to apply her business acumen—and the sense of accomplishment was priceless.
Moreover, she now had a secure life with her family, and her sons were learning valuable skills. She couldn’t have asked for more.
With renewed determination, she knelt and kowtowed three times.
“Miss, I humbly thank you! My family and I are forever grateful to you!”
Qin Shuying allowed her to kneel before signaling Nanny Fu to help her up. She chuckled. “Nanny Mi, you’re Chief Manager Mi now—kneeling all the time is inappropriate. No need for such formalities. Besides, you’re not the only one receiving a hongbao today.”
She gestured toward the others, her eyes twinkling.
Laughter rippled through the room, and even the gloom lingering on Ziteng’s face faded away.
