freenovelworld Chapter 994 Continued Visit
Chapter 994 Continued Visit
“I am currently planning to establish a girls’ college and intend to offer a law course.”
"I hope that the girls in the academy will not only be literate, but also know, understand, and apply the law!"
"I hope that when faced with injustice, they will no longer just cry and endure, but will be able to cite the provisions of the law, argue, and fight!"
"I want them to know that their rights are written in black and white in the country's legal code!"
"And among all the people in Qingzhou who can teach them these things, I can only think of you, Mr. Du!"
The entire teahouse was completely silent.
Everyone was stunned by Bai Yiyue's shocking words.
Establish a girls' academy?
And they also want to teach women the law?
This...this is simply unheard of!
Du Jiu was stunned on the spot.
He had imagined countless possibilities for Bai Yiyue to find him, but he never thought of this one.
He had always thought that he would spend his life using his dragon-slaying skills to exploit legal loopholes for thugs and hooligans in this dirty business.
He had thought that his faith in the law had died completely three years ago on that cold, rainy night.
But now, a young girl tells him that she wants to build an academy and asks him to spread the flame of the law.
He suddenly wanted to laugh, to laugh at the girl's naivety, and at the absurdity of her idea.
"Hahaha... Hahahaha!"
He actually laughed, laughed so hard he almost fell over, and tears were almost streaming down his face.
"Little girl, are you dreaming?"
"Teaching women the law?"
"Do you know what you're talking about?"
“Once you teach them the law, they will sue their fathers, their husbands, and their brothers!”
"At that time, the world will be in chaos, and families will be in turmoil!"
"You are inciting them to commit heinous crimes!"
"Believe it or not, before your academy even opens, it will be drowned in spittle by a bunch of moralists!"
"so what?"
Bai Yiyue countered with a clear and melodious voice.
"If upholding the so-called principles of filial piety and brotherly love comes at the cost of sacrificing their happiness and wealth for life, then such principles are better left unfulfilled!"
"I established this academy not to cultivate a group of submissive and obedient wives and mothers, but to cultivate a group of independent, self-respecting individuals who know how to protect themselves!"
"Mr. Du!"
Her voice suddenly rose.
Are you really willing to accept this?
"All your knowledge... has been wasted like this!"
"You once wanted to use it to break the shackles of the powerful and wealthy, but now you can only use it to get back a few chickens and ducks for ordinary people!"
"Your faith in the law may be dead, but has the resentment it left in your heart also died?"
"Don't you want to see one day, a frail woman, holding the 'Great Law of Martial Arts' that you taught her, stand in the courtroom, arguing for herself and leaving those so-called relatives who have seized her family property speechless?"
"Don't you want to personally train hundreds or thousands of Du Simings, so that they can bring the spirit of the law to every corner of the Great Wu Dynasty, and make the saying 'the prince is subject to the same law as the commoner' no longer just empty talk?"
Every word Bai Yiyue uttered was like a thunderclap, exploding in Du Jiu's mind.
Was he unwilling to accept it?
Of course he was unwilling!
In the dead of night, he would still recall the spirited and triumphant moment when he held the legal code and confronted the powerful and influential in the Dali Temple courtroom.
The reason he degenerated into a litigious man was simply to use a self-destructive method to mock this upside-down world and to mourn his dead ideals.
He looked at Bai Yiyue in front of him, at the pure and fervent belief in her eyes, the belief he once possessed but had long since lost.
His heart was pierced with pain at that moment.
He was silent.
This time, he remained silent for a very long time.
The tea drinkers around him held their breath, waiting for his answer.
Finally, he slowly stood up and swept the plate of cold fennel beans off the table onto the floor.
"Boring."
He uttered two words indifferently, then looked at Bai Yiyue, the dejection in his eyes vanishing completely.
"When does the class start?"
Bai Yiyue smiled.
After bidding farewell to Du Jiu, Bai Yiyue rushed to Jinyu Street, the most bustling street in Qingzhou City.
Her last and most special goal was waiting for her there.
This person's name is Qian Duoduo.
His name is common, but he himself is anything but.
He is the behind-the-scenes owner of Jinxiuge, the largest silk shop in Qingzhou, and also the vice president of the Qingzhou Chamber of Commerce.
But unlike other bloated businessmen, Qian Duoduo is extremely low-key and even somewhat mysterious.
He rarely makes public appearances, but in Qingzhou City, almost every profitable business has his shadow behind it.
He has a keen eye and flexible methods. It is said that he went from being a penniless shop assistant to becoming one of the wealthiest people in less than ten years.
What Bai Yiyue was looking for was precisely this business acumen that could turn lead into gold.
This talented person was also recommended by Shangguan Fusheng.
However, persuading Qian Duoduo was more difficult than persuading the previous four.
Song Jiuzhou, Liu Sanniang, Shi Man, and Du Jiu are all, to varying degrees, people who have experienced setbacks and have unfulfilled ambitions.
Bai Yiyue can move them with her ideals and shared feelings.
But Qian Duoduo is different.
He was a pure businessman, a successful businessman.
He was famous and wealthy, and lived a life of great success.
Why would he participate in something that offers no benefit whatsoever and is even extremely risky?
Bai Yiyue didn't go to visit him directly, knowing that would only result in being turned away.
She chose another way.
She entered the Brocade Pavilion.
At this time, Jinxiu Pavilion was bustling with people and its business was booming.
Bai Yiyue ignored the beautiful silks and went straight to the counter, speaking to the shopkeeper.
"Manager, please inform them that Bai Yiyue of the Marquis of Anguo's residence has a business deal that could earn Jinxiuge an extra 50,000 taels of silver per year, and he would like to discuss it with your boss."
As soon as these words came out, the whole hall was shocked.
A young girl asked for 50,000 taels of silver!
This is no small amount.
The shopkeeper was a shrewd middle-aged man. He sized up Bai Yiyue and saw that she had an extraordinary temperament and did not seem like someone who spoke carelessly. Thinking of Marquis Anguo, he immediately nodded.
"Please wait."
Bai Yiyue took a small piece of cloth from her sleeve and placed it on the counter.
"Shopkeeper, please look, what is this?"
It was a dark blue cloth, rough in texture, yet exceptionally thick and durable.
It was the kind of thing that Shen Congyun brought from the northern border, which the Bai sisters called denim.
The shopkeeper picked it up, touched it, and looked at it against the light, asking in confusion.
"This... seems to be canvas from the north. The quality is quite good, but it's too coarse and heavy. It's probably not suitable for making clothes. It can only be used for tents and carriage tarpaulins."
"How can this item... possibly earn fifty thousand taels?"
Bai Yiyue smiled slightly.
"It would be inappropriate to make this into ordinary clothing."
"But if you cut it into a style suitable for work, make it into durable trousers and short jackets, and sell it to craftsmen outside the city, dockworkers, and traveling merchants, how do you think it would sell?"
She paused, then dropped another bombshell.
"As far as I know, there are three thousand craftsmen in Qingzhou City, no less than five thousand dockworkers, and countless porters and cart drivers... Their clothes are mostly made of coarse hemp, and they will wear out after only one or two months."
"And the clothes I make from this kind of fabric won't wear out even after a year or two."
"Even if a pair of pants that can be worn for a year costs twice as much as linen pants, do you think they would buy it?"
"More importantly,"
A glint of wisdom shone in Bai Yiyue's eyes.
"This kind of fabric can be dyed."
“We can dye it in different colors, and even embroider different patterns on it with special needlework techniques, and sell it to the rich young men in the city who pursue novelty.”
"In this way, it was no longer work clothes, but became a fashionable and elegant item."
"One item serves two purposes, catering to both high and low needs."
"Shopkeeper, do you still think 50,000 taels is a joke?"
The shopkeeper was stunned, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
He had been in business all his life, but he had never heard of such a novel and bold business idea!
Selling the same fabric to both the lowest and highest customer groups at the same time... that's simply a brilliant idea!
He dared not delay any longer and quickly bowed.
"Please wait a moment, Miss. I... I will go and inform the master immediately!"
He hurriedly ran to the back room.
Before long, a voice came from behind the screen, a voice that was warm and magnetic.
"Please let this lady in."
Bai Yiyue entered the private room in the back hall and saw a man in his thirties sitting at the tea table, leisurely brewing tea.
He wore a dark silk robe that looked ordinary but was actually made of very fine materials. He had a fair complexion, handsome features, and a pair of Western-style crystal glasses perched on his nose. His eyes behind the lenses were so deep that they seemed to see through everything.
He is Qian Duoduo.
"Miss Bai, please have a seat."
Qian Duoduo gestured with his hand.
“I heard Miss’s insightful remarks from behind the screen.”
"I admire you. I really admire you."
"Mr. Qian, you flatter me."
Bai Yiyue sat down opposite him.
No, it's not an exaggeration.
Qian Duoduo pushed a freshly brewed cup of tea in front of her and smiled.
"I'm very curious, given your background, how do you have such unique insights into the ways of the world?"
"The more you see and the more you think, the more ideas you naturally develop."
Bai Yiyue did not answer directly, but instead asked a question in return.
"Mr. Qian, do you think this business of mine is feasible?"
"Yes, of course I can do it."
Qian Duoduo answered without hesitation.
"Moreover, it's not just 50,000 taels."
"If handled properly, it is possible to earn 100,000 taels a year."
He looked at Bai Yiyue, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
"Tell me, Miss Bai, what do you want?"
"Profit sharing?"
"Or should you just sell me the source of this fabric?"
In his view, Bai Yiyue's visit must be for the purpose of exchanging benefits.
However, Bai Yiyue's answer once again surprised him.
"I don't want a share of the profits, nor do I want to sell the source."
she said calmly.
"I only have one condition."
"Oh?"
Qian Duoduo adjusted her glasses, becoming even more curious.
"please say."
"I hope that Mr. Qian can serve as the head instructor of commerce at the girls' college I run, and dedicate half a day each week to teaching my students the ways of business."
"Cough...cough!"
Even someone as composed as Qian Duoduo, who could remain unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, was choked by a mouthful of tea and coughed violently upon hearing these words.
He put down his teacup and looked at Bai Yiyue with the eyes of someone looking at a madman.
"Miss Bai, what did you just say?"
"I...I might not have heard you clearly."
Qian Duoduo wiped her mouth, wondering if she was hallucinating.
“I said, I would like to invite Mr. Qian to serve as the head instructor of business studies at our Seven Fairies Girls’ Academy.”
Bai Yiyue patiently repeated it, each word clear and distinct.
This time, Qian Duoduo heard it clearly.
He stopped coughing, leaned back in his chair, took off his crystal glasses, and slowly wiped them with a silk handkerchief. Behind the lenses, his sharp eyes were now filled with undisguised scrutiny.
He remained silent for a long time, seemingly reassessing the girl before him.
Finally, he put his glasses back on, leaned forward, and placed his fingers interlaced on the table.
Miss Bai,
His voice regained the calm and rationality characteristic of a businessman.
"We are frank people and don't speak in secret."
“Qian is a businessman, and businessmen don’t do business at a loss.”
"The denim business you just mentioned is a good business, a very profitable business."
"You're using this as leverage to negotiate with me, that's good, I appreciate it."
"But the conditions you proposed, if I may be so bold, are completely unreasonable."
He began to analyze it step by step.
"First, the interests are not equal."
“If I cooperate with you, you provide the goods, and I am responsible for production and sales. We split the profits 30/70 or 40/60. This is a fair trade.”
"And now, you're offering a business idea in exchange for my time, energy, and reputation."
"Miss Bai, my time is very expensive, more expensive than you can imagine."
"I can close a deal worth tens of thousands of taels in half a day."
"What will I gain if I go to your academy to give a lecture for half a day?"
"Secondly, the risk is extremely high."
“Miss Bai, you are running a girls’ academy and teaching them law and business acumen. This is challenging the entire secular order.”
"If this matter is accomplished, it will be a legendary tale, but the possibility of it being accomplished is extremely slim."
“If it fails, everyone involved will be labeled as heretics.”
"Although I, Qian Duoduo, am not a scholar, I still cherish my reputation."
"Why should I risk my reputation to participate in your dream, which has less than a 10% chance of success?"
"Third, it's completely unnecessary."
"If you really want women to know the ways of business, you can find some down-on-their-luck accountants and teach them to read and calculate accounts."
Why are you looking for me?
"What I teach is the art of weighing options, the art of negotiation, the art of managing people... Are you sure you want to teach these things to a group of women who never leave their homes?"
"Did they learn it, but was it useful?"
"Where can it be used?"
His series of rhetorical questions, like a sudden storm, were logically clear and impeccable.
Faced with such a powerful aura and rational analysis, any ordinary person would probably have been speechless and fled in shame.
However, Bai Yiyue is no ordinary person.