Chapter 330: Want In on a Big Deal?

Xiao Yu had refused to take the chests back, and if she had someone deliver them to the Prince Mansion, she worried the Prince or Princess Consort might find out, which could stir up all sorts of trouble.

She opened one chest to find it filled with antiques.

She opened another, and inside lay one thousand taels of gold, its brilliant gleam nearly blinding Gu Fei’s eyes.

This chest also contained several property deeds. Gu Fei opened one of the land deeds and her eyes widened. It was for over five hundred mu of land in a location that seemed to be not far from her own family’s property. ’This is great stuff!’

There were several other land deeds. Gu Fei gave them a cursory glance and estimated that, all together, they amounted to nearly two thousand mu.

Gu Fei also looked at the property deeds for the buildings. There was one for a three-courtyard mansion in Ping’an City and three for storefronts, all in prime locations.

The deeds and contracts were all drawn up; they just needed Gu Fei’s thumbprint before being taken to the government office for an official stamp.

The other two chests were filled with pearls, jade, calligraphy, and paintings. Gu Fei left them untouched. She wouldn’t be so foolish as to put intricately carved jade pieces into her space again; it just wasn’t cost-effective.

’It would be better to exchange them for silver and then buy some raw jade.’

Gu Fei sighed as she looked at the chests on the floor. Truly, Housekeeper Wu’s downfall was her feast.

’I can only pray that the gods bless the God of Wealth Xiao with a long and prosperous life.’

After stowing the gold and the deeds in her space, Gu Fei left the remaining chests on the floor. She had no use for the other items, so she figured she might as well take them to Young Master Zhou’s place tomorrow to sell them.

The next day, Young Master Zhou came over.

He walked in with a knowing grin, wiggling his eyebrows at Gu Fei. "So, the Young Master Heir paid you another visit yesterday?"

Gu Fei caught the teasing tone in his voice and felt her cheeks flush. "He came to discuss something important."

Just as she was about to bring up selling the antiques, Young Master Zhou leaned in conspiratorially. "Little Fei, I was actually going to talk to you yesterday, but I saw the Young Master Heir was here and decided not to interrupt. Young Master Zhu is planning a major business venture and wants you to join in. Are you interested?"

Gu Fei’s eyes lit up. She had a considerable amount of silver on hand now. ’Buying jade is a good plan, but using money to make more money would be even better.’

’There’s no rush to buy the jade.’

"Tell me more. What kind of business is it?"

Young Master Zhou lowered his voice. "Buying ships and heading out to sea."

Gu Fei’s eyes instantly brightened. "Brother Zhou, let’s go sit over there and discuss this."

Young Master Zhou was inwardly delighted. ’It seems Little Fei is interested in this too.’

The two of them found a table in a corner and sat down. After Gu Fei poured the tea, Young Master Zhou began, "When it comes to making money, nothing is more profitable than buying ships and setting sail."

"We’ll ship out silk, tea, and porcelain from our Da Ying Dynasty and trade them for spices, gemstones, and dyes from foreign lands. The round trip can yield a tenfold profit!"

Gu Fei nodded emphatically. "I know it’s profitable, but why come to me with this proposal?"

Young Master Zhou gave a sly chuckle. "Well, isn’t it because you’re on good terms with the Young Master Heir?"

"To do this, you first need to get a permit from the Maritime Trade Office, and that’s not easy to obtain. Spending silver is the least of your worries; what you really need are connections."

"Besides, when the cargo arrives at port, the government takes its share, and then the officials demand their own cuts privately. Those sons of bitches... every single one of them is more corrupt than the last. After they’ve all taken their piece, there’s not much profit left."

"Young Master Zhu has wanted to buy some ships and form a fleet to sail abroad for a long time, but he’s always been stuck without a connection to the Maritime Trade Office. He could just throw silver at the problem, but there wouldn’t be much profit left in it, so he couldn’t be bothered with the risk."

"And while the profits of sailing are high, the risks are huge. Even the sturdiest ship might not make it back if it runs into a storm."