novelaction Chapter 712 Short of Money
Chapter 712 Short of Money
She still trusted Lin Ping, but unfortunately she was short of money and couldn't afford to buy grapes.
"Don't worry, Young Master Lin, I'll go to the accounting office to get the money right away." Meng Qingge naturally wouldn't let go of this opportunity to make money, and was bound to face another confrontation.
Meng Qingchao was in charge of the money in the Meng family. How could he easily hand over the money to Meng Qingge, especially for buying grapes that had nothing to do with it?
"I happen to have nothing to do, so I'll accompany Miss Meng." Lin Ping smiled sheepishly, knowing perfectly well that Meng Qingge's predicament was obvious.
To be honest, Meng Qingge didn't want Lin Ping to see her begging Meng Qingchao, but she didn't know how to refuse his request, so she nodded.
On the way back to the manor, the carriage was still bumpy, and Lin Ping seemed to have gotten used to Meng Qingge snuggling into his arms from time to time.
If she were to go directly to the accounting office to get the money, Meng Qingchao would definitely object, as it was no small sum. So she convened another family meeting.
"Isn't it just about managing Qingfeng Tower's business? What's so great about that? Why did you gather us all together?" Su Qingya said sarcastically.
Although she was talking to herself, she deliberately raised her voice so that Meng Qingge could at least hear her.
The other relatives thought Su Qingya's words made sense, and they all stared at Meng Qingge with hostile eyes.
“Meng Qingge, you’re not the head of the Meng family yet, you have no right to summon us,” Meng Qingchao said with a grin.
They were only able to come because of the old lady's orders. Naturally, they vented their dissatisfaction on Meng Qingge.
"Alright, everyone quiet down." The old lady asked with a stern face, "Qingge, why have you gathered everyone here? Have you encountered any difficulties?"
Meng Qingge nodded; this was indeed a difficulty.
"Hmph, I knew it! How could she possibly handle this with her limited abilities?"
"I wonder what the owner of Qingfeng Tower saw in her? He specifically asked her to do it."
"Naturally, it's because of her seductive charm. In terms of ability, she's not even half as good as Qingya or Qingchao."
The relatives gossiped privately, not afraid of being overheard by Meng Qingge.
Her nod assumed that there was trouble, possibly an unsolvable one.
If she were to ask for help, she might lose her current position. These relatives wouldn't need to be afraid of her; they could just kick her when she's down. Wouldn't that be great?
"If I had known this would happen, I should have let Qingchao do this," the old lady said with great dissatisfaction.
She has been holding a grudge about the apology she received a few days ago.
"Tell me, what difficulties have you encountered?" the old lady asked coldly, wishing Meng Qingge would be humiliated and that Qingfeng Tower would break its contract with her.
This is highly likely, since she couldn't buy enough grain and the distillery couldn't produce enough alcohol.
"I need fifty thousand taels of silver," Meng Qingge said softly, seemingly already anticipating the expressions on everyone's faces.
"Fifty thousand taels? Meng Qingge, are you crazy?"
Just as she had expected, everyone was stunned, followed by a barrage of criticism and accusations.
Fifty thousand taels is no small sum, and even if Meng Qingchao is willing to give it, it may not be in the accounts.
However, is 50,000 taels of silver really an exaggeration? The answer is no.
Since the goal was to hoard goods and speculate, she had to buy them in large quantities; she even planned to buy up all the grapes in Kyoto.
Moreover, the production of dry red wine requires a long period of time, during which the wine cannot be converted into cash, thus requiring a strong economic foundation.
"They actually managed to use the time along the way to calculate the costs of producing dry red wine in detail," Lin Ping secretly admired.
Even before going to the distillery, Lin Ping had already calculated the answer, which was exactly 50,000 taels.
But he quickly overturned this calculation method, because the price of grapes was likely much cheaper than imagined, and 30,000 taels of silver would be enough.
"You, Meng Qingge, must have offended the owner of Qingfeng Tower. Knowing you can't stay in Kyoto, you're trying to run away with a huge sum of money, aren't you?" Meng Qingchao immediately accused her of something.
He's very good at creating something out of nothing.
"So, you have a way to buy grain?" the old lady asked calmly.
Putting aside the question of how much 50,000 taels is, if she couldn't buy grain, how could she take away even a single tael of silver?
“Reporting to Grandmother, I want to buy grapes,” Meng Qingge answered truthfully.
"Buy grapes? Meng Qingge, are you crazy? Wine is for poor people. Are you planning to use this inferior wine to fool Qingfeng Tower?" the old lady scolded angrily.
Ultimately, the old lady wanted to facilitate the business between the Meng family and Qingfeng Tower, and she absolutely would not allow Meng Qingge to act recklessly.
"With the current poor harvest and people starving, where will we find grain to brew wine? The imperial court might even issue a decree prohibiting it. At that time, wine will naturally sell well, so it's wise to prepare a batch of grapes in advance." Meng Qingge argued logically, clearly believing Lin Ping's nonsense.
Of course, she didn't mention the many things she did to improve the wine, and even if she had, these people wouldn't have believed her.
Upon hearing this, the hall fell completely silent.
After all, they grew up in the Meng family and knew a bit about business. If what Meng Qingge said was true, stockpiling grapes was indeed a wise move.
"Stop spreading alarmist rumors. You are just a woman, yet you dare to speculate on the court's thoughts. Aren't you making a fool of yourself?" Meng Qingchao reacted strongly. "Even if what you say is true, wine won't sell well because even my pigs won't drink it."
This makes sense. The imperial court rarely issues decrees prohibiting the brewing of wine, and such decrees may not be issued even once every few decades. We cannot exhaust all of the Meng family's assets based on Meng Qingge's speculation.
Moreover, the quality of the wine was indeed not very good; those high-ranking officials and nobles preferred to drink tea.
"Even pigs don't drink it? So, do you drink it or not?" Lin Ping couldn't help but ask.
“Of course I won’t drink it,” Meng Qingchao replied immediately.
"Then what's the difference between you and a pig?" Lin Ping smiled contemptuously.
"Is this comparable to a pig?" Everyone couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"You brat, you've tricked me!" Meng Qingchao was furious and was about to attack Lin Ping.
Unfortunately, he didn't have the guts. Lin Ping's eyes were frighteningly cold; one glance would make him tremble, and two glances would send him sprawling.
"Meng Qingchao, you didn't embezzle all the money in the account, did you?" Lin Ping asked tentatively.
At this moment, Meng Qingchao visibly stiffened, and even his eyes revealed a hint of fear.
"Don't make false accusations. If Meng Qingge can buy grain, I will definitely give her the money."
To hide his inner fear, Meng Qingchao spoke loudly.
Lin Ping was almost certain of one thing: Meng Qingchao had indeed manipulated the accounts quite a bit.
"Unfortunately, a grain merchant just happened to be shamelessly trying to sell his grain to Qingge." Lin Ping chuckled slyly, seemingly the mastermind behind Meng Qingchao's fate.