Chapter 280: Honglu Temple is not easy to bully

On the first day of the opening, the guests were the bigwigs of the imperial court, and on the second day, the mainstays of the imperial court were invited, including the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, the councilor of the provincial administration, the assistant censor of the Censorate, the experience of the Five Military Commanderies, the deputy envoy of the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office, the prefect of the capital, and so on.

They were all officials of the fourth or fifth rank, which was normal only in places like the two capitals of the north and the south. If they were outside, they would be local bosses at the level of prefects or associate prefects.

However, the itinerary this time was the same as the first day, but the reception was handled by the left and right Shaoqing of the Honglu Temple, Cao Yu and Meng Zhao, and Ou Zanghua did not show up.

The purchasing power of these people is also high. Not only did they clear out the store, but they also left a lot of orders.

On the third day, the wealthy and prominent businessmen in the capital were invited to meet. This time, the one who entertained them was the Right Temple Chancellor Chen Mengji. The Left and Right Shaoqing were also very busy!

After being so popular for several days in a row, the people of the capital city also knew that there was such a Huangzhuang specialty store. The things sold there were extremely expensive, but no matter who they were, they all said that the money was worth it. After all, those were things that His Majesty also used, and being able to sell them to everyone was already a gift from heaven.

What's more, the service is attentive, you can eat as much delicious dried fruits as you want, and enjoy the world-famous musical fountain.

Isn't this more comfortable than some people waiting outside the palace in the middle of the night, begging the eunuchs and concubines in the palace to give away a few royal treasures in a proud and arrogant manner, and then selling them at extremely high prices?

When Xue Han, the son of Yangwu Marquis, was riding a horse across the street wearing a sapphire blue double-breasted jacket and a cross-collared long gown, the crystal clear dark blue seemed to glow in the sunlight, stunning the passers-by on both sides of the street.

Xue Hanqi was sitting on a tall horse with a reserved smile on his face, like a proud peacock, silently sighing in his heart that the money was well spent.

The other children of high-ranking officials who bought ready-made clothes were not in a hurry, but were waiting for the court's direction.

After all, there are not many kind-hearted people like Xue Dashazi. Let him cross the pit first and make sure there is no danger before his brothers follow.

On the second morning, Ou Zanghua brought the Left Minister of the Honglu Temple, Yin Tianchou, to court together. He had his weapons loaded, just waiting to see which idiot would bump into him.

According to the procedure, Emperor Zhengde first received people entering and leaving Beijing, then handled urgent matters at the border, and then it was time to deal with general state affairs.

Sure enough, as soon as Zhang Yong shouted, "If you have something to report, please leave the court," several imperial censors immediately jumped out, holding up their tablets and bowing, saying, "Your Majesty, I have something to report!"

"So many people have the book?" Emperor Zhengde looked down and said casually, "Then come one by one!"

An imperial censor spoke first, "I recently heard that the Honglu Temple opened a store in the capital, but the Ming Dynasty Law stipulates that officials of the fourth rank and above, as well as their families and servants, are prohibited from doing business! I ask Your Majesty to seal up the Huangzhuang store, confiscate the property, and demote the Honglu Temple minister out of the capital!"

Ou Zanghua stood there, looking at his nose and his heart. He was demoted to the Minister of Honglu Temple. What does it have to do with me, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites?

He remembered that this censor was the kind of person who simply liked to seek attention. He had criticized many big guys before and was not to be feared at all.

What he really needs to pay attention to are those imperial censors with the symbols of cabinet ministers on their bodies. As long as they don't move, there will be no big problem.

The Left Secretary of the Honglu Temple, Yin Tianchou, stood up and saluted the emperor before turning to look at the censor. He took a deep breath and shouted, "The owner of the Huangzhuang store is Miss Cheng, a merchant from Hangzhou. What does she have to do with the Honglu Temple?!"

The sound was as loud as thunder, and even the Hall of Supreme Harmony began to echo. The officials who were nearby subconsciously gritted their teeth, and the censor who was attacked head-on even had tinnitus in his ears.

Another imperial censor came back to his senses and immediately stood up and asked coldly: "May I ask Ou Dongqing, what is the relationship between Miss Cheng and Dongqing?"

Yin Tianchou looked over and shouted, "Did you grow up by the sea? Why do you care so much? I am replying to you on behalf of Lord Dongqing. What the hell is it to you?!"

"You, you are disrespectful!"

"That's more fair than criticizing other people's private lives!"

The third censor with a goatee jumped out and said, "Master Yin, let me tell you, just because you speak loudly doesn't mean you have a point." Yin Tianchou retorted without showing any weakness: "If you are not right, you will not be able to get angry. If you are not angry, you will not be able to raise your voice! I have a good reason, so naturally I have a loud voice!"

Ou Zanghua heard a burst of laughter and looked up, and saw that it was the Minister of Rites Tian Jingxian who could no longer hold back.

A six-department official stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Why is Zuo Si Cheng making such a fuss? Taizu has ordered that officials, civilians, and common people should be subject to the restrictions of their status and rank in terms of food, clothing, housing, and transportation, and should not overstep their boundaries."

"Yes! Common people can only wear robes in black, purple, peach blossom and other light colors. Bright red, dark blue and yellow are strictly prohibited."

Yin Tianchou nodded suddenly and asked, "Did the store overstep its authority?"

The Six Departments Censor opened his mouth and suddenly remembered that the store's main product was sapphire blue. Emperor Taizu probably never thought that more than a hundred years later someone would be able to play with colors so well.

The Zhengde Emperor, who was sitting above, could not help but asked with a smile: "Yes! Is it an overstepping of authority?"

The Sixth Department Secretary said subconsciously: "What about the materials?"

"The fabrics used in the store are silk and satin. According to the rules set by Emperor Taizu, plain silk can be worn by ordinary merchants, while silk can be worn by common people and farmers."

Yin Tianchou asked: "So what's the problem?"

"I have no objection." The six officials lowered their heads and quickly retreated into the team.

Yin Tianchou turned around and looked at the three imperial censors, his eyes seemed to say, come again!
At this time, the Zhengde Emperor, who was sitting above, said: "If you have any doubts, I can send the Jinyiwei to investigate."

"But now it seems that there is no problem with the store. This matter ends here. What do you think?"

Yin Tianchou immediately bowed his hands and shouted obediently: "My emperor is wise!"

With the emperor's final decision, it was difficult for others to stand up and oppose, even though everyone knew that Cheng Zhirou was Ou Zanghua's white glove.

But who among you present doesn’t have a white glove like this?
It’s just that the commotion this time was bigger.

If the emperor really lets the Jinyiwei out to investigate, everyone here will have to cut off an arm.

Now there were stairs to go down, so they went down, bowed and said, "Our emperor is wise!"

As soon as the morning court ended, the news spread out of the palace as quickly as if it had wings.

The dandies who had been staying at home obediently changed into their latest clothes. They put on sapphire blue crane cloaks, and when the wind blew, they looked like flying fairies.

Four Gentlemen Series cape with cross-collar skirt, ice crack cross-collar long gown, diamond round-collar robe
It has to be said that most of these children from wealthy families are good-looking. After wearing beautiful clothes, they look even more handsome. They travel in groups and appear in various consumption places in Beijing, attracting a lot of attention.

Then, the young ladies from each family changed into beautiful clothes, carried their bags and appeared at the party, competing with each other for beauty like spring flowers, each with their unique posture and color, composing a colorful summer and autumn music.

Driven by these people, the business of Huangzhuang store became better. In order to prevent too many similar clothes from appearing on the market, Cheng Zhirou began to adopt the hunger marketing mentioned by Ou Zanghua, limiting the number of customers entering the store and the number of purchases made each day.

Although this move caused dissatisfaction among some people, it made previous customers very satisfied. They spent a lot of money to buy things and didn't want them to become a common sight so quickly.

(End of this chapter)