Chapter 60 Partners

Initially, Zhu Yunsong's idea was simply to play around on his own, earning his own money to spend. He had never intended to partner with anyone else; borrowing money was the only thing that crossed his mind.

With his uncles and maternal grandfather around, borrowing money was practically effortless.

However, bringing them along into the venture...

Recalling their descriptions just moments ago, Zhu Yunsong realized that these imperial uncles actually had it rather tough. Not every prince managed to live a life of great wealth.

"Partnering with you is certainly not a problem, but I cannot guarantee that we will make a profit."

"Should things go south and we lose money, you are not allowed to blame me. No one can guarantee a risk-free venture."

"If we lose, I have no money to compensate you either."

Zhu Yunsong had to make this explicitly clear, especially regarding these financial ties, to avoid any messy disputes down the road.

He might even need to draft a contract to clearly delineate all the relationships and obligations.

"That goes without saying."

The three of them spoke in unison.

With the terms of cooperation settled, Zhu Yunsong and the others went their separate ways to gather funds, finally convening back at Zhu Yunsong's residence.

Since the imperial uncles were willing to chip in and invest, Zhu Yunsong temporarily put aside the idea of borrowing. He would wait and see what the pooled total amounted to, and if it truly fell short, he could always borrow a small sum later.

Back at home, Zhu Yunsong took out his own capital first.

Not long after, Zhu Gui and the other two arrived together.

The total amount they managed to scrape together was barely over eighteen hundred liang of silver—not even enough to purchase that restaurant, let alone leave a surplus for daily operations or purchasing ingredients.

"What do we do?"

Zhu Zhi scratched his head and said, "It's still not enough!"

Zhu Gui declared, "I'll go into the palace and ask my mother, the Consort, for some."

They were determined to start a business to secure a better future. They worried that without putting in any effort now, when the time came for them to be enfeoffed and sent away from the capital, they wouldn't even have the funds to build their own princely mansions.

No matter how fiercely Emperor Hongwu favored his offspring, the early Ming dynasty was genuinely plagued by a severe shortage of money.

"Yunsong!"

Just then, a crisp, clear voice echoed from outside.

At once, they turned their heads toward the sound, seeing Zhu Lingyue and Zhu Lingyi jogging in, accompanied by their two younger sisters.

"Third Brother!"

Zhu Lingxiu and Zhu Linghua walked briskly, quickly arriving by Zhu Yunsong's side.

However, upon noticing that there were other people present, they grew somewhat reserved. Fortunately, these weren't their Second or Third Uncle; the other younger imperial uncles weren't nearly as intimidating. They greeted politely, "Thirteenth Uncle, Fourteenth Uncle, Fifteenth Uncle."

The four little sweethearts chored together.

"What brings you all here?"

Zhu Yunsong asked, genuinely surprised.

Zhu Lingyue smiled and said, "We heard that you moved out, and we begged Grandmother Guo for a long time until she finally agreed to let us come out and take a look. This place is wonderful!"

Living outside the palace was always infinitely better than living within its walls.

The imperial palace was nothing more than a colossal birdcage, and within it, they were little more than caged canaries.

"What are you all doing? So much money!"

Zhu Lingyi asked curiously.

Zhu Gui explained, "We're pooling money to start a business, but we're still a bit short. Does Mother have time today? I'm going back to ask her for some."

Zhu Linghua inquired, "Is this Third Brother's business?"

"Yes, it is!"

Zhu Yunsong gently ruffled her little head.

Zhu Lingxiu offered, "We have money! We can give it to Third Brother."

Zhu Lingyue asked, "Yunsong, how much are you still short of?"

Zhu Yunsong replied, "Ideally another thousand liang. If Grandmother Guo doesn't have it, I'll go borrow some from my uncle later."

"There's no need to borrow!"

Zhu Lingyue quickly said, "We have money! Wait for us a moment, we'll run back and get it right now. It won't take long!"

"Come on, let's head back first."

She grabbed the hands of her two younger sisters, beckoned to Zhu Lingyi, and dashed out swiftly. They had arrived in a hurry and departed just as fast, vanishing outside in the blink of an eye.

"Yunsong, what should we do now?"

Zhu Dang asked.

Zhu Yunsong replied, "Let's wait for them."

There was still plenty of time, so waiting a little while wouldn't hurt.

Zhu Zhi suggested, "Actually, we could just give Li Feng one thousand liang first. We can give him the rest once we've made a profit, and Li Feng certainly wouldn't dare object."

"No way!"

Zhu Yunsong and the others rejected the idea simultaneously.

Whatever they did today would certainly be watched closely by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The moment the guard reported back to Emperor Hongwu, the Emperor might just decide to discipline them—bullying ordinary citizens was strictly forbidden.

And so, they waited for nearly an hour.

"Third Brother, we're back!"

Zhu Lingxiu's cheerful voice floated in first.

She and Zhu Linghua were the first to run back inside, breathing slightly out of breath, as they deposited piles of silver onto the table.

"These were all left to us by our mothers. If Third Brother wants them, take them all. You don't have to pay us back."

They said happily.

It seemed that being able to help Zhu Yunsong was a source of immense joy to them, and they were willing to do anything for him.

Between the two of them, they brought two hundred liang each—quite a substantial sum.

"Yunsong, we have some too!"

Zhu Lingyue smiled and said, "These are all the savings we've slowly accumulated over the years. We're giving them all to you."

They also set down their silver, one thousand liang each.

"This..."

Zhu Yunsong and the others looked at the four little sweethearts, their eyes instantly filled with delight.

Who would have thought these girls were actually wealthy little heiresses?

They had managed to save up such a staggering amount of money.

"One thousand liang is more than enough."

Zhu Yunsong accepted their investment and continued, "The rest can be put away. Thirteenth Uncle, Fourteenth Uncle, Fifteenth Uncle, I'd like to let them join the partnership as well. If we make a profit, we'll split it together. How does that sound?"

"Agreed!"

Zhu Gui and the others had no objections.

Just seeing how the girls were willing to hand over all their money without even asking questions was enough for them to approve this partnership.

These four little nieces were truly wonderful.

"Don't you worry, Fifteenth Uncle guarantees it,"

Zhu Zhi patted his chest and vowed, "In the future, I will definitely make sure you all get a huge share of the profits."

Zhu Lingyi remarked, "We don't necessarily need a share of the money. As long as we can help you all out, that's enough."

Zhu Gui sighed with emotion, "What wonderful nieces!"

"Once you leave the palace in the future, come play at Thirteenth Uncle's estate. Whatever you want, you shall have."

He declared with great generosity.

"Thank you, Thirteenth Uncle!"

They chimed in together.

Zhu Yunsong never expected his moneymaking venture to turn out quite like this.

Yet, this was the best possible outcome. Investing together, earning together, and helping the four little sweethearts earn some extra dowry money down the road actually sounded rather splendid.

With everything settled, the shares allocated, and the contract signed, Zhu Gui and the other three took their leave first, agreeing to meet tomorrow morning at the Grand Secretariat Schoolroom, and go out in the afternoon to secure the restaurant. They were about to successfully acquire their very first collective enterprise.

The thought alone brought a smile to their faces.

Zhu Yunsong took his sisters for a stroll around the princely residence.

They couldn't possibly be any more envious of Zhu Yunsong's ability to move out and live independently.

Although Consort Guo treated them exceptionally well, she wasn't their own flesh and blood. They preferred sticking close to Zhu Yunsong, always keeping a tight bond with him.

As evening approached, Zhu Yunsong arranged for an escort to send them back, bidding each other a reluctant and affectionate farewell.

Leaving the palace was no easy feat for them, and they cherished every single opportunity to venture outside.

Watching their carriage fade into the distance, Zhu Yunsong murmured to himself, "I will not let you down."

Since his sisters were so wonderful, he could not bear to fail their trust.