Chapter 54
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This time, accompanying the Crown Prince on the journey out of the capital were the Second, Third, and Sixth Princes.
The Crown Prince and the Third Prince had traveled with the Emperor to various places during their childhood, so they were not particularly impressed by the scenery along the way.
Having lived in seclusion for two decades, the Second Prince paid little attention to anything beyond the tranquility of his meditation sanctuary. He remained composed throughout the journey.
Therefore, the one most excited was undoubtedly the Sixth Prince.
Along the banks of the Grand Canal, many farmers gathered to watch the grand procession of the imperial grain ships.
The Sixth Prince also stood curiously at the bow of the ship, exchanging distant glances with the farmers.
“Why are they all dressed so modestly?” the Sixth Prince asked Xue Yao, “Are these farmers from a disaster-stricken county?”
Xue Yao could only smile wryly. They had already reached Shandong. The farmers here couldn’t be expected to dress like the common people in the capital.
Besides, these farmers were wearing plain coarse hemp clothing without even a patch, which indicated that their living conditions were passable.
Xue Yao had originally planned to explain the normal life of the common people, but upon seeing the Sixth Prince’s concerned expression about the nation’s prosperity and the people’s well-being, he couldn’t bear to shatter his idealized image. So, he reassured him, “These farmers work in the fields during the day. If they were to wear silk and brocade, it would easily get stained with mud or torn. It’s more practical to wear hemp cloth.”
“So, that’s how it is!” The Sixth Prince became joyful once more.
In an era when information did not flow freely, a young prince with little experience was easily deceived.
The Crown Prince and his entourage planned to purchase grains in Zhejiang because the prices in Jinling were slightly higher than in Hangzhou.
Both Xue Yao and the accompanying procurement eunuch advised the Crown Prince to compare prices from different sources. As a result, the grain ship first docked in Jinling.
The customs and people of Jiangnan had quite a few differences compared to the northern regions.
There were poets and scholars, and graceful ladies.
Within the city of Jinling, the pace of life among the commoners seemed to be a bit slower than in the capital, exuding an air of leisure and ease.
Along the banks of the Qinhuai River, there were numerous well-known inns, where the sound of pipa and guqin, accompanied by the melodious voices of women, could be heard from time to time.
The Third Prince’s eyes lit up. He said he intended to stay in Jinling for a few days to negotiate prices with local grain merchants.
However, as soon as he disembarked, he went to the most renowned brothel to discuss prices.
The Crown Prince dispatched the procurement eunuch to accompany Xue Yao to inquire at the grain stores. The eager Sixth Prince insisted on joining them.
Since Xue Yao’s transmigration, this was the first time he had set foot in his native Jinling, which was his hometown in his previous life.
The natural scenery of his homeland was strikingly different from the era he remembered.
Abundant were the clear, dust-free blue skies, the transparent, green waters, and the quaint and elegant taverns and shops. Scarce were the towering skyscrapers of the future.
The local dialect still felt warm and familiar.
To Xue Yao, the Nanjing dialect wasn’t too difficult to comprehend, at least not as different as the languages of Suzhou and Zhejiang, which were practically foreign to him.
Unexpectedly, the Sixth Prince couldn’t understand it at all. He continuously asked those around him in curiosity about what they were saying.
The procurement eunuch was a genuine native of the capital city. Due to many years of official duties and interactions with various local merchants, he could understand the Jinling dialect. However, he couldn’t speak it himself.
This posed a bit of a headache for Xue Yao.
With a group of city-bred gentlemen, he was negotiating with Jinling’s grain merchants. The Sixth Prince occasionally inquired, “What’s the shopkeeper saying?” This was certainly a risk, making them vulnerable to unscrupulous merchants.
Even if they managed to stir up competition among a few grain merchants, starting prices would be higher, and the time needed for haggling would naturally be longer.
Xue Yao couldn’t afford this.
The sense of security on the other side, akin to a timed bomb, periodically detonated in his mind. Who knew when it would plunge dramatically like a su*cidal leap from a building.
He had to act swiftly, complete his quest, and hurry back to the capital to attend to the insecure Long Aotian cub.
After a brief consideration, Xue Yao smiled at the Sixth Prince and said, “Your Highness, since it’s your first visit to Jinling as a guest, how about you begin by heading to a tavern to enjoy a traditional performance and experience the charm of Qinhuai? You can leave official matters to me and Respected Elder Liu.”
The Sixth Prince was filled with ambition and wasn’t in the mood for leisure. However, he thought for a moment and realized that his youth and lack of experience might potentially hinder Xue Yao and the others in their business negotiations.
He had a hunch that Xue Yao might be subtly advising him not to get involved in business discussions.
The Sixth Prince’s initial excitement was instantly extinguished. He knew he lacked experience in this regard and might impede the important matters at hand.
So, he scratched the back of his head, raised an eyebrow, and said with a smile, “Coincidentally, I’d like to visit the tavern too. I’ll leave the official matters to you. I’ll take a little break and catch a play. Don’t tell Eldest Brother, alright?”
Xue Yao keenly observed the Sixth Prince’s transition from excitement to disappointment and then his feigned enthusiasm. He immediately felt a sense of guilt.
This warm baby and that guy, Long Aotian, with his thick skin were completely different.
If he tried to come up with an excuse to send the Sixth Prince away at this point, the young prince would surely understand the true reason and think that Xue Yao found him troublesome.
But it was too late to change his mind. Xue Yao assigned a disguised escort of attendants to accompany the Sixth Prince for some entertainment in the marketplace, while he led the experienced procurement eunuch to the “battlefield.”
Before heading to the major grain store, the group first ventured to the small grain shops in the marketplace to gauge market prices.
Premium-grade rice was selling at around nine hundred copper coins per stone, mid-grade rice ranged between six hundred and fifty to seven hundred copper coins, and lower-grade rice fell between four hundred and five hundred copper coins.
Then there were the inferior-quality aged rice and bug-infested rice, which were almost being given away.
For every purchase of more than ten stones of mid-grade rice, one stone of lower-grade rice was included, intended for livestock and poultry feed.
This time, the Crown Prince aimed to purchase one and a half million stones of grain.
Xue Yao’s plan was to acquire mid-grade rice at the price of lower-grade rice.
If he couldn’t negotiate down to that price, he would consider a proportional blend of mid-grade and lower-grade rice.
After all, the people in disaster-stricken areas were not overly concerned with the quality of the rice. Survival was the top priority, so the quantity of food had to take precedence.
While still on the ship, Xue Yao had already inquired about the number of people in the disaster-stricken regions.
After a few calculations, he decided to purchase mid-grade rice at five hundred copper coins per stone.
This would be ample to sustain the people in the disaster-stricken areas for a year and a half, with a surplus. It amounted to a substantial increase of forty thousand stones compared to what the book Crown Prince had planned to acquire.
With such a goal in mind, Xue Yao’s first visit was to the third-ranked grain shop in Jinling. He intended to hone his bargaining skills there before tackling the largest grain store.
Before engaging in substantial business negotiations with the grain store, it was generally advisable to seek the assistance of a local intermediary.
These intermediaries earn a commission based on the size of the business deal, so they typically align themselves with the visiting merchants to guard against unscrupulous traders.
However, the Crown Prince’s business deal was of such magnitude that the commission for intermediaries would be a substantial sum.
Considering that the procurement eunuch was experienced, Xue Yao decided to skip this step and take matters into his own hands.
When they entered the grain store, the attendants immediately greeted them with beaming smiles.
As Xue Yao was about to speak, the experienced Respected Elder Liu, who was standing beside him, sternly instructed the attendant, “Our lord has a significant business deal to discuss with your establishment. Please summon your proprietor.”
The attendant was somewhat intimidated by Respected Elder Liu’s imposing manner and nodded obsequiously. “Our proprietor is not currently in the store. Allow me to fetch the manager for you.”
“Very well,” Respected Elder Liu responded with an emotionless expression.
Xue Yao couldn’t help but admire the imposing demeanor of the plump eunuch.
After all, he was a seasoned procurement eunuch conducting legitimate purchases. His confidence, clear capital city accent, and complete lack of the awkwardness of an outsider projected a sense of authority.
When conducting business negotiations, one must sometimes maintain a certain demeanor. Modesty and courtesy, although virtuous, may not be suitable for every occasion.
The grain store’s manager swiftly arrived in the grand hall and invited the guests to take their seats.
Hearing the accent of the merchants, the manager immediately surmised that they were here for a substantial business deal. After all, they wouldn’t have traveled such a distance for ordinary transactions.
What surprised Xue Yao was that, although the manager’s manner was polite, he wasn’t particularly proactive. He simply offered them tea and engaged in casual chatter about the grain business, waiting for them to broach the topic of the business deal themselves.
Xue Yao didn’t waste any time. After sipping half a cup of tea, he addressed the proprietor with an authentic Jinling accent, “In our residence, we are hosting esteemed guests from the capital city who have come a long way to discuss a significant business deal in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.”
The manager smiled. “I’ve already discerned that much. I’m grateful to you for considering Ming Fang Grain Store for your business. I won’t beat around the bush. Some time ago, a group of grain merchants from Zhejiang came and purchased the majority of the grain in our Suzhou warehouse! Judging by the grandeur of your party, I suspect the business you wish to discuss is even more substantial than what those Zhejiang merchants were after. However, I’m concerned that our grain store may not have sufficient stock.”
Xue Yao’s heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding creeping in.
Zhejiang merchants buying up grain?
It explained why, in the novel, the Crown Prince had sourced all his grain from Hangzhou. It turned out the Jiangsu grain stores had been “plundered” by Zhejiang merchants ahead of them.
Given that both regions were renowned for their agricultural abundance, it was somewhat odd for Zhejiang merchants to attend to the business interests of Jiangsu merchants.
If they couldn’t sell all the purchased grain and it expired, they would be left with lower-grade and inferior-quality rice.
But why would Zhejiang merchants come to Jiangsu for grain procurement?
Xue Yao had a hunch that something was amiss, but he remained calm. “How much grain can your store currently provide in total?”
The manager wasted no time and calculated a sum for Xue Yao. “Our warehouse inventory is precisely enough for a year’s worth of retail business. I assume the young master is aware of the market price for selling to the common people. If you have a need, our grain store can provide a maximum of fifty thousand stones of grain — twenty percent premium rice and eighty percent mid-grade rice, all at a price of five hundred and seventy copper coins per stone! We only hope that you, gentlemen, will consider doing business with Ming Fang again next year if you require more grain.”
This statement was forthright. The grain store’s stock was sufficient for this year’s business, so it should theoretically be sold at market prices.
Offering fifty thousand stones of grain at the price of lower-grade rice was indeed a generous gesture.
However, Respected Elder Liu was unimpressed and gave a noncommittal, sarcastic laugh. “Fifty thousand stones? You’re underestimating our business! Since your store can’t provide a substantial amount of grain, we’ll explore other options for now.”
“Master—” Xue Yao hurriedly stood up and requested that he have a private word with Respected Elder Liu.
In the novel, it seemed strange to purchase a whopping one hundred and twenty thousand stones of grain at a high price, but Xue Yao had now fully grasped the situation!
Respected Elder Liu had not yet realized the gravity of the matter. In the novel, he had surely offended the owners of various grain stores in Jinling, thinking that since Zhejiang had purchased so much grain, there was no need to worry about running out of supplies.
The result was that they were in a tight spot, eventually leading to the Crown Prince being severely exploited by Zhejiang grain merchants.
Xue Yao felt a mix of emotions. He had initially thought that this experienced procurement eunuch had an imposing presence, but now he realized that his experience and manner might have clouded his judgment.
In the current situation, half of Jiangsu’s grain stocks have already been purchased, and local merchants naturally won’t sell grain below market prices.
The willingness of this manager to offer such a favorable price can be seen as a significant loss, all for the sake of securing long-term business.
In the novel, the Crown Prince purchased grain at a price close to six hundred and seventy copper coins per stone, and most of it was lower-grade rice.
In other words, the Crown Prince paid a mid-grade rice price for a pile of lower-grade rice.
This manager, on the other hand, was willing to sell them upper mid-grade rice at the price of lower-grade rice, a truly generous offer, even though their stock was limited.
Respected Elder Liu’s current sarcasm and disdain were, frankly, lacking in careful consideration.
Xue Yao pulled him aside to analyze the situation. “Five hundred and seventy copper coins is definitely a fair price. We should make friends with this proprietor, and we must absolutely purchase the fifty thousand stones of grain.”
However, Respected Elder Liu waved his hand with a scornful smile. “Young Master, don’t rush. Don’t let these unscrupulous merchants intimidate you! How significant is our business deal? Are we afraid we won’t secure a fair price? We’ve been purchasing grain for the court for quite some time. For one hundred and fifty thousand stones of grain, we can go to well-stocked grain stores and acquire mid-grade rice for a maximum of five hundred copper coins. There’s no need to accept this paltry offer.”
Xue Yao understood that Respected Elder Liu was underestimating him due to his youth and inexperience, so he patiently advised, “Respected Elder, at the moment, we’re not certain whether other stores have sufficient stock. It’s best to secure reasonably priced grain. We should purchase it all just in case.”
Respected Elder Liu laughed with a Buddha-like serenity, “Aiya, Young Master is being overly cautious. With the Emperor’s blessings and abundant harvests everywhere, do you really think that the Crown Prince’s mere one hundred and fifty thousand stones of grain could be in short supply? Just you wait!”
Xue Yao was close to wanting to give this plump eunuch a reality check. The mishap in the novel was likely caused by this overconfident and arrogant procurement eunuch, resulting in the Crown Prince losing over forty thousand stones of grain!
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