Chapter 648: Beginning

Editor: Atlas Studios

Mu Yangling nodded. “There’s a 70% chance of success if the Emperor eats these.”

Ji’an gritted his teeth and said, “I’ll do this business!”

“Then I’ll leave you to coordinate the Miao stockade.” Mu Yangling said with a smile, “Do you think we should cooperate with each other in this business, or do you want to collect the goods and sell them to me, in which case the profit or loss will solely go to me?”

“How do we go about cooperating? And if we were to sell the goods to you, how are you going to set the price?” Ji’an asked.

“If we work together, we’ll split the costs 50-50. You’re familiar with the Miao people, so you’ll be in charge here. The Prince’s estate will be in charge of the Han people. The money earned will likewise be split 50-50 after we buy grains and transport them back from the capital.” Mu Yangling said with a smile, “As for the traveling expenses on the road, I’ll suffer some loss and the Prince’s estate will pay for that.”

“Well, how much will the cost be if it’s 50-50?” Ji’an recalled that he didn’t have much money.

Mu Yangling said with a smile, “I don’t know how much stock everyone has. Naturally, the more goods we can collect, the better. We’ll offer two modes of payment—one is to pay directly with cash, and the other is to write a promissory note. After assessing the value of their goods, we’ll convert them into a quantity of grains. We’ll write a note for them and stamp it with your seal and the Prince’s estate’s seal. When the grains are transported back, they can use the note to exchange for grains. This way, we can save a lot of money.”

Ji’an perked up and felt that this was a good idea. He hurriedly asked, “How do we set the price?”

“Let’s calculate the cost of these things first. We can’t let the commoners suffer a loss no matter what. It’s fine if the acquisition price is one or two copper coins more expensive than the market price.”

“What about grain prices? The grain prices in Qiannan are not low at the moment.”

“Chief Ji’an, don’t worry. The price of grains will definitely not be higher than the current price in Qiannan. The prices of goods in Jiangnan have already been equalized. Now, one stone of grains goes for one tael and 300 copper coins, and corn and other grains are even cheaper, costing only one tael and 180 copper coins. Even if we transport them back to Qiannan, we will not lose out even if we only price the grains at 50 copper coins higher per stone.”

Chief Ji’an was stunned. “Then aren’t we making a losing deal?”

“Why would that be a losing deal? We’d even earn 50 copper coins per stone.”

Chief Ji’an stomped his feet and said, “Your Highness, don’t lie to me. This isn’t counting the traveling expenses for the round trip.”

Mu Yangling said, “I already said that the traveling expenses are on me.”

Ji’an looked at her suspiciously. “Then Your Highness won’t earn a single cent this time. What are you after?”

“Chief Ji’an, have you forgotten our original intention? Our original intention was to help the people of Qiannan tide through next year’s deficit. Considering this trip will increase the income of many people, this is beneficial no matter what.” Mu Yangling looked at him seriously and said, “This is really the last condition I want to discuss with you. Regardless of whether it’s the Han people or the Miao people who come to buy the grain, they have to be treated equally and charged a fair price. What do you think?”

Ji’an’s eyes rolled around and he understood. Mu Yangling wanted to ease the burden of the impoverished Han people, while he was doing it for the Miao people. Although this business wasn’t profitable, if his people benefited from it, then he as their chieftain would also benefit from it.

Chief Ji’an immediately agreed with a smile.

Mu Yangling immediately finalized the contract, and both parties also wrote down the prices of the various goods. Mu Yangling said, “In order to supervise each other, you may send someone to accompany my steward to buy goods from the Han people. Meanwhile, I will also send someone to the Miao stockade. What do you think, Chief Ji’an?”

“Let’s do that,” Chief Ji’an agreed readily.

As soon as Mu Yangling left, Chief Ji’an called all his subordinates over and said, “Go and inform everyone that His Highness’s steward is coming over tomorrow. No one is to choose cash over a promissory note. Her Highness said that when the grains are transported back, those with promissory notes will have priority in exchanging for grains and only the remainder will be put up for sale. Since the grain price she set is only two-thirds of the grain price in Qiannan, it’s much more advantageous to accept a promissory note.”

Chen Jiacai rushed over and asked hurriedly, “Father-in-law, are you really planning to do this business?”

Chief Ji’an stroked his beard and said with a smile, “Jiacai, don’t underestimate Her Highness. Although I don’t know if her idea will work, we won’t lose out.”

“Why?” Chen Jiacai frowned. “What if nobody buys the goods? How are we going to explain it to the villagers?”

“Don’t worry. His Highness dotes on Her Highness so much. If I cry in front of him about it, he’ll probably make up for the losses.” There wasn’t a doubt in Chief Ji’an’s mind that the only Prince in Great Qi was flush with cash.

Ji’an was good with his calculations, but Mu Yangling was not stupid either. After going down the mountain, she found Zhu Liang and said, “Send a wise lad to the Miao stockade to keep a close eye on the matter. Make sure the promissory notes are legit. The value and quality of the goods collected must be strictly checked considering this will be sent to the capital. When you liaise with the Miao stockade, warn them and hint that this is not a one-time deal. If it fails, the responsibility won’t be ours.”

Zhu Liang agreed.

Mu Yangling continued, “Then go to the government office and get Teacher Liu to look for respected elders from various regions to help acquire the goods. Remember, remind them to try their best to convince the sellers to accept promissory notes instead of cash. When the grains are transported back, those with promissory notes will have priority in exchanging for the grains. Only whatever grain is left will be put up for sale. The Miao and Han people will be treated equally. We must inform them in advance and instill this into the people repeatedly.”

“Your Highness, are you worried that they’ll be in chaos because we’re selling grain to the Miao people?”

Mu Yangling sneered and said, “The price of the grains I set is low. When the time comes, we’ll exchange the grain for the promissory notes first instead of selling them first. Those who chose to take money instead of promissory notes will definitely cause a ruckus. This is why we have to discuss the game rules in advance. With the highly-esteemed Ji’an keeping the Miao people under control, they will be alright. It won’t necessarily be the case for the Han people though.”

Zhu Liang immediately understood the seriousness of the matter and hurriedly said, “Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness. I’ll see to it right away.”

“Alright, take the token and withdraw the money. Change it all into copper coins.”

Ji’an first swept all the goods from his own stockade before extending an olive branch to the other Miao stockades. With his good reputation among the Miao stockades, plus the fact that the Miao tribe’s annual gathering was held at his place not long ago, the other Miao stockades’ chieftains turned a blind eye to him sweeping up the goods in their territory.

In another stockade in Qiannan, Jilu rushed home in the dark. As soon as he returned, he asked anxiously, “Wife, how much cured pork and dried prickly pear do we have at home?”

“There’s not much cured pork left. We have to save it for the Chinese New Year. There’s still a lot of dried prickly pears though. What’s wrong, dear?”

“Ji’an’s stockade wants to collect these goods. Pack up all the cured pork and dried prickly pears at home. Tomorrow, we’ll exchange them for promissory notes. Our eldest son and I will mix the herbs for the Liver Tonic remedy overnight and exchange them for a lot of grains.” Ji’an was all smiles when he thought of the news he had received.

Bewildered, Jilu’s wife asked, “What promissory note?”

“A promissory note that can be exchanged for grains subsequently. The Princess Consort of Ju Prefecture is kind-hearted and cooperated with Chief Ji’an to give us Miao people a way out. After they acquire these goods from us, they’ll exchange them for grains. After the Han Chinese New Year, when the grains are transported back, we can exchange the promissory notes for grains.”

“Could this be a scam? Is Her Highness that kind-hearted?”

“The people from Ji’an stockade won’t dare to lie to us. I heard that Ji’an stockade has long handed over their goods. Considering some time has passed, we must act fast lest they stop after acquiring enough.”

Jilu’s wife thought about it and agreed. Even if the Princess Consort deceived them, the people from Ji’an stockade wouldn’t dare to lie to them. At most, they could just rob Ji’an’s stockade when the time came.

Similar conversations went on in the various stockades. Meanwhile, Ji’an smiled as he looked at the goods that were constantly being transported back to the storeroom. He was both happy and worried, not knowing if all these things could be sold.

Chapter end