To put on a show, Zhao Xian pondered for a moment, then began to recite:

"Fine wine in a luminous cup, I long to drink, but the pipa urges me on. Do not laugh at me, drunk and lying on the battlefield; how many have returned from ancient battles?"

The poem has a clear and bright imagery. Before the battle, the poet drinks the fine wine of Qinghe, but is urged to go to war just as he is about to raise his cup. Even if he falls drunk on the battlefield, he tells the soldiers not to laugh at him. Since ancient times, how many soldiers have been able to return home safely after going to war? Although he is saddened, he still has to go to the battlefield to fight the enemy without hesitation, hoping that he can return home safely.

"What a beautiful poem!" The people present exclaimed again. General Lin silently recited the poem, tears streaming down his face.

Zhao Xian's poem touched his heart deeply, bringing back the tragic scenes from the battlefield.

Zhao Cheng stood quietly to the side, his eyes moist. Zhao Xian's poem reminded him of the days when he was on the battlefield, amidst the clash of swords and the mobilization of troops.

The praise from the crowd made Zhao Xian feel a little uneasy. Although he had changed a few words in the poem, it was still someone else's poem, which was a form of plagiarism. It was just that the ancients at that time did not know this.

At this moment, General Lin was so emotional that he was completely absorbed in his own world. The official in charge came over, helped him, and slowly returned him to the guest seats.

The poetry gathering was drawing to a close when Prefect Shen spoke again.

"Qinghe Wine has just been produced and is not yet available for sale. We need to find a distributor. Everyone here is a business leader. If you are interested in cooperating with Young Master Zhao, please stay after the poetry gathering to discuss the specific details of the cooperation."

Zhao Xian never expected that Prefect Shen would give him such a good opportunity. He could have used this opportunity to make Qinghe Wine a hit.

At this point, the presiding official officially announced the end of the poetry gathering, and the participants gradually dispersed.

Before long, only a handful of people remained in the hall, apart from some officials and a few business tycoons.

Actually, there were quite a few businessmen here today. Most of them knew their own limitations and were self-aware. At this point, they had no chance of winning the Qinghe Wine agency rights, so they might as well leave.

Zhao Xian knew what he would face next. Under normal circumstances, if he found a distributor for his liquor, it would inevitably cause these merchants to raise prices in order to compete for the distribution rights.

This situation is certainly advantageous to Zhao Xian, but it also has disadvantages. If the price is raised too high, it will inevitably affect the sales volume of the wine and reduce its profits.

Just like the ginseng wine I bought last time, which was too expensive and no one wanted it, it sat unsold in the store for a long time. Similarly, if the price of liquor is set too high, it will definitely affect sales.

Currently, the market is dominated by yellow wine. Take Zhuangyuan Red Wine as an example, its retail price is two taels of silver, and its wholesale price should be around one tael of silver.

Other varieties of yellow wine are priced at only a few hundred coins.

Lowering the price of baijiu (Chinese white liquor) could quickly capture the liquor market, change people's drinking habits, and allow baijiu to replace huangjiu (yellow wine).

However, the production of baijiu is limited and cannot meet the needs of all consumers. Therefore, the sale of baijiu must target its consumer group, which should be high-ranking officials and dignitaries, not ordinary people.

Currently, the market price for good quality rice wine is around two taels of silver per jin (500g). Homemade white wine is much better than this rice wine. If you want to quickly capture the market, the retail price of white wine should also be around two taels of silver.

As a result, the wholesale price of his own liquor could only be set at one tael of silver per jin (500 grams).

In order to quickly capture the market for baijiu, one cannot simply find one distributor to operate the baijiu business; instead, one must find multiple distributors to sell baijiu in multiple regions.

At this moment, several business tycoons were waiting for Zhao Xian to make an offer, as they were determined to win the agency sales rights for Qinghe Wine.

“The wholesale price for Qinghe wine is one tael of silver per catty. If you are willing to accept that, let’s sit down and talk,” Zhao Xian finally said.

The merchants present were immediately delighted. They had already tasted Qinghe wine, and no other wine on the market could compare to it. This kind of liquor could easily sell for four or five taels of silver per pound.

The current wholesale price of Qinghe wine is one tael of silver, so its profit margin is still quite large.

“Young Master Zhao, I am willing to become a distributor of Qinghe Wine. I am willing to accept the price of one tael of silver per catty.”

“Young Master Zhao, please give me the agency rights for Qinghe Wine. I am willing to pay one tael and two mace of silver per catty.”

“I am willing to pay one and a half taels of silver per catty.”

“I’m willing to pay two taels of silver per catty, so please give me the agency rights for Qinghe Wine, Young Master Zhao.”

Zhao Xian remained silent, and the merchants began to raise the price among themselves, eventually driving it up to three taels of silver per catty.

Of course, these merchants weren't blindly raising prices. Three taels of silver per catty was probably their limit. Such a purchase price had already greatly compressed their profit margins, and sales would also decrease significantly.

Zhao Xian looked at the merchants and asked with a smile, "Is there anyone else willing to offer a higher price?"

Everyone present remained silent until one of them finally spoke up.

“I’ll offer three and a half taels of silver per pound; that’s the highest price I can offer.”

Seeing that someone else was bidding, Zhao Xian asked:

"If I wholesale at three and a half taels of silver per pound, then your market price would be at least four or five taels of silver per pound, or even higher. Would anyone sell at such a high price? Even if someone did buy, how much would the sales volume be?"

The merchants fell silent. Four or five taels of silver for a pound of wine was indeed too high a price, and not many people would buy it.

Seeing that no one at the scene spoke, Zhao Xian said:

"In order to compete for the exclusive distribution rights of Qinghe wine, the shopkeepers are raising prices like crazy. In the end, not only will they not make any money, but they will also not be able to sell any Qinghe wine. We do not want to see these situations."

There are five shopkeepers here now. You can all purchase goods from me at a price of one tael of silver per catty. You can then sell them yourselves.

Of course, to ensure you have sufficient profit margins from selling Qinghe wine, I suggest you sell it by region.

Zhao Xian's words gave the merchants a jolt. It was indeed true. If they sold the same product in a region, they would undercut each other to increase sales. As a result, everyone's profits would decrease. Although sales volume would increase, they wouldn't make much money.

These men are all big names in the business world, and their businesses are very large. Selling in different regions is not a difficult task for them.

“Young Master Zhao, your suggestion is excellent. We’ll discuss it when we get back and devise a specific plan for regional sales. This will prevent us from undercutting each other and ensure that everyone has a sufficient profit margin.”

"Then it's settled. You can pick up the goods in seven days from now in Shuixian Village, Zhengyang County. The initial supply will not be too large. I will organize to expand production to ensure the supply."

"Okay, it's settled then. We'll go to Narcissus Village to pick up the goods in seven days."

The matter was settled, and the merchants left on their own. Zhao Xian and his group also prepared to leave.