Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Dajin has enjoyed good weather and good harvests in recent years, and Shang...
In recent years, the weather in Dajin has been good, business has been booming, and the whole country is thriving.
The capital city, as the center of the Jin Dynasty, naturally gathered merchants from all directions, and they all showed off their talents.
There are four relatively prosperous commercial streets in the capital city. Shen Xuan has already seen one of them, which is the canal wharf at the entrance of the South Gate.
Because of its convenient transportation, it gathers merchants from all over the country. From furs to medicinal herbs to food ingredients to porcelain and so on... everything is sold.
The second commercial street is Zhuangyuan Bridge in the northeast of the city, close to the Imperial College.
There are many students and literati gather there, which is somewhat similar to the Koi Street in Lezhou.
There are many restaurants and teahouses on the street, where poetry gatherings are held every day. Then there are some large bookstores, stationery stores and jade shops. The Guiyun Tower in the capital city is located here.
The third commercial street is Linlang Street in the northwest of the capital, which is the most stylish commercial street in the entire capital.
All the people living near here are nobles or wealthy businessmen, and the things sold on the street are jewelry, jade, exquisite embroidery, incense and tea, and everything is very expensive.
There weren't many customers walking on the street, most of them were family members of officials or children from wealthy families who spent a lot of money.
The last one is the largest commercial street in Beijing, Zhijin Street, located in the central area of the southeast of the capital.
There are many high-end restaurants, teahouses, brothels, theaters and other entertainment venues on both sides of the street, which attract a group of wealthy guests with purchasing power.
In addition to these, there are also ordinary restaurants, cloth shops, embroidery workshops, tailors, powder and rouge, hair oil and wigs, silk flower jewelry and other prosperous shops.
There are also circus performances on the streets, and traveling merchants walking the streets, selling snacks, refreshments, handkerchiefs, combs and other small items that ordinary people can afford.
As a result, this Zijin Street is bustling with people all year round, with a constant flow of customers, and has become the most lively of the four commercial streets.
Chen Xuan took Jin Gui and Jin Zhi out today and told Mother You that they were going to go shopping around Beijing, but in fact they were going to inspect these commercial streets.
He first went to find a broker and asked him to give him a detailed introduction to the layout of the commercial streets in various places in Beijing.
Apart from the small stalls along the street, most of the Canal Wharf was occupied by large merchants doing wholesale business, so Shen Xuan no longer went there.
Given his current status in Beijing, it is definitely not suitable for him to set up a stall again.
If I want to open a shop, Linlang Street is too high-end. He had no source of jewelry and jade, knew nothing about making tea or incense, and was not very suitable for this place.
After screening, Shen Xuan decided to go to Zhuangyuan Bridge and Zijin Street for inspection.
He went to Zhuangyuan Bridge first, walked around the entire street, and got a general idea of the prices here.
After we finished shopping, it was almost noon. Shen Xuan thought about it and decided to go to Guiyun Tower for a meal.
The Guiyun Tower here, like that in Lezhou, also hosts elegant gatherings all year round, with many scholars and writers visiting.
A guy like Chen Xuan is naturally not a frequent visitor to Guiyun Tower. However, Chen Xuan took out a silver ingot and said he wanted to book a private room.
The waiter guarding the gate politely invited him in.
A private room in Guiyun Tower in the capital city costs ten taels of silver, which is much more expensive than that in Lezhou.
When Shen Xuan entered the private room, he saw the waiter bringing in a set of tea and snacks.
This set of tea and snacks is included in the room fee, but if you want to order dishes, there will be additional charges.
When the waiter poured the tea into the cup, Shen Xuan smelled the fragrance of the tea and knew that this was his honey custard tea.
"Hey sir, this is our store's specialty tea, honey custard tea, please try it." said the waiter.
These days, there are often some guys and girls coming to Guiyun Tower to drink tea, all of them come for this honey custard tea.
"This tea is really fresh, but I wonder what the price is if it's sold separately?" Shen Xuan asked.
"One tael of silver for a pot, and you can keep refilling the tea." The waiter said, "Brother, if you like, we also have special tea paste for sale in our store, ten taels of silver per can, and you can go home and make it yourself."
The boss of Guiyun Tower really knows how to make money! Shen Xuan was shocked when he heard this, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
He asked the waiter to bring over the tea paste sold in the restaurant, but a jar the size of two fists cost ten taels of silver. It was sealed with a piece of gold-sprinkled red paper with the Guiyun Tower logo printed on it.
"Thank you, I don't want it for now." Shen Xuan returned the can of tea paste to the waiter, ordered a few more dishes, and then let Jin Zhi Jingui sit down with him to eat.
"You don't have to be so restrained when you go out today." Shen Xuan said, "Come and try this tea first, how does it taste?"
Although Jinzhi Jingui was a house-born child in the Marquis's Mansion, she was just an ordinary servant at home, and it was her first time to attend such an occasion.
They had already smelled the fragrance of the tea and were craving for it. Seeing that Shen Xuan asked him to taste it, he drank it happily.
As soon as the tea entered her mouth, Jingui opened her eyes wide in surprise, and Jinzhi said quickly: "What kind of tea is this? It's so sweet and delicious? No wonder it's so expensive."
“It is indeed very expensive.” Shen Xuan smiled. I thought that Guiyunlou was a big store after all, and with this tea recipe, it would be like a fish in water. I was afraid that I could make a lot of money every month with this recipe.
If he opened a store in Lezhou with this recipe, he would probably make a lot of money. But since the recipe had already been given away, Shen Xuan didn't feel it was a pity.
After a meal, Shen Xuan found the waiter and asked him to call Shopkeeper Mei for him.
When Shopkeeper Mei arrived, he was quite surprised to see that the guest in the private room was actually Shen Xuan.
He immediately stepped forward and said, "It turned out to be Brother Chen. I heard that you are now living in the Marquis' Mansion and wanted to pay a visit to your house. I didn't expect you to come by yourself."
When Shen Xuan met Shopkeeper Mei, he greeted him politely and briefly mentioned that he had already opened a mansion outside.
Shopkeeper Mei was surprised and said, "It is a house bestowed by the Empress Dowager. Such an honor is beyond the reach of ordinary people." He looked even more respectful.
At this point, Shopkeeper Mei decided to waive the bill for Shen Xuan, saying that it was considered as his treat. Please come often when you are free in the future, Shen Xuan.
Shen Xuan knew that the reason why Shopkeeper Mei was so polite was probably because of his relationship with the Marquis' Mansion.
He did not reject Manager Mei's kindness, but mentioned that he might do business in Beijing. And asked for some advice on doing business in Beijing.
Knowing that Shen Xuan would not use the recipe of honey custard tea to do business again, Shopkeeper Mei felt relieved and generously gave Shen Xuan some tips on the tricks in the capital.
For example, business competition in Beijing is fierce. In order to avoid being squeezed out, these prosperous shops must have one or two backers.
Either the boss behind the scenes is a powerful official in the court, or they have been lured into investing.
Secondly, if you want to do business in the capital, you have to take care of the yamen runners of Shuntian Prefecture to avoid trouble when collecting taxes.
Shen Xuan nodded and wrote down everything, and then Shopkeeper Mei asked curiously, "Brother Shen, since you are no longer in the tea business, what are you going to sell?"
"I haven't thought about it yet." Shen Xuan said truthfully: "Now I have to see what is selling well in Beijing?"
Shopkeeper Mei heard this and said, "Then I wish you a smooth opening soon, Brother Chen. I will definitely go to support you when the time comes."
After the two exchanged a few more polite words, Shopkeeper Mei left, and Shen Xuan walked out of the store with Jin Zhi and Jin Gui.
Just now, when Shopkeeper Mei was talking to Shen Xuan, Jinzhi and Jin Gui were standing aside, not daring to make a sound.
After leaving Guiyun Tower, he dared to ask, "Brother Chen, the shopkeeper of Guiyun Tower said that the tea we drank before was made by you?"
"You are so amazing! How can you make such delicious tea? And Brother Chen, are you really going to do business in Beijing?"
The more they interacted with Shen Xuan these days, the more they felt that Shen Xuan was not an ordinary country boy as people outside said, but a man with some powerful means.
Moreover, he was a generous person, often rewarding them and treating them quite kindly on a daily basis.
For example, during the lunch just now, Shen Xuan asked them to eat with him.
If it were any other master in the mansion, they would probably be hungry the whole day and would only be able to eat after returning home.
If Shen Xuan does a good business, he will have more money. With more money, he would be more generous and would have a more stable foothold in the government.
Jinzhi and Jingui have seen many masters of all kinds in the marquis's mansion, and they know very well that in this deep mansion, money is the bottom line after all.
Take the Marquis’ concubines for example. Concubine Wen was not the most beautiful, but she lived the best life.
Madam Wen was born into a merchant family. When she got married, her parents gave her some land and a shop, so she had no shortage of money. Not only did she use the money to bribe many servants in the mansion, she could also set up a small kitchen in the yard.
As for the other two concubines, one, Concubine Kong, was a talented woman from a family of successful candidates. She was the most beautiful and had the highest social status.
But because his family was poor and he had little assets, he lived a tight life in the mansion and could only survive on the monthly salary.
When it was time for the New Year gifts, when younger generations from other families came to visit the house, in order to make up the gift money for the visit, Aunt Kong had to ask someone to sell the rewards that the Marquis had given her over the years at a pawnshop.
As time went by, Aunt Kong could no longer save any wealth and she looked very shabby.
Moreover, she has been in the mansion for a long time now, and her appearance is not as fresh and beautiful as when she first entered the mansion. The Marquis spent less time with her, and her life became more difficult.
The servants all knew that Aunt Kong was stingy and were unwilling to serve her in her room. Anyone who has a little bit of ability will try to find a way to escape.
So the two stupid maids sent to her from the Xue Mansion were not only slow in doing things, but also not very fluent in speaking. They made the whole courtyard look deserted, and the Marquis was even less willing to go there.
Jin Gui: "Brother Chen, you are really capable. I finally followed the right person."
Jinzhi: "In the Xue Mansion, only Madam and Madam Wen have shops as dowry. But Madam Wen's shop seems to be managed by her family. She only collects dividends and doesn't manage it herself. Brother Chen, you can still run your own business, it's really amazing!"
Just now, after they saw Shen Xuan chatting and laughing with Shopkeeper Mei, they secretly made up their minds to follow him wholeheartedly.
This time, before Shen Xuan could even speak, the two of them swore to the heavens together that they would only tell what they had seen today and would never reveal a single thing to anyone else after they returned.
Shen Xuan brought Jin Zhi Jingui out this time, and also deliberately revealed some of his own situation in front of them, and then observed their performance to see whether they were useful or not.
Seeing that the two of them were quite considerate, Shen Xuan was satisfied and nodded, saying, "Just follow me. As long as you are sincere, I will not treat you badly."
"Don't worry, I will ask the prince for your indentures when the time comes. Once your indentures are with me, I will have the final say on how to upgrade them. In the future, even if you offend other people in the mansion, you must ask me first before fighting or selling them. I will support you."
Upon hearing this, both Jinzhi and Jingui showed joy on their faces. Shen Xuan's words officially regarded them as his own.
Their loyalty to Shen Xuan also deepened.
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