Chapter 336 Business
Zhao Xiping asked Xiao Chunhong to tell Sui Yu if she was willing to come out to meet the guests. In his judgment, this person had no ill will towards Sui Yu.
After receiving the letter, Sui Yu combed her hair again and came out in old clothes. When she entered, she jokingly said, "Meet the two Generals of the Central Army."
General Hu Zhonglang stood up and took two steps to greet him, saying jokingly, "It seems that the doctor in Chang'an is a miracle doctor. Madam looks very well."
"I put on rouge." Sui Yu said nonsense. She sat down next to Zhao Xiping and said, "Because we are old acquaintances, I dragged my feverish body out to entertain guests."
Hu Zhonglang Jiang stopped chatting with her and said seriously, "I came straight from the palace to bring you a message to reassure you. Not many people oppose the idea of the prostitutes becoming women. The decree will probably be issued in the spring. Many people in the court are unhappy because it was you who proposed this idea. On the other hand, you and your wife proposed to His Majesty to pardon the official slaves? Many people heard the news, and everyone reacted strongly to this matter."
Sui Yu pondered and asked, "Your Majesty, didn't you reject my proposal? Why are people in the court still concerned about this? Could it be that Your Majesty actually has some intention?"
General Hu looked at her inquiringly and asked, "What else did His Majesty say to you at that time?"
Sui Yu felt something was wrong. This person was here to gather information.
"His Majesty didn't say anything, but he was very unhappy. He was happy when we proposed allowing slaves to redeem themselves. Later, when we mentioned pardoning some slaves, he became unhappy and sent us out of the palace, unwilling to listen to our nonsense." Zhao Xiping spoke, standing up and asking the General to leave. "We are just small fry living at the border. Let alone talking nonsense in front of His Majesty, even if we wrote to His Majesty every month and he wouldn't be pleased, even if we sent our heads to Chang'an, His Majesty wouldn't be moved. You often walk in front of His Majesty. Instead of asking us for information, you should pay more attention to His Majesty."
General Hu sighed. He thought Zhao Xiping was a smart man who pretended to be reckless with his intelligence, but he didn't expect that he was really a stubborn and reckless man. If someone said something wrong, he would immediately drive the guest away without any regard for feelings.
General Hu Zhonglang stood up and said to Sui Yu, "Large families are always enslaved by their servants. Your casual words have touched upon the interests of high-ranking officials and families, so the officials dislike you. Before you leave Chang'an, you should stay away from others and go out as little as possible."
"Thank you for your kind warning." Sui Yu stood up and said, "I'll take you out."
"You've already guessed that my trip won't be of much use." General Hu walked out and said, "I came here for another matter. It's a pity that I've upset you. I wonder if Madam would still be willing to sell me four quilts."
Sui Yu smiled. "How could I not be happy if someone gave me money? The day before yesterday, the housekeeper from the Princess's Mansion came and exchanged six pieces of official silk for six quilts. If you want to buy them, the price is 1,600 coins per quilt."
Merchants are profit-oriented. For Sui Yu, being on bad terms with General Hu would do more harm than good. She was unwilling to ruin their friendship just for a piece of information.
"So expensive?" Seeing that she wasn't going to get angry, General Hu immediately took advantage of the situation and said, "I spent all my savings last year buying the Ferghana horse. I'm short of money. Is a thousand coins for the bed okay?"
"You still have the Black Horse?" Sui Yu was surprised. "I thought you sold it."
"It's not in my hands. I gave it to my superior." He didn't hide it.
No wonder he was promoted so quickly. However, Sui Yu did not benefit from it. She refused and said, "No bargaining, you can buy two fewer quilts."
"No, I've already promised to give my father-in-law a quilt as a New Year's gift." Hu Zhonglangjiang lamented, "I thought that since Shopkeeper Yu and I are on good terms, I still have some face to buy the quilt from you."
"If it weren't for this favor, I wouldn't have sold it to you at all." Sui Yu said bluntly, "I only brought 31 quilts to Chang'an. Do you think selling you four isn't enough of a favor?"
"Only 31?" General Hu was surprised and grumbled, "How come a cotton farmer like you only brought 31 quilts to Chang'an? Forget it, I'll go back and scrape together some money, and you can leave me four quilts. By the way, will the price of quilts drop significantly next year?"
"No, we can probably only plant 600 acres of cotton next year. If the merchants are willing, these quilts are not enough for their own use. Besides, merchants may not be willing to transport the cotton to the interior to sell. They can exchange the quilts they take out of the customs for horses with the Dayuan or Wusun people, or for gems with the Parthian merchants. These are more valuable than transporting the quilts to the interior to sell for one or two thousand coins." Sui Yu said.
"Then I'll buy six quilts. I'll go back and get the money now." Upon hearing this, General Hu hurried out.
"Hey!" Sui Yu called him, "I'll only sell you four beds."
General Hu pretended not to hear.
"Send me two carts of porcelain." Sui Yu chased after him and said, "I'm doing you a favor, so you have to return it. Help me find two carts of glazed porcelain from the official kiln."
General Hu stopped and turned around and said, "Two carts of glazed porcelain for two quilts."
Sui Yu smiled and shook her head. She had no intention of paying. "Next year, when cotton cloth, cotton jackets, cotton shoes, and cotton hats are shipped to Chang'an, you can be the first to buy them and use them as a favor."
"Two carts are too many. I'll have one cart of glazed porcelain delivered before New Year's Eve."
"Deal." Sui Yu agreed.
After Hu Zhonglangjiang left, Sui Yu walked into the house, still shrouded in cold air. She told Xiao Chunhong, "When he comes again in the afternoon, bring him six hand warmers as a gift."
Xiao Chunhong sighed and said, "I gave the two dark blue wolf-hair hand warmers to the eunuchs in the palace. The second shopkeeper also told me to keep six for him, and gave six more to the General of the Imperial Guard. So there are only six left."
Sui Yu responded, indicating that he understood.
Zhao Xiping went back to the room with her and closed the door. He sat beside the couch and whispered, "Your Majesty, are you planning to pardon some of the official slaves? I remember when we were about to leave, he told us to grow cotton well and that he would wait until we had it planted all over the Han territory. Planting more cotton will definitely require labor, but where will the labor come from? Only by pardoning the official slaves and turning them into good families can the court collect land and grain taxes."
Sui Yu also thought of this, "I also think that His Majesty hasn't relented yet because he thinks it's too early. On the other hand, he is trying to determine whether cotton or slaves are more profitable."
"Then let's work hard when we return to Dunhuang, and strive to have cotton planted in all four Hexi counties within two years." Zhao Xiping was excited. He thought of the mountains of human bones and rotting corpses at the foot of the Great Wall, and the ten slaves he had begged from Captain Hu. They were like animals, or even worse. Their survival, their food and clothing, depended entirely on having a good master. He also had slaves at home, and after years of living with them, he had developed a sense of affection for them. With affection came empathy, and he couldn't bear to see those slaves living worse than dogs.
As a human being, he felt uncomfortable being treated like a dog by others.
Sui Yu looked into his eyes. His thoughts were all in his eyes. She reached out and touched the corners of his eyes. In his questioning look, she covered his eyes.
She had always assumed he was open to slavery, so she had never considered trying to convince him, much less confide in him. But somewhere she hadn't noticed, he might have been influenced by her. Living in this dynasty, he was both an official and a soldier, yet he felt compassion for the slaves who were criminals.
"Why are you covering my eyes?" Zhao Xiping asked.
"I dare not look at you."
Zhao Xiping pulled her hand down and forced her to look carefully.
The two played in the house for a long time. In the evening, when Sui Liang and Xiaozai came back, the couple walked out of the room.
"Aunt, I have finalized a deal today and I want to sell my ginseng. Do you want to sell yours?" Lu Yaer ran over and asked.
"What's the price?" Sui Yu asked.
"It's five or six hundred coins per root. The older ginseng is kept at home. The remaining ginseng is probably 10 to 20 years old."
"Then sell ours too. Zhang Shun, you go with Lu Yaer tomorrow." Sui Yu instructed.
Zhang Shun agreed, then stepped forward and said, "Five shops in town have suddenly stopped doing business with us. They don't want our blankets and furs, or they're slashing the prices. I asked around, but no one wanted to tell me why."
Sui Yu understood, "It's my fault. It's okay. If they don't want to buy, force them to buy. If a shop comes to buy quilts, you can bundle the blankets, furs and quilts together and sell them. We still have 19 quilts left. Count the total number of blankets and furs, and give each quilt a portion."
"Okay." Zhang Shun responded loudly.
Half a month later, all nineteen quilts were sold, and the furs and blankets Sui Yu had brought from Dunhuang were also sold out. As for whether anyone scolded her, she didn't care. She ate and drank well at the post station, and when she was bored, she would stroll around the post station. She got to know 70% to 80% of the postmen there.
In the twelfth lunar month, Sui Liang brought his servants to transport 300 kilograms of kelp and 200 kilograms of dried shrimp from the Hua family. Also coming with him was the head of the Hua family. When he learned that Captain Zhao had been promoted and Manager Yu had been given a new title, he hurried over with 200 kilograms of dried shrimp to congratulate them.
Sui Yu set up a table at the post station to entertain him. As the wine was getting drunk, the head of the Hua family asked, "Manager Yu, will your caravan come to Chang'an next year?"
"He should be leaving the country, why are you asking this?" Sui Yu said.
"I heard that several shops in Chang'an City are unwilling to buy your goods..."
"The one who talks too hard is the one who suffers. All my goods are sold out, and the price is not low." Sui Yu interrupted him, "Boss Hua, if you have something to say, just say it."
"Okay, here's the thing. I've opened two shops in Chang'an, one selling seafood and the other furs. When your caravan buys furs from outside the Great Wall and comes to Chang'an, we'll buy them all. We'll give you the same price as others, and we won't undercut you." The head of the Hua family picked up the wine pot and poured a glass for Sui Yu and Sui Liang, then continued, "I'll do you a favor, and you should also do us a favor and sell us all the cotton cloth and quilts you bring into the Great Wall next year."
Sui Yu thought for a moment and said, "We have a lot of goods. Each trip through the customs is worth two or three hundred thousand coins. Can you take it all?"
"Can you pay me part of the bill and then give me the rest on credit? You know, our caravan has only gotten back on its feet in the past two years thanks to selling kelp, so we're not well off." Boss Hua took his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. He then picked up the jug and poured another glass. He raised his glass and said, "Manager Yu, we're old friends. You know my character and where my family lives. You, my brother, know that too. I'll definitely pay you back. I can't run away."
Sui Yu smiled faintly. No matter how sincere his words were, they couldn't hide his calculations. The Hua family wanted to open a shop in Chang'an to sell furs, but they had no money to buy goods. They happened to hear that she seemed to be in trouble and hurried over to take advantage of the situation. It seemed like he was helping her, but in fact he was just providing a shop, selling goods with empty accounts, so he would not suffer any loss.
"We're all merchants, and we all know the risks of traveling with a caravan. If we run into bandits or a storm, not only will the goods be damaged, but even the safety of people and camels is uncertain. It's not that I don't trust Mr. Hua, but I have a lot of mouths to feed. As long as people and camels can breathe, they have to pay for food, salt, and grass. I'm not worried about you not paying me back on credit, but I'm financially strapped, so I'm waiting to sell the goods to support my family." Sui Yu said slowly, "How about this, your shop is open, and I'll sell you as much goods as you want and can afford. You can choose the patterns and styles first. How do you think?"
The head of the Hua family sighed secretly. This man was really cunning. He smiled bitterly and said, "Thank you very much, Shopkeeper Yu. What about the cotton cloth and quilt?"
"I can also sell it to you. You'll get paid no matter who you sell it to. Given our long-standing friendship, I'll definitely give priority to you," said Sui Yu.
Hua Da Dangjia thanked him again, took a sip of wine, and thought that this was not so bad.
"What are your plans for the New Year this year? Do you want to come to my house? My family is very lively. After the New Year's Eve dinner, I will take you to visit Lingyi." Hua Dadang made an invitation.
Sui Yu looked at Sui Liang and Xiaozai. They shook their heads. She smiled and declined. "Thank you, Master Hua, for your kindness. We won't bother you. You're away from home all year round. It's rare for you to come back. You should spend some quality time with your family."
Hua Dadang didn't force him and left after the banquet was over.
After he left, Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping changed into coarse cloth clothes and, with the help of postmen, the couple slipped out from the back door of the post station. They did not enter the city, but took their servants to Xianyang Plain. They had said they wanted to pay homage to the Grand Sima a few years ago, and it had been four or five years in a flash.
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