Although the Fang family was involved in the lychee business, the convoy transporting the fruit arrived half a day later.
This half-day is the biggest opportunity.
The first harvest of lychees is not only a feast for the palate, but also a symbol of prestige.
Zheng Ruqian rushed back to Jiuzhenfang and immediately pulled Zhang Xianglian and Miao Zhaoying aside. He also had Jiang Sheng bring out four or five aunts from the Baishui noodle workshop to pick out the lychees.
All other animals that are in good condition and of uniform size will be rejected.
Those with alternating green and red hues cannot be mixed in, those with slight flaws are unacceptable, those with missing branches are even more unacceptable, and even the small stems at the back must be of the same length.
Three trucks full of lychees, which would normally yield a hundred pounds, were sorted out so much that less than ten pounds remained.
"Take the rest to Jiuzhenfang for sale. Jiang Sheng, come with me to deliver the goods." Zheng Ruqian led out the largest and most luxurious carriage in the house and called Jiang San and Jiang Si to sit on the carriage shaft.
The term "royal merchant" sounds pleasant, but to truly live up to it requires considerable strength.
Zheng Ruqian was well aware that this business deal of his was a lucky break from the feud between the Jiang and Liao families. He did not have the Liao family's business foundation, nor did he have enough connections in the capital.
In order to find out the details of the imperial merchant's delivery process, he sent many gifts, put on many smiles, and even treated the head manager of You Ran Ju to drinks several times before he finally pieced together the whole story.
Doing business with the capital is different from other things; apart from the quality of the goods, safety is the most crucial factor.
The Liao family's trusted confidants were all responsible for transporting the lychees, and their family contracts were firmly held by the Liao family head to prevent any problems with the goods.
The imperial family's menu was prepared in advance by the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. The Liao family even sent someone to predict the arrival time of the lychees so that the Court of Imperial Sacrifices could include them in the meals that day.
These were all very difficult for Zheng Ruqian, but he still managed to do them.
Once the largest and best fruits were selected, the brother and sister cautiously boarded the carriage.
Outside, the streets rush by; inside, fresh lychees are covered with ice crystals.
Even knowing that Fengjing was a safe place, Jiang Sheng couldn't help but feel nervous. "If the Fang family really opposes us, will they send people to overturn our lychees?"
In theory, yes, the Liao family did indeed do that when they were vying for the lychee business.
But little sister, time flies, and people grow up.
Zheng Ruqian snapped his fingers and lifted the small curtains on both sides. "I was prepared for this. Let's see what's on both sides."
Jiang Sheng peeked over and saw a group of city guards holding knives.
Even if the Fang family had many ideas, they wouldn't dare to rush out at this time and walk into the line of fire.
"Second Brother, you..." Jiang Sheng was extremely surprised, "A master doesn't reveal his abilities, he can even summon the city guards."
Zheng Ruqian chuckled.
He was just an ordinary merchant, of course he couldn't summon the city guards; he was merely using their power to intimidate others.
As everyone knows, the city guards work in three shifts. As long as they pass by when the guards change shifts, the Fang family wouldn't dare to do anything even if they had ten times the courage.
The imperial city is located in the center, so as long as the timing is right, one can travel safely from Jiuzhenfang to the imperial city gate.
As soon as the carriage stopped, Jiang San's voice came from outside, "Second Young Master, Miss, we've arrived."
Under Jiang Sheng's admiring and respectful gaze, Zheng Ruqian swaggered off the carriage and took out a token from his pocket.
Outside vehicles are not allowed to enter the Imperial City; if you try to carry them in, the ice will melt, so you have to wait for someone from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to come and take them away.
It's not a simple matter of reaching out; you have to compare the tokens, and only if the two tokens fit together perfectly can it be accepted.
The group waited for what seemed like an eternity, but no one from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices arrived.
According to Zheng Ruqian's inquiries, they should have been waiting at the city gate long ago, so as not to keep the imperial merchants with ice waiting for too long, because the ice would melt and the lychees would not be fresh.
"Could this be another trick by the Fang family?" Jiang Sheng pondered. "What if the Court of Imperial Sacrifices doesn't send anyone?"
"No, don't worry." Zheng Ruqian said confidently. "Imperial merchants are not to be trifled with. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices doesn't have that much power. At most, they'll be late."
What they need to do is slow down the melting process and keep the lychees as fresh as possible.
Under Zheng Ruqian's command, Jiang San first drove the carriage to a shady spot under a tree, then took out a small blanket from the carriage and covered the ice and lychees tightly.
After another half-cup of tea time, the gates of the imperial city slowly opened, and the middle-aged eunuch leading the way walked out arrogantly, his disdainful gaze palpable even from a distance.
Judging from his attire, he was the Guanglu Temple eunuch who had arrived late.
Zheng Ruqian waved his hand, signaling Jiang San to drive the carriage forward. He then bowed and greeted the emperor, saying, "Greetings, Your Excellency. May I ask if you are from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, here to receive the lychees?"
“We are,” the middle-aged eunuch said sarcastically, “Give me the token.”
The two reached out at the same time, and the sign, made of a special material and shaped like a sturdy object, fit perfectly without any abnormalities.
Jiang Sheng felt a slight sense of relief and prayed that the people from the Guanglu Temple would take the lychees away quickly.
"Please inspect it, Your Excellency." Zheng Ruqian retrieved the token and, together with Jiang Si, lifted out the broken ice and placed it on the carriage shaft.
A full ten pounds of goods were required, including quality checks, accurate weighing, and finally toxicity screening.
This old man was quite old, and he was very skilled at this kind of thing. He not only looked at the surface but also turned it over to the bottom, and even took out a few lychees to smell their freshness.
Just when Jiang Sheng thought the mission was about to end, he suddenly raised his hand, crushed a lychee, and said, "It doesn't feel as fresh as the ones sent by the Liao family."
"Look at this one, it's small in size, but the pit is huge, so the meat is naturally thin." The middle-aged eunuch said coldly, "With this kind of quality, I dare not offer it to the Emperor."
Indeed, there are no easy deals in the world, nor are there easy peaks to climb.
They were just children in the village, trying to do business with people from the county.
Of course, they left Xiyang County and tried to do business with the people in the county town.
When they left Anshui County, they tried to do business with the people of Fengjing.
People always yearn for high mountains, but on the way to climb them, they will always encounter difficulties. Disdain and arrogance are the most common, and harassment and bullying are not uncommon.
If Zheng Ruqian were truly a fledgling newcomer, he would have been genuinely frightened.
But he wasn't. The boy, who had been bullied countless times, forced a smile, took out a heavy purse from his pocket, and slipped it to the man when he wasn't looking. At the same time, he said humbly, "These are ten catties of lychees picked out from a hundred catties. Don't worry, sir, the biggest and best ones are all here."
This is actually an unwritten agreement in transactions.
To ensure a smooth collaboration, some perks are necessary.
The middle-aged eunuch, feeling the heavy weight of the fruit, seemed somewhat satisfied. "It's good that your fruit arrived just in time. The Emperor and the Imperial Concubine have been craving it; they were talking about it yesterday."
"Then I'll trouble you, Father-in-law, to deliver it to the Emperor as soon as possible." Zheng Ruqian remained humble.
As long as the cooperation goes smoothly, it's normal to be a little humble.
Merchants prioritize profit.
To his surprise, the middle-aged eunuch, after putting away the money, turned hostile again, saying, "But your ice is almost melted. If the lychees can't be transported to the palace, they'll search for them, and our family will suffer along with you."
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