Prince Yun and his two companions were having a blast playing outside. They were all playful people who would gladly accept all forms of entertainment and could come up with new ways to do so.
Although glass balls are a new thing, these people got the hang of it quickly, and after a few rounds, they became quite familiar with it.
Gao Yanei suggested: "Let's close the door."
The so-called "Guanpu" is gambling.
In the Song Dynasty, gambling was illegal except for the officially legal "Guanpu" days.
Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin’s punishment for gambling was particularly severe. There was only one word for gamblers in the capital: behead!
Anyone who conceals a gambler and fails to report him will be punished with the same crime. Anyone convicted of gambling outside the capital will be exiled to the army.
However, in the middle and late Northern Song Dynasty, this law was gradually not observed. Gambling became more and more popular, and many people gambled privately, and the government turned a blind eye.
As a prince of a county, Prince Yun also loved to play the game. Gao Yanei's proposal was exactly what he wanted, and he agreed without hesitation.
Because of the bet, the three of them played more obsessedly.
Unconsciously, it was dusk. Prince Yun looked up at the sky and exclaimed, "Ouch!" He said, "I was so busy having fun that I forgot about the important things."
After he reminded them, Gao Yanei and the other two realized that they came here for the glass and wine.
"Shixun, regarding the shareholding..." Prince Yun came to the main hall with an embarrassed expression.
"Your Highness, rest assured. I've already reached an agreement with my cousin. To be honest, he wasn't very supportive of the idea of investing. It was only after my earnest persuasion and repeated attempts that he finally agreed."
When Wang Dong saw Prince Yun come in, he stood up and said, "You guys talk, I have something else to do." After that, he didn't even look at Prince Yun, walked out the door, and went straight to the backyard.
Zhang Shixun gave a bitter laugh and said to Prince Yun, "See? This is what people with mental problems do."
Prince Yun laughed and said, "It's alright. Who would bother with a mentally ill person?"
"My cousin said that glassmaking and winemaking are big businesses, requiring large investments and high returns. So, if you want a larger stake, you'll have to put in more money."
"Tell me, what are the rules?"
Zhang Shixun held up a finger and said, "One share is worth 100,000 guan, so there are a hundred shares in total. I'll leave fifty for you."
"Ah!?" Prince Yun exclaimed.
"Brother, is your cousin crazy because of poverty?" Gao Yanei had one foot in and one foot out of the door, his mouth wide open.
Zhang Shixun still smiled bitterly and said, "My cousin said, this is the price, take it or leave it."
Prince Yun and the other two looked at each other. Although they were not short of money, it was not easy for them to take out so much money at once.
"My cousin also said that he only wanted silver and gold, not copper coins or Jiaozi," Zhang Shixun continued.
The three of them remained silent and stared at Zhang Shixun.
"My cousin also said..."
"My cousin also said..."
"Brother, stop talking!" Gao Yanei covered his ears, unable to bear it any longer.
"Brother, your cousin is too...ah!" He Ji also felt that the asking price was a bit unreasonable.
Zhang Shixun spread his hands and said helplessly, "I can't do anything about him. After all, he's the only one who can make this thing. You can think about whether it's worth it. There's no need to rush to make a decision."
"One hundred thousand strings of cash per share is too much. Let me go back and think about it." Prince Yun was a little unhappy. It was the first time he called himself "I" in front of Zhang Shixun.
"Okay! After all, this isn't a small business, so we should think it through carefully." Zhang Shixun said as he bent down and pulled out a few bottles of wine from under the counter. He placed them on the table and said, "This is my cousin's newly brewed wine. I've taken the liberty of giving it to you all. Two bottles for Your Highness, and one for each of the two yamen officials... Actually, my cousin, aside from a few issues with his brain, is a pretty good person. He's cold on the outside, but warm on the inside."
Prince Yun and the other two stared at the wine bottle without blinking.
These bottles of wine looked more refined than the ones Zhang Shixun had served to his guests at noon. They also had beautiful trademarks on them with three eye-catching characters written on them - Gao Lao Zhuang.
The wine bottle is flat and light green in color. People who don’t know much about it may think that this green color is intentional, but people who know know that this green color is due to the iron ion impurities in the raw materials used to make the glass.
Wang Dong hasn't succeeded yet.
"Green, I like it." Prince Yun said, picking up a wine bottle.
"Well, it looks more elegant." He Ji said in a deep voice.
"It looks better than the white one." Gao Yanei said as he looked at the wine bottle in Prince Yun's hand.
Several people gathered around the table, observing the bottle from different angles.
"Take a sip and try it?" Gao Yanei suggested.
"I have no objection, but if you want to taste it, try your bottle." Prince Yun handed him a bottle.
"Forget it, let's not taste it." Gao Yanei took the wine and held it tightly in his arms.
"I knew you would do this." He Ji sneered at Gao Yanei's behavior, but he picked up a bottle and put it in his arms.
Prince Yun looked at the two men, then at the two remaining bottles of wine, shook his head, and shouted to his followers.
"Hold the wine well and don't drop it. If you accidentally break a bottle, I will chop off one of your hands and feed it to the dogs." Prince Yun said with a serious face.
The follower agreed, carefully picked up the two bottles of wine, lowered his head to look at the road, and slowly walked towards the door step by step.
"One hundred thousand strings of cash per share. Do you two think this price is acceptable?" Prince Yun asked the two.
"This..." Gao Yanei scratched his head and thought for a long time before saying, "I can't make the decision. I have to go home and discuss it with my father before we can decide."
"I can't make the decision either." He Ji expressed his attitude without waiting for Prince Yun to ask him.
Zhang Shixun smiled and said, "I just said that this matter is not urgent. You can think about it slowly."
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