Zhang Shixun was helpless and simply asked him, "Excuse me, Your Highness, if Wang Dong and I were not there, could you use 10 million strings of cash to make fine wine?"
"The kind brewed by Wang Dong?"
"Yes, that kind of fine wine."
"cannot!"
Zhang Shixun then asked, "Let me ask you again, if you have ten million strings of cash, can you make transparent colored glaze?"
“No!”
Zhang Shixun smiled and said, "This is the crux of the matter. Only with Wang Dong and me can we make a lot of money from wine and glass. I call this an intangible asset... Your Highness, the value of the two of us is far more than five million, right?"
Zhao Kai hesitated for a moment and nodded reluctantly.
"Very good, we've reached a consensus on this issue. Now, let's get back to your question about the three million... Your Highness, our winemaking and glassmaking techniques are truly unique in the world. Once released to the market, they will be extremely profitable. You wouldn't deny that, would you?"
Zhao Kai nodded.
Zhang Shixun began to describe the temptation to him: "Your Highness, think about it again. The Song Dynasty has a vast territory and a large population. If all drinkers can drink the fine wine we brew, it will be a huge sum of money. Not only that, those barbarians in the north, such as the Liao people, the Xixia people, the Tibetans... and so on, are said to be those who will risk their lives for the sake of wine. If we sell them the fine wine we brew at double or triple the price, they will definitely not refuse. It doesn't matter if they don't have money. We can exchange it with cattle, sheep, or even war horses..."
Zhao Kai swallowed his saliva and was deeply attracted by the broad prospects described by Zhang Shixun.
"We've talked about fine wine, let's put that aside for now and talk about colored glass." Zhang Shixun picked up a glass vase from the bookshelf, which he had just discovered. "Your Highness, please look at this colored glass vase. Although it's not crystal clear, it's very dazzling. Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple, it's simply a riot of colors... No, no, it should be seven colors. Look how beautiful it is... Speaking of this, although Wang Dong often has brain cramps, we have to admit that he is a rare genius. Don't you agree, Your Highness?"
Zhao Kai nodded subconsciously again.
Zhang Shixun smiled secretly. He certainly knew what the so-called colorful vase in his hand was. It was just Wang Dong's experimental product, and a failed one at that. Wang Dong probably wanted to experiment with how to add color to the glass, and then made something like this.
Of course, this kind of thing must never be told to Zhao Kai.
"Your Highness, just imagine, if you bring these beautiful glass bottles to the capital, wouldn't the wealthy merchants be scrambling to buy them?"
Seeing Zhao Kai nod, Zhang Shixun handed him the glass vase in his hand and said, "Glass products can not only be made into wine bottles and vases, but also wine glasses, bracelets, necklaces, lamps and even mirrors. In short, there are many varieties and everything you need."
Zhao Kai nodded habitually. It seemed that he only knew how to nod now.
"Alright! We've reached a consensus on this point." Zhang Shixun clapped his hands and laughed, "Since this deal will bring us countless fortunes, Your Highness should just close your eyes and count the money. Why bother with the minutiae?"
"Minor details?"
"It's about the appointment of a bookkeeper... Your Highness, I mean no offense. Simply put, a bookkeeper is responsible for keeping our accounts, recording yesterday's profit, today's profit, and this month's total profit, and then reporting to us shareholders. That's all."
"What if they cheat and profit from it?" Zhao Kai was a little worried.
"Your Highness, you're worrying too much. The accountant isn't alone, so he can't play tricks. Furthermore, there are supervisory measures, and shareholders can check the accounts at any time... There's no rush. Let's sit down and discuss this in detail later."
Only then did Zhao Kai feel relieved.
Zhang Shixun handed him the contract and said, "Your Highness, please rewrite it."
Zhao Kai pointed at him and said helplessly, "You are so eloquent and smooth-talking."
"But what I said makes sense." Zhang Shixun chuckled and urged, "Your Highness, it's getting late. Hurry up and write. When you're done, you can go have a drink."
Zhao Kai also wanted to finalize the matter, so he picked up a brush and revised the contract again. After finishing, he handed it to Zhang Shixun and said, "Take a look. If there is no objection, I will rewrite it."
Zhang Shixun took the contract, examined it carefully, and nodded, "Your Highness, I have no objections."
Zhao Kai copied another copy and said, "Make two copies. Sign and seal them."
The two of them signed and asked Zhang Hu, who was sitting next to them, to sign as a guarantor.
Zhang Hu sat aside and watched the two men fighting since he came in. Seeing that Zhang Shixun was eloquent and talked incessantly, and had the initiative from beginning to end, he couldn't help but cheer for him secretly.
As for Prince Yun, he seemed to be very talented, but in fact he was just a silver-plated spear head, good-looking but useless.
"Okay! Everything is ready. We are just waiting to start work after the New Year." Prince Yun carefully put the contract into his arms and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Your Highness, Taoist Priest, let's go eat." Zhang Shixun felt hungry.
A large table in the living room was filled with food, and the tempting aroma filled the room.
Gao Yanei was sitting at the table, dazed, his cheek in his hand. When he saw Zhang Shixun and the other two come in, he immediately stood up, grabbed Zhang Shixun's arm and said, "Brother, we agreed on the shareholding. If you change your mind, I won't agree."
"I didn't change my mind. Didn't you say you wanted to go back and think about it?"
"I've already thought about it. I'll buy ten shares."
"Give me the money!" Zhang Shixun stretched out his hand.
"Bring it tomorrow."
"Then let's talk about it tomorrow." Zhang Shixun pushed him aside and said to Prince Yun, "Your Highness, please don't hesitate to come here. Let the Taoist priest and Gao Yanei accompany you for a while. I will be here soon."
After saying that, Zhang Shixun turned and left.
"He must have gone to see Ding Dusai and Feng Yinu... Your Highness, please take a seat." Gao Yanei politely asked Prince Yun to sit in the main seat.
Prince Yun was surprised and asked, "Ding Dusai and Feng Yinu are here too?"
"Here they are, they prepared this table of food and wine."
"Haha! Zhang Shixun is incredibly lucky." Prince Yun shook his head and said to Zhang Hu with a smile, "Just an hour ago, he vowed to marry only Ding Dusai."
"Your Highness, Feng Yinu and Zhang Shixun have nothing to do with each other. I can testify to this." Gao Yanei said, patting his chest.
"Oh! How do you know if they are involved?"
Gao Yanei hesitated for a moment and lowered his voice, "I woke up last night because I had to pee. After I finished peeing, I suddenly became curious and wanted to see what Zhang Shixun and those two beauties were doing..."
"How do you see it?" Zhao Kai couldn't help but be curious.
"Hey! I sneaked into the backyard."
"Listen to the wall, sir, this is very despicable!"
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