What does this tell us?
Gu Shiba thought for a while but couldn't figure it out, so he could only look at his more clever brother, the Sixteenth.
The fact that Sixteenth Brother asked him this means he must know.
Unexpectedly, Gu Shiliu said, "If you can't figure it out, then don't think about it anymore. You'll understand later, won't you? Madam won't let us lose money. Good brother, let me give you a sneak peek. The Marquis said that even if Madam's pepper can't be sold, he'll find a way to transport it to the north to sell. We can just wait to count our silver."
Gu Shiba immediately replied, "Yes, yes, yes, just wait to count the silver. I'll do whatever the Marquis and his wife tell me to do."
Before long, the news spread throughout the capital that wealthy merchants had found a large quantity of pepper at sea and were on their way back. Upon hearing the news, the merchants planned to send out another batch of ships to transport even more pepper back.
Those in the capital who traded pepper were anxious, hoping that the Prince Qi's mansion would honor the previous agreement and buy pepper at the previous market price.
However, they couldn't even get through the gates of the Prince Qi's mansion.
The chief official of the Prince Qi's mansion who was originally in contact with these merchants is said to be seriously ill and unable to handle affairs. The official in charge on his behalf knows nothing about the matter.
Anxious vendors couldn't even cause trouble.
Eight years as a poor prefect, yet the claim of 100,000 taels of silver is a lie.
I never imagined that Hongye would overhear those words.
How many people in the entire capital city could handle large-scale pepper trade?
But these things are inherently expensive, and only wealthy people can afford them. How can they be cleared out quickly by lowering the price?
While turmoil raged one after another within the Marquis's mansion, the Marquis of Dingbei's residence remained tightly shut, continuing with its own lives.
Gu Shiba immediately nodded and said, "If Madam is worried, then the eldest should go and send a message."
"Because we're buying small quantities, we can expect to get them all from merchants in the capital, and we can also expect to get them all at the highest price. If the value of those peppers had increased several times over the other day, would those merchants hold a grudge against the Marquis of Dingbei's residence?"
Lord Marquis: "..."
Ten bushels isn't even a very surprising number yet.
All the information that Gu Shisi gathered inside was transmitted to the Marquis's residence.
Moreover, there are many people here who dare not offend the Prince Qi's mansion.
The shopkeeper and the others were secretly relieved for the Marquis, thankfully the Qi Prince's Mansion had appeared when the Madam wanted to stockpile a small amount of pepper.
Gu Shiba hurriedly said, "It hasn't fallen to seventy-four taels of silver per catty yet."
Qin Yuan said, "Since elder sister has such plans, it seems she only wants to influence prices in the capital?"
The Marquis smiled and asked Qin Yuan, "Qin Yuan, what is his opinion?"
Qin Yuan said, "We've gone off on a tangent. Eldest sister, what Hongye said makes sense. We've scraped together all the cash. If we don't have a way to get it later, where will we find more?"
Hongye, who hadn't been feeling down yet, thought for a moment and said, "That's right. When my eldest sister was planning to buy pepper, it was seventy taels of silver per catty, but now it's only one tael cheaper."
The Marquis glanced at Hongye, smiled, and said, "He is indeed foolish and wrong."
If we make a profit...
"Is it only ten bushels? How much silver will that cost?"
Hongye and Qin Yuan, along with the other seven, have always been looking out for you, but there are some things that are hard to explain.
You served under Lin Ziqi as a magistrate in a poor county in Jiangxi and as a prefect in Zhejiang, so of course you know the benefits of those positions.
Originally, you wanted to take it easy and quickly build up your financial strength, but recent events have made you realize that few things will be the same in the future.
Hongye then came to her senses, "Ahhh, big sister, how much pepper does he want to buy?"
Lord Hou understands that Hongye has not yet weathered any storms, and such a small deal has indeed frightened you.
On the other hand, those merchants who dared to negotiate with the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion due to the threat from the Prince of Qi's mansion were filled with regret.
Since ancient times, wealth has been a powerful motivator.
The prefects of Yangzhou, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and other places probably earn less than 100,000 taels of silver a year, especially the officials involved in salt administration, who are even more lucrative.
Merchants who can afford to run a pepper business usually keep a low profile and don't seek outsiders. The Marquis only wants to make a small fortune in silence, but he doesn't want to attract the necessary attention.
Hongye was stunned, unsure of what to say that would be inappropriate.
The only solution is to find a way to clear out the inventory as quickly as possible.
After speaking, he was about to report to the emperor.
Why is my older sister so timid?
The Marquis said, "Yes, so now is the time to let them fall for a while longer."
“Hongye, how did he know that the prefect could earn 100,000 taels of silver in eight years?”
Gu Shiba wasn't particularly excited at first, but after receiving the good news from Gu Shisi, he felt that it was too early to be too downcast.
Qin Yuan couldn't help but cry out.
The Marquis nodded repeatedly after reading it.
Hongye was taken aback.
The Marquis said, “You know their concerns. Right now, all the cash they can spare is that little bit. Even if you still want to buy less, the current output of the estate and the income from the shops can barely support the rewards and daily expenses. Without Cuiming, even if the pepper business is losing money, it will still be crippling.”
Of course, they knew they would lose a lot of money.
Hongye quickly tried to dissuade her, "Elder sister, dear sir, it would take me eight years to earn 100,000 taels of silver as a prefect. If it's all tied up in pepper, where will we get the money if we want to do something else? What will the Marquis's mansion think when you come up with the money?"
The Marquis called me back and said, "He will pass on a message to Shen Changle for you. If we're going to buy, at the very least, don't buy at the highest price. Just make sure you don't get a bargain, but don't always think about getting a bargain, lest you cause trouble. Let me estimate."
"Ten thousand taels of silver, that's all the money my eldest sister could come up with."
The Marquis smiled as he looked at you.
"They're both 14,000 yuan more expensive now, but Madam Zhi thinks it would be more appropriate to buy them when the price drops a bit more?"
The Marquis said, "That depends on how much Shen Changle can reduce the price. Eighteen sent a message to Eleven, asking me to keep an eye on the prices in the surrounding prefectures. Price drops in the capital will also affect the prefectures."
Qin Yuan said, "There are also a few that haven't come down."
The Marquis meant that he was afraid of frightening you.
Qin Yuan blinked and asked, "Big sister, do you mean you want to buy only ten bushels of pepper?"
It can't stir up even the slightest trouble.
Hongye said, "Oh dear, this is a banquet I hosted for officials returning to the capital to report on their duties. Did you overhear it? As the saying goes, 'Eight years as a poor prefect, ten thousand taels of silver.' I even complained to my wife that I could only be a lowly and poor libationer in my lifetime, and I can only hope that my son will be able to make the Qin family rich. I can only wait and see if my son will have the chance to make the Qin family rich."
The Marquis quickly picked up a grape, put it in his mouth, and after a while said, "Yes, you made such a fuss, and you have the backing of the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion, how could you only get ten bushels?"
Hongye waited until Gu Shiba left before asking, "Big sister, we went through so much trouble and even made the Qi Prince's Mansion take the blame. Why did we buy it at the highest price? Others got all the bargains."
Hongye asked, "Big sister, what's the price of pepper now?"
"Judging from the price, you plan to invest 100,000 taels of silver to get your money back."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
