After being busy for nearly half a month, the employees in the supermarket can finally take a break.
During the past half month, the supermarket did not receive any dignitaries. Dignitaries and businessmen came to the supermarket several times, and some even brought their servants to drive away the long queues of people. There were even several times when fights almost broke out between the two sides.
The people's original fear of the powerful and wealthy disappeared in the face of food. If it weren't for Zou Ming and others, several powerful and wealthy people would probably have been in trouble.
But Ye Zhou doesn't sell any agricultural products except millet and various beans.
The people had money in their hands and food at home, and they suddenly started making large purchases. They had been poor before and had been poor enough. They were afraid that the prices of food and other commodities would rise again soon, so they were unwilling to save money anymore and were more willing to spend their money in exchange for necessities and food.
This not only brought benefits to the merchants, but also filled the pockets of nearby farmers. There are now hawkers in every street and alley in Linzi. Most of the time, they are farming and fishing in the countryside, or making sauce, and then carry it to the city to sell.
Although it can only benefit Linzi City now, if the people in a country's royal city cannot survive, other places will only be worse off.
The consumption of the people in the royal city will drive the economic income of the surrounding farmers.
As for places further away, we will have to wait until the autumn harvest.
As long as no taxes are collected after the autumn harvest this time, the people of Chen will live a prosperous winter.
If no taxes are collected next autumn, or if no taxes are collected for three consecutive years, although grain prices will drop a lot, people's lives will improve, and prices will gradually return to normal and become stable.
In order to avoid having to send grain to other countries in the future, the most important thing that Marquis Chen needs to do now is to stabilize the domestic situation, suppress the royal families who oppose him, promote his own trusted forces, and find ways to develop the military strength of the State of Chen.
"Boss, let's have hot pot tonight." Chen Shu walked into the lounge, holding a plate of washed grapes and cherries. She put the plate on the table and said to Ye Zhou, "How long are we going to stay here? Have we earned enough money?"
Ye Zhou shook his head, he had a headache: "My income has decreased a lot recently."
In order to distribute food to the people, they had not done business with powerful businessmen for a long time. As a result, they earned less money, but the employees had to spend more effort and energy.
Although Ye Zhou did not regret it - he was willing to show some kindness to the people here.
But he also felt that the speed was too slow.
He couldn't possibly wait for the State of Chen to become strong before leaving. If he really wanted to wait for the State of Chen to become strong, it would take at least ten or twenty years.
Even in ten or twenty years, he may not become stronger unless he immediately sells weapons of mass destruction to Lord Chen.
Chen Shu didn't understand either: "If you want to make the State of Chen stronger, why not just sell some guns and bullets to Lord Chen."
Ye Zhou glanced at Chen Shu and said with a smile: "If I really did that, this plane would be destroyed by me."
Lord Chen may look like a good man now, but if he really possesses weapons that are ahead of his time and an unrivaled army, can he still keep his composure?
What's more, there are such examples in the plane where Ye Zhou is.
Strong countries support weak countries with modern weapons, allowing weak countries that were originally in the era of cold weapons to become modern countries in one fell swoop.
As a result, these weak countries became more chaotic and did not usher in peace.
Ye Zhou sighed softly: "Wait a little longer, someone should come to the supermarket soon."
The merchants who are travelling to other countries with goods from the supermarket should now bring him good news.
·
This was the first time that Chen Shang had received such treatment. When he came to Lu before, he was not like a businessman but more like a slave. He had to bow and nod before everyone, and even so, he could not make much money.
Because Chen was weak, he was also weak, and the people of Lu looked down on him.
The merchants from Lu even laughed at him behind his back and called him a dwarf businessman.
But now, not only was he invited to the house of the royal family of Lu, with fine wine and beautiful women as his company, but the other party was also particularly kind to him, just to buy more exotic goods from him - the other party wanted to buy all the goods in his hands.
Chen Shang quoted a number and found that the other party didn't even blink, so he knew that his price was too low.
But this cannot be blamed on him. He has never dealt with people of such status. In the past, he could only wait at the door and wait for the butler to come out and take a look at him. He could not even touch the other person's clothes. Even if he saw someone, he could only watch from afar and salute from afar.
Merchants may be treated better than common people, but no matter how rich they are, they cannot compare to the aristocratic families and the powerful.
Because it is difficult for merchants to pass down their business from generation to generation. If one generation is a wealthy merchant, the next generation will not be able to do so. However, aristocratic families and powerful people can pass down their business.
What's more, a businessman's life and property can be taken away by just one word from the powerful and wealthy families.
So no matter where businessmen go to do business, the first thing they have to do is to find a backer for themselves.
The person Chen Shang found to support himself was the wife of Duke Lu.
At first, she really didn't dare to accept Chen Shang's gift, but when countless jewelry bracelets she had never seen before were sent to her, she finally couldn't help it. She promised Chen Shang that Chen Shang could do business in Lu State and no one would cause trouble for him. If there was any trouble, she would support him.
After getting through this connection, Chen Shang began to build up momentum for himself in Qufu. He bribed many children from poor noble families - these children didn't even know that they had been bribed.
He sent them cheap goods.
These children of wealthy families who are not well-off and cannot enjoy many things will definitely take out these things to show off when they participate in poetry gatherings.
If something wants to become famous throughout the world, it definitely needs scholars.
Only things that are admired and recognized by scholars can quickly become popular in various countries.
Soon someone came to his door, but Chen Shang, who had a backer, was not in a hurry to sell the goods. No matter who asked him, he shook his head and said he didn't want to sell. Some noble families even wanted to arrest him and take his goods away. As a result, after hearing the news, Lady Lu Gong quickly came and released him, and ordered the noble family who arrested him to return all his things to him.
Chen Shang now became more clear that he had not taken the wrong path and had not visited the wrong mountain.
If the leader he worshipped was not the wife of the Duke of Lu, but any other minister or official, they would not come to rescue him, but would only divide his goods with those who captured him.
Lady Lu was a woman who knew nothing about state affairs or government affairs. She was born into a commoner family, was illiterate, and could not play the piano or write poetry. All she had was a considerate personality and a beauty given by God.
The most important thing is that Duke Lu loved her. Although she could not interfere in state affairs, she was not without power.
It's just that she doesn't know what power she has and what power she has.
What Chen Shang needs to do is to make her realize what she has in her hands.
Once her lust for power was aroused, she would realize how much it would benefit her to have a merchant like herself who could provide a steady flow of novel goods.
He could also gather information for her, run errands for her, and even recruit talents for her so that her people could stand in the court.
By then, even if he was not a member of the royal family in Lu, he would be equivalent to the royal family.
"How many times has Chen Shang come to Qufu?" Lu Gongzi Xiang knelt in front of Chen Shang, smiling, "What do you think of Qufu now?"
Chen Shang said quickly, "You know, I am from Chen. Although I am a merchant, I don't travel much among the countries. To be honest, I used to only travel between Lu and Chen to sell some grain."
Prince Xiang nodded and said, "Yes, Chen's grain is good, and all the other countries know it."
"In that case, where did you get the goods in your hand?" Gongzi Xiang looked at Chen Shang, "These things are definitely not made by ordinary craftsmen. This person must be very talented. If you can introduce this person to the king, why worry about not being able to be in the court?"
Although no country has ever explicitly stated that businessmen cannot serve as officials.
But there is no country with businessmen in the court.
Businessmen have money, and when they have money they need power. Rather than looking for a backer for themselves, it is of course better to have power in their own hands.
Gongzi Xiang thought that the merchant in front of him would definitely not refuse him, but he did not expect that Chen Shang hesitated for a moment, then bowed to Gongzi Xiang and said, "Sir, it's not that I don't want to, but I don't know where the person who made these things is, and I bought them from another merchant."
"That man runs a supermarket in Linzi. It's extremely large, and there are countless goods in it. Ordinary people have never heard of or seen anything like it." Chen Shang sighed, "The servants under him don't look like servants. They all have extraordinary auras. They are more like generals than servants."
Gongzi Xiang narrowed his eyes slightly. He looked at Chen Shang's expression and thought for a moment. He thought that this man should not have deceived him, so he said: "In this case, please go back to Chen and see this man. Can you persuade him to come to my country of Lu?"
"My country Lu has strong soldiers and horses, and our national strength is much stronger than Chen. If we want to do business, it should be better to do it in Lu than in Chen."
Chen Shang nodded repeatedly: "My lord, you are right, otherwise I wouldn't always go back and forth between Lu and Chen."
Gongzi Xiang smiled at him and said, "Sir, don't be nervous. Just listen to what I say."
"If you can persuade this man to come to Lu, I may not be able to let you sit in the court, but with me here, no one in Lu will dare to cause trouble for you."
Prince Xiang: "Merchants chase after wealth in the world. Although Lu is not as rich as the rest, you can earn more with the seal of Lu."
Chen Shang said quietly, "That man treats me the same as any other merchant. I'm afraid I won't be able to persuade him if I go and talk to him. Since you have your own people, why don't you send someone to Chen to trade with him?"
Gongzi Xiang frowned slightly: "I buy it, and he sells it? Lord Chen doesn't care?"
In his opinion, a businessman who possessed so many rare treasures could not stay in one place for long.
After all, it was too easy for the nobles to take away his things. Even if he found a backer, how long could he rely on this backer?
If he were the Marquis of Chen, he would never allow this merchant to do business with merchants from other countries.
If he is obedient and can benefit the country, then he can be protected. If he is disobedient, he can be eliminated immediately.
Chen Shang: "I heard that he saved the life of Lord Chen, and Lord Chen was grateful for his kindness, so no one in the country dared to cause trouble for him."
Gongzi Xiang's frown relaxed and he sneered, "So that's how it is."
Chen Hou is a kind-hearted man, so it is not surprising that he would do such a thing.
"Okay, then, when will you return to Chen? I'll send someone to go with you." Prince Xiang, "As for your goods, I'll buy them all."
Chen Shang immediately stood up and saluted to Master Xiang: "Master, you are so righteous!"
Prince Xiang talked with Chen Shang for a while, and even invited Lord Chen to have dinner at his house, and sent his own carriage to take him away.
After the Marquis of Chen left, the housekeeper asked Master Xiang, "Why did you treat a merchant like this? Although the lady is his backer now, the master's words carry more weight in front of the king than the lady's."
Gongzi Xiang laughed and said, "You don't understand men."
The butler looked at him in confusion. He was also a man, so what was there that he didn't understand?
Prince Xiang: "When you are in the position of a monarch, there are not many people you can trust. Madam has no family, not even her own surname. Everything she has comes from him. For the monarch, only those who live completely on him can be trusted."
"Who do you think is more trustworthy, me, the prince who holds great power, or the lady who needs to share power from the king?"
"Pillow talk has always been effective, not because the kings are all fools, but because they all think that someone who needs to rely on them will not have bad intentions towards them, not to mention that the lady really has no bad intentions towards the king."
Prince Xiang: "Why did this Chen Shang come here?"
"When he arrived in Qufu, he found a backer, built up momentum for himself, and hoarded goods without selling them. It seemed as if he was waiting for me to come to him."
The housekeeper was shocked: "This person has evil intentions?! We must not let him leave Lu!"
Gongzi Xiang held out his hand to stop the butler and said, "It doesn't matter. Chen is weak. Even if something really happens, we in Lu can bear the consequences, but Chen cannot. When my people go to Chen with this man, they will naturally know what he is up to."
Chen Shang, sitting in the carriage, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He still remembered how the supermarket owner told him that as long as he could bring merchants from other countries back to Linzi and buy and sell things from him, he could monopolize a product in the supermarket.
It was naturally very tempting to be in the court of Lu State, and he almost agreed, just a little bit.
But his reason held him back.
All his capital now comes from the supermarket owner. What Lu State needs is those novel goods, not him.
Once he runs out of goods and cannot purchase more goods, and fails to bring the supermarket owner to Lu, he will lose his value.
A worthless businessman, even worse than a slave.
Chen Shang breathed a sigh of relief.
This time he is bringing Master Xiang's people back, so the supermarket owner should fulfill his promise, right?
Monopolizing the same product...would he choose White Rabbit Milk Candy or Crystal Ball?
Oh, corn syrup is good, and those colorful fabrics are good too.
Chen Shang looked out of the car worriedly.
It was already dark, but there were still people walking on the streets of Qufu City. People were walking with torches in their hands, little babies were chewing on unknown food in their parents' arms, and Chen Shang could still hear laughter.
He suddenly clenched his fists.
If it were not for the food of Chen State and the suffering common people of Chen State, could these people of Lu live so comfortably?
Why can't the people of Chen who farm the fields have enough to eat, while the people of Lu who do nothing can have enough food and warmth?
He said that merchants have no home or country, but once he is a Chen person, he will be a Chen person all his life. This is an indelible mark engraved in his bones. He still feels pain when the State of Chen is humiliated.
Chen Shang wiped his face, turned his eyes away from the pedestrians, and followed the shaking of the carriage as it slowly drove towards the inn where he lived.
·
Those merchants who purchased goods from the supermarket and sold them to other countries finally brought back good news to Ye Zhou.
The first person to come back was Zhao Shang. He should be the spy left by Zhao State in Chen State. However, because there was really no political affairs to leak in Chen State, he neither made any money nor sent back any news for many years in Chen State.
So after buying the goods from Ye Zhou, he returned to Zhao State without stopping.
Not only did he make money, he also brought back a young man from a noble family of the State of Zhao.
This young man from a noble family named Baiyu was sent by his family with the purpose of buying up everything in the supermarket that they might need.
The merchant of Zhao did not give the goods to the Marquis of Zhao - after all, if he gave them to the monarch, he would not be able to buy them for a single cent.
Although Zhao was a big and powerful country, the power of the royal families was stronger than that of Chen. His goods were soon divided up by the royal families, making him earn a lot of money.
So when Zhao Shang, who brought the white fish back to Linzi, returned, he immediately found Chen Shu. He let the white fish wander around the supermarket by itself, and he quietly invited Chen Shu to talk to him at the back door of the supermarket.
"I wonder if what the girl said before still counts?" Zhao Shang was a little nervous.
He is a businessman himself and knows how good businessmen are at turning their backs on people.
Chen Shu nodded at him: "Since I have said it before, I must fulfill my promise."
Zhao Shang smiled happily: "The girl is really open-minded, more gentlemanly than a gentleman!"
Chen Shu didn't care about his flattery and asked, "What do you value? I told you before, if it's candy, you can only choose one of the candies."
Zhao Shang immediately said, "White Rabbit Milk Candy! This is it!"
He smiled and said, "This sells well. The princes and nobles love it. It has a milky taste without being fishy, and is sweet. It's a little hard, but everyone who has eaten it loves it."
Chen Shu nodded. She took out a small notebook and asked, "What's your name? Where are you from? Go over there and measure your height. Tell me your age. I also want to see how many teeth you have."
There were no ID cards here, and Chen Shu couldn't just take out his camera to take pictures of them, so he came up with this idea.
Height is difficult to change, and the number of teeth can only decrease but not increase, so it is very difficult to impersonate.
After completing the process, Zhao Shang also felt that this method was good and thought that he should learn it.
"That Mr. Bai is a fool." Zhao Shang got the benefit and began to introduce this fool he brought with him to Chen Shu. "He is good at writing, but he is not good at general affairs and he is also stupid and straightforward. He came with me this time because his parents couldn't persuade him and asked his grandfather to accompany him."
Zhao Shang: "His brother is a shrew. If you want to discuss business with him, don't go along with him."
Chen Shu smiled and said, "You've worked so hard. I won't ask you to work in vain. There's something in the supermarket that hasn't been sold yet. I'll take you to have a look."
Zhao Shang said repeatedly: "Thank you very much, the girl is such a good person!"
Chen Shu also said: "Sir, you are also a good person."
The two "good guys" reached an "agreement" in this way.
When they passed through the supermarket, Chen Shu also looked at Baiyu.
Baiyu is not tall. Although no one knows why his parents gave him this name, his appearance has nothing to do with fish. He looks to be only about 1.67 meters tall, which is considered to be above average height among local men.
He was very white, and white was considered precious by noble men and women.
Because white means staying indoors for a long time and not needing to work, it is a symbol of status.
Chen Shu thought Baiyu was good-looking. He had a delicate face. If he shaved his sideburns and put on women's clothes, he should be able to pass himself off as a beauty.
Baiyu also saw Chen Shu. He was shocked by her height. He looked at her and then at the brother next to him. He couldn't help but take a breath and whispered, "This girl is really tall."
The milk brother was also surprised and said: "It's rare for a woman to be so tall."
Baiyu picked up a bottle of wine from the shelf and whispered, "I knew that the merchant was not sincere. Many of the things here were not sold to my family. They were probably given to others."
He took it for granted that Zhao Shang had bought everything in the supermarket.
Since there is none at home, it must have been sold to someone else by Zhao Shang.
Brother: "These things are fragile. I'm afraid he didn't buy many before. Even if he didn't sell half of them to his family, he would have at least 30% or 40% of them. It's not his fault."
Baiyu was rejected by his brother, so he sneered: "Merchants are all cunning and snobbish. What they say is different from what they do. I have seen more merchants than you have. They are all bloated and ugly. They are neither gentlemanly nor as majestic as soldiers. It is really sad to look at them for even a second."
Brother: “…”
It turns out that the white fish just disliked the businessman because he was ugly.
Bai Yu sighed, "I see that the woman is tall, I'm afraid the owner of this place is also a rough man, I really don't want to deal with such a person, it's a waste of my eyes."
"But." Baiyu changed the subject, "The goods here are worth my trip. I just hope the owner is not too ugly. Otherwise, you should go and negotiate the business. I'd rather go back to the inn and sleep."
The grandma sighed helplessly.
They walked around for a while and finally a shop servant came over.
"Mr. Bai, our boss wants you to come in and talk." Cao'er stood in front of Baiyu neither humbly nor arrogantly.
Baiyu saw that her palms were rough and her skin was not white enough. He felt that she was not beautiful enough and was not worthy of talking to him. He also felt that although her face was not good-looking, her temperament was very unique. So after hesitating for a moment, he opened his mouth and said, "Then lead the way."
Cao'er took Baiyu to the door of the lounge. She knocked on the door and waited for a "come in" voice from inside before opening the door.
Baiyu opened a bamboo fan to cover his face and slowly walked into the lounge.
Until he was ready to be humiliated by the other party, he took a deep breath and slowly put down the fan.
Then, he saw the man sitting opposite him——
The other person had a smile on his handsome face, his eyes were like cold stars, his nose was straight and tall, he was casual and carefree, yet not sloppy, and had a unique charm.
Just sitting there, he was enough to overshadow everything around him.
Baiyu took a deep breath and thought that this person was the most beautiful and must be a good person!
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