Looking at the beautiful back of Queen Zhou as she left, Chongzhen shook his head helplessly.
Before traveling through time, he browsed many posts on the Internet, which discussed how to make a lot of money in a short period of time if he traveled back to ancient times one day.
There are many people commenting on the post, and the answers are varied.
The post with the most likes and views recorded four things: fine salt, soap, glass and white sugar.
Some time ago, when the Jiannu had not yet entered the pass, he thought of this topic again, and suddenly he thought of how to make money from the rich.
I never expected this!
The things of the Ming Dynasty are so rich...
Soap, I have it! Glass, I have it! Sugar, I have it too!
Soap is also called pig pancreas.
The history of making and using soap can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty. Sun Simiao's "Qian Jin Yao Fang" recorded that the pig's pancreas should be washed, ground into porridge, and then added with soy powder and spices.
After mixing and drying, they become bath beans that can be used for washing.
Glassmaking dates back to BC.
Ming Dynasty glass was not only sold well in the country, but was also shipped to foreign countries for sale.
And white sugar also became available in the mid-Ming Dynasty!
His only hope was fine salt.
However, the soap can still be tried again.
Although the soap used by ancient people has the same uses as modern soap, they are different.
Chongzhen raised his head and told the eunuch outside the door, "Come here, ask Li Ruolian to come over."
Not long after, Li Ruolian walked in wearing military uniform.
The burden on him is very heavy.
Not only do they have to collect intelligence from all over the place and eliminate traitors, they are also responsible for recruiting and training the Jinyiwei.
He had just finished training at this time and rushed back quickly after receiving the news.
"Your Majesty!" Li Ruolian clasped his fists and bowed.
Chongzhen felt very relieved when he saw Li Ruolian's increasingly dark face.
The Ming Dynasty had no shortage of capable and loyal people; what it lacked was trust and opportunities.
"Try what's in the box." Chongzhen ordered with a smile.
Li Ruo Lian didn't hesitate at all. He picked up the box, opened it, pinched a handful and put it directly into his mouth.
"Don't..." It was too late when Chongzhen wanted to stop him.
Li Ruo Lian swallowed the salt with all his might and asked hurriedly, "Your Majesty, what are your instructions?"
"You...eat too much." Chongzhen sighed in his heart.
Li Ruo Lian was too loyal, he grabbed it and swallowed it without asking any questions. According to his pricing plan, that handful of salt would cost at least a few coins.
Why!
Li Ruo Lian felt a little uncomfortable because of the salty taste. He swallowed several times before he bowed again: "Your Majesty, was that salt you asked me to eat just now?"
"Well, this salt is called fine salt. What do you think this fine salt tastes like?"
"This is the best quality."
"So how much do you think the fine salt will sell for?"
Li Ruolian thought about it seriously.
The price of salt varied in different regions of the Ming Dynasty. In the Jiangnan area, the price of salt was about ten to twenty cents per catty, and in the capital, it was about five to ten cents per catty (there were salt fields near Beijing).
As for the price of salt in inland areas, it depends entirely on the mood of local merchants. I heard that the price of a pound of salt in Shaanxi has soared to ninety cents.
It's a huge profit!
Considering that the appearance and taste of this fine salt are better than the salt in the inner court, Li Ruo Lian thought about it again and again and said the price: "Your Majesty, I think the fine salt can be sold for between 200 and 500 coins!"
Chongzhen smiled faintly: "Commander Li is too timid, think too much!"
Li Ruo Lian is a little embarrassed...
He thought he was brave enough, but he didn't expect it to be far from the emperor's expectations.
"Half...half a penny?" Li Ruolian hesitated.
In theory, one tael of silver could be exchanged for one thousand wen in the Ming Dynasty, but under the influence of the silver standard, one tael of silver could sometimes be exchanged for one thousand five hundred wen, two thousand wen, or even more.
Chongzhen didn't intend to let Li Ruolian continue to guess, he said: "One tael of silver can buy one tael of fine salt."
"Ah?" Li Ruo Lian was shocked. "This... no matter how good the fine salt is, it's so expensive, who... who would buy it?"
Chongzhen smiled faintly: "So I asked you to come here to discuss this matter."
"Your Majesty...is stupid!" Li Ruo Lian gave up immediately.
Leading troops to fight, capturing people and gathering intelligence are areas he is good at, but selling salt at a high price...he really has no other options.
Chongzhen smiled again and said, "Go and do three things first."
"The first thing is to buy a shop in a prosperous area of the capital, with the words 'Zhou Shang' written on the sign. Select two or three smart and capable people from the Jinyiwei, and have them pretend to be shop assistants and sell things."
"This place is not only a shop, but also a secret contact point for the Royal Guards."
"Empress Zhou is responsible for providing the goods, and you are responsible for selling them. All the money earned from the sales will belong to Empress Zhou."
Li Ruolian nodded heavily in agreement.
This was no problem for him.
Not to mention the shops, even if the emperor wanted to buy a whole street, he could do it easily. As for manpower, the newly recruited Jinyiwei had talents who were good at this.
"Please remember the second thing and arrange it as soon as the Jiannu retreat."
"As you wish."
"After the Jiannu retreat, you can open another shop in the place where you trade with the Mongols, and let the Mongolian and Jiannu merchants taste the taste of fine salt. Then, use the fine salt as a guide to buy and sell information about the Jiannu and Mongols through these merchants."
Li Ruo Lian nodded, his head still dizzy, he understood the truth. Merchants pursue profits, as long as they pay enough money, they can buy what they want.
However, he could not understand how the emperor in front of him could sell salt at a high price.
Seeing Li Ruolian's doubts, Chongzhen's smile grew wider and wider: "The third thing is to arrange for the Jinyiwei to find some elderly people with longevity and good health in remote areas and hire them to sit in the hall. If anyone asks why fine salt is so expensive, let him use fine salt as a gimmick and talk about the secret of longevity."
"Do you understand?"
Li Ruolian felt something pressing him hard against the ground. He looked up at Chongzhen in surprise and asked, "Your Majesty, do you mean... this salt can prolong life?"
Chongzhen raised his eyebrows: "What else? If it's expensive, there must be a reason for it!"
Li Ruo Lian felt like a door was slowly opening towards him...
It turns out that things can be sold this way!
"But..." Li Ruo Lian still had doubts, "But Your Majesty, what if no one buys? We can't just leave the shop idle and have no business, right?"
"Oh!" Chongzhen sighed. It turned out that Li Ruolian had no way of doing business.
From ancient times to the present, the rich have their own circles. As long as one person buys this thing, others will buy it to try it out.
"For this matter, you need to ask Elder Li for cooperation. He is old and urgently needs a way to prolong his life. Under his leadership, the royal family and nobles will definitely follow suit."
Just as he finished speaking, the voice of the eunuch came from outside the palace: "Your Majesty, the chief minister of the cabinet, Li Banghua, is outside the door asking for an audience."
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