After hearing the three words "Zhenfusi", the pawnshop owner collapsed to the ground.
The Zhenfusi represented the imperial power. Not to mention that he was just a small businessman, even the princes and royal family members did not dare to offend these people.
He knelt on the ground and begged for mercy, trembling: "I...I don't know the real man. Please, please spare my life."
Wang Zhong, a captain of the Jinyiwei, smiled faintly: "I can spare your life, but you have 15 minutes to bring Chen Caiyi here, otherwise..."
"I'll go find it right away..." The pawnshop owner ran out tumbling, leaving the young man alone, shivering in the corner.
Wang Zhong was not worried at all that he would never come back. After all, the monk can run away but the temple cannot.
soon.
Chen Caiyi, a businessman from Guanzhong, came to the pawnshop with a group of people.
They were holding various gift boxes in their hands and their expressions and behaviors were very humble.
Chen Caiyi spotted Wang Zhong immediately. He took a few steps forward and came to Wang Zhong, bowing deeply. “I, Chen Caiyi, greet you gentlemen.”
As he spoke, he waved behind him.
The servants holding the gift boxes placed them in front of Wang Zhong and then quickly retreated.
Wang Zhong said nothing and looked at the other person carefully.
Chen Caiyi wore a black net scarf and a brand new blue cloth shirt. He was neither tall nor fat, and his small round face made him look inconspicuous.
"Are you Chen Caiyi?" Wang Zhong asked.
"Yes, I am Chen Caiyi."
Wang Zhong nodded and motioned for him to sit down.
Chen Caiyi didn't dare to sit down at all. He stood beside with his head down, nodding and bowing: "My butt was injured a few days ago, so I can't sit down."
"If you don't want to sit down, then don't sit down," Wang Zhong didn't care and continued, "I heard that there are five wealthy businessmen in Guanzhong. Are you, Chen Caiyi, one of them?"
"It's all false!" Chen Caiyi hurriedly defended himself.
Although he didn't know what the Jinyiwei wanted to do, based on his many years of experience in business, he knew it was definitely not a good thing.
The most likely thing is to ask him to donate money or supplies.
It’s unrealistic not to donate.
All we can do now is pretend to be miserable and poor so that we can bleed less when the time comes.
After figuring this out, Chen Caiyi said with a sad face: "My Lords, please understand that my business did have some reputation in Guanzhong before, and I also made some money."
"But since the bandits captured Guanzhong, most of the money in the mansion has been stolen by them, and my business has been in tatters."
“We can barely make ends meet now!”
"Oh," Wang Zhong nodded sympathetically, "In that case, we will go to your house and search it. If you are not barely making ends meet as you said... the extra money will be ours."
"I know I was wrong. Please spare my life, sir. Please spare my life, sir!" Chen Caiyi lost his temper in an instant, knelt on the ground, kowtowed and begged for mercy.
The Jinyiwei didn't play by the rules at all, and crying poor in front of them was just asking for trouble.
Wang Zhong laughed: "In other words, you don't deny that you are one of the five richest businessmen in Guanzhong?"
"I won't deny it, I won't deny it!" Chen Caiyi wanted to cry but had no tears, and was prepared to bleed heavily.
"Well then," Wang Zhong stopped talking nonsense, "The Pacification Office wants you here for something, and this thing may cost you dozens of taels of silver."
Chen Caiyi was stunned for a moment, wondering if the Jinyiwei had forgotten to say the word "wan".
How could someone rob only a few dozen taels of money?
Seeing the other party stunned, Wang Zhong explained: "It's just the cost of a good banquet. You won't be reluctant to spend it, right?"
"I'm willing to give it up, I'm willing to give it up!" Chen Caiyi immediately agreed, and then asked: "Who do you want me to invite, gentlemen?"
Wang Zhong laughed: "It is said that there are five wealthy merchants in Guanzhong. If you are asked to treat us, of course we should invite the other four. You should be able to get them to the banquet, right?"
"Ah?" Chen Caiyi was a little speechless, but he quickly adjusted himself: "Don't worry, officials, I will definitely let them attend the banquet!"
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Wang Zhong and others left the pawnshop.
Chen Caiyi immediately asked someone to order wine and food and prepare for the banquet.
The reason why he was so active was that he was worried that the ultimate goal of the Jinyiwei was still money.
Only by pulling other merchants down to a lower level and sharing the money can his personal losses be minimized.
Five days later.
Five wealthy businessmen gathered on the second floor of Juxianglou, the largest restaurant in Xi'an.
In addition, there are two Jinyiwei.
Under the humble and frightened eyes of the crowd, Wang Zhong reached out and took out a bar of soap from his arms.
He put the soap on a plate in front of everyone and asked, "Do you know what this is?"
The five merchants stared at the soap seriously for a while, and asked one after another: "Excuse me, Captain Wang, is there soap in this plate?"
"Yes, soap!" Wang Zhong nodded.
The five businessmen smacked their lips at the same time.
Although soap is good, it is expensive and can only be purchased from Taoist temples and Buddhist temples.
Not to mention ordinary people, even these wealthy businessmen would not be willing to use them themselves on weekdays, and most of the money they bought was given away as gifts.
Wang Zhong saw that the merchants were silent, so he laughed and said, "What do you think of the soap?"
The businessman Chen Caiyi said: "Soap is indeed a good thing. It can be used for bathing and washing clothes, but the price..."
"How much do you think the soap should cost?" Wang Zhong asked again.
"this..."
Chen Caiyi and the other four looked at each other and whispered, "Captain Wang, there is no such thing as a suitable or unsuitable price for soap. It depends on who you plan to sell it to."
"For those people who have to worry about their next meal, this kind of inedible food is of no use and they will not buy it."
"For the rich and powerful, as long as the price is not too high, they can basically afford it and will buy it."
What Chen Caiyi said is not fiction.
Historically, extravagance prevailed in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.
Especially in the wealthy Jiangnan region, gentry and wealthy businessmen took pleasure in competing for wealth.
Compare in every aspect including food, clothing, housing and transportation.
It is recorded in "The Veritable Records of Emperor Xianzong": Recently, the custom is extravagant, without distinction between noble and humble, clothing is all made of gold and precious stones, banquets are all decorated with sweets, and people from all walks of life follow suit, and it has become a custom.
Wang Zhong didn't care about that. He picked up the soap on the plate and said leisurely, "Do you know where this soap comes from?"
The merchants looked at each other and shook their heads: "I don't know. Please enlighten me, Captain Wang."
"It comes from the Zhenfusi! And I can tell you that the Zhenfusi is the only one in the world that knows how to make soap."
"Ah?" The businessmen widened their eyes in disbelief.
Previously, they thought that some noble was making the soap, but they didn't expect that the soap was actually made by the Jinyiwei.
Before the merchants could react, Wang Zhong said something explosive: "In order to expand sales channels and sales, the Zhenfu Division plans to select several powerful businesses in Guanzhong to become distributors and sell soap."
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