Zhao Changheng knew that Qi King Zhao Changyi held the license to operate ironware businesses in the capital.
Back when the previous emperor was still alive, the state-run iron smelting industry had various drawbacks, so the court decided to open it up to the public.
The seventh prince, Zhao Changyi, upon hearing the news, pestered the late emperor and managed to take back the operating rights of the capital.
Speaking of which, Lao Qi has loved money since he was a child.
His mother came from a humble background; she was just a lowly palace maid who, by chance, became pregnant with the seventh prince.
Her family had no influence, and after giving birth to the prince, no one spoke up for her.
She was only a beauty when the late emperor passed away.
Because of her humble origins and low salary, she lived a meager life in the palace with her child from a young age.
To be honest, the late emperor and empress remembered that she had a prince, and they sent her things every few days, so she didn't have to live so frugally.
However, after too many hard times, people become accustomed to frugality.
I want to save any money I have and I'm afraid to spend it.
Under her guidance and example, Zhao Changyi, the seventh son, also developed a love for money and a desire to make money.
Given his background, he had little ambition for a political future.
He devoted himself entirely to his money-making endeavors.
Upon turning twenty, Zhao Changyi was granted the title of king, left the palace to establish his own residence, and began to think about making money through business.
Taking advantage of his status as a prince, he often mingled with wealthy merchants in the capital.
The bigger the commotion, the less money they made.
At that time, Zhao Changyi wanted to run an ironware business, but he didn't have enough capital, so he also got the then Crown Prince Zhao Changheng to invest in it.
Zhao Changheng couldn't refuse, and after being pestered by Lao Qi, he finally agreed.
To this day, Zhao Changheng still has tens of thousands of taels of investment in Zhao Changyi's ironware business, and he hasn't recouped his costs yet.
Sigh, he's given up on it.
We're brothers, so let's just consider it money spent to make us brothers.
Hearing He Youyou say this, I knew she must have discovered something.
He hurriedly asked, "Madam, have you noticed anything amiss?"
He Youyou spent more than a month researching the ironware business, and she found a great deal of problems.
But it can't be explained in just a few words.
Just as I was pondering this, I suddenly saw a man who looked like a farmer about to enter the blacksmith shop.
He Youyou quickly stepped forward and stopped him: "Sir, are you here to buy farm tools or cooking utensils?"
The old farmer replied, "I've come to buy a hoe."
He Youyou asked again, "Uncle, it's the dead of winter now, not the time for farming. Why didn't you wait until spring to buy a hoe?"
The old farmer sighed, "Madam, you don't know this, but the farm tools in our blacksmith shop sell very little and break very quickly. If I don't buy them now, I'm afraid I won't be able to buy them when spring comes."
With that, he turned and went into the blacksmith shop.
He Youyou watched his retreating figure and said to Zhao Changheng, "Young Master Huang, you heard everything. The things you want to buy are unavailable, and the ones you do buy are of poor quality. King Qi's ironware business is truly a mess."
Zhao Changheng was also shocked: "Seven... I've met Prince Qi before. He doesn't seem like such a muddle-headed person. How come he can't do business well?"
The seventh prince is usually eloquent and adept at social maneuvering, and is always well-liked in the palace. He doesn't seem like such a stupid person.
He Youyou knew the details of King Qi, Zhao Changyi.
Last time, she asked King Zhao Changqing of Yue to obtain relevant materials for her to study.
It can only be said that being good at persuasion and charming people is a different field from being good at business.
Doing business is a science.
We must use scientific methods.
In the dead of winter, the north wind on the street was biting.
He Youyou pulled her fox fur coat tighter: "Young Master Huang, it's cold outside, let's go inside and talk."
“Okay.” Zhao Changheng nodded and followed her into the ironware shop.
Inside the blacksmith shop, the old farmer from earlier was complaining.
"Shopkeeper, the farm tools here are so unreliable! Several hoes have broken in just one year!"
The shopkeeper remained unmoved: "If it's broken, just buy a new one. All the ironware shops in the capital sell the same stuff, it doesn't matter where you buy it."
The old farmer, feeling helpless, picked up his new hoe and walked away with a sigh.
He Youyou led Zhao Changheng to stop at the farm tools section of the ironware shop.
She pointed to an iron shovel on the wall: "Look, this iron shovel was cast in a mold."
Zhao Changheng stared intently at it, but being an amateur, he couldn't discern anything special.
He simply gestured for her to continue.
"Casting is the process of casting using molds, which is called cast iron. Casting is a time-saving and labor-saving method, producing products quickly and at a low cost. However, although cast iron has the highest hardness, it is also extremely brittle. It is very easy to break when it collides with hard objects. The soil in the north is hard, while the soil in the south is soft, so this kind of farm tool is very easy to break when used in the north."
(Last summer, I saw ancient bronze molds—clay molds—at a bronze exhibition at the Shenzhen Museum. These are molds made of clay, into which molten bronze is poured, and then allowed to solidify to form the bronze artifact. Casting ironware using molds works on a similar principle.)
Zhao Changheng nodded thoughtfully.
He Youyou continued, "As far as I know, because of this problem, many people are unwilling to buy farm tools in the capital, but instead ask others to buy forged farm tools from other places. Forged farm tools are more durable, less prone to breakage. However, the fact that the King of Qi's ironware business is not profitable is not the only reason."
"Oh? What other reasons are there?"
"Another reason is that he only pursues high-profit equipment and doesn't put much effort into products with low profit margins."
Ironware from the Great Gan era included weapons, large tools for workshops, daily necessities, and agricultural implements.
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