Thunder rumbled outside, and soon it started to rain.
The Emperor Emeritus's startled scream was drowned out by the thunder and rain, making it seem less abrupt, but he stood up almost immediately, a movement so dramatic that it was impossible to ignore.
This action startled the village chief and his family. They looked at him nervously and asked cautiously, "W-what's wrong? Is it too expensive?"
"Actually, it could be lowered even further..."
The retired emperor immediately raised his hand to stop him from speaking, his eyes rolling back in anger, and he almost fainted from lack of breath.
The village chief dared not speak, unsure of what he had said wrong, and looked at Lu Baichuan with a pleading expression.
Lu Baichuan hadn't expected them to sell so cheaply. Seeing the village chief's reaction, he patiently explained, "Grandpa Chang thinks you're selling too cheaply; he's probably been ripped off."
"Huh? But the shopkeeper said that was already the highest price he could give us. We figured it's something that grows naturally in the mountains anyway, so we just picked it, stir-fried it, and it didn't take much effort. It's not bad to sell it for ten coins a pound..."
Everyone: ...
They themselves thought that way, so it's no wonder they got scammed.
Over there, the retired emperor, who had just caught his breath, almost fainted again upon hearing these words.
He waved his hand and said, "Five taels of silver per catty, sell me all you have! Are there any other families in your village that have any?"
The village chief was so taken aback by his boastful manner that he forgot everything else and just kept nodding, "Yes! Yes!"
Good heavens! That's five taels of silver! Their whole family couldn't earn that much money even after a year of hard work!
I never imagined that wild tea could sell for so much money!
“Many families in the village have this. I taught them how to make tea. I learned a little bit from my maternal grandfather when I was a child. After I discovered wild tea trees in the mountains, I taught them how to make it!”
The implication is that there's a lot of tea; do you really want it all?
Upon hearing this, the Emperor Emeritus was even more delighted. He waved his hand and said, "I want them all! Once the rain stops, go and call all the families who have tea leaves, count how much they have, and I'll pay for it directly."
The village chief was so happy he almost fainted, but he still managed to stay rational and asked, "Sir, is this tea really that valuable? Are you sure you want to spend so much money? Please don't spend so much to help us..."
The retired emperor waved his hand and said, "Your tea is worth this price. I will take all your tea every year from now on. As long as you do a good job, I can even raise the price for you. I will give you a token in a moment. Just send it to your local government office, and the people there will take care of it."
"This...this..."
The village chief was so happy that he was incoherent and could barely speak.
The Emperor Emeritus ignored him and instead said to Consort Liu, "Remember this for me, and instruct them to go to the county government office to inform them later."
"good."
Consort Liu smiled and nodded, agreeing that the Emperor Emeritus had done a good job. She felt that this was the meaning of traveling.
The village chief's two sons were so excited that they pinched themselves hard, as if they were dreaming. The other women, who were hiding outside the door and dared not come in, also had tears in their eyes. They had truly met a benefactor today!
Knowing that they had had a long and arduous journey, the village chief and his family did not linger. After preparing the room, they went to inform the other villagers to prepare tea. Soon, only the three of them remained in the room.
The retired emperor looked at Lu Baichuan and asked, "Do you think this tea can make money?"
Lu Baichuan was somewhat surprised. He thought that Lu Baichuan bought it to give as a gift to someone else, but he didn't expect that Lu Baichuan wanted to do business with it.
Are you interested in starting a business?
The retired emperor gave a vague answer: "More or less."
Lu Baichuan thought about it carefully and said, "This tea is indeed very good. Many people will like it once it's sold. This craft is only known to the villagers, so it's relatively rare and the price can easily be driven up."
"Okay, okay, as long as it makes money."
The Emperor Emeritus was very satisfied. Afterwards, Lu Baichuan returned to his room, and they rested for a while. After the rain stopped, it was already dark. Torches were lit in the courtyard, illuminating the surroundings.
After a quick bite to eat, the villagers who had been notified began to arrive one after another, with two or three people from each family bringing their own tea that had not yet been sold.
The Emperor Emeritus looked around and realized that each family didn't actually have much, probably only two or three catties. Fortunately, there were many families in the village that had tea, so together they could fill a large sack.
The Emperor Emeritus personally inspected the tea and found that there were some differences between the teas produced by each family, but not significant ones. The villagers had taken great care to protect the tea, wrapping it in oiled paper inside and then in a cloth bag outside to prevent the aroma from dissipating. The quality of the teas was excellent, and they had not become damp.
The retired emperor asked the village chief to repeat what he had said to the villagers again, to ensure that every villager understood what was going on.
The villagers were very excited. They looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
So it turns out that pie really does fall from the sky!
After confirming that everything was correct, the old emperor signed a contract with the villagers. Each household received a copy, and the old emperor kept a separate copy. The contract stipulated that the quality of the goods must be guaranteed, and if anyone was found to be mixing in defective or substandard products, the entire group would cease cooperation, and everyone would supervise each other.
In addition, the money will be taken directly from the government office. I will send someone to the government office first thing tomorrow morning to make a call. If the government office dares to delay payment, I will send a message to Anlanfang Tea House in the prefectural city, and someone will uphold justice for them.
Anlanfang is an intelligence agency under Qianfan Pavilion, with branches in various cities. The old emperor thought to himself that he would send someone to make a greeting tomorrow, which would be a way to take advantage of Mingze. He would write a letter to the emperor later to help him repay the favor.
The people's biggest fear is being owed money, but they never expected this benefactor to be so straightforward, even thinking of a way out for them.
"Thank you very much, sir!"
The villagers were about to kneel down when the Emperor Emeritus hurriedly stopped them: "There's no need to be so polite. It just rained, and the ground is all muddy. Don't catch a cold."
"Thank you very much, sir!"
"The arrival of such a distinguished person is truly a blessing from the Bodhisattva upon our Zhangjia Village! It must be a manifestation of the Bodhisattva's power. I must go and pay my respects when I have some free time!"
"That's right, I want to go too! We are so fortunate to be born and raised in Beiyan! Since the natural disaster that year, the court has only collected 20% of our taxes, and now they have sent a noble person to help us. We never dared to dream of such a life!"
"Yeah yeah……"
The villagers were excitedly exclaiming, but the Emperor Emeritus and Lu Baichuan frowned instantly upon hearing this, as if something was amiss.
"Fellow villager, what percentage of taxes did you just say the imperial court collect?"
The Emperor Emeritus couldn't help but ask again. The villager's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that the imperial court didn't have this order, but that their local officials had changed it on their own?
Wouldn't his words be harming the officials?
It's all over...
But he dared not lie in front of the important person, after all, the important person had bought their tea at a high price.
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