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Lu Xin had originally thought that he could not get anything useful from Wu Tianming, and was planning to find another way, but unexpectedly this man came to him again.
"You want to buy 2,000 dan of raw silk?" Lu Xin was startled as soon as he said that. He immediately asked, "Is it a deal with that Mr. Fang?"
How many people could possibly be dealing in raw silk in Yuhang? Such a large order suddenly appeared, and it was Wu Tianming, the head of the Wu family, who initiated it. Need I explain why? The only problem was that the order was so staggering. Wu's family couldn't even produce enough silk themselves, so they had to source it from outside. If word got out, most people wouldn't believe it.
Wu Tianming stopped hiding it and said sincerely, "It's indeed a business from Panyu. They need to deliver the silk as soon as the spring silk is on the market. I really have no choice, so I came to you for help."
"So how much silk does Young Master Fang want?" Lu Xin didn't want to listen to the polite words and went straight to the point.
Wu Tianming certainly wouldn't say that the Wu family was only prepared to offer 1,000 dan. He coughed dryly and said, "It's inconvenient to say that. Anyway, this is a big deal."
Lu Xin stared at Wu Tianming and sneered, "Brother Wu, this is not right. If this is really a big deal, it's probably not just raw silk. Why do you eat the meat and I drink the soup?"
This was an attempt to turn the tables. Wu Tianming was unwilling to give in and immediately said, "He's from Panyu. Even if Brother Lu wants to do business, it may not be successful, right?"
Lu Xin's face darkened. Just hearing the name of Panyu would have been enough to make Lu Xiu come knocking on his door, not to mention the elders at home. On the other hand, if Young Master Fang truly had the Red Flag Gang behind him, they probably wouldn't easily cooperate with him. No wonder Wu Tianming dared to approach him directly; if he had approached someone else, his business would have been completely wiped out.
Since this approach was blocked, Lu Xin stopped talking and asked, "What price are you going to give for the silk, Brother Wu?"
Two thousand shi was no small sum; the entire Lu family's spring silk production was around that amount. If they could all ship it together, it would definitely be more profitable than just scrambling on the market. Besides, his brother was dismissed from office, and who knew what troubles would arise. If he could get the money early, he could use it to smooth things over.
Wu Tianming must have anticipated this, and immediately said, "How about one jin and eight cents?"
Lu Xin sneered, "Brother Wu, are you crazy? There are people asking for one or two taels of silver on the market now. Why should I sell it to you at such a low price?"
"Those are just retail investors. How much silk can they have? Lu has so much silk, so he must find big customers. How could ordinary weaving workshops and silk merchants pay too much? Brother Lu, the situation this year is like this. You and I know the price of silk. Why do this?" Wu Tianming advised.
Yes, the spring silk market is just a few days away. The cocoon quantities are now almost certain, so don't the silk merchants have a rough idea of how much silk will be produced? A price increase is certain, but it won't be more than a tael of silk at most. Any more and the weaving mills will give up. Selling 2,000 dan of silk at a high price is practically impossible. It's definitely best to buy when the price rises.
However, Lu Xin hesitated for a moment and said, "Since Brother Wu has said so, I will speak frankly. Eight cents is definitely not enough. You have to increase it by one liter. And Brother Wu must be in urgent need of buying silk, so you have to give me some benefits."
This guy is really stubborn. Wu Tianming knew that this was not a good way to go on. He sighed and said, "Well, then nine cents of silver will do. This price is really the highest. If it goes any higher, I will lose money. Of course, if Brother Lu can help out in an emergency, there will be a lot of benefits. If you want to transport any goods in the future, you can take our ship."
Of course, the Wu family also has ships, and a large number of them. It just so happens that the Lu family's fleet has just suffered a disaster, and now is the time to use ships, so it can be considered an emergency.
Lu Xin thought for a while before speaking, "Nine cents and eight cents, cash on delivery. In the future, when Lu's goods are shipped on your ship, the shipping fee will be reduced by another 40%."
Wu Changming immediately said, "Absolutely not! I can pay a deposit first, 30% in advance, and then pay the balance when the goods arrive."
"I dare not give you two thousand shi at this price." Lu Xin continued to bargain.
"Then it's 1,500 shi." Wu Tianming said immediately.
Would they rather reduce the quantity they buy than lower the price? It seems the purchase price in Panyu isn't that high either. Lu Xin thought for a moment and said, "Then nine cents and five cents, or fifteen hundred dan."
"Nine cents and three taels, not a penny more!" Wu Tianming stuck to his bottom line, and Fang Ling only gave him one tael. If the purchase price of the silk was too high, there would be no profit.
Seeing that Lu Xin was about to say something, Wu Tianming immediately said, "If Gu Sanlang hadn't found Fang Ling, I wouldn't have come to you. This business deal really can't be delayed. If Brother Lu still wants to pester me, I can only find someone else!"
So that's why he's afraid the Gu family will steal his business, so he resorted to this desperate measure. Nine cents and three cents is a bit low, but in previous years, the price of silk was only six or seven cents. This year's surge was caused by the current situation, and it's hard to say whether the market will fall again in the future. If he can make back the money he earned from the silk in one go, it would be quite a good deal.
"Well, we are all famous people in Jiangdong. Since Brother Wu is in trouble, I will help him no matter what." Lu Xin sighed.
This is really a case of taking advantage and still being ungrateful. However, Wu Tianming also smiled: "I will remember this favor. If Brother Lu wants to establish contact with the South in the future, I can also mediate. However, the freight cannot be reduced to 40%. We need to discuss it further..."
Another round of wrangling began, but both veterans of the business world knew the deal was done. Wu Tianming secured the silk he desperately needed, while Lu Xin secured a connection with Panyu. While the process had been somewhat complicated, both parties ultimately benefited.
Of course, we are not in a hurry to sign the contract. We have to reach an agreement with Mr. Fang first.
When he saw Fang Ling again, Wu Tianming's demeanor was different. He was confident and had the unrestrained air of a young man from an aristocratic family. "I've discussed everything you mentioned with my family. Three thousand dan of silk, one tael per catty, and a 10% deposit are all fine. But there's one thing: we need more grain. Three thousand dan is too little."
Three thousand dan of silk was enough to supply the silk production of an area, but three thousand dan of grain was too little, not worth mentioning to a large grain merchant. Now Panyu occupied the shipping route to the south, and there was no telling how much grain was gathered there. He did not believe that the Fang family could only get three thousand dan of grain.
Fang Ling seemed very troubled and frowned, saying, "Didn't we agree on this? Why are you changing your mind at the last minute? Brother Wu knows how difficult it is to transport grain by sea. It's not easy for me to transport 3,000 shi of grain with great effort..."
Wu Tianming hurriedly said, "You don't need to transport it. The Wu family has its own ships. You don't need to write down the price yet. Just promise to help the Wu family purchase 10,000 dan of grain."
This request wasn't too big, but it wasn't too small either. Fang Ling was silent for a moment. "Then not a single pound of the three thousand dan of silk will be less?"
Wu Tianming said: "No!"
Fang Ling asked, "Pay a 10% deposit first, and the other half after delivery?"
Wu Tianming said: "Sure, no problem."
Fang Ling added, "We won't be responsible for transporting the rest of the grain, nor will we care about the price. All we need to do is help you connect with them."
Wu Tianming said, "That's exactly what happened. It's absolutely right."
After thinking carefully for a long time, Fang Ling sighed and said, "Then let's sign the contract. It will put my mind at ease if things are settled sooner rather than later."
Wu Tianming was overjoyed and didn't want to delay any longer. He immediately called the shopkeeper and the accountant to draft the document. Once it was finished, he brought it to Fang Ling for review. Only when both parties agreed would they sign and seal the agreement.
Fang Ling was also a straightforward man. After signing the contract, he immediately had 36,000 taels of silver, all of which were high-quality silver ingots, brought in. After receiving this advance payment, Wu Tianming immediately found Lu Xin and signed a contract with him as well. For 1,500 shi of silk, a 30% down payment would cost 50,000 taels. He even paid out of his own pocket to cover the shortfall.
The two huge deals have been finalized, and all we have to do is wait for Chunsi to go on the market.
…
A slender finger with distinct joints gently fiddled with the chessboard. The chess pieces on it were clearly black and white, forming a big circle.
This one was the Zhou family, this one the Gu family. Both families had guessed who was behind the scenes and were watching the fight from the sidelines. This one was the Wu family. A deal worth 300,000 taels and a smooth shipping route were enough to make him an ally. The rest were the idle small merchants stirring up trouble outside, causing silk prices to fluctuate and unsettling the people.
Lu Jian placed his hand on the last black piece and gently lifted it up. This was Lu's, the Lu's trading company run by his fourth uncle.
Raw silk was the Lu family's only asset, and they would do everything they could to sell their stock. However, a merchant from Panyu couldn't reassure them. So, the Wu family became their stepping stone. They signed the contract with Wu, took the deposit from Wu, and had to hand over the goods to Wu.
This was a prominent Jiangdong clan, a family that had stood alongside the Lu family for centuries. Even if Lu Xin was incredibly clever, he wouldn't have been suspicious of Wu Tianming. Only in this way could he catch his prey.
This was his meticulous calculation, the result of years of studying these noble families and their individuals. He had calculated everyone's reactions, the degree of compromise, the degree of fear, and even greed and delusion.
More importantly, he has an almost omnipotent helper who can perfectly implement these plans.
Lifting his head, Lu Jian looked at the young woman sitting before him. She still had a gentle makeup, not even a strand of hair out of place, and a faint smile in her eyes, like an innocent and harmless housewife. This was certainly not her true appearance, but looking at that smile, Lu Jian felt his heart beat violently, and a warm feeling surged.
This was certainly not surrender, but she reached out to him and helped him with all her might, creating a situation that could overturn everything.
Then, Lu Jian also smiled, a smile from the heart, and said: "Our plan has worked. Lu Xin has already signed the contract. All that remains is to burn down their warehouse. This will prevent Lu Xin from delivering the raw silk, and also make Wu stand on our side."
Indeed, he simply wanted to trick Lu Xin. All the business processes were flawless; the only problem lay in the "deposit." They'd signed the contract in advance, collected the deposit, and even promised compensation. If they couldn't deliver, the Lu family would be in dire straits, their reputation shattered. A year earlier, they had the grain route to fill the gap, and Lord Lu, a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Personnel, to back them up. But now, they had nothing left.
Opposite them were Zhou Zhenglun and Gu Yunkai, who were watching from the sidelines, Wu Tianming, who was willing to take advantage of the Lu family's misfortune for the sake of huge profits, and the aristocratic families of all sizes who were eyeing the Lu family's land and people.
This is the real way to remove the firewood from under the cauldron.
Cheng Xi also looked at Lu Jian, seeing the ecstasy and admiration in the young man's eyes, seeing the madness and pride on his lips. When it comes to business talent, she can't compare to him, and I'm afraid there are few people in the world who can compare.
But, so what?
Cheng Xi nodded easily: "Leave the rest to me."
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