Princess Consort of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 292 Hot Potatoes
Zheng Xi's vision is enough to impress Shen Sanwen. One must know that one must be talented in doing anything, have a keen sense of business, see big things from small things, at least be a person who knows how to advance and retreat, and has a vision.

However, if the Zheng family passed on these material losses to other people, then Shen Sanwen would not be interested in this vision.

The most important thing in doing business is honesty. You know that this thing is bound to lose money, and if you transfer the risk to others with your foresight, your character will be greatly discounted.

Naturally, others would not care about asking Shen Sanwen, but they would be careful when interacting with the Zheng family in the future.

Overall, this is not worth the candle.

If Zheng Xilai chose him, he would definitely not be like this, but the family line he belongs to is just a side branch, and the head of the Zheng family, who has no business considerations, naturally prefers to use the simplest method to deal with this matter.

Therefore, at the recent banquet, the descendants of the Zheng family began to throw money to treat guests one after another, hoping that those who attended the meeting could recommend such a channel to them to accept this batch of pen, ink and inkstone business.

Reasonably speaking, the six masters will not have such a buyer. There is only one buyer of too many luxury goods, and if they are deposited in the hands for too long, they will lose money.But I couldn't stand the very generous price offered by the Zheng family.

Many people moved their minds and wanted to do a second-hand business.

The Zheng family didn't want to be troublesome, and hoped to make a one-time move. After all, if something went wrong in the future, it would be best to only offend one family.

In this way, it dragged on for three days.

The two nephews of the head of the Wang family came up with such thoughts. If they can help the family earn a sum of money, it is more or less a credit. The people of the Zheng family said it very bluntly, that is, they are short of money and turnover, and the cost price they understand is the market price. , It is indeed consistent with what the person introduced by the Zheng family said.

Fortunately, the power of the Wang family is concentrated enough, and major events must be approved by the old man, especially large property transfers.

Today's families are all officials in one line, business in one line, and the rest of the offshoots take care of some chores. Business is only for the service of officials, and being an official can ensure the normal development of commercial activities.

The status of the line of business is average, but for the family's hard work, the feedback from the family is enough to live a more nourishing life.In family affairs, business affairs have a considerable say.

The three generations of the Wang family sat around the table and discussed the recent family arrangements. The younger generation had a better official reputation and should be given priority to support, arguing about those sons and nephews who were well educated and deserved a better master's education.Occasionally show off the things I have done in my lineage recently, and the treasures I got.

Warm and picturesque.

The head of the Wang family is naturally used to such a happy and relaxed atmosphere, but at this time, he heard a piece of news that he had never thought of.

A young man from the third generation of the Wang family, a young man from the collateral branch of the business, found a gap in everyone's silence and stood up.

"Patriarch, recently the Zheng family plans to sell the brush, ink and inkstone business. Can our Wang family enter it and get a share of it?"

This matter actually caused a small discussion in the family.

Patriarch Wang frowned, "This matter is not something you can handle."

The young man was a little unconvinced, but he said respectfully, "There are only a few small workshops under the Wang family. Now that the imperial court is advocating education reform, this inkstone is a necessity. It is inconvenient for the Zheng family to mobilize funds and lack confidence. Taking advantage of this opportunity, taking the first step in this business, and relying on the relationship between the cousin and the son-in-law, can create a large amount of wealth for the Wang family in the short term, and can make a living for the Wang family in the long run. It is also good for the uncles who are officials, Have a little extra in your hand.”

These words are very inspiring. Everyone knows that Wang Bin has a close relationship with the son-in-law. Even if he has been in the hands of King Yin for a round of errands, he is still entrusted with important tasks by Shen Sanwen. Eighty-nine times it can be done.Wang Bin has been the eldest son of the Wang family for so many years, why not make some contributions to the family?

In fact, the Zheng family intends to give up the small profits they call pen, ink and inkstone, and turn to their own silk and cloth business. It has long been known in Luoyang City.But the Zheng family's business is not small, and most of the families that can accept it have their own business, and they don't dare to covet it if they don't know the trend of the court.

But the Wang family has this ability, the Wang family has no shortage of money and food, and the powerful Wang family is not inferior to the Cui family in several major families.More importantly, this is an area where the Wang family rarely has a hand. When developing new industries, there will be many important variables. It will not get worse, but there is a great chance of getting better.

Money touches people's hearts, the elders were just warned by the Patriarch, and pretended not to hear about it, but when the younger generation brought it up, everyone's hearts were ready to move again.

What happens when you take over.

Seeing the sudden change in the atmosphere, Patriarch Wang wrinkled a word "Sichuan" on his forehead, "This matter is a matter of competing with the imperial court. If the Wang family gets involved, their status in the imperial court will not be guaranteed. There is no need to lose the big because of small things."

If the status of the imperial court is not guaranteed, it will be a lot of trouble to do business. Without the convenience provided by the royal family in the officialdom, the local officials will be embarrassed.

The young man still refused to give up, "Why don't you ask your cousin to inquire about it, and if it is feasible, then act, otherwise, if you miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you won't come again."

A group of people began to persuade them, even if they don't do it, it doesn't matter. Wang Bin, who is close to the son-in-law, naturally knows the pros and cons.

Can remain invincible.

The head of the Wang family nodded this time. The Wang family's investment in the son-in-law should have received some returns. Wang Bin ran around for trade rights and interests, but the income was no different from other aristocratic families.

This made Pharaoh very unhappy.

Relatives and estrangements are human nature, everything is equal, no one can get close to you, Shen Sanwen obviously understands this truth, the business of pens, inks and inkstones is not small, and Patriarch Wang thinks it can be done together try.

At this time, Wang Bin was going down the Grand Canal, making a high-profile cruise to the south.

Shen Sanwen said that the south is close to the ocean, warm in winter and cool in summer, with beautiful scenery, and Hangzhou under Jinling is a fairyland on earth. He has a dream, which is to build a house covering thousands of miles in Hangzhou, and then build towers and temples around it. Repair the broken bridge on the lake, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Pinghu Autumn Moon, Remnant Snow on the Broken Bridge, Leifeng Sunset, Nanping Evening Bell, Suti Spring Dawn, and Quyuan Fenghe.

But when he arrived, Wang Bin felt so uncomfortable, he finally understood the meaning of building all these scenery.

As for the Lingyin Temple mentioned by Shen Sanwen, it is said that there is a sacred place where gods and Buddhas were born. Now it is just a dilapidated small temple. It was built in the first year of Xianhe in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Burning countless Buddhist scriptures, the temple was once defeated. Fortunately, the monks in the temple returned here after living in seclusion for several years, so that the incense will not be cut off.

It was not until Master Huidan of the Sui Dynasty came here to promote Buddhism, left one disciple behind, and accepted fifteen disciples, that the temple began to have pilgrims and gradually gained popularity.

Because Hangzhou is not prosperous, and there are few people here, it is extremely desolate and desolate.It took me a long time to find the way in Hangzhou before someone knew the way, but before arriving, the guide made the excuse that snakes, insects, rats and ants are so fierce here and left. When he left, his muttering voice clearly meant that this place was too deserted to be afraid of ghosts.

Wang Bin:.
However, the host of Lingyin Temple is a very interesting person. After reading scriptures in the wilderness all his life, his mentality is extremely peaceful. No matter how disgusted Wang Bin's eyes are, or how uncomfortable his words reveal, he will respond calmly. Indifferently invite Wang Bin to listen to the scriptures and feel the nature here.

Flowers bloom and wither, but it’s just a fleeting moment, and everything goes round and round. The monk seeks the Tao wholeheartedly. Wouldn’t it be more comfortable in a secluded place than in the busy city? Those who come here are sincere believers who worship the Buddha, not ordinary people who force the Buddha’s blessing.

Wang Bin gave 100 taels of sesame oil spiritually, and the old monk's mood fluctuated slightly.

Old monk: "Sure enough, he is a young man who has a predestined relationship with my Buddha."

Wang Bin: "."

The trip to Hangzhou was not a wonderful one. If he was not waiting to visit the bustling Jinling, Wang Bin would definitely go to Luoyang to ask Shen Sanwen to find out what happened.

I don't know if this is the first monk who said that he has a relationship with the Buddha. In general, in this world, the rich people who are generous to temples are all related to the Buddha. What's the point of those poor people believing in the Buddha? Say they have nothing to do with Buddha.

Could it be that they are unable to follow the path of worshiping the Buddha, fail to understand the deep meaning of the Buddha, and do things that the Buddha dislikes, thus getting twice the result with half the effort, or doing purely useless work.

It can be seen from this that worshiping the Buddha is not something that the poor can do.

Simply terrified.

The little nephew of the Yang family who was next to him couldn't understand Wang Bin's various operations at all. He came all the way to Hangzhou to find such a temple, and left without enshrining a longevity seat. How sincere is this to worship the Buddha!

There are people in the world who are so dedicated to Buddha!
Wang Bin dawdled to many places in Hangzhou, confirmed that there was no beautiful scenery that Shen Sanwen said, that he yearned for, left his footprints everywhere, and left with regret.

When they arrived in Jinling, they received a letter from the head of the Wang family.

He didn't have to worry about business matters. His mission in life is to spend and enjoy, and making money is a side matter.

As the most honorable son of this lineage, he will be friends with the rich and powerful in Luoyang, and his good brothers will be under one person and above ten thousand in the future, and he has even earned impression points wherever King Yin is. Will be one of the backers of the Wang family.

But since his father asked him this, it was obviously the intention of the whole family, wanting to get a share of it.

Pen, ink and inkstone?

Wang Bin knew in his heart that according to the labor required for pens, inks and inkstones, according to the current market price, even the national treasury and the private treasury of the emperor, plus the warehouses of the Princess Mansion and the Ministry of Culture, may not be able to support the entire cost of education.

What's more, according to Shen Sanwen's cautious temperament and His Majesty's attitude, I am afraid that only part of the income from the Ministry of Education will be used. After the previous reform and price reduction, paper products are still not cheap.

It's not a good idea to intervene in the pen, ink and inkstone now.

He suddenly thought of the pencil that Shen Sanwen gave him before. Shen Sanwen once said that pencils are much more convenient than brushes!

If education reform uses pencils instead of writing, the investment will be wiped out.

But this letter cannot be answered casually, this is not his father's intention alone, everyone is waiting for his reply.

He couldn't clearly state what the son-in-law meant, and he couldn't make the whole royal family question his status and role, let alone give them the illusion that this was an opportunity.

Since Hu Shang appeared in Beijing, he did not hesitate to throw the blame on Hu Shang.

Reply: I heard that Hu Shang made things with magical skills and low cost. It has the merits of Zhuge Wuhou, a wooden cow and a smooth horse.

After all, it meant objection, and gave the reasons. The Hu merchants in Luoyang are indeed evil, and they came here for this business. The shop is not big, and the tone is loud, which makes people feel uncertain.

From time to time, it wasn't just the young Wang family who wanted to make meritorious deeds who were anxious.

The members of the Zheng family were panicked when they heard that the Wang family was interested in taking over the business. The owner of the Wang family said that he had no interest in this business, but the younger generations of the Wang family hurriedly inquired about the work and wanted to enter the venue, so no one else dared to act rashly.

After all, if you compete with the Wang family for business, you will be in great trouble in the future.

Patriarch Zheng hinted several times that Patriarch Wang should not take over, but Patriarch Wang turned a deaf ear to it. His son's relationship is hard, and there is news of the person in charge, so why listen to this person's nagging.

During this period, the Wang family did not give accurate information. If they were really cheated, the Wang family can only blame the younger generation for not clearing up the relationship with the son-in-law. This way, the offense is not too serious. Even if the Wang family wants revenge in the future, it is okay. Compensation for other conveniences.

But if other people buy it, wouldn't the compensation be saved?

The Zheng family was also worried, and even during the waiting period, Zheng Xi had repeatedly advised to adopt the second option, selling at a reduced price.The Zheng family transferred the business to other people, so they have no right to make irresponsible remarks on the resulting price reduction.

After Patriarch Wang received his son's letter and passed it around, everyone finally came to their senses. There is no such thing as a free lunch. What the Zheng family wanted to sell this time was a hot potato.

The head of the Wang family warned his nephew to keep the news. Firstly, it is related to his son's future, which is the most important thing for him and the entire Wang family. Leaking secrets is not a good thing. Although Wang Bin's letter is vague, his attitude of opposition is very clear. Words can be seen.

Secondly, this is only a very small part of this game. The family is still looking forward to the result of this game. The Wang family does not need to bear the loss, and a small morale blow is acceptable, which will not cause fundamental damage to the family as a whole.

After the Wang family responded, the Zheng family strongly rejected the other families' inquiries and directly adopted plan two.

The market price of brushes, inkstones and inkstones in Luoyang reached an unprecedented low value, triggering tens of thousands of people to snap up them.

Many people said that the Zheng family is crazy!

There are also poorer scholars who say that these aristocratic families have finally enlightened and no longer embarrass them.The high price once made them discouraged. To practice calligraphy, compose poems, and write essays, they had to think hard before they dared to write. It would be great if such an era came sooner.

With one more piece of paper, the calligraphy will be better, and the gap between them and those aristocratic families will be much smaller.

Although there were many episodes in the middle, the intervention and withdrawal of the Wang family, and the disputes of the Cui family, Shen Sanwen was still unavoidably happy to receive such news.

Most poor people can't afford to stock up on more supplies even if the price drops, so they can only buy them when they have more money. This generation of scholars can't get used to pencils for a while.

In the future, the nobles can still continue their romance, and the poor can better continue their education.

Very good.

(End of this chapter)