Rebirth of Zhu Di's son

Chapter 155 Bargaining
As far as Zhu Gaoxu knows, there is a 50-pound piece of gold in the Jinling Museum of later generations, which Zheng He brought back from overseas during his voyages to the West.

Xia Yuanji thought about it and said, "I have visually estimated that those silver coins, gold coins, pearls, agate and other currency-coined jewelry, if converted into silver coins based on market prices, would be approximately 10 taels."

"Zheng He led his fleet to sea this time, and the local goods he carried were mainly silk, porcelain, tea, etc., and the things he brought back were mostly overseas specialties, including various spices and other items, in addition to jewelry and coins."

Zhu Gaoxu continued: "If I remember correctly, the pepper purchased from Sumatra costs one tael of silver for one hundred catties, and the current market price of pepper in the Ming Dynasty is 20 taels of silver for one hundred catties."

Then, he changed the topic and asked: "If you add in the food and drink expenses of the boatmen, sailors, officers and soldiers, etc., and then calculate, is it worth twenty times the profit from pepper?"

Zhu Gaoxu wanted Xia Yuanji to understand that although Hai Xuan Yang seemed to be losing money at the moment, in the long run, the benefits of opening up the sea would definitely far outweigh the disadvantages.

Xia Yuanji was silent for a long time before speaking: "I don't have the ambition and courage of the Crown Prince and Your Majesty. As the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and the Vice President of the Royal Bank and the Vice President of the Bank of the Ministry of Accounts, I manage the Ming Dynasty together with Yu Lao Shangshu. Finance, taking care of His Majesty’s money bag, and taking care of the people’s jobs.”

Seeing that Zhu Gaoxu seemed displeased, he bit the bullet and said: "I am stupid and cannot understand the foresight of His Majesty and the Crown Prince, which has disappointed His Highness. But I still want to say that the common people are hungry and cannot scold me, they can only I scold Your Majesty and the Ming Dynasty. I may lose my official position or lose my life, but we must not let this happen!"

"You are right, and so is my father. You are in charge of the money bag, and my father is in charge of the world."

Zhu Gaoxu likes Xia Yuanji's straightforward nature and doesn't mince words.

"Why does Your Majesty value reputation so much?"

Xia Yuanji suddenly asked: "Taizu founded the country and was diligent and pragmatic. Didn't he also rule the world and have food and drink?"

"Taizu is right, and so is my father. Taizu was born in a peasant family, and my father was born in a royal palace. This is the difference."

Zhu Gaoxu considered his words carefully.

He was not angry because he knew that Xia Yuanji and him were in different positions, had different ways of thinking, and naturally had different visions and structures.

"Maybe you can't understand it now, but you'll see again in ten years!"

Zhu Gaoxu thought for a while and had no choice but to end his meeting with Xia Yuanji with these words.

Xia Yuanji said respectfully, "I'll wait and see."

"Let's go, don't keep Qiu Fu, Zheng He and the others waiting."

Zhu Gaoxu stood up and said.

An hour later.

On the street in front of Huitong Hall.

Zhu Gaoxu, Qiu Fu, Xia Yuanji, Zheng He, and Kang Ping were all wearing casual clothes. The five of them were secretly guarded by guards such as Zhao Junchen, Wei Xian, Sai Hazhi, and Jin Yiwei. They were walking around the crowded Seven-day Trade Market.

"It's really like waving your hands like rain, waving your sweat like rain, and waving your sleeves like clouds! If the people of Li and those merchants know that His Highness is here in person, wouldn't they risk their lives?"

Kang Ping followed Zhu Gaoxu and said quietly.

"What kind of scholar doesn't manage money? Bullshit! That's just sitting and talking without hurting your back! We should really let those pedantic ministers come to this trade market to take a look."

Qihou Qiufu, who was following Zhu Gaoxu, said angrily.

"My father sent someone to send young master (Yao Guangxiao) the agarwood, pepper, sappan wood, dipterocarp and other goods. Did the young master accept it?"

Zhu Gaoxu did not answer Kang Ping and Qiu Fu's words, but asked Zheng He next to him in a normal voice.

"Take it. The temple is self-sufficient in food, and Master has nothing to ask for. The reason why I accepted the extra goods must be to show support for the imperial court."

Zheng He said respectfully.

At this moment, everyone wandered into a stall selling corals.

The stall owner was a businessman. When he saw that everyone was wearing gorgeous clothes and looking extraordinary, they all looked like rich people, so he quickly said in less fluent Chinese: "Bosses, look at these beautiful corals. Coral from the sea!”

"Once the Huitong Pavilion opens its seven-day trade, looking at the lively scene, more foreign merchants will come here to trade."

Zheng He whispered.

"The imperial court allowed them to trade freely and not collect any tax money for seven days. What they wanted was overseas yearning for the Ming Dynasty and what they wanted was the wealth that the Ming Dynasty gained from overseas."

Zhu Gaoxu nodded and said.

Just when everyone stopped to look at the coral, there was a densely populated alley more than fifty steps away from them, and a Ming businessman was shouting at the entrance of the alley.

"All the giant businessmen traveling from north to south, please stay here. The magical medicinal materials from overseas countries, dipterocarps and sulfur can cure all diseases! Come and take a look!"

"Shopkeeper, what is this and why does it smell so bad?"

A passing guest picked up a palm-sized piece of sulfur and asked.

"This is the very precious Sumatra sulfur. It can detoxify and nourish the body. It's worth as much as gold!"

The stall owner said proudly.

"Sulfur? What is sulfur?"

the passerby asked strangely.

"My guest, you don't know something. This thing used to be used by the royal family in the palace and was banned by the people."

The stall owner whispered.

"No, I don't know what this thing is for. I'm just a commoner, so I don't need it. Excuse me, shopkeeper!"

The passerby replied crisply.

"Don't, don't go!"

The stall owner extended his hand to say hello.

Among the crowd ten steps away from this stall, a young man dressed as a scholar suddenly stopped and sighed.

"During the Hongwu period, the imperial court banned the use of fanxiang by the common people. Now that the Three Treasures eunuchs have returned from overseas, the ban on fanxiang has been lifted. This is really like 'in the old days, kings and queens in front of the hall flew into the homes of ordinary people'!"

Next to the young man, Bai Jinfu, the boss of Bada Restaurant, happened to be standing. Hearing the young man's sigh, he asked: "Young master is so elegant, he doesn't look like a businessman, right?"

"To be honest, I am Yu Yanzhao, a student of Jinling Regular College." The young man saluted with clasped fists.

"Jinling Academy? The young master is a disciple of the prince, and a person from a scholarly family. Why did he come to such a dirty place where he is greedy for money and profit?"

Bai Jinfu asked in surprise.

"I heard that His Majesty has authorized seven days of trade, and I would like to come and see the excitement. What kind of business is sir?"

Yu Yanzhao asked politely.

"My dear, Bai Jinfu, has been in business for generations and is currently in the spice business."

Bai Jinfu cupped his hands and replied.

"It turns out to be Boss Bai. I'm disrespectful." Yu Yanzhao also said with his hands in hand.

"Don't dare." Bai Jinfu replied.

While the two were chatting, the sulfur stall owner just grabbed an old man who was passing by.

"Old man, please stay here. This is Fanbang's magical medicinal material. You can take a look!"

The stall owner let go of his hand and quickly bowed to introduce the old man who stopped.

"What kind of medicinal materials?" the old man asked.

"This is the precious medicinal material sulfur that I brought back from the foreign countries."

said the stall owner.

"What did I think it was? It turned out to be sulfur." ​​The old man said disdainfully.

"Would you like to try the goods, old man?" the stall owner said respectfully.

"We are China, with a vast land and abundant resources. It has been rich in various medicinal materials since ancient times. Shen Nong tasted hundreds of herbs to save the world. What medicinal materials do not exist? What kind of diseases cannot be cured? What is the use of these foreign medicinal materials?"

The old man asked rather proudly.

The stall owner said in surprise: "Dare you ask me who you are?"

"I am a seventh-generation ancestral doctor. I have saved countless lives for hundreds of years, and I have never recognized any foreign medicinal materials." The old man said proudly.

the other side.

"Boss, my subordinates discovered that Qihou's housekeeper was selling foreign goods in this market, so he was captured and asked to be punished, boss."

After Sai Hazhi executed Pang Wensheng, Hu Xiaoliu, and Mu Su on the emperor's order, Zhu Di was very happy to see that he was cautious in doing things, and specially allowed him to serve under the prince Zhu Gaoxu.

At this time, he grabbed a middle-aged man dressed as a wealthy businessman and came to Zhu Gaoxu and his party.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince." Qiu Fu bowed quickly and said.

"Call the boss." Zhu Gaoxu said solemnly. "Yes. Boss." Qiu Fu said respectfully.

Zhu Gaoxu looked at the wealthy businessman dressed up, who was lowering his head and lowering his hands, and asked Qiu Fu, "Is this person the housekeeper of your house?"

"Exactly." Qiu Fu said respectfully.

"The butler of the dignified Marquis also sells foreign goods here?"

Zhu Gaoxu asked in a tone that did not convey joy or anger.

"The steward may have thought that there were too many goods for the palace to use, and it was just in time for the seven-day trade day, so he acted like this."

Qiu Fu explained: "Wei Chen did not know about this matter."

Zhu Gaoxu looked at Xia Yuanji and asked, "What do you think?"

"Boss, as an important official of the imperial court, Qihou's lack of strict control over his family is really damaging to the court's face. I hope the boss will understand."

Xia Yuanji said respectfully.

"The minister is knowledgeable, but his words are impersonal. Since the goods are the salaries of the salary collectors, they naturally have to be replaced by money-obsessed oil and salt. Otherwise, Qiu and his family will be drinking from the northwest?"

Qiu Fu glared at Xia Yuanji and asked.

"What are you selling?"

Zhu Gaoxu ignored the dispute between the two and asked the housekeeper.

"The little man is selling incense. He got it from the Salary Lifting Department." The steward replied respectfully.

Zhu Gaoxu asked again: "How much is the discount for the incense received from the salary department?"

"One or two incense is worth a hundred copper coins." the steward replied.

"What's the market price of fanxiang today?" Zhu Gaoxu asked.

The housekeeper said respectfully: "The average price is about one tael of silver yuan and one or two ounces of incense."

"One tael of silver yuan is equal to a thousand coins. So, if you bring the fragrance from the court and resell it here, you can make Qihou ten times the profit, right?"

Zhu Gaoxu asked again.

"Yes." The butler said bluntly.

Zhu Gaoxu ordered Sai Hazhi: "Let the housekeeper go."

"Thank you boss."

Qiu Fu and the butler bowed and saluted at the same time.

"It's better to experience it personally than to sit and talk about it! My boss also wants to go forward and take a look. If anyone has any questions, please come to the court tomorrow to speak to my father and discuss it later."

Zhu Gaoxu turned around and walked towards the sulfur stall at the entrance of the alley.

After a while, everyone gathered around Zhu Gaoxu and walked to the sulfur stall.

"Dear guests, come, come, take a look, take a look, this is sulfur shipped from Nanyang, all of the highest quality."

Zheng He asked: "This stall owner also sells foreign goods. Why is your business here so deserted? But the quality is not good?"

The sulfur stall owner said hurriedly: "It's not that the quality is not good, it's that there is no one here who knows the goods!"

"In the land of the capital, merchants from all over the world and abroad gather together, and talents gather together. How can you not know the goods?" Zhu Gaoxu continued.

At this moment, Bai Jinfu and Yu Yanzhao walked near the sulfur stall, and they both saw Zhu Gaoxu talking to the stall owner.

"Shopkeeper Bai, I still have something to do, so please take the first step."

Yu Yanzhao cupped his hands towards Bai Jinfu, then covered his face, turned around and walked away quickly.

After Bai Jinfu watched Yu Yanzhao leave and looked back at the leader of the Sihai Merchant Gang in the distance, a bold guess came to his mind.

at the same time.

The sulfur stall owner said helplessly: "Guests don't know. What I sell are all authentic goods shipped from Nanyang, but they don't recognize them, so I can't do anything about it!"

Zhu Gaoxu faced Zheng He and asked, "Brother, haven't you also been abroad? Would such a thing happen?"

Zheng He understood, then took a piece of sulfur to his nose and smelled it, and then said to the stall owner: "Is this sulfur produced in Sumatran from Southeast Asia?"

The stall owner nodded hurriedly and said: "There really are people who know the goods in this capital city! These goods were selected by me personally with the Ming Dynasty fleet led by Zheng He to Sumatra!"

"So, do you know the envoy of Zheng?"

Zhu Gaoxu took the piece of sulfur from Zheng He's hand, smelled it, and then asked.

The stall owner waved his hands and said, "How can I be so lucky?"

"The color of this sulfur is slightly white and the smell is not that pungent, while the color of the Japanese sulfur is yellow and the smell is stronger. Therefore, this batch of goods did come from Nanyang."

Zheng He's eyes fell on the sulfur on the stall and he said slowly.

"Your Majesty is indeed an expert. By the way, do you know the usefulness of this sulfur?"

The stall owner said with a smile.

"This product can remove miasma, detoxify internal organs, treat sores, and reduce swelling and pain. It is very useful. We are in short supply of this product in China. Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, we have purchased it from foreign countries such as Sumatra and Japan. Its price exceeds that of gold.”

Zheng He replied.

"That's right! My stall has not been opened since early morning. I thought that no one would pay attention to my hard work in the past two years. Unexpectedly, I finally met someone who knows the goods. May I ask your name?"

The stall owner said excitedly.

"My surname is Zheng, from Yunnan. This is Mr. Zhu, my boss. We are all here to see the fun."

Zheng He introduced it to the stall owner.

"Just looking at the excitement? When I heard you talk about Brimstone, you were so clear-headed that I thought I had an opportunity to take action. Oh, it's been a waste of time!"

The stall owner sighed with a grimace.

Zhu Gaoxu then said: "How do you want to sell the goods you brought across the ocean? Do you want a doctor to weigh you by twos and fives using a medicine shop's small scale, or do you hope that a big business will come and sell you all at once?" Is everything included?”

"If you want the whole package, I'm willing to sell it at a bargain price." The stall owner said anxiously.

"How much do you have in stock?" Zhu Gaoxu asked.

"How much do you want?" the stall owner asked.

Zhu Gaoxu asked: "How many do you have?"

"To be honest, I took half a boat of sulfur from Sumatra, weighing more than 5000 kilograms. If you want it all, you only need to pay the capital, 8000 taels of silver." The stall owner pondered for a moment, Then he said with a look of pain.

"But I can't get so many silver coins on hand at one time!" Zhu Gaoxu said deliberately embarrassed.

"That's true." The stall owner agreed.

He added regretfully: "I was trying to get a bargain on this item in Sumatra, but I got mad and bought too much. Now I can't get rid of it. Now I have to sell it at a bargain price!"

"In this way, if no one buys your goods within seven days, then you can sell it to me at this price." Zhu Gaoxu said.

"Is this true?" the stall owner said happily.

"I testify that my boss never lies, so just rest assured." Kang Ping came over and said.

The stall owner smiled happily and said, "Then let's make it an agreement!"

"Boss, I wish you a prosperous business!" Kang Ping said with cupped hands.

"My dear guests, please move slowly!"

The stall owner happily watched Zhu Gaoxu and his entourage leave and greeted them loudly.

After Zhu Gaoxu and others walked away, Bai Jinfu came over and said to the stall owner: "Boss, can you take me to your warehouse to inspect the goods?"

"You mean, you also want my goods?"

The stall owner said slightly surprised.

"Yes!" Bai Jinfu said without hesitation.

PS: Thanks for the monthly votes from sad sad, lifelong follow-up, Botswana pumpkin farmer, Long Dong, Shu Hitchcock, Han Jiangjiao, Beer Jiang150605168, crazy readers and other brothers!There are also recommendations voted by buddies such as Ji Ji Ji, Xin Xin Hung Yi, Immortal Emperor, Azusagawa Brother, Crazy Reader, Nakano Ichika and others!Thanks for your support brother!

(End of this chapter)