The business talks went surprisingly smoothly.
Su Xigui conducted a detailed investigation of the terraced fields used for drying salt, hoping to find some clues from it, but after looking at it for a long time, he could only grasp the basics and could not understand how brine was finally turned into flake salt.
After returning to the city.
Su Xigui asked someone to deliver the silver box to the rice shop.
"One box is worth one thousand and two taels of silver. There are ten boxes in total. You can ask someone to count them." Su Xigui sat there, holding a teacup in his hand, with an indifferent expression.
It seemed as if the ten thousand taels of silver were nothing to him.
Zhu Niang and Aunt Li instantly lost their composure. They said that the deal would be done for 10,000 taels, but when the other party really brought the money... where should they put so much silver?
Zhu Hao smiled and asked, "Master Su will probably stay in Anlu for a while, right?"
Su Xigui smiled , as if to say, "Do you really need to ask me this?" Of course I have to stay and verify whether the method you said is true or not.
"How about this, Mr. Su takes five thousand taels back and helps us buy good farmland locally and then transfers it to us?" Zhu Hao proposed a transaction plan.
"oh?"
Su Xigui asked in confusion, "Why is this?"
Zhu Hao said, "Master Su should know that our relationship with our family is not that harmonious. If we buy land with great fanfare, will the Zhu family ask for it back? Besides, Master Su should give 5,000 taels first as a down payment, and the remaining 5,000 taels is our sincerity. Once Master Su is sure that our method works, it won't be too late to send the land deed to us."
Aunt Li quickly asked, "Master Hao, isn't this inappropriate?"
It was obvious that Aunt Li was afraid that Su Xigui would default on his debt.
Su Xigui looked at Zhu Hao again with a surprised look: "No wonder you can help your mother support the family business. It seems that you are really good. I, Su, have always believed that doing business requires honesty. In this case, I will listen to you. I will take the five thousand taels of silver back first and buy you some land before sending it back."
Zhu Hao smiled and said, "Then let's sign the contract first. Everything will be subject to the contract."
…
…
Zhu Hao took out the second marked drawing and handed it to Su Xigui.
This blueprint is actually a plan for building terraces, allowing Su Xigui to build salt fields himself from scratch to verify whether the method of drying salt is feasible.
When Su Xigui understood the details, he smiled and said, "No wonder you wanted to keep the salt guide. It turns out you are going to dry the salt yourself. If the government knew about this..."
Zhu Hao said, "Master Su, you won't use this to threaten us, right? If you do... we won't admit it."
"No, no, isn't the salt you dry originally coarse salt for livestock to eat? I buy your coarse salt and transport it to other places to sell. It doesn't matter if the government knows about it." Su Xigui said with a smile.
He certainly knew the key.
Are you saying that Zhu Niang is smuggling salt?
How capable is Zhu Niang?
By then, Zhu Niang would insist that it was Su Xigui who provided the manpower and material support. Even if Su Xigui had a brother-in-law who was the governor to support him, it would be difficult for him to clear himself of the charges. After all, Su Xigui was the one who actually transported and sold salt, and Zhu Niang was just looking for someone to dry the salt.
This was what Zhu Niang was most worried about, and she felt relieved after hearing Su Xigui's words.
She was worried that Su Xigui would go back on his word and use this matter as a threat. Not only would she not give her the money, but she would also be manipulated by Su Xigui in the future and have to continue drying salt for him.
"Okay, there's nothing to do this winter. The salt fields don't produce much salt, and it's the off-season. I'll stay in Anlu for a while longer. If there's anything good to eat or do, I'll arrange it for you...Master Zhu, since you came up with this recipe, you need to give me more advice in the future. One percent of the income... is not a small amount."
…
…
The deal was done.
Although they only received half of the silver for the time being, Zhu Niang and Aunt Li were actually satisfied.
Zhu Niang was still a little scared: "Xiaohao, do you think that when Master Su returns...will he regret it?"
Zhu Hao said, "People's minds are hard to predict, but even if he changes his mind, what can he do? At most, I won't do business with him anymore. But I think even if he changes his mind, he should wait a month to see the results of the salt drying... Now he turns against me without even understanding the tricks... With his intelligence, he won't do such a stupid thing."
Both Zhu Niang and Aunt Li looked at Zhu Hao in astonishment.
It seems that Zhu Hao doesn't completely trust Su Xigui and has been on guard against him for a long time?
"But mother, there is one thing I want to say. In fact, for this Su family, making money is not that important. Or he wants to make more money. It is not necessary to just cheat us. He wants his brother-in-law to make further progress in the court, so he is willing to spend a lot of money."
Zhu Hao analyzed.
Zhu Niang asked: "You always say that Huang Fantai needs to do something in the court, so what should we do?"
Zhu Hao spread his hands and said, "If Huang Fantai wants to enter the court as a minister, he must have extraordinary political achievements or a deep background to bribe important officials in the court... The chances are slim, but if he can present the salt drying method to His Majesty and fill His Majesty's pockets, he may have a chance to enter the central government."
Zhu Niang nodded, not quite understanding, and said, "So that's how it is."
"So we don't have to worry too much about Su Dongzhu going back on his word. He is more worried that we can't share the secret of salt drying with us. Such a good method of salt drying is only sold for 10,000 taels... He must be secretly happy."
Zhu Hao was actually not worried at all.
Su Xigui is a government-turned-businessman who makes a lot of money by relying on his brother-in-law's background. The higher his brother-in-law's status, the easier it is for him to make money. Otherwise, once Huang Zan retires and returns to his hometown, his business will be affected in no time once his protective umbrella falls. With the end of Huang Zan's political influence, the entire business empire will eventually collapse.
If Su Xigui doesn't even want to make this little investment, there is no need for the two parties to cooperate. Based on what Zhu Hao has observed about Su Xigui's character over the past six months, he knows that this person is extremely shrewd and not a short-sighted villain.
This is also the fundamental reason why Zhu Hao was willing to sell the salt-drying method to him.
…
…
Zhu Hao was going back to the palace that day.
Zhu Niang originally wanted to ask Zhu Hao what to do next year when they stopped drying salt?
Before leaving, Zhu Hao gave a hint, intentionally or unintentionally: "Wouldn't it be nice to have some land in the future, run the shop, and do some stable business? Maybe I can develop some new business... and make a lot of money."
Zhu Niang rolled her eyes at him and said, "Xiaohao, don't always think about good things."
"Mother, you must remember that there are five thousand taels of silver in the house now. The risk factor has increased sharply. Should we hire a few guards to look after the house? In case someone wants us..."
"Pooh!"
Zhu Niang spat, "You just keep saying unlucky things. Who would know that there is money at home? But we should find someone to keep an eye on it, so that we can be prepared if something happens."
There were no money houses in this era, so people had to store their silver in their own cellars.
Or it can be turned into land and houses and guarded as capital, passed down from generation to generation.
For Zhu Hao, if he wants to do some business in the future and needs cash support, five thousand taels of silver will be enough.
Thinking about his worries, Zhu Hao took the carriage driven by Yu San to the palace. On the way, Yu San asked curiously: "Brother Hao, what is the deal with the Su family today? I saw him before... It seems that he brought a few boxes of silver."
Zhu Hao warned, "These are all government businesses, don't ask around! Besides, my mother does her business, and we do ours. I asked you to find a troupe, do you have any luck?"
When Yu San heard about his own business, his tone suddenly became sonorous and powerful: "I have tried to find one , but it is really hard to find one. I asked my connections to go to the provincial capital to look for one. I think there will be news soon. It would be best if we can find a big troupe...but the price is really not low."
Zhu Hao smiled and said, "My mother just made a big deal with Su Dongzhu. If you are really short of money, just let my mother invest. You don't have to worry about that."
"well!"
Yu San looked very excited.
After working with Zhu Hao for just over two months, he had already earned more than twenty taels of silver, which was equivalent to the assets he had saved over the past several years.
"Little Third Brother, now that you have money, shouldn't you get married?"
"My mother is arranging things. I don't like those from small families, and those from large families don't like me either. So I'll just pick one first."
"Ha ha."
The two chatted intermittently, and soon the carriage stopped in front of the west gate of the palace.
Zhu Hao got off the carriage, and Yu San helped to carry things. Just then, Lu Song and his men came out.
"Lu Dianzhang, are you going out to handle official business?" Zhu Hao asked with a smile.
"Um."
Lu Song nodded first, then approached and asked, "Who is the person you met these two days?"
As soon as Zhu Hao heard this, he knew that the palace was very concerned about his situation and was secretly watching his every move.
Zhu Hao explained: "That man's name is Su Xigui, and he is the brother-in-law of our province's Huang Fantai. You can investigate this. He is a big salt merchant, and my family buys all the salt from him... This time he came to Anlu to do business, and we are just responsible for receiving him."
"Your family is hosting?"
Lu Song had a face full of doubts, as if to say, your mother is a chaste woman, and he, the brother-in-law of a provincial governor, would let a chaste woman receive him when he comes to the local area?
Does your mother understand what it means to avoid suspicion?
Zhu Hao said, "It's not like my mother is here to receive me personally. She just asked someone to take care of me... Could it be that Lu Dianzhang is here on official business to question me about this?"
Seeing Zhu Hao's alert look, Lu Song sighed, "If you have any problems in the future, it's best to tell the truth. Let's go!"
Then Lu Song took his men away.
Zhu Hao saw that he was in a hurry and thought that something big might have happened in the mansion.
Zhu Hao thought about it and realized that the most worrying thing in the palace recently was the visit of eunuch Zhang Zhong from the Imperial Stables to Anlu.
Is he going to pick someone up?
"Brother Hao, I have to go to the bookstore to support the business, so I won't take you in." Yu San said with a smile.
Zhu Hao said, "You can't get in if you want to. Yu San, let me tell you, you must respect the people in this palace . You never know when your luck will change... What's the point of making money? The most important thing is to stand out from the crowd. Do you understand?"
"ah?"
Yu San looked puzzled.
He thought to himself, I am just a common man, it is hard enough to survive in this world, so what is the point of making a name for myself?
"Brother Hao, I can only follow you. You eat the meat and I drink the soup. I don't ask for wealth and honor...you're busy." As he said this, he helped Zhu Hao deliver the things to the door, watched Zhu Hao enter the door with the packages of different sizes, and then left in a hurry.
As soon as Zhu Hao returned to the dormitory, he saw Zhu San, Zhu Si, Lu Bing and Jing Hong playing Cuju in the yard, as if they were waiting for him to return.
When Zhu San saw Zhu Hao, he said in surprise: "You are finally back! We have been waiting for you for so long."
Zhu Hao frowned and asked, "What's going on? Jinghong, why don't you stay at home for one more night?"
Jing Hong was so tired that he was out of breath. "My father went to the palace today to discuss something with the prince, and I came back with him. The palace allows the two princes to play Cuju, so we will play here... We are waiting for you to join us."