Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 226: Divide the Money
To pay 10,000 strings of cash was a huge loss for the eldest prince. If possible, he would certainly want to default on the debt, embezzle it... or even use other more covert but effective means to offset the money.
But Lu Sanlang was a slippery man, and he did not leave that place to return to the Imperial College that night. He could not even use the trick of luring the tiger away from the mountain like the second prince, and he did not dare to cause trouble near the Imperial College, which was now at the center of the storm. The next morning, Lu Sanlang and Ah Liu came out with two spinners, but they shouted something after they left the house.
"The loom inside has been burned to ashes. I'll take the people back to the weaving and dyeing workshop to help for a few days. Don't bother yourself!"
When the spies in the surrounding areas brought back the news, the furious eldest prince had no choice but to accept the deal. He had to send another supervisor who was loyal to him to deliver a letter to Lu Sanlang, finalizing the price of five thousand strings of cash plus five hundred acres of cotton fields in Cangzhou. Although the prices in the counties near the capital were not as high as those in the south of the Yangtze River, ten strings of cash per acre was still a bargain.
Ten days later, when the Ministry of Rites was making a fuss about the selection of concubines, and Shuntian Prefecture Governor Wang Jie was unceremoniously interrogating the two guards around the second prince, the deal between the first prince and Lu Sanlang was completed. What made the first prince angry was that the entire 100 spinning machines were not in the capital, but in a temporary carpenter's workshop in the suburbs of Beijing.
That was long before Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu bought the weaving and dyeing workshop. Zhang Shou, through Zhao Si and Luo Xiaoxiao, asked Carpenter Sun and Blacksmith Zhang to bring a dozen apprentices to work for more than a month to finally finish the product.
According to what Lu Sanlang had said to the eldest prince, this place was remote and quiet, just right for recruiting spinners to work quietly and make a fortune without making any noise. The workshop was a gift to the eldest prince. He even suggested that the eldest prince recruit spinners directly from Cangzhou to avoid alerting others. Of course, if it really didn't work out, it wouldn't be too late to train the staff immediately.
After all, a skilled spinner is relatively easier to train than a skilled weaver.
Although he felt frustrated, when the eldest prince secretly left the city and took several spinners to test the spinning machine, he was not disappointed. Zhao Si and Luo Xiaoxiao were encouraged by the generous reward, and Guan Qiu also came in to discuss the matter. They came up with a good idea. The new spinning machine improved by the three people had 18 spindles, which was several times faster than the three-spindle spinning machine commonly used in Jiangnan before!
The eldest prince immediately sent people to Cangzhou to invite the owners of the most famous weaving workshops to discuss important matters. At the same time, he sent people to the Jiangnan Guild Hall to contact the representatives of the Jiangnan clans in the capital. He was very confident that with his unique skills, he would definitely be able to attract those wealthy businessmen.
While the eldest prince was busy starting his own business of making a fortune, the small blacksmith shop next to the Xiao family compound near the Imperial College in the north city also officially opened with gongs and drums. However, there was also a sign of Zhao's woodworking workshop. The neighbors all shook their heads at the fact that two businesses were doing the same business in the same store.
They all say Jin Ke Mu...How can these two things be put together?
Zhang Shou put the blacksmith shop and the woodworking workshop together just for the fun of playing games, but he put them together to satisfy Luo Xiaoxiao and Zhao Si's wishes, and he didn't expect them to make daily necessities. He still expected these two people, together with Guan Qiu, to develop various equipment for him.
At this time, seeing the two young men who had been formally apprenticed by Carpenter Sun and Blacksmith Zhang before coming to him, he smiled and handed over two red envelopes: "This is a gift!"
Luo Xiaoxiao and Zhao Si hurriedly took it with both hands. Although they found the red paper bag light, they , so they hurriedly thanked him. When Zhang Shou, who brought Zhang Chen, Lu Sanlang and others here to save face for them, smiled and asked others to go to the Xiao family next door, the two returned to their respective rooms and then hurriedly opened the red envelope.
No more, no less, exactly 100 guan per person, all in cash. But you have to know that before, their masters brought a large group of apprentices to work for a month, and they only earned 200 guan!
When Zhang Shou entered the Xiao family next door, Zhang Lu couldn't help but ask, "Young sir, Carpenter Sun and Blacksmith Zhang have been working in the workshop outside the city for more than a month with so many people. They should know how to make all the parts. What if someone figures out the blueprint of the spinning machine?"
"What should we do?" Zhang Shou laughed. Seeing that Lu Sanlang was also grinning, he said lightly, "I have already told Carpenter Sun and Ironsmith Zhang with professional ethics to keep their apprentices' mouths shut, because this is what the eldest prince wants. So many of them have worked hard day and night, and I have not treated them unfairly. I paid them a total of 200 strings of cash, which is several times their usual salary."
"And if this gets out, it's just because the eldest prince is unlucky." In fact, he didn't intend to hide it at all...
He smiled and shrugged, saying indifferently: "That's why I told you that this new spinning machine is certainly useful and powerful, but under the current conditions, as long as it is used on a large scale, it is simply not enough to keep it secret. Even if the eldest prince's reputation can scare people for a while, it is not enough to scare people forever. As long as he really contacts all parties, he will not be proud for long."
At this point, he chuckled and said, "Well, anyway, we have already slaughtered the sucker, and it is none of our business if he runs into any obstacles. Since we have already defeated the local tyrant, of course we should divide the money and the land!"
Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu's eyes lit up at the same time, but after looking at each other, they saw the determination in each other's eyes. At that moment, Zhang Wu, who was two months older, said sincerely: "Young Master, the two of us are just a cover. Even the money to buy the weaving and dyeing factory was not paid by us, but by you. Even if there is a harvest now, Xiao Lu and I should not share it."
Zhang Lu glanced at Lu Sanlang as he spoke: "Lu Sanlang paid for the blacksmith shop, and also went out to negotiate with the eldest prince. He spent money and took risks. Compared to him, we really didn't do anything important."
He and Zhang Wu are extremely lucky to be where they are today. They should be content with what they have!
Lu Sanlang didn't expect Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu to be able to resist the temptation of a huge fortune, and he immediately felt that he should be more upright. However, before he could even open his mouth to speak, Zhang Shou stopped him with a gesture.
"You don't have to push and shove. This is the first time that we have all joined forces to do something. Those who have not made any contributions have at least worked hard. Besides, the emperor doesn't lack hungry soldiers, not to mention that this is the first time I have invited you to join forces to do something. Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu have just become the sons-in-law of the royal family. Although they have received many gifts, their expenses are also high. Each of you should take 1,000 strings of cash and deposit them in the bank. You can withdraw them at any time."
Before Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu could speak, Zhang Shou looked at Lu Sanlang and said, "Lu Sanlang, you spent a lot of money just to buy the blacksmith shop. If the eldest prince suffers a setback when he returns, the bill will be on you. You have done something and taken risks. Just take the 2,500 strings of cash first."
He paused, then smiled and said, "Of course, the five hundred acres of cotton fields will be sold at the price of ten strings of cash per acre that the eldest prince offered. If anyone doesn't want cash but wants the fields, that's fine."
Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu were deeply touched when they knew that Zhang Shou's family was not very well off and that he had just given away nearly half of his 10,000 taels of silver in a short time. Lu Sanlang's eyes rolled and he said with a drooling face, "Young Master, we can actually be considered to have gotten something for nothing this time. I don't lack money, so how about leaving these 2,500 taels of silver with you?"
As he spoke, he had already sorted out his thoughts and laughed even more loudly: "The new textile machine was drawn by you, and the craftsmen who made it were hired by you. You also hired their masters to make the 100 textile machines. Even the weaving and dyeing workshops of Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu were paid for by you. I just helped out."
"Even so, Zhang Wu, Zhang Lu and I shared so much money. This is really the most profitable business in the world. In the future, young master, you must help me with such good things, so this money can be regarded as reinvestment. This time I made 2,500 out of 600 strings of cash. Now that my 2,500 strings of cash are left with you, won't I be able to earn more than 10,000 strings of cash in the future? I like to share the money the most."
Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu were stunned by Lu Sanlang's tone, which seemed to be blinded by money. When they realized that the fat man was doing it on purpose, they woke up from their dreams. Since they couldn't refuse, they might as well treat the money as reinvestment instead of taking it back and spending it all. Could it be that Zhang Shou, such a generous and wise man, would still be interested in their money?
Thinking of this, the two hurriedly agreed. Zhang Lu even shouted loudly: "Lu Sanlang is right, young master, if you really want to give us the 1,000 guan, why not keep it in your hands!"
"You three cunning fellows!"
Zhang Shou shook his head helplessly, but then he smiled: "Well, I'll keep the money for now. As for the 500 acres of cotton fields... Hehe, I don't know why the eldest prince would use it to pay off the debt. He is such a spendthrift!"
"Yes, I was shocked when he was planning to use cotton fields as a discount. Why use cotton fields when there are so many other lands? It's obvious that once the efficiency of spinning is much higher than before, the demand for cotton will increase dramatically. At that time, cotton fields may become popular, and it is very likely that even the price of cotton will increase..."
Lu Sanlang said this proudly, and suddenly turned his head to look at Zhang Shou: "Wait, that's not right! If weaving can't be fast, spinning fast is useless. After all, what the market needs is cotton cloth that can be made into clothes, not cotton yarn!"
"You're right!" Zhang Shou laughed immediately. "It's precisely because I haven't found a loom that can weave faster that I plan to pick a sucker to kill! I didn't expect the second prince to be the first to fall into the trap, and then the eldest prince took the initiative to come to the door. Otherwise, I just planned to pick a greedy but malicious person to play a trick on, that's all!"
Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu's reactions were not as good as Lu Sanlang's, but they all couldn't help but laugh when they heard this. Although they were facing two princes, they were not afraid at all - after all, the second prince had already bullied them, and the eldest prince didn't take them seriously. Were they so cheap that they had to accept it?
After laughing, Zhang Lu asked tentatively, "But if what Lu Sanlang said is true, once the eldest prince goes to contact those wealthy merchants, they will definitely find out about this very quickly. By then, won't the price of the cotton field be about the same as before? In that case, these 500 acres of cotton field may not even be worth 5,000 strings of cash."
"But what if the loom can weave faster in a few months?" Zhang Shou laughed. Although it takes time to go from an idea to a finished product, in many cases, an idea is often the basis for promoting an invention.
Seeing that Lu Sanlang's eyes lit up like light bulbs, as if he was about to ask about the new loom, Zhang Shou calmly said to Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu: "Pick a weaver with a quick mind and reliable character from the weaving and dyeing workshop to help Luo Xiaoxiao and Zhao Si improve the loom. After all, although Guan Qiu likes to ask why and has a unique way of thinking, he is not a weaver after all."
"Yes, we'll do it right away!" Zhang Wu agreed immediately. But at this moment, he heard a familiar but scary voice coming from outside the door.
"Mr. Xiao Lu, are the two Mr. Xiao Zhang here? I have a question to ask you..."
Zhang Wu, Zhang Lu, and Lu Sanlang all felt their scalps go numb at this moment. Lu Sanlang even groaned and held his head in pain. They would rather face the cruel and greedy royal family like the eldest and second princes than face the meticulous child outside.
Brother Zhu, if you don’t come back soon, those of us who are helping you take care of the children will be tortured to death!
Hearing that it was Xiao Cheng who came, Zhang Shou's eyes sparkled, and then he said nonchalantly: "Okay, you guys take turns answering Xiao Cheng's questions, I'm going back to the Imperial College first."
"Young Master, you can't abandon us!" Lu Sanlang cried out in grievance, "Can't you give up my 2,500 strings of cash?"
Zhang Shou strode out without looking back, turning a deaf ear to the extremely resentful call from behind. When he saw Xiao Cheng step aside to make way at the door and then bowed solemnly, he smiled and nodded in return, feeling extremely grateful in his heart.
Fortunately, he wanted to train the students in Banshan Hall to let them experience the hardship of raising children before they got married, otherwise he would be in trouble! Compared with Qi Liang and Deng Xiaodai back then, and those naughty children in the village who could be beaten at will, even Guan Qiu who was always in a daze and asked why, was no match for Xiao Cheng. This little guy was simply extremely difficult to deal with!
The most troublesome thing is that Xiao Cheng has a catchphrase - my big brother Zhu said...
If it weren't for the fact that the people working in the Banshan Hall of the Imperial College could be described as conscientious and diligent, sweeping and wiping everything with all their heart and soul, he would have suspected that he had hired not a servant, but a little ancestor!
