Chapter 559 – Come Come Come, Let Me Show You a Big Treasure (1)
To protect the secret of glass to the utmost, heavy troops were stationed near the brick kiln, strictly monitoring everyone involved in the production. Their families and the recent flow of funds were closely tracked by Jiang Pengji.
Of course, to compensate, any craftsman working in the kiln received generous monthly wages, and their families enjoyed easier jobs, while eligible children had priority access to education in the academy. With such multiple measures, the secret of glass was well-protected; each production was extremely confidential, with strict registration of all glass produced and careful destruction of any defective items.
To keep the Northern Border’s noblewomen on their toes, the numbers of glass items produced in the previous batches were relatively low, barely over a hundred sets in total.
Now, to swindle the Northern Border for their last chunk of change, Jiang Pengji instructed a massive production, working day and night.
The kiln head was sweating bullets at this bustling energy, terrified that he might have misheard the orders in his sleep.
By the time Gu Xin arrived with the merchant team, thousands of glass items had already been crafted, along with a plethora of delicately shaped glass ornaments. Even though Gu Xin knew these items were not particularly valuable, their collective display was enough to make his heart race.
Gu Xin hurriedly asked, “Little Boss, what are you doing?”
Glass has little production cost, but it can fetch sky-high prices; thus, it should be sold slowly to maximize profit.
If these items flood the market, their value will plummet.
Jiang Pengji replied, “Uncle Gu need not panic. Have you heard the news about Northern Border Princess An Yina’s sudden death? Currently, the Dongqing royal family occupies Chenzhou, with Changshou Wang leading troops in a stalemate. And with the princess’s untimely demise, I fear the Northern Border might use this as an excuse to invade Dongqing. Even if they don’t invade, do you think Changshou Wang won’t collude with the Northern Border?”
Gu Xin couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.
Being a trader who traveled far and wide, he had his ear to the ground; he was indeed aware of Princess An Yina’s unexpected demise.
Gu Xin asked, “Does Little Boss think that if the Northern Border goes to war, this business will become difficult?”
Jiang Pengji chuckled, “If the Northern Border engages in war against Dongqing, they will certainly mobilize all their national strength. Items like glass, considered ‘luxuries,’ even if those noblewomen desire them, will likely weigh their options. Moreover, there’s no such thing as a completely sound wall in this world. I’m just worried they might discover the secret of glass, and then you, Uncle Gu, might also get dragged into it…”
Glass is sold exclusively at Gu Xin’s Beijiang Ju Bao Zhai in the Northern Border. If they discover that glass is not particularly precious and is definitely not a divine good, they will undoubtedly become angered and retaliate against Gu Xin, which is not what Jiang Pengji wanted to see.
Gu Xin furrowed his brow and cautiously asked, “So, does Little Boss plan to make this last deal?”
To get rich before the Northern Border goes to war?
Jiang Pengji didn’t disclose the matter of the Horse Plague to Gu Xin; aside from her and Wei Ci, no one else knew.
If the Horse Plague were indeed real, this final deal would likely deal a significant blow to the Northern Border’s economy.
The harder she profits, the more unfortunate the Northern Border would be, and recovering from it would take much longer.
These thoughts circulated in her mind.
She nodded and said, “Yes, that’s my thought. However, if all this glass is dumped into the Northern Border, they will not be able to consume it all at once, and it poses great risk. Therefore, I wish to ask Uncle Gu to sell a portion to Zhong Zhao and other nations, and as for business at the Northern Border… once we finish this deal, we should leave as soon as possible… Will this affect Uncle Gu’s enterprises in any way…?”
The enterprises were all handled by Gu Xin, as he was the expert; Jiang Pengji, an outsider, needed to listen to the expert’s opinions.
Gu Xin smiled and said, “Little Boss, there’s no need for such formality. The business in the Northern Border hasn’t been flourishing either, especially in recent years, with dwindling profits; it’s indeed time to change locations. Taking this opportunity to withdraw is also a good idea.”
As the Northern Border faced increasing hostility from Dongqing, their trade naturally grew more challenging. If it weren’t for Gu Xin’s extensive connections in the Northern Border and the high-society women favoring his business, Beijiang Ju Bao Zhai might have already shut down.
Extorting one last haul from the Northern Border and packing up to leave didn’t seem out of his reach.
He carefully selected a batch of glass, its quality comparable or slightly better than what he had sold before, totaling over two thousand sets!
“These all will go to the Northern Border; regular sale routes are definitely not enough to exhaust them. If we want to liquidate quickly, the black market is a good channel for disposing of stolen goods… However, this price may not be as high as before; if they push for a discount, it might fall by more than fifty percent!”
Saying this, even Gu Xin, who was used to big scenes, couldn’t help but wince at the thought.
Over two thousand sets of glass! If they were sold at the previous prices, they could easily reach fourteen million coins.
What does that even mean?
In a normal year, Dongqing’s treasury income totaled only fifteen million coins, and that was in a year without disasters. If there were floods here or droughts there, an earthquake now and then, or even a famine… Ha! The annual income could be less than ninety million coins.
Jiang Pengji narrowed her eyes and said, “Uncle Gu, just do as you think; as long as you can liquidate it in the shortest time, turn all this glass into silver or sheepskins. If we earn a bit less, so be it; I won’t mind.”
Without the Northern Border, we still have the south’s four tribes to exploit! We have distant Zhong Zhao, Beiyuan, Xichang, and even mainland Dongqing… all markets! We don’t have to worry about where to make money; sacrificing a little profit now will lead to greater earnings later.
With Jiang Pengji’s reasoning, Gu Xin couldn’t help but smile, feeling more reassured.
“Little Boss, please rest assured, I will not disappoint your expectations.”
Gu Xin made a solemn bow. While he once felt grateful to Gu Min for seeing his talent, he was now impressed by Jiang Pengji’s trust and generosity.
He sighed inwardly, truly a remarkable mother and daughter.
Suddenly, Jiang Pengji thought of something and instructed, “Uncle Gu, after this deal, there’s no need to buy any more foals.”
Gu Xin was surprised, “Little Boss, why is that?”
All the horse farms in Dongqing were in Cangzhou, which had almost become Meng Clan’s domain. It was basically impossible to buy good war horses from them, and even if it were possible, the cost would be beyond Jiang Pengji’s capacity.
Jiang Pengji said, “Uncle Gu, you’ve already helped me purchase over three thousand good-quality foals in these trips. Though it wasn’t much each time, it adds up to quite the considerable number. I believe the horse farm owners in the Northern Border are not blind; the more we have, the more alert they will be. With war approaching, the Northern Border’s control over war horses will only tighten. If Uncle Gu continues to buy more horses, I fear we might stir up trouble…”
