Chapter 469 - 285: How Did He Calculate This?
Chapter 469: Chapter 285: How Did He Calculate This?
Li Sanyuan glanced at the teacup on the table and said in a calm tone:
"Your father died too quickly. He didn’t have time to teach you the Trading Company’s rules, nor did he pass on any business experience. I shouldn’t be punishing you."
"But the rule of ’major punishment for minor mistakes’ was set by the Hall Master himself. We dare not defy it."
"So..."
Li Sanyuan said softly, "After this, I will report the matter to the Trading Company and let the Hall Master decide your fate."
Of course, with his status, he could have punished Lin Zhenghong himself, but Lin Zhenghong was Lin Huai’an’s son, after all.
Perhaps the Trading Company would go easy on Lin Zhenghong out of respect for Lin Huai’an.
"Sir, this... this..."
Lin Zhenghong looked at him in terror, feeling his limbs go weak and limp.
After a long moment, he came to his senses and said resignedly, "I am willing to accept your punishment, Sir. But... but..."
"But Sir, could you please tell me exactly what I did wrong?"
Li Sanyuan shot him a glance. "I’ll let you die knowing why."
"The grain belongs to the Trading Company, not your Lin Family. That is your first mistake."
"You sought small profits for the Lin Family and forgot the greater profits of the Trading Company. That is your second mistake."
"You learned that ’Lv Jiunan is not dead’ but made no preparations to ’mitigate the risk’..."
Li Sanyuan said, enunciating each word, "That is your third mistake!"
Hearing this, Lin Zhenghong shook his head with a bitter smile. He had only heard that the Trading Company had many rules, but he never expected them to be so meticulous.
Of course he knew the grain belonged to the Ji State Trading Company, but what was wrong with calling it "his Lin Family’s" behind closed doors?
The accusation of seeking small profits was also baseless; it wasn’t as if the silver he earned wouldn’t be turned over to the Trading Company.
As for the "matter of Lv Jiunan," well...
At this thought, Lin Zhenghong gritted his teeth and said, "I had no intention of seeking personal gain, much less of violating the Trading Company’s rules."
Li Sanyuan could see his subordinate’s defiance and continued in a lecturing tone:
"With that kind of talk, the grain price we worked so hard to raise could come crashing down."
"That would be a loss for the Trading Company, an unforgivable blunder."
Lin Zhenghong still wasn’t ready to give up. "May I ask, Sir, in such a situation, how should I...’mitigate’?"
Li Sanyuan snorted. "Then let me teach you how to be a proper ’Shopkeeper’ for our Ji State Trading Company."
"First, ’Spread.’ This matter should be shared among several grain merchants."
"You should have sold a portion of the grain in your current warehouses to the other grain merchants at a fair price to ensure the silver you received wouldn’t be too much of a loss."
"Second, ’Transfer.’"
"If you determine that the grain price will not rise further, you must transfer all the grain as quickly as possible, preferably to someone outside our circle of grain merchants."
"Third... just like with the previous ’Asutai’ incident, you fabricate more rumors."
He looked at the conflicted Lin Zhenghong and asked, "I’ve laid out the paths for you."
"Which one will you choose?"
After listening, sweat began to trickle down Lin Zhenghong’s face again. "I... I don’t know. What would you choose, Sir?"
Li Sanyuan looked at his pathetic state, shook his head, and stopped his lecture.
"In my judgment, thirteen silver per shi is the absolute limit."
"Even without the ’Lv Jiunan’ incident, the Government Office would be unable to withstand the pressure from the common people."
"Unless King Landu or the Barbarian Race really make a move, it’s no longer wise for the grain price to keep rising."
"Therefore, I believe we should use the ’Transfer’ method. Find a suitable person to take over."
Lin Zhenghong didn’t hesitate for a second. He nodded immediately. "Alright, I’ll do as you say."
"But a ’suitable’ person... The other grain merchants?"
"Unsuitable."
Li Sanyuan shook his head, then gestured outside. "Isn’t there still a certain Miss Cui from the Cui Family who insists on sticking her nose in?"
"Her?"
"Oh, she is indeed suitable... But... but how could she possibly agree?"
"Lure her with profit."
Lin Zhenghong understood instantly. "You mean, a lower price?"
"Since she’s so eager to establish a foothold in Shu State, it’s only right she should take some risks, isn’t it?"
"You... You’re right..."
...
「Nightfall.」
A gloomy rain fell, intermittent and unceasing.
The cool wind blew through Tingyu Pavilion, making the wind chimes DING DONG.
The crisp sounds mingled together, a counterpoint to the laughter coming from the rear residence.
"Miss Cui, you come from the Qinghe Cui Family. Unlike the few of us, you were born to do great things."
"Right now, the grain prices in the Prefecture City are rising sharply. We... we’re truly afraid of getting burned."
"So all of you want to sell your entire stock of grain to me?"
"If the price falls, wouldn’t I be the one left holding the bag?"
"You’re mistaken, Miss Cui."
Lin Zhenghong said with a smile, "The grain price will fall sooner or later, but not too soon."
"Before that happens, if our shops focus all their efforts on selling, we definitely won’t let you take a loss."
"We’re just afraid of ’having the money but not the life to spend it.’ We hope Miss Cui can lend us a hand."
He shot a look at the others and said euphemistically, "You must remember what you said a few days ago when you came looking for us."
"If you don’t earn this silver, we can’t earn it either."
"That being the case, is it acceptable for us to earn a little less, and for you to earn a little more?"
The others chimed in with agreement, saying things like "That’s how it should be."
Cui Qingwu leaned back in her chair, watching them calmly, but her mind was racing.
’So these people really did come to me.’
’And they’re trying to sell all their grain to me even before Liu Wu has done those two things.’
’This...’
’Liu Wu... how... how did he do it?’
Compared to this question, Cui Qingwu wasn’t too concerned about Lin Zhenghong and the others showing up.
As long as Liu Wu did those two things—having the Poshisu Country horse bandits and the Barbarian Race scouts attack—the grain price in Shu State definitely wouldn’t fall.
She was certain she wouldn’t lose silver.
’Then what?’
’Would those grain merchants be content to just watch her earn silver?’
’Not likely.’
’Or does Liu Wu just want to make this one pot of silver?’
’But that clearly wouldn’t be enough to achieve his goal of harming the Ji State Trading Company.’
’Unless...’
Cui Qingwu faintly sensed Liu Wu’s true intentions. As understanding dawned on her, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of admiration.
’This man really has some skill.’
’No wonder Lou Yuxue is so interested in him.’
Thinking this, Cui Qingwu rested her slender hand on the back of the chair. She already knew what choice to make.
"Since all you bosses are being so sincere, I won’t be tactless."
"But business is business. So, tell me, what price are you offering to get me to agree?"
Lin Zhenghong bowed. "Thank you, Miss Cui."
Then he continued, "Before coming, we naturally considered this and decided on a price of eleven silver per shi..."
Before he could finish, Cui Qingwu raised a hand to cut him off. "Are you stupid, or do you take me for a fool?"
"With that much grain in your hands, at that price, are you trying to bankrupt my Qinghe Cui Family?"
"This..."
Lin Zhenghong and the others exchanged a look, then asked hesitantly, "Then, Miss Cui, what do you have in mind?"
"Eight silver."
"Eight... No, no! That price is far too low! We... we’d be taking a huge loss..."
Cui Qingwu paid no mind to their protests, signaling to Huan’er. "Show our guests out."
Huan’er understood and stepped forward, glaring at them coldly. "It’s late. If you please."
Obviously, Lin Zhenghong and the others were not going to leave so readily.
Nor were they willing to accept Cui Qingwu’s price.
After a round of haggling.
Cui Qingwu stood up and made her final offer. "Ten silver per shi, then."
Then, before the grain Shopkeepers could speak, she continued, "However, I don’t have that much silver on hand right now."
"How about we distribute the profits after the grain is sold?"
Lin Zhenghong and the others looked at each other, knowing this was the best outcome they could hope for, and broke into smiles.
"Once the contract is signed, we naturally won’t worry about Miss Cui’s integrity."
"The contracts... we brought them with us."
Seeing this, Cui Qingwu suddenly laughed. "It seems you gentlemen truly came prepared."
"In that case, let’s sign and make our marks."
"Yes..."
Once everything was settled, Lin Zhenghong and the others left Tingyu Pavilion with the contracts.
Before they even got on their carriages,
they were already beaming.
Ten silver per shi! Compared to the initial grain price, they had earned more than ten times their investment.
They had made a fortune.
Even if the grain price rose a bit more, the silver Cui Qingwu earned would still be a drop in the ocean compared to their profits.
"Brother Lin, your plan... Brilliant!"
"Like father, like son, indeed."
"Haha... You’re all too kind..."
Cui Qingwu heard their voices from afar and couldn’t help but smile as well.
"Fools. They don’t even know they’ve been had."
At her side, Huan’er, who was unaware of the plotting that took place in the Spring Rain Building, heard this and asked:
"Miss, what if the grain price falls..."
Cui Qingwu cut her off. "There is no ’what if’."
After a pause, she beckoned. "Prepare the horses. We’re going out."
"Yes..."
Cui Qingwu looked toward the central courtyard, faintly hearing the soft sounds of Chen Yunfan practicing his sword forms, and her smile widened.
’To think there’s someone in this world who can compare to Brother Yunfan. He must be quite a character.’
As she thought this, she recalled that other question and couldn’t help but purse her lips.
"That Liu Wu is always so secretive..."