Aoyama

Chapter 363 The Dealer
Huang Que did the math in his head: if he took one out of every thousand, even if he sold salt permits worth one million taels of silver, Chen Ji could only take one thousand taels of silver.

Such a low commission rate would put all other brokers to shame. From now on, everyone can buy and sell salt permits at Plum Blossom Ferry; there's no need to go anywhere else.

But Huang Que was not happy.

Only one question lingered in his mind: this meager income wasn't even as much as what he, a small-time salt merchant, was making—what was the point?

Chen Ji seemed to have guessed his thoughts and said sincerely, "Brother Huang, no matter how you calculate it, you can't find a price of one in a thousand anywhere else in the world, right?"

Huang Que dared not answer rashly.

After pondering for a long time, he cautiously asked, "Is it one-in-a-thousand for both the buyer and seller?"

Chen Ji nodded: "I'm honest with everyone, young and old."

Huang Que pondered for a moment, afraid of falling into a trap: "Are there any other rules for buying and selling salt permits?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "There's another condition: the seller consigns the salt certificate to my Plum Blossom Ferry. If someone buys the corresponding bamboo plaque on this wall with silver, the seller must come and deliver the salt certificate within one day."

Huang Que pondered and pondered, but could not come up with a solution.

Chen Ji patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Brother Huang, why be so cautious? A transaction is simply about buying what you need at a reasonable price. Why think so much?"

Huang Que suppressed his suspicions and turned his gaze back to the bamboo plaques on the wall: "Brother Chen Ji, I want to buy 1,000 salt permits from Caozhou, 1,000 from Suqian, and 1,000 from Huai'an... Why are the salt permits from Guyuan and Datong so cheap?"

Chen Ji looked at the words "Guyuan" and said softly, "Guyuan and Datong are two border towns, and the journey there is long and bumpy. If we sell the salt permits for four taels of silver, I'm afraid no salt merchants will transport salt there anymore."

Huang Que was taken aback.

Chen Ji smiled and asked, "Brother Huang, have you ever been to Guyuan?"

Huang Que shook his head: "I haven't had the chance to visit Guyuan yet. I've heard that Guyuan is filled with yellow sand and Hu people can be seen everywhere on the streets. Although the Hu people's grape wine is sweet, it's just as intoxicating."

As Chen Ji beckoned for someone to fetch the salt permit, he said with a smile, "Brother Huang, if you have the chance, you must go and see it. Besides the yellow sand and fine wine, there is also a pile of smelly and hard stones."

Huang Que was somewhat puzzled. Who would travel thousands of miles just to see a few stones?
At this moment, a man from the Gelaohui (a secret society) came over carrying a small box and opened it in front of Huang Que: "A total of three thousand taels of silver. Young Master Huang Que, please check."

Huang Que reached out and stroked the salt certificate.

He wasn't telling the truth either. Of the salt certificates he used to buy from the eight major merchants, only about 40% were actually usable. The remaining 60% were places even dogs wouldn't go. He either gritted his teeth and transported the salt there himself to make a small profit, or he simply sold them to brokers at a low price.

These three thousand coins are genuinely profitable.

Seeing his expression, Chen Ji smiled and said, "Brother Huang, why don't you buy more? Maybe the price won't be the same next time you come."

Huang Que raised an eyebrow: "Brother, are you going to try to raise the price again?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "Not so. Brother Huang, I don't have many salt certificates. They'll eventually run out. When that happens, other salt merchants will decide what price they sell them for. For example, for salt certificates destined for Jinling, they can sell them for five taels of silver if they want, or three taels if they want. It has nothing to do with me... Brother Huang, if you had ten thousand salt certificates destined for the capital, what price would you ask for?"

Huang Que was taken aback: "At least six taels of silver. The capital is very close to the Changlu Saltworks, the climate is dry, the official roads are flat, and there is no worry about sales... It is the easiest place to do business with salt in the capital."

Chen Ji hummed in agreement: "If there is more rain in Jia Ning in the thirty-second year, will the price of salt permits rise or fall?"

Huang Que said confidently, "Rain will reduce salt production, raise salt prices, and naturally the price of salt permits that can be used to sell salt will also rise."

Chen Ji closed the box in the man's arms: "Therefore, the price of salt permits in my Plum Blossom Ferry also changes."

Huang Que nodded: "Understood, I'll send a letter home right away..."

After Huang Que hurriedly left with his suitcase, the Pao Ge and Shen Ye came down from the second floor.

Shen Ye looked at the bamboo plaque on the wall and joked with a smile, "I was wondering what kind of business my brother wanted to do. It turns out that you never cared about transporting or selling salt from the beginning. You wanted to be a dealer."

Chen Ji did not answer.

Shen Ye pondered for a moment: "But I have three questions. First, the commission of one in a thousand is too low. I don't believe you can be interested in a business worth several thousand taels of silver a year. Second, is this business permitted by the court? Don't risk your life for a few thousand taels of silver. Third, if the court allows this business, you can do it, but other salt merchants can do it too. What will happen then?"

Chen Ji did not answer, because the answer contained a murderous intent.

Just then, a knock came from outside Meirui Tower.

Mei Rui Lou was not closed. As everyone turned around, they saw a beautiful young woman smiling and knocking on the vermilion door: "May I come in?"

The woman wore a light blue stand-up collar jacket that extended past her waist; a dark blue brocade skirt embroidered with gold thread; her headdress was simple, with only a jade hairpin holding her up.

Naturally beautiful, she needs no makeup.

Chen Ji looked at the Gelaohui with a puzzled expression: "Who is this?"

The gang leader explained, "This is Liu, the head of the business, who has recently become famous in the capital. He left Baiyuyuan yesterday and came to our Meihua Ferry to register for a year. As soon as Liu arrived, our business at Meihua Ferry quadrupled."

Chen Ji felt no joy at making money, only vigilance: Why did the other party suddenly come to Plum Blossom Ferry when they were doing well in Baiyuyuan?
Liu Xingshou stepped across the threshold with her hands behind her back, smiling as she looked Chen Ji over: "This must be the boss, right? You haven't seen me before, but I have seen you. In Luocheng, you were carried to the embroidery tower by the prince, but you left without even seeing him. I watched you and your friends playing around on the second floor, and it made me quite envious."

Chen Ji felt a little dazed, as if he had suddenly returned to the White Clothes Alley in Los Angeles.

He cupped his hands in greeting: "So it is Liu, the head of the Liu family. It is truly an honor to have Liu, the head of the Liu family, registered here at Plum Blossom Ferry."

Instead of performing the full curtsy, Liu Xingshou followed Chen Ji's example and cupped her hands in a respectful gesture: "Master, you are too kind. From now on, I, Liu Su, will be working under your tutelage. Please take good care of me."

This Liu, the head of the brothel, doesn't look like a courtesan; rather, she resembles a fair-skinned scholar.

As they were talking, Shen Ye suddenly spoke up: "Master Liu, it's been a long time."

Liu Su glanced past Chen Ji, then turned and left without any politeness: "So it's Young Master Shen, the top poet of the Tiger Hill Poetry Society. Farewell!"

Shen Ye asked in bewilderment, "Why did Headmaster Liu leave as soon as he saw me?"

Liu Su replied without turning her head, "In the twenty-ninth year of the Jia Ning era, when I was competing for the title of Flower Queen in Jinling, Young Master Shen wrote ten poems for my rival, Miss Huai Rou, helping her win the title. I hold a grudge!"

Shen Ye laughed heartily: "Don't be angry, Liu Xingshou. It's just ten mediocre poems. When I announce your names outside Donghua Gate, I'll write you a better one as the top scholar, helping you become famous throughout the land!" Liu Su didn't stop walking, her voice drifting back from afar: "Ha, anyone can brag. Let's talk about it when you become the top scholar!"

Chen Ji looked at Liu Su, then at Shen Ye.

Shen Ye said awkwardly, "Brother Chen Ji, you flatter me."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Brother Shen, why didn't you help Liu Xing win the title of courtesan?"

Shen Ye sighed, "My dear brother, you may not know this, but Miss Huairou is indeed much prettier than Liu, the head of the Liu family... Moreover, Miss Huairou promised me that if I could win the championship, she would invite me to be her bedmate on the night of the championship. This is much more worthwhile than helping Liu, the head of the Liu family."

The man stroked his stubble: "Just writing poetry?"

Shen Ye asked with a smile, "What, even the Gelaohui (a secret society) have a passion for poetry?"

The man grinned and said, "I know a little bit about it."

Chen Ji glanced at the gangsters with amusement, then asked, "Since Miss Huai Rou is prettier, why is Liu, the head of the gang, more famous?"

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Because it's interesting. My dear brother, I must go back to study now. Farewell."

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow: "Brother Shen said earlier that passing the imperial examination was a sure thing, so why are you going back to study today?"

Shen Ye laughed loudly as he went out: "What I said before was just to make it into the top three. Now that I've promised Liu Xing to pass the imperial examination with top honors and write her a poem that will be famous throughout the land, I must work even harder. Otherwise, she'll really think I was just bragging!"

Chen Ji looked at Shen Ye's back and suddenly felt envious.

The old man sighed, “The eccentrics of this era are the real eccentrics, with both talent and integrity. Unlike our hometown, where we’re either experts or public intellectuals.”

Chen Ji chuckled and said, "It seems the Gelaohui (a secret society) harbors quite a grudge."

The gangster suddenly changed the subject: "Six hundred thousand taels of silver just vanished like that? That much silver would be enough for us to eat and drink for three lifetimes."

Chen Ji laughed and said, "Brother, money in this world is for buying things. What's the use of having a lot of money if you can't buy what you want?"

The man scratched his head with his little finger: "So, did you manage to buy it?"

Chen Ji watched Shen Ye's departing figure and said, "He should have bought it."

The gangster pulled out his pipe from his waist and cursed, "Six hundred thousand taels of silver to buy something? You're a madman, aren't you?"

……

……

into the night.

Chen Ji sat alone in the Plum Blossom Pavilion, closing his eyes to rest and wait for someone.

Today, Plum Blossom Ferry is much more lively than usual. Even the back gate is full of carriages belonging to high-ranking officials and dignitaries, all of whom have come for Liu Hangshou.

What's unusual is that while ordinary courtesans who register their courtships can only attract male customers, Liu, the head courtesan, can attract a group of noble ladies dressed as men to catch a glimpse of her beauty.

Chen Ji ignored all of this and simply waited quietly.

It wasn't until the guests had finished drinking and left Meihua Ferry, and until the night watchman outside called out, "No illness, no disaster, all is well," that the sound finally came from the back door of Meihua Ferry.

He opened his eyes and saw Bai Long walking towards him in a white robe, which seemed to glow in the moonlight. Behind Bai Long were more than twenty black-clad spies carrying more than ten boxes.

Bai Long casually said, "Just leave the box outside the pavilion, and you can wait outside."

The spy silently put down the box, turned around and left.

Bai Long strolled leisurely into the Plum Blossom Pavilion and sat down opposite Chen Ji: "You have rendered meritorious service before His Majesty, yet I have troubled myself to come see you in the dead of night. What a skill."

Chen Ji humbly replied, "Lord Bailong, if you had sent someone to deliver a verbal instruction earlier, I would have gone to see you myself. There was no need for you to make the trip."

Bai Long suddenly stood up, straightening his back: "Relay His Majesty's oral decree."

Chen Ji lifted his robe and prostrated himself on the ground: "Your humble servant obeys the decree."

Bai Long said arrogantly, "You brat, you're willing to take out 600,000 taels of silver, what do you want to exchange for me?"

Chen Ji was stunned for a moment before realizing that the imperial edict was actually asked by Bai Long in the same tone as Emperor Ning.

He lowered his head and remained silent for a moment: "Your Majesty, I only wish to share your burdens..."

Bai Long said impatiently, "Stop talking nonsense."

Chen Ji calmly said, "Your Majesty, I wish to bring Luo Zhui Sa Jia out of Yuan Jue Temple. This is something I promised the young monk."

Bai Long turned and walked out of Plum Blossom Ferry: "Go home and wait for news."

Chen Ji did not get up.

Bai Long stopped in the moonlight and turned around to look: "What, is there someone else asking for help?"

Chen Ji lay prostrate on the ground: "Lord Bailong, that's 600,000 taels of silver."

Bai Long laughed angrily: "Of course I know that's 600,000 taels of silver... I thought you wanted to use this opportunity to clear the princess's name. Why didn't you mention that?"

Chen Ji said softly, "This subordinate knows that this amount of silver is not enough."

Bai Long continued walking out: "You've retained some clarity and haven't become arrogant. Very good. I won't let you work for nothing. I'll find a way to arrange for the two of you to meet soon."

Chen Ji finally stood up, dusted off his knees, and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Lord Bailong."

(End of this chapter)