Tang Dynasty: The poisonous scholar in the Eastern Palace, please abdicate and let the wise one take

Chapter 268: Cotton-padded clothes plan, it is better to rely on yourself than on others!
Making money is a very easy thing for Su Chen.

But making a lot of money and filling up the Ministry of Revenue’s treasury is not an easy task!

However, it just so happens that Su Chen has a business that can perfectly satisfy this need!
Not only can it earn countless silver coins for the Ministry of Revenue, but it can also make Li Chengqian gain great fame!
Of course, if you want to make this happen, you need to invest a lot of energy.

Su Chen knocked on the table and called Sun Qiang: "Go ask Roshan when the cotton can be delivered."

"Also send someone to invite Du He over. I have something to discuss with him."

Sun Qiang nodded: "I'll arrange for someone to go there right away."

Since the invention of the musket, Du He's workload has been greatly reduced. Now that he wants to help the Ministry of Revenue make money, Du He is undoubtedly a good candidate.

If the opportunity is right, it would not be difficult to send him to work in the Ministry of Revenue.

Soon, Du He arrived at Taiziju by car.

"Brother Su is looking for me?"

"Brother Du, please take a seat."

Su Chen smiled and said, "I came to you this time because I want to discuss something with you."

Du He looked at Su Chen curiously, "What's the matter?"

Su Chen said slowly, "The prince said in the court today that he wanted to make the Ministry of Revenue rich and powerful. I wonder if Brother Du has heard about it?"

Du He immediately laughed, "So that's the matter. I've heard about it. Although it's difficult, I believe that with Brother Su's ability, it shouldn't be a problem for him to help the prince solve it."

Su Chen smiled and shook his head, "No, you're wrong, it's not me who should handle this, it's you."

"I?"

Du He was confused.

After thinking for a while, Du He said, "Brother Su, although I have some experience in business, I can't make the Ministry of Revenue rich in two months. You have to do this yourself."

Su Chen smiled and said, "Don't be impatient, just listen to me first."

"The reason why I want you to take over this matter is that the fire gun has been built, and there is no need for you to continue to monitor it in the future."

"Secondly, because you are one of us, and the current emperor's son-in-law, if you perform well this time, you may have the opportunity to work in the Ministry of Revenue!"

Du He frowned and thought, "Is it possible?"

Su Chen: "You have to try everything to know."

"Think about it. If you succeed, the whole city of Chang'an will know that you have helped the Ministry of Revenue earn a lot of money. Not only that, His Majesty will also favor you when he returns to the palace."

"Besides, your father made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty before his death. It shouldn't be difficult for the princess to come to the palace and ask for your recommendation to join the Ministry of Revenue."

It is well known that the Ministry of Revenue is short of money.

Even if this year's tax revenue has been received, the expenditure is there. Perhaps, the collected money has already been arranged for a destination before it is sent to the national treasury.

If he really helped the Ministry of Revenue to earn money, Dai Zhou would definitely mention it to His Majesty, and with the princess entering the palace to plead for him, there is a high chance that he would do so.

Du He nodded, "Then what should I do?"

"Do you know the spinning wheel that women workers often use?"

"of course."

Du He nodded, "Most women in the countryside know this craft. Before Empress Changsun passed away, she also made clothes for His Majesty and the princes and princesses in the harem."

Su Chen smiled and nodded, "That's easy, you just need to recruit a group of qualified female workers and let them make cotton clothes."

"Cotton coat?"

Du He pondered, "Brother Su, what you mean is that now that the weather is getting colder, we should prepare a group of female workers in advance to make winter clothes and then sell them?"

Su Chen: “Not bad.”

Du He shook his head and said hesitantly: "Brother Su, you may not know that winter clothes are not that easy to make."

"It's like the rich and powerful people in Chang'an. Most of the things they wear to keep warm in the winter are furs. They not only keep you warm, but also look great. They often carry hand warmers with them."

"Ordinary families simply cannot afford to buy warm clothes, so most of them stuff reed fluff and kapok into their clothes to keep warm."

"Some people even stuffed dirt into their clothes to keep out the cold wind."

Su Chen smiled and nodded. Du He was very familiar with the people's clothes.

Su Chen waved his hand and said, "You are wrong about one thing. The cold-resistant clothing we made this time is cheap and can meet the needs of at least 80% of the people."

Du He looked doubtful, "Really?"

Su Chen said with a smile: "As early as a month or two ago, I had already contacted Roshan, hoping that he could transport some cotton from the Persian Empire."

"At the same time, there are also some people who grow cotton in our Tang territory. We only need to purchase cotton from them and make a large amount of warm clothing."

cotton?

Du He thought for a moment, "Is it Cambodia? I have heard of it, but the effect doesn't seem to be that good."

"Cotton is different from Khmer. It is better at keeping out the cold and keeping warm, and..."

Su Chen said meaningfully: "Brother Du, why are you so superficial? Our goal is to make money, to ensure that the people can survive the cold winter smoothly, and to win a good reputation for the prince!"

"Over the years, how many people have frozen to death in various places because they had no firewood or warm clothes to wear during the winter?"

"Countless!"

“As long as we can get the numbers down, lower than last year and the year before, then we’ll be successful!”

Du He suddenly realized.

Every year, a large number of people freeze to death in the cold winter. If you can help these people get through the winter smoothly by providing them with cotton-padded clothes, you will not only make money but also gain fame.

Such a good thing will be remembered by the people, no matter whether it is the Ministry of Revenue or the initiator, the prince.

"If that's the case, I'll go back and arrange for some people to buy cotton, silk, linen and other things to keep warm, and recruit a group of female workers."

"Once the things to keep out the cold are in place, we can start making cotton clothes."

Su Chen smiled and tapped the folding fan in his hand. "Yes, in addition, when making cotton-padded clothes, you must clearly mark the price and materials of the cotton-padded clothes."

Du He could understand marking the price, but what did it mean to mark the materials?
Du He asked the questions in his mind.

Su Chen explained with a smile, "The price of cotton-padded clothes with good warmth retention is naturally higher. The price of cotton-padded clothes with poor warmth retention, made of silk, linen and cotton, is lower."

"This way, the rich and powerful can afford cotton-padded clothes to keep warm, and ordinary people can too."

"In addition, you will also need to prepare some medium-quality cotton-padded clothes that are good at keeping out the cold. You don't need too many. A thousand pieces will be enough."

Listening to Su Chen's detailed description, Du He nodded repeatedly.

This is the same as the ice cubes sold in the ice shop. The price of crystal clear edible ice cubes is naturally high, but if it is ordinary ice cubes used for cooling, the cost will naturally be much lower.

Du He asked doubtfully, "Since the cotton-padded clothes are made, they are naturally for sale."

"No, these cotton clothes are used to buy people's hearts."

Su Chen raised his lips slightly, "I just told you in advance that when the time comes, the prince will take these cotton-padded clothes to visit the poor people in Chang'an who can't afford cotton-padded clothes."

Du He suddenly realized and clasped his fists, saying, "I didn't expect that Brother Su is so far-sighted that he has already made detailed preparations for things two months later."

Su Chen waved his hand, "I'm just thinking about it. Maybe the prince won't be able to use it by then."

Du He smiled and said, "The prince can't use it, but we can."

Du He drew inferences from one example and got Su Chen's approval. Su Chen nodded and said, "Just have a plan in mind. See when to make an appointment to meet with Mr. Dai from the Ministry of Revenue to discuss the specific details."

Du He nodded, "Okay, I'll take care of this."

After finishing the business, the two chatted for a while before Du He got up and left.

"Sir, Roshan's people are here, and they want to invite you to have a face-to-face meeting." "Oh?"

Su Chen touched his chin and asked, "Did they talk about the cotton thing?"

Sun Qiang shook his head.

Su Chen stood up and said, "Let's go and take a look at Roshan."

When the two walked out of the Prince's Residence, they saw Roshan's men jumping off the carriage with a smile on their faces and warmly inviting them to get in.

In response, Su Chen did not hesitate to say hello and went straight into the carriage.

Soon, the carriage stopped outside Roshan's residence.

Roshan and Arohan came forward to greet them with smiles on their faces.

"Master Su."

"Brother Luo."

Su Chen smiled and cupped his hands, "Brother Lao Luo is waiting here."

Roshan: "Mr. Su, you are too polite. Please come in."

Su Chen nodded and glanced at A Luohan who was following Roshan.

After all, A Luohan is a little younger, and the smile on his face seems a bit forced and fake.

After entering the main hall and everyone took their seats, Roshan began to talk about cotton.

"Mr. Su, to be honest, I am very concerned about the cotton purchase, but I can't stop those people from the Arab Empire from making trouble."

"This time we purchased nearly 500,000 kilograms of cotton and prepared to send it to Chang'an City, but because the Arab Empire sent troops again, we can only send 200,000 kilograms of cotton this time."

"But don't worry, Mr. Su. These 200,000 kilograms of cotton are all top-quality goods. They will arrive in Chang'an City in three days at the latest. As for the remaining 300,000 kilograms of cotton, it will take more than half a month to reach Chang'an by taking a detour."

Su Chen nodded. From what Roshan said, Persia seemed to be in trouble.

"But the Arab Empire used military force against Persia?"

"Ugh……"

Roshan sighed, "Sure enough, nothing can be hidden from Master Su."

"The Arab Empire has once again sent troops to Persia. Their army just happened to block my delivery route. I had no choice but to change the route."

Su Chen shook his head, "That's not the point."

Luo Shan glanced at Su Chen and saw him staring at him with a smile. Luo Shan hesitated for a moment and said slowly: "Mr. Su, do you still remember our previous agreement?"

The two parties had previously agreed that if Persia encountered big trouble, it could ask Li Chengqian for help through Su Chen. It was for this reason that Roshan gave his token.

Su Chen nodded, "Of course I remember. Now that you mention this, could it be that the Arab Empire has sent out a large number of troops, enough to make Persia unable to resist?"

Roshan sighed, "This time, the Arab Empire dispatched 20,000 troops, all of whom are top-notch elites. However, there are still two opinions in Persia, and no decision has been made yet."

A Luohan couldn't help but say: "Ceding blindly will only make the Arab Empire more arrogant. It's better to fight them!"

Su Chen glanced at A Luohan. There was no doubt that A Luohan represented the young faction in Persia.

However, the younger faction did not have much real power. Even if they wanted to fight a war with the Arab Empire, their words were not taken seriously because they were too humble.

Su Chen: "What does Brother Luo mean?"

Luo Shan took a deep breath and said, "I hope Mr. Su can help introduce me to the Crown Prince, and I hope the Crown Prince can come forward to mediate this matter."

Persia had no face in front of the Caliphate, but the Tang Dynasty was different.

As the king of the East, the Tang Dynasty's reputation had long been spread.

If Li Chengqian stepped forward to mediate the conflict between the Arab Empire and Persia, perhaps the Arab Empire would be afraid to withdraw its troops.

Su Chen tapped his folding fan, thinking about the feasibility of this matter.

First of all, the Arab Empire and the Tang Dynasty were far apart. The reputation of the Tang Dynasty might make the Arab Empire fearful, but it was just fear.

After all, the two sides were so far apart that the Tang Dynasty could not mobilize a large army to give the Arab Empire a taste of its power just because of Persia's request for help.

Therefore, if they did not show some real ability, the only way for Persia to make the Arab Empire withdraw its troops was for it to offer some benefits.

suddenly.

A bold idea arose in Su Chen's mind.

"Mr. Su?"

"I can help with the introduction."

Su Chen opened his mouth slowly and said seriously: "After all, this is a major matter between the two countries. I can help introduce it, but I can't guarantee that the prince will agree to it."

"It is true that the Crown Prince and I have a good relationship, but that does not mean that I can arrange for the Crown Prince to do this. Do you understand?"

Roshan nodded heavily, "I understand what you mean."

After all, this is a matter between two countries. How could they send troops just because of a personal relationship?

Only profit!

Roshan said in a deep voice: "I have prepared some gifts and want to present them to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I will definitely get His Royal Highness's approval."

"hope so."

Su Chen smiled and cupped his hands, "Brother Luo, I'll leave the cotton issue to you, and I'll take care of contacting the prince."

"Although I cannot guarantee that the Crown Prince will agree to assist you, I can guarantee that the Crown Prince will meet you in the East Palace."

"Thank you, Master Su!"

Roshan and the other man stood up at the same time and bowed deeply.

Su Chen waved his hand and took Sun Qiang away. Roshan and the other man hurriedly caught up and saw them off with smiles until they reached the door.

There were ten boxes on each of the two carriages.

A generous gift.

Su Chen frowned and looked over. Roshan said in a deep voice: "Mr. Su, this is a gift I prepared for you. Please don't refuse it."

Su Chen smiled and shook his head, "Brother Luo, you don't consider me a friend!"

Luo Sihan was stunned for a moment, and Su Chen said in a deep voice: "The friendship between gentlemen is as pure as water. Brother Luo has been in the Tang Dynasty for so long, how come he has become so mercenary?"

"You and I are both Muslims, and we are close friends. How can you use these material possessions to test our friendship?"

"This……"

Roshan's face was full of surprise and embarrassment.

A Luo Han said: "Master Su, in this short period of time, relying on Master Su's soap and other things, your uncle has made a lot of money, so your uncle wants to show his gratitude. This is not a gift for seeking an audience with the prince."

Su Chen smiled and patted A Luohan's shoulder, "I appreciate your kindness, but you don't need these things."

"You are different from your uncle. You are more energetic, like the sun that has just been born, full of vitality."

"These things are enough for you to cultivate a group of loyal followers."

"It's better to rely on yourself than on others, understand?"

A Luohan seemed to be thinking about something, "Thank you for your guidance, Master Su."

Su Chen laughed and opened his folding fan. "Let's go. I'll let you know when I've made the contact."

"Mr. Su, walk slowly!"

(End of this chapter)