The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 113 Don’t let the wealth go to outsiders

"I would be disrespectful to refuse such a generous gesture from my dear nephew, so I will accept it with a smile." Shang Jinliang addressed Cheng She in a more familiar way. Although he was not yet forty, wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes from smiling, which showed how happy he was.

Having said that, there is really no need to refuse any longer. Cheng She implicitly admitted that he worked for the court and his responsibilities were definitely not limited to Huizhou Prefecture. He would not lie about such a thing. Instead of giving it to others, why can't the merchants take this piece of fat for themselves?
"Tea from all over the country hasn't flooded into Guangdong and Guangxi yet. The tea my nephew brought back is still on the ship. Uncle, I ordered him to set out today to seize the market." Cheng She decided to be a good guy. He took out several letters and handed them to Shang Jinliang with both hands. "These are from tea merchants in Guangdong and Guangxi who have done business with my nephew in previous years. Uncle, please don't refuse. I am also worried that they are buying tea from others at high prices."

Not only did they provide the goods but they also provided the channels. It was almost like giving them the money directly, even saving them the trouble of shipping. Shang Jinliang felt really embarrassed, but Cheng She's words left him no room for refusal.

"Dad, please accept it. It's a token of my appreciation from Second Brother Cheng." Shang Mingshu was silent for a moment before persuading Shang Jinliang.

They really needed to seize the time and transport the tea to Guangdong and Guangxi in advance. Only a very small part of the tea was directly transferred from the stockpiled tea to Guangdong and Guangxi by the big tea merchants. Most of them were sold at high prices in their respective capitals to other people who wanted to get rich.

Many of these people who wanted to get rich had bought tea in the past three days and sent it to Guangdong and Guangxi. However, they bought tea at high prices and hired boats and guards, so the price of tea was bound to rise. Even if they arrived in Guangdong and Guangxi first, it would be difficult to sell it.

In the future, affordable tea from all over the country will rush to Guangdong and Guangxi. The sooner Shang Mingshu and his team set off, the more likely they will be able to seize the largest market share.

"There is no time to lose. Thank you, nephew." Shang Jinliang did not offer to share the profits with Cheng She. It was not because he was reluctant, but since Cheng She was being watched, he naturally could not make a profit from tea. He could think of other ways to express his gratitude later.

"father……"

"Uncle..."

Shang Jinliang wanted to go to the dock and negotiate with Cheng She immediately to get the tea on the ship shipped out immediately, but Shang Mingshu and Cheng She called him back at the same time.

Shang Jinliang, Shang Wenshu and Shang Zishu looked at the two of them at the same time, and the two of them subconsciously looked at each other.

Shang Mingshu: "Second Brother Cheng, please go first."

Cheng She had a faint smile on his lips: "I'm afraid that Third Lady and I have the same idea, why don't you come first?"

Shang Mingshu raised her eyebrows and refused to give in. "Dad, Guangdong is closer and surrounded by tea-producing areas. Guangxi is different. Yunnan is behind in terms of news, so we might not even know about the tea pest infestation in Guangdong and Guangxi. Even if we knew, Yunnan's tea is quite different from ours, so we can coexist without competing."

A smile appeared in Cheng She's eyes.

Shang Jinliang naturally took this into consideration. He planned to ship 70% of the tea to Guangxi and 30% to Guangdong: "You want me to ship all the tea to Guangxi."

"Yes." Shang Mingshu nodded. "We are grateful for the help from Second Brother Cheng this time. Whether it's the quantity, speed, or price, we are better than others. Why should we compete with others for profit?"

Let those people share the market in Guangdong. Even if some people plan to go to Guangxi, as long as their ships don't encounter any accidents on the way, they will never be caught up.

Shang Jinliang glanced at Cheng She imperceptibly, and it was clear that Cheng She agreed: "Okay, nephew, let's go to the dock now."

"Does Second Brother Cheng have to go in person?" Shang Mingshu felt that at this point, Cheng She should just write a letter to Shang Jinliang, and Shang Jinliang would take over.

Cheng She had originally planned to personally accompany Shang Jinliang to show his respect for the younger generation, but he didn't expect Shang Mingshu to ask this question, implying that she had something to tell him: "Miss San, do you have any instructions?"

"I have a question in my mind and would like to ask Brother Cheng for advice." Shang Mingshu nodded.

"Madam San, please wait a moment. Let me go with my uncle first..." "No, no." Shang Jinliang could see that Cheng She was very tired. "My dear nephew, please send someone who can take charge to go with me."

Cheng She looked at Shang Jinliang and then at Shang Mingshu, who didn't insist. He took out his token and presented it to Shang Jinliang: "My brother is at the dock. He has full authority over the Cheng family's livelihood."

The token was to let Cheng Qin know that this was Cheng She's approval.

"Mingshu, don't delay Master Cheng for too long." Shang Jinliang took the token and reminded Shang Mingshu.

One reason is that he is concerned about Cheng She's health, and the other is that he doesn't want a single man and a single woman to be together for too long.

Shang Mingshu understood that Shang Jinliang's deeper reminder was the latter, and she responded obediently.

"I……"

"If you two sisters are not busy, why don't you stay?" Shang Mingshu had no intention of getting along with Cheng She in private. Just as Shang Jinliang had worried, they were a single man and a single woman.

The Shang Mansion might not be without spies. Although they couldn't hear their conversation, they could always be seen together, and rumors would spread, which would be bad for both her and Cheng She.

"It's fine as long as my third sister and second brother Cheng don't mind me being a nuisance." Shang Zishu didn't have anything urgent to do.

Seeing that Shang Zishu stayed and someone was accompanying Shang Mingshu to meet a strange man, Shang Wenshu no longer insisted: "I'll go help Dad."

"Thank you, elder sister." Shang Mingshu did not stop him. No matter how simple it was for Cheng She to hand over the business, Shang Jinliang would still have a lot of things to do, especially the accounts and quantity counting. Shang Wenshu would be the most helpful if she went along.

"We're a family." Shang Wenshu smiled and bowed to Cheng She.

Cheng She returned the gift.

Shang Mingshu ordered the servants to serve some snacks and drinks. Considering Cheng She's urgent need for sleep, she didn't serve tea, nor did she beat around the bush. "Second Brother Cheng, you came to me in person that day and asked Xiang Ming Zhai not to participate in the tea price speculation. Was it for this day?"

Shang Mingshu had been thinking a lot these past few days. Cheng She's news was much faster than theirs. He was afraid that if he had known earlier that the court had disputes over the whereabouts of the stockpiled tea, he would not be able to make any profit. However, he worked hard, and although he would be rewarded by the court, he would not get any actual benefits. He must be unhappy.

Only if Xiang Ming Zhai does not participate in tea speculation from the beginning and then lowers the price of tea can more people pay attention to it.

If it had not received accurate information, even if Xiang Mingzhai had other concerns about this tea tree insect disaster, or was purely kind-hearted, it should not have become the target of public criticism. Standing out when everyone was speculating on tea prices was going against everyone. At least it should have followed the trend and acted refrained from doing anything. Xiang Mingzhai must not be absent, otherwise it would have been isolated by the entire industry afterwards.

Only by obtaining accurate information and remaining patient can Xiang Ming Zhai suppress the price of tea at the critical moment and achieve twice the result with half the effort.

"I dare not hide it from you, it is true." Cheng She knew that Shang Mingshu was smart.

"So, Second Brother Cheng had planned to give Shang Jia a huge fortune early on." Shang Mingshu chuckled.

"I know what the Third Lady is thinking." Cheng She didn't beat around the bush. "If I didn't have Xiang Ming Zhai, I would have someone share the profits with me, but that wouldn't necessarily leave me vulnerable. Now that I have Xiang Ming Zhai, the benefits are within my reach. Why would I risk competing for them?"