The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 536 Black Incense Smoke (Part 1)
The three brothers had just finished their sumptuous breakfast at the Yili General's Mansion when their mother's old friend, Marcoli, came to visit.

Marcoli, who commanded over three million taels of gold in headhunting fees, has generously monopolized the entire European perfume market this year.

Later, he took a fancy to the various perfume bottles that were custom-made in the glass workshop.

They spent another two million taels of silver on these perfume containers.

Gan Minglan, a person from later generations, understood the necessity of product packaging best.

Ordinary glass bottles cannot achieve the high-end luxury effect she wants to sell.

As early as after the invention of glass products, she provided dozens of perfume bottle packaging design drawings to the gold and silver workshop.

Thus, the palm-sized glass perfume bottle was given a metal casing.

These metal casings are made of gold, silver, and brass.

Most of them are made in a hollowed-out shape, so you can see the color and volume of the perfume inside.

In addition to the exquisite openwork patterns, these metal pieces are also inlaid with various kinds of Khotan jade or agate.

Jade can emit the brilliance of a gemstone if it is cut in multiple dimensions.

This is a further processing.

And you know what? The palm-sized perfume bottle instantly transformed into a work of art.

Furthermore, with these metal casings, the perfume bottle will be greatly less damaged during transportation.

Made entirely by hand, with an annual production of no more than 5,000 bottles.

Among the powerful and wealthy merchants within the Great Wall, demand far exceeded supply.

This year's inventory was sold to Marcoli at a price that tripled.

Even so, he still felt it wasn't enough.

He plans to stay in Bagua City for another month, so that the workshops can work overtime to make more perfume bottles for him.

Being idle is also idle.

And just like that, a business deal came to the three brothers.

Foreigners are never good at beating around the bush. Right after the initial greetings, Marcoli asked in broken Chinese:
“My lords, a Dutch friend of mine would like to hire you as our interpreters for today. He is willing to pay you a fee of five thousand taels of silver.”

The three brothers were all shocked:

"Five thousand taels for a day of translation?"

Is this Dutch businessman trying to take some shady dealings?
Facing the three men's questioning gazes, Marcoli waved his hands repeatedly:

"No, no! My friend Alexander was in the maritime trade until last year. His family's cargo ship had an accident at sea the year before last, so he had no choice but to switch to land trade. He was afraid that he would be taken advantage of by local merchants who would try to lower his prices when he first came to your place, so asking the three gentlemen to act as translators was also a way of building good relations."

It turned out to be the case.

The five thousand taels of service fee also implied paying respects to the powerful figures in the area.

The two older ones seemed to understand and were deep in thought.

Six-year-old Fu Bao, seemingly understanding but not quite, looked at his older brothers and asked in confusion, "Can we still take this job?"

Five thousand taels!

He's had his child for six years and he's never seen so much money!
His money-grubbing nature made him unwilling to miss any opportunity to make a fortune.

Zuo Chijun and Yuan Tong exchanged a glance and quickly comforted the little guy:
"Yes! Why not?! As long as you pay the full amount of customs duties to the Kansai Tax Office, you will be protected."

As the sons of the Grand General, they had a responsibility to protect foreign merchants from oppression within their jurisdiction.

quickly.

As soon as the three of them and Marcoli left General Iri’s mansion, they met Alexander, a Dutch merchant in his early thirties with blond hair, blue eyes, and a height of over 1.9 meters.

Yuan Tong and Zuo Chijun, two boys who have just turned sixteen, are less than 1.7 meters tall.

Six-year-old Fu Bao was only a little taller than the gas cylinder.

The tall and strong Alexander made the three big kids look like three little bean sprouts in comparison.

Yuantong and Zuo Chijun straightened their backs, as if doing so would make them grow a few inches taller. Fubao tilted her head back, weighed her options for a moment, and then reached out to her second brother, "Hug."

Hmph, if Second Brother wants a share of the money, he'll have to cling to him.

This bear-like foreigner makes the child desperately want to grow taller.

What did Mother say?

Drinking milk every day will help you grow taller!
Fu Bao, who used to dislike milk for its fishy smell, has decided to start making it tonight.

Alexander had no idea what these Han Chinese noble children were thinking; he only knew that these were important people he couldn't afford to offend.

The posture is very low.

He came to Kansai this time to sell goods and open up the market.

After a day as a junior translator, Fu Bao is already quite skilled.

After understanding his meaning, she spoke very professionally: "What kind of goods do you want to sell? What is the price? And what kind of buyers are you looking for?"

Alexander had long heard that of the three brothers, the youngest was the most fluent in Latin.

I met the translator in person.

He indeed spoke fluent Latin.

Not daring to underestimate the other person's age, I quickly perked up.

"Young Master, the goods I've brought this time are black tobacco. It's not ordinary tobacco; smoking it can relieve most pain caused by injuries, eliminate fatigue, and prolong life. As for the price, the first-hand price in Nanyue is fifty taels of silver per catty."

Tobacco was something the brothers were all familiar with.

Nine-leaf hibiscus, exported as a medicinal herb, has seen its sales volume increase year by year, making it the top-taxed medicinal product.

They all knew that this kind of tobacco did indeed have effects such as refreshing the mind, regulating qi, and repelling mosquitoes.

But the fragrant tobacco described by this Dutch merchant is practically a miracle drug!

With the large-scale training of medical students at the academy and the efforts of the entire Huang family, medical clinics of the same scale as Ganluchuan Medical Clinic were established in every garrison in Guanzhong.

Medicinal herbs, especially good ones.

While exporting, it also imports in large quantities.

Among them, there was a medicinal herb called quinine, which had a remarkable effect in treating malaria. Through trade in Kansai, it had already spread throughout the Yongtai court.

In the Kansai region, medicinal herbs are considered special commodities.

It is also the only category where import taxes are far lower than export taxes.

The three brothers took the smoke from the black smoke, which they suspected was a new medicinal herb, very seriously.

After a brief discussion, Fu Bao relayed the message:

"Alexander, since you are so confident in your tobacco, we would like to ask the royal physician to test its medicinal properties. If it is as good as you say, we will promote it for you for free, and we can even help you apply for tax exemption!"

A hint of unease flashed in the deep eyes of the Dutch merchant Alexander.

Then, with great certainty, he put on a big smile.

"Of course, young master, you've considered everything very thoroughly. If it could be tax-free, that would be even better!"

What is he afraid of?

In Europe, arugula is indeed considered a panacea.

The renowned medical work, the London Pharmacopoeia, lists it as an essential medicine.

The aroma of oolong dissolves in wine, and drinking it can relieve surgical pain, chronic diseases (such as gout and arthritis), coughs (especially whooping cough in children), and diarrhea.

Of course, adding black sesame to tobacco was not his original idea.

In previous years, businessmen promoted it among tens of thousands of laborers in Southeast Asia, and now a stable market has been formed.

He and his family started late, and they no longer have a place in Southeast Asia and South Vietnam.

Arriving in Kansai was the perfect opportunity for him and his family to make their mark!