A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 15 Wealth
The wings of butterflies and bees seem to allow you to see through them from one side to the other. What's even more remarkable is that the patterns and colors on each butterfly and bee are different upon closer inspection, and the spread of each wing is different, yet they are all truly flying, circling around unopened flower buds!
Continuing onward, there were still those butterflies, those bees, and those flowers. The butterflies and bees were still flying around the flowers, but there was a subtle difference: the petals of the buds in the previous section had already begun to open slightly!

In the end, the butterflies and bees either flew or landed on the fully bloomed flower buds.

"Beautiful! Absolutely stunning!" Dongguo Xianyang exclaimed.

The first piece of silk satin depicts the hour of Chen (7-9 AM), when the flowers are still in bloom, and butterflies and bees are flying around them.

The second piece of silk satin depicts the time of Si (9-11 AM), when flowers are just blooming and butterflies and bees are preparing to eat pollen.

The third piece of silk satin depicts midday, when flowers are in full bloom, and butterflies and bees revel in the beauty of pollen.

The same pattern, yet so many variations—those present were the most astute merchants of the Han Dynasty, and they naturally knew that this was "wealth and honor."

True nobility, even when changing clothes, does not want to be recognized at a glance, but enjoys the subtle ways that amaze the world.

The businessmen nodded repeatedly.

They had seen many fine brocades and embroideries, and at this moment they were all wearing expensive silks.

However, they all have one drawback: while they are overly ornate, they are quite monotonous.

The patterns on Han brocade are mostly symmetrical, which, while gorgeous, lack fluidity and liveliness.

The patterns in Han embroidery are even more exquisite. The three embroidery styles, namely Xinqi Embroidery, Changshou Embroidery, and Chengyun Embroidery, all feature swirling, stable patterns, occasionally interspersed with glass-like shapes. This represents the transition from coiled dragon patterns to cloud patterns. While the patterns are fluid enough, they are still not lively enough.

The silk produced by the Zhuo family workshop showed merchants what true vibrancy and liveliness were.

How could nobles not love such silk?
Zhuo Shang, also dressed in coarse cloth and short clothes, remained unhurried despite the enthusiastic gazes of the other merchants, and loudly proclaimed, "Shining light!"

When the curtains on the second-floor window were drawn back, sunlight streamed in instantly, filling the entire hall with vibrant colors.

The silks, adorned with various colors and patterns, were so beautiful under the sunlight.

All the merchants at this moment showed their sincere admiration.

Dongguo Xianyang, Kong Jin, and Ren Quan approached Zhuo Shang. "Old Zhuo, we're old acquaintances, so let's get straight to the point. How many of these do you have? We'll take them all."

The silk was clearly expensive, yet regardless of the price, the person asked for it all. This extravagance was astonishing.

Zhuo Shang knew that the three men did indeed have the confidence to do so. Dongguo Xianyang was a major salt merchant in Qi, with businesses all over the Han Dynasty. His family's wealth was measured in gold.

Kong Jin, whose ancestral home was Suiyang in the State of Liang, moved his family to Nanyang after the Qin Dynasty destroyed the State of Wei. They built up the fields and used the land as an iron foundry, cultivated extensive connections with various feudal lords, and established a commercial iron smelting industry in the Nanyang region, amassing a fortune.

The existence of the Kong family even influenced and changed the customs of Nanyang, giving rise to a trend of merchants traveling from place to place.

When Emperor Gaozu of Han overthrew the Chu state and established the Han dynasty, he faced a situation of national poverty and weakness. He chose to start anew with the people, which allowed the Han dynasty to recuperate and thrive for more than seventy years. Under such national policy, the Kong family was able to unleash their full potential and fully demonstrate their business acumen.

Nanyang was known for its developed iron and steel industry and commerce, and was one of the so-called "Five Capitals". These five capitals were Handan in the north, Linzi in the east, Chengdu in the west, Luoyang in the center, and Nanyang in the south.

The Zhuo family was also a family of iron smelters and was the head of the West Market, while the Kong family was the uncrowned king of the South Market.

Unfortunately, the Kong family had no interest in the empty title of the richest family in the Han Dynasty. Only heaven knows which family had more or less wealth.

As for Ren Quan, he is the most mysterious. The ancestors of the Ren family of Xuanqu were once supervisors of granaries in the Qin Dynasty, responsible for managing the granaries.

When the Qin Dynasty fell, everyone else was scrambling to seize gold and silver treasures, but the Ren family monopolized the Jiuzhou cellars.

During the Chu-Han Contention, the Ren family made a fortune by selling grain and exchanging it for large amounts of gold and silver jewelry, accumulating enormous wealth.

Since the founding of the Han Dynasty, the Ren family has been engaged in the grain industry. For more than seventy years, some people say that half of the grain in the world has been traded through the Ren family.

It's not impossible that he could be as wealthy as a country.

However, the Ren family has strict family rules, stipulating that family members must make a living by farming or raising livestock, and are not allowed to drink alcohol or eat meat until official business is completed.

Ren Quan's outfit was the most plain, except for Zhuo Shang's. Although it was silk, it was just a thin, plain gauze. Fortunately, it had printed colors, otherwise it wouldn't even cover his body parts.

It's quite cool in this summer.

Five hundred horses!

Dongguo Xianyang, Kong Jin, and Ren Quan clearly showed their disappointment. With so little stock, each family wouldn't even get two hundred horses. It wouldn't even be enough for personal relationships, let alone buying and selling.

Zhuo Shang paused for a moment, then continued, "Five hundred horses per month!"

The three merchants' eyes lit up immediately. This amount of goods certainly couldn't satisfy the thousands or tens of thousands of nobles in the Han Dynasty, but it would be enough to open up the market.

“We’ll take them all,” Dongguo Xianyang said with a smile.

Zhuo Shang shook his head, and amidst the questioning gazes of the three merchants, looked at the many nervous small merchants, "The Dongguo, Kong, and Ren families will each receive a quota of 160 bolts per month. The remaining 20 bolts can be purchased by those present according to their means. The quota is now fixed and will remain so. Each bolt is worth 100,000 coins, and you can negotiate the amount yourselves."

When the price was announced, many merchants gasped, making the hall even hotter. Their eyes were clearly saying, "Why don't you just rob us?"
Many merchants disagreed. Fine silk was priceless. The silk woven by Zhuo Shang's workshop back then was far inferior to what we see today, yet it sold for 80,000 coins. This price was neither too high nor too low, and at least the Dongguo, Kong, and Ren families were willing to take the whole share.

The fact that they set aside twenty bolts of silk only shows that the Zhuo family was charitable.

Merchants who wanted to buy shares flocked to those who thought the prices were too high, asking for loans at exorbitant interest rates, saying, "If you won't buy, I will."

Fifty million dollars came in.

……

In the back hall.

Liu Ju and Bai Xue, the girl practicing swordsmanship, listened to the sounds coming from the front hall.

After handing over the weaving workshop and the weaver's contract, Zhuo Wenjun kept the steward Zhuo Shang and her younger sister's daughter Bai Xue behind. How could the Crown Prince of the Han Dynasty do business with merchants?

"Your Highness, why not give the entire share to those three families?" Bai Xue asked, puzzled.

The girl wasn't exactly a beauty that could topple kingdoms, but she was still quite pretty. She lacked gentleness and coquettishness, but she possessed a brightness, intelligence, and a natural innocence, as well as a charm that occasionally shone through her heroic spirit—qualities that no other beauty could match.

"You can't put your eggs in one basket."

(End of this chapter)