readytorunbook Chapter 148: It’s a waste if you don’t make money from the imperial court
Chapter 148: It’s a waste if you don’t make money from the imperial court
When Zhou Chang returned to the West Parade Ground, half a day had passed, but there was still no smoke from yesterday, and everyone was still busy killing snakes.
At this rate, it will certainly not be completed on schedule.
Zhou Chang currently has no other good ideas except giving more money as incentives.
Just as he was worrying, a group of people came from the west gate, led by Zhong Yu.
Zhong Yu came to the stands to greet Zhou Chang: "Your Highness, the first batch of medicinal materials has been prepared. In addition, the first batch of small porcelain bottles containing snake oil has also been delivered."
"That's great. Let's hand it over to the Imperial Pharmacy and the Ministry of Revenue and settle the balance for the medicinal materials and snakes." Zhou Chang had someone serve tea to Zhong Yu, and she just remembered to take a sip.
Zhong Yu looked exhausted, having not slept for a whole day and night. However, he was still worried and insisted on going to watch the handover.
Zhou Chang thought about the fact that he still didn't know the cost of these things: "Mr. Zhong, how much silver did we spend to buy these things?"
Zhong Yu looked around and lowered his voice to prevent anyone from eavesdropping: "Manager He of the Yuan family said that the Yuan family will charge ten cents for each of the six thousand snakes, which is a total of sixty taels of silver. As for the medicinal materials, Manager Fu said that as long as the prince gets two thousand taels of silver, it will be a sure profit."
"So cheap?" Zhou Chang couldn't believe it. She had just asked for a high price in front of Emperor Lin.
Zhong Yu nodded: "Manager He specifically emphasized that this is the price sold to the prince. As for the price the prince sold to the court, they did not ask."
"If that's the case, our medicinal materials can't be so cheap." Zhou Chang stroked his chin, his heart was filled with joy, but he was a math idiot and had no choice but to pull Zhong Yu aside and sit down. "Sir, calculate, if a snake costs one tael of silver, and the labor cost each person ten taels yesterday, and twenty taels today and tomorrow, how much is that? Ten thousand taels of silver were transported back to the mansion yesterday."
Zhong Yu understood and did not use an abacus to calculate in his head: "If the snakes shipped by the Yuan family are calculated at one tael of silver per snake, then six thousand snakes would be six thousand taels. Ten taels of silver was paid to each of the fifty imperial guards yesterday, so that's five hundred taels. Today, twenty taels per person would be paid, so that's one thousand taels. This labor cost should be counted as labor expenses of the Ministry of Revenue and has nothing to do with us. So our first batch of medicinal materials plus this batch of porcelain bottles will be calculated at four thousand taels for the time being."
Zhou Chang could only count on his fingers: "Just now I asked His Majesty for another 10,000 taels of silver, so there are 20,000 taels of silver left. Even if we spend all of this 20,000 taels, there must be some left. So no matter how much is left, it must be counted as the cost of the medicinal materials to make the total. As for those small porcelain bottles, they are worthless."
Zhong Yu nodded: "That's right, what the prince said is almost right."
Zhou Chang finally felt that her hard work was not in vain. Even if she didn't make money from the court, someone else would.
When Zhong Yu saw that Zhou Chang had no other instructions, he bowed and took his leave, and went to busy himself with the people from the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Pharmacy.
Not long after Zhong Yugang left, Qian Liang, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, hurried up from the stands and said, "Your Highness Prince Yi, there is something I don't understand. Please enlighten me."
"What's the matter?" Zhou Chang was praising the pastries in the palace.
Although I am used to having two meals a day, I must add two or three desserts and afternoon tea in between.
"Your Highness, as far as I know, ordinary people can sell a snake in the market for three to ten coins depending on its size. Your snake is only one ounce of silver. Isn't it too expensive?"
"Expensive?" Zhou Chang swallowed the last bite of cake. "Master Qian, do you know where these snakes come from? How did they come? They were rushed here from the south, thousands of miles away, by water and land. Didn't the boats cost money? Didn't the horses and fodder cost money? Didn't the workers who worked day and night cost money? The snakes are expensive, but there's nothing we can do about it. The court needs them so urgently."
Qian Liang was originally shocked by the fact that he got a snake for one tael of silver, mainly because it was difficult for him to record it in his account. Now when Zhou Chang asked him this, he was speechless.
"Also, Lord Qian, you should have received the imperial edict from His Majesty. Just now, because I was worried that the silver was not enough, I asked His Majesty for another 10,000 taels. Where is the banknote?" Zhou Chang stretched out his hand to ask Qian Liang for money.
Qian Liang's forehead was covered with cold sweat. He was superfluous. Just now, his subordinates stopped him from coming to Prince Yi to argue, but he still didn't believe it and stammered, "Ah, then, may I ask, Your Majesty, what is the expenditure of this ten thousand taels of silver?"
"Of course it's the final payment for the subsequent medicinal materials." Zhou Chang said as a matter of course, "The price of medicinal materials in the market is soaring every day, don't you know?"
Qian Liang had just seen the medicinal herbs that Zhong Yuyun had brought, but they had all been ground into powder and it was impossible to tell what they were. Only the pearl powder was packaged separately, and the rest was difficult to identify.
"Lord Qian, you are questioning my Four Medicinal Herbs Shop. Are you new to Jindu City?" Zhou Chang felt confident when he mentioned the Four Medicinal Herbs Shop.
Qian Liang felt a chill on his back. He had naturally heard that Prince Yi had a Four-flavor Medicine Shop, which sold mostly various strange and bizarre elixirs and tonics at ridiculous prices.
Zhou Chang was going to escalate the issue: "Alas, Lord Qian, I am still worried. Even thirty thousand taels of silver is not enough. What if it is still not enough? The Ministry of Revenue will have to find a solution."
"Ministry of Revenue? What can the Ministry of Revenue do? I am only responsible for paying the money and recording where the money goes." Qian Liang was at a loss.
Zhou Chang was waiting for this sentence, and he shouted, "You know you are only responsible for recording, so why are you still talking so much here?"
Qian Liang was so frightened that he trembled and hurriedly bowed and retreated, forgetting even to say goodbye.
Qian Liang had just walked down the stairs of the stands when a man in the purple-red uniform of the eunuch chief came up hurriedly with four young eunuchs.
"Your servant Liu Dexia pays homage to His Royal Highness Prince Yi." Liu Dexia knelt down to pay his respects to Zhou Chang.
His voice was the hoarse voice that Zhou Chang hated the most. He didn't think much of it when it was Shen Rui before, but now that it was Prince Yi Feng Ming, it sounded particularly disgusting.
Zhou Chang put on a faint smile and pretended to be confused: "Isn't this Eunuch Liu? Why did you come in person?"
The Liu Dexia in Prince Yi's memory had not changed much from the real person in front of him. He still had a donkey face, thick lips, and a pair of shifty eyes.
Liu Dexia could not hear any emotion in Zhou Chang's voice. He still knelt on the ground and said in a flattering tone, "Your Highness Prince Yi wants a censer and incense. It just so happens that General Manager Fang is busy, so he asked me to bring them to Your Highness."
The sun in the sky was clearly warm, but the moment Prince Yi saw Liu Dexia, he began to feel cold. "If you have a dream that you don't give up, there will be a vast ocean in front of you; if you have an ideal that you don't compromise on, there will be a bright road under your feet."