Chapter 208: 100,000 Silver
What does this imply?
Gu Shiba pondered for a while but couldn’t figure it out. He could only look at his clever Sixteen Brother.
Sixteen Brother asked him this question, so he must know something.
Unexpectedly, Gu Shiliu said, "If you can’t figure it out, then stop thinking about it. You’ll understand in the future. The lady won’t let us lose money. Good brother, I’ll give you a heads-up, the Marquis said if the lady’s pepper can’t be sold, the Marquis will find a way to transport it to the Northern Border for sale. We just wait to count the silver."
Gu Shiba immediately said, "Right, right, wait to count the silver. I’ll do whatever the Marquis and the lady instruct me to do."
Not long after, word spread in the Capital City that a big merchant found a large amount of pepper overseas and was on their way back. Upon hearing this, other big merchants planned to send out another batch of ships to bring back more pepper.
The pepper traders in the Capital City were all anxious, hoping that the Prince Qi Mansion would adhere to the previous agreement and buy pepper at the original market price.
But they couldn’t even get past the gates of the Prince Qi Mansion.
It was said that the Long Chancellor of Prince Qi Mansion, who had been in contact with these merchants, fell seriously ill and could no longer manage affairs. The official acting on his behalf didn’t know anything.
The anxious merchants had no way to make trouble even if they wanted to.
How many people in the entire Capital City can do large-scale pepper trading?
It’s impossible to stir up any waves.
Moreover, many people here do not dare to offend the Prince Qi Mansion.
The only option is to find a way to quickly clear their stocks.
But this commodity is inherently expensive, affordable only to wealthy households, and cannot be quickly cleared by lowering the price.
Manager Leng and others silently congratulated Qin Yuan, grateful that back then, when the lady wanted to buy a large amount of pepper, the Prince Qi Mansion intervened.
Otherwise, who knows how much silver they would have lost.
On the other side, the merchants who didn’t dare to negotiate with the Dingbei Marquis Mansion due to the threat of the Prince Qi Mansion were filled with regret, wishing they had.
Outside the Marquis Mansion, there were waves after waves of turmoil, while the Dingbei Marquis Mansion remained tightly shut, minding their own business.
All the news gathered by Gu Shiba from outside was relayed to the Marquis Mansion.
After Qin Yuan read it, she nodded repeatedly.
Hong Ye then asked, "Miss, what is the price of pepper outside now?"
Gu Shiliu quickly said, "It has already dropped to forty-nine taels of silver per jin."
Cui Ming said, "It hasn’t dropped by much."
Hong Ye, who was initially a bit happy, thought about it and said, "Yes, when Miss planned to buy pepper, it was fifty taels of silver per jin. Now it’s just one tael cheaper."
Qin Yuan said, "Yes, so it’s not the time yet. Let it drop a bit more."
Gu Shiliu, who was a little excited, came to report the good news with the news passed by Gu Shiba. Hearing this, he also felt that perhaps he was too early to be happy.
"It’s all Shiba being too impatient, but I don’t know what price the lady thinks is suitable to buy in again?"
Qin Yuan said, "That will depend on how low Shen Changle can let it drop. Sixteen, you pass on a message to Seventeen, have him monitor the prices in the surrounding State Mansions. A price drop in the Capital City will also affect the State Mansions."
Gu Shiliu immediately nodded, "Rest assured, my lady, I’ll go to pass on the message right away."
Then he was about to take his leave.
Qin Yuan called him back and said, "Help me send a message to Shen Changle, if we buy, it’s best not to buy at the lowest price. Just getting a bargain is fine, but don’t always think about getting it cheap, lest it causes trouble. Let him gauge the situation."
After Gu Shiliu left, Hong Ye asked, "Miss, we’ve worked so hard, and we let the Prince Qi Mansion take the blame. Why not buy at the lowest price? Letting others have the bargain."
Qin Yuan smiled and asked Cui Ming, "Cui Ming, what do you think?"
Cui Ming blinked and said, "Does Miss intend to buy more than ten hu of pepper?"
Hong Ye was taken aback.
"More than ten hu? How much silver would that be?"
Qin Yuan slowly picked up a grape, put it in her mouth, and after a while said, "Yes, I’ve made such a big fuss, and with the backing of the Dingbei Marquis Mansion, how can I only take ten hu."
"Because buying in bulk means I can’t expect to acquire it all from merchants in the Capital City, nor can I expect to get it all at the lowest price. If the value of this pepper multiplies in the future, wouldn’t these merchants bear a grudge against the Dingbei Marquis Mansion?"
Money and wealth are temptations.
Behind pepper trading merchants, more often than not, there are influential figures lurking. Qin Yuan only wants to make a fortune silently, without attracting unnecessary attention.
Hong Ye was stunned, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Cui Ming said, "So Miss intends to only influence the price in the Capital City?"
Qin Yuan glanced at Hong Ye, smiled, and said, "You’re quite smart, exactly."
It was only then that Hong Ye realized, "Ah, ah, ah, Miss, just how much pepper are you planning to buy?"
Ten hu was already quite an astonishing amount.
Why is Miss so bold?
Qin Yuan understood that Hong Ye, having not yet weathered storms, was indeed frightened by such a large transaction.
"Depending on the price, I plan to invest one hundred thousand taels of silver."
Even Cui Ming couldn’t help but exclaim.
"One hundred thousand taels of silver, that’s likely the entire amount of money Miss can gather, isn’t it?"
Hong Ye hurriedly cautioned, "Miss, be cautious, a hundred thousand taels of silver could take a Magistrate three years to earn. If it’s all invested in pepper, where will the money come from if something else requires funds? When the time comes, if Miss can’t produce the money, what will the Marquis Mansion think?"
Qin Yuan looked at her and smiled.
Hong Ye and Cui Ming have always looked out for her, but some matters can’t be easily explained.
"Hong Ye, how do you know a Magistrate would earn one hundred thousand taels of silver in three years?"
Hong Ye replied, "Oh, wasn’t it when officials returned to report in the Capital, and I overheard? There’s an old saying, ’Three years a poor Magistrate, ten thousand taels of silver.’ An official complained to the lady, saying he’d only ever be a noble but poor Sacrificial Officer, and the young master couldn’t be relied on. They can only hope that the young master of the hall could provide Old Qin Family with prosperity."
Qin Yuan: "..."
She hadn’t expected Hong Ye to hear such words.
Three years a poor Magistrate, ten thousand taels of silver is indeed true.
She followed Lin Ziqi as a County Magistrate in poor Jiangxi, and also served as a Magistrate in Zhejiang, so she’s well aware of the income from these positions.
A Magistrate in places like Yang Su Hang probably earns one hundred thousand taels of silver in one year, especially those involved in the salt administration, which is extremely lucrative.
Cui Ming said, "Went too far, went too far. Miss, what Hong Ye said isn’t without reason. If all the current silver is pooled together, and there’s an urgent need, where would we get the silver then?"
Qin Yuan said, "I understand your concerns. Currently, all the available silver is just this much. Otherwise, I would’ve wanted to buy more. The output from the farms and the shop earnings can barely support the rewards and daily expenses. With the Marquis around, even if the pepper trade incurs a loss, it won’t be catastrophic."
If it makes a profit...
Qin Yuan didn’t want to say it, fearing it would frighten them.
Originally, she intended to take it slow, to gradually build financial strength, but recent events have made her realize that many things aren’t the same as before.