Chapter 667: Changes 2
The business of the Gu family’s main branch was relatively stable. This was because they had previously acquired many rare treasures from Ye Qianning at once, items that now served as the shop’s prized centerpieces.
Many families of officials would patronize the shop for gifts whenever they needed to enter the palace for birthday congratulations.
As the saying goes, an antique shop could go three years without a sale, but one good sale could sustain it for three years.
This past year, Gu Shuo had spent his time either at the border or in Nanyuan, dedicating more than half the year to studying Nanyuan’s topographical maps and conducting field assessments.
The Beili Emperor had observed Nanyuan for over half a year, and Gu Shuo for just as long. He had even sent men to investigate the situation in Nanyuan, only to find it was even more impoverished than imagined. He failed to see what grounds for cooperation there could be.
Moreover, the price Gu Shuo had initially proposed was exorbitant. After six months, the Beili Emperor still hadn’t signed the cooperation agreement, and Nanyuan’s ruler could wait no longer.
He dispatched Prince Yu to personally seek out Gu Shuo and sign the contract at a price that was less than half the original offer.
The new price was still two copper coins higher than the current market rate for Nanyuan’s aquatic products, settling at eight copper coins per pound.
When Li Mu, who oversaw the imperial merchants, heard the news, he declared he would just sit back and watch the Gu family drive themselves to bankruptcy. After all, most of Nanyuan’s aquatic products couldn’t even sell at a price of six copper coins per pound.
Gu Shuo had locked in a ten-year contract at eight copper coins per pound. With the Gu family’s businesses already in shambles, people wondered where he would find the money to acquire Nanyuan’s supply.
Having figured out Nanyuan’s market situation, the Beili Emperor was convinced Gu Shuo couldn’t stir up any trouble and stopped having him watched.
—
The Zhan family had kept a relatively low profile this year. Zhan Chi spent most of his time cooped up in his manor. To outsiders, it seemed he was just as idle as before, only now he was rarely spotted in the Capital City.
Four months ago, Noble Princess Consort Zhan gave birth to a daughter for the Emperor. The Emperor bestowed upon her the name Lan Yu, a name evoking a pure heart and noble spirit, fitting for a child of imperial birth, whose full name was Sang Lanyu.
Her courtesy name: Nianning.
When the Beili Emperor learned that Noble Princess Consort Zhan had chosen the name Nianning for the little princess, he flew into a thunderous rage.
From that day on, the Beili Emperor never again set foot in Noble Princess Consort Zhan’s palace, nor did he visit the little princess even once.
The Zhan matriarch entered the palace multiple times to persuade her daughter not to provoke imperial authority. But Noble Princess Consort Zhan’s heart had long grown cold; she wished for nothing more than for the Beili Emperor to never again step foot in her residence.
Out of sight, out of mind. She could raise her daughter in peace and give her a proper upbringing, which was far better than any hollow imperial favor.
’Even the most favored of princesses could be sent off to the Barbarian Clan without a moment’s hesitation. What was favor compared to true power?’
—
The Qian family built a residence at Sunset Gorge, located on the border. Sunset Gorge did not belong to any of the four nations, and was an extremely secluded small canyon.
Due to its location on the border, the transportation of materials was slow, making it seem as though construction took the entire year.
The eldest of the Qian family, Qian Yunting, returned to his old profession upon arriving at the border: a caravan guard.
Guarding caravans on the border was perilous, but the pay was high. He frequently traveled between the territory of the Barbarian Clan and the Xi Yan border.
Qian Fanji had vanished for over half a year. When he reappeared, he was in control of two additional mining veins. Within a year, he had monopolized Beili’s mineral resources.
That winter, the price of coal he sold to Beili’s imperial merchants was three times higher than in previous years, while the coal sold to Nanyuan was priced at less than half of what it used to be. Such pricing left everyone baffled.
Beili had a large population, and coal was a huge business that typically generated substantial profits each year. Now, with the price hike, far from making money, they were projected to lose a huge sum.
The Beili Emperor was furious when he heard the news. Unlike merchants, mineral resources were not easy to bring under control, and coal was an essential commodity in winter.
Even at triple the price, they had no choice but to pay up. There was no longer any possibility of turning a profit.