June 5th.
Shen Mansion.
"Good-for-nothings, a bunch of good-for-nothings." Shen Mingcheng was furious at this time.
"It's been four days and we can't find out how much kickbacks the Su family gave. What's the use of you?"
At this time, the servants of the Shen family were silent.
"Okay. It's useless to chop them all up now. You will know everything when you meet Eunuch Li later." Ji Yuanshan said.
Shen Mingcheng still said angrily: "But, this makes us passive."
"Remember my words, no matter what the Su family offers, we will add 10%. How much profit can a merchant give? At most 20% or 30%, the money earned by then will not be yours." Ji Yuanshan said.
"Okay." Shen Mingcheng was relieved after hearing this. He packed up and took a car to the West Lake.
...
On the West Lake, a pleasure boat was drifting with the waves.
The two were sitting opposite each other on the pleasure boat, with a sumptuous meal on the table in front of them.
At this time, Shen Mingcheng said with a flattering smile: "Eunuch Li, are you satisfied with the meal?"
Eunuch Li said in a hoarse voice: "I'm used to the food in the palace, and everything else is bland and tasteless."
Eunuch Li was talking about the food, but he was actually reminding Shen Mingcheng that he was a man in the palace, and ordinary favors would not be in his eyes.
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingcheng hurriedly smiled and said: "Yes, eunuch is a man who has seen the world, so let's not beat around the bush. Our Shen family really wants to become an imperial merchant, and being able to serve the royal family is our Shen family's lifelong pursuit."
"If you want to become an imperial merchant, you can't just talk about it. The Su family is more sincere than you."
Hearing this, Shen Mingcheng couldn't help but panic, and he hurriedly asked: "I wonder how sincere the Su family is?"
Eunuch Li stretched out a finger impatiently.
Shen Mingcheng was stunned. He said tentatively, "One hundred thousand taels?"
"It's one million taels!" said Eunuch Li.
"What? This is impossible." Shen Mingcheng almost jumped up in excitement, which made his body, which had just recovered a little, gasp violently again.
You should know that the annual profit of the imperial merchant is only three or four hundred thousand taels for a five-year period, which means that the Su family took out most of the profit as kickbacks, and even the first few years could not make back the cost.
Crazy, crazy, Su Linglong is completely crazy, Shen Mingcheng thought.
"Nothing is impossible." Eunuch Li said lightly.
He took a sip of the wine on the table and said, "If your Shen family is not sincere, then the miscellaneous family will go back first."
"Wait!" Shen Mingcheng remembered Ji Yuanshan's entrustment, and he gritted his teeth and said, "My Shen family is willing to pay 1.1 million taels."
Eunuch Li's mouth corners slightly raised an arc. He continued to say calmly: "I don't think the Shen family is very sincere. I think the position of the imperial merchant should be given to the Su family."
"One million and two hundred thousand taels. It really can't be more. The annual profit of the imperial merchant is also known to the eunuch. If it is higher, we will not make any money." Shen Mingcheng said.
Eunuch Li couldn't help but sneer. He thought to himself, what does it have to do with me if you can't make money? I just need to make money.
Li Zifei said: "It seems that your Shen family is still a little sincere. This position of the imperial merchant will be reserved for you for the time being."
Shen Mingcheng was overjoyed when he heard this. He hurriedly said: "Thank you, eunuch. Let me toast you a glass and wish you great fortune and success."
Eunuch Li symbolically clinked glasses with Shen Mingcheng.
...
When Shen Mingcheng returned to the Shen Mansion drunkenly.
Ji Yuanshan immediately came to greet him.
"How is it?" Ji Yuanshan asked.
Shen Mingcheng nodded and said, "It's done."
"How much did it cost?"
"One million and two hundred thousand taels."
Ji Yuanshan frowned when he heard this number, "Why did you spend so much?"
"That crazy woman from the Su family actually promised one million taels. I really had no choice but to..."
Ji Yuanshan really didn't want to care about this idiot. You gave the big share to that dead eunuch, so our Ji family's share would naturally be less. Wouldn't I have worked in vain here for a while?
Although this is the fact, it can't be said that way.
So Ji Yuanshan said, "There are still a few hundred thousand in profit, which is not bad."
Shen Mingcheng nodded with a wry smile.
To everyone's surprise, the subsequent imperial merchant affairs were handled very smoothly, and soon the Shen family's name was filled in the imperial edict with the jade seal.
Of course, the silver note of one million and two hundred thousand taels was also given to Eunuch Li without a cent less. Otherwise, things would not have been so smooth.
Just when the whole Shen family was celebrating, the Shen family's steward hurried in and said, "Something bad has happened to the boss!"
Shen Mingcheng scolded the steward on the spot when he heard what he said, "How can you talk like that? Isn't it fine?"
"It's not the boss, it's the silk."
Shen Mingcheng was shocked when he heard it: "What's wrong with the silk?"
You know, silk is the main raw material of silk. If there is a problem with the silk, and the tribute silk cannot be delivered, it is not a matter of money, it will cost you your head.
The steward hurriedly said, "Today I went to collect silk, but the silkworm merchants said there was no silk."
"Where is the silk?" Shen Mingcheng asked anxiously.
The steward stammered, "The silk... was all taken away by the Su family!"
"What? Go tell those silk merchants that I will pay twice the price."
"Boss, the Su family paid three times the price for the silk, and they also asked the silk merchants to sign a contract. If they breached the contract, they would have to pay ten times the compensation. So if we want to buy silk from the silk merchants, we can only pay more than thirty times the price."
"Puff." Shen Mingcheng spurted out a mouthful of old blood and fainted on the spot.
...
The story has to start from the first day of June.
Huo Chenan met Eunuch Li in Louwailou.
"The Su family sent you, a small servant, to entertain the family?" Eunuch Li said dissatisfiedly when he saw that Huo Chenan was just a servant.
"Some people are noble but stingy, while some people are humble but generous." Huo Chenan said neither servile nor arrogant.
Eunuch Li looked at Huo Chenan in surprise and asked, "How do you prove your generosity?" Huo Chenan smiled and said, "I wonder if a meal at Louwailou can be considered generous?" Eunuch Li sneered and said, "From my perspective, your generosity is like giving alms to beggars, which is worthless." Huo Chenan said calmly, "What if you add another one million taels?" "One... one million taels?" Eunuch Li had never thought that a merchant would pay so much for an imperial merchant. "Is the Su family really willing to pay one million taels for the imperial merchant?" he asked in confusion. "No, the Su family won't pay a penny." Huo Chenan said lightly. Eunuch Li was angry and said, "Are you kidding me?"