Chapter 43

The Prince came over early after finishing his lessons to watch, and at this moment he was eavesdropping in the rear hall, not at all imposing.

Zhao Bao heard the customer add another koi, and couldn't help but whisper: "Raising singles, not pairs… Who came up with this idea? It's brilliant! If one dies, don't you have to rush over to replace it?" Besides, what's this called a longevity fish? Golden koi also ward off evil and bring wealth; if you don't keep the numbers right, it's terribly unlucky—this business could go on forever.

The Prince said: "Not necessarily; just wait for two more to die and you won't need to replace them."

... What logic, little genius.

Zhao Bao: …Could it be that Your Highness thought of this?

Not long after, a great commotion was heard outside as the richest man of Youzhou, Old Master Bai, arrived. His family would surely buy the biggest tank—this is clearly the Prince's industry, so he'd better put on a good show.

His study, his son's room, his grandson's room—everyone in the household needed a tank. Old Master Bai walked in and ordered three of the largest tanks, then began picking fish; the shopkeeper personally brought an assistant to scoop fish for big customers.

The three largest tanks cost 3,000 taels—a monopoly of the Prince; twenty-seven fish of various sizes totaled 5,320 taels; plus a year's supply of oxygen tablets and accessories for 582 taels, Old Master Bai splurged 8,900 taels at the Aquatic World.

After tallying the bill, the shopkeeper smilingly gave Old Master Bai a water‑changer plus three small nets.

"Let me demonstrate this for our valued customer. This water‑changer is a free gift for purchases over five thousand taels at the Aquatic World. It's called a sand‑washing water changer: it can suck out fish waste from below, clean the sand and stones, and easily change water. Don't let its size fool you—its materials are precious and fragile, so valued customers must use it carefully and cherish it; it should last at least three years with minimal use." The Prince also said that if one's fish‑keeping skills are poor, the fish might die within three years anyway, and by then this gadget might still be intact—three years is more than enough.

Don't misunderstand—it's just that simple manual water‑changer you squeeze to suck water and waste; Bai Yang's purchase price is 8.2.

But to the people of Great Jin, this looks incredibly high‑end and classy—just look at those several sections of clear, crystalline glass tubing; it's obviously valuable!

The Prince, hearing inside that the Bai family had spent nearly nine thousand taels, immediately summoned Old Master Bai.

He didn't mince words, announcing openly to the world: "Yes, this shop is mine, and I'm short on cash."

"I don't know if the Bai family would be interested in selling koi to Jiankang?"

Just as Old Master Bai rose to kneel and reply, the Prince waved him off, and Zhao Bao personally stepped in to block Bai Jun's grand salute.

This was the second time the Prince's Manor had mentioned selling koi to the south, and without saying "help him sell," the meaning was clear: the Prince wanted the Bai family to procure the fish here and bear their own profits and losses.

Bai Jun bowed respectfully and replied, "Your Highness, I haven't yet mastered the raising of koi; I fear mishaps along the way." Refusing outright was too bold, so it was better to stall. These fish are too precious—not as hardy as horses—and he couldn't afford losses.

The Prince heard his objection, counted on his fingers, and said: "Go by water and land at Jiankang to avoid the jolts. Bring plenty of oxygen tablets, take careful care, and the loss might not be great. Fine koi are hard to come by for a thousand gold; in Youzhou, even pairing our tanks with Great Jin's unique design won't sell for more than ten thousand taels. Take them to Jiankang, Luoyang, and Kuaiji—you decide how much to sell, and as a merchant you understand the profit better than I do."

Old Master Bai broke into a sweat; it seemed this business was hardly his choice—the Prince You was determined to make him do it.

The Prince, a sharp‑tongued little man, instantly saw he wasn't pleased, crossed his arms, puffed out his round cheeks, and his voice turned angry: "Old Master Bai, are you unwilling to cooperate with me?"

Bai Jun slammed his knees to the ground, and this time Zhao Bao didn't stop him. "I'm wronged! I'm more than willing!" What a joke—he's not tired of living. Earlier he must have lost his mind; the Prince wants him to do something, and it's not up to him to weigh gains and losses. He was really taken in by the Prince's gentle image yesterday—though this kid is small, he's the Lord of Youzhou, holding life and death over his whole household.

The Prince lowered his arms and said, "Then that's settled."

He gave a slap and a sweet date, saying: "Old Master Bai, do you know where the Prince's fry come from? They've bred to this shop's numbers in just a short time. You Bai family can buy batches of fry from him, ship them south to build hype and sell, while breeding your own. Even if you lose half in transit, you're still sure to profit. Once your southern koi breed fry, the Bai family will make a name for themselves and no longer need to haul koi a thousand li from Youzhou—the Prince is pointing you toward a broad, smooth road."

Bai Jun said: "Prince… what are you scheming? Why don't you just send your own people to run this sure‑profit business?"

The Prince bluntly said: "In all of Great Jin, only I have glass fish tanks."

Bai Jun: …I spoke too soon—fish tanks sell for more.

The Prince disliked selling fish because it constantly disturbed his beloved artificial lake; each time he seized someone's big koi's offspring, it alarmed the parents, leaving the lake in chaos—selling glass tanks is more profitable and less troublesome.

As Bai Yang put it, if keeping koi became fashionable among Great Jin's elite, the Prince could make a living just selling oxygen tablets.

After Jinli finished speaking, the Great King, upon seeing the dagger revealed, said, "It looks like we have reached a preliminary cooperation. Now I still have a business matter to discuss with you—I don't know how many Northern Hu horses you have in your possession; I want to buy 2,000 of them."

Bai Jun was about to sweat again—you don't look like someone short of money, opening your mouth asking for two thousand horses!

"Your Great King, I, a commoner, have already sold my horses to the south; now I have hardly any stock left—only a hundred newly arrived horses at my villa outside the city, which I am about to sell to Chang'an."

The Great King waved his hand magnanimously, "Never mind Chang'an—send them to the You Prince's residence. Even if it's not two thousand, that's fine; I still need to scrape together the money for the horses. Old Bai, you'd better give me a discount!"

Bai Jun: ……

Zhao Bao: ……

Just after scaring someone, and now it's Old Bai?!

"I live on the frontier, and there's no cavalry that can catch up to the Northern Hu horsemen; I can't sleep soundly at night. So, by next spring, can you get those two thousand horses for me? I need horses that can fight, not just for show."

What could Bai Jun do? He doesn't even have time to run away now—he's already signed up with the You Prince.

"I, a commoner, will do my utmost; Great King, rest assured."

After Bai Jun withdrew, the Great King fell into deep thought for a moment, his expression very solemn, and Zhao Bao did not dare to disturb him.

After a while, the Great King raised his head and asked his confidant, "Zhao Bao, what do you say is the standard for a bully?"

Zhao Bao: "Oppressing the populace, abducting civilian women?"

The Great King let out a breath of relief, "…Then I only engage in forced buying and selling; I'm still far from that."

Zhao Bao: ……You still haven't forgotten your "grand words", have you?

The Great King's diary:

【October 29, You Prince's residence.

I have found the correct way to use xx; after calculating today's earnings in silver, I have invested all of it into buying grain in the south—hah! I won't starve to death!

How can one say merchants are lowly? Commerce can also revive You Prefecture, not necessarily!

And Bai Jun—consider yourself savvy!

Wait! Today is already the 29th, and I can't bear to part with the Zhao Zhu Pavilion, wuu wuu~】