Chapter 79: Entering the Trap

As the seat of government for Hwanghae Province, Haizhou City houses various government offices, including those of the provincial governor and the prefectural magistrate.

Coupled with its superior Geography, Haizhou City is a name that carries weight not only in Hwanghae Province but throughout Joseon.

The prosperity of a city naturally cannot be separated from the support of a thriving commercial sector.

There are thousands of large and small merchants in the city, and no shortage of wealthy and powerful figures, among whom many are well-informed.

The news that Zhang Yunxiu and his party are purchasing salt on a massive scale, and that Woguo is about to invade, has long since spread throughout Haizhou City.

In the blink of an eye, the merchants of the entire Haizhou City began to stir.

Just past 7:00 PM this day, seven or eight middle-aged wealthy merchants in fine robes walked into the city's largest restaurant, "Haiming Lou," with smiles on their faces.

After deferring to one another as they entered the private room and taking their seats according to rank, the man at the head of the table smiled first and said, "Gentlemen, I have gathered you all here today; you should know why, right?"

The man was about forty years old, with a fair complexion and an elegant air, but his pair of mung-bean-sized, shifty eyes made people feel extremely uncomfortable.

He was none other than the city's wealthiest merchant, Jin Fu.

The others were also prominent wealthy merchants in the city.

"Boss Jin, let's skip the small talk and get straight to the point!" one man sitting to his side said with a laugh, slapping the table.

The remaining merchants followed suit with laughter, teasing Jin Fu.

"That's right, the price of salt changes every day; I think you, Boss Jin, are the happiest."

"We've heard that you have a full million catties of salt in your warehouse, Boss Jin. If a war really breaks out, you'll be the first to make a fortune."

Smiling and shaking his head, Jin Fu interrupted the discussion and lowered his posture, saying, "Whether I make a fortune or not depends on you gentlemen, doesn't it? If you gentlemen don't support me, what kind of fortune could I possibly make?"

Having said this, Jin Fu paused briefly before continuing: "You are all gentry of our Joseon, with vast family wealth. As long as we join forces to drive up the price of salt, when the war starts, we can just sit back and count our money."

"How do we do it?" the man who spoke first asked skeptically.

"Wang Laoban, we're both old foxes; don't play the innocent with me here. Do you really need me to teach you how to do it?" Jin Fu cast a glance at him with a smile, then looked at the others and suggested, "After you return, on one hand, control the sale of salt, and on the other, purchase it on a large scale while spreading the word that the Woguo thieves are about to invade Joseon."

Wang Laoban nodded with a smile, and after a few seconds of thought, the others felt there was profit to be made and agreed as well.

Then, the group discussed further, deciding not to limit their purchases to Hwanghae Province.

They would also have to purchase salt in Pyongan-do, Gyeonggi-do, Hamgyong-do, and all the other provinces of Joseon.

After dividing the regions, the next topic was the price.

"How about seventeen wen?" Wang Laoban was the first to suggest a number.

This number was exactly the price at which Zhang Yunxiu and his party were purchasing.

"Wang Laoban, you are too small-minded." Jin Fu smiled and shook his head, then added, "We need to drive this price up all the way. Since we are going to drive it up, don't worry about how much capital we spend upfront."

"Purchase it directly at twenty wen."

"Twenty... twenty wen?!" Wang Laoban's eyes widened, and he gasped.

The others looked at each other in dismay, clearly stunned by Jin Fu's bold move.

Twenty wen per catty was double the previous price; if it ended up stuck in their hands, wouldn't they lose everything? "What are you afraid of? Which one of your families doesn't have hundreds of thousands of catties of salt?" Seeing their hesitation, Jin Fu raised his eyebrows and said with conviction, "As long as we drive the price of salt up, when the time comes, won't the price of salt be whatever we say it is?"

At this, the others were tempted.

"Fine, since you, Boss Jin, have such courage, we can't be stingy either." Wang Laoban raised his wine cup, stood up with a swoosh, and smilingly greeted the others, saying, "Come, to wish us all a great fortune, let's all toast Boss Jin together." The other merchants stood up in unison and raised their cups toward Jin Fu.

Jin Fu laughed heartily, filled a large cup with wine, met the others in a virtual toast, and downed it in one gulp.

With the serious business concluded, the men no longer stood on ceremony, engaging in banter and lighthearted conversation.

From the government to the royal family, from business to brothels, no strange news or gossip could escape the ears of these merchants.

After three rounds of drinks and five courses of food.

The group was quite intoxicated. Jin Fu, the organizer, stood up with a flushed face, waved his hand with a smile, and said, "Gentlemen... gentlemen, I cannot hold my liquor today, so I shall take my leave first. Next time we gather, I will certainly treat you all to a grand feast."

"Gentlemen, why don't you thank Boss Jin for his hospitality?" Wang Laoban said with a laugh.

"Thank you, Boss Jin, for your hospitality," the others said with drunken slurs, cupping their hands.

The moon was like a hook, and the night air was cool as water. By the time Jin Fu returned home and washed up, it was already the Hour of the Bo (9:00 PM – 11:00 PM).

By now, the sky had turned completely dark. He did not go to rest but dragged his weary body to sit alone in his study.

Inside the study, two Eight-Corner Exquisite Palace Lanterns were lit, and the twenty-square-meter room was instantly swallowed by the beams of light.

He sat on a yellow pear-wood Grand Tutor chair, supporting his forehead with his right hand while flipping through the account book on the table with his left.

The more he looked, the more excited he felt. To say nothing else, he had not only hoarded one million catties of salt this time.

It was a full three million catties.

As long as the price of this salt could be driven up to forty... or even fifty wen, his net worth would surely skyrocket.

*Hoo. * Thinking of this, Jin Fu's face turned red, and he felt an indescribable excitement throughout his body. For a merchant, nothing was more fulfilling than using one's brain to make a fortune.

Suddenly, a knock came from outside the door, pulling him back from his fantasies.

Straightening his clothes, Jin Fu sat up straight and shouted to the outside, "Come in."

*Clack. *

The wooden door opened in response, and a man dressed as a steward walked in from outside.

He bowed to Jin Fu first, then said respectfully, "Master, according to your instructions, I have gathered all the funds our family can still mobilize, totaling thirty thousand taels of silver, all here."

As he spoke, he handed over the account book.

Jin Fu took it without looking and placed it on the table, muttering, "Thirty thousand taels is too little. If I could have another twenty thousand, my bargaining power would be much greater than it is now."

"Master, the remaining money must be kept for other businesses; we absolutely cannot touch it," the Jin Guanjia exclaimed.

"I know." Jin Fu waved his hand, stood up from the chair, walked over to the steward, and asked with a smile, "Looking at you, do you also think I'm losing money just to make a show of it this time?"

"I wouldn't dare." The Jin Guanjia lowered his head and shook it repeatedly.

Jin Fu patted the steward's shoulder, revealing a meaningful smile: "Actually, I also know that the Woguo invasion is likely fake."

"Ah, then why are you..." The Jin Guanjia suddenly raised his head, staring straight into his master's eyes.

"Sometimes, people don't necessarily believe the truth, and sometimes, people don't necessarily disbelieve a lie," Jin Fu said with a smile, speaking in riddles.

(End of this chapter)