Chapter 293: Selling Silk Beyond the Tang Dynasty

Three guan, five guan?

Upon hearing the figures, the four of them paled; Zhang Ji, Jin Wan Cheng, and Wang Lao Wu wore anxious expressions.

"Sir, three guan, even five guan is too high; even though this silk is top‑grade, it could never fetch such a price."

"Not to be presumptuous, but even the brocade robe you're wearing probably can't sell for five guan."

Wang Lao Wu said with a sour expression.

Chen Yan was startled, looked down at his own clothes, and immediately smiled, "Then you're mistaken; the brocade robe I'm wearing can't be bought for five guan."

His outfit was made from the finest silk brocade that Gao Yang selected from his dowry, then commissioned the best embroideress in the Imperial Palace to craft; five guan could probably only buy a sleeve.

"Huh?"

Wang Lao Wu was at a loss and muttered, "Then your silk fabrics can't fetch such a high price either."

"Why can't they sell?" Chen Yan retorted.

Then his gaze shifted to Guo Ding, whose face had briefly changed earlier and now wore a thoughtful expression.

"Old Guo, do you think these silk fabrics could sell for more than three guan?"

Guo Ding pondered, "The subordinate believes that the sir's silk indeed cannot sell for more than three guan, but if it travels far, it should fetch three qian of silver—that is, three pieces of the silk that Wang Lao Wu has could sell for one or two taels of silver."

Guo Ding slipped into his role quickly, now referring to himself as 'the subordinate.'

Chen Yan was pleased with his words, "Actually, I was careless; I forgot that outside the Tang Dynasty, transactions aren't settled with Tang coins but with gold, silver, and even goods."

"Old Guo, are you saying..."

Wang Lao Wu's face lit up, finally grasping Chen Yan's meaning.

Jin Wan Cheng interjected, "Sir, you mean to sell these silks beyond the Tang Dynasty; only outside the Tang Dynasty can a bolt of silk fetch a price higher than brocade."

"Moreover, the farther it goes, the higher the price."

Among the four, only Guo Ding trades jewelry with people outside the Tang Dynasty, so when Chen Yan mentioned such high prices, he thought of it after a moment.

After understanding Chen Yan's plan, the four all showed uplifted expressions.

Doing business beyond the Tang Dynasty!

This is no longer calculated by profit margin, but entirely by multiplier.

Even without going far, like Guo Ding, trading at the Xiyu frontier can double a bolt's price, but a doubling is merely an appetizer.

If one continues onward, from Xiyu to Bosi, even to Rome, a bolt could fully reach the price Chen Yan mentioned.

A bolt of silk worth a few hundred wen could sell for three guan, even five guan there—what a massive profit!

Just the thought alone is enough to drive every merchant mad!

After the excitement, Guo Ding, a jeweler who specializes in Xiyu trade, was the first to calm down, smiling wryly, "Sir, selling silk beyond the Tang Dynasty indeed promises huge profit, but the risks are equally significant."

"Behind the huge profit lies a hellish road densely scrawled with the word 'death'."

"To go that far, one must first cross the boundless desert merchants call the 'Sea of Death', traverse the ice‑blocked passes of the plateau, and countless Gobi wastelands."

"Along the way, scorching heat, bitter cold, drought, sandstorms, avalanches, getting lost—encounter any one and a caravan can be easily destroyed."

"Moreover, to travel that far one must pass countless oasis city‑states and nations; every local lord extracts heavy taxes, and bandits on the road are as numerous as cattle."

"The risk is truly enormous!"

Guo Ding's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads, instantly cooling their excitement.

Indeed!

Who doesn't know that leaving the Tang Dynasty makes money?

But how many who dare go can actually return?

Profit always comes with risk; the greater the profit, the greater the risk.

"What if you all join forces?" Chen Yan posed a question.

"One of you is a grain merchant, the other three are a cloth merchant, a ship merchant, and a Xiyu jeweler."

"If you unite, Zhang Ji supplies grain, Guo Ding provides routes, Wang Lao Wu handles silk trade, using Jin Wan Cheng's ship to set off via the Wei He, and I will order the Negotiation Office to dispatch five hundred soldiers to escort you."

"Do you have confidence of returning safely?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji, Jin Wan Cheng, and Wang Lao Wu all turned to look at Guo Ding.

In this regard, Guo Ding was, of course, the most authoritative.

Guo Ding pondered for a long time, then slowly said, "Sir, it depends on how far you intend to go. If you only trade at the Xiyu frontier, the danger is small; if all goes well, you could return in about half a year."

"If you continue further, the danger remains considerable; the subordinate does not recommend you go too far. The uncertainties here are too high; selling goods at the western frontier is the best option."

"Moreover, traveling too far means a round trip of at least a year—too long."

Chen Yan was not satisfied and asked, "What if I go overseas?"

"At the Empress's last birthday, the Prince of Yue presented a precious pearl, saying it was bought at great cost from Linyi."

"That proves the Tang Dynasty already has contact with Linyi; how about selling overseas?"

"This..." Guo Ding hesitated.

Wang Lao Wu, seeing him stammer, spoke bluntly, "Sir, the uncertainty of overseas trade remains high; after all, no one knows how foreign nations view our silk, whether they like it or not."

"We cannot be sure of those; unlike the Xiyu side, those people are practically fanatical about our silk."

"Is that so?" Chen Yan muttered to himself:

"If so, we can only expand the base, using quantity to induce quality change."

"Only after training good troops can we consider going that far."

In fact, compared to the Silk Road, Chen Yan leans more toward overseas trade, because sea routes are crucial; currently the overseas world is essentially an untapped treasure.

And his future development will inevitably be at sea.

But overseas trade is not just talk; many difficulties must be overcome, and now he is planning for that.

At this moment, Wang Lao Wu tentatively suggested, "Sir, so are we heading to Xiyu, or will we sell within the Tang Dynasty?"

Chen Yan glanced at him lightly, "This has never been a multiple-choice question."

"Only children make choices; I want it all."

"Ah?" Wang Lao Wu exclaimed in astonishment, "Sir, may I ask boldly, is this cloth made in your workshop?"

"If you want both, the demand on output would be too high."

"Even with me selling at full capacity, the amount of cloth that can be sold each day is not a small number."

"So what if it's not a small number?" Chen Yan said firmly, "If output isn't enough, then increase output!"

"If raw materials aren't enough, then buy more with money!"

"Is a hundred bolts a day not enough?"

"Then a thousand bolts!"

"Five thousand bolts!"

"Ten thousand bolts!!!"

"........."