Chapter 463: Two Methods

The next day, Chen Yan thought he had gotten up very early; after washing up and finishing breakfast, he hurried to Zui Xian Lou.

At that time, Zui Xian Lou had just opened for business.

I had thought I could arrive a step earlier, and in passing consider how to make contact with the aristocratic families and what conditions they might put forward.

Never expected that Cui Xuan would arrive even earlier than him, waiting outside before Zui Xian Lou even opened its doors.

What surprised Chen Yan even more was that today, only Cui Xuan had come.

What is this supposed to be?

A lack of regard for him?

Or perhaps Cui Xuan is highly trusted by the aristocratic families?

"Your Excellency, Duke of Wei!"

Cui Xuan still performed the salute, keeping his posture very low.

Unlike those ordinary scions who could lift their chins to the heavens.

Chen Yan still had a good impression of him, smiling as he greeted: "Master Cui, why are you so early? Zui Xian Lou has just opened for business."

"There's no way; the elders at home place great importance on cooperating with the Duke of Wei, and they worry that older people might have a generation gap with you, so they urged me to come early." Cui Xuan feigned a sigh, then made a gesture of invitation:

"Duke of Wei, I had already reserved a seat upstairs the day before; please trouble yourself to come over."

Chen Yan nodded slightly, looking at Cui Xuan with renewed esteem.

A joke neither big nor small, which not only didn't offend anyone but also showed his regard for Cui Xuan and explained why only he had come.

Indeed!

Someone like Cui Xuan must be the true elite valued within the aristocratic families.

Upon entering the third-floor private room at Zui Xian Lou, the dishes were basically all ready, suggesting they had been prepared in advance.

The two sat opposite each other and, in tacit understanding, first placed vegetables into the pot.

Then Chen Yan spoke first: "Master Cui, it's clear that you hold a high position within your family, perhaps even one of its future pillars; before discussing cooperation, may I ask what your aspirations are?"

"Aspirations..." Cui Xuan pondered those two words silently, his first consideration being whether Chen Yan's question held any deeper meaning or concealed some secret.

Seeing this, Chen Yan said: "Or rather... what do you wish to accomplish in the future, Master Cui, what ideals do you harbor?"

"Living a few decades, do you have any goals?"

Cui Xuan replied silently: "I actually have no particular aspirations; having been cultivated by my family since childhood, I only wish to contribute my share to the family in the future."

"Actually, I'm not as outstanding as you imagine; I do have a sense of righteousness in my heart, but not much, because my primary concern is my own small household."

"Huh?" Chen Yan expressed slight surprise.

He hadn't expected Cui Xuan to say such a thing.

One could tell this was not a perfunctory reply but Cui Xuan's sincere words.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Cui Xuan's mouth: "Please excuse my bluntness, Duke of Wei."

Chen Yan shook his head: "Why say 'excuse me'? Master Cui is just an ordinary person; everyone is the same, needing to look after their own small household before they can attend to the greater good."

"Or rather, aside from those sages and saints who truly hold all beings in their hearts, the myriad people of the world are all like this."

Speaking, he paused: "Just as I like the saying, 'In poverty, cultivate oneself; in prosperity, benefit the world,' there's nothing laughable about it."

"The only way I might be better off than you is that my household is even smaller—just two or three people."

Cui Xuan's heart stirred: "So that's why you have produced all these things to benefit the people?"

"The price of the cotton garments is not high either."

"Hehe, not really." Chen Yan waved his hand, "Cotton is actually right there; it's just that before, no one realized its use. I couldn't bear to see cotton treated as mere flowers for admiration, so I merely planted a bit."

Cui Xuan's mouth twitched.

"Just plant a bit?"

"In the first one or two years you planted several thousand mu, and this year you've planted over a hundred thousand mu—do you call that just planting a bit?"

He composed himself, then mused: "Duke of Wei, you are being modest; you say looking after your own household enables you to look after the greater good, but since you took office, the number of people who have survived thanks to your grace is unknown."

"Just like those cotton garments—although the material is somewhat inferior, if you wanted to sell them at a high price, I'm sure there would still be no shortage of buyers."

"It appears you are amassing wealth through a trade that others look down upon, yet the actual profit you earn is hardly anything, and the money you make is also redistributed."

"The ancient sages merely enlightened people and taught them propriety, whereas you let people live."

"You too harbor a sense of righteousness!"

Chen Yan blinked, feeling a bit lost for a moment.

"How did we end up talking like this, putting me on par with the ancient sages?"

"Isn't that a bit too much praise?"

"...... Never mind, let's not talk about that." After a moment of speechlessness, he said: "You previously said you wanted to cooperate with me in planting cotton; I agree to that!"

"However, the seeds I have on hand aren't as many as you imagine; after all, I initially didn't obtain many seeds, and only after planting for two years did we reach the current scale."

"Originally I thought I would plant over a hundred thousand mu this year, then next year we wouldn't lack seeds, after which we could proceed with large-scale planting."

"I have two cooperation methods here; you can choose one!"

"I'd like to hear the details." Upon bringing up the main topic, Cui Xuan sat upright with solemn attention, appearing ready to listen earnestly.

"First!" Chen Yan raised a finger, "I will hand over the remaining seeds to you; once the cotton grows, you harvest it, and I will purchase it from you at a suitable price, guaranteeing you won't lose out!"

"Second, I will likewise give you the seeds, but when the cotton matures I will not purchase it; instead, you will invest the cotton as shares, make cotton garments from it, and then we will divide the profits according to contribution."

"If you choose this method, I have one additional request: the price of the cotton garments will be set by me!"

Cui Xuan did not immediately answer which option he chose, but asked: "Duke of Wei, may I ask whether there is only last year's low-priced cotton garment available, or does this cotton garment, like silk, come in different grades of good and bad?"

"It seems you've received quite a bit of information." Chen Yan chuckled, "Not bad, just as you thought: cotton garments come in several grades, each corresponding to different social strata; the finest is only slightly cheaper than brocade clothing, to meet the demands of the top-tier meritorious nobles."

After hearing this, Cui Xuan fell into contemplation.

Logically speaking, the second method already satisfies their demands quite well and sounds fair as well.

After all, any business is secondary; the main purpose is to share interests with Chen Yan and gradually win him over.

But, given such a good opportunity today, Cui Xuan really doesn't want to just end it so hastily.

After a moment, Cui Xuan probed: "Duke of Wei, your second cooperation proposal is excellent—each takes what they need, complements each other, and profits together; I can now promise on behalf of my family."

However, have you considered, Duke of Wei, that with this year's planting scale, the cotton harvest will surely be substantial, and the high-end cotton garments made from it could be sold via the Silk Road?

I believe the benefits we could obtain would be even greater.