Chapter 210

"Uh!"

For a moment, Chai Jin was like a duck whose neck had been throttled,

his face flushed deep red, unable to speak a word.

The merchant fleet under his command was spread across the entire Great Song, but even in the Great Song,

the consumption capacity for glass mirrors, which were clearly luxury goods at a glance, was limited.

If a large quantity were released in a short time, it would inevitably lead to buyers driving down the price, making it impossible to obtain the maximum profit.

"Ximen Daguan, look at it this way..."

Zhang Zhang Jie did not beat around the bush and stated his demands.

"This... alright!"

Chai Jin's expression was not very pleasant, but considering the future, visible,

and enormous profits, he gritted his teeth and agreed.

Just like that, Liang Shan and Chai Jin reached an agreement:

First, Liang Shan would hand over all glass mirrors to Chai Jin for sale,

but the profits would be split between the two parties according to an agreed-upon ratio, and prices would also be negotiated by both sides.

Second, the merchant fleet under Chai Jin's command would bring some ordinary supplies to Liang Shan,

such as copper, iron, saltpeter, and cotton grown in the Fujian and Guangdong regions.

Third, Liang Shan would send people to join them for supervision and so on.

Other specific terms would be discussed by the professional talents under their respective commands.

The two big bosses only needed to grasp the general direction.

This was practically sharing the merchant fleet under his command with Liang Shan;

after some time, it was uncertain whether these merchant fleets would belong to the Chai family or to Liang Shan.

But Chai Jin, eyeing the enormous profits, pinched his nose and endured it.

Zhang Zhang Jie smiled inwardly: although this Chai Jin still held a hereditary title,

because of his status as a descendant of the previous dynasty's imperial family, he could not, and dared not, mingle in officialdom.

Besides, how could those officials in the imperial court, whose very eyebrows were hollowed out by schemes, associate with him?

Therefore, Chai Jin had actually moved from the official arena to the marketplace,

becoming a merchant with a special background who could barely be said to travel freely throughout the Great Song.

And for a merchant, as long as the profit was large enough, there was nothing they could not sell.

By selling off these merchant fleets, he could reap enormous profits ten times, or even nine times, the cost of rebuilding them.

However, Zhang Zhang Jie was not afraid of Chai Jin growing too powerful after earning huge profits:

In this feudal era, merchants who held the purse strings

would ultimately have to listen to those who held the sword handles.

The Great Song could become the master of the twenty-four circuits of the world

precisely because they controlled the most powerful violent apparatus on this land at present.

"Ximen Daguan, I have already prepared a modest banquet, and I hope you will grace us with your presence."

With this matter roughly discussed, it was naturally time for the hospitality Chinese people were most familiar with: eating while talking.

Moreover, since Chai Jin had come from afar, it would not be right for Zhang Zhang Jie to show no gesture.

He was still counting on Chai Jin to help him bring in wealth!

The smooth and tactful Chai Jin was all smiles and bowed, saying:

"For the Village Chief to speak of 'gracing us' is truly to humble me!

It is my honor to receive the Village Chief's invitation."

"Please."

Zhang Zhang Jie stood up from his chair and invited him.

"Village Chief, please go first."

Chai Jin also hurriedly stood up.

"Ximen Daguan, you are the guest, please go first!"

"Village Chief, you are the host, it is only right that you go first!"

Zhang Zhang Jie and Chai Jin deferred to each other several times.

One was intent on cooperation, the other on currying favor, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Several days later, Chai Jin departed with a large chest containing several hundred pieces of glass.

Among them was even a dressing mirror as tall as a person.

According to Chai Jin, it was to be presented as tribute to the imperial palace to build up its reputation.

Zhang Zhang Jie gladly agreed: even in the 21st century, an era where emperors and

royal families of the whole world had basically been buried or overthrown,

the title of "Imperial Supply" or "Royal Use" could still make people flock to it,

let alone in this era where the emperor held absolute power, and while not quite "holding the mandate of heaven" or

"his words becoming law," it was not far off.

However, such an operation reminded Zhang Zhang Jie of the "Royal Secret Transmission" and "Ancestral Divine Doctor Universe"

that had ravaged television advertisements for a long time in the 21st century.

Zhang Zhang Jie: I have made a decision that goes against my ancestors~

"Ximen Daguan, take care!"

At the Liang Shan wharf, Zhang Zhang Jie saw off Chai Jin, who was about to embark on a long journey.

"Village Chief, you take care as well!"

Chai Jin bid farewell to Zhang Zhang Jie with a glowing face.

Although he had been confined to a few places on Liang Shan these past few days,

his keen sense of smell still allowed him to see that Liang Shan was not simple.

He also vaguely perceived Zhang Zhang Jie's ambition from it

—even if it wasn't to replace the Great Song, at the very least it was to carve out a territory and become a king!

This made him realize that he, Chai Jin—no, it should be said that the Chai family—had finally waited for the opportunity of a lifetime!

As the boatman pushed off with his pole, the ship disappeared into the vast and mighty waters,

and Chai Jin officially embarked on his journey to Bian Liang, which could be called the most prosperous city in the world, to promote glass mirrors,

a journey to accumulate enormous profits for his Chai family and, even more, to bring a continuous stream of

large military funds to Zhang Zhang Jie's Liang Shan.

Time is the most impartial; it does not fly by at the urging of the common people, nor does it stagnate at the pleas of the nobility,

it continues to flow at its own pace, neither hurried nor slow.

On this day, Zhang Zhang Jie was in his study, holding a popular novel,

far from the toil of official documents, stealing half a day of leisure from life.

As Liang Shan's development got on the right track, Zhang Zhang Jie handled various matters with increasing ease,

no longer needing to be as busy as he was at the very beginning.

"This is far worse than my favorite Ming dynasty popular novel, 'Jin Ping Mei'."

After reading a few pages, Zhang Zhang Jie critically complained about this popular novel prevalent in the Great Song.

In terms of literary quality, subtlety, and implication, it was not as good as "Jin Ping Mei,"

and in terms of exposure and excitement, it was not as good as the two great books of the 21st century,

"'A-Bin's high school grades were not very ideal, but at least they got him into...',"

"'A few things that happened to Auntie Bai during her work',"

which were filled with the moaning of frustrated scholars without any real illness, making them poorly readable.

'Should I make a contribution to the enrichment of the spiritual life of the Great Song people?

For example, letting them know that the scar left by a knife is called a knife scar,

the one left by a pimple is called a pimple scar, so what is the one left by Ai Kun called?'

Zhang Zhang Jie thought, stroking his chin.

His soul of a literary plagiarist was burning fiercely!

He had even thought of the basic plot:

A-Bin's good friend Xiao Xi was very troubled recently,

because his cousin was coming to live at his house and could only sleep in the same room as him.

Old Man Qin, the gatekeeper of the school he attended, had been very close to the school's maintenance worker these past few days,

and Teacher Zhang Min would always encounter them smoking together when she got off work...

Knock, knock.

At this moment, the door to the study was suddenly knocked.

"Come in."

Zhang Zhang Jie temporarily suppressed the idea of becoming a literary plagiarist.

Creak.

The door was pushed open, and a middle-aged man wearing a Confucian robe, holding a goose-feather fan,

and with a thin face walked in; it was none other than the military advisor appointed by Zhang Zhang Jie,

Wang Lun, who had generously yielded the position of Liang Shan Village Chief.

"It's Zhengdao, what is the matter that you are looking for me now?

Could it be that something has gone wrong somewhere again?"

Zhang Zhang Jie put down the book in his hand and asked.

Generally speaking, this was his rest time,

and Wang Lun, Chen Chen Wenyun, and others would not disturb him unless it was a major matter.

Zhang Zhang Jie: Although I am the top leader of Liang Shan,

I also need private space and time to pursue my own hobbies~