Ming Dynasty: My Father Zhang Juzheng

Chapter 79 Entering the Urn
Haizhou City was the seat of the Hwanghae Province, where the governor, prefect and other government offices were located.

In addition, its superior geographical location makes Haeju City a well-known city not only in Hwanghae Province, but also in North Korea.

The prosperity of a city is naturally inseparable from the support of prosperous business.

There are thousands of businesses of all sizes in the city, including many wealthy and powerful people, many of whom are well-informed.

Zhang Yunxiu and his entourage bought up salt on a large scale, and the news that Japan was going to invade had already spread throughout Haizhou City.

In a moment, all the merchants in Haizhou City became restless.

At the beginning of the You hour that day, seven or eight middle-aged wealthy businessmen dressed in gorgeous robes walked into the city’s largest restaurant, “Haiminglou”, with smiles on their faces.

They walked into the private room politely, and after they sat down according to the order of importance, the first person at the head said with a smile, "Everyone, we have called you here today. You should know why, right?"

The man was about forty years old, with a fair complexion and an elegant temperament, except for a pair of big, pea-sized eyes that were shifty and cunning, making people feel extremely uncomfortable.

He is the richest and most powerful man in the city, rich in gold.

The rest of them were also well-known wealthy businessmen in the city.

"Boss Jin, let's stop talking nonsense and just draw a line!" The person sitting next to him smiled and slammed the table and shouted.

The rest of the wealthy businessmen also laughed and made fun of Jin Fu.

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

"We heard that Boss Jin has a million kilograms of salt in his warehouse. If a war breaks out, Boss Jin will be the first to make a fortune."

Smiling and shaking his head, Jin Fu interrupted everyone's discussion and said, "Whether we can make a fortune depends on you shopkeepers, right? If you shopkeepers don't respect us, what kind of fortune can we make?"

At this point, Jin Fu paused for a moment, then continued, "You are all the gentry of our Korea, with great wealth. As long as we join hands and drive up the price of salt, when the war breaks out, we can just wait and count the money."

"How to do it?" asked the man who spoke first suspiciously.

"Boss Wang, we are all foxes with a thousand-year history, so don't pretend to be innocent here. Do I need to teach you how to do it?" Jin Fu smiled and glanced at the man, then looked at everyone and suggested, "When you go back, control the sale of salt while buying up and spreading the word that the Japanese pirates are going to invade Korea."

Boss Wang smiled and nodded in agreement. The others thought for a few seconds, felt that it was profitable, and agreed as well.

Then, everyone discussed and decided not only to make acquisitions in Hwanghae Province.

Even Pyeongan-do, Gyeonggi-do, Hamgyong-do, and all the provinces in North Korea have to purchase salt.

After the areas are divided, the next thing to consider is price.

"How about seventeen cents?" Boss Wang was the first to say the number.

This figure is exactly the price that Zhang Yunxiu and his team purchased it at.

"Boss Wang, you are too stingy." Jin Fu smiled and shook his head, and then said, "We have to raise the price all the way up. Since we are going to raise it, don't worry about how much money we spend up front."

"Just buy it for 20 cents."

"Twenty. Twenty cents?!" Boss Wang's eyes widened and he took a deep breath.

Everyone looked at each other, obviously stunned by Jin Fu's generosity.

Twenty cents a pound, which is twice the previous price. If I spend all the money on it, won’t I poop it all in my pants?
"What are you afraid of? Don't you have hundreds of thousands of kilograms of salt in your family?" Seeing the hesitation of several people, Jin Fu raised his eyebrows and said confidently, "As long as we raise the price of salt, then the price of salt will be whatever we say."

Now, several people were moved.

"Well, since Boss Jin is so courageous, we can't be stingy." Boss Wang raised his glass, stood up, smiled and greeted everyone, "Come on, to wish us brothers great fortune, let's toast to Boss Jin together." The other wealthy businessmen stood up in unison and raised their glasses to Wang Fu.

Jin Fu laughed heartily, picked up the wine glass and filled it up, then clinked his glasses with the air before drinking it all in one gulp.

After finishing the serious business, the few people stopped being so pretentious and started joking around, chatting and laughing.

From the government to the royal family, from business to brothels, all the strange stories and oddities could not escape the ears of these businessmen.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

The group was drunk. Jin Fu, the organizer, stood up with a red face, smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Everyone, I am not able to hold my liquor today, so I will take my leave first. Next time we get together, I will definitely treat you all to a big meal."

"Everyone, why don't you thank Boss Jin for his care." Boss Wang laughed.

"Thank you, Boss Jin, for your care." The others clasped their fists and hummed drunkenly.

The moonlight was like a hook and the night was as cool as water. When Jin Fu returned home and washed up, it was already the hour of Hai.

By this time it was completely dark, but he did not go out to rest. Instead, he dragged his tired body and sat alone in the study.

In the study, two octagonal exquisite palace lanterns were lit, and the twenty-square-meter study was instantly engulfed by the beam of light.

He sat on a yellow pear wood armchair, holding his forehead with his right hand and flipping through the account book on the table with his left hand.

The more he looked through it, the more excited he felt. Apart from anything else, he had stockpiled more than just one million kilograms of salt this time.

But it was a full three million kilograms.

As long as the price of these salts can be raised to forty or even fifty cents, his net worth will surely increase dramatically.

call.
Thinking of this, Jin Fu's face flushed, and he was filled with unspeakable excitement. For a businessman, there is nothing more fulfilling than making a lot of money with his brain.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, bringing him back from his fantasy.

After straightening his clothes, Jin Fu sat up straight and shouted outside, "Come in."

"pat"

The wooden door opened and a man dressed like a butler walked in from outside.

When he saw Jin Fu, he bowed first, then said respectfully: "Master, according to your instructions, I have collected all the silver and money that our family can use. The total is 30,000 taels of silver. It's all here."

As he spoke, he handed over the account book.

Jin Fu took it, put the account book on the table without even looking at it, and muttered: "Thirty thousand taels is too little. If we can have another twenty thousand taels, our say will be much greater than it is now."

"Master, the remaining money must be used for other businesses. You must not touch it." Butler Jin exclaimed.

"I know." Jin Fu waved his hand, stood up from his chair, walked to the butler, and asked with a smile, "Looking at you, do you also think that we are losing money this time to gain publicity?"

"I dare not." Butler Jin lowered his head and shook his head repeatedly.

Jin Fu patted the butler on the shoulder and showed an intriguing smile: "In fact, we also know that the Japanese pirate invasion is probably fake."

"Ah, then you still..." Butler Jin suddenly raised his head and stared into his master's eyes.

“Sometimes, the truth may not be believed by everyone, and sometimes, lies may not be believed by everyone.” Jin Fu smiled and played a riddle.

(End of this chapter)