Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 370 Talking About Buying and Selling

The steward of the Xia family stepped forward to reply.

"The houses along the dock were all recently built. We asked around and found out that their owners came from Huaizhou. A few people pooled their money to buy the land. They originally wanted to build greenhouses to grow flowers and plants, but when they heard that coal was going to be brought to Beijing, they opened a business there instead."

Many coal mines were discovered in Huaizhou, and some people secretly used coal. It was probably because they knew these inside stories that they were able to get ahead of others.

Xia Ziqiao said, "They got off easy."

Ge Ying walked up to Xia Ziqiao and said, "If we had known earlier that the imperial court was setting up official coal mines in the west, we would have bought the land first."

Xia Ziqiao looked at Ge Ying, her eyes showing a hint of displeasure: "Isn't it because we're held back by your case?"

He Fan couldn't escape the gambling case, but Ge Ying only watched the wrestling match and didn't do anything else. The Xia family made some arrangements and got Ge Ying out of trouble.

However, saying that he was wasting time on this matter was just Xia Ziqiao's excuse.

The Xia family had not found out about the coalfields in advance because they had not expected the government to allow coal to enter the capital so quickly.

The whole thing was a fluke. The Western Xia spies were asking around about coal and Buddhist charcoal, which made the emperor realize the importance of coal.

Ge Ying didn't dare to refute Xia Ziqiao, but only said cautiously, "It's our fault for not doing a good job and causing trouble for my uncle, aunt, and cousin."

Xia Ziqiao slightly raised his chin: "There's nothing new about Buddhist charcoal. In the end, it still comes from coal. Once the official coal mines are built in various places, it's the same as us reaching out."

Ge Ying cautioned, "But... if temples are involved in this, and we artificially inflate the price of coal, even if the imperial court doesn't say anything, those temples will probably file a complaint."

Xia Ziqiao didn't take it seriously: "As long as it's a piece of meat, someone will come to eat it, and there's always a way to find a solution." Many government decrees are fine when they are first issued, but they become unrecognizable after a year or two.

Charcoal prices can rise, but coal prices can't?
He refused to believe that anyone would pass up a chance to make money. If anyone kept pressing him, he'd make them disappear from Daliang. They were just a bunch of merchants, after all.

The common people cannot fight against officials; this has been the principle throughout history.

“They controlled all the coal mines, and the coal was all state-run, just like tea and wine. We could say how much silver it cost, and that was how much silver it cost.”

“The same goes for those lands,” Xia Ziqiao said. “When we need them, we can naturally acquire them.”

They didn't need to compete with these ordinary merchants for any opportunities; after all, profitable business wouldn't fall into the hands of outsiders.

"Keep a low profile for now," Xia Ziqiao instructed Ge Ying. "Don't cause any more trouble before the He family's case is settled."

As the two were talking, the boat docked. Xia Ziqiao was about to disembark when he saw several familiar faces, all sons of officials from the capital.

"Where are you headed?" Xia Ziqiao asked.

When the young master of the Wu family of the Imperial Academy saw Xia Ziqiao, he quickly stepped forward and said, "Where are you from? We just happen to be taking a boat. Why don't you lend us this boat? There are many of us, so it will be more spacious."

Xia Ziqiao readily agreed to borrow the boat, even though it was just a simple matter.

Wu Sanlang said, "We're going to the outer city. I heard there's a perfume shop there that's really interesting. How can we not know about these novelties in Bianjing?"

What good things could there be in the outer city? Xia Ziqiao frowned: "I thought it was something special, but it's just a place that sells spices."

Hearing this, the group laughed: "It seems even Xia Wulang doesn't know."

"Their shop is called a perfume shop, but it doesn't sell perfumes; it sells bath products."

"Go outside to take a bath?" Xia Ziqiao really didn't understand why these people didn't do these things at home, but instead went to the trouble of looking for a perfume shop outside.

"Wulang," Wu Sanlang said, "would you like to come with us?"

Looking at those faces, Xia Ziqiao had an idea: "Since I have nothing else to do, I'll go with you." The boat returned along the same route they had come from.

It wasn't until they stopped again that Xia Ziqiao realized that the perfume shop they had been talking about was actually here... He had discussed these shops with Ge Yingcai before.

Xia Ziqiao said with some disdain, "I wonder what kind of people are coming and going."

Fortunately, it was daytime, and the hired laborers and boatmen were all out working; otherwise, these young men would have turned around and gone back to the city.

"This is it."

Wu Sanlang pointed to a courtyard: "It just opened."

Xia Ziqiao looked over and saw a plaque hanging at the entrance with only three characters: "Perfume Shop". Xia Ziqiao frowned. This place looked very shabby, and normally he would never stop to look at it.

Just then, the curtain was lifted, and several people came out together, along with a cloud of steaming heat.

"While I'm in Bianjing, I'll come back a few more times."

"By the time you get back, our perfume shop in Huaizhou will have opened."

"I wonder if there's anyone with such good skills."

“I don’t know about other places, but surely we have them in Huaizhou. This is a shop run by our village association.”

Upon hearing the words "village association," Xia Ziqiao looked at the steward beside him, who understood and hurriedly followed the others to inquire about the information.

However, before the manager could speak, several people carried over a plaque covered with a red cloth, completely obscuring the characters on it.

The manager simply asked someone nearby, "What's going on here?"

“Several merchants from Huaizhou are going to establish a hometown association here,” the man said, pointing to a teahouse not far away. “It’s right there.”

"Teahouse?"

"Yes, the teahouse is run by merchants from Huaizhou. These past few days, many merchants have come, so they've been discussing setting up a hometown association at the teahouse. In the future, when merchants from the north come to Bianjing, they can use the credentials issued by the government office to prove their identity and stay here."

The steward then asked, "Is it only merchants from Huaizhou who can stay here?"

The man waved his hand: "I don't know, we're just here to watch the fun."

The hometown association has just hung up its plaque; its future success remains to be seen.

However, merchants who traveled by waterway from the Yellow River to Bianjing (Kaifeng) and were unfamiliar with the situation there had a place to seek refuge.

Xia Ziqiao frowned slightly as he watched seven or eight merchants crowding around to hang up the signboard. It wasn't surprising that these northern merchants came to Bianjing, as Huaizhou and other places were sending coal to the capital; such a situation had occurred before. However, what was different this time was that they gathered together so quickly.

Xia Ziqiao watched the excitement, while the others rushed to the perfume shop.

"Hurry up, let's go in. More people are coming. If we delay any longer, there won't be any pools left."

Xia Ziqiao was pushed through the door, and what he saw made him temporarily put the hometown association aside.

The young men, having enjoyed their soaking, turned to their companions and said, "Call your boss over here. Let us see what kind of person he is who can come up with these tricks."

The shop assistant laughed and said, "What bad luck! The boss is out discussing business and isn't home."

Xia Ziqiao wiped the sweat from his forehead. He suddenly became interested and wanted to do a good deal with this boss.