Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 226 You can start tearing each other apart.
The palace maid prepared the tea, and as the boiling water was poured into the teacup, a delicate fragrance spread out.

The first step is to rinse the tea leaves, and only then can you properly brew the tea.

The palace maids who came today were specially selected; each one is tall and graceful with slender, delicate fingers.

At this time, the Tang Dynasty had not yet begun the trend of valuing abundance as beauty, so the beauties of this era still had slender waists and cherry-red lips.

Their movements, accompanied by music, were exceptionally pleasing to the eye.

Those old guys were all stroking their beards, watching with great interest.

Once the tea was ready, another group of palace maids served it from front to back.

"This is specially made and delivered from the south. In the future, for convenience, each household will directly pick up their goods from the south."

After the tea was prepared, Wen He spoke.

"Hmm, not bad, good tea."

The old man surnamed Lu nodded in praise after just one whiff of the tea's aroma.

Whether he could truly appreciate the quality of the tea remains to be seen.

Upon hearing this, Wen He simply smiled faintly.

Tea is just the beginning, so Wen He doesn't plan to elaborate on it too much.

As for how much each family will receive, that depends on how much money they contribute.

"May I ask, sir, what is the share of tea for each household?" someone asked.

He was a young man, and Wen He didn't know whose family he came from.

"There's no rush. Today, this tea is just a side dish. Have you all forgotten the main character?"

Wen He stood up with a smile.

Upon hearing this, everyone present turned their gaze to the table in the middle.

A stack of white paper was prominently displayed on top.

When they came in, everyone, whether from the Five Clans and Seven Families or from Guanzhong, couldn't help but look at it.

"Mr. Wen, is it really true that a ream of this blank paper can be bought for only one hundred coins?" Even now, some people still find it hard to believe.

Especially the Cui family.

They had their own papermaking workshops and had been producing bamboo paper for a long time.

Even so, their costs are uncontrollable; at the very least, it takes consistent costs to produce a single knife.

Moreover, the finished product will never be as white as it appears before us.

The paper produced by Wenhe was not exactly snow-white; it was rather yellowish.

But compared to the white paper currently used in the Tang Dynasty market, it is already much better.

"Of course, but today we will not only showcase this paper, but also the printing technique. Please do not underestimate this printing technique."

"Don't think that you can just find a stone slab to carve and use it. To print the text on it completely, you need special ink, and this ink is unique to this company, there are no other branches."

Ink is the core technology.

Even if these people went back to replicate the woodblock prints, without the ink, it would be of no use to them.

Upon hearing this, everyone frowned.

"Are you not going to give us the ink technology?" someone asked indignantly.

Wen He glanced at him but did not answer.

"What is the meaning of this, Wen County magistrate? Did I say something wrong?" the man continued to ask, unwilling to give up.

As Wen He started printing, she casually replied, "Judging from your background, you must be someone of high status, so why would you ask such a foolish question?"

It's obvious Wen He won't give it to him, yet this person still dares to be the first to speak up; isn't he just asking for trouble?

Upon hearing this, the man's lips twitched a few times.

He was about to speak again in annoyance, but was grabbed by the person next to him and scolded, "Sit down!"

The man then sat down again, still feeling resentful.

At this moment, Wen He had finished printing and held the article up.

"So fast! It hasn't even been a few breaths!"

The old man surnamed Cui exclaimed in surprise.

The elderly man surnamed Lu sitting next to him gestured to Lu Chengqing behind him, signaling him to go out and take a look.

At the same time, many people gathered around.

"Not a single character is different, and it is extremely neat, clearer than a rubbing."

Lu Chengqing gasped in shock.

He looked up at Wen He and asked, "Ordinary ink really won't work?"

“Minister Lu can go back and try it. If it works, he won’t need to buy my ink in the future.”

Wen He's confident demeanor made many skeptical people even more certain.

Printing requires ink manufactured by Wenhe.

But if that's the case, wouldn't they be at Wen He's mercy in the future?

No, to be precise, they are controlled by His Majesty!
The emperor was standing behind Wen He.

"Don't worry, everyone." Wen He smiled faintly and said, "Whether it's ink or white paper, it's all for the benefit of the people, so the price won't be too high. For example, this paper will only cost you two hundred coins per ream, and this ink will cost twenty coins per dou."

"So cheap?"

Everyone was surprised.

If that's the case, there could be huge profits involved.

"Then how should the distribution be divided among the families?" asked the middle-aged man sitting in the second seat on the left.

Wen He remembered that his surname seemed to be Xie.

No wonder that when he sat with the Wang family of Langya, even the Wang family of Taiyuan sat further back than him.

Now that the topic had come up, he didn't hold back and nodded to Wenzhong.

Upon seeing this, the latter immediately took out a map of the Tang Dynasty's territory from behind.

On the map, Wenhe divided the area into regions based on the newly established Daozhou County, and the prices in each region were different.

"this is?"

Lu Chengqing, who had come with the old man from the Lu family, asked in confusion.

Wen He explained with a smile.

"This is a distribution system. Each region has a fixed starting price. Only those who qualify can sell tea in that region and expand their distributors there. Others are not allowed to send their products to that region for sale."

"The distribution areas include not only tea, but also paper, books, agricultural tools, and grain seeds."

As soon as Wen He finished speaking, everyone's eyes lit up and they all nodded in agreement.

"That's fair, isn't it?"

"What if it's violated?"

Suddenly someone spoke up and asked.

Wen He looked at the man and smiled faintly.

Before he could speak, the Li family of Taiyuan glanced coldly at everyone present and said, "Then they are cutting themselves off from us!"

"That's right, anyone who violates this rule has the right to kill them!"

The people present here represent the three major powers behind the Tang Dynasty.

Five surnames and seven prominent families, Guanzhong and Longxi, and the gentry.

The latter relied on imperial power and was closely associated with the Guanzhong Plain.

Unlike the aloofness of the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families.

These three forces are usually united, but that's only when dealing with external matters. If their own interests are involved, they will immediately turn on each other like dogs.

Wenhe's distribution strategy was the first step in dividing them.

The profits from tea, white paper, and printing were enough to keep them wary of each other.

"But before that, there is something I need to remind you all of." Wen He smiled and glanced at everyone present.

The room fell silent immediately, and all eyes turned to him.

“These items are all my patents. If anyone goes back and counterfeits them and sells them, their sales qualification will be immediately revoked and they will be permanently blacklisted.”

After Wen He finished speaking, few people present reacted.

In their view, this is not a big deal at all.

Cancel it if you want. If you can master these skills, you won't need to follow your rules then.

“What you say, Wenxianzi, is quite right. We certainly wouldn’t do that,” the old man from the Lu family said with a laugh.

But Wen He knew that they clearly didn't take it to heart.

He chuckled softly, then took out a box and opened it in front of everyone.

"I think everyone knows about soap, right? This is scented soap, which is even better than the best soap."

He placed the soap in front of him, which immediately attracted the attention of many people.

Only the five prominent families and seven powerful clans sitting at the front, along with the eight great families of Guanzhong, remained unmoved.

For them, these were merely commodities, unlike paper, printing, and agricultural tools, which touched upon their fundamental interests.

But for ordinary gentry, they were tempted.

"Excuse me, Mr. Wen, is this item also for sale to us?" A representative of the gentry behind him stood up and asked.

"No, this is for the next period, which is next year. The distribution areas will be re-divided then."

As Wen He spoke, she put the soap away.

"What? The distribution area isn't permanent?"

Everyone present was taken aback.

Those from the Five Clans and Seven Families, as well as the Guanzhong region, frowned even more.

Wen He gave a soft snort.

What are these people thinking? Do they really think I'm so stupid as to give things away for free to sell?
"Of course, this is for fairness, so that every family has a chance to get a good area, right?"

Come and fight, fight and scramble. The fiercer your fighting, the safer I will be, and the more stable the Tang Dynasty will be.

Ideally, they should fight to the death and become bitter enemies!

"From now on, please come to the auction at this time every year. If you miss the opportunity, you will have to wait another year."

Wen He clicked her tongue twice, then added a sentence.

"Oh, right, before we begin, let me add one more thing. Although you are allowed to sell the goods provided, I will set the prices. The goods in each region, after deducting transportation costs, must not exceed 30% of the cost. If you mind this, you may leave now."

As soon as he finished speaking, he picked up the teacup beside him.

It was as if those burning gazes directed at us didn't exist at all.

"Pricing restrictions?"

Everyone was extremely surprised.

If that's the case, how will they make any money?

But then he left...

They looked at each other, and hesitation crept into their eyes.

If we just leave like this, wouldn't that be giving the other side an advantage?

The people from the Five Clans and Seven Families and the Guanzhong region stared at each other, neither side showing any intention of leaving.

"Alright, everyone, we can begin now. How about we start with the most prosperous area?"

Wen He stood up, walked to the edge of the map, and pointed her finger to the location of Jiangnan Road.

The old man from the Langya Wang clan and the old man from the Xie clan beside him immediately widened their eyes and stared intently at the Jiankang area that Wen He was pointing to.

That's their core.

The people of Guanzhong, seeing this, also brightened up.

If they were to secure the distribution rights here, it would be a severe slap in the face to the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families.

Since the migration of the elite south, the south has been forged into an impenetrable wall by the power of the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families and the Jiangnan aristocratic families. It is difficult for either the Guanzhong region or other gentry families, or even the imperial family, to penetrate it.

As for whether taking over this area will lead to rejection by the five surnames and seven clans.

There's absolutely no need to worry, unless the literati in Jiangnan don't want to use cheap paper.

"Starting bid: 10,000 strings of cash, with each bid increasing by at least one..."

"Fifteen thousand strings of cash!"

Before Wen He could finish speaking, the Langya Wang family member eagerly called out a price.

"Twenty thousand strings of cash!"

Not to be outdone, Yang Shidao, who had just been at odds with the Lu family, immediately spoke up.

If each of them were to contribute individually, they certainly couldn't afford that much money.

But this is not a conflict between two companies, but a head-on confrontation between two forces.

Before long, the price reached 30,000 strings of cash.

Moreover, the momentum shows no signs of abating.

When the price reached 50,000 strings of cash, the Guanzhong region clearly hesitated.

The five surnames and seven prominent families have a longer history of inheritance, and their accumulated wealth and heritage are stronger.

Seeing that the bidding process was a bit slow, Wen He immediately added fuel to the fire.

"Oh my, this is Jiangnan Road, one of the most prosperous places in the Tang Dynasty in terms of culture and education. Even just selling books and paper, you can earn at least a million strings of cash a year."

"And this tea. Back then, the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, with their flowing wine cups on a winding stream, how poetic and picturesque it was! It's a pity that back then it was wine. Tea, poetry, and the soaring of mountains and flowing water, seeking kindred spirits—that kind of artistic conception would surely attract many literati."

"Ten thousand strings of cash!"

As soon as Wen He finished speaking, Guan Long gritted his teeth and shouted.

The people from the five surnames and seven prominent families wore expressions of anger.

Just then, Wen He said again, "Everyone says that the scenery in Jiangnan is beautiful. As the saying goes, 'With ten thousand strings of cash around one's waist, one can ride a crane down to Yangzhou.' Such a rich and prosperous place must have more than a million strings of cash a year."

"Just considering paper and ink alone, it must cost millions every year, not to mention tea."

After Wen He finished speaking, she calmly took a sip of tea.

He felt as if a pile of white, no, it should be golden copper coins flying towards him.

Two hundred thousand strings of cash!

"Three hundred thousand!"

"Four hundred thousand!"

"Five hundred and fifty thousand strings of cash!"

The Xie family member let out a hoarse roar.

"make a deal!"

The Guanzhong region has given up on bidding.

Paying 500,000 strings of cash for the sake of Jiangnan Road is not worthwhile for Guanzhong.

Even if they obtained the distribution rights, they would still have to spend a lot of energy fighting against the powerful and influential people from the five clans and seven families.

Then, the situation reversed.

Just now, Jiangnan Road was the territory of the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families, but now Longyou Road has become the territory of Guanzhong.

Whether they were from Guanzhong or the Five Clans and Seven Families, they could all see that Wen He had clearly done this on purpose.

They stirred up bidding against each other just now, and now they're doing it again.

But even if they knew, so what?

For the sake of saving face, and to trample on the other person's face, they will bite each other like mad dogs.

In the end, Longyou was taken over by Guanzhong for 350,000 strings of cash.

It's not that the five clans and seven noble families don't compete, but rather that Longyou is impoverished, and even 350,000 strings of cash are not worth it.

Giving it to Guanzhong is nothing.

However, the two sides clashed again in the Hadong region.

Moreover, this time, even the aristocratic families have joined in.

Taiyuan was the core territory of Guanzhong in the central government.

It was also the foundation of those aristocratic families.

Everyone went berserk for a moment.

The starting price was 150,000 strings of cash, but in less than half an incense stick's time, it had already risen to 600,000 strings of cash.

Even Wen He felt as if she had seen a mountain of copper, no, a mountain of gold.

While the competition was raging inside the main hall.

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of eyes were watching them intently from the side room on the left.

(End of this chapter)