Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 271 Bait
On the carriage, Lady Zixia was amazed by Wang Xi and his companions' ingenious ideas, and even felt very fortunate to have come here today.

But after seeing these whimsical ideas with her own eyes, she realized that Wang Xi and the others were just a group of innocent and naive children.

Their ideas are still a long way from reality.

And this distance may never be reached.

This is actually why people have been uninterested in Taoist thought for so long—because you can't see any hope in it.

Therefore, you cannot place your efforts on this.

This is actually correct, because the emergence of science is full of chance. It cannot be broken by any single force. It is only those individuals who are truly interested in the laws of nature and who invest themselves without regard for reward, one after another, like moths to a flame, who stumble around and accidentally knock on the door of science, thus obtaining the truth of science.

But Lady Zixia still expressed her encouragement and support before leaving.

Wang Xi said he wanted to fry loach, so he didn't leave with her.

No sooner had she left than Li Jieman, Huangfu Sengnian, and Wang Shuang surrounded her.

"How about it?"

Li Jieman asked anxiously.

Wang Xi laughed and said, "Just as we expected, no one in the world today takes our Taoist thought seriously."

Huangfu Sennian still asked very cautiously, "But given my aunt's personality, would she accept such harsh conditions?"

Wang Xi smiled and said, "Before she came, I was a little hesitant, but now I think I definitely will. No matter how cautious she is, she is still a businesswoman. Faced with such a great temptation, she cannot refuse."

After a pause, he asked Huangfu Sengnian, "How are the plans going with the papermakers?"

Huangfu Sengnian said, "This is very simple."

Wang Xi expressed his doubts, saying, "Really? We can't let my aunt see through it."

Huangfu Sengnian said, "Don't worry, that's absolutely not going to happen. As you all know, my Huangfu family is also in the paper business, and in Jingyang County, one of my family's paper shops is rented from the Linghu family."

Wang Xi still seemed puzzled and asked again, "So?"

Huangfu Sengnian said, somewhat speechless, "Your family has so many merchants, you don't think they were all trained by your father, do you? The powerful and wealthy acquire a lot of technology by renting and selling shops."

For ordinary businessmen, without the support of powerful figures, it's difficult to grow a large business; even renting a shop from someone requires careful consideration.

Wang Xi nodded, looking slightly embarrassed.

Li Jieman asked, "Does the Linghu family know that the merchant is from your family?"

"do not know."

Huangfu Sengnian shook his head.

Wang Xi said, "That's impossible."

Huangfu Sengnian said, "Actually, my family rented his shop because we wanted to obtain his papermaking technology."

Wang Xi responded with an "Oh," and then asked, "So, your family's spies?"

Huangfu Sengnian nodded and said, "You could say that, and everyone does it that way."

Wang Xi smiled and said, "If that's the case, then I'm relieved. Everything will proceed according to plan."

In fact, Wang Xi was not surprised by the arrival of Lady Zixia; on the contrary, he had been prepared for it.

Given Madam Zixia's personality, she would definitely come to inquire about the situation.

Wang Xi and his companions could have put on a show and kept it from them, but Wang Xi chose not to do so. Instead, he chose to present the truth to Madam Zixia.

This is because if you want to conquer someone, you must use open strategies, not underhanded tricks.

Even if I tell you the truth, you'll still fall for it.

Although Madam Zixia thought these ideas were good, they were too naive and unrealistic. However, given her cautious nature, she still sought out experts in gunpowder, inquired about them in detail, and had them demonstrate the use of gunpowder.

The conclusion was very clear: the gunpowder was of no help in coal mining and did not have the power to blast open those solid rocks.

After receiving an affirmative answer, Lady Zixia finally decided to agree to the Ministry of Works' request.

In fact, she had already made up her mind.

Although she initially set her sights on coal because of the winery, as things progressed, her influence would multiply if the coal mining was successful.

Coal mining is a major industry that involves many other sectors, and many interests will be concentrated in its hands.

Faced with such a great temptation, if a businessman doesn't dare to take the plunge, he might as well go back to farming.

More importantly, she couldn't rely on others to pave the way for this. If she didn't do it, no one else would either, because there wasn't enough money or enough demand. She could only wait for the imperial court.

Madam Zixia first persuaded them, assuring them that they would be in an absolute advantage because no one else could match their power, money, manpower, connections, and so on.

This is a game we can't afford to lose.

They also stated how much profit mining could bring them.

After all, the nameless winery has monopolized the wine industry in Guanzhong, which requires more fuel support. The more fuel there is, the more wine there is, the more everyone earns, and the cheaper the wine price will be.

Old Xianbei clans such as the Yuan, Doulu, and Yuchi families still chose to continue supporting Lady Zixia.

This time, Lady Zixia personally signed the contract with the Ministry of Works.

The contract mainly stipulates three points.

Firstly, the Ministry of Works would grant her the right to mine coal, including some already mined mines, revoke their mining rights, and provide some compensation, which is almost blatant robbery.

Secondly, the coal mined must be put into the market, just like copper mines; it cannot be kept for personal use or sold at a higher price.

The Ministry of Works did this primarily because it hoped that coal could replace wood and some raw materials for fertilizer production.

Thirdly, there was the right of transfer. The Ministry of Works had the right to transfer coal mines to those who could extract more coal.

After obtaining the license, Madam Zixia immediately took action. She had already established the procedures and had no shortage of manpower.

It can only be said that great efforts can produce miracles; before long, the coal supply increased visibly. However, it didn't have much to do with ordinary people yet, since it wasn't winter and people weren't short of fuel. The coal was mainly supplied to wineries and fertilizer plants.

However, the price of firewood still dropped somewhat as a result.

For Wang Maozhong, this would be more advantageous in restricting logging and constructing water conservancy projects.

Anyway, ever since Wang Maozhong went to the Ministry of Works, the officials there have been working themselves to the bone every day, dealing with river management and water conservancy projects.

However, it did not increase the burden on the country, as it was limited to the Guanzhong region.

Wang Maozhong's main purpose in undertaking this large-scale project was to increase grain production in Guanzhong and reduce the burden on the prefectures and counties along the Grand Canal.

Just when everything seemed to be progressing steadily, the appearance of a piece of paper shattered the calm surface of the lake.

Jingyang County.

A horse-drawn carriage slowly passed through the bustling city and stopped in front of a mansion.

A stunningly beautiful woman dressed as a man stepped down from the carriage. She looked up at the plaque on the eaves, her slender eyebrows furrowed slightly, took a deep breath, and entered the house.

"Look who's here, hehe."

With a hearty laugh, a middle-aged man with black and white hair and a broad back entered the house.

The stunningly beautiful woman who had been kneeling immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "Zixia greets Uncle Linghu."

The man's name was Linghu Xiaoli, and he was Linghu Changge's cousin.

Linghu Xiaoli waved his hand, gesturing for her to sit down. After sitting down himself, he chuckled and said, "I've heard about your recent deeds in Chang'an. You're truly a remarkable woman, and your status has improved dramatically in just a few months."

Madam Zixia smiled humbly, "How could I dare? This is all thanks to the kindness of my uncles and elders, but it also makes me feel uneasy, for fear of failing their trust."

Linghu Xiaoli said, "Hey, you don't need to put too much pressure on yourself. In business, profits and losses are normal. Don't worry about temporary gains and losses. Everyone can see your abilities."

Lady Zixia nodded and said, "Thank you for your support, Uncle Linghu."

After exchanging pleasantries, Linghu Xiaoli glanced at her with a hint of wariness in his eyes and asked, "May I ask what brings you here today?"

Lady Zixia pondered for a moment and said, "To be honest, Uncle Linghu, I am here today on someone's behalf."

Linghu Xiaoli's expression changed slightly. "Who?"

"The Yuan family."

Lady Zixia said.

Linghu Xiaoli remained silent for a moment before asking, "Did you come for that bamboo paper?"

Madam Zixia nodded, "However, Uncle Linghu, please don't misunderstand. Zixia is not on anyone's side. The reason I agreed to make this trip for the Yuan family is that I hope to resolve this matter properly."

Linghu Xiaoli said, "I don't think this matter needs to be resolved. My family's business has always been suppressed by the Yuan family, but I have not asked you to go to the Yuan family as a mediator."

Madam Zixia smiled and said, "Zixia is not a messenger for any family. Uncle Linghu can treat Zixia as a messenger."

Linghu Xiaoli asked, "What message did the Yuan family send you to deliver?"

Madam Zixia said, "Actually, the Yuan family is not surprised that your family has produced bamboo paper, after all, your family has always been engaged in this business."

However, the Yuan family was very worried about the price of bamboo paper. They believed it would affect the entire papermaking industry, and of course, their own business. Therefore, the Yuan family hoped to discuss this matter with their uncle.

Linghu Xiaoli said, "Bamboo is cheap, so bamboo paper is naturally cheap too. I am not trying to undercut them by selling at a low price."

Madam Zixia nodded and said, "Zixia understands this very well, and the Yuan family has not blamed Uncle. They just think that Uncle could sell this bamboo paper for a higher price, and Uncle could earn more money as a result."

Linghu Xiaoli pondered for a while, then asked, "What do you think?"

Madam Zixia feigned hesitation and said, "This is what Zixia thinks: in the long run, the price of paper will inevitably decrease. But for now, this price will frighten our competitors."

If Linghu Xiaoli intentionally lowered the price, it wouldn't be so scary. But bamboo is really cheap, and he can still make a lot of money at this price, so others can't compete.

Linghu Xiaoli looked at Madam Zixia, smiled and nodded, saying, "You're right, I will consider it carefully."

Madam Zixia said, "In addition, the Yuan family also hopes to cooperate with Uncle."

Linghu Xiaoli's expression changed, and he asked calmly, "What reason do you think I have to cooperate with them?"

Madam Zixia said, "Uncle should also understand that selling paper to ordinary people is meaningless. Only by making it expensive and selling it to court officials, nobles and relatives of the emperor can we gain far more benefits than selling it as it is now."

Even if the paper is to be sold to the public, it should be graded into several levels based on its quality, rather than being sold at such a low price.

Considering this, cooperating with the Yuan family might not be a bad option.

Linghu Xiaozhe laughed and said, "I don't have such big ambitions as you. I just want to do my own business. When you go back, tell the Yuan family that I will raise the price of paper a bit."

Lady Zixia waited a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes, Zixia will relay the message truthfully. If Uncle has no other instructions, Zixia will take her leave now."

"Wait a minute!"

Suddenly a voice came from outside the door, and a noblewoman in her forties entered the room. She said directly to Madam Zixia, "Zixia, our Yuchi family has helped you a lot. You must not forget our kindness."

Madam Zixia hurriedly said, "Auntie, you are right. Zixia has never shown favoritism to anyone."

Before she could finish speaking, the noblewoman said, "Is that so? But even I, a woman, can tell that the Yuan family is clearly trying to bully the weak. If you don't want to take sides, you shouldn't have come here. Instead, you should have gone to persuade the Yuan family that what they are doing is wrong."

Madam Zixia said with a sense of grievance, "Zixia has already tried to persuade them, but the Yuan family is still deeply worried about this. Therefore, Zixia came here to tell Uncle about this matter in the hope of avoiding some misunderstandings. It is truly a well-intentioned effort."

Linghu Xiaoli said, "Madam, please don't make things difficult for her. She only meant well."

The noblewoman ignored Linghu Xiaoli and instead said to Madam Zixia, "Auntie believes you this time. When you go back, tell the Yuan family that we have always kept to ourselves. If they try to pull any tricks, our family will not let it go."

Madam Zixia nodded and said, "Don't worry, Aunt, Zixia will relay the message truthfully."

Linghu Xiaoli hurriedly said, "Zixia, you understand what I mean, but you can't say it the way your aunt says."

Madam Zixia smiled and nodded, saying, "Uncle, Zixia knows what to say."

(End of this chapter)