In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

I never imagined that ambergris had such an origin. No wonder that Mrs. Zhang suddenly went mad and chased after her husband.

They knew that the Zhang family certainly didn't lack these things, and that they were using top-quality ones.

"Is that really the case?"

"It should be true. This young master Zhang is a scholar of extraordinary learning in miscellaneous subjects, as can be seen from the princess's description alone."

Moreover, ambergris originates from the sea; its exact source is unknown, but it couldn't have been created out of thin air. Madam Zhang's hatred, haha... the truth is undeniable!

Duan Zhengming nodded in agreement. The consequences of this getting out were unimaginable.

This isn't the modern era; there's also civet coffee, some of which are more expensive than ambergris.

Ambergris has become associated with feces, causing its value to plummet to an astronomical level.

After their playful fight, Huang Rong calmed down, which suddenly gave Zhang Xiaoshan an idea to make a fortune.

He hadn't thought of it before because he hadn't even noticed it.

19 But now, by analogy, the Hu people like to drink coffee, and now, perhaps because of Arans' arrival, aristocratic coffee is also becoming popular.

What is the most precious coffee of later generations?

Kopi Luwak (civet coffee), Elephant dung coffee, musk-based biological dung coffee...

"Young master, was what you just said true?"

"Does it matter whether it's real or fake? Musk, for example, is extracted from the venom of animals and is no different from ambergris."

"Right!"

However, Duan Zhengming decided never to use ambergris again, as the thought of it made him feel nauseous.

"I don't think so. Good things are good things. If we didn't know their origin, would Emperor Duan have disliked them?"

Ultimately, it's just a psychological effect.

If the Dali Duan family really doesn't want this item, we can explain the reasons appropriately, and then my Zhang family will buy it at a low price.

"···"

Only then did Duan Zhengming and the others realize that there was a reason why the Zhang family was able to make money.

They were thinking about how to get rid of it, but Zhang Xiaoshan was already planning how to maximize his profits.

"What does the young master need all this ambergris for?"

"Does Emperor Duan really think that ambergris is just used as a spice?"

Whether for its medicinal value or its use as a material in other expanded applications, ambergris is of the highest quality.

Even if sold to the lands of the barbarians, the profit from buying ambergris at a low price would still be more than tenfold.

Everyone was immediately confused, never expecting that ambergris had such great value.

No wonder!

What they consider useless, Zhang Xiaoshan sees as having at least a thousand uses.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. Now let's talk about the minerals."

"Alright!"

Everyone nodded and entered a very serious state.

"These past few days, Yan'er's explanations have made us realize that the Zhang family's business is not as simple as it seems on the surface, and that the interests involved in Ghost Street are even more enormous."

The Duan family of Dali did not lack their own intelligence system and network of relationships.

On the contrary, they had conducted a detailed investigation of the Zhang family beforehand.

Unfortunately, they knew far less information than the Murong and Wang families, especially since the Murong family was one of the top three families.

"Our Duan family of Dali proposes to offer three mineral resources as a cooperation, with profits split 20/80!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaoshan shook his head immediately.

He didn't think the Zhang family could get 80% of the shares, even though it was split 20/80.

Most importantly, the mine is in the hands of the Duan family, who can kick the Zhang family aside at any time.

In this collaboration, the Zhang family was essentially working for the Dali Duan family.

"The Zhang family is willing to pay one million taels of gold to buy three mines, after which the Duan family will contribute other mines as shares, and the subsequent profit distribution will be as follows:"

The Zhang family owns 80%, and the Duan family of Dali owns 20%.

"impossible!"

Duan Zhengming shook his head directly, and the others watched Zhang Xiaoshan and the Dali Duan family argue their case, and basically no one could argue with the other.

However, there is no doubt that both sides are inclined to cooperate, rather than relying on the Zhang family's unilateral conditions as before.

The Duan family of Dali is not short of money, but no one would complain about having too little.

Especially these hard currencies, unlike later paper money which suddenly became worthless overnight, such as the legal tender and rubles during the Republic of China era...

There was still no final result by nightfall.

Even the Zhang family increased their gold purchase quota for mining to two million gold.

"They in Dali didn't agree before, so why did they change their minds so quickly?"

"Of course, they saw the potential benefits."

The Dali Kingdom paid salaries to Buddhists, but they were not truly without desires; it was simply a matter of faith.

Strictly speaking, many emperors in the Central Plains believed in Taoism and Buddhism. How many of them were truly compassionate?

"In his position, he must fulfill his duties; as emperor, he naturally cannot relinquish these vast interests."

After leaving the palace, Tian Bin did not reach any agreement.

However, the fact that both sides are willing to cooperate is undoubtedly a good thing.

"Then why don't they do it themselves?"

"Just like when my Zhang family entered the Dali Kingdom to do business, we still had to use some tricks on the Duan family."

The business world is like a battlefield; it's never as simple as it is now. Otherwise, Dali Kingdom was also rich in resources, so why is the lion's share in our hands? That's the rule.

And just now I thought of a way to make money.

Last time I showed Arans the coffee roasting technique, which is better than regular bitter coffee and will surely be loved by the nobles in Persia.

Some special coffees are even more valuable.

So I thought of using the principles of ambergris to make some coffee made from elephant dung or musk dung...

"Go to hell, and don't say that to me!"

Upon hearing these disgusting words, Huang Rong kicked Zhang Xiaoshan out.

It was disgusting; even Hongxiao and Jiangxue looked at Zhang Xiaoshan with disdain.

They all suspected that Zhang Xiaoshan had become a pervert.

"If you don't tell, and I don't tell, and the production process is kept secret, then as long as the product is good, it's more valuable than gold!"

"we do not know!"

This stuff sounds disgusting, and I might even feel nauseous just seeing it in the future.

"Young Master, will they want it?"

"Ha, you've forgotten Arans' reaction last time. Since I dare to do it, I must be confident."

Moreover, even after obtaining the seeds, it will take at least three years to cultivate elephants and some musk animals that like to eat coffee beans.

After fermentation through the intestines and septic tank, the resulting coffee has a unique aroma!

Seeing that Zhang Xiaoshan's words were not unfounded, Huang Rong immediately got goosebumps all over.

"You absolutely must not bring this back. If you drink it, you'll be spending the next two weeks with those little vixens."

"This is what you said?"

"you dare!"

He suddenly exuded the aura of a lioness, but Zhang Xiaoshan was just joking.

Over the next few days, Zhang Xiaoshan recalled information about coffee from his previous life while negotiating with the Duan family of Dali.

Finally, they acquired these items at a high price of three million taels of gold, plus a 30% share from the Dali Duan family.

The main reason was that the Duan family of Dali had developed a desire to do business. Zhang Xiaoshan understood that even if there was no Zhang family, there would be the Wang family, the Li family, and so on. Eventually, someone would step forward.

The Zhang family and the Duan family seem to be the best partners for each other!

The Zhang family has the strength, the channels, and the knowledge to sell, while the Dali Duan family has abundant resources.

For the sake of profit, it's not impossible that Dali would destroy the Biao Kingdom later.

Buddhist Kingdom?

That's because there aren't many conflicts of interest.

After Dali gained enormous profits from this in 993 and tasted the sweetness of success, how could it possibly let go of the mineral veins of the Southern Kingdom?

"We've finally reached an agreement!"

Looking at the agreement in her hand, Huang Rong was also very happy.

Although they had explored all of Dali these past few days, there was nothing fun to do there.

Even now, Dianchi Lake and Erhai Lake have not been developed into tourist attractions in later generations, so they have almost no appeal to Huang Rong and her companions.

The only appealing thing here is the food.

"Why did you add this sentence: From now on, the Zhang family will have a stake in 70% of all mineral resources within the Dali Kingdom?"

"Haha, what do you think?"

After Zhang Xiaoshan's explanation, Huang Rong suddenly understood.

"Alright, we'll set off tomorrow. Before Master Xianxia left, he gave me a map so I can use it to tour Baiyue."

"Really? That's wonderful! I've been so bored these past few days. Why doesn't Miss Wang come out and entertain the guests?"

"It's normal. This Miss Wang is more or less influenced by her mother, and she is somewhat stubborn and cold-hearted."

Furthermore, I don't agree with you getting too close to her. Since we've already seen her off, just treat her like a normal friend or a stranger from now on.

"Ok!"

Huang Rong had long noticed Zhang Xiaoshan's indifference towards Wang Yuyan.

Otherwise, she wouldn't be jealous of Madam Wang's jealousy, instead of Wang Yuyan's.

Ultimately, Zhang Xiaoshan was completely uninterested in this seemingly aloof and stunningly beautiful girl, who posed no threat to him.

On the contrary, Madam Wang, who had always been somewhat of a bickering rival of Zhang Xiaoshan, was different.

She's a bit older, but at most thirty-three or thirty-four, and she's quite skilled in internal martial arts and takes good care of herself.

The Duan family of Dali was also extremely satisfied with the contract, especially the Zhang family's promise that, in the absence of war, 30% of the profits would amount to over a million gold coins annually.

Similarly, Zhang Xiaoshan also made them promise that in the future, 70% of the mines belonging to the Duan family in Dali would be managed by the Zhang family.

Chapter 262 Encountering a Caravan on the Legendary Emerald River

“Uncle, our Duan family of Dali has contributed manpower and resources, and most of the mines belong to our Duan family. Isn’t 30% too little?”

Duan Yu had been involved in the negotiations for the past few days, and the intensity of the talks was exceptionally exciting.

However, they were very dissatisfied with the result, mainly because the Dali Duan family's share was too small, only 30%.

"It's a good thing that Yu'er is starting to care about these things too!"

"Ha ha···"

Duan Zhengming, Duan Zhengchun, Gao Shengtai, and the others all smiled nonchalantly.

"uncle!"

"Alright, Yu'er, look at the following promise:"