Chapter 54

In the evening, as the sunset shone through the window, Zhao Junchen, accompanied by Xu Qingyan, headed to Tianhailou for a banquet.

Lifting the curtain beside the sedan chair, Zhao Junchen surveyed the bustling scenery along the way with great interest. As the capital of the Ming Dynasty, this place was prosperous and lively, a gathering spot for people from all directions, showcasing the unique charm of the era. If he had the leisure to explore, it would surely be quite interesting.

Unfortunately, since returning to the capital, Zhao Junchen had been busy with one thing after another, and had never had the opportunity.

"Once things settle down, I might take a casual stroll around the capital. These days, I've been busy with state affairs, political intrigues, and the business of Yuero坊. I haven't had a moment's rest, and it's been quite frustrating. It's time to relax a bit," Zhao Junchen thought to himself.

Just as Zhao Junchen was lost in thought, Xu Qingyan, who was walking beside the sedan chair, suddenly said, "Young Master, we've arrived at Tianhailou."

As he spoke, the sedan chair came to a stop. Xu Qingyan lifted the curtain, and Zhao Junchen stepped out slowly.

Looking up, Zhao Junchen saw that Tianhailou was quite lively today. There were no fewer than thirty to fifty carriages and sedan chairs parked around, and outside Tianhailou, nearly a hundred people were waiting, most of them dressed in fine clothing and looking well-to-do.

These people were all invited by Zhao Junchen. They were either powerful merchants in the capital or representatives of Huizhou and Shanxi merchants in the capital. In a certain sense, they were all influential figures, with the ability to mobilize tens of thousands of taels of silver, and they had close ties with high-ranking officials, extensive networks, and astonishing hidden power.

But at this moment, they were all waiting respectfully outside Tianhailou. Despite the crowd, there was no sign of impatience; instead, they all looked eager. The large number of people had even blocked the road outside Tianhailou.

Zhao Junchen knew that although his status was not low, the reason these people were so attentive and respectful was more because of the bait he had thrown out.

The bait was not the soap itself, but the profit it could bring.

To these merchants, silver was the only thing that could make them submit.

Therefore, when they saw Zhao Junchen step out of the sedan chair, their expressions all turned feverish, as if a god of wealth had emerged from the sedan chair. They rushed towards Zhao Junchen as quickly as possible, introducing themselves loudly.

On a normal day, these merchants were both friendly and competitive, but at this moment, they no longer cared about their past relationships, jostling and pulling each other to get a better position, to have a few more words with Zhao Junchen, and to leave a deeper impression on him.

"Li Gedan of Ruhe Trading House, paying respects to Lord Zhao!"

"Lord Zhao, I am Xu De, the manager of Taixiang Trading House..."

"Lord Zhao, Futa Trading House greets you. Although our chief manager is far away in Anhui, he has always admired you..."

Seeing the crowd of people, the noisy greetings, and the chaotic scene, Zhao Junchen felt a headache. Helplessly, he raised his hands to signal for quiet and frowned slightly to show his displeasure.

Seeing Zhao Junchen's actions and expression, the merchants realized they had lost their composure and slowly calmed down.

Actually, it was not their fault. The soap business of "Yuero坊" had made them all envious these past few days. Although they did not know the exact profits of "Yuero坊," they were very clear that it was a business that could make a fortune every day! When they learned that Zhao Junchen had invited them to gather for the exclusive sale of soap, the thought of the silver made them unable to remain calm.

In the face of silver, so-called manners and politeness were not important.

On the other side, seeing the merchants finally quiet down, Zhao Junchen also regained his composed smile and clasped his hands, saying, "Thank you all for giving me the honor of your presence. I am deeply grateful. However, this is not the place to talk. Would you all follow me to Tianhailou for a detailed discussion?"

The merchants naturally dared not refuse, and they all escorted Zhao Junchen into Tianhailou.

As for Xu Qingyan, Zhao Junchen's personal attendant, he was pushed to the side by the overly enthusiastic merchants and could not get close.

...

After entering Tianhailou, Zhao Junchen and the merchants exchanged pleasantries and took their seats.

For this banquet, Zhao Junchen had reserved the entire Tianhailou, setting up ** tables. Although there were many seats, the number of guests was even greater, and the hall was packed.

After taking their seats, the merchants became quiet, all looking at Zhao Junchen with anticipation, waiting for him to speak.

Seeing the merchants' expressions, Zhao Junchen sighed inwardly at the allure of silver, smiled slightly, raised his wine glass, and stood up, about to say something.

However, as Zhao Junchen stood up, the merchants also dared not remain seated, and they all stood up, waiting for his instructions.

Seeing their attentive and respectful demeanor, Zhao Junchen could not help but laugh and said, "Please sit down. This is a private banquet, and there's no need to be so formal. Everyone can be more relaxed. Besides, with all of you standing, I can't speak properly. Sit, sit."

Seeing Zhao Junchen's insistence, the merchants reluctantly sat down while still being courteous.

After everyone was seated, Zhao Junchen continued, "I believe you all know the purpose of my inviting you here today. A while ago, while reading ancient books, I came across a recipe. The item made according to this recipe is called soap, which is similar to soap nuts but much more effective. Considering the current financial difficulties of the court, I presented this soap to His Majesty. By His Majesty's decree, the soap is now exclusively produced and sold by the Imperial Treasury, and the exclusive sales rights are given to merchants in various regions. With His Majesty's trust, I have been entrusted with this task."

Just as Zhao Junchen paused, the merchants seized the opportunity to flatter and praise him.

"Lord Zhao, your dedication to the country is a model for all of us at Zhang Trading House."

"Lord Zhao, your loyalty to the emperor and the country is admirable. If you need anything from Ruhe Trading House, just let us know, and we will not refuse."

"Lord Zhao, it is our duty as merchants to help the country. Moreover, since you are personally overseeing this, we will take on the exclusive sales of soap. Just tell us how much silver you need."

"Lord Zhao, our chief manager Guo Lixiang has a deep friendship with you in Luan Prefecture. Half a month ago, he wrote to us, instructing us to fully cooperate with you if you need anything."

Amidst the noisy praise, Zhao Junchen smiled slightly, raised his hand to signal for quiet again, and continued, "You are all leaders of merchants in various regions, with substantial resources and capital. I have invited you here today precisely for the exclusive sales of soap."

Hearing Zhao Junchen get to the point, the merchants did not interrupt but stared at him, eagerly waiting for his next words.

Pausing for a moment, Zhao Junchen continued, "I believe you all have already learned about the specific effects and various grades of soap. I won't repeat them here. I estimate that if the soap is produced exclusively by the Imperial Treasury, it can be mass-produced within a month. The most basic soap can produce at least eight million pieces per year, the higher-grade scented soap can produce at least one and a half million pieces per year, and the highest-grade medicinal soap, due to the investment and raw materials, can only produce about twenty thousand pieces per year."

Hearing this, the merchants calculated in their minds and realized that although the number of soaps produced by the Imperial Treasury seemed large, the population of the Ming Dynasty was already in the tens of millions. Even if only one-tenth of the population could afford soap, the number of soaps produced by the Imperial Treasury would still be far from enough. Moreover, soap is a daily consumable. Even if it is more durable than soap nuts, each person would need at least two pieces per year.

What does this mean? It means a shortage of supply!

And what does a shortage of supply mean? It means a guaranteed profit!

Thinking of this, the merchants looked at Zhao Junchen with even more eagerness.

Noticing the merchants' gazes, Zhao Junchen smiled lightly and continued, "My intention is that the supply is limited. To avoid future chaos and competition, the Ministry of Revenue will hold an auction tomorrow. Ordinary soap will be auctioned in batches of fifty thousand pieces, scented soap in batches of five thousand pieces, and medicinal soap in batches of five hundred pieces. Everyone will bid, and the highest bidder will win. This way, after the soap is produced next month, everyone can collect the goods in turn according to the auction results."

Hearing this, the merchants, who had been noisy earlier, fell silent, all deep in thought, considering the pros and cons of this method, and remained silent.

Zhao Junchen, however, had no intention of discussing or negotiating with them. He simply said, "If no one objects, let's finalize this. After the banquet, everyone can prepare. Tomorrow at noon, you can go to the Ministry of Revenue to place your bids."

As he spoke, Zhao Junchen raised his wine glass slightly, gestured to everyone, took a sip, and sat down.

In response to Zhao Junchen's gesture, the merchants all stood up and drank with him, but most of them did not speak, each lost in their own thoughts.

Zhao Junchen's method of auctioning the supply was quite novel to the merchants of this era, but they had to consider whether it would protect their interests.

Actually, Zhao Junchen originally intended to use a "regional agency" model, auctioning not the supply but the sales rights in various regions.

However, after understanding the business models and power distribution of merchants in different regions, Zhao Junchen abandoned this idea.

For example, the base of the Shanxi merchants was in the northwestern provinces, while the base of the Huizhou merchants was in the coastal provinces. The Shanxi merchants would not compete for business in the coastal provinces, and the Huizhou merchants would not meddle in the northwestern provinces. The Huizhou merchants had a large amount of private salt, but the salt business in the northwest was mostly controlled by the Shanxi merchants. The Shanxi merchants' draft banks were powerful, but in the coastal provinces, the Huizhou merchants' draft banks were still dominant.

Regionalism was a characteristic of this era and a tacit rule recognized by the merchants. If Zhao Junchen auctioned the sales rights in various regions, the competition faced by the merchants would undoubtedly be less, and there might even be secret compromises. This would significantly reduce the silver obtained from the auction of sales rights.

Therefore, Zhao Junchen came up with the idea of auctioning the supply, making each batch of supply a source of intense competition. This way, the profit the Imperial Treasury could obtain would be maximized.

...

The idea of "regional agency" was even more advanced than the idea of "supply auction." Zhao Junchen did not mention it, and the merchants naturally did not think of it.

Therefore, in the face of Zhao Junchen's idea of "supply auction," although they knew their profits would be reduced, the merchants could not think of a better solution.

At least, in their view, it was better to auction the entire year's supply in advance than to face endless competition every time the Imperial Treasury produced a batch of soap.

Moreover, Zhao Junchen seemed determined not to change his mind.

After a moment of contemplation, the merchants finally spoke, nodding in agreement. Some took the opportunity to flatter and praise Zhao Junchen, calling him "ingenious" and "a great talent of the country."

Once the matter was settled, the banquet finally began. However, despite the delicious food in front of them, the merchants were all lost in thought, making the banquet somewhat cold. Soon, some merchants found excuses to leave. Zhao Junchen had given them a tight deadline, and the auction was the next day, so they dared not delay and returned to prepare.

Those who left were merchants with slightly insufficient resources, while the powerful merchants remained. Some tried to make secret deals with Zhao Junchen to directly obtain the supply of soap, but Zhao Junchen politely refused. Others had their eyes on other products in "Yuero坊," such as perfume and beauty water, but Zhao Junchen also politely refused.

The soap business was Zhao Junchen's means to please Emperor Deqing. The more silver he earned, the higher his value to Emperor Deqing, and the safer he would be. He was not willing to undermine this at this time.

As for the business of "Yuero坊," Zhao Junchen had other uses and did not want to get entangled with these merchants.

Thus, in the midst of mutual calculations, Zhao Junchen found the banquet uninteresting and did not want to stay longer. Claiming he could not drink much, he left with Xu Qingyan.

The merchants who remained, seeing that the main host, Zhao Junchen, had left without gaining any benefits, also did not linger and left one by one.

As the banquet ended hastily, the various forces that had been watching Tianhailou withdrew their attention.

However, few people knew that the banquet at Tianhailou had not truly ended. The dispersed banquet was just a facade. Here, Zhao Junchen had another, more important banquet.

...

Zhao Junchen had reserved the entire Tianhailou for the banquet, so after the banquet, the place was empty and quiet.

However, after all other guests left and the attention of various forces was diverted, Tianhailou welcomed another group of guests.

Compared to the grand arrival of the merchants earlier, these guests were fewer in number, only twelve or thirteen, and their movements were secretive and furtive, as if they were sneaking in. They came to Tianhailou without delay, went straight to the top-floor private room, and then disappeared, waiting quietly.

Among these guests, the leader was none other than the newly allied Minister of Rites, Zhan Shanchang, and the Director of the Board of Censors, Tong Huan.

The other guests were all officials under Wen Guanliang.

Following Zhao Junchen's instructions, these people were carefully selected by Zhan Shanchang and Tong Huan. Although their positions in Wen Guanliang's faction were not high and their power was not significant, it was precisely because of this that they were not particularly loyal to Wen Guanliang.

Especially now, when Wen Guanliang's faction was unstable.

These people were invited to the banquet by Zhao Junchen.

Although Wen Guanliang was Zhao Junchen's enemy, the phrase "Lord Zhao has a great benefit for you" from Zhan Shanchang and Tong Huan made them all interested.

They followed Wen Guanliang because he could give them benefits.

So, they all came.

After everyone gathered, it did not take long for Xu Qingyan, who had left with Zhao Junchen earlier, to return to Tianhailou and enter the private room.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm a bit late. I hope you didn't wait long?"

Xu Qingyan smiled and said to the guests.

Although Xu Qingyan was just a personal attendant, representing Zhao Junchen, the guests in the private room did not dare to be disrespectful and all stood up to welcome him.

Zhan Shanchang also stepped forward and said with a smile, "Brother Xu, you're too considerate. We just arrived."

Xu Qingyan nodded, glanced around the room, and a look of disdain flashed in his eyes.

He had been with Zhao Junchen for many years and was quite familiar with the officials. Most of the people in front of him were only fourth or fifth-rank officials, and Xu Qingyan did not think much of them.

Therefore, without waiting for Zhan Shanchang to introduce him, Xu Qingyan sat down on his own.

After sitting down, Xu Qingyan slowly said, "Please don't be offended. My lord is too prominent, and wherever he goes, he is watched. Although he wanted to meet all of you, for your sake, he ultimately decided not to come and sent me to convey a few words. However, your presence here is a favor to my lord, and he will not let you down."

The guests, hearing this, all responded with polite words.

Xu Qingyan, however, ignored their politeness and continued, "I believe you all know that my lord has opened a 'Yuero坊,' which is doing quite well, earning over a thousand taels of silver every day."

As Xu Qingyan spoke, including Zhan Shanchang and Tong Huan, the guests could not help but exclaim in surprise.

Although they knew that 'Yuero坊' was doing well, they did not expect it to earn over a thousand taels of silver every day!

Seeing their amazed and envious expressions, a faint sneer passed over