Chapter 57: Such Generous Terms

Chapter 57: Such Generous Terms~

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"The two of us have indeed verified that formula; it is truly a technology that will benefit the world. Although we are horse merchants from Zhongshan and not skilled in the salt industry, commerce has its commonalities after all. We intend to purchase land in Qingzhou to manage salt production." Su Shuang laughed loudly without any attempt to hide it. After all, this was a venture of immense profit, involving a commodity that the world absolutely required. Horses might suffer from oversupply, but in the four hundred years of the Great Han Dynasty, one had never heard of salt being in surplus.

Chen Xi gave a subtle curl of his lip. What did he mean by "commerce has its commonalities"? They were clearly looking to pit themselves against him. Even if salt merchants from other regions lowered their prices to the point of sacrificing their capital just to compete with them, they would still make a profit. This was an industry practically equivalent to robbery; as long as they weren't assassinated and the technology wasn't stolen, they could crush the Great Han's salt industry and establish a monopoly without issue.

"I assume you both know how much profit this industry yields. So, don't dream of taking it all for yourselves. You wouldn't want to end up like in the era of Emperor Wu of Han, where entire households were confiscated and turned into slaves, and the person in charge was executed by waist-cutting, right?" Chen Xi spoke nonchalantly, mentioning something that would make any merchant's skin crawl.

"Of course not," Zhang Shiping said somewhat timidly, before wiping away some sweat. "Hasn't a merchant spent his whole life just to leave some assets for his descendants? Even if the descendants turn out to be incompetent, they'll have a bit more to squander. I'll consider it my duty as a predecessor to do my best for them."

Chen Xi raised an eyebrow and looked at Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping. These two weren't fools; a purely business matter had somehow been dragged into the realm of familial sentiment.

"Indeed, it is not easy. People do so much today, and much of it is for the sake of future generations. Since we all share the same mindset, there is no need for further talk. Let us go into the courtyard to study this in detail." Chen Xi put on a compassionate expression, acting as if everyone was simply planning for the sake of posterity.

"Thank you, Deputy Prefect Chen." Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping clearly breathed a sigh of relief. With such staggering wealth before them, they were both struggling to maintain their composure, and it was inevitable that their true intentions had leaked out.

Chen Xi smiled, turned, and walked inside. Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang followed in single file. To the ancients, this was indeed staggering wealth, but to Chen Xi, it felt largely unremarkable. What he was currently preoccupied with was paper...

Yawning, Chen Xi pulled a roll of white cloth from beneath a pile of bamboo slips and tossed it casually to Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang. "Before you two arrived, I was bored and had already drafted most of the contract. If there is anything you need or anything that seems unsuitable, just point it out, and we can negotiate further."

Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping took the cloth and began to browse. After a quick read, they let out long sighs of relief. Looking at the various items listed, the terms were not as high-handed as they had feared, nor were they as domineering as government business; every clause seemed reasonable.

However, Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping were somewhat conflicted about the second and third to last clauses. One concerned the division of the salt industry—essentially a regulation on where they were permitted to sell. The other required all subordinate distributors and agents to be registered. As for the final clause, it stated that the ultimate right of custody and interpretation of the original contract belonged to Chen Zichuan, Deputy Prefect of Taishan County. While they didn't fully grasp the implications, wasn't this only natural? Usually, such things weren't even written down, so the fact that he included it was quite a courtesy.

"Deputy Prefect Chen, we don't quite understand this second-to-last clause," Su Shuang said after much deliberation, pointing to the line.

"Oh, that is just so I know who you are selling the salt to. Have them sign and provide a thumbprint so that if anything goes wrong, I can offer assistance," Chen Xi said casually.

Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping frowned. Wouldn't that expose their entire network right under the nose of the government? If something went wrong, they could easily be wiped out all at once.

"Rest assured, I have no intention of wiping you out. All I want are the internal sales channels of the Great Han Dynasty. As for the lands beyond the borders, that is up to you. Of course, we will have the right of first refusal for the goods exchanged, but I am not asking for the end-user distribution channels," Chen Xi explained after noticing their slight frowns.

"I only want the first three layers of the channel: meaning, you sell the salt to the major salt merchants of each province, and those merchants must sign. Then, those major provincial merchants distribute the salt to the prefectures and commanderies, and those merchants must sign. After the salt is distributed from the prefectures to the counties, I don't need to know anymore." As Chen Xi spoke, it was clear that Su Shuang and the other man felt much more at ease. He wasn't demanding their own sales channels, but rather the channels of their distributors.

"As for your fear of me wiping you out, I can turn the salt you sell into 'official salt.' That way, as long as you don't break the law, no one will touch you. That is my bottom line." When he said this, Chen Xi's expression became much more serious. He was practically saying: *If you don't show some sense, I'll find someone else to talk to and cut you both down; if I release this technology, a crowd of other merchants will come regardless.*

Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping exchanged a glance and nodded slightly. The current terms were already extremely generous. If they continued to be difficult and angered Chen Xi, they might truly end up "eating mutton only to invite trouble."

"Fine, then let us sign now," Chen Xi said, seeing Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping eager to proceed.

"Very well." Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping nodded, each picking up a brush to sign their names on the white cloth. Instead of using ink pads, they bit their thumbs and pressed their thumbprints directly onto the cloth.

"Done. I was going to pack this one away, but here is the duplicate. I will sign it now and add my thumbprint, and you may keep it yourselves." As he spoke, Chen Xi pulled another piece of white cloth from under the bamboo slips, took a brush to sign his name, and pressed his thumb into ink to leave a print. As for biting his own finger—with the nerves of the fingers connected to the heart, Chen Xi was certainly not going to do something that painful.

"Compare them with each other. If there are no issues, put them away." Chen Xi handed over the duplicate. After Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping compared the two and confirmed there were no discrepancies, the three of them each put their respective copies away.

"Prefect Chen, the hundred thousand piculs of grain and fodder will be transported in two batches. The first twenty thousand piculs will be sent to Fenggao via land within three days. As for the remaining eighty thousand, the Zhen family will transport them via sea to Qingzhou, then transfer them to the Yellow River to enter Jinan, and finally to Taishan County via land. Please remember to receive them, Prefect," Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping said, their faces flushed with excitement as they tucked the duplicate contract into their robes and bowed to Chen Xi.

"The Zhen family, I see," Chen Xi nodded. "I imagine you are also in a hurry to go to Qingzhou to buy land and prepare for salt production. I shall wish you both a prosperous journey and a full purse in advance. I assume neither of you wants me to stop you."

"We thank the Deputy Prefect for his kind words. We shall not linger. The stewards of the Zhang and Su families will arrive shortly to handle the remaining matters." Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping were clearly in a rush. Having secured what they wanted and seeing that Chen Xi was letting them go, they barely said anything more, gave a hurried bow, and departed.

(End of Chapter)