CHAPTER 198: CHAPTER 193: ENTERING THE PIT

How many things did Zhu Chuan bring, and what is the quality and value? Zhao Hanzhang hasn’t seen them, so naturally, she cannot discuss the price immediately. Hence, she invited him to stay first.

Regarding the subsequent price negotiations, it was naturally Chang Ning who talked to him.

As a noble lady from an illustrious family, how could she bargain over such mundane affairs?

Ahem, mainly because she had posed too much earlier, it was not good to haggle anymore, so bargaining such matters could only be handed to Chang Ning.

Zhao Hanzhang instructed him: "Try to press the price, ideally exchange it for glazed goods."

They’ve produced quite a bit of glazed products recently, and although both Ji Yuan and she are slowly releasing them to the market, a lot still remains stocked.

Neither Ji Yuan nor Zhao Hanzhang wanted to drop the price too low to release them.

But the counties around Shangcai, or rather the glazed goods market within Ru Nan County, have reached the first peak, and unless the price is lowered, the sales won’t be good if more glazed items are released.

At this time, they needed a major merchant who could connect various places.

Zhao Hanzhang pondered for a moment and whispered, "Mr. Chang has a good rapport with him; why not invite him to stay at the house?"

Chang Ning, thoughtful for a moment, nodded, "The lady is right; Zhu Erlang has come from afar, and as hosts, we should entertain him well."

As the Chief Clerk and strategist Zhao Hanzhang painstakingly recruited, she treated Chang Ning generously, evidenced by gifting a house, people, and various furniture and ornaments.

Finding a house in half-empty Xiping County is easy, but decorating a house that has been looted empty to be cozy and elegant is not easy.

Zhao Hanzhang not only provided Chang Ning with lots of furniture and ornaments but also many glazed products.

Who knows what Chang Ning felt when he first saw a full-length dressing mirror in his bedroom?

Furthermore, there’s a round mirror on his dressing table, as large as a bronze mirror, yet clearer and brighter than the bronze one.

To facilitate his entertaining guests, Zhao Hanzhang also sent him two sets of glazed cups, and the multi-treasure shelf held a pair of glazed bottles.

It’s safe to say that the value of items in that room alone equaled Chang Ning’s ten-year salary at County Magistrate Chai’s side.

Such importance placed, Chang Ning wished he could repay with his life.

Chang Ning decided to have Zhu Chuan stay with him, letting him unintentionally see those glazed products.

If he wanted to sell items at good prices, naturally, he had to let the guests feel their benefits.

Zhao Hanzhang nodded with satisfaction.

Chang Ning acted immediately, inviting Zhu Chuan to his house as a guest. Zhu Chuan initially didn’t intend to stay overnight, as despite Chang Ning’s house being spacious, he felt more comfortable at an inn. However, upon inadvertently seeing two glazed bottles on the shelf, Zhu Chuan changed his mind.

Thus, Zhu Chuan stayed overnight, and the two conversed happily, planning to talk through the night by candlelight.

Thus, Zhu Chuan naturally saw the dressing mirror in the room.

It was his first time seeing his image so clearly and completely in a mirror, and Zhu Chuan was stunned.

Compared to the glazed cups, he was more eager to know the price of the dressing mirror.

Not only the dressing mirror, but also the dressing table mirror, these two things were even better than glazed cups; whether sent to Luoyang, Jizhou, or taken back to Shu Land, they would be highly pursued!

Seeing Zhu Chuan taking the bait, Chang Ning smirked slightly.

But Zhu Chuan wasn’t foolish; the fact that a Chief Clerk’s house could have so many glazed products indicated they had abundant glazed stock or a source for glazed goods.

Recalling a rumor he heard when coming to Xiping, Zhu Chuan squinted his eyes; perhaps not all rumors were fake.

The rumor said that Third Sister Zhao had a glazed workshop in Shangcai capable of producing glazed goods.

If true, then...the price of glazed goods...

Seeing his contemplation, Chang Ning knew he grasped the key point, and he felt even more pleased.

The lady mentioned that a one-off deal would only bring temporary joy; nothing compared to a steady flow.

Certain words, if spoken, might not be believed by outsiders; they must let others conceive the ideas themselves. They didn’t mind setting the price of priceless glazed goods within the category of valuable and consumable luxury items, for they sought a channel to continuously sell glazed goods.

Sichuan being remote, whether in terms of fabric or food, was top-notch; if they could use these luxury goods to trade for these survival necessities, they would still come out ahead.

While Chang Ning and Zhu Chuan tried to feel each other out, Fu Tinghan and Zhao Hanzhang were pondering the next luxury item.

Fu Tinghan opened the soap he had made for her to smell. "Since winter is approaching, there have been more people slaughtering pigs and sheep recently. I tried using the fat and added some dried flowers to it. Have a sniff?"

After smelling it, Zhao Hanzhang sighed, "Professor Fu, is there anything you can’t do?"

She hadn’t called him that for a long time, and Fu Tinghan chuckled and said, "This isn’t difficult; you can definitely make it too."

It wasn’t difficult, indeed, but doing it wasn’t easy, requiring several trials at least.

Zhao Hanzhang closed the box and accepted the gift he sent, "I was about to discuss with you, not sure if you remember the textile machine’s design and the improved farming tools for tomorrow and the day after; I recall they were mentioned in middle and high school history textbooks."

Fu Tinghan hesitated before saying, "I’m a mathematics teacher..."

Under Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze, Fu Tinghan paused and said, "I vaguely recall some, but relying entirely on the diagrams... forget it, I still understand the basic mechanical principles. Give me some craftsmen, and I’ll try researching."

Zhao Hanzhang immediately said, "I will send people to find craftsmen skilled at making textile machines; before that, you can temporarily use the available carpenters."

Fu Tinghan nodded and quickly started thinking, "You need to find me a contemporary textile machine as I need to dismantle it to see inside. I understand your sentiment; if, as you say, Northern Land and Central Plains eventually descend into chaos and cut off transportation, we could only be self-sufficient. By improving textile machine efficiency, we could free up more productive capacity."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, "That’s indeed correct. The current turmoil is mainly caused by the upper class’s power struggles, so there’s no need to engage in further conflicts over production relations; let’s tackle productive capacity instead."

Fu Tinghan looked up at her, "Do you seek to win the people’s heart?"

"Of course, when I decided to establish authority in Yu State, this was what we must do."

Zhao Hanzhang paid great attention to these matters, more than producing glazed goods and making paper, so she rolled up her sleeves and was ready to work alongside Fu Tinghan.

She ordered a weaving machine brought in, and the two changed into more convenient attire before starting to study it intensively.

Fu Tinghan took a pen and paper, while Zhao Hanzhang took a ruler; the two began dismantling the weaving machine, measuring data, and drawing diagrams.

This was not difficult at all for Fu Tinghan; as a mathematics professor, he occasionally joined various projects, and the mechanical principles involved in the textile machine weren’t complex. For him, the difficult part should be the woodworking techniques.

Without nails or some adhesive, they would have to use mortise and tenon joints, which required consideration of spacing issues...

Fu Tinghan contemplated deeply, and the two of them stayed in the room until evening, only going outside when the light dimmed, still engrossed by the textile machine.

Ah, having Chang Ning was really wonderful, as Zhao Hanzhang could find time to do these things, leaving the remaining tasks entirely to others.