Chapter 34: Purchasing Grain
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Only after Fourth Hao had left the Riverwatch Pavilion did Xing'er open the letter sent by the Prince of Yan. Its contents were simple enough: the grain reserves in Yan City were insufficient and might not last until the harvest season next year. A quantity of grain therefore had to be purchased from various places and transported back to Yan City.
Part of the Riverwatch Pavilion's earnings was to be used to purchase grain and ship it to Yan City. In addition, they were to keep an eye on prices in the capital's slave market and buy five hundred slaves, half male and half female.
After reading the letter, Xing'er looked up at Zhang Guide and said, “Manager Zhang, please trouble yourself to summon everyone. There is something we need to discuss.”
“Yes, Miss. I shall go at once.”
Before long, Li Youcai, Tian Qi, Wang Dayong, and the others had gathered in the reception hall.
Once everyone had arrived, Xing'er began, “The Prince has sent someone with a letter. There are two matters he wants us to handle. The first is the purchase of grain. Manager Li, this is your area of expertise. You will probably have to make many trips in the days ahead. The Prince wants us to buy grain and transport it back to Yan City.”
Li Youcai smiled. “Rest assured, Miss. I would not dare claim expertise in everything, but when it comes to grain, I know the trade very well. How much does His Highness want us to purchase?”
“The Prince did not specify an exact amount. I believe he means for us to proceed as far as we can, and once we have reached the desired quantity, he will send further instructions. The Riverwatch Pavilion has been open for more than a month, and our accounts currently show earnings of roughly two hundred and fifty thousand taels. I can give you one hundred thousand taels to use as working capital.”
“One hundred thousand taels?” Li Youcai exclaimed. “At the current grain prices in the capital, one tael can buy four shi of grain. One hundred thousand taels would purchase a full four hundred thousand shi—surely more than Yan City’s annual tax revenue. The people of Yan City are desperately poor. If we transport that much grain there, we will certainly lose money.”
Seeing that Li Youcai was still consumed by profit, Xing'er fixed him with a sharp gaze. “The Prince has never said that he intends to profit from the people of Yan City. What he intends is to save them. Do you not understand that?”
Her gaze startled Li Youcai into a sudden jolt. Realizing that he had spoken wrongly, he hurriedly rose from his chair and fell to his knees.
“Please calm your anger, Miss. This humble servant was blinded by greed.”
Xing'er withdrew her stern gaze and said gently, “Rise, Manager Li. You now serve the Prince. From this day forward, when dealing with outsiders, we may consider profit. But among ourselves, we cannot continue looking at every matter through a merchant’s eyes. When conducting business in the capital, we act as merchants. But once we return to Yan City, you are all officials serving the Prince of Yan’s household.”
“This humble servant understands. I will not fail His Highness’s expectations and will devote myself wholeheartedly to serving him.”
“Also, the Prince presumably does not want too many people to notice this matter. You need not purchase everything in the capital; any place within the imperial sphere of influence will do. Avoid making a spectacle of it and proceed gradually. I will have Captain Tian accompany you and protect your safety.”
“Yes, Miss.”
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After speaking, Xing'er turned to Wang Dayong. “Captain Wang, go to the slave brokers and inquire about the prices. The Prince wants us to buy five hundred slaves, half male and half female.”
“Slaves? Why does His Highness want to buy so many?” Wang Dayong asked curiously.
“I do not know either. The Prince did not explain himself in the letter. Simply carry out his instructions.”
“Very well. I will make inquiries tomorrow.”
Two days later, a carriage entered Bianzhou City, east of the capital. Bianzhou was now the greatest inland shipping port in the Great Xia Empire. To the west, it was connected to the capital and Chang’an; to the east, to Shandong Circuit; and to the south, to Jiangnan Circuit. The largest granary within the imperial sphere of influence lay less than a hundred miles away, and the grain, rice, and silk of Jiangnan could all be transported there by water.
The largest grain merchant in Bianzhou City, the Huo Grain Company, stood in the eastern market district. In a room on the second floor, two men dressed as merchants sat facing each other, while a sturdy man stood respectfully behind one of them.
They were Li Youcai and Tian Qi, who had come to Bianzhou to purchase grain. Seated across from them was Huo Zhengyan, chief manager of the Huo Grain Company.
Huo Zhengyan spoke first. “May I ask how much grain Brother Li wishes to purchase?”
Li Youcai gave a sly chuckle. Instead of answering directly, he asked in return, “May I ask how much grain Manager Huo currently has in storage?”
“Hahaha! Are you afraid my stores will not be sufficient? To put it plainly, there is no one in Bianzhou with more grain than the Huo family. Eight out of every ten people in this city eat grain supplied by us.”
“Of course I know that. Otherwise, I would not have come to your establishment. Since matters have come to this, I shall speak frankly. I intend to purchase one hundred thousand shi of grain. Do you have that much?”
When Huo Zhengyan heard the figure, he froze for a moment, then burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Are you making sport of me, Brother Li? Do you know what one hundred thousand shi means?”
“What do you mean by that, Manager Huo?” Li Youcai asked, unable to help himself.
“Hmph. One hundred thousand shi of grain would provide provisions for an army of one hundred thousand soldiers for three or four months. Why are you stockpiling so much grain? Could it be that you intend to—”
Huo Zhengyan looked at him suspiciously, but Li Youcai hurriedly interrupted him.
“Manager Huo, please do not make such jokes. I am merely a merchant. To be frank, I come from the north. You should know that the north has never been as fertile as the Central Plains and the south. Moreover, from what I have observed, the north will surely suffer a severe drought next year. Grain will inevitably become scarce, and so I wish to stockpile a quantity in advance.”
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Huo Zhengyan regarded Li Youcai with some doubt. “Oh? Is that truly the case?”
“Of course.”
“That is a major commercial secret. You have told me so readily—are you not afraid I will seize your business?”
Li Youcai did not seem concerned. He merely laughed.
“Manager Huo surely understands the situation in the north. Even if your grain reaches the north, you may not be able to make any money there.”
“Hahaha! Brother Li, do not take offense. I was only joking,” Huo Zhengyan replied with a laugh.
“There is one more thing I would like to ask. Must all this grain be purchased at once? Forgive my bluntness, but aside from the imperial government, I doubt anyone could produce such a quantity in a single transaction.”
“Not at all. Manager Huo may prepare it in batches and deliver each shipment separately.”
They then settled several matters concerning the delivery dates and locations, after which the two parties signed a purchase agreement. Li Youcai did not dare let anyone know that he was acting on behalf of the Prince of Yan, so they agreed that the deliveries would be made at a small town somewhere along the route. After paying a deposit and accepting the receipt handed to him by Huo Zhengyan, Li Youcai rose and took his leave with Tian Qi.
Huo Zhengyan had secured an exceptionally large transaction and had intended to host the two men at a banquet, but they politely declined.
When they returned to the inn, Tian Qi immediately sent a swift rider to Yan City with a message detailing the delivery times and locations, so that the Prince could dispatch men in advance to meet and receive the shipments.
To avoid attracting attention and causing grain prices to rise in the short term, Tian Qi and Li Youcai did not visit any other places. Instead, they remained temporarily in Bianzhou City, intending to make further plans only after the first shipment had been delivered safely.
After the two men departed, Huo Zhengyan immediately ordered his people to purchase grain. Thanks to the Huo family’s extensive commercial network in Bianzhou and the surrounding areas, gathering several tens of thousands of shi posed no difficulty. For the remainder, he sent men south to purchase grain in Jiangnan.
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