Chapter 87: Cooperation
Jinsui nodded and said, “That’s fine, but I need to see the quality first. Why does your family have so much scrap iron?”
Yan Turtle fanned himself and said, “It’s because my elder brother has foresight. He’s been quietly acquiring scrap iron from the market all these years.
I’ve sent someone to ask him, and he said if you want it, he can trade with you, but not for cash.”
Jinsui was initially delighted, thinking Yan Jiu was a good friend and truly a wealthy man.
But not for cash was a bit troublesome. Was he worried about the Zheng family’s silver being too hot to handle?
“What does your brother want?”
“He wants this…”
As he spoke, he took out two porcelain bottles from his sleeve and placed them carefully on the table. They were the lipstick and scented cream that Jinsui had given to Miss Yan Twelve.
“What do you mean?”
“My brother said this item will surely be sought after by noblewomen in Chang’an. Our Yan family can cooperate with Li King. You provide the formula and half the capital, and we’ll provide the labor and raw materials to build a workshop and produce these together.”
This time, it was Jinsui’s turn to be surprised. She hadn’t expected Yan Jiu to have such business acumen and foresight!
What woman wouldn’t like cosmetics? The top-tier rouge and powder of this era came from Jiangnan and were sold at extremely high prices. Some were even more expensive than gold, and noblewomen in Chang’an scrambled to buy them.
No wonder the Yan family could become the foremost gentry in Yanzhou. With Yan Jiu’s foresight and drive, it was natural for the Yan family to prosper.
“If you’re willing, our Yan family can immediately send ten thousand jin of ironware!”
“Ten thousand jin? That’s not enough!”
“Heh heh, if we cooperate, there will naturally be more later.”
Jinsui touched her chin. She had initially wanted to run a unique business, but she was short-handed, the border city lacked the conditions to produce cosmetics, and she had a host of enemies watching her.
Partnering with the Yan family was like finding a reliable ally. Why wouldn’t she agree!
Jinsui nodded, “Alright! This King agrees! Cheng Assistant Secretary, you draft the contract. This King and Young Master Yan will sign the agreement.”
Yan Shiyi Lang chuckled and put the porcelain bottles back, “Miss Yan Twelve instructed me not to lose a single bottle. She cherishes them!”
Jinsui smiled, “I have many new formulas here. When they are produced in the future, they will be prioritized for Miss Yan.”
After discussing business, Yan Shiyi Lang relaxed, “The Yan family will arrange for people to deliver the ironware. Your people should not enter the city. I don’t want the Zheng family to discover our close dealings.”
“The Zheng family members are like mad dogs, biting anyone they can and instigating others to oppose you.”
Jinsui was surprised, “You’re telling this King so plainly?”
Yan Shiyi spread his hands, “Am I afraid of the Zheng family? Besides, no one in Yanzhou wants to ally with him right now. Everyone knows you, Li King, are not to be trifled with.”
The Zheng family is faking madness, but Li King is a real madman!
After Cheng Yu finished writing the agreement in duplicate, Yan Shiyi had his butler review it. Both parties signed and affixed their seals.
Yan Shiyi specifically asked Jinsui to use both seals, ‘Li, the Boundless King’ and ‘Jun Yanqing’ had to be used.
With the main business concluded, Jinsui was about to go to the blacksmith’s to check on the progress, but Yan Shiyi stopped her, “Don’t go yet, there’s something else!”
“What is it? If you want fish ball noodles, go eat at an eatery. This King isn’t providing meals.”
“I’ve already eaten. I had a bowl as soon as I entered the city.”
Jinsui: …
If this were my younger brother, I would have kicked him long ago. How can someone be so unreliable? Discussing such an important cooperation, and you run off to eat noodles first?
Taking a deep breath, she asked, “What else is there?”
Yan Shiyi rummaged through the butler’s box and took out a box of silver ingots, “One thousand taels, and ten copies of your money-gouging book.”
“Money-gouging book?”
“You sold it to my brother for ten thousand taels a copy, and to others for a hundred taels a copy. Is there such an expensive book in the world? If it’s not a money-gouging book, what is it?”
Your ability to give nicknames is on par with Hei Hu.
“Didn’t you ask my sister to help you sell the books? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten! My sister was so sad when she got home that she couldn’t eat or sleep.”
“And she went to tea parties to promote your money-gouging book! Don’t tell me you think ten copies are too few? Let me tell you, if it weren’t for my sister, you wouldn’t have sold a single copy!”
Jinsui said emotionally, “It’s kind of Miss Yan to remember this. We agreed that she would get a ten-tael commission for every book sold.”
Yan Shiyi said disdainfully, “I don’t care about your ten taels! Bring the books first.”
Jinsui took out ten copies for him. He quickly flipped through them and pointed to the title page, “Quickly use the seal. Do you think people really care about your book? They’re buying it for this seal.”
Jinsui speechlessly used the ‘Li, the Boundless King’ seal, lamenting the ignorance of the Yan family’s rich young masters.
Yan Jiu had already returned to his family to teach the Thirty-Six Stratagems, yet you all haven’t realized the importance of this book.
Yan Shiyi didn’t care, but Jinsui still asked him to take Miss Yan Twelve’s share of the profits back. She then took a glass jar of energy bars from her space and gave them to Miss Yan Twelve.
The latter gift clearly pleased Yan Shiyi more, “How much do you sell this brown sugar for?”
Jinsui shook her head, “I don’t sell it! Only my good friends receive gifts from this King.”
“You’ve never given me one.”
“Are you my friend?”
Yan Shiyi was stunned again. He had his butler pack these items, but he still lingered, reluctant to leave.
Jinsui impatiently asked, “Is there anything else? Can’t you say it all at once?”
“There’s a small matter. I want to ask about the mirror you sold to Jin Zilin…”
“There are none left. This King only had two, and the other was given to Miss Yan.”
Yan Shiyi was quite impressed by Li King in this regard. He seemed greedy for money, but he could give away a gift worth five thousand taels of silver so readily.
It was also because of this that Eldest Brother said Li King was not as greedy as he appeared, and there was no need to worry about disputes over money when doing business with him.
“I don’t want the mirror. Do you have anything more precious than that Treasure Mirror? I’ll buy it!”
Upon further questioning, Jinsui learned that the young masters in Yandi had a tradition of holding treasure-appraisal competitions on the fifteenth of August, while the young ladies competed with flower lanterns.
The young masters would compete with treasures in the Baoxiang Tower. The treasures were bizarre and varied. Setting aside ordinary gold and silver jewelry, there had once been a prized sweat-blooded horse and a Yangzhou courtesan.
The Mid-Autumn Festival hadn’t arrived yet, but it had already spread throughout the Sixteen Prefectures of Yandi that the first prize would definitely go to Jin Zilin, because he had bought a Treasure Mirror from Li King.
That Treasure Mirror was inlaid with a thousand luminous pearls, and its radiance at midnight was comparable to daylight…
Jinsui: What if there’s no power when the time comes? Will Jin Zilin be so angry that he comes to the border city to return the goods?
“Do you have anything brighter than that Treasure Mirror? As long as it can outshine that Treasure Mirror, five thousand taels, no, ten thousand taels, this young master will buy it!”
Jinsui smiled and asked, “Why don’t you borrow Miss Yan’s mirror to compete?”
“Miss Yan Twelve treats it like a treasure and won’t even let me touch it!” Yan Shiyi then glared at Jinsui, blaming her for causing trouble for his sister.
Jinsui actually had something brighter than a cosmetic mirror. You ask what treasure it is? It’s a Pinduoduo forty-nine yuan and ninety-cent disco light!
It was bought by the cleaning lady, brand new, and was supposed to be used for a grand performance at the evening square dance. It hadn’t even been brought home from the laboratory yet.
It was also rechargeable and could last for more than ten hours on a full charge. She believed that this dazzling, multi-colored light would be incredibly awe-inspiring in this era.
It would probably be mistaken for a treasure of the Immortals!
