Mei Sheng looked up at him. Father, do you mean we should sell them to other commanderies and counties?
Mei Qian nodded. Exactly. We can go to Sizhou. That area is still under the First Prince's control.
Most of the aristocratic families and wealthy merchants of our Yan Kingdom have fled there. I think we should give it a try.
These pieces of furniture are difficult to transport, but the Lord's glass, which is colored glaze, you know? I have no idea how Gefeng makes it, but it comes in various styles and is completely transparent.
Then there is the soap. I bought and tried all kinds of soaps with different uses and scents, including scented soaps and medicinal soaps. They really work incredibly well.
Oh, right, and the paper. I also don't know how Gefeng produces it, but they manage to make the paper so thick and snow-white.
The paper can not only be sold to wealthy families, but there is also a high chance of collaborating with the government. After all, they could never produce paper this white...
Mei Sheng was stunned. He watched his father, who was talking endlessly with a face full of excitement, and it took him a good while to find a chance to speak when his father paused to drink water.
Father, the journey is too far and unsafe, he had to pour cold water on the idea.
If they could go to Sizhou to do business, why would they struggle in this remote and impoverished northern land? It was simply because the journey was too long and fraught with danger.
Mei Qian looked at his son and shook his head with a chuckle. Just because it didn't work in the past doesn't mean it won't work now. If Gefeng cooperates with us and we have their support...
In the past, minor merchants like them had no opportunity to meet many aristocratic families, so naturally, they couldn't find a powerful patron to cling to.
Therefore, they could only trade in the North, not daring to venture too far for fear of never returning.
Things were different now. With Jiang Jin as their powerful backer, and since his own son had worked for her, there was a very high possibility of cooperation.
Setting everything else aside, the safety of the journey alone would be greatly guaranteed.
Wealth and honor are sought amidst danger. The Mei family had always been a family of modest wealth. If they could seize this opportunity, squeezing into the truly wealthy upper class was not impossible.
He could imagine how popular these treasures would be if sold to the South, and how high a price they could fetch.
Mei Sheng's eyes lit up. He could not help but think of Jiang Jin's hidden chess piece plan. If they could open a shop and do business in Sizhou, they could not only make money but also gather intelligence. He believed she would be interested.
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, but his eyes soon dimmed again.
But we have no connections in Sizhou. Even if we have good merchandise, we might not be able to sell it, and we might even be...
Murdering people for their goods was nothing new, especially in this chaotic world.
If they cooperated with Jiang Jin, their safety could indeed be guaranteed to a certain extent.
But if the ones murdering and looting were the powerful elites of Sizhou, no matter how formidable Jiang Jin was in Gefeng, her reach would not extend that far.
Things are valued for their rarity; it was not impossible for such a situation to occur.
Mei Qian chuckled. Have you forgotten the Lin family?
The next day, seeing Mei Sheng and Mei Ren come to find her, Jiang Jin was not surprised. Have you figured out what business you want to do in Gefeng?
To repay them for helping to plant hidden agents, she was very willing to provide them with conveniences. As long as it was within a reasonable range, she would agree.
Mei Sheng bowed with cupped hands. My Lord, we want to bring glass, paper, soap, and other goods to Sizhou. If possible, we would like to open a shop there exclusively selling these items.
Jiang Jin's eyes flickered with great interest. Tell me more.
Mei Sheng organized his words and said, Most of the aristocratic families and wealthy merchants of our Yan Kingdom are in Sizhou. They have money, a lot of money. Our goods will definitely sell incredibly well.
Jiang Jin gave a half-smile. Then do you know that Sizhou might not be able to hold out? If it falls, you might face danger.
Mei Sheng straightened his posture. That is why I wish to cooperate with you, My Lord. Our Mei family will provide the money and manpower, and you will provide the goods, as well as offer us a certain level of escort protection.
To be honest, Jiang Jin was very tempted by this proposal. Although she would not attack Sizhou that quickly, it was highly necessary to plant people inside in advance to receive information about Sizhou at any time.
At the same time, it could also bring her a steady stream of wealth. She was very confident in her glass, paper, soap, and scented soap.
Furthermore, on the way to Sizhou, they could also use the Mei family's connections to plant people in any commandery or county where it was possible.
She had only planted people in Donghu Commandery this time, and her next step was originally to head South anyway.
Jiang Jin thought for a moment and said, Do you have any relatives or friends in Sizhou? Right now, we are completely unaware of the situation there. Acting rashly might be inappropriate.
Mei Sheng understood her concerns and said directly, We have a family friend who went to Sizhou the year before last. They even sent us a letter last year, but we haven't been in touch since.
He was referring to the Lin family, who had previously chosen to go South.
The Lin family was similar to their Mei family; both were considered minor merchant families. However, they had good luck. After arriving in Sizhou, a powerful figure took a fancy to a daughter of the Lin family. Although she was only taken as a concubine, it was enough for the Lin family to establish a firm foothold in Sizhou.
In such chaotic times, exchanging letters was exceedingly difficult and could only be entrusted to traveling merchants.
As the war intensified and barbarians and bandits ran rampant, there were fewer and fewer traveling merchants, so they lost contact.
Jiang Jin lowered her head in deep thought. After a moment, she finally said, Alright, but it will take a few days. I will prepare a batch of goods for you.
As for the sofas, tables, and chairs, you can assess the situation once you arrive in Sizhou. It doesn't matter whether you do that business or not. The focus is on the glass, paper, and soap.
Mei Sheng understood Jiang Jin's meaning. If Sizhou was still relatively peaceful now, they could find local carpenters to make them. They just needed to follow the styles from Gefeng anyway.
If Sizhou was not that stable, there was no need to expand the business that much. After all, they might face a breached city and have to flee at any time.
Jiang Jin quickly called Dong Si over to discuss the cooperation details together, such as the profit-sharing ratio and how much profit they could afford to give away once they reached Sizhou.
Jiang Jin did not believe that the Lin family or the powerful figures behind them would help for free. A portion of the profits would definitely have to be conceded.
Although a significant amount of profit had to be given up, it was actually a good thing for Jiang Jin. The greater the power of this elite figure, the safer her shop would be, and the more her people could accomplish.
After Mei Sheng and the other left, Dong Si sighed with emotion, If we can really sell our goods to Sizhou, the money we make will definitely not be a small amount.
Jiang Jin smiled. The goods are hard to transport, but that just means we can take the high-end boutique route and ship them out batch by batch.
If the table and chair business could take off, it would actually be the most convenient. After all, they could source materials locally and hire local people to make them. She only needed to provide the designs.
Of course, it was also the easiest to be knocked off, because there was no technical complexity to it. Anyone could basically learn how to make it just by looking at it.
Dong Si sighed. I wonder if any other princes or princesses have fled to Sizhou?
Jiang Jin shook her head. I don't know.
She turned her head and instructed Dongzhi, Go and have someone call Feng Qingzhu, Chen Xi, and Mu Ning over to me.
Dongzhi hurriedly complied, turned around, and jogged out.
Dong Si furrowed his brows. My Lord, shouldn't you recruit some close attendants? How can Dongzhi alone be enough?
Jiang Jin thought for a moment and then nodded. Acceptable.
As her affairs grew increasingly numerous, she indeed needed people by her side, such as to help organize documents and so forth.
Dong Si's eyes crinkled in a smile. "Then I will definitely pick the very best for you."
Jiang Jin nodded. "There is no need for too many. Just one or two more will do."
Soon, Feng Qingzhu and the others arrived.
Jiang Jin informed them of her plans to travel to Sizhou for business.
First, she went over the specifics with Feng Qingzhu, carefully detailing the exact quantity of goods to be produced and other related matters.
Feng Qingzhu noted down every detail.
"These will be transported over a long distance," Jiang Jin instructed. "Right now, we can only travel by land, so you must be extra careful with the glass packaging. Make sure to use plenty of dry straw for padding."
