The Frontier Prince: Starting From Scratch - Chapter 23 - The Trap

“Your Highness, could you teach us the art of brewing just like you did with the art of ice making? We are willing to pay a high price for it.”

In the guest hall of the Prince’s Mansion, a crowd of regional magnates filled the small room. Zhao Xu arrived and exchanged a few pleasantries before one of the magnates couldn’t hold back any longer and asked. They all knew well that compared to the art of ice making, Prince Yan’s brewing technique was the real money-maker.

Zhao Xu’s gaze swept over the crowd. Most of the magnates who had participated in the ice-making venture were present, along with some unfamiliar merchants. Even the Zhang Family, Huang Family, and Du Family had thick-skinnedly mingled in. Although the question came from a minor magnate, Zhao Xu understood that it was likely instigated by a major magnate behind the scenes.

“You all have quite the keen ears. I had just sent out the liquor, and you already know about it,” Zhao Xu said with a faint smile. Though the regional magnates’ wealth was mostly in the countryside, they all had residences and servants in the city and often stayed there. Especially after Zhao Xu introduced the art of ice making, they needed to oversee the business guild, spending more time in Yan City.

“The aroma of Your Highness’s brewed liquor travels for miles. We could smell it from home,” one of the magnates flattered. The others laughed in agreement, nodding their heads. Their attitude towards Zhao Xu was markedly different from the first time. In the eyes of some magnates, Prince Yan’s Mansion had established a personal guard, now controlled the prefectural troops, and had a firm grip on Yan City, making him a true Prince Yan. They no longer dared to underestimate Zhao Xu and instead felt a sense of awe.

Zhao Xu laughed along with the magnates and said calmly, “I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. This time, I won’t be selling the art of brewing, but I can sell the liquor.”

Zhang Qian and the Huang and Du Families, mingling in the crowd, exchanged glances with grim expressions. They had guessed right. The other magnates, however, remained delighted. For them, being able to purchase liquor from the Prince’s Mansion to resell was already a good deal.

Dong An noticed the expressions of Zhang Qian and the others, feeling a sense of satisfaction. Having suffered under the Zhang Family’s oppression for years, it was finally their turn to see them uncomfortable. He felt his father was wise to have chosen Prince Yan in time.

“It’s said that the best Tipsy Immortal in the imperial city sells for twelve taels of silver per jar. How much does Your Highness plan to sell a jar for?” someone asked eagerly. For them, as long as they could get the liquor from the Prince’s Mansion and sell it elsewhere, they would surely make a huge profit.

Zhao Xu pondered for a moment. In the Dasong Dynasty, a jar of liquor was typically about one jin. It took more than three jars of green-mote liquor to distill a jar of the new liquor. Ordinary green-mote liquor in Dasong cost three qian of silver, which meant the cost of his liquor was one tael of silver. With this in mind, he said, “From the Prince’s Mansion, it’s fifteen taels per jar. What you sell it for is none of my concern.”

“Fifteen taels.”

“It’s worth the price. This liquor tastes far better than any Tipsy Immortal.”

“Indeed, selling it in Jinling could fetch twenty taels. In the capital, it’s common for the masters to spend thousands or even tens of thousands of taels on a single banquet.”

“Exactly, they don’t care about the silver; they care about the prestige.”

“……”

The magnates were satisfied with Zhao Xu’s pricing, seeing the potential profit. Someone said, “Your Highness, I’ll take five hundred jars.”

“I’ll take two thousand jars.”

“I’ll take eight hundred jars.”

“……”

Zhao Xu sat at the head of the table, feeling a surge of delight as the regional magnates shouted out their numbers. The free tasting event had worked wonders. Those who had sampled the exquisite liquor were now fully convinced of its quality.

Undoubtedly, this distilled liquor would become a significant source of income for Prince’s Mansion in the future. After all, besides the Dasong Dynasty, neighboring countries also had a thriving drinking culture. It was said that the Beidi people on the grasslands were particularly fond of liquor.

In the past, when relations between Dasong and Beidi were stable and trade was ongoing, the Beidi often exchanged cattle, sheep, and horses for Dasong’s fine liquor.

However, despite the enthusiasm of the regional magnates, a stark reality remained: Zhao Xu simply didn’t have enough liquor to meet their demands.

He spread his hands, “I understand your eagerness, but I have only recently begun brewing this fine liquor and cannot provide it to you all.”

“That’s such a pity,” sighed one of the magnates.

Dasong was wealthy in the south but poor in the north. Northern magnates had land but not much silver. To compensate, they often ventured south for commerce. Some even dared to trade with Beidi, defying the court’s ban. Though profitable, if caught by the authorities, it meant execution.

“However…”

The disappointment among some magnates was palpable, and Zhao Xu could see it. But he truly couldn’t produce that much liquor at the moment. Still, since he intended to attract the magnates, he wouldn’t let them leave empty-handed.

Understanding the cunning of modern commerce, he had a way to make them pay upfront without seeing the goods.

“What do you mean, Your Highness?” The magnates sensed there was more to Zhao Xu’s words and felt a glimmer of hope.

“Brewing is swift; it won’t take long before I can supply you. But before that, if you wish to secure liquor from Prince’s Mansion, you’ll need to pay a deposit,” Zhao Xu stated firmly.

“A deposit?” The magnates looked at Zhao Xu.

“Indeed. Whoever pays the deposit first will receive the liquor first when it’s ready. This liquor is precious, and the quantity you request will dictate how much we produce. We can’t just produce it randomly,” Zhao Xu continued.

The magnates discussed amongst themselves. Paying silver without seeing the goods was naturally displeasing. Dong An, eager to cooperate with Zhao Xu, declared, “The Dong Family is willing to pay the deposit. Please supply us first, Your Highness.”

With someone taking the lead, the other magnates became restless. They understood the principle of the first to eat meat, the second to drink soup, and the third to eat dust.

More magnates began shouting, “I’ll pay the deposit too.”

“I’ll go fetch the silver right away.”

“…”

Zhao Xu nodded in satisfaction. He wasn’t worried about the magnates refusing to pay the deposit. His business was aimed at the entire Dasong Dynasty. If they didn’t buy, others would.

After all, he was running a monopoly, exclusive and unmatched. His goal in attracting the magnates from Yan Prefecture was simply to secure a quick influx of silver while openly weakening their financial power.

With the matter settled, Zhao Xu called Accountant Qin to tally the magnates’ demands.

By nightfall, the magnates, as they had done during the ice-making venture, sent over a substantial amount of silver, land deeds, and grain.

Busy until the moon hung high, Accountant Qin delivered the account book to Zhao Xu.

“Your Highness, the magnates have ordered a total of forty thousand jars of liquor, amounting to six hundred thousand taels of silver. Based on the Mansion’s requirement of a thirty percent deposit, they should pay one hundred eighty thousand taels. However, as before, they have offset some of this with land deeds and grain. We’ve received one hundred ten thousand taels in silver, land deeds worth sixty thousand taels, and grain worth ten thousand taels.”

Zhao Xu was having dinner, with Feng’er and Luan’er attending him. Hearing the figures, Feng’er and Luan’er weren’t particularly surprised. The silver from the ice-making venture had been much more.

Zhao Xu smiled silently. This liquor business was just getting started. As its reputation spread, more merchants would come to Prince Yan’s Mansion to buy liquor. Then, the income from distilled liquor would reach millions of taels.

However, to achieve this, he needed to establish a brewery immediately to expand production. Only then could he ensure a steady supply.