The Frontier Prince: Starting From Scratch - Chapter 6 - A Profitable Venture

Yan Prefecture, Zhang Mansion.

Zhang Qian was taken aback after hearing the news brought back by his servant.

“He really turned water into ice?”

“Master, it’s absolutely true. I saw it with my own eyes. He was in the room for less than fifteen minutes and came out with a basin full of ice,” the young servant still couldn’t quite believe it.

Zhang Qian was stunned, forgetting he was holding a teacup. It wasn’t until the cup tilted and the hot tea scalded his hand that he snapped back to reality.

Then, like a spring, he jumped up from his chair, “Let’s go to Prince Yan’s Mansion.”

As the head of the most prominent regional magnates in Yan Prefecture, Zhang Qian had expanded his ancestral business significantly, proving he was no fool.

Ice was as valuable as gold. In the wealthiest region south of the Yangtze, it was precisely what was lacking. If there was a continuous supply of ice, it would mean a continuous flow of silver.

He despised Prince Yan’s Mansion, especially after Zhang Han was captured, as Zhang Han had numerous secret dealings with his family. Prince Yan’s actions were a slap in his face, so he had been contemplating how to bring down Prince Yan’s Mansion.

But now he decided to put those plans on hold. Moreover, the Dong Family, Yang Family, and Lv Family had sent either their family heads or eldest sons. These families had always been superficially friendly but secretly antagonistic.

He couldn’t let them take advantage of this opportunity; otherwise, his position as the leading magnate in Yan Prefecture would be unstable. Important official positions in Yan Prefecture would have to be relinquished by them.

So today, even if he had to pretend, he would act friendly towards Prince Yan’s Mansion. As for how to deal with them later, he would focus on acquiring the art of ice making first.

“Master, should we invite the Huang Family and Du Family?” the servant asked.

“Do we need to invite them? They’re probably running faster than us,” Zhang Qian said as he hurried off.

Upon arriving at Prince Yan’s Mansion, he found that Huang Yu, the head of the Huang Family, and Du Ming, the head of the Du Family, were already there. The Dong Family, Lv Family, and Yang Family had not only sent their eldest sons but also their family heads.

“Oh, isn’t Squire Zhang supposed to be unwell?” Liu Fu remarked sarcastically upon seeing Zhang Qian.

Zhang Qian was furious inside. He had never been humiliated by a servant before, but despite his anger, he maintained a smile, “I was feeling a bit unwell this morning, but I felt better in the afternoon and rushed over. After all, who dares to defy Prince Yan’s orders?”

He glanced at Huang Yu and Du Ming, who both shook their heads, indicating they too had been mocked by Liu Fu.

Inwardly, he thought, for the sake of the art of ice making, let Prince Yan’s Mansion enjoy a few days of triumph. Later, there would be days when they would regret it.

Liu Fu smirked inwardly, noticing the fleeting malice in Zhang Qian’s eyes. But he wasn’t a coward; otherwise, he wouldn’t have risked his life to save Prince Yan.

Turning around, he approached Zhao Xu and said, “Your Highness, all thirty-eight family heads of the prominent regional magnates in Yan Prefecture have arrived.”

Zhao Xu nodded.

Earlier, he hadn’t answered the question about how much the art of ice making was worth in silver because he was waiting for everyone to arrive.

And he hadn’t rejected the Zhang Family despite their hostile attitude towards the mansion.

Emperor Zhao Heng had sent him to Yan Prefecture, which was akin to exile. Unlike other princes, he hadn’t been granted substantial wealth, and there were many restrictions in his fief.

Thus, he had to rely on himself to earn money and resources to build his foundation.

Zhao Xu was well aware of the Zhang Family’s hostile attitude towards him, but he saw no reason to let that interfere with his pursuit of wealth.

After all, excluding the Zhang Family would mean missing out on the riches they had amassed from the common people, and they would undoubtedly try every trick in the book to obstruct or even steal the art of ice making.

The method was simple enough that it could easily be leaked, which would be a significant loss.

Having thought this through, he said, “For three years, I have been seen as mad and foolish, and since arriving in Yan Prefecture, I haven’t had the chance to meet with you all. However, last night, I encountered a wise sage in my dreams. Not only did he enlighten me, but he also taught me many skills, one of which is the art of ice making.”

In ancient times, people were highly superstitious due to a lack of scientific understanding. Historical records often described celestial phenomena at the birth of emperors to convince people that the emperor was divinely chosen.

The same holds true in this world, so he deliberately spoke in such a manner to blur the lines between truth and fiction, and to instill a sense of awe.

He wanted them to be cautious when dealing with Prince Yan’s Mansion.

Sure enough, his words sparked a flurry of discussions among the crowd, with many showing expressions of surprise.

He continued, “Of course, the reason I have summoned you here is not to discuss this matter, but rather the art of ice making. Now, I can tell you how much this ice-making method is worth.”

At this crucial moment, everyone perked up their ears.

Zhao Xu slowly said, “One million taels.”

“One million taels!” The crowd gasped in shock.

“Your Highness, this… this is too expensive. Even if we pooled all our resources, we wouldn’t have that much,” one of the regional magnates exclaimed.

“Indeed, even if we learned the art of ice making, it would take years to recoup the cost,” another added.

Zhao Xu had anticipated such reactions.

One million taels was indeed a substantial amount.

After all, the annual tax revenue of the Dasong Dynasty was said to be around sixty to seventy million taels.

However, taxes were taxes, and he knew very well that the majority of Dasong’s wealth was concentrated in the hands of these regional magnates.

They ruthlessly exploited the common folk, amassing society’s wealth for themselves.

Each of them was equivalent to modern-day billionaires, even wealthier, as they monopolized almost all the land, commerce, and resources in Yan Prefecture.

Yan Prefecture was akin to a modern-day prefecture-level city.

Imagine a scenario where the land, minerals, transportation, and various businesses of a prefecture-level city were monopolized by thirty-eight families.

Moreover, they controlled the officialdom of Yan Prefecture and essentially paid no taxes, making them exceedingly wealthy.

Therefore, his asking price was justified.

It was a way to reclaim the wealth that rightfully belonged to Yan Prefecture.

“In Jinling, a jin of ice sells for 1 qian of silver. During a summer, consuming tens of thousands of jin is common. Across the entire south of the Yangtze, it’s easily millions of jin. With good fortune, you could recoup the investment in two to three years,” Zhao Xu said calmly.

In Dasong, one tael of silver could buy 1 dan¹ of rice, which was about 120 jin.

Using modern rice prices for comparison, one tael of silver was equivalent to over three hundred yuan.

One qian of silver was around thirty yuan, so ice wasn’t sold at an exorbitant price, ensuring a robust market.

With Zhao Xu’s clear calculations, the voices of the regional magnates quieted down.

However, despite their vast wealth, they couldn’t easily produce such a large sum in cash.

Their assets were mostly in the form of grain, cloth, land, and minerals.

Even so, risking such assets for this venture was a significant gamble.

They were still reluctant.

Zhao Xu had been observing the expressions of the regional magnates.

He had anticipated this, so he said, “I understand that it’s difficult for one family to produce one million taels, which is why I have called upon all thirty-eight families to join in this opportunity for prosperity.”

“Could Your Highness elaborate?” Dong Yuan, the family head of the Dong Family, asked respectfully.

Footnote:

1. Dan(石):The dan (石) was a traditional unit of volume for grain, equivalent to 120 jin (斤, “catty”). In modern terms, this would be roughly 72 kilograms of rice.