Chapter 34: Borrowing a Cart to Haul the Money

On the fourteenth day of the eighth lunar month, Li Shen arrived at the Boutique Pavilion. Although sales were originally scheduled to continue until today, there had been little activity over the past two days, so Li Shen decided to close the doors early.

In the backyard, Li Shen inspected the brewing facility. A small factory had been erected on the two-acre property. After his inspection, he and Wang Hongfu entered the storehouse. The original heavy wooden doors had been reinforced with a sturdy iron gate, a necessary precaution in these unsettled times. Inside, strings of copper coins were piled high like mountains.

"Your Highness," Wang Hongfu began, "we have been operating for nine days. Sales slowed toward the end, but we sold 3,840 regular gift boxes, totaling 19,200 strings of cash. The premium boxes sold quite well. Several wealthy merchants from Jiangnan and Luoyang ordered 300 sets, promising not to resell them within Chang'an, so I allowed them to be shipped early. In total, we sold 1,136 premium gift boxes, amounting to 11,360 strings of cash. Our total sales reached 30,560 strings. The cost of a regular box is about one string, while the premium boxes, due to the silk and packaging, cost about two. Since grain is cheap, the cost of the alcohol itself is low; our main expenses were labor, equipment, and packaging. The total cost was 6,112 strings, leaving us with a profit of 24,448 strings. It is all here."

"So much?" Li Shen was stunned to see such a fortune before him. It could truly be described as a mountain of copper. Excited, he walked over to the coins, which were stacked on top of two layers of wooden planks he had ordered installed. However, his excitement quickly faded; 24,000 strings of cash weighed over 150,000 jin. How on earth was he to transport it? A single cart could carry seven or eight hundred jin on a long journey, or at most a thousand jin within the city. That meant he would need over 150 carts. He once again lamented the inconvenience of ancient currency.

"Manager Wang, how are we to transport this back to the palace? We certainly cannot leave it all here; it isn't safe," Li Shen asked.

Wang Hongfu hesitated. "Your Highness, such a quantity would require over a hundred carts. Even the largest transport firm in Chang'an doesn't have that many available; their carts are already under contract. Unless..."

"Unless what?" Li Shen pressed.

"Unless Your Highness can dispatch carts from the imperial palace. Before winter, the palace sends out over two hundred carts at a time to stock up on supplies. The palace surely has enough."

"The palace carts? I wasn't aware of that," Li Shen admitted. He turned to Lan Yu'er. "Yu'er, does the palace really have so many?"

"Yes, Your Highness," she replied. "Not only the palace, but the six ministries of the imperial court possess nearly two thousand carts combined, especially the Ministry of Revenue. How else would they transport taxes from the East and West Markets to the national treasury?"

That made sense; the monthly tax revenue from the markets surely dwarfed his profits. Still, the palace carts were more convenient, as they were driven by eunuchs, whereas using the Ministry of Revenue’s carts would be complicated for entering the inner palace.

Li Shen decided to return to the palace to secure the transport. With the Mid-Autumn Festival tomorrow, he planned to give his workers a holiday and could not leave the money unguarded. He gathered everyone in the courtyard, stood on a chair to address them, and led a round of applause for their successful nine-day stint.

"Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival," he announced. "As your employer, I am providing a holiday bonus: one dou of rice, one jin of meat, and one string of cash for each worker. The managers will receive five strings, and Manager Wang, thirty strings."

After the workers expressed their gratitude, Li Shen instructed Manager Wang to purchase the rice and meat. He then departed by carriage for the palace.

Upon his arrival, he went to the Liangyi Hall and found Wang De, the superintendent of the inner palace, who was busy with officials. "Old Wang," Li Shen asked, "who should I talk to about borrowing carts?"

"Your Highness, why not use the ones from the Bureau of Palace Crafts?" Wang De asked, puzzled.

"I need about 160 of them," Li Shen said urgently.

"160? What are you planning to haul?" Wang De asked, intrigued.

"Never mind that. Just tell me where I can borrow them."

"In that case, I will accompany you to the Directorate of Palace Food," Wang De offered, knowing the value of helping the Prince. With Wang De's assistance, Li Shen secured 160 ox-carts and their eunuch drivers.

The procession caused a stir as they arrived at the East Market. It took over two hours to load the 29,000 strings of cash—reclaiming his initial investment and leaving only a small amount of liquid capital behind. Li Shen felt much more secure once the treasure was on its way back to the palace, with a portion destined for Princess Changle’s residence.