Chapter 57 Such Generous Terms~

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"The two of us have indeed verified that formula. It is truly a technique that benefits the entire realm. Although we are horse merchants from Zhongshan and are not well-versed in the salt industry, commerce shares common principles after all. We intend to purchase land in Qingzhou to operate the salt business." Su Shuang laughed heartily, making no attempt to conceal their intentions. After all, this business promised boundless profits and dealt in a commodity that the entire world desperately needed. Horses might occasionally suffer from sluggish sales, but in the four-hundred-year history of the Han Dynasty, no one had ever heard of salt failing to sell.
Chen Xi gave a subtle twitch of his mouth. What nonsense about commerce sharing common principles—they were entirely planning to crush others with their sheer capital advantage. Even if salt merchants from other regions sold at a loss and tried to undercut them, Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping would still turn a profit. In an industry almost equivalent to printing money, as long as they were not assassinated and their techniques were not stolen, driving the Han Dynasty's salt industry to collapse and establishing a monopoly would be a walk in the park.
"I imagine you both know how immense the profits in this industry are, so forget about taking the entire enterprise for yourselves. You certainly wouldn't want to end up like people during the reign of Emperor Wu—having your entire clan stripped of wealth, reduced to government slaves, and the masterminds executed by being cut in half at the waist and having their corpses abandoned," Chen Xi said casually, bringing up a chilling prospect that made the merchants' hair stand on end.
"Naturally, we wouldn't want that," Zhang Shiping said with a hint of timidity, before wiping away his sweat. "Hasn't a lifetime of being a merchant been solely about leaving some foundation of wealth for our descendants and posterity? Even if future generations prove unworthy and squander a bit more, it would at least mean I, as their ancestor, did my utmost for them."
Chen Xi raised an eyebrow, looking at Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping. These two fellows were no fools; a conversation that originally began strictly on business grounds had now smoothly drifted into the sentimental territory of looking after their descendants.
"Indeed, nothing in this life is easy. Whatever we, the people of the present, accomplish is inevitably done with an eye toward future generations. Since our thoughts are aligned, there is no need to say more. Let us step into the courtyard and examine the details closely," Chen Xi assumed a compassionate expression, implying that everyone's ultimate goal was the welfare of their descendants.
"Please lead the way, Administrator Assistant Chen." Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping visibly breathed sighs of relief. Facing such staggering wealth, both men had struggled to keep their composure, inevitably revealing their inner thoughts.
Chen Xi smiled and turned to walk inside, with Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang following closely one after another. To the ancients, this was wealth that could topple nations, but to Chen Xi, it felt practically insignificant. What currently weighed heavily on his mind and caused him endless melancholy was paper...
Yawning, Chen Xi pulled a roll of white cloth from beneath a stack of bamboo slips and casually tossed it to Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang. "Before you arrived, I had some idle time and drafted the contract more or less. If there is anything you require or any clauses that seem unsuitable, just point them out, and we can discuss them further."
Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang caught the white cloth and immediately began to scan its contents. After a thorough reading, they let out long breaths of relief. Looking through the various clauses, they found the terms were not as arrogant as they had imagined, nor did they carry the tyrannical nature of official monopolies. Every single clause was reasonable and fair.
However, what troubled Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping slightly were the second-to-last and third-to-last clauses. One concerned the division of the salt market, specifying the regions where they were permitted to sell their salt; the other stipulated that all subordinate channel distributors and sub-agents were required to register. As for the final clause, it stated that the ultimate custody and interpretation rights of the original agreement rested with Chen Zichuan, the Administrator Assistant of Taishan. Though they did not fully understand this, wasn't it a matter of course? In the past, such things were never explicitly written down, but having it explicitly stated here showed a tremendous amount of respect.
"Administrator Assistant Chen, we do not quite understand this second-to-last clause," Su Shuang said after pondering for a long while, pointing at the specific provision.
"Oh, that is simply to let me know whom you are selling the salt to. Have them sign and press their thumbprints so that if any trouble arises, I can offer some assistance," Chen Xi replied casually.
Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping frowned slightly. If they did that, wouldn't all their trade networks be laid bare under the watchful eyes of the officials? In the event of any mishap, it would be far too easy for the authorities to wipe them out in a single sweep.
"Rest assured, I have no intention of wiping you out in one sweep. All I want are the internal sales channels within the Han Dynasty. As for regions beyond the northern frontier, do as you please. Of course, we retain the right of first refusal for whatever goods you trade back, and what I want is not your ultimate retail distribution network," Chen Xi explained after noticing their knitted brows.
"What I require are only the first three tiers of the distribution channels—meaning you sell the salt to the major salt merchants of each province, and these merchants must sign their names. Afterwards, those major provincial salt merchants distribute the salt down to the commanderies and counties, where those local salt merchants must also sign. Beyond that level, nothing further is needed," Chen Xi said, looking at Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping. Upon hearing this, the two men clearly felt a great deal more at ease; what he wanted was not their personal retail network, but the channels of the intermediate distributors.
"As for your worries about me wiping you out, I can arrange for the salt you sell to be officially recognized as government salt. As long as you do not break the law, no one will touch you. This is my bottom line." When he said this, Chen Xi's expression grew considerably stern, almost explicitly stating: If you do not know what is good for you, I will find someone else to negotiate with, execute the two of you, and release this technology, upon which countless other merchants will still come flocking.
Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping exchanged glances and nodded slightly. The current terms were already exceptionally generous; if they continued to be unappreciative, provoking Chen Xi might truly turn a feast of mutton into trouble for themselves.
"Very well, let us sign the contract now then," Chen Xi said, seeing that Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping were eager to proceed.
"Agreed," Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping nodded. Each picked up a writing brush, signed their names on the white cloth, and then—forgoing ink pads—directly bit their thumbs and pressed bloody thumbprints onto the fabric.
"Now then, I have already prepared the master copy. As for this duplicate, I shall sign my name, press my thumbprint, and you may keep it for yourselves." With that, Chen Xi pulled another piece of white cloth from beneath the stack of bamboo slips, picked up his brush to sign his name, and pressed his thumb into an ink pad before leaving an impression. As for biting his own finger—since every finger was connected to the heart and hurt immensely—Chen Xi would never do such a foolish thing.
"Compare them between yourselves to ensure there are no errors, and then put it away," Chen Xi handed the duplicate over as well. After Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping carefully cross-referenced the documents and confirmed everything was correct, each of the three men safely tucked away his respective copy.
"Administrator Chancellor Chen, the one hundred thousand dan of grain will be transported in two batches. The first batch of twenty thousand dan will be delivered via land route to Fenggao within three days. As for the remaining eighty thousand dan, the Zhen family will transport it via the sea route to Qingzhou, then transfer it into the Yellow River to enter Jinan, and finally transport it by land to Taishan Commandery. Please remember to receive it, Administrator Chen." Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping beamed with radiant faces as they tucked the duplicate contracts into their robes and bowed deeply to Chen Xi.
"The Zhen family, eh?" Chen Xi nodded. "I imagine the two of you are quite eager to rush to Qingzhou, purchase land, and begin salt production. Allow me to wish you both in advance a profit so massive that your basins overflow. Presumably, the two of you would not want me to detain you any longer."
"Thanks to your auspicious words, Administrator Assistant Chen, the two of us will not linger here any longer. The chief stewards of the Zhang and Su households will arrive shortly to handle other matters." Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping were clearly quite anxious. Having secured what they wanted and seeing that Chen Xi was granting them leave without further ado, they offered a hasty bow and quickly departed.