Royal Gold Magistrate

The two stared at each other, the atmosphere a bit subtle.

Bai Yi lowered her head shyly. Fang Zheng vigorously ruffled her hair a few times.

He messed it into a bird’s nest, deftly breaking the awkwardness.

Then he turned to Zhang Biao, “Where did Xiao Tao and the others go? Find her and let’s call it a day. First send Li Yuan back home.”

Afterwards, Li Yuanzhao was reluctantly sent back. Only then did Fang Zheng’s group return home.

Back at the residence, the few once again sat around the table.

Only, everyone’s eyes were fixed on the messy pile of banknotes and a cloth bag on the table.

Fang Zheng’s eyes gleamed. He hurriedly said, “Count it quickly! How much money in total?”

The group began counting in a flurry of activity. Before long, the figures were tallied.

All in all, it added up to 40,455 taels of silver!

Hearing this number, apart from Fang Zheng, everyone was shocked. They hadn’t expected there to be so many wealthy young masters in the capital. About three hundred plus rings and necklaces had been sold.

To earn over 40,000 taels of silver in a single night just from retail was truly unimaginable.

Fang Zheng stroked his chin and smiled. The capital’s consumption power was indeed strong. Those extra glass rings he ordered probably couldn’t be openly sold on the market for now.

He turned to Xiao Tao, “Tomorrow, go out and spread the word. Find a few more brokers and say you’re seeking to buy diamond rings and necklaces at a high price!”

Xiao Tao said dejectedly, “Young Master, that’s not right… When I was out shopping, I heard you were selling these things under the Crown Prince’s name. If someone finds out, won’t it cause trouble?”

Fang Zheng glared at her, “Just go when I tell you to. Your Young Master has it figured out.”

With how big a stir the diamond rings caused, there was no way the Emperor Jing wouldn’t know about it.

Fang Zheng had long expected this. He was just waiting to take the initiative tomorrow. Who wouldn’t be dazzled seeing these tens of thousands of taels of silver?

Lu Fa said in shock, “Master, what exactly are we selling that it’s so expensive?”

He had run off the fastest, finding a brothel far away. Zhang Biao didn’t find him either. After he was done, he returned to Hidden Fragrance Pavilion only to see the crowd had dispersed, so he went back to the Fang residence on his own.

Fang Zheng smiled, “What else could it be? It’s a specialty product of our Taoyuan County.”

Lu Fa said in puzzlement, “Our Taoyuan County has such an expensive specialty product?”

Fang Zheng picked up the cloth bag on the table and gave it a shake. A large pile of diamond rings and necklaces immediately poured out, covering the entire tabletop.

Bai Yi’s face instantly fell…

“Isn’t this glass! Young Master is awesome!” Lu Fa had a look of admiration. Then he cautiously said, “Young Master, can you give me some? I also want to go out and sell some to have money to spend…”

“No! Your Young Master has big plans for these things. You little brat, not doing a single proper thing all day, only thinking of taking shortcuts instead of working hard to make money. Did you forget how your Young Master taught you? You don’t know how to keep your feet on the ground?”

“Zhang Biao, go educate him a bit!”

Lu Fa was dragged away by Zhang Biao with a face of despair.

Then Fang Zheng turned to Xiao Tao, “Remember to find more people. Drive up the price of the diamond rings and ruthlessly fleece them for all they’re worth!”

Xiao Tao said hesitantly, “Young Master, is it really okay to do this?”

“Of course it’s fine! If the sky falls, the Crown Prince will hold it up. What we’re doing is taking from the rich to help the poor. Go all out…”

…

The next day, in the Imperial Study

Emperor Jing had 20,000 taels worth of banknotes on his desk. Fang Zheng sat in front of him with a smile.

Emperor Jing asked knowingly, “Lord Fang, what’s the meaning of this? Could this be tax revenue from Taoyuan County?”

“Your Majesty, this money was earned yesterday from doing business with the Crown Prince. I felt uneasy handing it to the Crown Prince, so I thought it would be more reliable to give it to Your Majesty.”

Emperor Jing showed a pleased expression, “Oh? So that’s what happened? Then I’ll accept it on behalf of the Crown Prince. May I ask what business you did, Lord Fang?”

Fang Zheng stood up and took a step forward, placing a ring on Emperor Jing’s imperial desk. “Your Majesty, please have a look. It’s precisely this item. Yesterday, the selling price of one was around a hundred taels.”

Emperor Jing picked up the ring and carefully examined it, involuntarily exclaiming in admiration, “Dazzling brilliance, extraordinary opulence, it’s indeed no ordinary object! Worthy of this price!”

As soon as Emperor Jing finished speaking, Fang Zheng took out a cloth bag from his waist and grabbed a big handful of rings from it, placing them on the imperial desk.

Emperor Jing looked at the densely packed glass rings on the table, the corners of his eyes twitching fiercely, and then fell silent.

After a while, he slowly spoke, “Lord Fang, what exactly is the true value of this item?”

“Excluding labor, a dozen or so rings can be made with one tael of silver. As for the gemstone on top, it’s called glass and is manufactured in Taoyuan County… Frankly speaking, it’s not worth a single coin.”

“I was just planning to have Taoyuan County replace all the window paper with this glass.”

“…”

Emperor Jing was stunned, looking at Fang Zheng in shock and uncertainty.

Yesterday, he had received a secret report saying the Crown Prince and Fang Zheng were selling diamond rings in the city, claiming the diamonds were obtained by chance by the Crown Prince and were extremely rare.

At the time, Emperor Jing had been puzzled. If the Crown Prince had such a valuable treasure, he would have already been showing it off to the world. How could he possibly not know about it?

But thinking about it, he realized it must be Fang Zheng’s mischief.

However, he never imagined that this thing would be so deceptive! It looked exceptionally expensive, but it turned out to be worthless!?

In that case… hadn’t Fang Zheng gotten something for nothing?

Looking at the densely packed diamond rings on the table, as well as the 20,000 taels of banknotes, Emperor Jing’s mood became a bit complicated. After a long while, he said, “Lord Fang, isn’t this deceiving people…”

Fang Zheng waved his hand, “Your Majesty, how can you say that? How can this be called deceiving people?”

“Back when we developed glass, the research and development costs were quite high. Now is the time to unleash its value. This technology is exclusive to Taoyuan County, the only one of its kind!”

Emperor Jing took the opportunity to dismount from the tiger, “Well said!”

“But… you made money, but why did you take the initiative to come find me?”

Fang Zheng flattered, “Your Majesty has keen insight. How could such a small trick be hidden from you?”

“I’ve come this time with a presumptuous request!”

“Speak freely!” Emperor Jing was in a good mood, having just received 20,000 taels of silver.

“Your Majesty has also seen, in just one night I relied on glass rings to earn over 10,000 taels of silver from the wealthy households in the capital. It’s clear… the capital is not short of silver.”

“But then why are the common people living in such hardship? I think it’s probably because the rich families are hoarding all the silver at home. Plus, the aristocrats and big landlords have many properties and advocate frugality, so the silver accumulates more and more, not circulating to the hands of the commoners, leading to the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.”

“Through the tea and diamond rings, Your Majesty should also know that Taoyuan County’s goods are very popular in the capital.”

“I’ve already ordered Taoyuan County to vigorously build and connect the roads to the capital. By then, Taoyuan County’s various products will be able to circulate in the capital.”

“So I’d like to request Your Majesty to allow the Crown Prince to govern a district as a pilot to help Taoyuan County’s products circulate better among the people. Firstly, it can get the silver flowing and benefit the commoners.”

“Secondly, if the pilot is successful and the silver starts circulating, the court can also conveniently levy taxes to alleviate the urgent need of the national treasury.”

“Thirdly, the Crown Prince can also gain learning and tempering in this process. This is a win-win-win situation.”

“Besides this, I’m willing to give 20% of the shares of all Taoyuan County’s businesses to thank Your Majesty for your favor. Please grant this, Your Majesty!”

After saying this, Fang Zheng also felt relieved. This plan had long been brewing in his mind.

The relationships in the capital were complex. Although Taoyuan County’s things were good, in the initial market development in the capital, they would likely encounter many troubles.

If there was a territory he could completely control, then everything would be easy. He was even confident he could develop this place into an important center within the capital and then radiate to the entire city.

As for that 20% of the shares, it was equivalent to him pledging allegiance. In this society of imperial power, it was uncertain when ill-intentioned people might set their sights on his wealth. It was safer to hand it over early to have a backer. Moreover, what deal could be more cost-effective than exchanging 20% of the shares for the biggest backer in the world?

Fang Zheng spoke sincerely. Emperor Jing listened, his eyes widening.

20% of the shares of Taoyuan County… how much money would that be? Wouldn’t the Imperial Treasury no longer have to worry about lack of funds?

Also…

Emperor Jing carefully weighed it. The Crown Prince had done many things that bent the rules. It was harmless for him to do business with Fang Zheng.

Then he hesitated, “Agreeing is not a problem, but I’m worried you can’t handle it!”

“Not to mention anything else, just take these diamond rings. Have you considered what the consequences would be if people found out the truth?”

“Also, although Taoyuan County’s things are good, they can’t possibly maintain such high prices forever, right!”

Fang Zheng smiled slightly, “Does Your Majesty know, there are two hands in this world, one visible and one invisible…”

Emperor Jing frowned, “Explain in detail. What are these two hands?”

“The visible hand is Your Majesty, representing the power in the world.”

“But the invisible hand… is the way of the economy, the way of the market, representing the hearts of the people.”

“I am far inferior to Your Majesty in court affairs, but I am skilled in using the invisible hand to help me do things.”

“Just take the diamond rings. Although the production cost is low, the problem can be solved by setting different positionings.”

“For the same ordinary diamond ring, put more effort into the packaging, engrave exquisite patterns, and pair it with overwhelming publicity to imbue it with special meaning. It can still be sold at a high price to the wealthiest people.”

“The second tier can have some simple engraving and second-tier packaging and pricing. It can be sold to middle-class households.”

“As for the lowest tier, as long as it’s an original factory product, we can sell it to the commoners at a price slightly higher than the cost.”

“In this way, the same item can be sold to everyone, and no one will have complaints. This is called price discrimination.”

“Although those earliest sold diamond rings are ordinary, I’ve already had special appraisal certificates made to increase their collectible value. In this way, there’s not much to worry about.”

Luxury brands could sell a snake leather bag for thousands. I, Fang Zheng, can be considered a paragon of the industry for selling glass rings and even including certificates!

Emperor Jing blinked, seeming to not have processed it.

The way this Fang Zheng talked, it always sounded like he was hoodwinking people…

After a while, Emperor Jing finally squeezed out a few words, “Lord Fang is a great talent.”

Fang Zheng sighed upon seeing this, “Your Majesty must think I reek of money and everything I do is just for profit. But as a scholar, how could I be that fond of money?”

“I’m not good at court affairs, but I’m also always thinking of sharing Your Majesty’s worries. Fortunately, I still have some skill in doing business.”

“Every time I hear Your Majesty speak of the empty national treasury, my heart aches. After much pondering, I finally came up with this method. Although success is still uncertain, I’m willing to give it a try!”

Hearing this, Emperor Jing felt both moved and emotional. He said, “Lord Fang having this intention puts me greatly at ease.”

“But you must watch over the Crown Prince. If any mishap occurs, I will call a stop to it at any time.”

“I thank Your Majesty!”

The corners of Fang Zheng’s mouth curled into an imperceptible smile.

Since I’ve come out from Taoyuan County, how can I, Young Master Fang, be idle… I’m going to transform the capital into Taoyuan County!