After a short time, Qin Mubai and his party stood in front of a large shop.

"Yongye Salt Mill, the name is good." Qin Mubai said.

"Teacher, the apprentices have inquired clearly." Pang Fei said in a low voice, "This Yongye Salt Mill is the official salt number of Xiangzhou City, and this shop is their main store." In addition, in other counties and towns under the jurisdiction of Xiangzhou, they also have semicolons. ”

Qin Mubai nodded, turned around and looked at the other big merchant across the street from Yongye Yanfang, and couldn't help but smile: "Zhengchang Grain, depending on the situation, this should also be an officially authorized grain sales business?" These two big shops sit opposite each other, which is also interesting. ”

Pang Fei said: "This street is a street that specializes in firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea, as well as vegetable markets, cloth shops, clothing bureaus, and miscellaneous goods from the south and north. I can't imagine that the small Xiangzhou is so prosperous and rich. ”

"You've been in Chang'an for a long time, so you're used to underestimating local states and counties!" Qin Mubai smiled, waved to everyone, and said, "Let's go, let's take a look at this Zhengchang grain number first." Remember, we're businessmen now. ”

"Yes, General!"

"Huh?"

"Yes, owner!"

……

Zhengchang Grain is a very large commercial house, like a village, entering the door is a large open flat, and there are many carriages parked around. There were many people coming in and out, some ordinary residents who came to buy rice, and some merchants who came to discuss business. Several other wagons had been dragged to the entrance to the large warehouse on the left, and many laborers were loading the wagons with grain.

Qin Mubai first glanced around, then walked to the side of the grain cart in a grand manner, picked up a few grains of white rice scattered on the wheel, crushed them in his hand, licked them in his mouth, and said to himself: "This rice is in good condition!" ”

Someone next to him immediately came up to talk, a man about forty years old, with affection and shrewdness written on his face, arched his hand and smiled: "This Lang Jun dares to be a connoisseur and businessman!" ”

"Heh, you can't talk about it, you can go south and north, try to do any business." Qin Mubai replied with a smile, "The first time I came to Xiangzhou, I saw that the business and tourism here were active, so I went into the city to take a walk, and I saw the grain number, so I came to see it." ”

The man glanced Qin Mubai up and down - a noble son who was luxuriously dressed and pampered; He looked at the group of people behind him, the calm, capable, respectful and obedient servants, so his expression became more enthusiastic, and said, "Then Lang Jun wants to enter the business and talk to our shopkeeper?" At the beginning of this spring, food prices are soaring, and it is time for merchants to use it! ”

"It's fine." Qin Mubai replied cheerfully, "I don't know what Your Excellency is called?" ”

"Don't dare, Lang Jun just call me Wang San'er, the small one is miscellaneous in this grain number. You please! Wang San enthusiastically led Qin Mubai and his party into the main hall of the grain number.

The main hall was quite large, with a long counter, and a few merchants were talking there. A striking wooden sign is placed in the center, with a few big black ink characters written on it - "Doumi Nine Coins".

"Sure enough, the price of grain has risen, and I just came to Xiangzhou from Chang'an, where the white rice in the West Market only sells for ten yuan of dou rice." Qin Mubai said, "The land of Xiangzhou was also sold for nine yuan. ”

Wang San nodded and laughed: "Lang Jun is really a big man who has seen the world, and he dares to do big business." Our small shop is naturally not comparable to the big businesses in Chang'an West City. What kind of place is Chang'an, the luxury of things is the best in the world, the white rice in the small shop is sold to nine dollars of rice, and the silver number of the West Market must be more than fifteen dollars of rice. Lang Jun, please sit down for tea, and wait for the little one to ask a shopkeeper to talk to you. ”

"Okay, I've got you covered." Qin Mubai sat down with a swagger.

Pang Fei and the others behind him laughed, and a guard said in a low voice: "General Pang, how did you say that the little second brother decided that the general was here to talk about big business, not to look at the flowers or buy three or five catties of rice and leave?" ”

"Wang San'er is a businessman, and those eyes are specially born for customers to earn copper plates. What does our general look like, at first glance, he looks like a big customer of business, of course he wants to do business. Pang Fei said with a smile.

Qin Mubai smiled: "Don't say it, we'll buy three or five catties of rice and leave in a while, I want to see what the shopkeeper's expression is." ”

"Haha!"

"Owner, that Wang San'er is back."

Qin Mubai looked back, and there was a middle-aged man in his fifties who came with Wang San'er, who was born with a doughy face, a few thin locks of beard were neatly groomed, and his facial features seemed to be crowded together, and he smiled very kindly and bent over Qin Mubai: "In the second section, I am fortunate to meet Lang Jun, I don't know what Lang Jun is called?" ”

Wang San'er next to him took over and said: "Lang Jun, this is one of the shopkeepers of our Zhengchang grain number in Xiangyang, known as the seven shopkeepers. ”

"Zhengchang Grain is really a big store, and the shopkeeper is ranked seventh." Qin Mubai got up and laughed easily, and returned the salute with his hand, "In Xia Chang'an Wu Yuanqing, I am fortunate to meet, I am fortunate to be happy." ”

Pang Fei and the others behind Qin Mubai couldn't help but want to laugh - they actually pretended to be their brother-in-law!

"Oh, it turns out that Lang Jun is a noble lord from Chang'an, what a disrespectful thing!" Duan Laoqi was solemn and hurriedly arched his hand, "Wu Langjun is interested, and he has tea in the back hall?" ”

"It's better to be respectful than to obey your fate, seven shopkeepers, please!" Qin Mubai replied cheerfully.

"Please!" Duan Laoqi's face was happy, and he personally led the way.

The businessmen from Chang'an are not ordinary, and they must be doing big business. If a deal can be negotiated, then the profit is needless to say; Even if it can't be negotiated, and the business can't be benevolent, it will be good if you can make one or two friends in Chang'an.

Businessmen, always. Zhengchang grain can be so big, but this business philosophy is very clear.

Qin Mubai and his entourage followed Duan Laoqi to a plain room in the back hall, and offered a portrait in the center, which was Fan Li. Duan Laoqi first lit incense in front of the portrait, and after saluting the incense with Qin Mubai, he sat down and served tea to the guest and host.

After sitting down, Qin Mubai held the tea bowl with his right hand, gently scratched the tea noodles with the lid of the cup, took three sips, and then put it on his left. Duan Laoqi looked at it carefully, and after reading it, he smiled: "Wu Langjun is really a big expert in business in the north and south, and he is a big businessman. It's been a long time since I've seen the big proprietor of the right-hand tea! ”

Qin Mubai smiled and said, "It's just that I'm used to it, the seventh shopkeeper doesn't have to care." In Chang'an, when businessmen approach big business, they are used to each other such an opening. The right hand holds the tea and takes three sips to show sincerity and respect. ”

"Lang Jun is really good-natured, so disrespectful!" Duan Laoqi also picked up the tea like Qin Mubai, slowly drank the whole cup of tea and put it down, and said with a smile, "Okay, we can talk about business openly and honestly!" ”

Pang Fei and the others can be regarded as an eye-opener, Qin Mubai, a general who has never done business before, is actually familiar with these things, and he does not show a trace of sparseness and jerkiness, and he secretly exclaims in his heart. This interlacing is like a mountain, but you can't pretend to be anything you want.

Fortunately, Qin Mubai has been with Wu Meiniang for a long time, and he has learned a lot of things in this area from her. Otherwise, without diamonds, he would dare to mess with porcelain work?

"Seven shopkeepers, let's not hide it, I went south this time just to purchase a batch of grain to sell in Beijing." Qin Mubai said, "Jiangnan is a land of rice production, and the price of rice has always been low and the quality of rice is outstanding. I was going to go to Huyang to make a special trip to pick rice, and by the way to pick some lake silk, but the time was urgent, and the trip was in a hurry, so I settled in Xiangyang. Xiangyang is a good place, the grain and salt from the north and south are transported here, so there must be a good price, right? In this way, I also save a lot of fatigue and then run to the Huyang area. ”

"Lang Jun is really shrewd, if you come to Xiangyang to pick goods, then you really have come to the right place!" As soon as Duan Laoqi heard this, his eyes shone with some excitement, and he said, "I won't tell you, the rice in Xiangyang is not more expensive than the one in the Huyang area!" First, our Jingxiang land has its own rice, and the color is not bad; Second, the official rice and military rations going south and north are all transshipped in Xiangyang Port, and the price will naturally come down as soon as this rice is more. Merely...... The rice of our name, that's not what you want to sell to whomever you want, this rule must be known to Wu Langjun? ”

"That's nature." Qin Mubai smiled and said, "Since I dare to enter your Zhengchang Grain to talk about business, I will definitely be able to do this business." Let me tell you the truth, I have some business dealings with the Zheng family in Chang'an, and I entrusted them to take care of it, and gave me a grain store to operate in Xianyang County, Gyeonggi. ”

"Ah, Chang'an Zheng family?" Duan Laoqi exclaimed, "What Wu Langjun said, but Chang'an Zheng Fengchi? ”

"Not bad." Qin Mubai smiled.

Duan Laoqi inadvertently took a breath of cool air, his eyes widened, and he said in surprise: "Chang'an Zheng family...... That's the court unloading business! They are in charge of more than half of the grain and salt business in the world. can be associated with them for a little bit, so it's difficult to make money every day! ”

"Huh!" Qin Mubai smiled casually, "Having said that...... But the Zheng family is a big family after all, and we small merchants and hawkers will not starve to death if we follow them, but it is extremely difficult to make a fortune. Because what we earn is a little bit of money that they don't need. Let's take my grain number in Xianyang as an example, when the grain is sent, Zheng Jiake will be deducted first, how much money can I still earn? ”

Duan Laoqi is an old ash who has been rolling in the business for decades, hearing Qin Mubai's words, his heart immediately stirred, understood what he meant, and said in his heart: Dare to love this Wu Yuanqing because the grain given by the Zheng family is too expensive, so he privately came out to pick a batch of grain to buy it, and then make some surplus price. This is a very good idea, firstly, with the right to operate the grain given by the Zheng family, and secondly, it has its own cargo channel, which reduces costs and increases profits!

"Huh...... Wu Langjun, what a shrewd businessman! Duan Laoqi smiled understandingly, "It's just that if you do this, aren't you afraid of offending the Zheng family?" ”

"It's fine." Qin Mubai smiled and said, "I am friends with Zheng Anshun, the young master of the Zheng family. I actually got his approval for this trip. In fact...... If I can get the low-cost official food of Big Brown, their Zheng family will also be happy. ”

Duan Lao Qi was excited, and hurriedly said: "Lang Jun's words...... I don't understand it a bit. ”

"Heh, the seventh shopkeeper is a smart person, why bother to make his words clear?" Qin Mubai smiled, "Businessman, who doesn't want goods at a lower price?" ”

"That...... That's right! Duan Laoqi nodded thoughtfully, blinked a few times, and asked, "Then how much grain does Wu Langjun plan to ask for this time?" ”

Qin Mubai smiled and stretched out a slap: "It's all about good lake and white rice!" ”

"Five hundred stones?" Duan Laoqi said with some joy.

For the general county-level grain number, the monthly purchase volume of a good business is about three or four hundred stones. Datang is based on agriculture, and most of the people are self-sufficient in growing food. The purpose of official food is mainly to distribute official food, supply the army or state storage, and the proportion of grain purchased by real urban residents to eat is not very heavy.

Qin Mubai smiled and shook his head.

"Do you want to ...... Five thousand stones? Duan Laoqi was a little surprised.

Qin Mubai still shook his head, smiling without saying a word.

"Fifty thousand?!" Duan Laoqi was shocked.

"Huh!" Qin Mubai smiled, "Seven shopkeepers, don't laugh anymore." Zai Hao is a Beijing businessman, will he make a special trip to Xiangzhou for tens of thousands of stone grains? ——500,000 Shihu Yang white rice! ”

"500,000 !!" Duan Laoqi was shocked, and said in his heart: This, this...... We've never met such a big customer!

"You heard it right, it's half a million." Qin Mubai smiled and said, "Let me tell you the truth, my own small shop really can't eat such a big brown grain, you understand." ”

A layer of cold sweat oozed from the corner of Duan Laoqi's forehead, and he nodded suddenly.

Qin Mubai's words can be regarded as clear, and the implication is nothing more than - he is helping the Zheng family "smuggle"!

The number one giant businessman in the Tang Dynasty wants to "smuggle", which sounds a little appalling, but in fact, there is nothing strange to the businessmen.

It is said that there is no treachery and no business, and people who are businessmen understand a truth, that is, horses have no night grass and no fertilizer. People who are really honest and don't dare to go beyond Lei Chi by half a step, in the end, they either make a mediocre living for free, or they lose their money and go out of the game.

If you don't speculate in business, don't fall target, don't hoard smuggled goods, what do you rely on to make a fortune? Didn't Zheng Fengchi rely on political speculation to tie up with Li Yuan, and thus became the imperial businessman of the Tang Dynasty and became the richest man in the world? He even dares to speculate on the fortunes of the country, what's so strange about smuggling and selling a few bags of rice?

Duan Laoqi is a businessman, and he understands such a truth, or rather, the rules of conduct.

With the grain management right given by the Tang Dynasty, while collecting the official grain distributed by the government for sale, he privately collected cheap grain to fill the goods and sold it at the genuine market price. That's where the profit difference comes out. Then again...... How many grain and salt numbers are there in the world, why don't you do this? This has almost become an unspoken rule in the grain and salt world.

Seeing that Duan Laoqi was stunned for a long time and was silent, Qin Mubai smiled and said, "Isn't the seventh shopkeeper the master?" ”

Duan Laoqi took a deep breath: "I really don't hide it from Wu Langjun, such a big brown business, it is indeed impossible to do it privately." Why don't you invite the big boss to go down and talk to Lang Jun in detail? ”

Qin Mubai frowned unhappily: "Another day!" ”

With that, get up and leave.

"Lang Jun, please stay!" Duan Laoqi hurriedly got up and stayed, "Lang Jun, please forgive me, I don't know Lang Jun's true face, I have a lot of negligence!" I should have directly invited our big proprietor to negotiate with Lang Jun. ”

"I don't blame you." Qin Mubai put up a little shelf, and said lightly, "There are still mundane affairs down there, and I'm very busy." Dare to come to your account again to discuss, please! ”

"Lang Jun insisted on leaving...... Why not leave an address? When our big boss comes back, he will definitely come to visit! Duan Laoqi asked eagerly.

Qin Mubai stopped and frowned in embarrassment: "I'll come to you again, don't bother, thank you!" ”

After that, he raised his feet and left, and Pang Fei and the others followed closely.

Duan Laoqi swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva, and hurriedly called a few servants and ordered: "Follow this group, be sure to figure out where they live!" ”

Half an hour later.

These little guys came back one by one, saying that they had lost someone. Duan Laoqi was so angry that he wanted to cry without tears, and he really wanted to look up to the sky and howl. Now there is no other way, so I have to wait for this "noble lord and big owner" to come again.

In the inn, Qin Mubai, Pang Fei and others changed their clothes and makeup with a smile. Qin Mubai tore off the fake beard that was attached to his mouth and said with a smile: "That Duan Laoqi must be very entangled now, let's hang him for three days." We'll see how it goes in three days. ”

Pang Fei said with a smile: "Master, you are really pretending to be a businessman!" Even a veteran like Duan Laoqi couldn't see the flaws. Now his appetite must have been hung to his heart's content, and he just wants you to come to the door. I wondered, why didn't you just agree to meet with his big boss on the spot? ”

"This is called wanting to capture the old and indulge, a common trick in the business field." Qin Mubai said, "The more big brown is traded, the more cautious and cautious you should be, and you can't be in a hurry. When you are in a hurry, people will know that you are eager to sell goods, so as to reduce the price; And if you are not cautious in the sale of such a big brown, it will seem fake. Besides, we are talking about illegal business, so we need to be more cautious. The first time I met and cooperated with others, I was either waiting to be slaughtered or being suspected. ”

"I see!" Pang Fei smiled: "The apprentice has learned something new again!" ”

One of the guards said with a smile: "The general is really an outstanding figure, just pretending to be that businessman, even those of us around us must believe that you are the real patron of Chang'an." Also, that Duan Laoqi actually sent someone to follow us...... Ha ha! It's laughing to death, someone actually wants to follow a hundred horses! ”

"Haha!" The room burst into laughter.

"What are you laughing at, so happy?" Chen Yan walked in and smiled.

"Are you awake?" Qin Mubai stepped forward and smiled, "Is the injury better?" ”

"Okay." Chen Yan nodded and smiled, looked at the clothes they threw aside, and said with a smile, "Dare you to go on a private visit again?" ”

"Not really, and it was a pleasure this time." Qin Mubai said with a smile, "We're going to go to the Eight Ghost Crossing military parade later, are you interested in taking a look?" ”

"Nope. That occasion wasn't for me. Chen Yan said, "I'm here to say goodbye to you, I'm going to Danzhou." ”

"What, leaving again?" Qin Mubai wrinkled his brows, "Your injury is not light, you should be cured before leaving." Besides, the military registration file I gave you hasn't been delivered yet! ”

"Nope." Chen Yan smiled, "Every time I meet you, I have to cause you a lot of trouble." I'd better hurry up. ”

"Nope." Qin Mubai glared at her domineeringly, "This time you have to listen to me, stay in Xiangzhou, and don't go anywhere to recuperate." If you want to retire to your hometown and be a good woman, I won't stop you. But now that you're like this, I can't let you go. Didn't you say that since you are friends, you should do everything for the good of each other and think about each other? Don't worry, you won't trouble me. It's not the same as it used to be, it's not that I'm talking big, what trouble can I have in this place of Xiangzhou? And I have some things that I might need your help with! ”

"Huh!" Chen Yan smiled, "It's rare to see you so nervous and long-winded." ”

"That proves I treat you as a good friend, and I care about you, doesn't it?" Qin Mubai said with a smile.

Pang Fei hurriedly waved his hand and slipped out with a group of people touching the corner.

Chen Yan glanced back at Pang Fei and the others, and couldn't help but laugh: "You are like this...... It's going to be misleading. ”

"Misunderstanding what?" Qin Mubai smiled indifferently, "Jun awarded me a peach, and I will repay you with a li." Isn't it normal that I will do to you as you would have treated me? Well, don't say any more, you can stay here and recuperate. After a while, I asked Pang Fei to rent a private house for you to rest alone, which would be a little cleaner and more comfortable than living in an inn. ”

"Or do you know me." Chen Yan smiled gratefully, "I'm used to coming and going alone. It's just that...... This will cause you a lot of trouble. ”

"Don't keep it on your lips." Qin Mubai said, "What's the trouble?" With so many people under me, I'm idle, and I'm just trying to find something for them to do! ”

"Huh!" Chen Yan smiled, stared at Qin Mubai, and said softly: "Thank you, Mu Bai......"

"If you really want to thank me, I can take care of my injuries with peace of mind, and there will be times when you help me." Qin Mubai said with a smile.

"Okay." Chen Yan smiled slightly and nodded.