Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight

Chapter 119: Shop

After the debate, the nobles of the Royal Court inquired everywhere about which Hu merchant the materials were purchased from. Bisha released the news that the ornate brocade came from the Central Plains. The Hu merchants who came to inquire about the price these days were as plentiful as carp in the river. Even at the price of a hundred gold for a bolt, the supply could not meet demand.

Xie Chong asked puzzledly, "Why doesn't the princess sell directly to the nobles of the Royal Court?"

The princess's dowry was not lacking in tea, silk, jewelry, and other rare goods that would be extremely popular in the Western Regions. The princess sent only a fraction of the scriptures, gold and jade Buddha statues, and silk to the Buddhist temple. The rest still remained in the treasury. Since the Royal Court nobles scrambled madly for these silks, why not sell them directly to the nobles instead of buying stores to sell them in?

Yaoying explained to him: "In the end, we are outsiders. Selling directly to the nobles, firstly, would offend the merchants here, and secondly, it would be difficult to set an appropriate price notwithstanding that it is likely to attract people's jealousy. It is better to follow the practices here. It is less trouble, and it gives these people a living. In that way, even if we leave, they can still make a living in the future."

The dowry was too eye-catching and inconvenient to carry and transport. It must be sold as soon as possible, but its entirety could not be sold from her. The Western Regions was different from the Central Plains. Here, where the nobility commanded a considerable amount of power, trade was monopolized by the nobility. The slightest carelessness would offend the major nobles. If that happened, not only would business be impossible, but it would also invite disaster. It was better to cooperate with the local nobles, as the shade under a large tree was reassuring, and it also could avoid disputes, leaving a way out for the future.

Xie Chong and Xie Peng looked at each other and then said, "It is the princess who is shrewd!"

They had thought they could just sell those goods for gold and silver.

Yaoying called for the old man and asked, "What did you do for a living?"

The old man respectfully said, "Princess, we all know how to make a living! Some of us can work the land and farm, some of us can raise cattle and sheep, collect sheep dung, weave felts, process wool, twist woolen ropes, and some of us can weave brocade!"

Although the Royal Court was deep in the desert, because of the meltwater from the icy mountains, it also had vast fertile land and pastures for planting mulberry and hemp fruits. Like Gaochang, there were large vineyards, and cattle and sheep flocked on the slopes. The old man used to be a herdsman for his master and would help weave felts during the busy season.

Yaoying talked to the old man about the silk store, "I will ask the Hu merchants to help manage the store. You pick a few who can read and write to help on the counter of the store, and pick a few who have the craftsmanship to be apprentices in the workshop. I brought a lot of patterns from the Central Plains, enough for you to use for years."

The old man had been a steward. When he heard this, he immediately understood that Yaoying was planning for their future, so he was so moved that he burst into tears and knelt down to kowtow.

Yaoying had seen that the old man had a lot of prestige among the people, and smiled lightly: "Right now, there are only two stores. Look carefully after them. Do not rush to make money and profit, but first, find a way to live."

The old man tearfully nodded in response, looking more and more respectful.

Yaoying asked, "Where were you sold from? How many Han Chinese are there in the area?"