Chapter Thirty-Four: Trial Use

  Liu Ze didn't respond to him, his mind was preoccupied with other things. He quickly gave the order: "Jian Yun, from now on, use these 100,000 taels of gold to fully purchase Shu brocade within the capital city, regardless of quality or price, all will be bought up. All purchasing actions must not be carried out in the name of Fuyuanzhuang, and all purchased Shu brocade will be secretly stored in warehouses on the outskirts of the city. The news must not be leaked out, from today on, no longer sell Shu brocade."

  Everyone was shocked, and even Jian Yong, who had always listened to Liu Ze's advice, couldn't help but be greatly perplexed: "Your Excellency, now that the Yangtze River shipping route is open, goods from Yizhou will surely pour into the capital continuously, and the price of Shu brocade will inevitably plummet. At this time, buying it up may not be profitable?"

  Zhang Fei also said, "That's right, big brother. You've confused people. Earlier, you gave the navigation chart to Bao Da and said that Shu brocade couldn't be bought anymore. After that, the price of Shu brocade plummeted. Now, you're giving another navigation chart, but instead, you want to buy a large quantity of Shu brocade. What's the reason for this?"

  "In less than half a month, there will be big news from Yizhou to report back to the capital, and the price of Shu brocade will definitely soar. You must not harbor any doubts, quickly proceed with the purchase, and ensure that you buy 50,000 pieces of Shu brocade within half a month." Liu Ze instructed resolutely.

  After seeing Liu Ze's determination, Jian Yong and others had nothing to say, and after retreating, they arranged for people to secretly purchase Shu brocade on a large scale in the Luoyang market.

  After arranging the acquisition of Shu brocade, Liu Ze turned to consider the matter of porcelain and sent someone to inquire about Rukaz at the Persian merchant's residence. Liu Ze decided that Qinghua porcelain would still take the route of external sales, firstly because Westerners had always had a special preference for Chinese porcelain, and secondly because he was not clear about the acceptance ability of the officials and nobles in the Luoyang market for these new and strange products (as high-end luxury goods, Liu Ze did not expect that ordinary people who could not even afford to eat would be able to buy them).

  It didn't take long to get a response, and not only Lukas, but also many Persian merchants were nowhere to be found. After inquiring from all sides, it was learned that they had transported their goods to the West and would not return until next spring.

  Liu Ze couldn't help but laugh when he heard the news. He had always thought that with modern eyes, one could travel around the world in a day. But during the Han Dynasty, transportation relied on mules and horses, so it would take at least half a year to make a round trip from Luoyang to Rome. And now, the Western Regions were already snowed in, making it impossible to pass through. It seemed that the sale of porcelain would have to wait until next spring. For now, apart from purchasing Shu brocade, he should focus on selling coal.

  Such a large quantity of goods, of course, cannot be sold in the silk store, but there is a market in the south of Luoyang City, which specializes in buying and selling things. Liu Ze led the charcoal and iron stove convoy into the market. On cold winter days, most of the merchants who sell general merchandise are closed, and the market is deserted, with only the charcoal business being prosperous.

  Liu Ze's coal attracted a lot of attention as soon as it entered the market. In addition to buyers, even vendors selling charcoal came forward to watch. They couldn't help but marvel at these black and shiny, evenly-sized, heavy "charcoal". What made Liu Ze depressed was that although many people were watching, he had not sold a single piece of coal by nightfall, despite setting the price at only half that of charcoal and demonstrating its burning in a stove.

  Zhang Fei was very depressed and said helplessly: "Why don't people in this capital city know how to appreciate good things? How can such a good thing be sold so cheaply without anyone wanting it?"

  Liu Ze was very calm, it seems that changing people's traditional thinking is indeed not an easy thing. Now people think that only wood can burn in fire, and stones need to be put into the fire to burn, isn't it a fantasy? Moreover, most of the people who come to buy charcoal in the market are officials, nobles, merchants, and wealthy households. Ordinary people can only use straw for warmth, and officials and nobles will not do it themselves, but rather have their servants or housekeepers buy it on their behalf. These coal stones look good and work well, but I'm afraid few servants dare to spend the money their masters spent on buying charcoal on a pile of black stones, so naturally, many people see them, but no one buys them.

  As the sky was about to darken, Liu Ze arranged for several apprentices to guard the coal cart in the market. As soon as they arrived at the market, Liu Ze ordered people to set up a large tent, and inside the tent, a large iron stove was lit with coal, so even if it was freezing outside, they wouldn't be affected. Afterwards, Liu Ze returned to Fuyuan Village with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

  The night was dark and the cold wind was biting, with few pedestrians on the street, and even those who were there were in a hurry. Most of the shops had already closed for the day, except for those on Zhangtai Street, which were still brightly lit. Luoyang City was built to resemble Chang'an, and Zhangtai Street was famous for its brothels, with dozens of large and small establishments lining the short street. The Yihong Tower was one of the largest among them. However, even in its heyday, the place was deserted during the cold winter months.

  Liu Ze suddenly had an idea and turned back to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, saying: "Two younger brothers, follow me to this Yihong Building for a stroll, how about it?"

  Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were both taken aback, having interacted with Liu Ze for many days without ever hearing that he had a fondness for flirting with women. Guan Yu's face slightly changed color; although he was of commoner origin, from a young age he enjoyed reading the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Book of Rites, deeply understanding what it meant to be righteous and honorable, and thus looked down upon such frivolous behavior. Therefore, he was not pleased with Liu Ze's proposal, but as he had always been taciturn and spoke little, and also held Liu Ze in high esteem, naturally he did not speak out against him.

  "Brother, we've known each other for many years, can't you see that I still like this kind of thing?"

  Liu Ze smiled slightly and said, "Don't misunderstand, my two younger brothers. Even if I were a lecher, these ordinary women wouldn't be able to catch my eye. As we've arrived here, I'm thinking of a plan on how to sell the coal, and it happens to involve this brothel."

  Guan and Zhang were suspicious, but eventually followed Liu Ze into Yihonglou.

  Yi Honglou's Second Sister-in-law smiled and welcomed Liu Ze with a curtsy, catching the gold ingot he tossed over. She was all smiles, readily agreeing to his requests. She immediately prepared a high-end banquet and arranged for three young women to kneel on either side to pour wine for them. Liu Ze took a glance at these women, who were fairly attractive, but their heavy makeup made him lose his appetite.

  He glanced at Zhang Fei sitting below, and couldn't help but almost laugh out loud. The usually carefree Zhang Fei looked awkward and restless, neither sitting nor standing, glancing around with his eyes wandering; Guan Yu, on the other hand, sat upright with a serious expression, narrowing his phoenix-like eyes, not daring to glance sideways.

  Feng Erniang stood on one side, flattering: "Is the young master satisfied?"

  Liu Ze nodded and said, "Not bad, this wine is quite special."

  "Feng Erniang said with a smile: 'Young master, you don't know that this wine is made from the finest Du Kang, added with ginseng, deer antler, Angelica and wolfberry, which are all precious Chinese medicines. Drinking it in winter can warm the body and dispel coldness. Our tower also has a secret recipe for Wu Bian wine, would you like to try some?'"

  Liu Ze secretly smiled to himself, these wines also have the effect of strengthening yang and nourishing the kidneys, naturally prepared for seeking prosperity. He glanced around and said, "Second lady, your business seems to be quite dull these past two days."

  As soon as she heard this, Feng Erniang spat out bitter water. "Young Master, you can say that again. With the snow falling from the sky, it's extremely cold and harsh. Not only are there few new guests, but even regular customers rarely come to the door. Alas, even if there were no guests, I still have to support a large group of girls, and on this long winter day, I can only barely get by."

  The cold in the north during the Han Dynasty was much more severe than it is today, and Liu Ze had a deep understanding of this. With only charcoal and firewood for heating, how could they defend against the bitter cold of the ninth month? People not only made fires to warm themselves but also wore thick winter clothes even when sleeping, and didn't dare take them off. As a result, even rich young masters who loved pleasure wouldn't want to venture out on such a cold day, so business at the brothel naturally plummeted.

  Liu Ze smiled slightly and said: "I have a way to make the room warm as spring, even if you're naked, you won't feel cold."

  Feng Erniang's eyes lit up, she was worried that this winter was so cold that people couldn't take off their clothes to sleep. How can you be intimate without taking off your clothes? Even if you have a lustful heart, what desire can you have when you're shivering with cold? Hearing Liu Ze had an idea, she happily asked: "Young master, what's your clever plan?"

  "A batch of coal stones was transported from Zhongshan, Hebei Province. After being ignited, they emitted intense heat. Second Daughter only needed to place an iron stove in each room and add the coal stones, making the rooms warm as a spring day despite the three-foot thick ice outside."

  "Coal stone?" Feng Erniang shook her head and said, "I've never heard of such a thing. It's indeed as you said, this thing is extremely good. However, our store is struggling to operate and we're short on funds. Even if the item was excellent, we couldn't afford it." As soon as she realized Liu Ze was peddling something, her attitude turned cold. If not for the fact that Liu Ze had paid a large sum of gold earlier, she would have kicked him out long ago.

  "I will transport coal stones to the capital city for the first time, and people are still unaware of its benefits. I am willing to provide it free of charge to your esteemed building for a trial period of one month. After one month, if Madam finds it satisfactory, we can proceed with sales; if not, you may decline, and I will not take any payment."

  As soon as she heard that there was a bargain with Bai Zhan, Feng Erniang was overjoyed and said: "Young master, is this really true?"

  "Not a word of exaggeration."

  "When can you deliver the coal, young master?"

  "It can be done tomorrow." Thus, both parties agreed to install four iron stoves early next day.

  Looking at Feng Erniang's delighted appearance, Liu Ze secretly smiled to himself. After you've used it for a month, you won't be able to bear to give up the coal stones, and by then, the price will be up to me to decide. Since the business was settled, Liu Ze immediately stood up and bid farewell.