Chapter 53: The Qin Manor's Scheme

  Cheng Huai Mo and Cheng Hua Liang returned to the Cheng mansion, they went to find Cheng Yaojin, opening their mouths shouting "Old father, we two brothers want to do some business, give us some capital."

  Cheng Yaojin was sitting in a rocking chair, savoring the tea sent by Qin Yu. As soon as Cheng Huai's words fell, Cheng Yaojin suddenly spat out a mouthful of strong tea, "Cough, cough, what did you say?"

  Cheng Huailiang saw Cheng Yaoguang's incredulous face and thought that Cheng Yaoguang was shocked by their earth-shattering and ghostly idea, so he said proudly, "Dad, Brother-in-law says to do furniture business and asks us two to join forces. This is a lucrative deal."

  "Yes, old man, you've seen the rocking chair made by my brother-in-law. No one else can make it except him." Cheng Huai'an chimed in, but then thought of something and changed his tune, saying "Oh, right, Your Majesty probably could make it too, but Your Majesty wouldn't do business."

  Cheng Yaojin thought for a moment, and indeed had some confidence in the furniture made by Qin Yu. He nodded his head and asked, "How much does it cost?", then continued to take another sip of tea.

  "Not much, let's make it a million taels." Cheng Huai Liang said excitedly as soon as he heard Cheng Yaojin relax.

  "Pffft!" Another mouthful of tea was spat out by Cheng Yaowen. "Cough, cough, how much?!"

  "One hundred thousand taels, shouldn't our family be able to take it out?" Cheng Huai Liang slightly stunned, opened his mouth and said.

  "You good-for-nothing, doing furniture business needs 100,000 yuan, are you crazy or is your brother-in-law crazy?" Cheng Yaojin jumped up from the rocking chair, pointing at Cheng Huailiang and scolding loudly.

  "Old man, it's not what you think," said Cheng Huai Mo quietly, seeing Cheng Yaojin looking over with a face full of anger, he was suddenly frightened and didn't dare to tease anymore, and quickly spoke up, "Brother-in-law said that we not only have to do furniture business, but also wood business, this is a big investment."

  Cheng Huailiang saw that Cheng Yaojin didn't understand, so he quickly followed up with an explanation. Cheng Yaojin listened intently, furrowing his brow, and after a while, he only grasped the general idea.

  Cheng Huailiang saw that his explanation was unclear, thought for a moment, and suddenly slapped his forehead, saying, "Dad, brother-in-law, go find brother-in-law, the idea is his, he can definitely explain it clearly."

  Cheng Yaojin glared at Cheng Huailiang for a moment, then thought for a while before speaking up, "Alright, go ask your brother-in-law."

  "Old man, Brother-in-law should be at Qin's place now. Just as we came back, I saw his horse carriage." Cheng Huai Mo saw Cheng Yao Jin about to go out and hastily spoke up.

  Cheng Yaojin nodded and set off immediately towards the Qin residence, accompanied by Cheng Huaiming and Cheng Hualiang.

  Qin Fu, Qin Yu was just about to explain the benefits of buying wood to Qin Qiong, when Cheng Yaojin and his two sons rushed over in a hurry.

  Qin Yu saw that Cheng Yaojin and the other two were slightly stunned, then immediately understood, hastily stood up to pay their respects, "Young son-in-law pays his respects to father-in-law."

  Cheng Yaojin nodded and didn't correct Qin Yu that he hadn't married Cheng Lingyun yet, then opened his mouth to say, "Tell me, what's going on here?"

  Qin Yu smiled slightly and said, "Alright, I'll explain the meaning behind this to you."

  "Firstly, let's talk about the furniture business. The material used is hardwood, we can make the furniture smooth and flat, just this point alone will make it popular with others, so this furniture business must be a hit."

  Cheng Yaojin and Qin Qiong nodded in agreement. Qin Yu's words were indeed correct, this rocking chair was not only novel but also incredibly smooth, just looking at it made people like it, if they took it out to sell, it would surely be snatched up by people in a frenzy.

  Qin Yu paused for a moment, then continued, "To make such furniture, there is one crucial thing, that is the plane. Without it, don't even think about making the furniture smooth and flat. So, temporarily speaking, this furniture business is unique, and the profit won't be small."

  "Unfortunately, this spade has already been informed to Your Majesty, and naturally, you will not go into business. However, the spade is no longer a secret, so it will still be discovered and utilized. Therefore, this furniture business can only last for a while, but not too long."

  Cheng Yaojin furrowed his brow, Qin Yu had said this before, but after talking for half a day, he still hadn't mentioned buying wood, so he was getting a bit anxious.

  Qin Yu saw this and hastily asked, "Father-in-law, a business that can make money, will it attract envy from others? Will they follow suit?"

  Cheng Yaojin nodded, what Qin Yu said was true, as long as there's money to be made, no one can resist joining in.

  Qin Yu smiled and said, "That's right, the furniture business makes money, others will naturally be envious, and naturally follow suit. What is needed to make furniture? Wood, so Xiao Shu is planning to take advantage of this wood."

  "As long as no one imitates our furniture, we're fine. We'll always make money and won't have to think about cutting down these trees. We can keep making furniture. But once someone starts imitating us successfully, the furniture business will basically be unprofitable. After a while, it's likely that prices will drop, and it won't be worth it."

  Cheng Yaojin and Qin Qiong were still somewhat bewildered upon hearing this, completely failing to understand what Qin Yu meant. They saw Qin Yu continue speaking with an air of mystery.

  "This is the key point, if we stock up on wood before starting the furniture business, once others follow suit, the price of wood will inevitably rise. At that time, whether continuing to make furniture or selling the wood at a high price, both can be profitable."

  "However, I personally tend to sell the wood because there are too many people making furniture, and naturally it's hard to sell furniture. Following that, the price of wood will also fall back, which will inevitably affect the price of furniture. It's better to get rid of all the wood when the price is high."

  Gong Ji and Qin Qiong were both stunned, after a while, Qin Qiong asked in a somewhat strange tone, "Yun Fei, are these things you said also taught by your master?"

  Qin Yu's face suddenly stiffened, and he nodded with a bitter smile, "Yes, Master taught me many things, unfortunately, I didn't learn them well."

  "This is the way of merchants, don't waste your time on this again." Qin Qiong said with some displeasure, his tone also carrying a hint of blame.

  Cheng Yaojin, however, did not have Qin Qiong's idea. Although his face was shocked, he didn't mean to blame him at all. After thinking for a while, Cheng Yaojin spoke up and said, "Old brother, don't be angry. When doing business, it's natural for people below to come forward. Yun Fei is just making plans and strategies, this is the wisdom that scholars should possess."

  Qin Yu secretly gave Cheng Yaojin a grateful look, and Cheng Yaojin returned a reassuring look. After exchanging glances for a while, Qin Qiong let out a somewhat conflicted sigh, "Alas, never mind." He then turned to Qin Yu and instructed, "From now on, read more books and don't get involved in these matters."

  Qin Qiong didn't understand the meaning of Cheng Yaojin, the status of Tang merchants was low, but those big families weren't all busy with business, even Cheng Yaojin had opened a dozen shops in Chang'an. Qin Qiong was worried that Qin Yu would give up his proper job and focus on doing business.

  Qin Yu nodded hastily and said solemnly, "Uncle Zhong's teachings are what I will definitely remember in my heart."

  Qin Qiong nodded, and Cheng Yaojin, seeing this, hastened to discuss with Qin Yu. After all, a plan is just a plan; how it's implemented is key. This was about making money, so Cheng Yaojin was naturally enthusiastic.

  Qin Yu's words were reasonable and to the point, Cheng Yaojin nodded repeatedly in agreement, even Qin Qiong had a smile on his face.

  After discussing the plan, Qin Yu secretly gave Cheng Yaojin a signal, indicating that he should not speak for the time being. He then asked, "Uncle Zhong, how much capital are you prepared to put out?"

  Qin Qiong was somewhat embarrassed and thought for a moment before saying, "Uncle Zhong, this is worth at most one thousand guan."

  "That's enough." Qin Yu clapped his hands and said with a smile, "My nephew will contribute 200 taels of silver, and my brother-in-law will also contribute 1,000 taels. How about that?"

  Cheng Yaojin was initially puzzled, as previously Cheng Huaimo would ask for 100,000 yuan with just one word. However, he soon understood that Qin Yu was referring to the furniture business, excluding lumber. If he asked directly, it would definitely hurt Qin Qiong, who didn't have much money left. He smiled and said, "Of course, no problem."

  "Well, how about this furniture business? My uncle will take 40%, your father-in-law will also take 40%, and I'll take 20%?" Qin Yu asked with a smile.

  Qin Yu said as he handed a reassuring glance to Cheng Huai and Cheng Hui, the two people who were originally disappointed with a look of despair suddenly lit up in front of them. Previously, they still had some disappointment, thinking that this business was not for them, and their dream of a small treasury was also shattered.

  Who would have thought that Qin Yu gave them a wink and secretly raised one finger, the meaning was self-evident, to give them 10% of the spoils, of course this was their understanding, but now it's not convenient to ask, if they asked, the small treasure trove would be gone, and the two weren't foolish.

  "Alright, let's do it." Cheng Yaojin immediately agreed. The idea was Qin Yu's, the technical expertise was also with Qin Yu, and Qin Yu would invest 200 taels for a 20% stake, which was naturally acceptable. Besides, they were all family, so why be so petty?

  Qin Qiong also nodded in agreement with Cheng Yaojin's proposal.

  As for the timber business, Qin Qiong couldn't intervene anymore. Even Qin Yu could only follow and drink some soup, with all the major decisions made by Cheng Yaojin.

  Everyone discussed for a while and then started taking action. In fact, the main actions were taken by Cheng Huai Mo and Cheng Hua Liang. Qin Qiong and Cheng Ya Jin were not suitable to show up, while Qin Yu only needed to be responsible for the furniture drawings and train the carpenters who would soon be gathered.

  Chang'an Avenue, Cheng Huai Mo excitedly said to his side, "Hehe, brother-in-law is good, knows that we two brothers are hardworking."

  "That's right, and don't even look at who it is, that's our brother-in-law." Cheng Huailiang said matter-of-factly.

  However, it was Cheng Huai and Cheng Huali who took advantage of sending Qin Yu back to Qingfeng Residence to secretly ask Qin Yu about the meaning of raising one finger, and after getting a clear answer from Qin Yu, the two immediately burst out with enthusiasm.

  Before long, a large number of people were sent out by Cheng Yaojin, and the top-grade timber in Chang'an was almost swept away at the same time. Moreover, it was not only Chang'an, but also surrounding areas and even farther places that had people sent out by Cheng Yaojin.

  Qin Yu only thought of the wood, and didn't mention anything else when discussing it with others. However, Cheng Yaoguang thought of the carpenters as well, and at the same time that he cleared out the wood, he also got rid of about 70-80% of Chang'an's carpenters. Of course, most of these carpenters were bought or hired for a price.