Read Novel Full Chapter 822 - 4: Discounts (2)
Chapter 822: Chapter 4: Discounts (2)
He Lianfang listened and said indifferently, "Isn’t wine made from grapes just fruit wine? What’s so good about it?"
Zhao Yao shook his index finger and said, "Second Uncle, you don’t understand. You’ll get it once you taste it."
"I’m not interested in your red wine. You’d better hurry and make the spirits," He Lianfang said, waiting to drink.
"When the time comes, don’t drink it," Zhao Yao said about the red wine, and then thought of medicinal wine, "By the way, Second Uncle, send someone to collect some herbs tomorrow. I want to make medicinal wine."
"Your Highness, many people in Lingnan brew medicinal wine. Almost every household does, and the types of medicinal wine in Lingnan are varied, curing all sorts of diseases," Liang Run added, "You forgot, I previously bought quite a bit of medicinal wine and brought it back for your grandmother, and it really helped with her cold hands and feet."
Zhao Yao remembered this, "That’s even better. We can collect ready-made medicinal wine from the people and sell it inland." Saying this, he raised his eyebrows playfully, "Especially focus on collecting more aphrodisiac medicinal wine."
Everyone present understood Zhao Yao’s meaning, each laughing quite "sleazily," except for Zheng Qian, who remained indifferent.
He Lianfang teased Zhao Yao, "You’re a boy without even a princess, yet you understand the benefits of aphrodisiac medicinal wine."
Zhao Yao felt slighted, and with discontent, he said, "Second Uncle, with those words, are you saying I haven’t seen pigs run even if I haven’t eaten pork?"
Liang Ren held back his laughter and said, "Alright, I’ll send people to collect medicinal wine tomorrow."
"If someone’s medicinal wine is the best, we can invite them to help us brew medicinal wine. It’s best if they can make some beauty-enhancing medicinal wine, then we can sell it to those noble ladies in the capital, and even the empresses in the palace." At this point, Zhao Yao suddenly grinned cunningly, "The empresses in the palace are very willing to spend money to maintain their youthful looks." Wait, could he bring out the cosmetics from Zhao Yao’s dream world?
"Yangzhou’s noble ladies like it too, no, throughout Great Zhou, even noble ladies from foreign lands love it," Liang Run’s mind quickly spun after hearing Zhao Yao’s words, "As long as it can make women beautiful, women are willing to spend money."
"Men also spend generously on strengthening themselves." Zhao Yao deliberately accentuated "strengthening," prompting another round of ambiguous laughter from Wen Daoji and Liang Run. "By the way, Second Uncle, we also need to get our proper business going."
"Your Highness, what do you mean?" Liang Run didn’t quite understand what the legitimate business Zhao Yao referred to, since they engaged in so many ventures.
"Tavern. Didn’t I mention before that when I arrive in Swamp Prefecture, I want to build a large tavern by the dock?" Swamp Prefecture will soon become the busiest dock in Great Zhou; by that time, there will be more and more ships and merchants from foreign lands or inland. If we build a tavern by the dock, business will surely be booming. "You need to arrange people to build the tavern."
Liang Run had always been thinking about this matter too, "Your Highness, currently everyone in Swamp Prefecture is busy building roads. There aren’t extra people to help us build the tavern." Even if he wanted to build the tavern now, there was no one.
"Find people from other places to build it," Zhao Yao tapped his index finger lightly on the table, "There are many villages under Swamp Prefecture. Go to these villages directly to recruit people to build the tavern. New Year is coming soon; if you recruit workers and pay wages, the villagers nearby will surely be willing to work. As long as you pay, they’ll be very proactive."
Liang Run hadn’t thought of the nearby villages, but upon hearing Zhao Yao’s words, his spirit suddenly lifted.
"Right, I’ll send people to recruit tomorrow."
"It’s best to have the tavern built before May next year," Zhao Yao said, "Second Uncle, after the New Year, you need to take people on a trip to Annan and Siam. Tell your business partners there to come and do business in Swamp Prefecture openly and freely, not sneakily as before."
"Alright." Liang Run had just responded and then remembered something very important, "Your Highness, those corrupt officials and people from Annan before were smuggling and doing business and were charged so-called levies of six or seven layers. How much do you plan to charge them in levies?"
"Charge according to Great Zhou’s regulations. However, starting next year, only charge them one layer of levy, and return to normal levies after six months."
Wen Daoji and Liang Run were shocked by Zhao Yao’s proposal of one layer of levies, "Your Highness, isn’t one layer of levy too low?"
"One layer of levy is a discount for them, to avoid them smuggling on the sly again, and most importantly to attract more foreign merchants to do business in Swamp Prefecture." Lingnan now belongs to Zhao Yao’s fiefdom, and he has complete managerial authority, which means he is essentially Lingnan’s emperor now; he decides the levy, and the court won’t interfere. "Previously, they were charged exorbitantly by Lingnan officials for smuggling. Now that I’m the Prince Han, they should realize I’m the true master of Lingnan and understand that conducting business officially not only means cheaper levies but also much safer. This way, to save money, they will certainly not want to smuggle anymore."