Royal road

Among the rich families in the Shangdang, the Xue family and the Wei family are not considered the top, but they have the same identity and are related by marriage to the high-ranking family.

The Xue family married Wenxi Pei's daughter, and the Wei family was the cousin of the Taishan Yang family.There are not many people from the two families who have entered the court as officials, and they are only good at one thing: the breeding of goods.

The Pei family is a prominent family in the east of the river, and is married to the king of the East China Sea; the Taishan Yang family has served as the prefect of the Shangdang for several generations, with intricate roots and deep-rooted influence.East Yanchi, Shangdang Iron Mine is famous all over the world.On the bright side, the profit of salt and iron should belong to the imperial court, but how could the wealthy family let go of such a huge profit deal?

Therefore, the aristocratic family privately owned salt and iron, which has long been known to everyone.However, in order to avoid a bad reputation, most of them will make a detour and use the small gentry who are vassals of their own clan as agents.Xue's and Wei's are just two of them.

Both are proficient in business affairs, and seeing those rare objects at the banquet, Xue Ren and Wei Qu, who were attending the banquet, were naturally itchy.After the banquet, ask to see him immediately.Unexpectedly, Lord Liang did not summon them, but invited them back to the government office together.Now, Xue Ren and Wei Qu couldn't help feeling embarrassed.Two people are fine, how can they not guess each other's mind?However, Huo Zhi never talked about courtesy, righteousness and humility, and no one was willing to retreat, so they had to enter the prefect's mansion together.

Because it was a private meeting, the meeting place was set in the back hall.When they saw the Fujun who had changed into Yanju's attire, both of them cheered up and bowed their hands in salute.

Liang Feng sat down on the main seat, and smiled back: "I don't know why the two gentlemen came to the door?"

The status of the Xue family is superior no matter what, Xue Ren immediately said: "It is really our luck to see the lord today. I never thought that the lord Gao Yi is far better than the rumors, just drinking tea and drinking makes people feel very mysterious .Admirable!"

This horse was photographed neatly.Liang Feng sneered: "What's the point of hanging on a mere trail?"

Being snatched first, Wei Qu would not be left behind, and quickly put on a smile: "A vulgar thing like me, just looking at the white cup will be amazed. I'm afraid this thing is the white porcelain of the Liang Mansion, right? Only the Lord Fu A person like a fairy is worthy of such an elegant weapon."

These words were even more aimed at the target, Liang Feng's lips twitched: "Wei Lang is absurd. Come here, serve tea to the two of you."

Immediately someone held out a white porcelain cup.This time it is not the lotus shape seen at the banquet, but two magpie cups, shaped like the Yue kiln system, but white and flawless, like a pigeon flying, natural and lovely!

Xue Ren couldn't help but praised: "It's really a peerless porcelain! I'm afraid I won't be able to see it in Luoyang."

Wei Qu's eyes were even brighter, he touched the wall of the cup carefully, and sighed: "It is said that the Yue kiln is unparalleled in the world, and now when I see white porcelain, I will know what is unparalleled! I don't know if the government is willing to give up. Buy this cup for [-] yuan!"

Xue Ren didn't expect that the surname Wei would be so shameless, so he immediately called up the price, and hurriedly coughed softly: "I'm afraid [-] is too little, I would like to pay [-]!"

The two of them just shouted the price directly in front of Liang Feng. If it were someone else, they would probably sweep these two vulgar things out.Liang Feng just raised his eyebrows: "To tell you the truth, if there is more white porcelain in the mansion, it will be sent to Taiyuan."

ah!The two of them remembered at the same time that the Lord of the Liang family was on good terms with the Taiyuan Wang family.No wonder white porcelain has not been seen circulating in the market.If it was handed over to the Wang family, it might be digested among the Wang family's relatives. They are the number one family in the world, how could they sell such a rare thing!

He was very annoyed, but Xue Ren was reluctant to let go, and sighed, "To be honest, in a few days, it will be the birthday of the King of the East China Sea. The boy has already racked his brains, and now seeing this white porcelain cup, it is really a shame. Intoxicated! If the lord is willing to part with a few pieces, the price is really negotiable."

As a gentry, it is quite rare to lower your profile and ask for help.And Xue Ren dared to say such a philistine, precisely because he realized that white porcelain could really be sold.As long as it can be sold, who is it different from?In the final analysis, it is still a question of price.Now Liang Zixi has been promoted to be the prefect, but it is different from the former Baishen Pavilion.No matter where his status is and how famous he is, the things he likes to use will gradually become fashionable.In addition, white porcelain is unique, so the market price will only be higher.It's not too bad to spend more money.

Hearing what Xue Ren said, Liang Feng pondered for a moment, and then he said, "Forget it, if Xue Lang really wants to ask, a hundred stones and millet will do."

What!Xue Ren almost choked to death, the asking price is too high!Even if the autumn harvest has just ended and the price of rice is not high, it still costs more than 600 yuan a stone!What's more, now that the Xiongnu is about to establish a country, if there is a war, the price of rice will only be higher.Who can afford such a sky-high price? !

Embarrassed and smiling, Xue Ren said, "Rice is inconvenient to transport. I wonder if we can replace it with silk? I would like to exchange fifty bolts of silk for this white porcelain."

This price seems to be similar to Liang Feng's asking price, but in fact, the price of rice is high and the price of silk is low, and Gaomen has mulberry fields, so there are quite a lot of silk in stock, so it is quite a bargain.

Liang Feng sighed lightly: "If it's silk, Taiyuan is better."

Now Xue Ren understood.The other party was willing to sell him white porcelain, but it was because it was too troublesome to transport the rice back from Taiyuan.If the rice is replaced by silk, the business will be out of the question.

Gritting his teeth, Xue Ren said, "Since the lord said so, I don't know whether to use salt? The fifty stone salt is all refined salt produced in the salt pond, which is comparable to fifty bolts of silk."

In fact, the price of salt is cheaper than that of silk.But now that there is going to be a war, salt is an essential military resource.The consumption of this thing is quite astonishing, and most people have to be wary of the east side raising the price.Xue Ren would say this because he wanted to test whether the Liang Fujun in front of him only accepted these necessary supplies.

Hearing what the other party said, Liang Feng finally let go: "That's all right. Xue Lang can have a detailed discussion with the steward of my house."

This is the answer!Xue Ren couldn't help but feel happy.It is a good deal for him to exchange salt for white porcelain.Although the profit of salt is huge, it is boiled after all. As long as you guard the salt pond, there will always be production, which is far less time-consuming and labor-saving than rice silk.Being able to monopolize Liangfu white porcelain on the market, the profits are astonishing!

Wei Qu on the side cried out secretly.He would definitely not be able to get food, let alone salt.The one surnamed Xue made it clear that he wanted to monopolize the white porcelain business, and he had already arrived at the door. It was really reconciled to encounter such a setback!Turning his eyes, Wei Qu said, "I don't know much about this porcelain, but my mother believes in Buddhism and loves the seven treasures of Buddhism. Others are easy to find, but glazed beads are really rare."

The Buddha has seven treasures, but these seven treasures are not fixed.In the "Prajna Sutra", it refers to gold, silver, glass, coral, amber, clam, and agate.Lord Liang only loves the "Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra", so among the seven treasures he identified, there must be colored glaze.

Hearing Wei Qu mentioning the seven treasures of Buddhism, Liang Feng seemed to be interested: "The seven treasures of Buddhism represent the seven points of Bodhi. The colored glaze is pure and clear, free from blemishes and dirt, and is the treasure of meditation. If it is a Buddha, it should be paired with it to help practice .”

This is true, could it be that Liuli was picked up on the street?Wei Qu smiled awkwardly: "It's a pity that Liuli is rare after all..."

Liang Feng smiled: "Green Bamboo, take the box."

The maid beside him immediately retreated, and after a while brought a wooden box, and placed it on the table respectfully.Liang Feng opened the wooden box casually, and picked up something from it: "This glass is destined to be with me. I made some a few days ago, and I am preparing to make it into a string of beads."

Wei Qu's eyes almost popped out!In Liang Feng's hand, there were actually several glazed beads, the middle of which had not been pierced, and they were perfectly round, blue in color, with faint cloud patterns, which seemed to be of high quality!Such a thing can be fired by fate? !Is this son really the incarnation of Medicine Buddha? !

Such fine glazed beads, if decorated with gold and jade, would definitely be jewels that are hard to come by.It is much more cost-effective than making Buddhist beads!

Seeing that the white porcelain has been taken over by Xue's family, how could he miss such a good opportunity, and hurriedly said: "I wonder if the lord is willing to give up? I would like to give... three thousand dollars for one piece!"

After all, glazed beads are not very rare items, and they need to be reprocessed before they can be sold. The price of [-] yuan is really not low.Liang Feng shook his head: "This is a Buddhist artifact, how can I exchange it with money? But Shangdang is in urgent need of land reclamation, if Wei Lang can make iron plows, he can exchange some to help the people."

Iron plow?This thing is not as simple as Bailian sword, but it costs a lot of materials and requires manpower. It seems a little expensive to change the glass beads...

Wei Qu was about to bargain again, when Liang Feng said, "The shape of the plow used by Shangdang today is different from that of ordinary iron plows. It needs to be made of fine iron, which is quite difficult. If Wei Lang is interested, I can give it to you." Blueprint. Such a plow can increase the efficiency by [-]% compared with ordinary iron plows, so even if it is sold to a family, it should be worth some money."

This was beyond Wei Qu's expectations!In this way, isn't it just giving him the blueprint of a new plow for free?Even if it is more troublesome to make and consumes more refined iron, for the Wei family, it is just more labor hours.But being able to make a new product is a long-term business.In this way, not only did I not suffer a loss, but I also took advantage of it!

Is it because he mentioned the Buddha's name that he received such preferential treatment?

"Your Majesty is so polite, it makes the boy ashamed!" Wei Qu said with shame, but he quickly agreed, "So, I will make a few more plows for you. I don't know how many glass beads there are. ?”

"Probably more than two hundred." Liang Feng thought for a moment and gave a number.

Wei Qu was almost dumbfounded.More than two hundred? !Are you burned out of ordinary? !Burning more than 200 pieces at one go, are these glazed beads still worth money? !

Liang Feng sighed softly: "It's also a coincidence that I got so many. There are a hundred of this size, and there are hundreds of different sizes, but the quality is the same. I'm afraid I won't be able to get such beautiful beads in the future. If Wei If you think it's too much, you can take less..."

"No no! With such a Buddha's fate, I should accept it in full!" Wei Qu immediately responded and replied hastily.Are you kidding me, even if the quantity is more than I expected, it is still colored glaze beads!Moreover, they are similar in size and of the same quality. He alone can come up with a dozen kinds of incomparably luxurious accessories, which are much more valuable than a single pearl hairpin.Not to mention the phrase "I'm afraid I won't be able to get it again in the future".This is properly to control the production volume and increase the selling price.

In this way, he has made a lot of money.Wouldn't it be a waste of money if we didn't win all of them!

Seeing the other party's extremely excited eyes, Liang Feng naturally nodded and smiled, and agreed.

Although no one took full advantage, Xue Ren and Wei Qu were quite satisfied. Whether it was white porcelain or colored glaze, it was an excellent business, and what they paid was nothing more than salt and iron.Dare to delay, the two immediately retreated and went to talk to Jiang Ni in detail.Liang Feng also breathed a sigh of relief, it seems that this banquet was not in vain.

When drawing up the list of participants, he put his mind on it.Although it is to invite various noble families, it is necessary to invite a few wealthy agents in order to attract their interest in white porcelain and colored glaze.And the two richest and richest two jump out first, which is also in the right hands.Comparing the bids between the two will naturally increase the price.Even better, what he urgently needs now is not money and food, but military supplies in their hands.

Needless to say the importance of salt, the iron plow is also something he can't get now.Not to mention the iron materials that need to be consumed, there are not enough people in the iron workshop of Liangfu.It is another matter to hand over the blueprint to the other party, and then use colored glaze beads to induce it.There are probably hundreds of craftsmen in the Wei family iron mine, and they can easily get the agricultural tools he urgently needs.These plowshares are also made of refined iron. In case of shortage of weapons, they can be melted to rebuild swords and guns, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

This is the most convenient way before establishing your own mine.As for the glazed beads, he really didn't want to mass-produce them, after all, they couldn't be sold at a high price.After coming to this era, Liang Feng realized that there have been glass products in China since ancient times, but the craftsmanship is not similar to what he is familiar with. They are all molded by reverse molding, and the lead content is extremely high, so they cannot be heated and can only be used as ornamental objects.

On the contrary, the kind of glass imported from the West was more similar to the one he remembered and could be used for daily use.So at the beginning of firing, he abandoned the ancient method and developed cheaper soda-lime glass.He really can't tell where the sodium and calcium come from, but after all, there are only a few commonly used materials.

After several months of experiments, Fangli has initially mastered the method of firing glass, and it is time to make a lot of money after the blowing process is mature.Wait until the transparent glass is blown out, are you afraid that you won't be able to buy the price?

And apart from these being taken advantage of, other gains are not without.Liang Feng thought carefully for a moment, and said to Lv Zhu, "Go and invite Master Duan."

Although the banquet was just a casual conversation, Liang Feng still carefully observed the scholars sitting there.In fact, not everyone who comes today is powerful.Among the gentry, there are also scholars who are not rich, or even quite poor.He will also select some of them as the reserve team of county magistrates.Now that the order to accommodate refugees has been promulgated, not every county magistrate can handle it well.If someone lacks talent and has a bad attitude, don't blame him for being ruthless.

This is not the appointment of a poor family.Similarly with the gentry, what others can say is nothing more than a meritocracy.But for the Shangdang as a whole, the meaning is quite different.Only by making the iron barrel made by Shangdang like an iron bucket can we ensure that Bingzhou has enough ability to resist pressure and save more people when there is chaos in Bingzhou.

For this purpose, no amount of preparation is redundant!

The author has something to say: Regarding burning glass, in fact, this thing also depends on the times.Since the Warring States period, China has been able to fire lead-barium glass, which is not the same source as western soda-lime glass. Lead and barium must be added as co-solvents. The glass produced in this way is expensive, and the heat resistance is not good. Can only be used as jewelry and ornamental supplies.After the Han Dynasty, China imported a large number of glass products from the West. In the Northern Wei Dynasty, the skill of glass blowing was mastered, and then high-lead glass and alkali glass were born.

"Northern History · Dayuezhi Biography" records: "When Shizu (Emperor Taiwu) was born, his country (Dayuezhi) was a merchant in the capital, and he could cast stone into five-color colored glaze from Yunneng. So the mine was mined in the mountains, that is, the capital cast it. Once completed, the brilliance is more beautiful than those who came from the West. It was ordered to be a hall, which accommodated more than a hundred people, and the light and color reflected it. Everyone who saw it was shocked and thought it was made by gods. Since then, the colored glaze in the country has become cheap, and people no longer cherish it. Of."

It can be seen that as long as there are craftsmen's methods, glassware with high transparency can be produced at that time.However, by the time of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the handed down glassware had engraved glazes, laminated appliqués, gold painting and other techniques, and the delicacy was not inferior to modern products.In the Song Dynasty, there were also glass workshops among the people, and only very expensive imported treasures would be enshrined in the underground palace.In the Ming Dynasty, glass was completely cheap, and few glass products were buried with them.

So if you travel to the Song Dynasty before, glass burning is still a profitable industry, but the craftsmanship and fire temperature are more particular.After the Song Dynasty, it is not necessarily possible to surpass the craftsmanship of the craftsmen at that time.