Chapter 341: The Division of Spoils Begins

Chapter 341: The Division of Spoils Begins

Old Bear’s world turned grey. After leaving his hometown to work in the north, he finally had some relatives from his wife’s side come visit, only to be extorted by them!

Bear Official couldn’t believe it and asked again, “How much silver are you asking for!?”

“Three thousand taels,” replied Xianjin with a gleeful look. “To use Xuancheng’s paper for issuing currency and stabilizing the nation—how can we still use the old currency from the Zhaode era now that the Grand Princess is in power? The design and quality of the paper must be updated! And guess what? The Grand Princess immediately thought of you—‘Hmm, the old Bear Official from Xuancheng Prefecture is quite reliable and meticulous. This task should be given to him...’ So, she thinks highly of you!”

Bear Official held his head in pain. “Stop, stop, stop! Don’t try to flatter me so quickly! If you were asking for five or six hundred taels, I’d approve it right away. But three thousand taels!? Do I look like I’m worth three thousand taels!?”

Xianjin smiled. “Don’t undervalue yourself. You’re worth at least ten thousand taels.”

Ten thousand taels? You must be joking.

Bear Official wasn’t pleased. Ever since he took over Yingtian Prefecture, he had realized how difficult the financial situation was. Although the Jiangnan region was wealthy, there were many scholars. Scholars were often exempt from taxes and labor services, which put additional strain on the local economy. On top of that, the emperor’s three tours of the south in recent years had nearly drained the coffers of Yingtian Prefecture. While three thousand taels wasn’t an outrageous sum, given the current financial mess, with additional expenses like supporting scholars entering the capital after the spring examinations and dredging rivers, he wished he could stretch every single coin into two.

Xianjin took out another piece of paper and laid out a clear table, with each item meticulously accounted for. “This buyout of labor means that these twenty people will only work on the currency and nothing else. In ancient times, officials were paid high salaries to keep them honest; today, we pay craftsmen high salaries to retain their skills. If we pay them too little, they might be bribed and leak the secrets of the currency. The expansion of the workshop and the logistics guarantees are also major expenses. Once the news of using Xuancheng’s paper for currency notes spreads, our paper will no longer be limited to just the northern regions but will reach all corners of the nine provinces.”

With a smile in her eyes and sincere intent, Xianjin continued, “To get rich, you must first build roads. With these three thousand taels, I guarantee that, in addition to the development of the currency, we will at least connect the roads from Xuancheng to Nanchang and Wuchang.”

To get rich, first build roads... a simple truth, yet profound.

Bear Official’s eyes flickered. “Was that phrase spoken by the Grand Princess?”

Xianjin chuckled. “Oh, my poor memory! I can’t remember everything the Grand Princess said!” She flipped open the thick planning document and went straight to the last page. “Look, everything the Grand Princess wanted to say is written down here!”

Bear Official saw the Grand Princess’s personal seal and handwritten comments clearly stamped on the last page of the planning document.

Bear Official: “...”

If you had told me this sooner, I would have approved five thousand taels right away!

Xianjin happily took the silver notes and embarked on the journey back to Xuancheng. After a long and tiring trip, the three parted ways. Xianjin returned to the Orange Court first. Chen Fu was not there, but Mother Zhang and Suo’er were picking vegetables in the courtyard. Zhou Ergou, the Zheng brothers, Qiqiqi, Manager Dong, and Aunt Zhong had gone to the Chuanji Workshop. Little Star was inside reading a picture book. As soon as they heard Xianjin return, everyone rushed out to welcome her. Suo’er grabbed her left leg, Little Star rubbed her right shoulder, and Mother Zhang patted her back, as if welcoming a victorious warrior home.

Mother Zhang was overwhelmed with excitement. “I dreamed of a pi xiu last night, and today you’re back! Your father went to the sand fields for a feast two days ago and didn’t come back. Never mind him! I’ll make you some braised intestines!”

Qiao Hui, who had been standing behind them, poked his head out. “And roast a chicken too. In May, we’ll eat loach and make a sour loach soup with some dough flakes, and stir-fry some bean sprouts with leeks.”

Mother Zhang nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, yes! We’ll cook everything!”

Suo’er squinted her eyes and watched Qiao Hui naturally carry his luggage straight to the east wing, wondering what he was up to.

Just as Suo’er was about to say something, Qiao Hui returned from the east wing and poked his head out. “Mother Zhang! Can you help me prepare a basin of bathwater? Put some flower petals in it—and have my clothes in the room laundered, please! They smell fresh and clean, just like lye soap!”

“What? No flower petals? How about some floral oil or cold perfume? If we don’t have any, make sure to buy some next time you go to the market, okay...?” Qiao Hui muttered and pulled his head back in.

Suo’er looked at the wide-open door of the east wing and then at her boss, who seemed used to this. She pondered silently.

Qiao Hui was at the Orange Court purely for vacation. Xianjin couldn’t afford to rest for long. The Grand Princess had left her with little time—good opportunities wait for no one. She needed to arrange everything quickly and head to the capital to prevent others from getting ahead of her.

Xianjin allowed herself a good night’s rest and sat down for a lively meal with everyone. The next morning, she informed Xuancheng’s paper merchants to gather at the Wuxu Hall. She specifically asked Aunt Zhong to deliver an invitation to the Heng family, requesting the presence of both Heng Lian’s wife and Madam Duan.

Just after noon, Xianjin arrived at the Wuxu Hall with her usual confident stride, listening to the continuous flattery around her. When the hall quieted down, Xianjin spoke. “Everyone knows I don’t like to talk about empty things.”

Xianjin paused and got straight to the point. “We have successfully secured the official paper for the Japanese pirates’ edict and the teaching materials for private schools.”

After a moment of digesting the news, a small workshop owner raised his fist and cheered excitedly.

Xianjin smiled and single-handedly calmed the excitement. “There is one more thing. The court plans to use Xuancheng’s paper for currency notes and requires a three-year production of three hundred blades.”

When the news broke, everyone in the hall was left speechless! After the initial shock, a wave of excitement swept through the room! Some shook hands and whispered excitedly, while others, too overwhelmed, started jogging around the room in circles!

Xianjin gave everyone a few minutes to process the information before a hesitant voice finally spoke up, “Who will be responsible for these deals?”

Deals with Japan still offer some profit;

Issuing Xuan paper as banknotes is more symbolic than practical—a labor of love. Small workshops are too intimidated to compete, while larger ones are eager to take it on.

But the question is, who will handle these deals? The pie is ready, but how should we divide it?

The hall fell into an uneasy silence.

No one dared to answer before Xianjin.

Everyone implicitly agreed that Xianjin would be the one to divide the pie.

Xianjin didn’t respond directly to the question but instead lightly lifted her chin, her voice clear, “Let’s first plan out the big deals in Xuancheng's paper industry. First is the Shandong private schools’ teaching materials; second is the eight-zhang Xuan tribute for three years; third is Japan’s imperial orders and school paper; fourth is the banknote paper.”

These are the major deals.

Xianjin continued, “The production of teaching materials for Shandong’s private schools is currently managed by the Chen family and a few other partners, and it’s been going smoothly. So, let’s leave it as is for now and revisit the cooperation intentions from Shandong when the contract expires.”

“The Japanese imperial orders, school paper, and banknote paper will all be handled by a single workshop.” Xianjin’s eyes were clear, “These are major affairs for the imperial court, so it’s best not to split them up.”

Yun Kee and Liu's were eager to step forward, but after seeing the calm and composed fifth young lady of the Heng family, they hesitated. Heng Lian might be tough, but the new head of the Heng family, the fifth young lady, has a close relationship with Boss He and had even accompanied her on the recent sea voyage. This golden opportunity would likely go to the Heng family.

At the right moment, Xianjin spoke, shaking her head slightly, “The workshop that handles these two critical tasks must not produce any other Xuan paper or allow any Xuan paper to leave the workshop and enter the market. If this rule is violated, the workshop will be reported to the authorities, the family’s property will be seized, and the clan will face severe punishment. No exceptions will be made.”

What?

If you take on these two deals, you can’t do any other business? Not even retail?

Those who had been eager to take on the deals quickly lost interest. The banknotes are renewed every three years, and relations with Japan are unpredictable. No one could guarantee that these deals would last, and they weren’t profitable to begin with. They had hoped to use the production of banknotes and imperial paper as a cover to sell more Xuan paper, but now that option seemed off the table.