After all, the second madam of the Chu clan was just a woman. Although she was vicious, she could stir up trouble within the Chu clan. Outside, she was far from enough. Ding Kaishan, an old fox who had been in the Tongzhou prefecture for decades, was the best choice.
Ding Kaishan pondered for a moment, then said, "According to what you said, Chu Xiu's influence has already been established. He only needed a few things to completely establish his position in the Chu clan. Sheng Zi is not the eldest son, and he is not very favored by Chu Zongguang. Against Chu Xiu, he cannot gain any advantage within the Chu clan. Therefore, I only have one idea. We can only use external means to deal a blow to Chu Xiu."
The second madam sighed. "But I am just a woman, and I have some influence within the Chu clan. I can't interfere with outside matters. That is why I came to beg you, father."
Ding Kaishan stroked his long beard. "There is always a way. I just remembered that Chu Xiu's caravan recently received a big deal. I have a disciple who works as an escort. When he went to the Yan Kingdom last time, he happened to run into the Chu clan's caravan. I heard that the Chu clan's caravan reached an agreement with a local merchant in the Yan Kingdom to buy the refined ores produced by the Chu clan at a high price. They even paid a large deposit. "
The second madam said with some jealousy, "Ever since Chu Xiu came back from the Nanshan Mining Area, it has been like his luck has changed. He has encountered all sorts of good things."
Ding Kaishan's expression turned serious as he said, "This isn't luck, but Chu Xiu's ability. Although he's currently fighting with Sheng Zi for the position of successor, you should learn from him on this point.
This business has nothing to do with Chu Xiu. He has long since stopped managing the caravans, leaving it to the managers of the caravans to manage. This business was also negotiated by the managers of the caravans themselves.
In the past, when the Chu clan managed the caravans, they only gave them a monthly stipend. But now, Chu Xiu is willing to give them five percent of the profits. Don't underestimate this five percent. It is precisely because of this five percent that these caravans are working so hard.
The more the caravan earned, the more silver the members of the caravan would receive.
Therefore, the managers of the caravans don't need Chu Xiu's urging. They spend their days figuring out how to increase their profits. The servants of the caravans don't need to be urged either. They are all very efficient, because the more they go, the more money they can get.
The people in your Chu family might not have noticed these things, but you don't know that in the Tong State Prefecture, they all say that among the younger generation of your Chu family, Chu Xiu is the only one worthy. "
The second madam 'face turned red and white. She still couldn't accept the fact that Chu Xiu was so outstanding...
Ding Kaishan smiled and said, "However, no matter how outstanding Chu Xiu is, it's useless. My son is my grandson, so of course I have to stand on his side. Chu Xiu's caravan has negotiated such a large business deal. What if something goes wrong? If he can't deliver the ores on time, not only will he have to pay the deposit, but the reputation of his caravans will also be ruined.
There are countless caravans between the Wei County and the Yan Kingdom. No one is willing to do business with a caravan with a ruined reputation.
The most profitable business Chu Xiu has is the caravan. Without the caravan, his position in Chu Xiu's family will be ruined. You should know this very well. "
The second madam frowned and said, "I still can't do it. The Nanshan mining area will ship a batch of ores every month. Although Chu Xiu is no longer the manager, he is still a member of the Chu clan. If I don't give it to him, it will be me who is in the wrong and will affect the Chu clan's business."
Ding Kaishan shook his head in disappointment and said, "Daughter, what did I tell you in the beginning? Don't always look at the Chu clan's small territory. Be more open-minded. Who asked you to suppress the ores? Before you deliver the ores to Chu Xiu, you can sell them to others. Isn't this the best of both worlds? "
The second madam hesitated and said, "The Nanshan mining area produces refined ores. If we sell them at the highest price every month, we can make tens of thousands of taels of silver.
In the past, the Chu clan kept some of these ores for ourselves and used the rest to forge weapons and sell. Who can buy so many ores in one go now?
If we sell them at a low price and Chu Xiu finds out, he will report it to the master and harm the Chu clan's interests. This is the master's bottom line. "
It's true that Chu Zongguang didn't care much about the Chu family's affairs these past few years, but Chu Zongguang also has a bottom line. That is, no one, including his own son, can harm the Chu family's interests, otherwise they will definitely be severely punished.
It was because of this bottom line that the Chu clan did not decline much in the past few years, although they did not develop.
Ding Kaishan shook his head and said, "Who told you to sell them at a low price? Just sell them at the market price. If Chu Xiu sells these ores to a big businessman in Yan Kingdom, he may make double the profit, but how much money can he give to the Chu clan? At most, less than one-third of it. After you sell this batch of ores, give all the profits to the Chu clan and keep nothing for yourself. In this way, the Chu clan will not suffer a loss, and you will not suffer a loss, so the only one who will suffer a loss is Chu Xiu. "
"Then who are you going to sell this batch of ores to?"
Ding Kaishan said with a smile, "With your father here, with my connections, are you afraid that you can't sell this batch of ores? The close confidant of the Li clan's third young master is my disciple. I can help you pull some strings and let the Li clan buy this batch of ores. The Li clan is much better at forging weapons than the Chu clan, but they do not have ores. If the Chu clan is willing to sell, even if it is a little higher than the market price, I believe the Li clan will agree. "
When the second madam heard this, she shook her head directly and said, "The Li clan can't do that. When the Chu clan first established itself in Tongzhou Prefecture, the Li clan was the one who made things difficult for us the most. If we sell the ores to the Li clan, let's not talk about whether the master will agree or not, but the rest of the Chu clan will not agree."
Ding Kaishan waved his hand casually and said, "You think too much. You have been so indecisive since you were a child. How can you be afraid of wolves in front and tigers behind?
The Li family did make things difficult for the Chu family when they first established themselves in Tongzhou Prefecture, but that was in the past. So many years had passed, and the old man of the Li family was already dead, but the Chu family didn't take revenge on him.
So you don't have to worry about this matter. As long as Chu Zongguang doesn't say anything, the Chu clan will not pursue this matter. In any case, the Chu clan did not suffer any losses in the end. "
Seeing that the second madam was still hesitating, Ding Kaishan's eyes flashed. "How about this? You sell the ores to me, and I will sell them to the Li clan's third young master. This way, this matter will have nothing to do with you."
The second madam thought for a moment. Ding Kaishan's words seemed to make sense. In any case, her father would not cheat her, so she directly said, "In that case, I will trouble you, father."
Ding Kaishan nodded and said, "That's right, how much refined ores does the Chu clan's Nanshan mine produce in a month?"
The second madam thought for a moment and said, "I am a woman, so I am not too clear about this. However, it should normally be around 50,000 jin."
Ding Kaishan was slightly surprised. "According to the highest market price, 50,000 jin of refined ores can be sold for 50,000 taels of silver. If that is the case, the Chu clan's most profitable business should be the mine."
The second madam smiled bitterly and shook her head. "How could it be that easy? It is easy for people to die in the mine. Every year, our Chu clan buys a large number of prisoners from the government. Also, these ores must be refined before they can be used. 50,000 jin of refined ores requires at least 500,000 jin to be refined. The cost is too high, so the profit isn't that great. "
Ding Kaishan revealed a pensive expression and said to the second madam, "Alright, leave this matter to me. Later, you can send someone to deliver the refined ores to me. After that, I will definitely give you more than 50,000 taels of silver. Don't worry, although Chu Zongguang is disappointing, I won't let you marry into the Chu clan for nothing. In the future, the Chu clan will belong to my grandson! "
The second madam left happily. Compared to the first madam, her only advantage was her background in the Tongzhou prefecture.
With such a powerful external aid like Ding Kaishan, so what if the first madam came from a large clan? The clan behind her was not in the Tongzhou prefecture.
Early the next morning, the servants of the Chu clan brought carts of ores to the Kai Shan martial arts school.
Ding Kaishan looked at the ores and asked the steward, "How many jin of ores did you send?"
The steward glanced at the booklet and said, "It's 57,000 jin."
Ding Kaishan raised his eyebrows and said, "Change it to 52,000 jin."
The steward was startled, then he understood what Ding Kaishan meant. He smiled bitterly and said, "Dojo master Ding, I will lose 5,000 jin of refined ores. I won't be able to explain myself when I return."
Ding Kaishan waved his hand and said, "You know my identity, so you should also know who asked you to do this. Is it so difficult to change the accounts? Remember, don't talk nonsense when you return! "
The steward nodded quickly. Only now did he remember that this dojo master Ding was the father of the second madam. If the second madam wanted to secretly give her father some benefits, of course she wouldn't make it public. Naturally, he wouldn't need to explain himself to anyone.
With this in mind, the steward immediately changed the amount of refined ores from 57,000 kilograms to 52,000 kilograms. Only then did Ding Kaishan let them leave in satisfaction.
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