The originally bustling Jingyang Street had become a lot more desolate after half a year of war, especially after Great Xia, the Yun Nation, and the Chen Nation cut off the trade routes to Dayao. Most of the salt, wine, and cloth shops that used to be the most popular were closed. Most of the pedestrians were in a hurry or went to the shops and restaurants opened by the aboriginals.
Only when the government started selling salt every once in a while would this street become lively.
However, in the past few days, this area of the street was filled with people. Not only did the high officials of the court frequently come and go, but many pedestrians also stopped here.
From afar, one could see a sign that said "Imperial Glass" hanging in the middle of the area.
Zhang Junzheng, Zhang Heqi, and Zhang Heju were watching from afar, but they couldn't see clearly because there were so many people in front of them. Zhang Heqi pointed to the front and said, "Fifth Uncle, it's there."
"You said that it's filled with transparent glassware. I remember that there were aboriginals peddling similar goods in the country half a year ago. Later, they were robbed by the warlord of Qingfeng City, Ye Ke. A month later, Ye Ke's entire family was wiped out, and the glassware was taken back.
According to what you said, those glassware are cheap. I don't understand why they came all the way here just to snatch these things back, "Zhang Junzheng said doubtfully.
He would never have imagined that when Ren Baqian saw the things that Hong Bao snatched back, he felt like 10,000 alpacas were running and jumping in his heart!
At that time, Ren Baqian felt like kicking Hong Bao to death.
Ren Baqian asked them to plunder other people's treasure troves, even if it was just some silver.
In the end, after running around, they managed to snatch back the glasses and mirrors that had been stolen!
Later, Ren Baqian weighed his and Hong Bao's fighting strength and gave up resentfully. However, he felt even more depressed when he saw Hong Bao's expression of wanting to take credit for the good stuff.
Zhang Junzheng and his nephew squeezed through the crowd. If the three of them didn't have some martial skills, they wouldn't even be able to squeeze into the outer circle.
Zhang Junzheng was an Earth Wheel expert, but he was almost pushed across the street by someone.
The three of them didn't dare to get angry. There were quite a few aboriginal commoners in the crowd who were equivalent to an Earth Wheel expert. Zhang Junzheng thought about how his Earth Wheel level was already considered a big shot in the Yun Nation. Here, even a commoner might not be a match for him.
The aboriginals' talent in martial arts was too enviable.
Fortunately, they weren't that smart.
This was a case of every advantage having its drawbacks!
The three of them squeezed to the front with great difficulty and saw that there were still a few guards in front of the shop, mainly to prevent these people from breaking the glass windows.
If there was no one watching, Qin Chuan would be the first, but he definitely wouldn't be the last.
The three of them stood in front of the crowd and looked at the shop in front of them, clicking their tongues.
The wooden boards on both sides of the shop were removed and replaced with eight doors. Each door was divided into six grids, and the center of the grids was completely transparent. If one didn't pay attention, they wouldn't even notice that there was a layer of transparent crystal-like material on top. Light shone through that layer of glass into the shop, making it extremely bright inside.
There weren't many people in the shop, only a few dozen. One could see the inside of the shop from the door. The shelves against the wall were filled with crystal-like products, cups, plates, bowls, and boxes. They were dazzling under the illumination of more than a dozen luminous pearls on the wall.
"Are these the glass that this shop sells?" Zhang Junzheng asked.
"It's simply ingenious workmanship. I really don't know how they made it. Furthermore, the price is so cheap. A glass cup only costs 10 taels of silver. Even 100 taels of silver can be sold, right?" Zhang Heqi, who had been here once before, said incredulously. This was the first time he saw someone selling something that could be sold at a high price at a low price.
"They aren't selling it cheap in the Yun Nation. A crystal cup costs 500 taels of silver. It seems like the cost of this kind of glass is very low. That Principal Ren is still quite capable, "Zhang Junzheng said faintly.
"Fifth Uncle, about the bet …" Zhang Heju asked softly.
"Don't worry, the people are already on their way. They are the best craftsmen in the Zhang family." Zhang Junzheng's lips moved slightly, and an extremely weak voice was transmitted to the two of them.
A moment later, as people started to come out, the three of them were let in.
After entering the shop, the three of them felt a cooling sensation. They saw ice basins filled with ice cubes placed in the corners of the shop.
Nowadays, there were dozens of shaved ice shops in Lan City, so ice wasn't rare anymore. The three of them didn't pay too much attention to it and focused all their attention on the glassware on the shelves.
"How much does this cost?" Zhang Junzheng saw a set of transparent teapots and teacups. He was extremely happy and asked the people in the shop.
"800 taels!" a lady in the shop glanced at him and said.
"So expensive?" Zhang Junzheng was astonished.
A transparent cup costs 10 taels, yet this set of tea set costs 800 taels?
"How much does this cup cost?" Zhang Junzheng pointed at a cup and asked.
"150 taels!" the lady replied. Following her words, the rest of the people in the shop turned to look at the cup and were somewhat astonished. Then, they looked at Zhang Junzheng and thought about the price they just asked. They began to wonder if there was something wrong with their ears.
However, after someone whispered a few words into their ears, the rest of them immediately burst into laughter and felt extremely delighted.
Zhang Junzheng looked at Zhang Heqi, who was also astonished and asked, "This isn't 10 taels?"
The lady smiled at the three of them in a very formal manner and didn't reply.
Zhang Junzheng thought for a while, then pulled a long face and said, "Let's go."
"Fifth Uncle, when I came here previously, I clearly saw them selling it at 10 taels," Zhang Heqi said indignantly after leaving the crowd.
"They sold it to the aboriginals at 10 taels!" Zhang Junzheng said gloomily. He couldn't suppress the anger in his heart.
Previously, it was always the people from other countries who increased the price when selling things to the aboriginals. He didn't expect this group of barbarians to reverse the situation.
It was really infuriating.
…
"Just now, Tong Zhenye said that the things in the glass shop are cheap," the empress said as they sat in the garden.
"It's not cheap anymore." Ren Baqian shook his head. "If it's any more expensive, they will find trouble with me in the future."
The cost of making glass was very low. Selling a glass cup for 10 taels of silver was already a sky-high price.
For an ordinary official in Dayao, the monthly salary of a supervisor in the beast park was only about six taels of silver. Two months' salary could only be exchanged for such a cup.
Those who could afford it were also the big shots in the imperial court.
Sooner or later, glass would become a cheap commodity that ordinary people could afford.
At that time, those big shots in the imperial court who were buying glass products would realize that they had been cheated.
One could imagine the reaction of these big shots when they realized that they had been cheated. At that time, there would be people who would challenge him every day. Thinking about the consequences, Ren Baqian didn't want to bear it.
"As long as the sales of glass products go up, the profits won't be low. For those custom-made glass, one window costs at least six yuan, which is 60 taels of silver. Two windows in an ordinary house cost 120 taels of silver. Including the door, it would cost about 200 taels of silver. Which of those adults didn't have eight or ten rooms? Also, glassware. These things are fragile and will be consumed quickly. "
As he spoke, he felt a little regretful. "In fact, I originally wanted to use the glass to make a fortune in the Yun Nation and Great Xia. Unfortunately, it was ruined by this sudden war."
"Fortunately, I can sell it to them at a high price in the future. As long as they don't learn how to make glass, they will have to pinch their noses and accept it no matter how expensive it is. It's just that I can't sell a cup for five hundred taels of silver anymore. "
"They've taken advantage of us so many times in the past. It's time to return some of it." The empress thought of those hateful foreign merchants in the past. She then thought about how they would pinch their noses and buy things at high prices in the future. She immediately felt great.
"Yes, you have to pay for what you have done." Ren Baqian laughed as well. "Even if they don't use glass, they still have mirrors, soap, clocks … They will spit out the money however they eat."
The empress thought about it and felt disgusted by his words. She pinched his ear with one hand and twisted it!
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