"It's been more than 20 days, and there's still no movement from that kid!"
In the garden of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Jian and Zhang Cong were seated around a millstone-sized stone table, sipping on tea. The two of them squinted their eyes and carefully tasted it. They looked very proud.
"How could it be that easy? Ninety thousand gold taels, that's not a small amount of money. Do you really think it's like eating a meal?
Zhang Cong raised his head and held the teacup in his hand.
"Besides, under the influence of Duke Jiu's incorruptibility, how could the Wang Clan have so much money? Our Zhang Clan has hundreds of years of heritage. Even though our family assets are far more than 90,000 gold taels, it is impossible to gather such a sum within a month, let alone them. This is easier said than done. "
They had been keeping an eye on the Supreme Court. The business in Hyderabad had yet to be completed.
In their opinion, Wang Chong's business deal was most likely going to fail!
"What a pity, that kid is too arrogant! If he had considered it more when we visited him, he wouldn't have ended up like this. Now, not only can we not do business, I'm afraid we'll have to pay a hefty penalty! "
Zhang Jian raised his head slightly, holding a teacup in one hand and stroking his thick beard with the other. He looked satisfied.
Back then, when they went to the White Agate Jewelry Shop and learned that all of the ores in Hyderabad had been bought in advance, and it was the Wang Clan, the two of them panicked.
But now, the two of them were completely relaxed.
In the Central Plains, the name of 'Duke Jiu' resounded like thunder. If the Wang Clan wanted to buy it, there was nothing they could do. However, the condition of ninety thousand gold taels was a roadblock.
No matter how influential the Wang Clan was, if they couldn't gather ninety thousand gold taels, it would all be for naught. In the end, the Hyderabad ores would have to go to the Zhang family.
Now, they were only delaying them for a little bit of time!
"I really can't figure it out. Duke Jiu's lineage is either devoted to the royal court or the military, but I've never heard of them being interested in iron ores. When I heard that the Hyderabad ore was bought by the Wang Family, I thought it was a joke! Why would they want the Sindhi ore? "
Zhang Jian suddenly asked doubtfully.
"Duke Jiu is a person of virtue and prestige. In my opinion, there's an eighty to ninety percent chance that he doesn't know about this matter. I'm afraid that it was done by his descendants. "
"If something really happens, our Zhang Clan will have to lend a hand. We can't allow Duke Jiu's reputation to be tarnished."
Zhang Cong replied seriously.
"Yes, this is actually the Patriarch's intention!"
Zhang Jian nodded.
Duke Jiu was a minister of the country, he had rendered meritorious service to the country and the world. If it wasn't for him, the world would have fallen apart long ago.
This was also the reason why Duke Jiu was so respected.
Da da!
Just as the two of them were talking, a young man from the Zhang Clan hurriedly walked in. He walked over to Zhang Jian's side, bowed, and whispered into his ear.
"What? Someone is selling swords at the Bluebottle Pavilion? "
Zhang Jian was surprised.
"Isn't it normal for people to sell their swords?"
Zhang Cong sipped on his tea nonchalantly. The capital was rich and populous, so there was nothing strange about selling swords.
"Six hundred taels for one! Gold! It hangs on the eaves of the Bluebottle Pavilion, and no one is allowed to look at it! "
"What!"
Zhang Cong spurted a mouthful of tea and nearly choked on it. It wasn't strange for someone to sell swords. After all, there were plenty of steel swords and steel swords. However, a sword for six hundred gold taels was a completely different matter.
There were only a handful of powers in the world that could reach such a level, and the Zhang Clan was one of them.
"Which clan crossed the line and came to the capital? Don't they know that this is our territory? — — What did the Huang Clan, Cheng Clan, Li Clan, and Lu Clan say about it? "
Zhang Cong asked. He knew that if it was the Huang, Cheng, and Li Clan in the capital, there was no need for them to report it.
"The men they sent have already rushed to the Bluebottle Pavilion. They aren't aware of this matter either. In fact, they even sent someone to question us! "
Zhang Jian said.
Zhang Cong furrowed his brows.
There were rules in the field of swordsmithing. Every world had its own territory and scope of operations. This wasn't a convention, but something that had formed naturally over the centuries.
In the capital, it was basically the territory of the Zhang, Li, Huang, and Lu Clan. It wasn't that they wouldn't allow others to sell their swords here.
However, if the powers outside the capital were to come here to sell their swords, they should at least inform the Bluebottle Pavilion beforehand, right?
It wasn't that they were domineering, unreasonable, or ostracizing outsiders. Furthermore, this was the rule of the field of swordsmithing.
If it were them, as long as they were doing the business of selling or buying swords, they would have to inform the branch in advance.
This was a rule that everyone had to abide by.
This clan didn't seem to follow the rules at all!
"Let's go and take a look!"
Zhang Cong flung his sleeves and stood up. At the same time, Zhang Jian also stood up and placed down the teacup in his hands.
… …
The Bluebottle Pavilion was a luxurious building with richly ornamented beams and painted rafters.
Lifting one's head, it resembled a huge phoenix that was about to soar into the sky!
Just like the Vast Crane Pavilion, this was a top-notch place to eat and drink tea. However, due to the large number of customers, there were far more people who came here to drink tea and eat snacks than to eat.
However, there was something different about the Bluebottle Pavilion today.
Diagonally opposite the entrance of the Bluebottle Pavilion, there was a metal mountain made of metal ingots. It was two meters tall and one meter wide.
Above the metal mountain was a three chi long sword wrapped in layers of black cloth. It was hung high on the roof.
Beside the sword, there was a wooden plaque with a simple line of words on it:
【600 gold taels!】
This metal mountain, sword, and wooden plaque attracted the attention of many. Everyone surrounded it, and indistinctly, one could hear disdainful voices pointing at it:
"Not allowed to see or touch, what kind of sword is this?"
"Six hundred taels, and it's gold. Is he crazy for money? Why don't you eat me up instead? "
"What is the Bluebottle Pavilion doing? It's such a good place to eat and drink, and yet, they hung a sword on it. How are they going to continue doing business? "
… …
On the second floor of the Bluebottle Pavilion, Wei Hao looked down at the crowd outside. Hearing the disdainful voices, he felt uneasy.
He was the young master of the Bluebottle Pavilion, and he was the one who ordered Wang Chong's sword to be hung up. The disdainful laughter of the crowd outside was equivalent to mocking him.
"Wang Chong, is this really fine?"
Wei Hao was perturbed:
"The Bluebottle Pavilion is a place where we can drink and rest. Why don't we find a proper sword shop or workshop?"
"There's no need for that, we'll do it here!"
Wang Chong waved his hands and said resolutely. His eyes were calm and resolute, and there wasn't the slightest hint of wavering. At times, Wei Hao really admired him. It was as though he would never be swayed by external forces.
"However, is this really fine? I feel a little weird for these people who are here to drink tea to buy a sword. Furthermore, do you think that we can gather 90000 gold taels for a sword with 600 gold taels? "
Different from Wang Chong, Wei Hao didn't have much confidence in himself. The place that Wang Chong chose was very 'remote', and it wasn't a proper place to sell swords. Furthermore, Wei Hao didn't know if 600 gold taels for a sword was expensive or cheap.
All in all, the plan to gather 90000 gold taels shouldn't have existed from the start!
"Don't worry, I'll definitely be able to gather it!"
As Wang Chong sipped on his food, he glanced over the railing at the crowd on the street below, his expression calm and unhurried.
From the very start, it wasn't an easy task to complete a transaction of 90000 gold taels!
Under normal circumstances, a new famous sword would only be worth 600 to 700 gold taels, and even the best ones wouldn't exceed 1000 gold taels.
If one didn't have any requirements for a sword, an ordinary copper sword would only be worth around ten to dozens of gold taels each. Under such circumstances, it was impossible to sell a WuZi Steel weapon for a high price!
Furthermore, it would take at least six to seven years for the market of WuZi Steel to pick up!
Thus, from the very start, Wang Chong had made up his mind that he couldn't use ordinary methods. He had to — — 'take an unconventional path'!
And the Bluebottle Pavilion was Wang Chong's plan!
This place might not be a good location to sell swords, but Wang Chong knew that it had an advantage that no other sword dealer or sword dealer could match up to:
— — — Imperial Army!
Diagonally opposite the Bluebottle Pavilion, roughly a hundred zhang away, was the main gate of the royal palace. A large group of Imperial Army members was stationed there!
And the Bluebottle Pavilion was the place that all of the Imperial Army members, commanders, and commanders had to pass by in order to enter the royal palace!
The reason why the Bluebottle Pavilion was made into a place where one could enjoy tea and wine, unlike the Vast Crane Pavilion where one could treat guests to a meal, was because the Imperial Army members of the royal palace would frequent this place to relax and amuse themselves.
Alcohol was forbidden in the royal palace, and if the Imperial Army members wanted to drink, they could only come to the Bluebottle Pavilion during the intervals when they were changing shifts.
They were generous and generous, thus, the business of the Bluebottle Pavilion had always been good.
Of course, this wasn't the main focus of Wang Chong's attention. With the memories of his previous life, no one was clearer than Wang Chong that in the entire Tang dynasty and the Central Plains, there was no better buyer than the commanders of the Imperial Army.
In his previous life, the reason why the price of WuZi Steel weapons from the Abbasid Caliphate could reach several hundred thousand gold taels each was due to the presence of these Imperial Army leaders who viewed swords as their lives.
As long as it was a weapon that was truly magnificent, sharp, and noble, and could display their noble status, these Imperial Army leaders were the best buyers who could afford the price!
In this aspect, even the prestigious clans that were involved in the WuZi Steel business couldn't compare to them!
In reality, most of the Imperial Army leaders came from prestigious backgrounds, and they weren't lacking in money at all. Some of the Imperial Army leaders came from prestigious clans.
Wang Chong knew that there was no better target than these Imperial Army leaders to raise a huge sum of 90000 gold taels in a short period of time.
In reality, right from the start, Wang Chong's plan to strike it rich in Hyderabad was aimed at these extravagant and wealthy Imperial Army leaders!
As long as the goods were good enough, these Imperial Army members would definitely be able to afford the price!
However, out of respect for the royal family and the Imperial Army, most of the weapon merchants kept their distance from the Imperial Army. At this moment, other than Wang Chong, almost no one else had noticed the massive purchasing power that the Imperial Army possessed!
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