Chapter 1365: Chapter 1362: Analysis
“The journey wasn’t cheap, the fragrance you’re holding could be bought with a tael of silver.”
Chu Jin did some quick calculations in his mind. As far as he knew, in Mother’s shop, a bottle of fragrance water sold for at least twenty taels, with the most expensive reaching fifty taels.
The spices in his hand weren’t the finest, and were even perhaps subpar. Selling them at this price, while slightly expensive, would still be affordable for a moderately wealthy family.
Thus, there was profit in reselling the spices, but what if he sold the fragrance water overseas? Wouldn’t that help Great Chu earn more silver?
Besides spices, there were also jade, precious stones, pearls, and corals, which were more expensive and of undeniably good quality.
“Boss Zhou, how much silver would this coral fetch overseas?” Chu Jin asked directly.
Chu Lin’s eyes flashed with surprise, not expecting his nephew to be so bold to directly inquire about such matters, fearing no trader would honestly tell him.
He didn’t know whether to admire his nephew’s boldness or lament his naivety.
True to form, Zhou Hong laughed like a seasoned fox, “Prices for these items are unnecessary, Young Master Chu. As you know, the merchants from overseas lands especially love our Great Chu’s silk and tea leaves, and they often trade goods for them. Rarely do they pay with silver, making it difficult to determine a purchase price, and one must also consider the cost of transport. The sea voyage is not safe, and right now, navigation is only possible to a few nearby countries…”
Chu Jin frowned, “Does that mean Great Chu cannot undertake long voyages at the moment?”
“Of course not. Sailing too far doesn’t only consume resources, but the chances of not returning are very high,” Zhou Hong let out a startle, believing this idea to be incredibly naive, but such thoughts he would certainly keep to himself.
“But I’ve heard that Third Master Zhou is building ships with the intent of long voyages.”
Zhou Hong’s pupils constricted, startled by his words and worried he had exposed himself, he waved his hands, “We ordinary merchants wouldn’t know about such things. Besides, the imperial court only permits small ships with less than a hundred people to set sail, larger ships with more crew are not allowed for private voyages.”
“Thank you, Boss Zhou,” Chu Jin replied with a smile, expressing his gratitude and saying no more.
Zhou Hong felt a sigh of relief, seeing that Chu Jin didn’t probe further.
Afterward, Chu Jin didn’t continue to ask questions. Instead, Chu Lin and Zhou Hong discussed the business of chartering a ship to go out to sea.
Once the contract was signed, Zhou Hong invited them to dine at a restaurant. They enjoyed their meal and drinks and parted ways happily after.
After Zhou Hong had left, Chu Lin wasn’t in a hurry to leave and only then asked his nephew, “Lil’ Jin, the questions you asked earlier were fine; it’s just that directly asking about the price won’t get you an answer, and might even make you look naive. If someone bold enough hears it, they might think you’re not a threat and harbor ulterior motives towards you.”
“Uncle, I know,” Chu Jin nodded with a confident smile on his face.
Chu Lin was taken aback, “You knew and still…”
“We were going to partner up anyway, so I asked in advance. I actually wanted to test him; if the other party had revealed even a little, it would show they were honest and willing to work with us. But since I asked early, he was clearly unwilling to disclose, and casually brushed off the questions. When it was your turn to negotiate Uncle, he reluctantly revealed a bit of information, yet still not honestly. It shows that if the partnership on this voyage is smooth, we might make a small profit. But if things don’t go well at sea, I fear the invested silver might be lost,” Chu Jin explained.
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