hsntnovel Chapter 2640 The Deal is Made
Chapter 2640 The Deal is Made
Li Shen nodded affirmatively:
“I agree, but I was just punished by Father the day before yesterday, and my injuries have not yet healed. Please allow my personal guard commander to fight him in my place.”
Anyway, my son's martial prowess is about the same as the commander of the personal guards, only slightly better; replacing him is sufficient.
Li Shen initially nodded firmly in agreement, but then changed the subject and stated his own demands.
When Li Shimin heard Li Shen's words, he wanted nothing more than to slap him twice. How could this shameless bastard say such a thing?
Doesn't he feel ashamed?
The commander of the guards in Prince Ji's mansion was named Li Tieniu, a man whom even Li Shimin coveted.
It's a pity I didn't realize it sooner; I've become Li Shen's bodyguard, and it's impossible for me to come over now.
Even if Li Shen lets go, he won't take it.
But this did not diminish Li Shimin's appreciation for Li Tieniu's talent. For a guard, loyalty was the most important quality; everything else was secondary.
Li Tieniu is simple-minded, not talkative, and will do whatever Li Shen tells him to do, without doing anything unnecessary.
The key point is that his martial arts skills are outstanding. Li Shiji's martial arts skills are already considered top-notch, but he was almost beaten to death by Li Tieniu.
Even if Li An and Wang De joined forces beside him, they probably wouldn't be a match for Li Tieniu, given his massive size and incredible resilience.
How could Li Shen have the audacity to say that their martial prowess was roughly equal?
Even a fart from someone could send him flying out of Chang'an.
Li Chengqian chuckled to himself. Li Shen was too cunning; knowing he couldn't defeat Li Zhi, he wanted his personal guard commander to take the field.
The commander of the personal guards was more than two heads taller than Li Zhi, and his size was enough to fit two Li Zhis. Could Li Zhi possibly match him?
Li Shen was planning to kill Li Zhi.
Li Zhi's face turned green. He had seen shameless people before, but never anyone this shameless. How could a prince act like this? Wasn't he afraid of losing face?
Li Shen's guard commander was someone he had seen when he was Prince of Jin; none of his dozen or so retainers could match him.
"Li Shen, you are so cowardly that you are unworthy of being a member of the royal family. You have utterly disgraced the royal family."
Li Zhi pointed at Li Shen and angrily rebuked him.
Li Shen scoffed and picked at his ear:
"So what? I'm injured. A wise man doesn't stand under a dangerous wall. Being aggressive and combative are the actions of a brute. The wise are the true path."
I use my brain, why would I do something so stupid? Am I just asking for trouble?
"Alright, let's get back to the main topic and talk about the Maritime Trade Office."
Li Shimin realized that Li Shen was deliberately provoking Li Zhi to make him lose his temper, and that an irrational Li Zhi might do something rash.
Therefore, Li Shimin changed the subject.
"Yes, let's talk about the Maritime Trade Office. Your demands are too harsh. After all, this money is the imperial court's tax revenue, and we can't let you take too much."
Li Chengqian quickly tried to smooth things over.
Li Shen glanced at Li Zhi, knowing that the time was almost right; any further stimulation would be counterproductive.
So they turned around and started discussing serious matters:
"Brother, right now the court only has three options: first, the court sells the goods itself; second, the court entrusts the Ji Prince's Mansion to sell them; third, the court sells the goods to the Ji Prince's Mansion at a reasonable price, and the court has nothing to do with the rest."
"No, there is a fourth point: the imperial court can cooperate with others. Although you are the biggest merchant in the Tang Dynasty, there are still many other merchants in Chang'an."
At this point, Li Tai added a sentence.
Li Shen was not angry, and calmly asked:
"Is Fourth Brother referring to aristocratic families?"
Upon hearing Li Shen's words, Li Chengqian and Li Shimin immediately frowned. Wouldn't letting aristocratic families sell their goods be like giving them money?
Isn't this indirectly supporting the powerful families and strengthening their power?
"Besides aristocratic families, there are many other noble families in Chang'an, such as the Duke of Zhao's mansion, and other dukes' mansions."
They all have their own businesses, and they are founding heroes; if you entrust them with selling these goods, they probably wouldn't even ask for a single penny.
Li Tai said with a smile.
"Oh my god, are you deliberately trying to sabotage me?" Li Shen glared at Li Tai.
“Father, maybe they won’t ask for money, but can you guarantee they won’t deliberately sell at a low price?”
They transfer assets from one hand to the other, making them their own, and then sell them at a high price.
"Humans are all greedy." Li Shen looked at his father.
"But how can I guarantee you won't do that?" Li Shimin asked.
“Father, I’m just doing this for money. The higher the price, the more I get. Of course, I wouldn’t do such a thing.”
Moreover, my Prince Ji's mansion has the ability to process goods quickly.
After the establishment of the Maritime Trade Office, the amount of goods subject to inspection will be very large, including both ordinary and valuable items.
My Prince Ji's Mansion has the largest sales channels, and can quickly turn goods into money through chambers of commerce and industrial parks.
Who else in the Tang Dynasty possessed such ability?
Li Shen explained proudly, not to brag, but the Ji Prince's Mansion was now like a commercial empire.
There are various departments inside that are responsible for various tasks, and they cooperate very well with each other.
This was mainly due to Li Shen's immense wealth, which enabled him to continuously acquire all sorts of strange and unusual goods.
The people below didn't know what Prince Ji liked, so they would buy up anything that wasn't from the Tang Dynasty.
After being appraised by headquarters, the ordinary ones were returned to the market, the valuable ones were given to Li Shen to choose from, and the rest were sold.
This is the business empire that Li Shen specifically built for himself, serving only his own interests.
"I admit that what you said is true, but forty percent is too much. How about this, twenty percent: one percent for transaction tax and one percent for profit."
You must understand, if the imperial court starts collecting tariffs, the volume of goods will be enormous. Even a tenth of the profits would be enough to ensure you a comfortable life for the rest of your days.
Li Shimin considered the three options Li Shen had just mentioned. The first option was that the court could not directly intervene now, as it would be criticized for competing with the people for profits.
The only way to maximize profits is to have the Prince Ji's Mansion act as the sales agent. However, if the sale is made to the Prince Ji's Mansion, Li Shen certainly won't offer such a high price.
As for the others, Li Shimin was genuinely worried about what Li Shen had said: buying low and selling high to seize the property for himself.
Because Li Shimin knew officials too well; these nobles openly embezzled, so how could he let this opportunity pass?
They don't charge money, but they also don't genuinely sell goods for the imperial court. In the end, their earnings might not even be as much as what Li Shen gives them.
After all, what he was talking to Li Shen about was business, not patriotism.
Li Shen pondered for a moment, then nodded:
"Alright, for the sake of the court and for Father, I'll suffer a little loss. If it were anyone else, they would never agree."
Li Shen reluctantly agreed, looking somewhat unwilling.
The others were incredibly envious, and the prince consorts were even more shocked. Had Prince Ji become so powerful that he could cooperate with the imperial court in business?