"Come, drink as much as you like, the tea is unlimited!"
Yun Erman walked over with the teapot, filling the guests' large bowls. "I heard that even officials in our prefectural city can't drink such good flower tea. This isn't something money can buy, haha..."
"It seems to be true!"
A man holding a tea bowl nodded. "My uncle works in the prefectural yamen, and the tea they drink at home doesn't taste as good as this. Shopkeeper, how much do you sell this tea for? Can we... can we common folk really afford it?"
Yun Erman couldn't help but laugh. "If you couldn't afford it, why would I go through the trouble of transporting the tea all this way? Don't worry, this tea isn't expensive. A tin only costs thirty copper coins. If you drink it sparingly, it can last your family for one or two months..."
He packed the tea from the boxes into bamboo tubes, then simply packaged them for sale.
Although a tin of tea was less than a pound, it was at least seven or eight taels...
As long as they didn't drink strong tea, these seven or eight taels of tea would last for a month.
"Really, truly?" The man's eyes widened in disbelief. "A tin only costs thirty copper coins?"
This was too much of a bargain...
Yun Erman 'en'ed and waved his straw hat. "That's right, only thirty copper coins. First come, first served!"
After all, he had found a supply channel in Diannan. With his eloquent and resourceful abilities, he had been doing very well in the villages of Diannan, enjoying great popularity...
He acquired the tea at a very low price. After deducting travel and living expenses, selling a tin of tea for thirty copper coins was already a huge profit.
As soon as he said this, the customers rushed forward, pulling out their money, afraid of missing out on the tea.
"Shopkeeper, give me two tins..."
"I want three tins, pick the freshest ones, don't give me stale ones!"
"How much for that big box? Is there a discount for bulk purchases?"
"Shopkeeper, where do you live? If I want to drink tea later, I'll come to your place to buy it!"
"..."
The customers were more anxious than the seller. In an instant, Yun Erman's tea was snatched up, and even the large wooden boxes were carried away.
This scene was exactly the same as the opening of Xiao Xi's Sweet Wine shop.
Perhaps it was his sister's good fortune that allowed Yun Erman to do business smoothly and prosper, as if blessed by a Bodhisattva...
You Wang stood there in a daze, completely stunned. "Shopkeeper Er Man, I... I feel like I'm dreaming. Is money really this easy to earn?"
If only he had met Shopkeeper Er Man sooner, his parents wouldn't have died from illness even if he had earned money.
Yun Erman rolled another dry pipe, took a couple of puffs, and said, "It's not that money is easy to earn, but you need to have business sense and a sharp mind. Doing business is also a kind of metaphysics. Some people can make a fortune even in a sluggish market, while others can go bankrupt during times of economic activity and booming sales. So, you need to judge the situation wisely..."
Actually, he didn't know how to teach You Wang about business. He himself was a farmer, and only San Man in his family had ever opened a shop or done business.
If he had any questions, he would still have to ask his third brother for advice...
You Wang 'oh'ed and nodded, as if he understood but not quite.
"Let's go. We made money today, I'll treat you to pig's trotters noodles!" Yun Erman patted You Wang's head.
You Wang had already signed a contract of servitude with Er Man, so he was now Er Man's servant...
"Th-thank you, Shopkeeper!"
The master and servant tidied up their things, hitched the horse carriage, and went to eat.
Next, they had to make another trip to Diannan to transport more tea back.
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace of Yan.
Emperor Ming sat on the dragon throne with a frown, listening to a group of ministers drone on endlessly, his expression almost cracking...
He hadn't had a good night's sleep since returning from Liang.
The memorials submitted by the ministers piled up like mountains every day, with all sorts of trivial matters, making him extremely annoyed.
In the past, when Tao Tao helped him handle state affairs, Emperor Ming wouldn't have found it so difficult. Now that everything came to him, he was overwhelmed and completely lost his footing...
"Your Majesty, you have been away in Liang for so long, you may not know that our country is suffering from severe floods in the south and drought in the north. The people are grumbling and have no means to live. They are... they are about to rebel!"
"Yes, Your Majesty. As the saying goes, the people's livelihood is the foundation of a nation. If the people are dissatisfied with your current rule, they will surely rise up in rebellion..."
"Your Majesty, this minister suggests that we open the granaries and distribute grain to the refugees immediately. We cannot let them continue to have negative emotions!"
"Heh, Minister Li, you speak with such ease. The imperial treasury has been severely depleted for a long time. Where will His Majesty get the money to aid the refugees?"
"......"
Emperor Ming was overwhelmed and agitated by these words.
It was strange, but when Tao Tao was around, he only heard words of peace, prosperity, and happiness for the people.
He had never known about rumors of the treasury being empty, the people rebelling, or the Great Yan being in imminent danger...
"All of you, shut up!" Emperor Ming's imperial fury erupted, and he stood up. "Since the people are dissatisfied, let's divert their attention and let them live good lives. What are you all arguing about?"
The bewildered ministers were all stunned by his words...
Divert their attention?
How did the Emperor plan to divert their attention?
"Since the treasury is empty and the court is broke, let's 'borrow' some from elsewhere to replenish the treasury, wouldn't that solve the problem?" Emperor Ming said sinisterly.
Borrow?
The ministers exchanged glances and suddenly realized...
What the Emperor meant by borrowing was actually plundering from other countries.
After all, wasn't the prosperity of the Great Yan in the early stages achieved through burning, killing, and looting?
"I went to Liang this time and found that their country is rich in resources, vast and fertile, with beautiful mountains and rivers. There are many things that urgently need to be developed and converted into usable resources..."
Speaking of this, Emperor Ming narrowed his eyes and scanned the ministers. "If we were to take over the entire Liang, why would our country worry about these trivial matters? Then we would have as much grain, gold, silver, jewels, silk, and fine horses as we wanted!"
The ministers all fell silent...
Although the Yan country had a strong military, after the recent war with Chen, they needed to recuperate and develop their economy.
If they were to launch another war, it might have the opposite effect.
A minister was about to offer some advice when a sudden exclamation came from outside the hall, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something bad has happened..."