"What is this thing?"
Feng Yuanbao considered himself knowledgeable, but the item Han Mo presented truly stumped him.
"I call it brown sugar. You can try a small piece."
Han Mo smiled and said casually.
"This is sugar?" wap.kanshu伍.net
Feng Yuanbao was taken aback. In his experience, sugar was either sticky or liquid. He had never seen anything like this.
"That's right! Try it!"
Feng Yuanbao didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up a small piece, sniffed it cautiously, and then slowly placed it in his mouth.
The pure sweetness, accompanied by a faint hint of ginger, lingered between his lips and teeth, refusing to dissipate.
"Wonderful, truly wonderfully indescribable!"
Feng Yuanbao instantly fell in love with the taste. Unlike maltose, honey, or powdered sugar, this pure sweetness was something he had never experienced before.
In this era, sweets were a luxury that only the wealthy could afford. Despite the widespread famine, the wealthy families were still enjoying a life of revelry. Especially here in Tokyo Bianliang, the capital of the entire Song Dynasty, where dignitaries, noble families, and wealthy merchants converged. His business thrived simply because of two words: rarity. Having something others didn't was his path to wealth. Over the years, relying on his ability to pave the way with money, he had carved out a trade route on the canal, transporting goods from the south to the north and bringing northern specialties to the south, profiting from both directions. However, this item that Han Mo produced was something he had never seen before. Putting aside the day's events, the sheer rarity of this item was enough to entice him.
"I wonder how much the young official has?"
Feng Yuanbao asked directly.
"This item? As much as you want! I have the method to make it."
"I am willing to pay ten thousand guan for this recipe!"
Feng Yuanbao gritted his teeth and held up one finger. This was a unique business opportunity in the world. If he could obtain the recipe, it would be an inexhaustible source of wealth.
"If that's your offer, then let's pretend we never came."
Han Mo smiled and prepared to get up and leave.
"No, no, wait. How about this, young official? How much do you want?"
Han Mo silently held up one hand.
"Fifty thousand guan?"
Feng Yuanbao's face showed a pained expression, but his heart was already filled with joy. If he could acquire it for fifty thousand guan, it wouldn't seem like too bad a deal.
"No! I will partner with you in this business. I will hold fifty percent, you will be responsible for production and sales, and I will provide the technology! Furthermore, there are other items later, and you can have priority participation."
Han Mo smiled and stated his bottom line.
"Fifty percent?"
Feng Yuanbao hesitated for a moment. Frankly, this was indeed a good product, and it seemed to be a unique business in the world. If other factors were not considered, fifty percent would still be profitable. After all, after deducting costs, it was merely a matter of how much profit was made.
"I won't hide it from you, my fifty percent also includes shares for His Highness Prince Xin and the Princess's estate. You can weigh that yourself."
Han Mo didn't rush him. Spending a little money to connect with the Princess's estate and Prince Xin's estate was a rare opportunity that others could only dream of. If he wasn't a fool, Han Mo truly believed he couldn't refuse.
"You will not participate in the sales process. Sixty percent of the net profit will go to you. However, if someone causes trouble, I request that young official Han intervene!"
Feng Yuanbao gritted his teeth and said directly.
"You are rather interesting. When people haggle, they usually lower the price, but you are raising it?"
Zong Ying smiled and remarked.
"Please excuse my lack of sophistication, Master Zong. It's simply that Bianliang city is a mixed bag of people, and a unique business like this might be difficult to conduct."
Feng Yuanbao chuckled awkwardly and then said.
"With Her Highness the Princess and His Highness Prince Xin involved, what do you have to fear?"
Although Zhao Zhen, Prince Xin, didn't command much authority, the Princess was different. Everyone in the world knew that the Princess married Han Jiayan. Not only did she have the support of the Han family of Xiangzhou, but the current Emperor also had a close relationship with the Princess when he was Prince Duan. As long as her influence was present, anyone who dared to cause trouble would naturally be dealt with.
"I agree to the terms, but I have a supplementary condition. His Highness is currently providing relief to the disaster victims outside the city, and the expenses for winning money are indeed quite substantial. I will leave the recipe, but you must first provide one hundred and fifty thousand guan for His Highness's relief efforts!"
"This..."
Hearing Han Mo's words, Feng Yuanbao genuinely felt conflicted. If it were just about profit sharing, he wouldn't have had so many reservations. After all, whatever was earned would be divided, and he would still make a profit. However, being asked to come up with one hundred and fifty thousand guan in advance made him nervous. One hundred and fifty thousand guan was not a small sum. Even for him, taking out so much money at once would be a stretch.
"If you are unwilling, then let's forget everything we've discussed!"
Han Mo said, turning to leave without the slightest hint of hesitation. After all, there was no shortage of buyers for this item; there were plenty of people in Bianliang city who wanted to make money.
"I agree!"
Seeing Han Mo had already walked more than ten steps away, Feng Yuanbao gritted his teeth and said.
"In that case, have someone prepare the funds, and then you bring a trustworthy craftsman to follow me!"
"Young official, please wait a moment!"
Feng Yuanbao finished speaking, turned, and headed directly towards his residence. In less than fifteen minutes, he returned with a tall and thin middle-aged man.
"This humble servant, Zhu Qi, pays his respects to both lords!"
As the middle-aged man emerged, he immediately bowed to Han Mo and the others. Zong Ying merely nodded casually, while Han Mo reached out to help him up.
"Let Master Zong handle the financial matters here. The disaster victims outside the city are still waiting to be fed. You bring him and follow me!"
"Alright!"
With the influence of Prince Xin's estate and the Princess's estate, and Feng Yuanbao's decisiveness, he wasn't worried about Han Mo deceiving him. After all, this was Bianliang city. While one hundred and fifty thousand guan was not a small sum, compared to Han Mo's future prospects, it was truly insignificant. In this era, even the high officials in the court could not avoid pursuing wealth, but if they ruined their reputation for money, their future would be destroyed. Given Han Mo's current favor, it was not impossible for him to rise to a high position in time.