"Of course, if it wasn't for my husband's instruction, how could I have taken these out?"
In this situation, whether he wanted to or not, Wang Fu was the only one who could be blamed for this matter.
Since the items were not coming back, it would be a small consolation if Wang Fu could exchange them for some reputation.
"As expected of Lord Wang, still able to send someone to deliver items from his mansion despite being so busy!"
"My husband is truly my husband, possessing a compassionate heart even in a high position!"
Listening to the string of flattery reported by those people, Wang Chao'an finally felt a little more balanced.
However, with his mood unsettled, he had no inclination to stay here any longer. After exchanging a few perfunctory pleasantries, he turned and left Fan Lou.
With the courtesans present today, the attention of everyone present was naturally focused on them.
The competition among the top ten courtesans was a spectacle not to be seen every day.
The dignitaries present didn't even notice Wang Chao'an's departure.
"Steward Wang, are we heading back now?"
"Why would we stay here?"
In the blink of an eye, having done nothing but watch the spectacle, he had lost so many exquisite ivory carvings, including a treasure with craftsmanship comparable to tribute items. Wang Chao'an felt utterly dejected.
Even though he was angry, these people were not someone he could deal with casually.
Although these ivory carvings couldn't be sold at a high price for the moment, Wang Chao'an wasn't overly discouraged.
After all, besides the ivory carvings, he had many bronze wares. While the profit from these wasn't as substantial as ivory, their total value accounted for more than three-fifths of the goods.
What was initially expected to be a highly profitable venture had suddenly encountered such a snag. Upon returning to the Wang household, Wang Chao'an didn't even dare to report the matter to Wang Fu.
Fortunately, the court affairs had been exceptionally busy recently, and Wang Fu had no time to attend to his trivial matters.
With a heart full of apprehension, Wang Chao'an finally managed to fall asleep after the third watch.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Wang Chao'an hurriedly got up and led his men straight to the manor outside the city.
"Steward Wang, why are we leaving so early? The sky has only just begun to lighten."
Rushing out, these servants didn't even have time to eat breakfast, and naturally, they were all resentful at this moment.
"Why else? Once we reach the manor, repackage the bronze wares we brought back yesterday, and rush them to the market today to exchange them all for gold and silver!"
After thinking over the entire incident for the whole night, Wang Chao'an felt that last night's events were rather peculiar. After much deliberation, he decided to sell off all these items as quickly as possible. Even if he earned less, it would be better than having these items end up stuck in his hands.
Upon hearing Wang Chao'an's words, even though the servants were somewhat unwilling, they couldn't argue with him at this moment. After all, Wang Chao'an was a favored subordinate of Wang Fu, and they dared not offend him.
——————————————
"Young Master-in-law, look, these are the items they made!"
After the busy farming season passed, there wasn't much work left at the Princess's manor outside the city.
After discussing with Han Jiayan, Han Mo decided to gather all the idle servants.
Under the guidance of a master craftsman hired by the Zhe family, they used Xiangfei bamboo, which was specially acquired at a high price from other regions, as the frame to start the business of making folding fans.
Although these people were just starting, the craftsmanship itself wasn't particularly difficult. The carving was entirely handled by the master craftsmen.
The simpler tasks were then handed over to these apprentices to learn slowly.
Under Han Mo's significant rewards, the master craftsmen did not hold back their knowledge, and within a few days, they had trained the servants to be quite proficient.
"The workmanship is indeed good. It seems they put their hearts into it!"
Picking up a fan casually and feeling its texture, Han Mo nodded with satisfaction.
"Young Master-in-law, when do you think we should start selling them?"
Seeing the large pile of goods they had accumulated, Zhe Wanchun was becoming a bit impatient.
He had personally witnessed the items Wang Chao'an brought out last night. If Han Mo hadn't played a subtle trick, those items would have been snatched up by now.
"Keep a thousand pieces to sell in Bianliang city, and send the rest to the major cities surrounding Bianliang. You know what to say when selling the fans, right?"
"Young Master-in-law, rest assured. I personally went to Fan Lou last night!"
Hearing Han Mo's words, Zhe Wanchun quickly nodded and replied.
"Then I won't meddle in this matter!"
This sort of thing was quite simple. Han Mo wanted to replicate the model of Bianliang city in all the surrounding cities.
As for Monk Daojian, Han Mo didn't even need to send anyone to notify him. Having tasted the benefits, that fellow would naturally not give up such a good opportunity.
Before Han Mo could make any moves, it was heard that dozens of fast horses had already departed from the backyard of Xiangguo Temple for various locations last night.
For them, whether the Dharma assembly was profitable was not important at all. What was important was that with this gimmick, many people's attitudes towards Buddhism would greatly improve.
Compassion and benevolence – this was the image that eminent monks should cultivate.
In order to support this image, the interest rates on the usurious loans released by the Longevity Treasuries, large and small, across the country were also subtly lowered by a significant margin at the same time...
"One more thing, those Japanese people have taken the copper coins given by Wang Fu and are preparing to leave Bianliang city today. Do you think we should..."
Zhe Wanchun trailed off and then made a throat-slitting gesture with his hand.
"We are businessmen. Businessmen have their ways! Violence is not the attitude of doing business!"
Even Han Mo was surprised that this seemingly refined chief steward was indeed a ruthless character underneath.
"The key is that those fellows might leave with nothing but these copper coins and board the ship!"
"You don't need to worry about this, Second Uncle. I heard that Lord Fan, the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, will suggest to the Emperor in court today to strictly investigate private copper transactions and the outflow of copper coins again, restoring the old laws of Qingli. For those who take copper coins out of the country in quantities exceeding one string, the ringleader will be executed, and accomplices will be banished three thousand miles!"
"Copper Ban!"