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“It seems Brother Ye shows no real sincerity,” Cui Dayou stated coolly, “I believe, given the Ye Family’s status in Da Lin, even if their granary is not sufficiently stocked, the major families of Da Lin would be willing to provide for them, and the price would not exceed twelve gold per bag. But the price you offer me, Brother Ye, is twenty gold per bag, and the margin I’m left with is only one silver qian. Let’s not even discuss this business.”

Saying so, Steward Cui was about to turn around and leave, which startled Clerk Ye so much that he hastily tried to stop him, saying, “Brother Cui, calm down, please calm down!”

Clerk Ye managed to hold back the sullen Cui Dayou, with an agonized expression on his face, “Brother Cui, you’ve misunderstood. One silver qian per bag is already the maximum I am authorized to offer. As for the price, don’t you think you’re the first merchant from Longzhou?”

“Oh? What do you mean by that?” Cui Dayou halted, frowning as he asked.

As there were no eavesdroppers and the guards didn’t understand the Da Lin dialect, Clerk Ye whispered, “The flood in Lingjiang this time has affected at least a hundred cities in the west, covering millions of hectares of fertile farmland. As you may know, Brother Cui, several important families in Da Lin have signed a commercial alliance. Since news from Longzhou arrived, the grain prices have already risen to twenty gold per bag in Da Lin. Even if you try other families, the price will certainly not be lower.”

Cui Dayou frowned and asked in a deep voice, “So you’re suggesting that grain prices are universally high across Da Lin, and there’s no room for negotiation?”

“Brother Cui, you understand it correctly. Some small families outside the Alliance may sell grain at a lower price, but their supply would barely make a dent for you,” Clerk Ye stroked his mustache, a gleam in his eyes as he whispered, “Brother Cui, you have the utmost trust of Master Mi, not only having four Fierce Realm fighters accompanying you but also full authority on the grain purchasing task. If the profit margins are discouraging, why not purchase at twenty-one gold per bag, how about it?”

There are various ways to increase the margin if it is too low. Simply raising the price per bag by one piece of gold would result in a profit of sixty million gold, an increase of ten times.

Large purchases of grain in the past were typically undertaken by multiple clerks, and no matter how much they were trusted, someone would be assigned to monitor the process. It was, however, quite foolish of the Mi Family to dispatch only a monolingual elderly man to supervise such a distant transaction.

Clerk Ye found it amusing that he was openly discussing the profit margin with Cui Dayou, clearly displaying contempt for the remote ruler.

Merchants prize profits, and a profit of sixty million gold is an irresistible temptation to any clerk. If Cui Dayou agreed, they would sign a contract, and he would offer the price of twenty-one gold per bag.

As for who would pocket that extra piece of gold, that was yet to be determined.

When Cui Dayou heard that his profits could increase tenfold, his body shook, and his voice trembled, “Brother…Brother Ye, you’re not joking, are you?”

“Why would I deceive my brother when we have such a close relationship?” Clerk Ye said sincerely, “As soon as Brother Cui places an order, I’ll report it to the family head and prepare a secret agreement. After that, Brother Cui could amass untold wealth, and as long as you have a promising child to send to a sect, what need would you have after decades to depend on others? Even returning to Da Lin to establish your own family wouldn’t be impossible.”

Cui Dayou felt even more tempted, his mind wavered wildly, seemingly wanting to agree yet hesitating as well.

After a long moment of colliding emotions, he shook his head and said, “I can’t, Master Mi would kill me if he found out.”

“Brother Cui, don’t be so old-fashioned!” Clerk Ye exclaimed frustratedly, “Only heaven, earth, the Ye family, and you, Brother Cui, would know about this secret agreement. As long as you keep your mouth shut, how would Master Mi in the far-off Xiling have a clue?” He cast a look at Du Ting, who stood aside holding the account books, full of vigilance, and disdainfully said, “Based on these fools sent to spy on Brother Xiao?”

Although Du Ting kept a wary demeanor, his confusion was not lost on him. He was first worried that someone among the group would understand the Da Lin dialect, but it turned out that all six were clueless.

Caught in a struggle between life and profit, Cui Dayou hesitated for a long while before gritting his teeth and saying, “It’s not entirely impossible to give all the orders to the Ye family! Unless Brother Ye agrees to three conditions of mine!”

“Oh?!” Clerk Ye could barely hide his excitement, “What are your conditions, Brother Cui? Please feel free to share.”

“First, I need to check the grain. The Ye Family’s “reputation” precedes them, so without checking, I wouldn’t be comfortable.”

Clerk Ye blushed a bit and quickly reassured, “Absolutely, absolutely. You’ve misunderstood, Brother Cui. We only resort to mixing sand and rocks when dealing with unknown clients. We’d never do that to a legitimate merchant like yourself. You shouldn’t believe everything you hear.”

Cui Dayou remained noncommittal, continuing, “Second, while I do love money, I don’t dare to buy grain at a price higher than the market rate. The price will be according to the standard price in Da Lin. However, my profit should be raised from one silver qian per bag to two.”

“What?!” Clerk Ye looked shocked and firmly said, “If Brother Cui feels the profit is insufficient, you can raise the purchase price. But to retain the original price and yet double the profit, how am I to explain this to my family head?”

Cui Dayou laughed, “Clerk Ye, don’t rush, let me finish. The extra profit won’t go to me but will be considered your recompense. However, I need you to do me a favor.”

Clerk Ye was stunned, not understanding what Cui Dayou meant.

“You don’t think that Master Mi would only send me, a single clerk, to place the orders, do you?” Cui Dayou said helplessly, “I would like you to pass a message to Master Ye, stating that sixty million bags of grain is just the first batch. Considering the flood in Xiling, which was even more prolonged than in Chengzhou, there won’t be any plains in the entire west of Longzhou, only mires, mountain cities, and lakes. The collaboration between our two families will continue for a long time. If you can convince Master Ye to reduce the grain price by ten percent, I’ll donate half of my profit to you, Brother Ye. What do you think?”

So that’s what it was, Clerk Ye finally understood.

“Now I see why Master Mi trusts you so much, Brother Cui,” Clerk Ye remarked. “I won’t hide this from you, Brother Cui. My authority allows me to go as far as offering twenty gold per bag and a profit of one silver qian, anything more than that would require reporting to my family head. However, rest assured, I’ll do my best to convince my family head to agree to collaborate with the Mi Family.”

If sixty million gold was the maximum of the order, maximizing this single business deal would be the utmost priority. But if this is just the beginning of a protracted supply relationship, then credibility would be even more valuable.

“Brother Cui, while you’re checking the grain here, you can see for yourself whether our grain contains sand and rocks as rumored. In the meantime, I’m going to inform my family head!” Clerk Ye felt a burning excitement within and instructed two of the stewards, “You two, show Brother Cui around to check the grain properly, make sure there’s no negligence. Understood?”

Watching the anxious Clerk Ye intending to leave, Cui Dayou greeted him with a smile, “Then, while I’m checking the grain, I’ll also await the good news from Brother Ye!”