Chapter 564 What is he going to do?

Chapter 564 What is he going to do?

Chapter 564 What is he going to do?
"I hope Lord Lu will not be offended.
We just want to do business with Master Lu peacefully, and we have no other intentions."

Seeing Lu Yunyi's puzzled expression, Shi Yashan quickly began to explain.

After a pause, a smirk appeared on his face, and he continued,
“To be honest, Lord Lu’s move to acquire the Wanshou Sugar Factory shocked many of our friends.

They hurried to my house to discuss countermeasures. "

Lu Yunyi frowned slightly.
He stared at the person in front of him, his expression showing some doubt.

Shi Yashan covered up the embarrassment on his face with a smile and continued:

"Please don't misunderstand me,
I naturally don't believe that Lord Lu would compete with us merchants for profits.

But Wanshou Sugar Factory is a big business and has to maintain expenses.

As an official of the imperial court, Lord Lu is dedicated to benefiting the people.

Merchants like us can't bear to see Mr. Lu working so hard for a business.
So I took the initiative to come forward and give some shares to help the Wanshou Sugar Factory operate normally."

In this way,
Lu Yunyi understood what was going on. It turned out that the man came to pay money to pray for peace.

He glanced at the document in his hand and said calmly:

"Thank you for your kindness, Manager Shi. You can produce and manage these shares on your own.

Wanshou Sugar Factory will not steal your business, nor will it interfere in your profitable business."

Shi Yashan's face showed astonishment and disbelief.

If you don't steal money, then why open a sugar factory? And recruit people?
"If Lord Lu is not satisfied, we can go back and discuss it further."

When Shi Yashan said this, he felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife.
I didn't expect the person in front of me to have such a big appetite.

Lu Yunyi shook his head slowly and said:

"Manager Shi, honest people don't speak in secret.
My sugar mill is doing business with Yingtian Commercial Bank.
Your sugar mill does business for the army and the court.
The two do not interfere with each other and can each perform as it pleases.

As for these shares, Manager Shi's move is really underestimating me.
This little bit of money is not worth my attention."

"Yingtian Commercial Bank?"

Shi Yashan was shocked.
He has been coveting this business for a long time. Now anyone with a little knowledge in Beijing can see that
Yingtian Commercial Bank will surely be very popular.

Selling candy inside is naturally a good choice.

There was just one thing he couldn't figure out.

The price of sugar is so high, will anyone buy it in the store?
But now is not the time to dwell on this matter.

Shi Yashan put away his thoughts and bowed to Lu Yunyi:
"Thank you, Lord Lu, for your kindness. I understand."

Lu Yunyi looked at Shi Yashan with a calm expression and asked in a flat voice:

"How much market share do your sugar factories occupy in Yingtian?"

Shi Yashan's heart skipped a beat and he thought to himself that this was not good.

"Reporting to Lord Lu, our seven sugar factories occupy nearly 60% of the market share in Nanzhili.
The rest are small workshops and workshops owned by the imperial court."

Lu Yunyi nodded slightly. This was indeed a force that should not be underestimated.

The living room fell into silence.

After nearly a cup of tea,
Lu Yunyi made up his mind, looked at Shi Yashan, and said in a deep voice:
"I want to ask you, if the price of sugar suddenly dropped by 80%, what would Shopkeeper Shi think?"

When Shi Yashan heard this question, he was stunned.

Sudden drop?

Why the sudden drop?

Shi Yashan's heart was suddenly filled with shock and his face turned extremely ugly.

If the price of sugar drops by 80%, how can these sugar factories survive?
He forced an awkward smile:

"Lord Lu, I'm afraid this is a bit alarmist.

If the price of white sugar drops by 80%, our sugar factories will find it difficult to continue.”

Lu Yunyi nodded. This was also the issue he was concerned about.

If you force someone into a desperate situation, you don't know what kind of trouble will arise.

Lu Yunyi nodded gently and said:

"I know about this matter. When I return, please submit the list of some of your workshops."

"May I ask, sir, why is this?"

Lu Yunyi snorted lightly, raised his eyelids, and glanced at him lightly:
"Didn't you say that the sugar factory has no future? I will find a way out for you."

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere in the reception room froze instantly.

It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and it seemed as if the air was freezing.

Shi Yashan stood there in shock. He understood the meaning of these words.

White sugar is really going to drop by 80%,

What Lu Yunyi said was not alarmist!

With a "thump",
Shi Yashan knelt down and pressed his head to the ground, his voice shrill:

"May I ask Lord Lu,

Why have we offended you, sir? Why do you want to kill us all?
If we have done anything wrong, please let us know, Lord Lu.
Even if we lose everything, we will make amends to you, sir."

Regarding his action,

There was a flash of surprise in Lu Yunyi's eyes, and he was a little at a loss for a moment.

Are all merchants in Beijing so spineless?
Lu Yunyi remained calm and said calmly:

"Manager Shi, please get up first. Sugar is what the entire Ming Dynasty needs.

Your sugar mill is a key part of the government, and the imperial court will not sit idly by."

Shi Yashan raised his head suddenly.

His eyes were red and his face flushed slightly.

At this moment, he no longer had the immortal demeanor he had before, and instead looked a little disheveled.

"May I ask, sir, what does this mean?"

Lu Yunyi waved his hand gently:
“I cannot reveal the details of this matter to you yet.

But many of your sugar mills have been making money for more than ten years.

It's time to do something for the people of Ming Dynasty and the imperial court."

Shi Yashan's eyes suddenly widened.
A feeling of panic arose spontaneously, causing his pupils to tremble violently.

“Sir, please tell me the details, Lord Lu. The sugar mill is related to the livelihood of many people.

If something unexpected happens, we can prepare early."

Lu Yunyi looked normal:
“I have said that it cannot be disclosed at this time, and there will not be any major changes.

Your sugar factory will continue to operate as usual, but you won't make as much money as before.

Of course, if you feel this is inappropriate or unconvinced,

You can just ignore this anger and close all the sugar factories.

After all, this is your business, and I have no right to interfere."

When Shi Yashan got the exact answer, he felt as if he had been struck by a bolt from the blue.

Not making money anymore?

How can this be?

Salt, sugar, and tea have been the most profitable businesses since ancient times.
How come you are not making money?

Shi Yashan couldn't figure it out, and suddenly a sense of emptiness arose in his heart.
What followed was a feeling of frustration, as if all the efforts over the years had gone to waste.

I have been running a sugar mill for many years.

I have earned so much money, and now you say you don’t want to make any money?

"Mr. Lu, sugar is expensive and production capacity is limited.

Even if the imperial court ordered a price limit, it would be impossible for the price to drop by 80%.

In this way, even if we want to make a loss to gain publicity, we can't do it.

The imperial court can’t let us merchants pay for it ourselves.”

Seeing his expression changing, Lu Yunyi knew that he had misunderstood.
However, Lu Yunyi did not explain and continued with what he said:

“No, the high cost and limited production capacity are drawbacks.

The Ming Dynasty was founded 20 years ago. Once the war broke out,
Sugar has never been in sufficient supply. Do you think this should become the norm?"

"Sir Lu, making sugar is not something that can be done overnight. It takes time."

"Alright, alright. I understand that things are valuable because they are rare.
I am also aware that you sugar mills deliberately control production capacity and raise prices.

As for why you were not punished, Manager Shi should know the reason."

Shi Yashan's face changed slightly.
Of course, it's because they have the support of nobles behind them.

That’s why he can make money without any scruples and without worrying about trouble from the court. Seeing that he remained silent, Lu Yunyi stood up and looked down at him:
"In short, if Manager Shi and other sugar shop owners know what's good for them,
The sugar factory can continue to operate and continue to make profits.

If you don't know what's good for you, then give up the sugar mill and I will take over."

After saying this, Lu Yunyi walked away.
Shi Yashan was left standing there in a daze, his expression changing constantly.

A quarter of an hour later, Shi Yashan returned to his mansion.

Before he entered the house, some people in the main hall came out in a hurry and asked anxiously:
"What's going on? What happened?"

But soon, they saw that Shi Yashan's face looked extremely ugly, and their hearts sank.

What happened?
Shi Yashan just felt exhausted.
He waved his hand, his voice no longer as steady as before, but a little erratic:

"Come into the house and talk."

Inside the house, Shi Yashan recounted his conversation with Lu Yunyi in detail.

The people present looked at each other in bewilderment.

A dangerous atmosphere spread.

The hands of the shopkeeper Fang of Baimei Sugar Shop trembled slightly, and his voice also trembled a little:
"Could it be that the court saw that all the gentlemen had left the capital and wanted to take action against us?"

"Don't be alarmist, we are not the only ones making money from the war.

Those who sell minerals, medicines, and salt, which one of them doesn’t earn more than us?

If the imperial court wants to deal with them, they should deal with them first, why would it be our turn?" A shopkeeper retorted.

But Shopkeeper Fang still had lingering fears:

“But we did work together to raise the price.

The price of white sugar sold in the past three years is 40% higher than in previous years.

Oh, I've said before that you can't make quick money, you have to make steady progress.
How can you go against the imperial court?"

The more he talked, the more excited Shopkeeper Fang became.
The people around him also became uneasy and sighed and shook their heads.

"Okay, okay, what's the point of saying this now?

It's the people above who want to make money, do we have any choice?"

Manager Chen of Yifu Sugar Factory waved his hands repeatedly.

Hearing these words, he became impatient.

"Okay, now that it's over,

The most urgent thing is to find a way to solve the problem, not to argue here!"

Shi Yashan, who was sitting at the head, nodded in agreement and continued to say through gritted teeth,
"Lu Yunyi dared to act so recklessly just because you gentlemen are not in the capital.

We are sending a letter to you all as fast as we can, asking you how to deal with this."

When Mr. Fang of Baimei Sugar Shop heard this, his eyes suddenly widened:
"Manager Shi, are you confused?

Lu Yunyi obviously acted in this way with the permission of the palace, so he was so fearless.

We should find a way to solve this kind of trouble ourselves, why should we trouble you gentlemen?

Don’t let the problem not be solved in the end, and we be dragged out as scapegoats!
Don't forget, two tigers fighting each other.

The ones who suffer are the innocent people around them!"

Although everyone was not used to the personality and behavior of Shopkeeper Fang,
But I have to admit that he is absolutely right.

Even Shi Yashan thought what he said made sense.

He leaned back in his chair, rubbed his brows with his hands, and tried to calm himself.

He felt that he had lost his composure and couldn't do this.

Everyone continued to talk and argue fiercely.

Shi Yashan looked at the group of people in front of him, and a trace of helplessness flashed in his eyes.

He patted the back of the chair, and after a few "bangs", he said:

"Okay, okay, stop arguing.

Our first priority now is to find out what gives Lu Yunyi the confidence to act this way.

Our sugar mills occupy half of the market share in South Zhili.

If we close down the business in a fit of anger, won't Lu Yunyi be in trouble?"

"Could it be that Lu Yunyi didn't think so much?
After all, he comes from a military background, so it is understandable that he does not understand business matters."

A shopkeeper expressed his thoughts.

The strange thing is that there are actually people who agree and say yes.

Shi Yashan slumped in his chair helplessly, thinking that these people were extremely stupid.

"That's enough! Is the way of business some profound knowledge?
They can handle an army of tens of thousands, so why can't they handle a workshop of a few hundred people?
Furthermore, Yingtian Commercial Bank sprang up from the ground.

Everyone, open your eyes and see that this person is not ignorant of business, but he understands it too well. "

Shi Yashan's tone was filled with anger, and there was one more thing he didn't say.
In his opinion, Lu Yunyi is not only well versed in business,
He also understood the temperament of merchants and knew that they were all strong on the outside but weak on the inside.
That's why I dare to be so reckless.
He didn't even bother to hide his intentions, and concluded that they would not dare to resist.

Taking a deep breath, Shi Yashan glanced at everyone with a scrutinizing look in his eyes:

"You are all shopkeepers of your respective families. What should we do specifically?
I won’t say much more, because even if I did, you might not listen.

As for whether or not to ask the adults behind him, Shi has no control over it.

In short, now we are at the point of life and death,
If you want to continue making money, you have to come up with a solution. You all go back and think carefully about how to deal with it.

We will meet again in three days to discuss it in detail."

Everyone agreed with what he said.
One by one they stood up in a hurry and left.

Shi Yashan looked at their backs, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.

Shi Yashan stood up, drank the tea in the cup, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

He paced to the back hall and met Feng Tiemu who was waiting there.

As usual, Feng Tiemu sat at the top and Shi Yashan sat at the bottom.

"how?"

When Feng Tiemu saw that he looked depressed, he knew that things were not going well.

Shi Yashan repeated what he had just said to Lu Yunyi and the many merchants, without any hesitation.

After hearing this, Feng Temu's face became extremely solemn:

"You mean, the imperial court wants to control the price of sugar?"

Shi Yashan nodded:
"Manager Feng, Lu Yunyi is so confident, I think he must have received instructions from the palace."

Feng Temu shook his head after hearing this:

"The imperial court will not interfere in the affairs of merchants.
Nor will they directly control the prices of items other than those operated by the government.
This is a tacit understanding between the imperial court and many powerful people in the society. You are wrong."

Shi Yashan was surprised and asked quickly:

"That steward Feng, is Lu Yunyi really arrogant and conceited for acting this way?"

"This is even more impossible, according to my guess.

Lu Yunyi must have found a way to reduce the cost of sugar.

This is the key to him taking the Wanshou Sugar Factory from the palace."

"what?"

Shi Yashan became more and more shocked.

He has been studying this for nearly twenty years, but the cost remains high.
I haven't found any good solution yet.

How could a man with a military background come up with such an idea?
“It may not be possible for others, but it is possible for Lu Yunyi.

He marches and fights with steadiness,
But his thoughts are erratic, he hits here and there, he never plays by the rules.
Until his real purpose is revealed, no one can guess what he will do next.

The front scouts suffered heavy losses in Luchuan.
He has said many times that if there were enough sugar, many lives could be saved.

Now that I think about it, he might have already set his sights on sugar at that time."

There was also a hint of fatigue in Feng Tiemu's eyes.

Recently, he has been monitoring Lu Yunyi's every move.
I found this person to be too jumpy and full of energy.

Just keeping track of what he was doing was exhausting.

Shi Yashan's eyes were full of doubts:
"Manager Feng, he can't take the share I gave him earlier.

If there really is a new method, he should be happy to accept it and make a fortune from it."

Feng Tiemu was shocked by Shi Yashan's short-sightedness and rebuked:
"How short-sighted! Lu Yunyi is a high-ranking official in the imperial court. How could he be like you, only thinking about making money all day long?

What he wants is achievement and promotion!

Okay, let’s investigate this matter as soon as possible.

Isn’t Wanshou Sugar Factory recruiting workers?
Send someone to sneak in and see what he is up to."

(End of this chapter)