The Human Emperor c1-2382
Page 46
This was a rule that all swordsmiths followed by.
This clan seems to be very uncivilized!
“Let’s go! We’ll take a look!”
Zhang Cong flung his robe and stood up. At the same time, Zhang Jian placed the teacup in his hands back on the table.
…………
The Pavilion was an exquisitely sculpted building which emanated grandness.
If one were to lift his head to look at the building, one would find the infrastructure of the building resembling a giant bluebottle butterfly which was about to spread its wings and soar to the heavens.
Just like Vast Crane Pavilion, this was a luxurious location for one to eat and drink tea. However, due to the nature of the customers, those who were here for tea and snacks far surpassed the number of those who were here to eat.
However, there was something different about Bluebottle Pavilion today.
By the door of the Bluebottle Pavilion, a metal mountain formed by ingots stacked up to 2 meters tall and a meter wide.
Directly above the metal mountain, a three chi long sword covered with layer after layer of black cloth hung by the roof.
By the sword, there was a huge wooden plaque with the a few words written on it:
【600 gold taels!】
This metal mountain, the sword, and the wooden plaque had attracted the attention of many. Surrounding them, one could vaguely hear their disdainful criticism:
“Not allowed to see or touch, how do they intend to sell their swords like that?”
“600 taels, gold at that. They had probably gone insane thinking of money! Why don’t they just rob a bank?”
“What is the Bluebottle Pavilion doing? To hang a sword before others in a place to eat and drink, do they still intend to do business?”
…
On the second floor of the Bluebottle Pavilion, Wei Hao looked downward at the crowd outside. Those mocking words felt like sharp daggers behind his back.
He was the young master of the Bluebottle Pavilion, and he was the one who got someone to hang the sword up there, so he felt insulted by their contemptuous words.
“Wang Chong, is this really alright?”
Wei Hao was filled with anxiety:
“The Bluebottle Pavilion is a place to eat, drink, and rest. Why don’t we change a location and find a proper weapon shop?”
“There’s no need for that. This is a good place!”
Wang Chong shook his head resolutely. Determination and calmness reflected in his eyes. Sometimes, Wei Hao truly envied him. He felt as though he was someone who would never be unaffected by his surroundings.
“However, is it really alright? I think it’s a little weird to have those who are here to drink to buy a sword. Furthermore, given the price of 600 gold taels per sword, can we really gather 90000 gold taels?”
Contrary to Wang Chong’s attitude, Wei Hao felt completely unconfident. Wang Chong’s choice of location was extremely ‘unorthodox’. This wasn’t the place where one sold swords. Moreover, Wei Hao had no idea whether 600 gold taels per sword should be considered expensive or cheap.
In any case, Wang Chong should have never gotten himself himself into a debt of 90000 gold taels in the first place!
“Rest assured, we can definitely raise the sum required!”
While drinking and eating,Wang Chong glanced at the crowd at the street below with an impassive expression.
From the very start, it was impossible to gather 90000 gold taels.
Under normal circumstances, a famous sword could only be sold for 600 to 700 gold taels. Even the top-notch ones were under a thousand gold taels.
If one didn’t bear any expectations of the sword, an ordinary metal sword was only worth a few wen to a few dozen wen. Under such conditions, it was impossible to sell a Wootz steel weapon for such an exorbitant price!
It would take at least six to seven years for the market for Wootz steel to pick up.
Thus, from the very start, Wang Chong had decided that he wouldn’t use ordinary methods. He had to walk an ‘unorthodox path’!
And the Bluebottle Pavilion was an important segment of Wang Chong’s plan!
This might not be a good location to sell swords. However, Wang Chong knew that it wielded an advantage which any other weapon shops couldn’t compare up to.
————Imperial Army!
Slightly diagonal from the location of the Bluebottle Pavilion, around a hundred zhang away, was the main doors of the royal palace. The Imperial Army was stationed there!
Thus, the Bluebottle Pavilion was a location which all of the Imperial Army general, leaders, and members had to pass by to enter the royal palace every day!
The reason why Bluebottle Pavilion could become a place which specialized in tea and alcohol instead of becoming a location which specialized in selling food like the Vast Crane Pavilion was because the Imperial Army members would often head here to rest and spend their time after their patrols.
Alcohol was banned in the royal palace, and the Imperial Army members could only come here for a drink under the pretext of enjoying tea in the short interval when they were changing shifts.
They were generous with their money, and as such, business in the Bluebottle Pavilion had been good.
Of course, this wasn’t what Wang Chong was concerned with. Possessing the memories of his previous life, no one understood more than Wang Chong that of the entire Great Tang and Central Plains, there wasn’t a better buyer than for these swords than the generals of the Imperial Army.
In his previous life, the reason why the Wootz steel swords from the Abbasid Caliphate rose up to several hundred thousand taels each was because of these Imperial Army heads who viewed swords as their life.
Only the truly elegant, sharp, and noble swords were befitting of their noble position. The leaders of the Imperial Army were all potential buyers who could afford the price!
On this aspect, even those clans who specialized in trading Wootz steel were unable to match up to them.
In truth, most of the leaders from the Imperial Army had outstanding background and didn’t lack money.
Wang Chong knew that the only way to raise 90000 gold taels within a short period of time was to target those leaders of the Imperial Army.
Actually, from the very start, Wang Chong’s target audience for him to strike rich via the Hyderabad ores was the wealthy Imperial Army leaders!
As long as his goods were of good quality, the Imperial Army was definitely more than capable of affording it!
However, due to the deference others felt toward the royal palace and the Imperial Army, most of the weapon merchants didn’t dare to approach the Imperial Army. Other than Wang Chong, no one had noticed this group of potential buyers with massive financial ability!
This was the only advantage that Wang Chong had, as well as the secret that Wang Chong would never tell anyone!
I should probably compile a glossary of terms soon.
Alright, a brief summary of China’s currency
They use coins, silver, and gold (as well as bank notes) for trading.
Usually, coins are termed as wen, and they are the smallest denomination.
Silver and gold are normally valued in terms of weight (taels), and the size and shape normally comes in a sheet or ingots (Naturally, ingots are heavier). Of course, you could deposit these silver and gold in a bank and exchange them for notes as well.
Current countries involved in the series:
Charax Spasinu (Where modern Iraq is, capital of Characene. I could be wrong, but the people should be termed as Persians)
Abbasid Caliphate (Arabs)
Hyderabad (Sindhu, this is how it is known in Great Tang, where modern India is)
Great Tang (Otherwise known as Central Plains; China)
Various Organizations in Great Tang:
Imperial Army -> The only army allowed in the capital, under the direct control of the Emperor
Bureau of Military
Personnel -> In charge of deploying/ promoting people.
Four Quarters Embassy -> In charge of dealing with external affairs (Where Grandpa Wang & Grandpa Yao is living in)
Various Powers in the Great Tang:
Wang Clan
Yao Clan
Duke of Wei Clan
King Song
King Qi
Do comment and help me add on to the list T_T
As always, if there’s any factual error in the additional information I provided (well, I use the internet), feel free to correct me.
Chapter 48: The Four Great Swordsmithing Clan’s Contempt
“Wei Hao, I’ll leave this matter to you. My identity is slightly sensitive, so currently it’s inconvenient for my identity to be exposed! Help me handle the matter for now.”
Wang Chong changed the topic while sipping his tea.
“I understand! You’re worried about Yao Feng, right? Don’t worry, leave this matter to me, there’ll be absolutely no problems at all.”
Wei Hao patted his chest.
Even though he was still slightly worried about Wang Chong’s plan, he was still willing to give his all. After all, what are brothers for? Brothers are there to help one another in times of need.
The Yao Clan might be powerful, but the Wei Clan wasn’t just for show either. There was no need for a duke’s clan to be so fearful of the Yao Clan.
“It’s not only Yao Feng…”
Wang Chong chuckled. He wasn’t just involved in the matter in the Vast Crane Pavilion. If Yao Guang Yi were to know that he was the one who wrecked his plan, he would probably skin him alive.
The reason why Wang Chong borrowed Wei Hao’s clan’s Bluebottle Pavilion to sell his sword was because he didn’t want to attract too much attention before succeeding in his plan. Otherwise, if the Yao Clan were to try to hinder him every single move of his, it would be extremely bothersome.
“Putting that aside, here. Let’s drink some tea!”
Wang Chong poured Wei Hao a cup of tea. While sipping his tea, he glanced downward at the entrance of the pavilion.
It was the first day of selling the sword, and it didn’t attract much attention. Currently, the amount of people here was far from sufficient for his plan to succeed.
However, Wang Chong didn’t expect to successfully sell a sword out in the first day anyway, so he wasn’t too anxious about it.
“Someone’s here!”
Suddenly, Wei Hao spoke.
Wang Chong was alarmed. Lifting his head, he traced Wei Hao’s glance and looked over. There was a commotion among the crowd outside; a large group of people was marching from the other end of the street toward Bluebottle Pavilion.
These people were divided into three factions. Clearly, they belonged to different powers, but yet, they were marching as one, gesturing that they had come for the same purpose.
“This is bad, it’s the capital’s Cheng Clan, Huang Clan, and Lu Clan. They’re probably here to thrash the scene!”
Wei Hao was born in nobility, and those who come in and out of his family’s residence were all from notable clans. Furthermore, the Wei Clan also had a forge of their own. Thus, he was able to recognize the people from the three great swordsmithing clans instantly. His eyebrows twitched and he couldn’t help but feel unsettled.
Judging from that hostile aura they were emitting, Wei Hao didn’t think that they were here to buy swords.
“What are you afraid of?”
Wang Chong glanced over and said calmly:
“There are rules in the capital, even those from distinguished swordsmithing clans wouldn’t dare to step on these rules. ——They must have thought that we’re from some prestigious clan from the other cities that had come to the capital to sell our weapons. It’s true that such an action would mean trespassing on their boundaries! However, we’re from the capital, so these rules do not apply to us. There’s nothing for us to be afraid of.”
“Ah! There is such a thing?”
Wei Hao was astonished. He wasn’t really involved in his family’s smithing business and as such, he didn’t know that there was such a rule.
“Are you sure?”
“Un.”
Wang Chong nodded his head. After living an entire life, he had seen and experienced everything there was. Even though he only had the outer appearance of a fifteen-year-old, the things he knew wasn’t something Wei Hao could compare to.
Besides, during the catastrophe in the previous world, he came into contact with a swordsmithing elder and through him, he understood many of the rules within the industry.
“That isn’t good, they must be misunderstanding the matter. I need to hurry down and explain it to them.”
Wei Hao panicked.
“There’s no need to. There’s still some things I need them for.”
Holding the cap of the teacup, Wang Chong said calmly.
“Ah?”
Wei Hao was taken aback. Staring at Wang Chong blankly, his head wasn’t able to comprehend what was going on.
In the short duration which Wei Hao was blank-headed, the Cheng, Huang, and Lu Clan had already arrived at the door of the Bluebottle Pavilion. Raising their heads, they glanced at the sword hung at the top of the pavilion covered in a black cloth.
“Hmph, since you’re here to sell swords, isn’t anyone going to welcome us?”
A slightly broad shouldered plump man which exuded a domineering aura crossed his arms and glanced into the interiors of the pavilion. His words were sharp and carried the tone of ‘I’m here to cause trouble’.
“This master, do you want to buy the sword?”
Within the Bluebottle Pavilion, a black-clothed young waiter immediately rushed outward and asked subserviently.
“This is your sword?”
The plump man glanced at him. The Lu Clan, Huang Clan, and Cheng Clan waited with bated breaths for the answer of the waiter.
The plump man was Huang Jiao, and he was a member of the Huang Clan. In the prestigious swordsmithing clans, there were those who were responsible for forging swords, selling swords, as well as those who were responsible for settling external affairs and ruining the business of others. Of the latter, Huang Jiao was one of the most renowned figures.
Given the prosperity of the capital, there was often people who failed to follow the rules and came to the capital to compete with them. This kind of matters happened often.
In order to make such people comprehend the rules, as well as to guard their own profits, the Huang Clan, Cheng Clan, and Lu Clan had people playing roles similar to Huang Jiao’s.
“That’s not it, it is my master’s!”
“Oh, I heard that your clan is selling a sword for 600 gold taels each?”
Contempt could be seen on Huang Jiao’s face as he spoke. To be selling swords under the eyelids of the Huang Clan, Cheng Clan, and Lu Clan, the three great swordmaking clans in the capital, they were truly bold.
“Yes!”
The servant smiled subserviently with a lowered head.
“Fetch your sword down, I want to take a look!”
Huang Jiao said impatiently:
“If I’m contented with it, I might just buy your sword!”
The surrounding members of the Huang Clan, Cheng Clan, and Lu Clan looked on the sight with contempt. This was a common tactic used by the prestigious clans in the capital to deal with outsiders. By borrowing the weapons of the other party to take a look, they would use their might to smash it, break it, or shatter it. For a blacksmith’s sword to be destroyed before the eyes of so many people, it was truly a shameful sight.
This was called ruining the business of others!
In the field of swordsmithing, there was rarely anyone who could surpass the few prestigious smithing clans in the capital.
“I’m sorry, our sword isn’t available for viewing or touching! You’ll have to buy it first.”
The servant said with a smile as he bowed deeply.
“What? I can
’t see it? And not even touching it is allowed?”
“Un!”
In an instant, everyone from the three clans was immediately stunned. 600 gold taels was a humongous sum. It wasn’t silver or copper. Yet, to be unable to view or touch it, this was something unheard of in the smithing industry!
When they came over, they didn’t expect that it would be true.
“Are you sure that I can’t even view or touch it?”
Huang Jiao asked once more. He couldn’t believe his ears. Everyone tried all means to put their swords in the center of everyone’s attention, flaunting it before everyone else.
Yet, this fellow was selling such an expensive sword, but refused to let anyone view or touch it.
“Yes.”
The servant’s voice remained calm.
“Who’s your master? Bring your master out! I would like to take a look what kind of sword it is, to be so arrogant as to not allow anyone view or touch it.”
Huang Jiao was infuriated.
“I don’t know!” The servant’s voice went stiff, as though a stone was stuck in his throat.
“You don’t know? What do you mean?”
Huang Jiao was taken aback. The next instant, he sneered furiously:
“Do you not know where your master is, or do you not know who your master is?”
“I do not know who my master is.”
The servant’s reply broke all expectations of everyone here. Huang Jiao, as well as the others, were flabbergasted.
“Bullshit! Who in the world wouldn’t know who their master is!”
Huang Jiao flew into a rage.
“Fine, if you refuse to reveal it, then I won’t pressure you. Let me ask you then, what’s so great about the sword your clan is selling? On what basis do you dare to label it with the price of 600 gold taels?”
“I don’t know!”
“What about the material? What ore is it made of? Do you not know that as well?”
“I don’t know!”
“Then, how sharp is it? How many inches of metal can it cut through?”
“I don’t know!”
…
The servant’s answer was consistently an ‘I don’t know’. His answer was under the commands of Wang Chong. Other than the fact that the sword cost 600 gold taels each and no one was allowed to view or touch it, he didn’t need to answer any other questions.