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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

nSee, didn’t I manage to find a loophole even in the well-guarded treasure house and obtain information crucial to the treasure house’s survival? The head of the commercial firm thought.

nThe face of the manager of the treasure house looked gray and defeated. The head of the commercial firm patted him on the shoulder and said, “Don’t be discouraged, good days are coming. Based on what we have previously discussed, steal the Colored Glass of the Heavenly Palace and sell it to me at 30% of the original price, and all the money will be yours…”

nThe manager of the treasure house was somewhat hesitant. “After betraying my boss this time round, he probably won’t put up with my existence anymore… Only 30%…”

nThe head of the commercial firm said, “There still are almost two thousand pieces of the Colored Glass of the Heavenly Palace with Gu Xin. Do you know what a huge sum of money you will get by selling them at 30% of the original price? Other than my commercial firm, who can buy all of it in one go? The money you will receive is far more than the money Gu Xin has earned. All the money will be yours in the future! It’s like you alone are getting a free lunch, and you will have more wealth than a nation has in the future!”

nThe manager of the treasure house was convinced. Hesitation and then intense greed flashed across his face, making the head of the commercial firm very satisfied.

nAfter a while, the manager gritted his teeth and said, “Alright, I agree. However, despite having so much money, I probably won’t have the chance to enjoy it before I die…”

nThe head of the commercial firm smiled and said, “Well, I can lend you some men and escort you out of the northern kingdom safely. But it won’t do if you want to buy slaves and horses. Recently, the two businesses have been strictly supervised by the higher-ups. Slaves and horses can only be sold to the citizens of the northern kingdom and no foreigner may purchase them.”

nThe manager replied, “Then — can you buy sheepskin for me?”

nThe head of the commercial firm had heard that Gu Xin often acquired sheepskin from each merchant, and while not many were bought each time, the total number was very large when added up.

nHe asked with fake puzzlement, “Sheepskin smells too strong and it can’t be made into clothes, how can you profit from it?”

nThe manager snickered and replied, “Gu Xin sold the sheepskin at a high price to the people of Nansheng and the barbarians of the four factions of Nanman. With the sheepskin, he made a huge amount of money last winter… Such an animal that engages in war profiteering is truly despicable.”

nThe head of the commercial firm raised an eyebrow and snickered. “Business is business, it’s good business as long as you can earn money from it, who cares if it’s war profiteering…”

nThe manager of the treasure house was convinced by the head of the commercial firm, and nodded with a defeated expression.

nThe head of the commercial firm said, “You can rest assured about the sheepskin, I will arrange it properly for you. Every household has something like 100 pieces of sheepskin saved up and we can obtain tens of thousands of pieces easily. Let’s set a time and I’ll pass you everything then, as many as you want.”

nThe people in the northern kingdom reared horses and sheep and every household had quite a lot of cattle, sheep, and horses. The sheep’s fleece grew at a crazy rate in the winter and the trimmed wool was useless. It was too smelly to even be used as fuel.

nWith someone buying it at the moment, even though the price was very low, it was better than nothing. It could be considered to be creating side income for the people of the northern kingdom, albeit barely.

nTo counter the foreign businesses, the royal court of the northern kingdom established various commercial firms according to the suggestion of the “wise men”. The commercial firms then formed alliances with each other. A single firm was incapable of swallowing up the Colored Glass of the Heavenly Palace in the hands of Gu Xin in one go, as it couldn’t possibly have so much money. Therefore, he must unite the firms to purchase the goods together.

nThe land in the northern kingdom was not suitable for farming, but it was rich in mineral resources. It produced various gemstones, gold, silver, jade, and spices. The value of the goods was less than half of that in Dongqing. In comparison, copper and iron were more valued than gold and silver jewelry.

nIf we exchange the Colored Glass of the Heavenly Kingdom for gold and silver jewelry, the commercial firms of the northern kingdom will make a big profit and the final profit will be more than nine times the sum invested! The head of the firm thought.

nWith such great temptation in mind, he naturally wanted the transaction done sooner rather than later.

nSeizing the opportunity while Guxin traveled to other countries for business purposes and was unable to oversee his business in the northern kingdom, the manager of the treasure house stole the Colored Glass of the Heavenly Kingdom in batches. He sold them to the commercial firms of the northern kingdom at a low price of 30% of the original price, in exchange for a large amount of gold, silver, jewelry, sheepskin, and wool.

nThe manager of the treasure house was also a cautious person and he made sure that nothing was out of place. The head of the commercial firm couldn’t help but lament that the manager Gu Xin had trained was indeed competent and had a similar working style… It’s a pity that the man betrayed him, I wonder if Guxin will vomit blood out of anger upon seeing the empty treasure house when he comes back.

nThinking of the wonderful scene, the head of the firm couldn’t help but smile so wide that he squinted his eyes.

nIn the end, the manager of the treasure house faked Gu Xin’s personal order and closed the treasure house down along with its other branches in the northern kingdom. He left the northern kingdom with the old employees of the treasure house, heading to Nansheng, bringing the gold and silver jewelry he had exchanged for the glass, as well as hundreds of thousands of sheepskins and wool with him.

nBefore leaving, the manager of the treasure house asked the head of the commercial firm privately about whether he could secretly sell some horses to him.

nThe head of the firm said, “Haven’t I said it before, the higher-ups are closely supervising business in this aspect, I can’t sell you horses.”

nThe manager said, “You also said that business is business, you can earn money from the transaction, so why not do it?”

nThe head of the firm just smiled and said nothing.

nThe manager did not give up. He persistently asked about the purebred horses the northern kingdom was famous for, and the head of the firm was getting impatient.

nThe head of the firm said, “If you want to buy horses, you can ask the horse merchants of Shalan. They just presented a dozen Ferghana horses to the royal court. I heard that the horses are very precious and they are better than even the best horses of the northern kingdom. But it’s a pity that four of them died on the way here… The horses they sell are expensive alright, but they are truly rare horses of a legendary quality…”

nThe manager asked in surprise, “Where is Shalan?”

nThe head of the firm said, “I don’t know either, but it is far, far away. I heard that they only have spring and summer all year round and the weather is very dry and hot. The people there are so tanned they looked like black charcoal. After the sun sets, you can’t see them. I heard that they are slow-witted and dumb but physically strong.”

nThe manager acknowledged his words and seemed interested.

nThe head of the firm didn’t mind acting as a go-between for the two parties either. The manager took the opportunity to go take a look at the Ferghana horses from Shalan, and they were indeed extraordinary.

nIt was just that…

n“Why… do they look somewhat low-spirited…” the manager asked.

nWith an indifferent expression, the head of the firm said, “I heard that they have been on the road for more than six months. Even people can’t stand it, not to mention horses. They’ll be fine after resting for a while. If you want to buy horses, you can talk to the head of the merchants of Shalan. If the price is alright, maybe he can sell you one.”

nHumans also face problems acclimatizing to a new environment, and the same goes for horses. They just need some rest. Such was the case in the past, so the head of the firm did not really care.

nThe manager of the treasure house asked about the price and was immediately dissuaded. The horses were of a high quality, but a high quality Ferghana horse cost five or six hundred thousand strings of coins, who could possibly afford it?

nEvery year, the northern kingdom would buy horses from Shalan. Naturally, the horses were not for people to ride. The motive behind the purchase was to breed the Ferghana horses of Shalan with the local horses of excellent quality in order to cultivate war horses of better quality. With such a consideration in mind, the price was actually reasonable as high-quality stallions were not easy to find.

nSeeing that the manager was dissuaded by the price, the head of the firm secretly laughed. “How is money still a concern for you? It is not easy to get a Ferghana horse of excellent quality. You might not have the opportunity another time.”

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