binnovel Chapter 490 Cooperation with Bapu
Chapter 490 Cooperation with Bapu
After returning to the princess's residence, Ying Wuyou rested briefly before immediately dispatching a servant to Bapu's residence to convey her wish to see him.
After receiving the summons from the princess's residence, Bapu couldn't help but feel a surge of doubt and curiosity. He pondered to himself what Princess Jiayang wanted to see him about, but after racking his brains all the way there, he still had no clue.
Just as Bapu was still deep in thought, the carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the vermilion gate of the princess's residence. He composed himself, straightened his court robes that symbolized his rank of Fifth Grade Official, and then stepped down from the carriage with steady steps.
Standing before the princess's residence, Bapu gazed up at the magnificent yet elegant mansion, a sense of awe rising within him. At the same time, however, his brow furrowed slightly. Although he had recently frequented the circles of power and wealth in Xianyang, he had never set foot in this princess's residence before.
Princess Jiayang's sudden summons today deepened Bapu's suspicions. He couldn't help but wonder if the princess had something important to discuss, or if it was just an ordinary meeting.
"Lord Ba, please come in." The maid leading the way curtsied softly. Ba Pu composed himself, straightened his clothes, and stepped into the mansion. Passing through winding corridors and around a pond of blooming water lilies, he finally arrived at an elegant hall called "Tingzhu Pavilion".
Upon entering the hall, Ba Pu immediately spotted Princess Jiayang, Ying Wuyou, seated beside him. Hearing footsteps, Ying Wuyou turned around and saw Ba Pu, offering a gentle smile: "Lord Ba, you've arrived. Please have a seat."
Ba Pu dared not be negligent and immediately bowed respectfully, his movements meticulous: "Your subject Ba Pu greets Your Highness Princess Jiayang." His voice was clear and melodious, carrying the gentle warmth unique to people from Sichuan, yet also possessing a touch of competence due to years of managing businesses.
“No need for formalities.” Ying Wuyou raised her hand to indicate, her gaze falling on him with a hint of scrutiny, but mostly peaceful. “Cui’er, serve tea to Lord Ba.”
Cui'er, who was standing to the side, responded and turned around to pick up a celadon teapot from a small table in the corner. She poured a cup of emerald-green tea and handed it to Ba Pu. The tea leaves unfurled in the water, raising a layer of fine white foam. The aroma was as refreshing as the mountain mist after rain, instantly dispelling the heat he had felt on his journey.
Ba Pu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his eyes widened suddenly. The tea was sweet and mellow on the palate, and after swallowing, a subtle sweetness lingered in his throat, leaving a long aftertaste. He suddenly remembered a rumor he had heard in the caravan a while ago—Princess Jiayang had discovered a type of tea in the southern mountains. Its leaves were delicate and needed to be slowly brewed with spring water over a low flame. The yield was extremely limited, and apart from the Prince of Qin and a few high-ranking officials of the royal family, almost no one had ever seen it.
"This...this could be 'tea'?" Bapu put down his teacup, his tone filled with undisguised surprise. "I am truly flattered to have such fine tea."
Ying Wuyou smiled, tapping the table lightly with his fingertips: "It's just some wild tea I found by chance, Lord Ba, you don't need to worry about it. Speaking of which, Lord Ba and I are old acquaintances."
She paused, her gaze drifting to the window as if lost in memories. "Three years ago, when I was in charge of repairing the cement road outside Xianyang and raising funds, it was you who donated 60,000 taels of silver, which made more hesitant merchants willing to donate generously."
Upon hearing this, Ba Pu quickly bowed, his expression becoming even more humble: "Your Highness is too kind. Road construction is a major undertaking that benefits the country and its people. The merchants of Shu are able to achieve what they have today entirely thanks to the protection of the laws of Qin. I have only done my humble part. Moreover, Your Highness has already inscribed my name on the merit tablet. This honor is already a great honor for the Ba family."
He was telling the truth. When the cement road outside Xianyang was completed, Ying Wuyou specially had a stone tablet erected at the pass, inscribing the names of all the merchants who donated. The Ba family's name was prominently listed, which further solidified the Ba family's reputation in Sichuan.
Looking at his composed demeanor, Ying Wuyou secretly nodded in approval. Ba Qing had raised his adopted son well; he possessed both the shrewdness of a merchant and the integrity of a subject. She suppressed her smile and said in a slightly somber tone, "Lord Ba, I have indeed invited you here today to discuss something."
Ba Pu's heart skipped a beat, and he straightened his posture: "Your Highness, please speak. I will do my utmost."
"I've heard that the iron mines around Linqiong in Shu have recently produced a lot of refined iron?" Ying Wuyou picked up his teacup, gently blew away the foam, but his gaze fell on his face.
Ba Pu was taken aback, clearly not expecting this matter to be brought up. The Ba family had been merchants in Shu for generations, only recently venturing into iron mining. Although this matter wasn't exactly a secret, it was still rare for high-ranking officials to inquire about it. He pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, the Linqiong iron mine does indeed produce refined iron, which is tough and excellent for forging weapons or agricultural tools. My mother often says that Great Qin is currently in dire need of manpower. If the court requires it, the Ba family is willing to donate 30% of the refined iron produced this year to aid military supplies."
He assumed Ying Wuyou had come for military supplies, given the frequent clashes with the Xiongnu in the north in recent years, which had resulted in significant losses of weaponry. However, Ying Wuyou simply shook his head upon hearing this.
"Lord Ba, you misunderstand." She put down her teacup, her eyes clear as a cold pool. "I don't want your donation, but rather I want to do business with you—cooperate. But there is one condition that must be made clear beforehand: not a single grain or shaving of the refined iron produced in Linqiong can flow into the former territories of the Six Kingdoms, and no other vassal state can be allowed to touch it."
"Cooperation?" Bapu was genuinely surprised this time, looking up at Ying Wuyou with a puzzled expression. Royal procurement was always directly supervised by the Zongfan Si (Imperial Secretariat), either purchased at a price or requisitioned. When had there ever been any talk of "cooperation"? And the phrase "refined iron must never flow into the lands of the feudal lords" gave him a shock—it seemed that the princess valued this refined iron far more than he had expected.
Seeing this, Ying Wuyou explained in detail: "The imperial court plans to set up an official ironworks in Linqiong, with craftsmen sent by the Ministry of Works to guide the forging of objects using the refined iron from your family's iron mine. Your Ba family will provide the mine and the site, while the imperial court will provide the technology and manpower. All the ironware produced must be uniformly allocated by the Qin government."
She paused, then tapped her fingertips lightly on the table: "Seventy percent of it will be used to forge military equipment, which will go directly into the national treasury and be managed by the Ministry of War; the remaining thirty percent will be used to forge agricultural tools, which will be purchased by the Ministry of Revenue at market price and distributed to Guanzhong, Shu, and other counties that have been fully incorporated into the Qin Dynasty, specifically for the people to cultivate and work."
"As for profits," Ying Wuyou looked up at Bapu, his gaze frank, "the imperial court settles the ore payment with the Ba family based on the monthly iron ore production, plus a 30% share of the ironworks' profits. In this way, the Ba family doesn't have to bear the risk of sales and can still reap a stable income. What do you think?"
Ba Pu's heart skipped a beat. The idea of a government-run ironworks partnering with merchants was unheard of; how could the imperial court be willing to share the profits? He had initially thought the princess intended to use the partnership as a pretext for a monopoly, but now it sounded like a sure-fire way to make money for the Ba family.
In particular, the phrase "refined iron shall not flow into the lands of the feudal lords" seemed to restrict the sales channels, but it also avoided the risk of going against the laws of the court. Everyone knew that the Qin Dynasty had extremely strict control over strategic materials, and selling refined iron to the feudal lords was tantamount to colluding with the enemy.
“Your Highness, this…” Ba Pu was speechless for a moment, his fingers trembling slightly with excitement, “Such generous treatment, what merit does the Ba family have? But…why restrict the ironware to the territory under the rule of the Great Qin?” He finally couldn’t suppress his curiosity and asked.