The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 073 The Cunning And Crafty Wang Zifeng
Baibao Pavilion bought three shops in one go on Zhengyangmen Street and connected them to form a large market. Customers enter from the front door, and after walking around, they can see numerous counters. These counters are different from the long ones in ordinary shops, as they are short and small cabinets. Behind each cabinet stands a person, and when customers walk by and hand over their baskets, the employee immediately starts calculating the bill.
The abacus clatters, and in no time, the bill is ready.
"One string and three coins in total. Respected customer, if you worry I may have miscalculated, you can check at the back counter. If there's a mistake, and we've overcharged you, we'll pay you back double."
Hearing this, the elderly scholar was surprised and said, "Is there such a good deal?"
Without delay, the scholar, holding his goods, went straight to the long counter at the back to verify the price. The employee handed him a price list, and after calculating for a long time, the scholar sighed, "Indeed, no mistake. How come you didn’t calculate wrongly for me?"
The employee laughed and said, "Respected customer, would you like to see this? Today is the grand opening of Baibao Pavilion, and becoming a valued customer means you get a discount."
"Valued customer? What's that?"
The employee began explaining.
For the first three days after Baibao Pavilion’s opening, every customer only needs to spend half a string of coins to become a valued customer for half a year. Valued customers get discounts on many items when shopping and receive small gifts during holidays. Every customer who verifies their prices at the long counter is recommended by the employee to spend money to become a valued customer.
The elderly scholar hesitated at first, but seeing a butcher beside him buy the valued customer membership, he said, “Alright, I’ll get one too!”
On the first day of Baibao Pavilion's opening, the people of Shengjing were truly amazed.
A general goods shop could operate like this!
No, this was not just a general goods shop—there was no such all-encompassing general goods shop in the world.
Those who bought goods at Baibao Pavilion bragged about its benefits to others after leaving.
“You didn’t see it, but it was packed with people! Baibao Pavilion is like a vast world with everything inside! Famous pastries from Gusu, fur coats beloved by the Liao people, goods from all over the country. Once you go in, you’ll be dazzled and won’t want to leave! It is truly remarkable!”
“Is it really as amazing as you say?”
“Why don’t you go and see for yourself?”
“Then I will!”
More and more people flooded into Baibao Pavilion.
At first, Tang Shen asked Shopkeeper Lu to hire more than eighty employees, and Shopkeeper Lu thought it might be too many. But by the end of the day, let alone eighty, Shopkeeper Lu was already considering whether hiring a hundred would be enough!
Shengjing was the capital of the Song Dynasty and the hub of roads connecting the north and south. To the south was the Grand Canal, which led all the way to Qiantang; to the north, transportation had been inconvenient, but with the construction of three new official roads, travel became much smoother.
The Grand Canal was built by an emperor of the previous dynasty and had already existed for hundreds of years. The three official roads, on the other hand, were constructed just last year under Zhao Fu’s orders. On the surface, Zhao Fu claimed they were for facilitating trade between the Song Dynasty and the Liao State, but the real purpose was to prepare in advance for potential war between the two nations. Many noticed how travel to the north became more convenient, but they didn’t realize that combining the northern roads with the southern Grand Canal placed Shengjing at the center, turning it into an excellent hub for trade!
With improved transportation came not only more people from other regions but also the rise of large-scale commercial centers and supermarkets, which would be very common in the modern world.
At nightfall, Baibao Pavilion closed its doors. After Shopkeeper Lu finished speaking with the employees, he headed to the back room.
Shopkeeper Lu's face was beaming, so much so that it seemed he could hardly contain his joy, as if the word "happy" could be stamped on his forehead. Upon seeing Tang Shen, he respectfully bowed deeply and said, “Brilliant, truly brilliant! Little boss, just as you said, Baibao Pavilion's business is different from other shops. While others are busiest during their grand opening, we will only get busier as time goes on. Eighty employees aren’t enough; tomorrow, I’ll go to the labor market and hire twenty more!”
Tang Shen had just returned from the government office after finishing his duties at the palace. Though he hadn’t personally witnessed the grand opening, he could imagine the scene from the delighted expressions of Shopkeeper Lu, Accountant Lin, and Tang Huang. He asked, "How was business today?"
Shoppkeeper Lu began reporting the earnings.
“…After deducting all expenses, Baibao Pavilion made a profit of one thousand and sixty-two taels today alone!”
This figure, excluding costs and other fees, represented pure profit. The enormous amount surprised even Tang Shen, who silently mused, "The people of Shengjing are indeed wealthier than those of Jinling and Gusu!"
Tang Shen said, “Be prepared. Tomorrow may be even busier.”
Shopkeeper Lu laughed with joy and said, “You can rest assured!”
Baibao Pavilion was likely to be busiest in its first few days, but after all, it was a supermarket. Shengjing had a population of over two million, and it wasn’t possible for every single one of them to shop at Baibao Pavilion. Those who did wouldn’t need to shop again for a while. However, Tang Shen estimated that the daily minimum net profit would still be around five hundred taels.
Rather than Baibao Pavilion, it was more like a treasure bowl that kept accumulating wealth.
Shopkeeper Lu said, “I’ll check the accounts tonight and deliver the ledger to your home. Little boss, you can go over it carefully and let me know if anything seems off.”
Tang Shen replied, “No need for that.”
Shopkeeper Lu was taken aback and stared blankly at Tang Shen. “What do you mean by that…?”
Tang Shen glanced at the astonished faces of Tang Huang and Accountant Lin, then smiled and said, “When we opened Xixia Tower, didn’t you have the same thoughts? After all, I’m a government official, having reached the fourth rank in the court, and I even have to attend the morning assembly. I don’t have that much time to manage the Tang family’s businesses. Shopkeeper Lu, we’ve known each other since Gusu, where you were the manager of Xixia Tower. It’s been four years now, hasn’t it?”
Shopkeeper Lu finally understood Tang Shen’s intention. Though thrilled, he suppressed his excitement and calmly said, “Little boss, it’s my great fortune to work for you. Four years ago, I never would have imagined that I could have such luck.”
“We’re already so familiar with each other, so there’s no need for formalities. From now on, Shopkeeper Lu, you’ll be the chief manager of the Tang family’s businesses. Every seven days, deliver the ledger to Tang Huang.”
Hearing her name mentioned unexpectedly, Tang Huang looked at Tang Shen in surprise. “Brother?”
Tang Shen raised an eyebrow and said, “Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted? Did you really think I didn’t know about you secretly burning candles at night to tally the accounts?”
“Brother!”
“From now on, bring me the annual accounts at the end of each year for review.”
“Yes!”
The Tang family now had four major businesses:
The production of soap, scented soap, and essential oils in partnership with outsiders; Xixia Tower, which specializes in boxiagong; the ancient-style supermarket Baibao Pavilion; and Tang's Logistics, run by Yao San, delivering goods for Baibao Pavilion across the north and south!
Leaving Baibao Pavilion, Tang Shen looked up at the vast night sky.
In the darkness, countless stars twinkled, and the bright moon shone.
For a moment, he seemed to see a broad avenue unfolding before many people. His role was to point the way for Tang Huang and Shopkeeper Lu, but the ultimate success of the Tang family’s businesses would rely not only on him but on everyone contributing behind the scenes.
But as for the future, that would come in its own time.
When Tang Shen returned home and finished washing up, he was about to go to bed when he suddenly remembered something and hurried to Tang Huang’s room. After knocking and entering, he was surprised to see Tang Huang still poring over the accounts.
Tang Huang said, "Today's accounts haven’t been reconciled yet."
Tang Shen picked up one of the account books and flipped through it. Although he had an eidetic memory and quickly absorbed its contents, he found the numbers dizzying. Tang Shen said, "Don't you find this extremely tedious and boring?"
"How could I? This is making money! It’s fascinating!"
Tang Shen: "..."
It’s true that everyone has their own passions. No matter how much Tang Huang had changed over the years, her love for money had remained constant.
Tang Shen asked, "Have you had the items I mentioned a few days ago printed at the publishing house?"
Tang Huang paused, thought for a moment, and then realized what Tang Shen was referring to. "Brother, don’t worry. I’ve been keeping an eye on it, and everything’s going smoothly."
He still wanted to remind his younger sister of a few more things, but seeing Tang Huang’s excited and joyful expression, Tang Shen suddenly felt that his sister had truly grown up. Perhaps as an older brother, it wasn’t necessary to hold on too tightly. He needed to learn to trust others and let go.
“Get some sleep early!”
“Okay.”
The next morning, in Chongzheng Hall.
Before dawn, the officials were waiting for court to begin in the Chongzheng Hall.
Tang Shen was a fourth-rank official, so he had to wait in the right wing of Chongzheng Hall. The hall was filled with chairs, but there were so many fourth-rank officials that many of them had no choice but to stand. Naturally, they were unaware that just on the other side of the wall, in the main room of Chongzheng Hall, the first and second-rank officials of the Song Dynasty were leisurely sipping tea while sitting on chairs made of yellow rosewood.
The tea on the table was the finest Mingqian Longjing, shipped from Jiangnan earlier this year.
Zhao Fu showed the utmost care for the powerful officials of the court, leaving no room for complaints.
Wang Zhen picked up his cup and used the lid to stir the fragrant steam before taking a gentle sip. Not far from him, the Minister of Rites, Meng Lang, chuckled softly and leaned in closer to Wang Zhen, saying, “Wang daren, did you know a new shop opened yesterday on Zhengyangmen Street?”
Wang Zhen raised his eyes, gave him a calm glance, and smiled faintly. “I didn’t expect that Meng daren, as the Minister of Rites, would be more concerned about the shops in Shengjing than I, the Minister of Revenue. Meng daren, working tirelessly for the country, even paying attention to the nation’s finances and taxation despite being the Minister of Rites, is truly a role model for us all, worthy of admiration.”
Meng Lang: “...”
The powerful officials of the court all had thick skins like seasoned actors, but even among them, there were varying levels of skill.
Meng Lang knew that when it came to a battle of wits, he couldn’t compete with the cunning Wang Zifeng. So, he cut straight to the point, “Yesterday, as I was being carried home in my sedan chair, I passed by this new shop. I noticed the signboard had three characters written on it. The handwriting was elegant, graceful, and exuded an aura of nobility. Such fine calligraphy is rare in this world, so I had to stop and take a closer look. Wang daren, can you guess what I discovered?”
Wang Zhen: “Oh? What?”
“It turned out to be your calligraphy, Wang daren!”
Wang Zhen, touched, said, “I never imagined that Meng daren cares so much about me, able to recognize my handwriting from just three characters.”
Meng Lang: “...Wang Zifeng, I was just joking. How are you so dull?”
Wang Zhen set down his cup and suddenly stood, straightening his official robes. “It’s time for court.”
The next moment, the chief eunuch of ceremonies entered the hall and announced, “Ministers, it is time for court.”
Meng Lang: “...”
Wang Zifeng was truly the most boring person alive!
After court, Tang Shen followed the group of officials out of the palace. Suddenly, he thought he heard someone calling his name. He turned around in a daze, only to see Wang Zhen standing not far away, smiling at him and saying, “Jing Ze, why don’t we walk together?”
Surrounded by a crowd of elderly men with white hair and wrinkled faces, Wang Zhen, dressed in a deep red official robe, looked like an immortal who had descended into the mortal world. The contrast was so striking that Tang Shen froze for a moment before hurrying over. By the time he came to his senses, he found himself walking side by side with Wang Zhen, heading towards Qinzheng Hall.
Wang Zhen’s voice was gentle: “What is exactly is Baibao Pavilion?”
Tang Shen was surprised. “Hasn’t Senior Brother been there?”
“No. These past few days have been too busy with official duties.”
Tang Shen wanted to explain, but as he was about to speak, he felt it would be too troublesome. After thinking for a moment, he said, “How about after work today, I’ll take Senior Brother to see it, and then you’ll understand.”
Wang Zhen gave Tang Shen a meaningful look and said, “Then I’ll follow your lead.”
AN: Forty-three-year-old Minister Meng: What a crafty old fox, Wang Zifeng!