The three little beauties are very happy today.
Empress Zhou is two months younger than Chongzhen and is seventeen years old this year. Concubine Tian and Concubine Yuan are both fifteen years old.
This is the first time that their husband, His Majesty the Ming Emperor, has bought something for them.
And it’s such a delicious snack.
What little girl doesn’t love snacks?
Your Majesty bought a total of twenty kilograms, enough to feed a section of food.
After finishing a small bowl of popcorn, Queen Zhou couldn't help but ask: "Has Your Majesty left the palace today?"
"Yang Qing's Xinghe Supermarket opened today. I was a little tired from reviewing the memorials in the afternoon, so I went to check it out incognito."
"How's it going? Is the business going well?" Queen Zhou asked. She had just received 200,000 taels of silver from Yang Fan, and she also hoped that Yang Fan could earn it back as soon as possible.
"Queen, you didn't see it. It was a huge crowd of people. I have never seen such a good business."
"I have long heard Bingchan say that Yang Fan is very good at making money. It was Tao Zhugong who was still alive. His regiment has only a thousand people, but it costs more than 100,000 taels of silver a year."
"When he wanted to open a supermarket, he promised me that he would sell food at low prices to alleviate the food shortage problem in the capital. Today he is opening a supermarket, and I will go and take a look."
Queen Zhou knew the emperor's temperament and did not trust others easily. She had to see everything with her own eyes. Caution at best. To say the least, he was a bit suspicious.
She couldn't help but feel a little worried about Yang Fan. She knew the virtues of officials in the Ming Dynasty.
"When I took a look today, Yang Qing really did what he said. I asked about the price of everything and even bought a little. The price is absolutely true. It is indeed cheaper than outside. The cheapest thing is food."
"Grain is the most in-demand commodity right now. It's not easy to get. The landowners in the countryside are waiting for the price to rise. Yang Qianshi is actually willing to sell it at a low price. He is really a good person." Tian Guifei said.
Her family is a big landowner, so this kind of thing is well known.
"It's not just cheap. Although it's old grain, which is said to not be very tasty, it's real white rice and flour. Guess how much it costs per pound."
Concubine Yuan Guifei quickly replied: "I guess white rice costs four cents per catty and flour costs two cents per catty."
Concubine Tian rolled her eyes secretly. Concubine Yuan just likes to compete for favors and must show off everything in front of His Majesty.
She didn't dare to fight with the queen, so she targeted herself everywhere.
"You guessed wrong, guess again."
"Your Majesty, just tell me, okay?" Concubine Yuan shook Chongzhen's arm vigorously and acted coquettishly.
Queen Zhou would not pay attention to her, and it would be meaningless no matter how hard she tried in front of the Central Palace. It was Concubine Tian who looked angry.
"Hahaha, okay, let me tell you, white rice is one cent and five cents per load, flour is one cent and five cents per load, and the popcorn you eat is made of corn, which costs five cents and a load. There is also cooked corn. You can buy the ballast porridge and eat it as soon as it's hot, it costs one penny and five pounds."
Several people were dumbfounded.
This price is not worth the loss. That Yang Fan is not stupid no matter how you look at it, then how can he make money?
"This is not over yet. Fatty pork actually costs twenty cents per pound, which is half cheaper than outside. But other products are only slightly cheaper."
After hearing what the emperor said, Queen Zhou frowned, thought carefully for a while, and said, "This Yang Fan is really a business wizard. Xinghe Supermarket will definitely make a lot of money."
Empress Zhou was born into a family of merchants. Her father, Zhou Kui, had been in business for generations and knew the ropes of business very well.
Seeing that the emperor and the other two concubines were looking at her, Queen Zhou explained: "The secret of this method is that he does not intend to make money on food at all. Many restaurants open a dish that is particularly delicious. And the price is affordable, so you basically don’t make much money, but whoever goes to a restaurant and only orders one dish should buy something else. If you just bring people in, why don’t you worry that you won’t make any money?”
Chongzhen nodded repeatedly after hearing this. This is what is called when people gather and wealth gathers, and when people disperse, wealth disperses.
"He has everything there. It's very complete. You can buy everything you want at once, which is very convenient. They also provide small carts that you can push around slowly. Just hand the cart over when you go out. If you buy a lot, you can also There is a carriage that will deliver it to your home for free. It seems that he really has this idea." Chongzhen said.
"That's right, these measures are to stimulate you to buy more things. If this food is cheaper, you can earn back the rest." Queen Zhou said.
"Wang Banban, is the report from Dongchang here?"
"Your Majesty, here we come. These days, Yang Fan has sent many shopkeepers to the source of goods from other places to negotiate with landlords and workshop owners, asking them to deliver the goods. They don't give money at first, but they will pay after selling. They even ask the owners to hire their own assistants in the market. Sales. And the price is very low. If you use Yang Fan’s fleet to transport it, you still have to pay a fee."
Chongzhen was a little suspicious when he heard this. Could it be that Yang Fan used his trust to act recklessly and force the suppliers to buy and sell. If this harms the people, it is better to shut down his business as soon as possible.
Queen Zhou thought for a long time, and then asked: "Has Yang Fan ever used force?"
"In reply to my concubine, Yang Qian never used force, it was all done voluntarily." Wang Chengen replied.
Chongzhen didn't understand at all. How could people accept such harsh conditions without force?
Queen Zhou also fell into deep thought and tapped her fingers gently on the table.
After half a stick of incense, Queen Zhou's eyes lit up. He said: "Your Majesty, I understand. Yang Fan's confidence is the flow of customers. Today, tens of thousands of people came to his supermarket and bought a large amount of goods. The quantity is the quantity. His market is a piece of land, and in essence it is a store. Goods. The quantity sold there is dozens or even hundreds of times that of other stores.”
Seeing that Chongzhen and the others were listening carefully, Queen Zhou continued: "Those suppliers' goods will rot on the ground if they cannot be sold, but with Yang Fan, with such a large quantity, they can all be sold. Such an account Forget it, as long as the quantity is large, it’s a good deal for them. Because there is no such a good store in the world anymore.”
Chongzhen said doubtfully: "I understand this truth, but he wants to get the goods without paying for it, and he also asks others to pay for the help. Isn't it too much?"
"Your Majesty, please think about this problem differently. Are the suppliers afraid that Yang Fan will run away? They are definitely not afraid, because wherever the land is, a monk who can run away cannot run away from the temple. The shopkeepers are all his own, and his goods are still in his hands, right? , just split the money with Yang Fan when you sell it. As for the transportation money, it is the money you have to spend to sell your own goods to other places. "
A few people thought about it and it was indeed true. There was really no risk.
Only then did Chongzhen realize that apart from buying a good piece of land from himself, this guy was completely empty-handed. The goods belong to others, and the workers belong to others. They don’t pay a penny, but you get paid when you sell them. The price is still based on the purchase price from the place of origin.
The reason why he sells food so cheaply is to gather people. With enough popularity and traffic, he can continue to play later.
Wang Chengen continued: "Dongchang secretly reported that Yang Fan is still trying to set up a bank and provide loans to suppliers. It is called supporting partners."
Hey, this guy is going to wipe out these suppliers and tie them up with a chain of debt. From now on, good products can only be supplied to him, and other merchants will no longer be able to steal them from him.
Queen Zhou said at this time: "Your Majesty, the internal treasury is empty now, and there are many places to spend money. I am also a clever woman who cannot make a meal without rice. I want to get a share in Yang Fan. What do you think?"
Chongzhen was also very moved. Looking at Yang Fan's operation mode, this was a completely costless business and it was impossible not to make money. However, he was very hesitant in his heart. He had just received 200,000 taels from the inner treasury. Do he have to pay it back to Yang Fan?
Empress Zhou looked at the emperor's expression and understood his concerns, and said slowly: "I want to buy a share, but I have no money. As for what he can accept, we can talk about it."
