Shan Ke’an was the first to get anxious. Wasn’t this whole shipload of goods meant to be sold? Why did it suddenly sound like that wasn’t the case?

But he wasn’t a fool. When he met Wenheng’s calm, impassive gaze, he silently held his tongue.

"Are you all trying to make things difficult for me?" Bai Jinglie shot a cool glance at Wenheng. ’For that thirty percent profit, I really put in a lot of effort today,’ he thought. ’Looks like we’ll have to have another good talk next time. This sacrifice is a bit much.’

Wenheng simply remained a silent observer, even having the leisure to mentally critique which of the actors planted in the crowd were giving a subpar performance.

"Young Master, we aren’t asking for much! Just give us a small cut, even ten percent, and we will be eternally grateful."

Bai Jinglie mulled it over for a moment. "Fine. Ten percent isn’t enough to divide among so many of you anyway. I can give you half of the goods. However, this is a one-time offer. It won’t happen again."

"The Princely Heir is truly magnanimous!" A few of the Shopkeepers standing nearby immediately beamed, spouting endless flattery in hopes of getting a larger share later.

"But, about the price...?" Merchants chase profit. Once they got what they wanted, the next step was to discuss the financial details.

Bai Jinglie said, "I’ll have Ye Yi sell them to you at our purchase price plus a five percent markup. After all, we also took on some risk transporting them from so far away."

Hearing this, the Shopkeepers and merchants actually breathed a sigh of relief. From the sound of it, the Young Master was indeed taking a loss.

Everyone expressed another round of profuse gratitude before quickly surrounding Ye San. Compared to the cold-faced Ye Yi, this expressive young man was much more approachable.

Ye Yi was speechless.

"Brother Wen Heng, if you weren’t set on the path of the imperial examinations, you could easily become a tycoon in your own right." Shan Ke’an’s face was filled with admiration after hearing from Ye San that Wenheng had orchestrated everything.

"Brother Shan, watch your words," Lu Ping said, pulling him back. ’Pursuing the examinations and doing business are two completely different things. How can you lump them together?’

Wenheng just smiled, unconcerned. From a thick stack of silver notes in front of him, he counted out Bai Jinglie’s share.

He then counted out a few more and stuffed them into Ye San’s hand. "This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please treat the brothers to a good meal and drinks."

Ye San glanced at Bai Jinglie, and only after seeing him give a slight nod did he break into a smile. "Thank you, Scholar Gu! The brothers have hit another windfall."

"It’s well-deserved. Without everyone’s cooperation, today wouldn’t have gone so smoothly." Wenheng hadn’t expected to exceed his own projections. ’And this kid in front of me is a crafty one,’ he thought. ’He actually added another ten percent on top of our original pricing. We’ve really raked it in today.’

Bai Jinglie casually handed the silver notes to Ye Yi behind him. "Brother Wen Heng, I doubt this is a one-time deal, is it? I wonder when we can expect another opportunity like this?"

After all, the profit from this single venture was comparable to the annual income from the inheritance his mother had left him.

Thinking of those Shopkeepers who could only stick to their storefronts, Bai Jinglie wished he could make them learn a thing or two from Wenheng. Even something as simple as selling goods could be turned into such an elaborate play in his hands.

Wenheng naturally understood the principle of supply and demand—that a rare commodity is valuable, and an overabundance makes it worthless.

"We’ll have to wait a while. After all, these things aren’t easy to produce. The process is quite troublesome."

Although Bai Jinglie had lent Wenheng the entire site, the latter had used his own purchased staff. The true secret recipe remained in Wenheng’s hands. Bai Jinglie only knew they had been tinkering away in there for a long time, but he didn’t know the specific procedures.

"You’ve given away all the goods, leaving my side empty. Surely you don’t expect my men to make a trip to Shangjing with empty carts?"

They had claimed to give the merchants half the goods, but in reality, the other half of the crates were empty. It meant they had sold out the entire shipload today.

Bai Jinglie said this because he understood just how astonishing the profits were. Although they had already made a good sum here, who wouldn’t want to have more aces up their sleeve?

Wenheng replied, "Young Master, you worry too much. I’ve already set aside your share of the goods. While the quantity isn’t as large as what was on the ship, it’s the largest supply I can provide."

Ye San blurted out, "What about the cost price?"

Bai Jinglie coughed dryly and shot Ye San a fierce glare. ’I knew I shouldn’t have let this guy manage those shops,’ he thought. ’He’s more anxious about every little detail than I, his master, am.’

Ye San scratched his head. "I was just afraid that with so many goods being released, we wouldn’t be able to seize the market advantage."

Wenheng was speechless. ’Who would believe that? Everyone knows that a huge supply of goods is about to be shipped to Shangjing. Who would be foolish enough to go head-to-head with that?’

"The cost price will naturally be the same as everyone else’s," Bai Jinglie said. He wanted to continue their partnership in the future, so he naturally had to act generously.

Wenheng dipped his finger in his tea and wrote two sets of numbers on the table. "It will take another two days to prepare the goods. Should I have them delivered directly to your residence then?"

A flash of pleasant surprise crossed Ye San’s eyes, and he stared at Bai Jinglie, his eyes shining.

Bai Jinglie knew Wenheng was giving him a better deal. He readily agreed, "We’ll do as Wenheng says. In the future, if you ever need my help, I will not refuse."

With his business concluded, Wenheng didn’t linger. He bid farewell to Bai Jinglie and the others and departed.

Shan Ke’an watched his departing figure with envy. "That Wenheng fellow is really sharp. I never knew earning Silver could be so thrilling.

Cousin, how much Silver do you think he made this time?"

Bai Jinglie shot him a look. His own thirty-percent cut amounted to tens of thousands of Silver Taels; it was clear the kid had earned a fortune.

"If you’re so envious, why don’t you try to learn from him?"

Shan Ke’an replied, "Cousin, now you’re just making fun of me. Even if I had his skills and held such a secret recipe, I wouldn’t have his brains to sell off all the goods in an instant."

Bai Jinglie said, "It’s good that you know your own limits. They say you are who you surround yourself with. You should follow Wenheng around and learn a thing or two. If you had even a tenth of his ability, you wouldn’t have to worry about your future."

At this, Bai Jinglie turned to Lu Ping, who had been standing by like a part of the scenery. "That goes for you, too. Wenheng is someone to befriend, not someone to plot against."

Lu Ping was speechless. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Shan Ke’an said, "Oh, right, Cousin. Earlier, Ye San made that soap and glass sound absolutely miraculous. Are they really that good?"

Bai Jinglie couldn’t even be bothered to answer him. He stood up, preparing to head back directly.

"Cousin, you haven’t told me yet!"

Ye San said, "Young Master Shan, I wasn’t exaggerating at all. That stuff really is that good. Besides, people aren’t stupid. They wouldn’t spend so much Silver on something useless."

"So you all knew beforehand."

Hearing Shan Ke’an’s naive question, Ye San almost burst out laughing. But remembering the man’s status, he dug his nails into his palm and held it in.