Chapter 24 Entering the palace early tomorrow morning
"Yes, it's this mirror!"
Facing the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuanjia naturally did not dare to hide anything, otherwise he would be guilty of deceiving the emperor in the future... Of course, there was no need to hide anything, because he also counted on the Emperor to do the glass and glass mirror business with him
, to protect future profits!
He, an idle prince, cannot protect this big business!
Maybe in Chang'an City, after all, no one should dare to offend him as a prince under the emperor's feet, but what about outside Chang'an City? Especially in the remote areas of the Tang Dynasty or even abroad, who would give him the face of the King of Han?
So if he is just satisfied with making a small fuss, there is no problem for Li Yuanjia to do it by himself. But if he wants to sell mirrors all over Europe like the Venetians a few hundred years later, and also sell them at a high price, then he must have
A strong and good teammate.
In this era, is there any better choice than Li Shimin?
So facing the emperor's inquiry, Li Yuanjia said calmly: "Second brother, this thing... you just said that women will not go crazy after seeing it? Do you think that if I sell it for a thousand dollars, will there be anyone?
purchase……"
"Ah? What did you say?"
Before he could finish speaking, Li Shimin's eyes widened and he exclaimed!
"Well……"
Seeing the emperor's shocked look, Li Yuanjia's mouth twitched, his expression slightly embarrassed.
And Li Shimin immediately discovered what was wrong with him, and he coughed twice slightly in embarrassment and said in a low voice: "Ahem, Shiyi, you... A thousand guans for a mirror is too expensive, isn't it? This
Aren’t things made of glass? A piece of glass that big costs only a hundred guan, but a mirror as small as that costs a thousand guan?”
"Second brother, you can't settle the account like this!"
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Li Yuanjia quickly explained: "Glass is glass, and a mirror is a mirror. There are many processes in between, which require a lot of manpower and a lot of time... Besides, the key to this is not to make it
How much a mirror can cost depends on how much others are willing to spend to buy a mirror, right?”
Li Yuanjia blinked, his face looked very innocent.
A thousand mirrors, isn't that an exaggeration?
Let’s not talk about the luxury goods in the future. A small bag can be sold for tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, which makes people marvel at the huge profits. Even in Europe a few hundred years later, Venetian merchants would dare to sell a mirror for hundreds of thousands of francs.
Calculating it this way, it is much crueler than myself!
"you……"
Taking a breath of air, Li Shimin looked at his younger brother with a very strange look.
At first glance, it sounds very uncomfortable.
But if you think about it carefully, Li Shimin has to admit that what this guy said does make sense... No, it should be said that it makes a lot of sense!
Even during the Zhenguan period, similar examples abounded.
For example, take the trade between those countries on the northern grasslands and the Tang Dynasty. People in the Tang Dynasty knew that horses on the grasslands were worthless, but they cost several times the price to buy them; while the ironware in the Tang Dynasty was the same price, and it was shipped to the grasslands for the same price.
It’s just another price, and no businessman will do it without a profit of more than ten times!
Isn't it true that there is such a thing as a mirror?
If there was another company in this world that could make it, Li Yuanjia would naturally not dare to speak so casually, but... let alone mirrors, who could make glass? Even Hanwang Paper, which has been around for a long time,
Isn’t it still beyond the reach of all papermaking craftsmen?
As the emperor, Li Shimin knew this very well.
so……
Next, it’s exciting!
The emperor naturally remembered what Li Yuanjia had said to him before, and then subconsciously looked around, and whispered: "You will come to the palace tomorrow morning, and we brothers will sum up this matter...
"
"..."
When Li Yuanjia heard him say the words "brothers", the corners of Li Yuanjia's mouth twitched and he suppressed the urge to laugh out loud.
What does "Lao Er" mean? Why can't he hear it?
I had told him before about starting a glass business together. Although Li Shimin seemed very excited at the time, he never responded. Apparently he had concerns in his heart.
Li Yuanjia is not particularly clear about the specific reasons.
Perhaps it was because he was worried about the uproar caused by people knowing about the Emperor of Tang Dynasty's business. Or maybe he felt that the pie painted by Li Yuanjia was a bit false, and it was not worth taking the risk with the emperor's name...
But no matter what, Li Yuanjia can be sure that the second child is really tempted this time!
Although there is only one word difference between glass and glass mirror, their meanings are completely different!
Before Li Yuanjia developed more uses, glass was used to make windows in the eyes of others, and the most important thing was to have the best of both worlds in winter - it could not only make the house bright, but also
It can keep heat at the same time and prevent cold wind from penetrating.
This sole use, coupled with the high price and fragile nature of glass, greatly limits its market.
Especially its fragile nature, which might not seem like a big deal in the 21st century, but in the Tang Dynasty during the Zhenguan era, it was simply a fatal flaw!
Among other things, bad roads alone are the biggest obstacle.
Because in the Tang Dynasty, there was no foam material, no foam paper, and even things like sawdust were very difficult to produce. We could only use some natural shock-proof items... Under such conditions, if the distance is short, it is better to say that, if the distance is long,
Field, the transportation of glass is simply a disaster!
For example, the glass that Li Yuanjia had sent to Luzhou was very luxurious and used a lot of cotton! If you don't consider other factors and only consider the value of cotton in this era, it is even more expensive than glass.
But in comparison, the situation with mirrors is completely different.
The size of the glass mirror is very small, but its value is ten times that of glass... No, if you consider the unit price per unit area, it is dozens of times higher! In addition, it has a solid wood frame, and its shock resistance is much stronger.
In this way, the difficulties of long-distance transportation are not worth mentioning at all!
and……
The most important thing is that the demand for glass mirrors far exceeds that of glass!
For many people, glass is not a necessity, especially those wealthy businessmen who don't usually read, and people who are accustomed to using candles for lighting. It is not a problem to have a dark room in winter.
But the mirror is different. Who among women doesn’t want one?
What's more, this was China's Tang Dynasty, an era when men also liked to put on makeup and wear flowers on their hair!
Who wouldn’t want to be able to clearly see what they look like every day and know whether they are drop-dead handsome and stunningly beautiful? So anyone who can afford to pay a thousand dollars will probably be a potential customer of the glass mirror!
Even if you don’t have money, you can still buy cattle and sheep, as well as local specialties from various places!
So after listening to the emperor's words, Li Yuanjia suppressed the excitement in his heart and immediately smiled and nodded: "Second brother, don't worry, I will come over after breakfast tomorrow!"
"No, don't wait until breakfast."
Waving his hand, Li Shimin said calmly: "Just come to the palace early tomorrow morning and have dinner with me..."