Chapter 433: The Emperor Dies, the World Grieves
"Yes, of course!" Wang Zhenze immediately stood up and said excitedly.

"My lord, isn't this price too cheap?" Zhang Qingsong asked.

The others also looked puzzled.

They also thought it was glass.

Yang Zhengshan smiled and said, "Things are valuable because they are rare, but I can provide you with a thousand pieces of this kind of thing this month, and next month, I can give you three thousand pieces, and by September, I can give you ten thousand pieces!"

“And next year, there might be 100,000 pieces a month!”

“Do you still think it’s expensive?”

Several people opened their mouths wide and looked at Yang Zhengshan in disbelief.

After a long while, Zhen Yang said, "My Lord, this is not Liuli!"

"Of course not, didn't I just say it, this is glass!" Yang Zhengshan said with a smile.

He was not exaggerating at all. The output of the glass workshop would definitely increase, and his goal was to reach a monthly output of 100,000 pieces next year.

However, there may be some utensils such as tea sets and wine sets by then.

This is still his output, and once the prince's glass workshop is built, the output may be several times higher than his.

Even though the prince's glass workshop has not started construction yet, the manpower and material resources he can mobilize are far beyond what Yang Zhengshan can do.

Take the craftsmen for example. The prince did not have craftsmen who were good at making glass, but he had a large number of blacksmiths, carpenters, gold and silversmiths, porcelain craftsmen, jade carving craftsmen, and so on.

And don't forget that the prince also has a colored glass workshop. Once the colored glass craftsmen have the method of making glass, they only need to experiment a little and they can use it to make glass.

Once the prince's glass workshop starts large-scale production, the output may be several times or even dozens of times that of Yang Zhengshan.

Several people looked at each other. Yang Zhengshan gave them some time to react, sat back in the main seat, picked up the tea and sipped it.

"My Lord, do you want us to sell it?" Lin Qi said.

Yang Zhengshan put down his tea bowl and nodded, "That's right!"

Then he dragged out the screen behind him. On the screen was a map of Dayong, but it was a simplified version. The map only showed the boundaries of the provinces and the nine important towns on the border.

"This Marquis intends to let you be the sales agent for glass products. Darong has one capital, thirteen provinces, and nine border towns."

"You five families, plus the Luo family, a total of six families."

"Each company can be the general agent for two provinces and one town!"

"Kyoto has many powerful people and the largest market, but the place is already owned, so you don't need to go to Kyoto."

"Jiangnan is a wealthy country. Each of you will have one mansion, and the remaining one will be given to the Luo family."

"The gap between the rich and the poor in each province can be made up by the remaining three border towns!"

Yang Zhengshan pointed to the marks on the map and said, "I have already allocated them. Do you think they are suitable?"

Kyoto must belong to the prince. Yang Zhengshan is not crazy, so he will definitely not compete with the prince for business.

As for other places, it doesn't matter.

As for the Luo family, even though Yang Zhengshan had said before that the Luo family should not continue to expand, he still couldn't do without the Luo family's share.

Besides, isn’t there the Zhang family in Liaoan?

As long as the Zhang family in Liaoan exists, the Luo family will not be the richest family in Liaodong.

His distribution was still very reasonable. He fully considered various factors such as the gap between rich and poor between provinces, the distance between them, the distribution of power, etc., and tried his best to make the areas allocated to the six families similar.

"You are the general agent, but it is not easy to do business in various places, so I suggest you find some second-level agents in various places."

"Although you will need to take out a portion of the profits to do this, with the support of local forces, you can save yourself a lot of trouble!"

"As for the selling price, I suggest small profits but quick turnover. The selling price of all glass products shall not be higher than twice the factory price!"

Small profits but quick turnover is just a joke. Nearly double the profit is certainly not a small profit.

As for why we should set a maximum price instead of a minimum price.

This is to prepare for future price reductions.

Perhaps if you sell a piece of glass product now, you can get tens of thousands of taels.

But if the price of such glass products drops next year, will the person who bought the glass products feel that he has been taken advantage of and will he resent Yang Zhengshan, Chongshan Town and the six agents?

Yang Zhengshan was naturally not afraid of cheating a few people.

But if there are hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of people being cheated, and these people are either wealthy businessmen or powerful officials, how can Yang Zhengshan not be afraid?

Yang Zhengshan didn't think he could withstand the hatred of thousands or tens of thousands of officials, dignitaries and wealthy businessmen. If he really aroused public anger, the Yang family would die without knowing how.

So in order to avoid offending too many people, he had no intention of cheating anyone.

Yang Zhengshan set the maximum price of glass products at around seven or eight hundred taels. Although this price is not cheap, the glass products that can be sold at this price are all high-quality products without any defects. Even if the price is reduced in the future, it will not be too low.

Moreover, even if Yang Zhengshan wanted to lower the price, he would do it step by step, over a period of three to five years, to give those merchants who have suffered losses time to accept it, so as not to make people angry.

After listening to Yang Zhengshan's story, Wang Zhenze and others looked at the agency areas of each company on the map, their eyes shining.

"My Lord, this~~"

Wang Zhenze's hands were shaking with excitement. The others had a similar mentality, even Zhang Qingsong was moved.

This is a truly big deal, and the wealth involved may reach tens of millions of taels of silver.

Even if they can only get a small part of the benefit from it, it is enough to increase their net worth several times or even dozens of times.

Yang Zhengshan waved his hand and said, "Now you just need to tell me whether you are willing to do this business!"

"Yes!" the five people responded quickly.

"That's good. I have a lot of official business to attend to, so I don't have time to talk to you. Let Mr. Qian, the head of the Department of Commerce, discuss the rest with you!"

Yang Zhengshan said calmly.

The Department of Commerce is a new department established after the Department of Engineering in the General's Office, which is specifically responsible for the commerce of the General's Office.

The so-called Mr. Qian was actually a clerk named Qian Man who was transferred from Tenglong Guard. He was previously responsible for some business activities of Tenglong Guard.

Wang Zhenze and others are acquaintances of Qian Man. They have dealt with each other a lot in Tenglongwei before.

Qian Man, who was standing nearby, stepped forward immediately and said, "Everyone, if you have any questions, you can ask me. I will answer them one by one!"

These were all things that Yang Zhengshan had arranged long ago, and Qian Man had also been preparing for them for a long time.

Yang Zhengshan spoke briefly to a few people and then left the lobby.

When he said he was busy with official duties, it was not an excuse; he was truly busy with official duties.

There are still a lot of official documents in the study that need him to deal with, and he also needs to keep an eye on the training situation of the Zhenbiao Camp. In addition, the construction of Heiyun City and Yinghe River has already started. Although he does not need to do everything himself, he is still needed to inspect them.

As for the glass business, he had already made all the necessary preparations, and now he just needed to follow the normal process and he didn't need to worry about it anymore.

By now, his plans in Chongshan Town have actually been sorted out. The only thing left is to implement his plans step by step.

Wang Zhenze and his four companions stayed in Chongshan Pass for three days, and then each left with two hundred glass ornaments.

But less than half a month later, they came to Chongshan Pass again with a large caravan, which shows their desire for glass products.

As June came, the weather in Chongshan Town became hot. This was the time when everything in Chongshan Town was green. The mountains were covered with layers of green, the fields were green and boundless, and the green was so bright that it seemed as if even the sky was painted green.

This season is also the busiest time for the people and military households in Chongshan Town. They have to use this time to store food for the long winter, earn money, and buy necessities such as oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, cloth, and clothing.

However, this year Chongshan Town is busier than ever before. A large number of young and strong people gathered at the banks of Yinghe River, and many young and strong people were recruited to the foot of Heiyun Mountain. They carried soil on the mountain, dredged rivers and built cities, and sweated for the development of Chongshan Town.

But they had no complaints because both the General's Office and the Governor's Office gave them generous rewards.

Their remuneration is actually not much, but it is already a considerable fortune for them.

With this reward, they can have enough food and clothing, build a new house, and spend a warm winter.

This is exactly what Yang Zhengshan wanted. Whether it was building a city, connecting the Yinghe River channel, or building roads, the purpose was to give the people of Chongshan Town the opportunity to earn more money.

This is just the beginning.

Just as Chongshan Town entered a gradual stage, a huge change was brewing in Kyoto.

The third day of June in the thirty-fifth year of Chengping.

The Crown Prince, five dukes, and six cabinet ministers gathered in the Yangxin Palace.

Lying on the bed, Emperor Chengping looked at the people kneeling in front of him with sharp eyes.

"Your Majesty!" Eunuch Chen called out in a sad voice.

Emperor Chengping's eyes moved slightly, his gaze fell on Eunuch Chen, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Last Will~~" he said weakly.

"Your Majesty, the will is ready!" Eunuch Chen hurriedly took the will and placed it in front of Emperor Chengping.

"Read!"

Eunuch Chen quickly opened the will and read aloud: "I have inherited the great cause of my ancestors with great virtue and have been in office for thirty-five years. I have been busy all day and night trying to govern the country, always fearing that I would not be able to govern the country in the end. I have been entrusted with a heavy responsibility by the late emperor. But now I am seriously ill and dying, and it is almost impossible for me to get up. A man must die after he is born. This is the way of life, and even saints and sages cannot avoid it. As long as I have found a successor, and the clan society and the people have a master, even if I am gone, the world will have no regrets!"

"The Crown Prince is a man of great virtue, benevolence, filial piety, and intelligence. He is a man of great virtue, and he should ascend to the throne. All the civil and military officials should work together to help me fulfill my wishes. The funeral ceremony should follow the rules set by my father. The month should be replaced by the day, and mourning should be lifted on the 27th day. Music and marriage should not be prohibited. The succession is the most important thing. The wedding should not be postponed. If the officials request it after 100 days, it should not be delayed."

"Princes of the imperial clan are responsible for defending the country and are not allowed to leave their own country without permission. The garrisons, generals, and governors of various places, as well as officials of the capital, prefecture, and three departments, are to strictly guard the borders and appease the military and civilians, and are not allowed to leave their posts without permission. On the day of hearing of the death, they are only allowed to mourn and mourn for three days in their place, and send officials to offer incense on their behalf."

"Your Majesty! It's over!"

Eunuch Chen's voice unconsciously became tearful.

The prince and others knelt on the ground, with their foreheads touching the ground, their eyes slightly red, and their faces showing grief.

"Okay, okay, okay~~"

Emperor Chengping said the word "good" three times in a row, each one weaker than the last.

"I am worthy of my ancestors!"

His eyes were looking at the carved wooden window, at the sunlight shining through the window, at the vibrant green outside the window, at the wind, the light, the vast territory, and the vast world.

Then he slowly closed his eyes.

"Your Majesty!" Eunuch Chen called out in a trembling voice, his finger timidly falling under the nose of Emperor Chengping.

"His Majesty has passed away!"

Following a loud cry filled with grief, a heavy bell rang out over the imperial city.

In Kyoto, countless people heard the bell ringing and all showed sorrowful expressions and began to cry.

When the emperor dies, the whole world mourns!

The eighth day of June.

Yang Zhengshan received the imperial edict and the accession decree of Crown Prince Chen Jianzhi sent by the court in Chongshan Town.

In the tea room of the general's mansion, Pang Tang and Yang Zhengshan sat opposite each other, the warm tea mist rising between them, but they were silent.

Although Yang Zhengshan had been mentally prepared for the death of Emperor Chengping, he still felt sad when the time came.

The emperor who trusted him so much passed away just like that!

hey~~
Thousands of thoughts lingered in Yang Zhengshan's mind, but in the end they only turned into a slight sigh.

Hearing his sigh, Pang Tang came back to his senses, "The late emperor loved the wise and the people, and did everything he could. As a result, the people's lives were peaceful and the country was tranquil. His governance was unprecedented, and he was fortunate to have been honored by the ancestors."

Yang Zhengshan looked up at him and felt that the old man was trying to flatter him.

Emperor Chengping was a powerful emperor, but definitely not as good as Pang Tang said.

The most powerful thing about Emperor Chengping is his control over power and the court. During his 35 years on the throne, the court was most unstable in the first 10 years, but in the following 20 years, the court was in a very stable state.

No matter what happened, the court always maintained a stable and efficient state.

Even though Emperor Chengping was seriously ill and bedridden for several months, the court remained as stable as before.

But to say that Emperor Chengping was kind and loved the people, Yang Zhengshan felt that this was somewhat untrue.

Being close to the wise is barely acceptable, as there are many wise ministers and capable generals in the court.

But I love the people!

Although the Rebellion of Prince Qing and the disaster in Liaoxi were not the fault of Emperor Chengping, he deliberately allowed them to happen.

Inciting Prince Qing's rebellion can be understood as solving future troubles, but what about the disaster in western Liaoning?

When the Wuliang army entered western Liaoning, Emperor Chengping had been pretending to be sick. When millions of people in western Liaoning were facing the slaughter of the Wuliang army, Emperor Chengping still sat back and watched.

If he really loved the people, he should have taken charge of the government and wiped out the Wuliang army as soon as possible after confirming Prince Qing's rebellion and learning of the invasion of the Wuliang army, instead of allowing the Wuliang army to wreak havoc in western Liaoning for more than half a year.

So from this point we can see that Emperor Chengping was a master at wielding power, but he did not truly love his people.

As for what Pang Tang said about "the prosperity of governance, surpassing all previous dynasties", Yang Zhengshan also felt that it was an exaggeration.

Darong has been passed down for more than 300 years, and naturally there have been some sages and wise rulers, including some who have restored the country.

Emperor Chengping did not achieve revival for Dayong. At most, he was a patchworker, patching up the ruined Dayong so that it would not fall apart.

Of course, he did have some achievements. Although he did not achieve the revival of the country during his 35 years in power, he laid a solid foundation for the revival of the country.

If the new emperor can be diligent in his work, love his people, be loyal to state affairs, and revive the country, it will not be a vain hope.

Although Yang Zhengshan was very grateful for Emperor Chengping's trust, he would not exaggerate his achievements too much. He had his own objective evaluation of Emperor Chengping.

As for Pang Tang's praise of Emperor Chengping, it is not without reason. Compared with Dayong before Emperor Chengping ascended the throne, Dayong today is indeed much more prosperous.

Pang Tang had experienced the chaotic period before Emperor Chengping ascended the throne, so he felt that Dayong was now in a period of prosperity.

In fact, many old officials in the court had such ideas and were extremely loyal and respectful to Emperor Chengping.

"Get ready, we have to mourn for the late emperor for three days!"

Yang Zhengshan said.

"Well! I'll go back first!" Pang Tang stood up and Yang Zhengshan saw him off.

After Pang Tang left, Yang Zhengshan changed into a black gown, and all the government offices in the Marquis' Mansion, the General's Mansion and Chongshan Pass were hung with spirit flags, and there were constant cries of grief in each office.

(End of this chapter)