Chapter 1108: The Pirate Demon Star
This time, Yao Xingjuan was truly astonished. As he steered his ship into the Huangpu River, he saw banners lining the riverbanks everywhere: "Welcome to Shanghai," "We strive to ensure every merchant finds fair trading opportunities here," "Proceed fifty zhang forward, then turn right," and "Warm and Sleepy wool sweaters, keeping you warm all winter long."
The other banners were one thing, but the "Warm and Sleepy" advertising banner truly startled Yao Xingjuan. "Incredible," he muttered, "this wool sweater advertisement is truly impressive. It's actually displayed right alongside these official slogans. No wonder it sells so well."
He couldn't help but admire the ingenuity of the business owners!
Yao Xingjuan continued his journey, following the directional signs. Suddenly, from a nearby ship, someone hailed him: "Well, well, isn't that the Demon Star Yao Xingjuan? You, a pirate, are trying to act like a legitimate merchant, coming here to buy goods?"
Yao Xingjuan jumped in surprise. He quickly turned to look and saw Zheng Zhihu, the second-in-command of the Zheng Clan.
"Ah, it's Python Two," Yao Xingjuan noted, his apprehension fading. He chuckled. "Aren't you Zheng clan folks the same? Merchants, pirates, and even government officials—you've got a hand in everything."
Zheng Zhihu burst into laughter, offering no comment on his words.
Yao Xingjuan inquired, "What kind of goods is the Zheng clan buying here? Anything you consider worthwhile must be top-notch merchandise. Give a brother a hand, and I'll follow your lead."
Zheng Zhihu scoffed, "Am I a fool? If I tell you how to make money, won't you just steal my business?"
Zheng Zhihu smiled and shook his head. "Alright, I suppose there's no harm in telling you. I'm here to buy soy sauce."
"Soy sauce?" Yao Xingjuan was utterly puzzled. "What kind of soy sauce?"
"Specialty seafood soy sauce," Zheng Zhihu declared. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed a porcelain bottle towards Yao Xingjuan's ship. This sent a jolt through Yao Xingjuan, who quickly scooped it up with his robe, carefully catching it. "Second-in-Command, throwing bottles like that—what a shame if it broke!"
Zheng Zhihu laughed heartily. "Boil some shrimp in plain water, then dip them in this soy sauce and try it."
Yao Xingjuan had no time to boil shrimp at the moment. He uncapped the bottle, dipped a finger into the soy sauce, and put it to his mouth. His eyes instantly lit up.
"Good stuff, isn't it?" Zheng Zhihu challenged.
"Indeed, it's excellent," Yao Xingjuan confirmed. "This will surely sell like hotcakes in Japan."
Zheng Zhihu nodded. "Exactly. Japan's cuisine is similar to ours, and they love soy sauce. This stuff, once transported to Japan, can easily fetch three to five times its price. But I must warn you, the common people in Japan are quite poor. Only the Daimyo, generals, and samurai have any real money. So don't bother with the cheapest goods. Go for the ones that cost several taels of silver a bottle, packaged in the most exquisite porcelain jars... The Daimyo, who fancy themselves cultured, will surely love them. They'll be happy to buy it even if it's just for the fancy bottle."
Yao Xingjuan clasped his hands in respect, "I've learned a valuable lesson."
The two men continued chatting as they docked at Shanghai Port.
It was Yao Xingjuan's first time here. He observed that this market was truly several times larger than the Nanhuizui Market, and the sheer variety of goods made his head spin.
"Oh, what's this?" he exclaimed.
"This is an embroidery piece from Chengcheng County, Shaanxi," the shopkeeper cheerfully replied. "Isn't this horse cloth beautiful? It looks wonderful draped over a horse's back. High officials and noblemen simply adore it."
"I'll take it!" Yao Xingjuan declared.
He knew that Japanese Daimyo also enjoyed adorning their horses.
"Hmm? What's this silk fan?" he wondered aloud.
The shopkeeper chuckled. "This is a new arrival from Sichuan, called a 'scented silk fan.' It's made with seventy-two intricate steps and is exceptionally exquisite."
Yao Xingjuan was ecstatic. "I'll take this one too!"
Japanese Daimyo absolutely loved Ming Dynasty silk products, and Westerners did too.
Another shopkeeper beckoned to Yao Xingjuan. "My friend, you clearly have an eye for quality. Come and see this—Immortal Wine from the heavens!"
"Immortal Wine?" Yao Xingjuan scoffed good-naturedly. "Are you trying to fool me into thinking I'm a simpleton? I don't believe in any of your 'immortal' nonsense..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he took a tiny sip of the 53-proof, "sauce-fragrance" liquor, an unbranded Maotai Town specialty. In that instant, Yao Xingjuan felt his entire body freeze.
"This... this... what kind of liquor is this? It's unbelievably fragrant!"
The shopkeeper smiled. "As I said, it's Immortal Wine. A gift from the gods, not easily obtained, you see. I don't have much stock left."
"Damn it! I'll take all of it!" Yao Xingjuan exclaimed.
The shopkeeper quoted a price. Yao Xingjuan didn't haggle, paid readily, and began loading the goods. Just then, a group of Westerners approached. Their Ming Dynasty translator, whom they had hired, spoke to the shopkeeper: "How much for a bottle of this Immortal Wine?"
The shopkeeper named a figure. Yao Xingjuan listened, and something didn't seem right. The price this fellow quoted was significantly higher than what he had just given him.
But he didn't expose it. After the Westerners left, Yao Xingjuan turned to the shopkeeper. "You're a dishonest fellow," he observed. "The price you quoted me and the price you quoted the foreigners are different. I know it's not uncommon to adjust prices based on the buyer, but isn't this new port's motto 'Honest Dealing, Fair to All, Young and Old'? If you keep this up, you might get expelled by the supervising officials."
The shopkeeper smiled. "My esteemed customer, you're quite mistaken. The different prices for Ming people and Westerners? That's a rule set by our local Left Vice Minister Lian."
"Oh?" Yao Xingjuan uttered, surprised.
The shopkeeper explained, "Goods sold in this market incur a 10% tax for Ming buyers and a 20% tax for Western buyers. Naturally, we merchants can't bear this tax ourselves, so we add it to the price and let the Westerners pay it."
"What?! Damn it!" Yao Xingjuan exclaimed. "So, 10% of what I just paid was tax?"
The shopkeeper chuckled. "Indeed! But you won't mind, will you? Even with the 10% tax, these goods are excellent value. If you sell them at another port, you'll get more than double the price. Why fuss over such a small tax?"
Yao Xingjuan remained silent.
Fine, he thought. He'd just have to swallow this one.
Yao Xingjuan loaded a substantial amount of goods onto his ship. Bidding farewell to Zheng Zhihu, he steered his vessel along the Huangpu River and out towards the open sea.
All along the way, he saw a constant stream of ships, of every conceivable type, coming and going.
On the banks, he could see a multitude of merchants transporting goods by horse and cart. Countless items were converging on Shanghai Port. It was astonishing... truly astonishing.
From now on, he'd be buying his stock here, he thought with a grin!
His ship burst out of the Huangpu River, entered the vast ocean, and set course for Japan.
The moment he left the Ming Navy's jurisdiction, Yao Xingjuan shed his merchant attire and donned a martial outfit. He even pulled out an eye patch and snapped it on.
A flintlock pistol hung from his left hip, a curved saber from his right...
From this moment on, he was no longer Yao Xingjuan, the merchant, but Yao Xingjuan, the pirate—the 'Demon Star'.
"Nagasaki Port, here I come, hahahaha!" he roared.
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