Chapter Forty-Five: The Merchant from the Western Regions Buys Wine

After hearing this, Zhen Qian shook his head. His own distilled spirits were entirely different from the cloudy wines of the Tang dynasty. Without a period of promotion and adaptation, it would be impossible to open up the market. What was the tavern keeper jumping out for at this moment? Was he really worried that Zhen Qian’s spirits would steal their business? Even if that day came, there would be nothing they could do to stop it. As for the first floor, with Liang Er, the head constable, stationed there, minor issues should be easily suppressed. If anything truly serious occurred, it wouldn’t be too late for him to step in personally. Besides, Song Yi of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion was no novice; if he couldn’t handle these minor matters, was Zhen Qian supposed to roll up his sleeves and intervene himself?

“Let’s go upstairs and have a look, shall we?”

It was nearly noon. Although the Tang period favored two meals a day, breakfast and dinner, small gatherings for a drink could happen at any time. Zhen Qian had already seen several groups heading upstairs.

As Zhen Qian began ascending, Song Yi caught his meaning and signaled the attendant with a nod. The young man quickly approached and whispered, “Does Master Zhen wish to go upstairs?”

“Yes. Bring a pot of mild spirits and a few side dishes. I’ll sit upstairs for a while.”

This attendant was Song Yi’s grandson, Song Jian. When it came to running a tavern, it was only natural to use one’s own family—father and son on the battlefield, brothers to hunt tigers. Zhen Qian had no objection to this arrangement.

The private booths were separated by silk screens painted with auspicious scenes of flowers, birds, fish, and insects. One could vaguely see the shadows of patrons in the adjacent booths, and though conversation couldn’t be completely concealed, it made eavesdropping possible.

Wang You and Qin Meng were puzzled as to when Zhen Qian had developed a habit of listening at the wall. They were about to ask what he was doing when Zhen Qian stopped them with a glance.

Soon, the voices of several Hu merchants drifted over from the next booth: “I never expected to taste such potent spirits here in Zhending—stronger than Sanle or Malang wine, and cheaper, too! I wonder if transporting this spirit north could fetch us a good price?”

“You’re right, Brother Murong. We travel all year and have tasted every kind of fine wine, but never anything this strong. But I wonder, is this spirit brewed here at this tavern, or does it come from elsewhere?”

“What do you mean by that, Brother Kang?”

The Hu merchants in the adjacent booth suddenly lowered their voices. Zhen Qian strained to listen, but the words were too soft, and mixed with Western dialects he couldn’t understand. He could only sit back awkwardly.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, loud laughter erupted from the next booth. One of the Hu men slapped the table and said, “Brother Kang is absolutely right. Zhending isn’t far from the north. We can try it out first. Every business has its risks, and we’ve come all this way to earn more money. If this is a lucrative opportunity, why not seize it?”

“Exactly! Brother Kang, you’re quick to see the chance. We almost missed a fortune. Let’s have someone inquire right away!”

Voices from the next booth called out, “Attendant! Come in, please.”

The attendant serving the second floor hurried to the booth at the call. “Esteemed guests, may I bring you anything else?”

“The dishes here are excellent, with unique flavors and aromas. We, as seasoned merchants, have never encountered such fare. Are these dishes unique to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, or do they come from elsewhere?” asked one Hu merchant.

The attendant quickly replied, “If you enjoy them, I’m glad! These dishes are exclusive to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion—there are no branch locations.”

The same Hu merchant continued, “So, this Drunken Immortal spirit is also brewed here, not purchased from another tavern?”

The attendant answered, “Indeed, it’s made here, brewed from our secret recipe. No other tavern carries this wine.”

“Good to hear. Let me ask you—does your tavern have much of this spirit in stock?”

The attendant was clearly unsure of the merchant’s intentions. “What exactly do you mean, honored guests?”

“It’s nothing, really. We’d just like to know how much of this spirit you have. We wish to purchase a batch for resale elsewhere. Can your manager make such a decision?”

The attendant hesitated. “If you’ll wait a moment, I’ll fetch our manager.”

“Please hurry.”

Soon, footsteps sounded from the stairs—Song Yi was coming up.

“I am Song Yi, manager of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. What may I help you with?” he asked, though he already suspected the reason.

The Hu merchant explained their intention to purchase the spirits and continued, “How much of this spirit can your tavern provide each month, and at what price?”

In the neighboring booth, Zhen Qian smiled wryly to himself. He had stored a fair amount of spirits, but daily production was not high. Judging by the merchants’ tone, they would need quite a lot.

Song Yi was momentarily taken aback but then asked cautiously, “How much do you wish to purchase? Our spirits come in three grades: high, medium, and low. Which would you like?”

The Hu merchants conferred in a language the Tang people couldn’t understand. After a moment, one replied, “We find your spirit excellent and wish to try it out first. We’ll take a hundred dan of your strongest, lowest grade, and twenty dan each of the medium and high grades. Can you offer us your best price?”

Song Yi was surprised—this was the largest order since the spirits were introduced, especially for the highest-proof batch. He’d only sold about ten dan in total before, and that was with a buy-one-get-one-free promotion; otherwise, few would have accepted the new drink.

“When do you need it? Our stock isn’t large, and we’re just a small business—we can’t afford to tie up all our capital.”

“Will seven days suffice?”

Song Yi quickly calculated in his mind. Though he didn’t know exactly how much Zhen Qian could produce daily, there were nearly a hundred dan in the storeroom—enough to meet the Hu merchants’ request. “To be honest, this is our first deal of such size. I can offer you a fifteen-percent discount. Does that satisfy you?”

“Fifteen percent?” came the surprised reply. The Hu merchant was clearly dissatisfied. “Isn’t your tavern running a buy-one-get-one promotion? That’s a fifty-percent discount. Why is it only fifteen percent for such a large order? Are you taking advantage of us because we’re Hu merchants?”

“You misunderstand,” Song Yi explained. “The buy-one-get-one offer is just a three-day opening promotion, only for meals consumed here, and limited to one pot per person—the second pot isn’t free. It’s all clearly written on the sign at the entrance. If you doubt me, you’re welcome to check.”

Zhen Qian scoffed inwardly. Throughout history, there have only ever been buyers who made mistakes, never sellers. Promotions were nothing new—such tactics had always existed. These Hu merchants were feigning ignorance, but Song Yi was not so easily fooled.

“So we misunderstood. But since this is your first big deal, can’t you offer a better price?”

Song Yi had quoted a fifteen-percent discount precisely to leave room for bargaining. If he’d named the lowest price at once, the Hu merchants wouldn’t have believed him.

“You’re all businessmen—you know the difference between fixed-shop and traveling merchants. We’re a small tavern that relies on fair prices and unique dishes. Most of our customers are locals. If our prices were too high, we’d be cursed up and down the street. You must know better than I do how much discount is reasonable. I’m just hoping to make a little profit on volume. If you doubt my honesty, feel free to ask around our neighborhood.”

Neither Zhen Qian nor Song Yi knew that these Hu merchants had only just arrived in Zhending today. They’d simply been looking for an inn to rest when hunger led them to the newly opened Drunken Immortal Pavilion. Though they’d traveled here for years, it was their first time encountering such novel dishes and spirits, so they decided to give it a try.

Now that Song Yi had explained, they realized he spoke the truth. Ordinary wine required two measures of grain for every one of wine, plus labor costs. A twenty or thirty percent discount was already generous; this spirit couldn’t be cheaper than the cloudy wines, either.

“How about twenty percent off?” another Hu merchant chimed in. “We’re traveling merchants, after all. If your spirit sells well throughout the land, we’ll be spreading the word. That means more customers for your tavern.”

The last Hu merchant added, “A hundred dan is just an initial order. If the market opens up, we’ll buy much more from you in the future—perhaps even carry your spirit to every corner of the Tang realm. Such opportunities don’t come often.”

Song Yi was tempted. If sales were limited to one place, the volume would always be capped, no matter the reputation. But if the Hu merchants really could promote his spirits across the empire, the price would rise and there’d be no worries about sales.

“You’ve convinced me. I’ll sell you the spirit at a twenty-percent discount—that’s the lowest price possible. I only agree because I hope to make this spirit famous.”

Of course, the Hu merchants didn’t believe this was the lowest he could go. They kept trying to bargain, but Song Yi was resolute. In the end, after much back-and-forth, he agreed to throw in two extra jars of fine wine, which counted as further discount. Only then did both parties settle the deal, drawing up a contract and accepting a ten-string deposit, with the goods to be collected in seven days.