Chapter 166

Next, Lu Songli showcased her expertise and embarked on a journey of identifying medicinal herb quality.

For example, the Forsythia and Bupleurum, the Jujube Seed from Xingtai Neiqiu, the Honeysuckle from Julu, the Scutellaria from Chengde, the Atractylodes from Longhua, the Anemarrhena from Weixian, etc. All of these authentic medicinal herbs that passed her inspection were collected.

The key is that she hadn’t been idle along the way, she had also brought along two apprentices.

Whenever their caravan stopped near a village, they would engage in transactions with the villagers. They would either trade with goods brought from Chang’an City, or with money, or with something else. As long as the villagers wanted it, as long as they had it, as long as they could exchange it for the medicinal herbs they needed, they would trade.

Their grand display created a great deal of noise. Those who didn’t know thought they were a well-established merchant caravan. Who would have known that they were actually a patchwork team?

Their display led to what Lu Songli had anticipated, some people came to cause trouble. The troublemakers were none other than the small medicinal herb merchants who had connections with various villages.

It was just after the New Year, spring had arrived, and it wasn’t yet the time of scarcity, so they hadn’t gone out to collect medicinal herbs from the villages. They were waiting for a while longer, intending to lower the prices. But without realizing it, their homes had been robbed, could they not be anxious?

Some of them were reasonable, using a combination of courtesy and force. They directly approached them, saying that their actions were a bit unfair, like Guo Mao from Julu: Others were unreasonable, resorting to violence from the start, like Feng Kui.

For Lu Songli, these people were exactly what she wanted. They were her fish, no, cough, her target. It’s a joke, buying medicinal herbs collected by the villagers themselves is just a small operation. Her plan was never limited to that.

For those who used a combination of courtesy and force, Lu Songli set up tables and chairs in a scenic spot, placed delicious biscuits, snacks, and other treats brought from Chang’an City, brewed a pot of good tea, then politely invited them over and treated them well.

Those who were unreasonable and resorted to violence were left to their devices. They were first dealt with by Qin Sheng’s soldiers, then brought over.

Anyway, the second process always involved Lu Songli stepping in to reason with them.

Guo Mao was easier to persuade. In fact, whether it was the first or second type, as long as they came, they would be intimidated by the force of Qin Sheng’s soldiers.

In fact, when Guo Mao was brought over, he had already started to have second thoughts. He had impulsively acted. Now, he didn’t want to argue about the other party buying medicinal herbs in his territory anymore, he just wanted to return safely. However, unexpectedly, the other party had their sights set on the medicinal herbs he had stockpiled.

In fact, Guo Mao felt that the price offered by the other party was quite sincere, not a forced sale that made him lose a lot. If he sold the stockpiled medicinal herbs to the other party, he could make a small profit of 10%. If he followed his plan, stockpiled them until the middle of the year and then sold them, he would have to find someone to transport them, and the market was uncertain. If it was good, he could make a profit of 30-40%. If it was bad, he might even lose money.

“…Brother Guo, in business, a little profit is enough. Don’t always think about making the most money. The price of medicinal herbs is too unstable. If you hold them until the middle of the year, besides tying up your funds, are you guaranteed to make money? Not necessarily, right?”

“It’s better to sell them to us. Make a profit first, secure the money, and then you’ll have working capital. With your sharp and insightful vision, you can seize any good opportunities as soon as they arise, so you won’t miss out on making money.”

Xue Xu watched Guo Mao fall into deep thought, knowing that he was being persuaded and was about to fall for it.

Sure enough, after a while, the other party relented.

Strike while the iron is hot. Lu Songli immediately instructed someone to carry the silver and go back with him to settle the transaction for the medicinal herbs.

Xue Xu, sitting to the side, thought to himself, a woman’s mouth, a devil’s deceit.

“Your mouth is truly amazing, you’ve truly inherited your father’s skills.” No, it should be surpassing the master. Lu Desheng only knew how to criticize people, making them feel like they shouldn’t have been born. But his daughter was even more extraordinary, she could even persuade a coffin to open its lid.

Lu Songli didn’t mind his words, “Where did I say anything wrong?”

She just gave a brief analysis of the “Unstable Fluctuations in Medicinal Herb Prices” and “How to Utilize Available Resources and Funds Rationally.” The other party listened, is there a problem?

“Yes, yes, you’re right.”

“Do you know my father?” Lu Songli asked casually.

Xue Xu replied nonchalantly, “Your father is so famous in the court, who in the world doesn’t know him?”

They chatted for a while.

Of course, there were also medicinal herb merchants who didn’t buy into their approach, like Feng Kui.

Lu Songli didn’t care. For those who were stubborn and refused to cooperate, she only had them settle their appearance fees and then let them go.

Under someone else’s roof, one must lower one’s head. Feng Kui left reluctantly after paying the money.

In this way, as they traveled through Jizhou, they traded along the way, mainly with local medicinal herb merchants, exchanging high-quality authentic medicinal herbs.

When others were exiled or traveling, their supplies would dwindle. However, throughout this journey, their carriages were never empty. The consumed grain and emptied space were filled with medicinal herbs.

It’s worth mentioning that after Lu Songli’s tea parties, some small medicinal herb merchants were inspired. They learned the principle of selling when there was a profit, not striving to sell at the highest point. Just by following this principle, they eventually prospered.

Some of them even reciprocated by introducing their clients, such as large medicinal herb merchants or pharmacies, to them.

Because Lu Songli was knowledgeable and responsible for quality control, the medicinal herbs they collected were all first-rate. For those of lesser quality, they would collect some at first to avoid leaving the carriages empty, but later, as space became limited, they basically only collected the best quality.

The most frequent phrase they uttered on this journey was “Squeeze, squeeze, fill it as much as possible, don’t leave any gaps.”

Later, they gradually added more carriages. Basically, all the young and strong men in the caravan had to take turns driving.

When they reached the thirteenth carriage, Yang Wei approached Lu Songli, complaining, “Sixth Madam, we can’t add more carriages. There’s no one to drive them!” They now had twenty-five carriages in total!

Lu Songli said coldly, “Can’t drive? Then learn! As long as you can learn, learn until you drop!”

Yang Wei: …Do you even want to assign the ten-year-old Chen Chang’an to this?

When they had collected quite a lot of medicinal herbs, Lu Songli would sell some in a timely manner. The buyers were naturally the pharmacies introduced by the small medicinal herb merchants.

For the pharmacies that were contacted by Lu Songli and her group, they had consumed quite a bit of medicinal herbs over the winter, and it was time to restock.

Because the medicinal herbs they collected were of high quality, although the price was slightly higher than what they bought elsewhere, the difference was just within their acceptable range. They were already quite willing to trade. The other party also delivered the goods, saving them a lot of trouble. Not bad, very good.

Moreover, Lu Songli and her group were willing to settle in cash or with medicinal herbs.

The medicinal herbs they specifically requested were all local authentic herbs, which they happened to have stockpiled. The price offered was just enough for them to make a small profit.

The other party immediately saw that they were knowledgeable and experts. The pharmacy owners put away their tricks, calculated the amount needed by the pharmacy, and exchanged the excess with them.

Xue Xu was in charge of the overall accounts, and he discovered that although it seemed like there was no change, when calculated, the growth of their caravan’s assets was astonishing.