Fu suddenly asked, "Won't you feel you're getting a bad deal if you sell all the blueprints to me?"
If it were selling firearms, it would be a business of steady, long-term profit, but selling the blueprints would be a one-time occurrence.
Zhu Ci slightly raised his chin and said, "How does the Marquis of Huating know that there won't be even better firearms in the future?"
Fu heard the certainty and pride in the other's tone and nodded, saying, "That is indeed the case."
Zhu Ci sighed inwardly; he did want to sell firearms, but the problem was, where could he find such high productivity?
Currently, the scale of Xinghuo Factory has already expanded, they are working overtime, but even if they stockpile more gunpowder, it won't give him peace of mind.
In this situation, he could only sell blueprints; it was impossible for him to sell firearms.
By the way, I have heard that the Marquis of Huating has a shipyard in his possession?
Fu lowered his head and looked at him: "Does Your Highness wish to buy ships?"
Zhu Ci nodded and replied, "Correct."
The Qing Army has almost no naval power, their naval forces are not very developed either. Although most of the combat locations are on land, he would be much more flexible if he had ships in his hands.
Fu said, "Your Highness must be looking for warships. These ships are not cheap; I fear Your Highness might find the cost difficult to bear."
If you're talking about money, I indeed don't have much on hand," Zhu Ci said thoughtfully. "But it's not that I don't have other things to sell.
Fu understood him quite well; except for the news regarding the improvements to the Swarm of Bees, he indeed had not received any word, but he had some idea of what else Zhu Ci possessed. Hearing him mention it now, he couldn't help but feel a stir of interest: "Medicine?"
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Something's not right, he didn't even haggle, is he digging another pit for me? *Cat cautiously observes surroundings. jpg*
Next update tomorrow morning at six o'clock~
Chapter 78
Fu immediately asked, "How many ships do you want?"
Actually, more than firearms, he was even more determined to obtain the prescription; even if Zhu Ci did not mention it, he would find an opportunity to make a deal with him.
It was just that he had never been certain what Zhu Ci would use this for in exchange.
You have to understand that compared to firearms, prescriptions are even more precious; firearms are only useful during wartime, but the applications for medicine are much broader.
Fu had thought that Zhu Ci would use the prescriptions to trade for weapons or other things, but he hadn't expected him to want to trade for ships.
Seeing his attitude, Zhu Ci began to calculate once again.
In truth, he wasn't quite sure how many goods he could exchange for it, after all, this thing might be considered a priceless treasure in this era.
If it were a time of peace, Zhu Ci might even have been able to strike it rich with this thing.
He pondered for a long while before saying, "That depends on how many ships the Marquis of Huating has in hand; I need ships immediately!"
It would take too long to build new ships, he could not afford to wait. What if the ships weren't finished in time, he had already died in battle?
Fu Chunsheng said bluntly, "I'll have someone report the numbers to me."
The number of ships in his hands, even if only counting warships, was not small; furthermore, he had both sea-going vessels and river vessels.
Zhu Ci added, "The ships I want shouldn't be many, so I will need other things."
What does Your Highness require?
Cannons and weapons." Zhu Ci looked at Fu and said, "The Marquis of Huating should have these two as well, right?
Fu fell silent for a rare moment before saying, "We have weapons, but as for cannons, I can sell at most three to His Highness."
He did not have many cannons on hand; some were forged by himself, while others were seized from the Emperor.
Although Zhu Ci felt some regret, he still said, "Very well. If the Marquis of Huating has more cannons in the future, you can come to me; perhaps I will have other things that the Marquis of Huating likes."
Fu didn't just want things at this moment; he wanted the person as well, but he could only dream of it.
Although this meeting was somewhat sudden, Zhu Ci was still quite satisfied.
He had obtained many urgently needed items; even if selling the formula seemed a bit like fishing with a net that leaves nothing behind, he had no other choice at this time.
To allow Fu's people to verify the formula, Zhu Ci stayed at Qiya Port for two extra days, letting him witness the production of Allicin with his own eyes, then using people to test the medicine.
The effect was, naturally, beyond reproach, but Physician Yan discovered something was wrong almost immediately. He looked at Zhu Ci and asked, "Your Highness, what is this degree written on it? And what is that glass tube the young master used during the process?"
Zhu Ci said with a smile, "That glass tube is a thermometer; naturally, it is used to control the water temperature."
His explanation was somewhat crude, but Physician Yan had already tested it many times before; sometimes it succeeded, sometimes it did not. He had vaguely sensed that it might be related to distillation, but he did not know how to correct it.
He also found it somewhat strange; what kind of method did the person who invented this formula use to be able to produce this medicine so consistently?
Only after seeing such an instrument did he realize that the other party possessed something more than they did.
Physician Yan looked at the glass tube, Zhu Ci did not make his subordinates hide it; he let him look if he wanted to, since even if he saw it, he wouldn't be able to figure it out anyway.
Fu took a few looks and knew exactly where the key lay. He sighed inwardly, thinking that this Young Highness was far too easygoing, having given up the prescription so readily.
Although the shelf life of this medicine is very short after it is made, it is useful enough, most importantly, the production method doesn't seem to be complicated.
As a result, he knew without a doubt that the other party would certainly not easily sell the manufacturing method for this thermometer. If he wanted to stably produce that Allicin, he would have to have this thing; otherwise, he would have to rely on luck or the experience of the production personnel.
But where would there be time for that now? Every day this medicine is used is a day fewer people die.
Fu looked at Zhu Ci and asked, "I wonder how much this thermometer costs?"
Zhu Ci had long been prepared and said directly, "Ten taels of silver for one."
Standing behind him, Gu Rouqian's eyes widened instantly. Ten taels of silver.. for just a single small glass tube? This.. how was this any different from robbery?
Zhu Ci naturally knew he was robbing him, he had also prepared himself for the other party to haggle. In his mind, two or three taels of silver would probably be enough; after all, at this time, glass was no longer that expensive, especially since the glass he was using was not particularly high quality.
“Fine.”
Zhu Ci finally could not help but look up at Fu this time, gaining a new understanding of how incredibly wealthy the Marquis of Huating was.
He smiled brightly and asked immediately, "How much does Marquis Fu want?"
Fu paused for a moment; Zhu Ci's bright smile and the way he tilted his head up to look at him was truly quite adorable.
He had long known that His Highness was good-looking, but this was the first time he had seen him smile with eyes curved into crescents.
Fu looked at Physician Yan: "How much is needed?"
Physician Yan couldn't help but say, "Marquis.. this.. this is far too expensive."
Fu raised his hand. "Human life is of utmost importance. Just tell me how much you need."
He had plenty of soldiers under his command, but the more elite the soldiers were, the more effort and care they required for their training. No matter from what perspective, he would feel the pain of any losses, so by comparison, this amount of silver was nothing.
Physician Yan said silently, "At least a thousand."
Fu turned to look at Zhu Ci: "Then two thousand."
Physician Yan opened his mouth behind them, but in the end, he said nothing.
Zhu Ci was even more delighted. Although these two thousand taels of silver were nothing compared to his previous deal with Fu, it was a sustainable transaction; the other party could not possibly buy once and never buy again.
Because the other party was so decisive, Zhu Ci even included instructions for other uses, such as how it could not only measure water temperature but also human body temperature, that if it exceeded thirty-seven degrees, one would have a fever and needed to be careful, so on.
Physician Yan listened in a daze, but suddenly felt that this deal was actually quite worthwhile.
After speaking, Zhu Ci said, "There isn't much stock of thermometers right now; it will take at least half a month to make more.
Fu nodded slightly. "Very well."
Zhu Ci requested another third of the deposit, Fu directly had someone bring the money over.
What a generous buyer. If only all the buyers in the world were this generous.
Because he had fleeced so much from the real Marquis of Huating, Zhu Ci's attitude became increasingly warm.
By the time night finally fell and the two had finished their negotiations and were about to part ways, Zhu Ci even felt a hint of regret, thinking that if he had known, he would have secured more goods to sell for more money.
A buyer this easy to deal with is a rare find in a thousand years.
Before leaving, Fu personally saw him off the boat. Zhu Ci paused and asked, "The Empress.. how is the Empress?"
Fu was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected him to ask about the Empress.
After all, both of them knew exactly where he came from, the Empress had far too little in common with Zhu Ci.
However, he still said softly, "Nanjing has fallen, the Empress has committed suicide."
The smile on Zhu Ci's face gradually faded, he let out a soft sigh.
Perhaps he would never know why the Empress wanted him to leave back then.
Fu saw him walking with his head bowed and eyes cast down, his dejected appearance made Fu feel somewhat unaccustomed to it. Shifting the subject, he said, "Speaking of which, there is someone who has been wanting to see His Highness. I wonder if His Highness would like to see them?"
Zhu Ci asked with some surprise, "See me? Who is it?"
“Zhu Ci.”
Zhu Ci heard this name and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow: "He's actually still alive?"
After speaking, he looked at Fu and asked, "Since the Crown Prince is in the hands of the Marquis of Huating, why is the Marquis of Huating not like General Zuo?"
Fu said nonchalantly, "Why should I care about the words of others when I am simply doing what I want to do?"
Was Zuo Liangyu really doing that to clear the Emperor's side? He simply didn't want to be controlled by the imperial court, he was also worried about being ordered to resist the Qing Army, so he just wanted to make a run for it.
It had to be said that Fu's words hit the mark for Zhu Ci. He nodded and said, "Exactly. What use are reputations after death? Once I am gone, I won't care if the world is flooded."
He finished speaking, feeling that his words were a bit rebellious and overly dramatic, immediately added, "If the Marquis of Huating has no arrangements for Zhu Ci, then leave him to me."
Falling into Fu's hands was indeed a bit dangerous for Zhu Ci; after all, this man was currently a rebel.
Of course, he was also in danger when facing Fu, if he had known Fu was here, he would have had to think carefully before deciding whether or not to meet him.
Fu turned his head and gave an order, an attendant immediately withdrew.
Fu did not ask Zhu Ci what he wanted to do, Zhu Ci did not say either, merely turning his head to glance at the Fuchuan.
Mhm, this ship looks beautiful even at night.
The more he looked at it, the more his heart burned with desire.
First, I'll set a small goal for myself: strive to buy a Fuchuan as soon as possible.