206: Chapter 204: Closed as soon as it Opened 206: Chapter 204: Closed as soon as it Opened Because they were of lower social standing, these lesser clerks did not dare approach while making purchases inside the store.
Now, following the departure of those people, they finally dared to enter the shop openly and legitimately.
However, upon entering, they were stunned to discover that at this moment, the opulent hall and its crystal-clear shelves were already more than half empty.
Or, more accurately, there were hardly a few items left.
This discovery made them curse the aforementioned officials and nobles to the high heavens.
“Those sons of bitches sure are quick.”
Their hands moved with such finality, not leaving even a few items for them.
Especially after seeing the prices of the remaining items, they couldn’t help but inhale sharply with shock.
They had never expected even the cheapest piece of glazed merchandise would cost at least several thousand taels.
Much to Lin Yi’s surprise, though initially shocked by the prices, these people began to buy with frenzy after a short while.
As if several thousand taels meant nothing to them, they bought out all the merchandise in a mere moment.
Aside from that, all that remained in the shop were the gigantic half-body mirror and seven glazed glass Qilin carafes.
The reason that the big glazed mirror was left is that it was not for sale, absolutely not available to the public.
Otherwise, it would have probably been sold already.
As for the Qilin carafes that everyone was fond of, they knew the implications of those items, hence nobody dared to buy them.
This episode made Lin Yi re-evaluate the merchants of the current era.
It seemed he had underestimated them; although they lacked the status and prestige of the previous officials, it was undeniable that they had considerable wealth in their homes.
Such a situation was wholly due to the contemporary laws.
You see, merchants ranked lowest in society’s hierarchy.
Therefore, despite having amassed a fortune, they dared not show it.
Furthermore, they were restricted in their clothing and living conditions.
Meaning, no matter how wealthy a merchant was, he was not permitted to wear silk robes or exceed certain privileges with his carriage.
This was not like later times when wealthy merchants enjoyed limitless glory.
There was one possibility, however, should you manage to gain the patronage of a powerful figure, to link your business directly with an official.
But there was a downside: doing so meant a large portion of your earnings would have to be gifted to that official.
For instance, those merchants relying on the Fourth Prince Mansion had to give at least eighty percent of their annual income to the Fourth Prince.
This allowed them to wear silk, live in large mansions with multiple courtyards, and have their own servants.
Now, upon witnessing the exquisite glazed ceramics, these plainly dressed businessmen revealed their substantial financial power.
This insight suddenly made Lin Yi’s eyes light up.
He seemed to perceive a significant opportunity for operation behind this event.
He believed if handled well, it would bring him an unexpected surprise.
Of course, such things couldn’t be rushed; they had to be developed gradually.
The last of these merchants’ frantic purchasing also resulted in a notable opening day success.
In summary, when Lin Yi counted his earnings, he was suddenly astounded to find that today’s revenue had reached a staggering 631,470 taels.
And the reason for the odd amount was entirely due to three ten-tael bamboo slip gift certificates.
Without these vouchers, the day’s earnings would have been a round number, without the seventy-tael discrepancy.
After all, the cheapest item here was priced by the hundred taels.
Although the figure of six hundred thousand taels was enormous, for Lin Yi, it didn’t carry much meaning, nor did it bring any particular joy or surprise.
The reason was that this money was not solely his.
A large portion had to be given to the young Emperor.
Additionally, being a person from the 21st century, he had not yet fully grasped the concept of monetary conversion here, even after spending some time in this era.
After all, if considered, the value of glazed ware in this time was not unlike the value of luxury items in later eras, frequently reaching millions.
What’s more, this shop carried the Imperial Family’s name.
So, earning a few hundred thousand taels in a day was nothing out of the ordinary, was it?
Conversely, had it been less, he would have been surprised.
However, while he didn’t make much of it, that didn’t mean others felt the same way.
The accountants were dumbfounded by such figures, staring wide-eyed as if seeing ghosts.
They couldn’t believe their eyes, unable to comprehend the reality of what they had witnessed!
Earning over six hundred thousand taels in a day – not even robbery yielded money that fast!
Those six hundred thousand taels were equivalent to You Country’s annual tax revenue.
How could they not be elated?
Owing to the merchandise being sold out ahead of time, and with all the goods in the shop sold out, a “Sold Out” sign was hung just four hours after the shop opened.
This scene baffled the gathered crowd, who wondered what kind of act this was, seeing as the shop had only been opened for four hours.
Why would it close so abruptly?
Of course, after handling things on site, Lin Yi entrusted everything to his subordinates.
As for himself, he took the account books and headed straight to the Imperial Palace.
After all, today’s opening was a cause for celebration, and surely the young Emperor would be delighted to learn of it.