"Old Master Zhang!"
"Old Master Li!"
At the entrance of the Royal Merchant Guild, two old masters, about to procure goods, met by chance and greeted each other.
After some pleasantries, Old Master Zhang glanced at the busy employees and said, "Ah, Old Master Li, you are well-informed. Do you know what this Cloud Note is all about?"
"I know, I know, but whether this Cloud Note is truly as rumored, we must send people to observe it firsthand to know for sure and to put my mind at ease."
Old Master Li patted his chest and chuckled, "What's wrong? Old Master Zhang, aren't you eager to exchange for Cloud Notes?"
"Indeed, but as much as I want to, it is still winter, and transporting large quantities of grain is not convenient. Moreover, gold and silver are even more inconvenient for trade."
Old Master Zhang sighed and said, "I recently made a trip of over ten days for supplies, and the wheels got stuck so badly, it was truly troublesome! I don't know when the roads outside the city will be repaired. And using gold and silver for transactions is simply too inconvenient. If Cloud Notes hadn't appeared, it would be fine. But now that they have, I truly want to exchange for them."
"Uh, you are truly vigorous for your age. In such cold weather, you, a man of wealth, personally escort goods?"
Old Master Li's expression was somewhat subtle as he probed.
"I have no choice. I can't rest assured. Transport is difficult enough in winter. If a batch were lost, wouldn't my heart ache? This batch of goods I brought in is a large floor-standing glazed mirror!"
"Oh wow! Impressive!"
Old Master Li was full of admiration. Everyone knew this item was easily damaged. To dare to bring such goods for sale, it was no wonder he couldn't rest assured and had to escort them personally. If it were completely entrusted to his subordinates, and it broke, that would be ten thousand taels lost!
"Then Old Master Zhang, did you actually sell that glazed floor-standing mirror you brought in?"
"Yes, it was sold, along with some handheld mirrors, all sold."
Speaking of this, Old Master Zhang's face bloomed with a smile.
He directly took it to the nearest prefecture-level city in the south, Xingli Prefecture. He resold the glazed floor-standing mirror to a noble family, directly fetching twenty thousand taels, doubling his profit!
Everyone knew that this item was not easy to transport, and coupled with the high cost of single-item procurement and the considerable risk, few dared to sell it, so the price naturally increased.
A ten-day trip, and a profit of ten thousand taels on resale. Even after paying a fifty percent tax, it was still a profit of five thousand taels. If he made a few more trips, wouldn't he make a fortune?
Not to mention, the Royal Merchant Guild also seemed to be aware of the difficulty in transporting glazed floor-standing mirrors. Before the roads were built, they had promised that if transportation was needed, by paying a certain amount of silver, they would provide methods to maximize the probability of the glazed floor-standing mirror not being damaged during transport.
"Then, congratulations, Old Master Zhang."
"Hahaha, a stroke of luck, merely a stroke of luck."
One congratulated with a hint of envy, while the other laughed triumphantly.
"I wonder if anyone has tried exchanging for Cloud Notes yet," Old Master Li said, changing the subject.
"Bold individuals likely have. After all, exchanging for Cloud Notes and trading with the Royal Merchant Guild can save a lot of trouble on the road, such as saving on the carriages and servants needed to load and unload gold and silver. This is not a small sum."
"That makes sense, indeed." Old Master Li nodded, finding Old Master Zhang's words reasonable.
Then he smiled, "Old Master Zhang, you've earned so much. Why not exchange for some Cloud Notes, so your old friend can have a look?"
"Haha, no problem. However, I don't plan to exchange for too much. Well, I'll just exchange for ten taels, and perhaps invite Old Master Li for a simple meal?"
"Excellent, excellent."
Saying this, they each summoned their stewards and headed to the simply renovated bank.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, having handed over the grain transported by carriage to the bank, Old Master Zhang successfully obtained the rumored Cloud Notes.
Looking at the Cloud Notes in his hands, Old Master Zhang and Old Master Li were greatly shocked.
"This is Cloud Notes. Ten taels of silver also weigh a jin. This thing called Cloud Note is as light as a feather, like wings. I don't know if it weighs even an ounce. It's too convenient!"
Old Master Li took a Cloud Note of one hundred wen denomination, held it up to the sun, pointed to the semi-transparent inscription, and said with a smile, "Look at this thing, it only appears when illuminated by the sun. The anti-counterfeiting measures are truly superb!"
"Indeed! I was worried before, how would paper currency be counterfeited? I never imagined such technology existed. I'm afraid no one in this world can imitate it now, right?"
Old Master Zhang also said with great astonishment.
Then he touched the red thread pattern, "And these embossed patterns, I really don't know how such fine anti-counterfeiting marks were made. It's truly astonishing!"
"These Cloud Notes are so light and convenient for trade, but I wonder if anyone will accept them. As far as I know, only the Royal Merchant Guild, the workers building the roads, and at most the supply and marketing cooperatives of the farms will accept them."
Old Master Li said with some regret after his amazement.
"Old Master Li worries too much. How do you think money is accepted?" Old Master Zhang said with a smile, tucking all the exchanged Cloud Notes into his怀, without any worry.
"Oh? Please, Old Master Zhang, enlighten me."
"I dare not, I dare not. I will simply state my humble opinion." Old Master Zhang waved his hand, humbly saying, "Be it Cloud Notes, copper coins, silver, or gold, as long as a large number of people use it, and the more people who use it, the more it represents recognition by more people. Naturally, goods will revolve around it, and then it will be accepted by more people, even unimpeded, and eventually replace gold and silver!"
Old Master Zhang's words made Old Master Li suddenly enlightened.
"So that's how it is. But Old Master Zhang, since you see things so clearly, why did you only exchange for a small denomination of a hundred taels?"
Old Master Li, suddenly enlightened, then asked with a half-smile.
Old Master Zhang smiled slightly and said, "Naturally, it is because before it is completely popularized, Cloud Notes carry great risks. As far as I know, the court's road construction efforts are so grand, yet the court has no silver. It relies solely on the Emperor's personal treasury expenditure. I don't know how much money the Emperor's personal treasury has, but it's likely insufficient to fill the gap. That would be a crisis at that time!"
"No wonder I heard people say you, Old Master Zhang, have stockpiled a lot of grain at home. Your foresight is truly remarkable!"
"Where, where."
As Old Master Li and Old Master Zhang chatted, their hearts gradually became less resistant to Cloud Notes. Instead, they felt some anticipation for the success of Cloud Notes, hoping they could replace gold and silver, which would solve the cost and even safety issues of merchant caravans.
Soon, a message from the Royal Merchant Guild shocked and delighted many merchants.