He pointed at Lu Guanyi: “Just ask General Lu, and you’ll understand how difficult life is at the border. If you give a little more concession here, the soldiers at the border will have an easier time.”

It wasn’t that he was trying to push the price lower after Ye Chongming had stated it was already at cost, but rather because black tea had a significant impact on the relationship between Great Jin and Great Jin.

The grasslands could only support cattle and sheep grazing, not the cultivation of grains and vegetables, so the grassland people could only subsist primarily on meat. They lacked vitamins and other nutrients. Tea not only contained vitamins and other substances but also aided digestion. Though they didn’t understand these details, drinking tea made their bodies feel comfortable.

Therefore, the grassland people lived by the principle: “One can go without food for three days, but not without tea for a single day.” For tea, they would even wage war.

Although tea leaves were transported from Dian, Qian, and Chuan regions to Great Jin, the production there was limited. Additionally, those areas were inhabited by various ethnic groups who were highly xenophobic, making it difficult for the court to control. In previous years, there had been frequent clashes between government troops and these ethnic groups over tea smuggling and taxation issues.

Now the Ye family had produced black tea, which tasted better than the tea from Dian, Qian, and Chuan regions. It was produced by a single family, had a vast output, and most importantly, it was durable in storage. Unlike other teas that became stale by the second year, this tea improved with age.

When the court transported black tea to the border, they could adjust the tea price upward when Great Jin’s economy was good and downward when it was poor, thereby controlling Great Jin and securing peace at the border.

Therefore, if the price of black tea could be lower, the court would have more room to maneuver.

Moreover, since all merchants were cunning, when Ye Chongming said the cost price of this tea was three hundred and eighty wen, Chen Zhen believed that half of this price would probably be the actual cost of black tea.

But Ye Chongming was like a stone in a latrine—both smelly and hard, impossible to deal with. Having no alternative, Chen Zhen turned his attention to Ye Yaming.

When Chen Zhen’s gaze shifted to her, Ye Yaming’s internal alarm went off.

At that moment, she looked panic-stricken, as if being suddenly called out in a room full of officials and Ye family men had startled her.

She stood up and stammered: “Lord Chen, I…”

“Sit, sit down and speak,” Chen Zhen gestured downward with his hand, his face full of kindness.

Ye Yaming knew she couldn’t overact. In the future, she would still need to deal with government officials and would have to go to the Capital City after marriage. Overacting could easily break her character. If Chen Zhen discovered he had been fooled, the consequences would be unimaginable.

She obediently sat down, collected herself, and then began: “As you know, tea leaves themselves are bitter and astringent, and the old leaves and stems are even more so. To transform these bitter and astringent old leaves and stems into sweet and mellow black tea, not to mention other processes, just the pile-fermentation alone takes two to three months of processing. One small oversight and the tea is ruined.”

“The labor cost aside, the loss of raw materials is also substantial. Not to mention the growth, care, and harvesting of tea leaves, just the wages of the tea-making workers are not cheap. What my grandfather said is true—it’s already at cost price. If we lower it further, we’ll be operating at a loss.”

“If it were just for this year, even if we took a loss, we would be happy to contribute to the court. The problem is that this isn’t a matter of just one or two years. Once established, it would have to continue year after year. This is not something we can bear. Lord Chen, please show some understanding.”

Chen Zhen had originally thought that Ye Yaming, being young and inexperienced, would reveal vulnerabilities in her speech that he could exploit to push down the price. However, he didn’t expect Ye Yaming to be so articulate. Her speech was similar to Ye Chongming’s, but she spoke with such genuine sincerity that Chen Zhen couldn’t help but grimace.

These Ye family members, one after another, were all so difficult to deal with.

“Moreover, if we can’t even maintain our cost, the more we produce, the more we lose. People naturally seek profit and avoid harm, so we might just deliver the minimum required amount each year. But this tea—the court hopes for as much as possible, right?”

This statement truly struck the vital point.

Whether the tea price was a bit higher or lower didn’t matter much, after all, the court would mark it up to sell to Great Jin. But if the quantity was insufficient to meet Great Jin’s demand, the leverage over Great Jin would be diminished.

Chen Zhen conceded defeat and said reluctantly: “Alright, then three hundred and seventy wen per catty, with an annual supply of 150,000 to 250,000 catties. Is that acceptable?”

Three hundred and seventy wen was the price Ye Chongming had given when he couldn’t withstand Chen Zhen’s pressure and had taken a step back.

Hearing this figure, he turned back to look at his granddaughter with a guilty expression, his eyes full of remorse.

Observing this reaction and recalling Ye Chongming’s initial insistence on three hundred and eighty wen, Chen Zhen realized that three hundred and eighty wen must indeed be the Ye family’s cost price.

Losing ten wen per catty on 250,000 catties of tea would mean a loss of 2,500 taels of silver, which wasn’t significant for the Ye family, who could profit from Dragon Well and other teas. This was the maximum benefit he could secure for the court from the Ye family.

Since Ye Yaming had already spoken up, she didn’t retreat, and continued: “Three hundred and seventy wen is the cost price, so the court cannot tax us again. Additionally, our tea will be produced in Lin’an, Huizhou, and Minzhou. You should send people there to transport it. We don’t cover transportation or bear the cost of tea permits.”

If not for seeing Ye Chongming’s guilty expression and the fact that Ye Yaming’s threat had struck a vital point, Chen Zhen might have haggled over these matters. Now, convinced that the Ye family was indeed operating at a loss and faced with Ye Yaming’s threat, he naturally didn’t wish to quibble over these details.

If they pushed the Ye family too hard, cutting off the black tea supply or making the supply insufficient, he would not only fail to be a meritorious official but would become a criminal one.

He readily agreed: “Alright, we’ll do as Miss Ye says.”

Thus, both parties signed the contract.

After signing the contract, Chen Zhen was willing to do the Ye family a favor.

He said: “Since you are doing business with the court, and this tea will be transported to Great Jin, I will petition on your behalf, requesting the court to grant you the title of Imperial Merchants. However, while the court is showing you favor, you must always keep national interests in mind. You must produce the black tea properly and never cut corners or do a shoddy job. If there are any problems with the black tea delivered, it would be a serious crime, punishable by confiscation of property and beheading.”

Seeing Ye Hongchang and others pale at his words, Ye Yaming gave Chen Zhen a deep look.

This Lord Chen, as expected of a national-level negotiation expert, was masterful at manipulating people’s hearts.

If he had said these words before signing the contract, Ye Chongming, Ye Hongchang, and others might have hesitated.

Ye Chongming had sought stability all his life and was unwilling to take any risks. This black tea business didn’t offer much profit and carried significant risks. Even with the “Imperial Merchant” carrot dangling in front, he might not have been willing to sign this contract.

Now that the contract was signed and couldn’t be changed, Chen Zhen’s words could frighten Ye Chongming and others, ensuring they wouldn’t dare compromise on quality in the slightest.

Formidable, truly formidable.