Chapter 133

“Is it ready yet? It looks so delicious, my mouth is watering.” Looking at the honey-glazed chicken wings that Zhang Weihao was grilling, Yue Lingshan was really about to cry from craving.

Xue Keren and Xue Bing were also waiting eagerly, while they also looked at the grilled fish next to them. It smelled so good, and they knew it must be delicious just by smelling it.

Unlike the group of gluttonous little girls, Lu Xiaofeng was really stingy with money. It wasn’t that the chicken wings and grilled fish were expensive; those weren’t actually that expensive. What was really expensive were the spices.

He swears to God that this is the first time in his life he has ever seen anyone treat spices like this. Do you know how expensive these spices are?

Of course, this is also related to the fact that the Huashan Sword Sect is very poor, and Yue Lingshan has never seen anything like it since she was a child, so she doesn’t know that this so-called outdoor BBQ is more expensive than eating gold directly.

Although there was a maritime ban during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the import of spices did not stop.

Around the mid-Ming Dynasty, the Portuguese became the main importers of spices.

Portuguese merchant ships, based in Malacca (now Malacca), which they had seized, frequently traveled between Macau and ports in the South Pacific, the Malay Peninsula, and the Indian Ocean coast, importing large quantities of pepper, sandalwood, frankincense, cloves, agarwood, styrax oil, nutmeg, and other goods into China.

In 1626 alone, the Portuguese brought in 60,000 silver dollars worth of sandalwood from Makassar, Indonesia (each piece weighing about one tael).

From the 16th to the early 19th century, China was the world’s largest spice market, and most of the spices from Southeast Asia were sold to China.

Chinese, European, and Southeast Asian merchants were all busy with the spice trade.

At its peak in the 16th century, China imported 50,000 bags of pepper annually, approximately 2,000 tons, accounting for about 5/6 of Indonesia’s total pepper production.

The Netherlands, Britain, and the United States also transported Chinese spices back to their countries from Guangzhou.

For example, in 1685, the Englishman Gellerman served as the chief steward of the “London” and “Wust” and used the company account to purchase goods to invest back in England, including: “300 barrels of camphor; 3,000 pounds of ginger”.

In 1704, the “Kent” returned to London from Huangpu, Guangzhou, carrying 500 dan of dried ginger, 525 dan of pepper, and 15 dan of rhubarb. “Unbeknownst to many, Guangzhou has become a veritable early distribution center for Southeast Asian spices.”

By the 19th century, the United States had also participated in the trade through the port of Guangzhou.

In 1804, the United States imported 900 dan of sandalwood, which reached 18,206 dan by 1829.

This was nothing like later generations. Whether it was ocean or land transportation, the costs were very high and the risks were also very great. It was no exaggeration to say that it was a life-or-death business that risked one’s life. Its danger was no less than that of drug trafficking in later generations, and its profits were naturally no less than those of drug trafficking.

Therefore, the price of spices from Southeast Asia was roughly equivalent to that of gold, with one tael of gold equaling one tael of spices. If the spices were from outside Southeast Asia or could not be transported directly to major inland ports by sea and had to be brought in via the Silk Road in the Western Regions, the price would be even more outrageous.

Not only is the cycle long, but the transportation costs and risks are also very high. The preservation of spices and the loss during transportation are also major problems. Therefore, the most expensive spices are three to five times the weight of gold.

Zhang Weihao’s grilled fish was clearly made in a modern style, with pepper and cumin sprinkled on recklessly, along with ginger, nutmeg, and other seasonings. Even the discerning Lu Xiaofeng felt sorry for him, thinking that this wasn’t eating food, but eating gold.

He really wanted to ask Zhang Weihao, “Why don’t I skip this lunch and just give you cash instead? That would be enough for me to live comfortably for a month or two in the best restaurants or brothels in Beijing.”

Of course, with the addition of these imported spices that are comparable to gold, the grilled fish is really delicious. Even the aloof heroes like Ximen Chuixue, Ye Gucheng, and Li Xunhuan ate it with great relish, their appetites were noticeably better than usual. The group of girls ate even more heartily, and Dongfang Bai ate three charcoal-grilled grass carp in one go.

There were only a dozen or so people in total, yet they managed to finish more than fifty grilled fish and over two hundred pairs of chicken wings. Besides the fact that martial arts practitioners have large appetites, it was also because the food was truly delicious, a real delicacy of this era.

Even Xie Xiaofeng, who was feeding the horses at the stable, was eating with great relish.

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t forget him; they would have someone specially deliver his share. Although the salary wasn’t high, the benefits were really good, and he was never short of fine wine and delicacies.

However, there was one person who didn’t have a good appetite and ate very little: Ning Zhongze. With her mind preoccupied, she truly had no appetite.

Soon after, Shangguan Haitang received a message by carrier pigeon and immediately toasted Ye Gucheng and the others, saying, “This time it was our Dragon Guard Manor that was wrong. I apologize to all of you. We, Shangguan Haitang and the Dragon Guard Manor, will remember this favor. We will do our best whenever needed.”

Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue exchanged a glance, then simultaneously looked at Lu Xiaofeng. Lu Xiaofeng instantly understood and said, “So the gold is in hand. Alright, we have no other requests. August 15th, two years from now, at the Forbidden City, is that alright?”

Shangguan Haitang’s expression changed, but she finally nodded and agreed, saying, “My godfather and I will do our best to make this happen.”

Upon seeing this, Zhang Weihao immediately clapped his hands and instructed Mei Jian to have someone bring up the small gifts he had prepared for these friends in the martial arts world. It was clear that these people intended to take their leave after the confinement order was lifted. The reason they were willing to remain in confinement was more out of respect for Zhang Weihao, and had little to do with Shangguan Haitang or the Dragon Guard Manor.

“No way, you really sent me this much spice? This is better than gold.”

“What you’re talking about is the market price outside. Because there are price limits, the major families don’t want to suffer unnecessary losses due to competition. These are hard currencies and scarce commodities, so the price is very stable. They can even directly buy goods from the market and don’t have to worry about selling them. But for those who truly control the channels and have their own merchant fleets and ships, the actual cost is not high. A pound of nutmeg is actually less than one tael of silver in Southeast Asia.”

At that time, one jin was worth sixteen liang, and the exchange rate between gold and silver was about 1 to 15, which is a difference of 240 times.

Of course, the high cost is mainly due to logistics and transportation costs. So the actual cost in the capital is about 30 taels of silver, which is thirty times higher. But compared with the actual selling price of 240 taels of silver, that is eight times higher. This shows the huge profit margin.

Of course, this is the Zhang family’s cost price. Other families and forces cannot compare with the Zhang family. It is normal for their cost to exceed 50 taels. But no matter how high it is, as long as they have their own caravan and merchant ships, it is impossible for it to exceed 80 taels. This also shows how profitable it is to do this kind of business. So of course, they will not allow the imperial court to open the sea. If the imperial court opens the sea, what will these aristocratic families eat?