Chapter Fifty-Eight: Discussing the Shareholding Ratio

“Whew...” As dusk approached, Liu Tan exhaled a deep, weary breath. He was thoroughly exhausted. During the instruction on the details of formation drills, the three Commanders were like schoolchildren; every minute detail had to be explained at length, and then demonstrated in practice.

Even so, it still took quite some time for the three Commanders to grasp the essentials, leaving him feeling rather helpless. Nevertheless, they at least managed to master the basics. To be honest, he never expected the Imperial Guards’ formation skills to reach the standards of his previous life in one leap—that was impossible. But as long as the standard was established, it would gradually improve over time. With consistent implementation, it wasn’t out of the question for them to eventually achieve the level of those grand military parades from his former world.

A military formation reflects the spirit and morale of its troops, especially in this era dominated by cold steel. Morale and fighting spirit can significantly enhance combat effectiveness.

Returning to the palace, he was surprised to find the Empress, together with Lady Li and Lady Wang, had produced another batch of toilet paper—this time at five times the previous scale. They had mobilized all their eunuchs, palace maids, and even their bodyguards.

These eunuchs, maids, and guards were all drenched in sweat and panting heavily. Gazing at the pulp spread out on the wooden boards, he thought, “They’ve truly mastered my craft!” But aloud he remarked, “So quickly, you’ve begun to steal my intellectual property?”

The Empress chuckled and replied, “Your Majesty, we’re not making paper for profit. Besides, all three of us participated in the process, so surely we deserve a share in the patent. More importantly, we plan to give you half of all the paper we make!”

Liu Tan laughed and returned to the main hall. At that moment, Lady Wang hurried after him, bringing a message from her father: he wished to meet with him.

He was not at all surprised—no merchant could resist such a temptation.

However, he had been leaving the palace frequently of late. Though the last two trips were in disguise, he was certain that every move he made was visible to all. As Emperor, going out of the palace daily would eventually become a subject of criticism.

So, even though Lady Wang was eager, he merely nodded, without specifying a time for negotiations.

“If I entrust the collaboration with your father to you, do you think you can handle it?” he suddenly asked, raising an eyebrow.

At first, Lady Wang shook her head, but then, with determination, nodded vigorously. “Your Majesty, I don’t know if I can, but I want to try!”

Just then, the Empress and Lady Li entered the hall as well, both with a look of opportunity in their eyes.

They, too, wished to serve the Emperor, for they knew he favored women who could be of help to him.

This much was evident from the palace maids with some beauty: ever since the Emperor recovered from his injuries, he had never again teased any beautiful maid.

Seeing Lady Wang’s enthusiasm, Liu Tan pointed at Lady Li and said, “Let Lady Li assist you. The two of you should discuss thoroughly these next two days. Think carefully about how you might win more benefits for me when the time comes.”

His words made Lady Li’s eyes light up. Though she would only be Lady Wang’s assistant, that was better than doing nothing at all. She knew her role wasn’t just to advise Lady Wang, but more importantly, to safeguard the Emperor’s interests. In truth, her position was more crucial than Lady Wang’s, so she accepted joyfully.

Indeed, this was Liu Tan’s intention. With no truly reliable people at hand, he had to cultivate those close to him. Besides, with Lady Wang being Wang Wanzi’s daughter, many procedures could be bypassed.

Yet Lady Wang was still of the Wang family. Even if her heart was with him, he had to guard against her colluding with her family against him.

But with Lady Li present, things were different. Being a consort, she was not an ordinary person. Anyone wishing to deceive or bribe her would have to consider the risks very carefully.

Once Liu Tan was seated, Lady Wang immediately served him tea, scratched her head in thought, and asked, “Your Majesty, regarding the share proportions, what is your bottom line?”

“Oh?” Liu Tan sipped his tea and, surprised, asked, “You already know to ask about the bottom line for shares?”

Lady Wang smiled sheepishly. “I learned that from my two sisters! Whenever I have time these days, I ask them for advice, learn more characters, and practice arithmetic!”

“It seems my decision was indeed correct,” Liu Tan praised himself before turning the question back to them. “You all saw the draft contract from the other day. Let me ask you, my three beloved consorts: if I form a company with the Wang family, what proportion of shares should I take?”

These days, whenever he was free, he would share his thoughts with them—selectively, of course. For example, since he planned to do business with the Wang family, their recent conversations had revolved around such matters, including the concept of a company.

In truth, “company” was just a name, not unlike a trading house or rice shop. The key lay in structuring the share allocations.

Having heard much about this, the three consorts had gained a basic understanding of the principles.

After pondering a while, the Empress spoke first. “Your Majesty, you said before that to have absolute control over a company, one must hold a majority of shares. The Wang family would provide people and capital, while Your Majesty brings only an idea. So I think you should have at least fifty-one per cent…”

“Sister, that’s fifty-one per cent!” Lady Li, seeing the Empress at a loss, couldn’t help but remind her.

“Yes, yes, Your Majesty taught us: fifty-one out of a hundred shares, fifty-one per cent!” the Empress added, somewhat embarrassed.

She scratched her head again. Fractions and shares had been mentioned by the Emperor so often, yet she still managed to forget.

Liu Tan simply smiled, speechless.

Lady Li then said, “I think, as Emperor, you should have a larger share—sixty per cent, with the Wang family taking forty.”

Liu Tan continued to smile, saying nothing.

Lady Wang, who had been silent, straightened and declared, “Your Majesty, according to one clause in the contract, you ought to take seven shares!”

“Oh?” Liu Tan raised his brow in surprise. “Which clause is that?”

“As long as the Han dynasty stands, the contract remains valid—forever!” Lady Wang replied confidently.

Liu Tan couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Just this point alone proved his choice was right.

Yes, that clause was most beneficial to the Wang family. Their partnership would extend far beyond this one project; there would be many more in the future. With that clause, what began as a private enterprise became a state enterprise, tied to the Emperor’s chariot. Though the chariot was small now, Liu Tan was convinced its potential was vast.

“Hmm, at least seventy per cent of the shares. Yes, that will do.” He glanced at the Empress and said, “Include the Empress as well. If you manage to secure more, you three can split the extra shares equally. How about that?” Liu Tan smiled.

The three women were overjoyed at his words.

That night, Lady Li and Lady Wang took their leave; the Empress would accompany the Emperor.

“Tell me, Empress, what’s your elder brother been busy with lately?” Liu Tan suddenly remembered something and asked.

The Empress replied casually, “What else would he be doing? Drilling the army, organizing the autumn harvest, overseeing the sowing of autumn grain, of course. I reckon that come next spring, the Prime Minister will lead the army north for a campaign!”