novelAbuy Chapter 87 Business is booming
Chapter 87 Business is booming
Chapter 87 Business is booming
In the days that followed, Zhao Mingcheng devoted almost all his energy to those five shops.
Time is precious, and he must sell the Snowfield Fragrance for a good price before Zhao Xu's son is born, so that he can make money for Zhao Ji.
The first thing Zhao Mingcheng did was to select the shop with the best location and the widest storefront and personally oversee the renovation.
The signboard was changed to "Xueyu Xiangge" with gold lettering on a black background. The lettering was personally written by Emperor Huizong of Tang, and it was both powerful and elegant.
The shop has been rearranged, with rosewood cabinets and display cases all covered with dark blue velvet, and several snowscape paintings with a serene and distant artistic conception hanging on the walls.
The shop has no trace of commercialism; instead, it is more like a combination of a scholar's study, a spice shop, and a tea room.
The packaging of Ningxiang has also been changed. The original simple jeweled box has been retained, but the red velvet lining has been replaced with a more delicate brocade. Under each incense ball, there is a small piece of neatly cut plain white Xuan paper.
The poem "A Spray of Plum Blossoms - Ode to the Fragrance of the Yellow River Valley" was printed on the paper in an elegant, scholarly style.
Unsigned, only the words are printed.
The words and phrases themselves are the best instruction manual and guide.
Zhao Mingcheng was well-versed in the arts of "hunger marketing" and "story marketing." He claimed to the outside world that this incense was a secret recipe from the Hehuang region, extremely rare, and favored by His Highness Prince Duan. Furthermore, each box was accompanied by inscriptions by famous scholars, making it incomparable to ordinary items.
Once the business was fully established, there were countless things to manage, and Zhao Mingcheng needed capable and trustworthy people.
Gao Qiu also came into Zhao Mingcheng's sights again.
Regardless of historical evaluation, Gao Qiu was intelligent, resourceful, good at socializing, efficient, and familiar with the affairs of the Prince Duan's mansion. He had quite a few connections among all walks of life in Bianjing, making him exactly the kind of talent that was urgently needed at the moment.
When Zhao Mingcheng mentioned it to Zhao Ji, Zhao Ji naturally had no objections.
Gao Qiu was in high spirits when he got the job. He was a smart man and was extremely respectful to Zhao Mingcheng. He was hardworking and diligent, and he learned business skills very quickly.
"Brother Gao, the initial price of this Ningxiang should not be too high, but it also cannot be too low," Zhao Mingcheng instructed Gao Qiu.
"Set the price at fifteen strings of cash per box. For the first three days, only twenty boxes will be sold each day, and reservations are required. Find a few trustworthy people and have them quietly spread the story in teahouses, taverns, and entertainment venues about how His Highness Prince Duan cherishes this incense, how exquisite the poem is, and how unique the fragrance is. In particular, make sure that the wives and guests of officials and wealthy merchants who are fond of refined tastes and like to compete know about it."
Gao Qiu understood immediately and smiled.
"Don't worry, Young Master Zhao, I'm good at this. I guarantee that within three days, the threshold of Snowfield Fragrance Pavilion will be worn down by people."
as predicted.
The name of Prince Duan was already a golden brand, and the exquisite poem, whose author was unknown, quickly caused a sensation in the upper-class circles of Bianjing as a small number of Ningxiang samples were given away and spread by word of mouth.
The phrase "seemingly there yet not there, lasting forever" has been repeatedly recited and savored by scholars and literati, who find its charm ever more profound with each recitation, perfectly complementing the truly unique fragrance.
Scarcity drives up prices, and Gao Qiu's intentional or unintentional manipulation of the "buying frenzy" atmosphere further fueled the demand.
In just three or four days, the dozens of boxes of fragrant incense released daily by Xueyu Xiangge were already in high demand, requiring orders placed several days in advance or even through personal connections.
Prices also rose accordingly, from fifteen strings of cash to twenty strings, then to twenty-five strings—supply could not meet demand.
The other four shops were also busy.
The two slightly less desirable shops specialize in selling high-quality furs and rare medicinal herbs transported from the Hehuang region.
Fur products such as black fox, sable, and silver rat are already precious items. Now, with the label of "Qinghai Specialty Products," they have an added legendary aura, and their prices are naturally more than 30% higher than similar products on the market, yet they are still snapped up.
Medicinal herbs such as snow mountain ginseng, snow lotus, and gentian are of superior quality. There is also a saying that "the border areas are bitter and cold, so the medicinal properties are more potent," which makes them very popular among the families of high-ranking officials and nobles.
Gao Qiu was indeed a shrewd businessman.
He leveraged his extensive network of contacts built up through his past experience in the streets and towns to expand and stabilize his sales network.
He knew exactly which lady loved perfumery, which gentleman was fond of collecting furs, and which household needed top-quality medicinal herbs for nourishment. He could always accurately deliver product information to potential buyers.
Moreover, he was extremely adept at judging people by their appearance. When facing the powerful and wealthy, he was extremely respectful, praising Prince Duan and Zhao Mingcheng to the forefront; when facing wealthy merchants, he would subtly reveal the relationship between the "palace" and the "royal residence," making people not dare to underestimate him but also unable to resist his allure.
The accounts were kept meticulously, and he reported them to Zhao Mingcheng daily without any discrepancies.
Zhao Mingcheng was responsible for overseeing operations from the rear and coordinating the overall situation.
The trade route he established through Tong Guan, from Hehuang through Qinzhou to Bianjing, played a crucial role at this time.
When the first batch of 800 boxes of Ningxiang and the corresponding leather goods and medicinal materials were about to sell out, he immediately sent a letter to the manager of Hehuang (his own people whom he had arranged before leaving office) to organize a second batch of goods and to increase the purchase and production of Ningxiang raw materials.
While in the palace, Tong Guan used his position as a palace attendant to provide considerable cover and convenience for this trade route, making the flow of goods much smoother and greatly reducing the trouble caused by checkpoints along the way.
Tong Guan followed Zhao Mingcheng's distribution plan and also took a cut, earning a considerable amount. He was impressed by Zhao Mingcheng's methods and his "not forgetting old friends."
I admire and am grateful for their behavior.
When chatting with others in private, they all said that Zhao Fuyushi (although Zhao Mingcheng had stepped down, he still habitually used the old title) was truly a prime minister.
Working with him is efficient and reliable!
Business was booming and wealth was flowing in, but Zhao Mingcheng did not forget etiquette.
He personally selected five boxes of the finest Ningxiang, along with several top-quality furs and two thick, old ginseng roots from the snow-capped mountains, packed them in a gift box, and sent them to the residence of Privy Councilor Zeng Bu in the name of "disciple Zhao Mingcheng".
The gift list was accompanied by a short and respectful greeting card, which stated: "These are small gifts from a remote border region, not enough to express my deep gratitude for your kindness and guidance."
This gesture was both a sign of respect for his teacher and a clear indication to the court that Zhao Mingcheng was still a member of Zeng Bu's faction.
Upon receiving the gift, Zeng Bu stroked his beard and smiled, saying to those around him, "Mingcheng is a man of great talent and integrity, yet he does not forget his duty. He is truly a rare find."
Zhao Mingcheng also packed three boxes of Ningxiang and some high-quality medicinal herbs, and asked Li Jiong to take them home.
"Wenruo, please make sure your younger sister accepts these. I have no way to repay you for the poem, so these fragrant herbs are just a small token of my gratitude. Please do not refuse them."
His gift to Li Qingzhao emphasized the sentiment of "soulmate," while his gift to Li Jiong was a token of their friendship as classmates. Li Jiong could not refuse and had to take it back.
Upon receiving the medicine, Li Qingzhao found it to be indeed rare, and Ningxiang was also one of her favorites. She was quite pleased with Zhao Mingcheng's thoughtfulness and said to her cousin with a smile, "This Zhao Mingcheng is indeed meticulous in everything he does."
In an almost frenzied atmosphere, the price of the fragrant tea from Xueyu Xiangge eventually stabilized at a high level of forty strings of cash per box, and it was often difficult to find a buyer even with a price.
Li Qingzhao's poem "A Spray of Plum Blossoms" became even more widely sung, and many literati even tried to imitate her style to create poems about fragrance, but they always felt that they were inferior.
High-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, and powerful figures all considered it fashionable for the women in their households to use the fragrance of Xueyu Xiangge, and considered it prestigious to wear Hehuang fur coats.
The name Zhao Mingcheng quietly became well-known in the business circles and certain social circles of Bianjing, not only because of his achievements in the Hehuang region, but also because of his Midas touch in business.
On this day, the accounts were largely sorted out, and the first phase could be considered a great success.
Zhao Mingcheng took the account books and several samples to the Prince Duan's residence to report to Zhao Ji.
Emperor Huizong had already learned from Gao Qiu and Liang Shicheng that the business was booming, and he was both curious and expectant.
Upon meeting Zhao Mingcheng in the study, before he could even finish bowing, she eagerly asked him a question.
"Defu! Tell me quickly, how much trouble have you caused with my five shops? I've heard a lot of rumors these past few days, saying that the threshold of Snowfield Fragrant Pavilion is practically worn down by footsteps!"
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Zhao Mingcheng smiled and presented the summary of the account books he had brought with both hands.
"Thanks to Your Highness's good fortune and reputation, business has been relatively smooth. This is the preliminary settlement; please take a look, Your Highness."
Zhao Ji took it. He didn't really understand the numbers and accounts, but he glanced at it and saw that "the first batch of 800 boxes of Ningxiang were sold out, with an average price of about 38 guan", "70% of the leather goods were sold", "60% of the medicinal materials were sold", and "a total of about 42,000 guan of cash was recovered".
When I saw the words "After deducting all costs, expenses, reserved funds for goods and commissions for offerings to children, the net profit is about 28,000 guan", my eyes widened immediately.
"How much? How much?" He pointed to the net profit figure, somewhat incredulous. "Twenty-eight thousand strings of cash? And this is only—less than a month ago?"
"Yes, Your Highness, it's mainly because Ningxiang is very profitable," Zhao Mingcheng explained.
"The remaining goods are on their way, and pre-orders are in high demand. If this can continue, it is expected that this item will add tens of thousands of strings of cash to His Highness's income every year. Leather and medicinal materials are not as profitable as Ningxiang, but they are more stable in the long term."
"Tens of thousands of strings of cash—every year—" Zhao Ji murmured repeatedly, then suddenly stood up from his chair, walked around the desk, and grabbed Zhao Mingcheng's arms tightly, his face filled with undisguised ecstasy and excitement.
"Defu! My good Defu! You are truly my lucky star, my Xiao He and Chen Ping! I knew it! I knew entrusting things to you would be the right decision!"
Emperor Huizong paced excitedly in his study, rubbing his hands together.
"My royal residence, after deducting expenses and the palace's rewards, barely manages to save three to five thousand strings of cash a year! What you've done is equivalent to several years' worth of mine! Hahahaha—"
He burst into laughter, a hearty laugh, and turned to look at Zhao Mingcheng, his eyes filled with genuine gratitude and affection.
"Defu, when you said you would share my burdens, I only thought it was a matter of friendship and that I would be happy with some financial assistance. I never expected that you would actually give me a mountain of gold. I, Zhao Ji, will remember this kindness and this ability!"
Zhao Mingcheng humbly replied, "Your Highness is too kind. Without Your Highness's trust and the grant of capital and shops, and without Your Highness's awe-inspiring reputation and the smooth handling of matters, even if Mingcheng had some ideas, they would be nothing but castles in the air. This is all thanks to Your Highness's great fortune and the combined efforts of everyone; Mingcheng dares not take credit for it."
"No, don't say such polite things."
Zhao Ji waved his hand, sat down again, his face flushed.
"That's great! I don't have to worry about the expenses for those calligraphy, paintings, and paintings anymore! Oh, right," he said, suddenly remembering something, his interest piqued.
"The Emperor's son is due to be born in the next couple of days, and as his uncle, I've been worried that my congratulatory gifts aren't substantial enough. Now's the perfect opportunity; I can finally find some rare treasures, and I should also make sure to offer my best gifts to the Empress Dowager!"
Zhao Mingcheng nodded in agreement: "Your Highness's consideration is thorough. The addition of a new member to the royal family is a blessing to the nation, and Your Highness's generous gift demonstrates the deep bond between siblings. Your Highness's constant filial piety towards the Empress Dowager is also a duty of a son. Since Your Highness has the means, this is the proper course of action."
Emperor Huizong nodded repeatedly, finding Zhao Mingcheng increasingly pleasing and satisfactory.
At that moment, he felt incredibly lucky to have a friend like Zhao Mingcheng, who was capable of great things, made a lot of money, and always thought of him.
He personally poured Zhao Mingcheng a cup of tea, using it as a substitute for wine, and raised his cup in a toast.
"Defu, everything is understood without words. From now on, you will be in charge of all business matters. You don't need to ask me about everything. If you need anything, just use the people and things in the Prince's Mansion! Come, let me offer you a cup of tea instead of wine!"
Zhao Mingcheng raised his cup in greeting: "Thank you for your trust, Your Highness. I will certainly do my utmost."
The teacups clinked lightly, producing a crisp sound.
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