Chapter 25: A Masterstroke in Sales, A Crisis Emerges for the Prince of Qin’s Estate

Inside the hall.

Listening to Ye Xun, Zheng Qian said with excitement, "Your Highness, the sales of the soap today went very smoothly. The main reason is that the quality of the soap is truly excellent."

"I brought five basins and let the onlookers test it on the spot. Once they saw the effectiveness of the soap, they were full of praise, and the standard soap sold out in less than an hour."

"The milk and honey soaps are a bit more expensive, but after the procurement officers from the noble and princely estates saw the results, they all bought them in batches of five or ten. Many people didn't even get a chance to buy any. They even asked me to arrive earlier tomorrow, and some merchants approached me, wanting to purchase in bulk from us."

"Your Highness, if these merchants buy from us, the volume will surely be massive."

Hearing this, Cao An and Ling'er were also very excited.

All their hard work over these past few days had not been in vain.

They never expected that what they originally did just to keep His Highness occupied and out of trouble would bring such great wealth to the Prince of Qin’s estate.

Ye Xun nodded slightly; everything was within his expectations.

Selling in the capital city was just a small-scale trial. If they could cooperate with other merchant firms to distribute the soap throughout the Great Xia Dynasty, that would be the time to truly make a profit.

However, it was not yet the right time.

"For now, just sell off the soap we have in the estate," Ye Xun said calmly. "There is no rush to cooperate with the merchant firms."

Zheng Qian was taken aback and asked in confusion, "Your Highness, why... why is that?"

Ye Xun explained, "Firstly, our current production is too low to supply large firms. Secondly, the reputation of the soap has not yet been fully established; we need to find major firms with extensive distribution networks. Thirdly, my current position is weak, and it is not wise to be too flashy, as it easily invites jealousy."

Upon hearing this, the three of them nodded silently.

His Highness was remarkably clear-headed and saw things so thoroughly.

Cao An and Ling'er still remembered the arrogant attitude of Liu Mingyuan, the son of the Vice Minister of Revenue, toward Ye Xun just a few days ago.

It was indeed not the right time to be too conspicuous.

...

The next day.
The capital city.
The Prince of Wu’s estate.

In the study.

Prince Wu, Ye Tao, stood by the desk, accompanied by his teacher, the great Confucian Zhu Yuanxi. In front of them were the four poems composed by Ye Xun at the literary competition.

"Teacher, do you really believe Ye Xun has had an epiphany, as the rumors say?"

"I have been around him for years, and I know exactly what he is capable of. I truly cannot believe these four poems were written by Ye Xun."

As Ye Tao spoke, his eyes lowered, and his heart burned with anger. He was still deeply resentful of Ye Xun for disrupting his plans.

Zhu Yuanxi looked down, his brows slightly furrowed, his expression unreadable. "Your Highness, I assert that these four poems were absolutely not written by the Prince of Qin. Even if he had an epiphany, he lacks the necessary literary foundation to produce such timeless masterpieces—let alone four of them."

"There must be someone of great talent behind the Prince of Qin guiding him."

Hearing this, Ye Tao felt both pleased and angry.

He was pleased that Ye Xun lacked talent, but angry that Ye Xun had a mastermind behind him. He could not understand how Ye Xun, having fallen to such a state, could still have someone helping him plan.

Ye Tao pondered, "Teacher is absolutely right. It seems Ye Xun indeed cheated at the literary competition. Otherwise, given his temperament, he would surely be acting arrogantly; he wouldn't have just let Shangguan Yunqing walk away from him."

"It is just a pity that there is no evidence; otherwise, I would certainly impeach him."

Zhu Yuanxi smiled and said softly, "Do not be impatient, Your Highness. If there is no opportunity, we shall create one. Since he has no talent of his own, there will surely come a moment when he is exposed."

Hearing this, Ye Tao was delighted. "Then I shall rely on you, Teacher."

Zhu Yuanxi waved his hand. "Your Highness is too kind. We are in the same boat; we flourish together and suffer together."

Zhu Yuanxi, courtesy name Wuhui, had mastered the Classic of Filial Piety at three, read the Analects at five, questioned the nature of heaven and earth at ten, and passed the imperial examinations at eighteen. He was a man of vast learning and a great master of Neo-Confucianism.

However, within Confucian circles, Zhu Yuanxi was not well-liked because he was a "fake loyalist."

On the surface, he supported "good people," but in reality, he only supported those "good people recognized by the common folk," disguising himself as being on the same side as the people.

He spent his days advocating for the country and the people, and for benevolence and morality.

In short, he stood with whoever held power, making him a highly deceptive, sophisticated egoist.

This was also the reason why Zhu Yuanxi, who was once the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince during the Guangyuan era, was appointed by the Emperor of Xia to tutor Prince Wu, Ye Tao.

There was no helping it; such men were highly learned, knew how to fool the common people, understood the minds of those in power, and were experts at currying favor.

As long as you could be the emperor, he could convince the people not to rebel against you and instead support you.

What emperor wouldn't like such a great Confucian?

Thus, regardless of who was in power or which faction they belonged to, he always thrived.

...

Meanwhile.

A report came from outside the door.

"Your Highness, Liu Mingyuan is here to see you."

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanxi bowed slightly. "Your Highness, I shall take my leave."

Ye Tao nodded. "Walk slowly, Teacher."

Afterward, Zhu Yuanxi exited through the back door. As a great Confucian, he would never lower himself to associate with a playboy and official's son like Liu Mingyuan.

After Zhu Yuanxi left, Ye Tao said calmly, "Let him in."

"Yes, Your Highness," came the reply from outside.

A moment later, Liu Mingyuan pushed the door open and walked in, bowing and scraping, holding several bars of soap in his hands. "Your Highness, a major discovery."

He stepped forward and placed the soap on the desk.

Ye Tao frowned, picked one up, and examined it. "What is this?"

Liu Mingyuan hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, this item is called soap, used for washing clothes. This piece sells for eight wen, these two for fifty wen, and these two for one hundred wen."

Ye Tao was even more confused. "What does this have to do with me?"

Liu Mingyuan replied, "It has nothing to do with you, but it has everything to do with the Prince of Qin. This came out of the Prince of Qin’s estate."

Ye Tao was startled and examined the soap more closely. "It came from the Prince of Qin's estate? Ye Xun made this?"

Liu Mingyuan narrowed his eyes and hurriedly added, "Whether the Prince of Qin himself made it, I do not know, but it was Cao An's cousin, Zheng Qian, who took it out of the estate yesterday and sold it at the East Market."

"Do not underestimate this insignificant-looking item. It is the only one of its kind in Great Xia and is highly sought after. He sold over forty taels of silver worth yesterday. At first, the commoners were hesitant, but later, even the ones costing one hundred wen were being snatched up. Several merchant firms have already approached him."

"Your Highness, the Prince of Qin might very well rise to power because of this. We must be vigilant..."

Ye Tao’s brows knit together, and he said in a deep voice, "Are you certain this item is so popular, and that it isn't available elsewhere, only at the Prince of Qin's estate?"

Liu Mingyuan hurriedly explained, "I am certain, I am absolutely certain. I asked several shopkeepers of merchant firms to examine it, and they all said they had never seen it before. Not only that, after using it, they asked me where these soaps came from, wanting to get some to sell."

"Furthermore, just the day before yesterday, the Prince of Qin spent a full fifty taels of silver to redeem Cao An's cousin, Zheng Qian, from the Changle House. If he didn't have someone useful, and if he weren't desperate for a way to make money, why would he ever redeem that degenerate gambler?"