allonlinenovel Chapter 53 The Prince is a Prodigy!
Chapter 53 The Prince is a Prodigy!
In the blink of an eye, more than half a month has passed.
During this period, thanks to Qiu Xingzhi's involvement, the administration of Beining City experienced an unprecedented improvement.
The phrase "orders must be obeyed" is no longer just empty words.
At the same time, 200,000 refugees began a vigorous land reclamation project.
Large quantities of timber and stone were transported from the mountains and used to build a large number of temporary wooden houses.
Two hundred thousand refugees became the main source of labor, greatly accelerating the construction of Beining City.
"Your Highness, in the past month, the three major merchant guilds have contributed a total of ten million taels of silver. Our coal briquettes, coal stoves, and refined salt are now selling like hotcakes."
Zhuge Xuan was overjoyed and reported to Qin Xuan that he never dreamed these deals would be so profitable.
In particular, coal briquettes were loaded onto horse-drawn carts almost as soon as they were produced and then transported out of the city without stopping.
Qin Xuan smiled and nodded. He had anticipated this situation, so he wasn't particularly excited. He simply calmly addressed the leaders of the three major chambers of commerce: Hu Xu, Huai Yun, and Mo Gu:
"You three have worked hard!"
Hu Xu and the other two dared not be presumptuous and shook their heads repeatedly.
Hu Xu belongs to the Shence Army and is Qin Xuan's direct subordinate, so he can be considered one of his own.
Although Mo Gu and Huai Yun also depended on Qin Xuan, they ultimately supported their own entire chamber of commerce. Therefore, they should actually thank Qin Xuan for their renewed success.
After all, the salt business alone is enough to propel any chamber of commerce to new heights.
"It's perfect that all three of you are back. I have something good here; take a look."
Qin Xuan asked Zhao Luoying to bring a palm-sized, exquisitely decorated wooden box and place it on the table.
The three looked at each other, knowing that their prince didn't usually show off anything easily. Could it be that he had some good money-making opportunity again?
"Open it and take a look!" Zhao Luoying said with a smile, seeing that the three of them seemed hesitant.
Hu Xu nodded slightly, then carefully opened the wooden box with both hands, and a unique fragrance wafted out.
"Hmm, this smells a bit like roses!" Mogu wrinkled his nose, staring at the contents with some suspicion.
The object was only about half the size of a palm, rectangular in shape, and its surface was as smooth and warm as jade, but it was clearly not made of jade.
"Could this be glass? But that doesn't make sense. Glass should be more lustrous, and it doesn't have this kind of fragrance."
Huaiyun tilted her head and looked for a while, but became even more confused.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, what exactly is this?" Hu Xu was so curious that he couldn't help but ask.
Qin Xuan stood up with a smile and said, "This product is called soap. It functions similarly to the soap we usually use, but it is more comfortable to use and can remove stains better."
The smallpox epidemic inspired Qin Xuan to make soap.
The process of making soap is actually not complicated.
Add an appropriate amount of water to burnt wood ash, filter it to form an alkaline solution, and then heat it to increase its purity.
Finally, add the lard to the purified lye solution, heat it again and stir, then pour it into a suitable mold to make soap.
As for the soap, it simply has some flower juice added.
Under the influence of Qin Xuan's various ingenious ideas, the craftsmen of Beining City have made great progress in their skills.
Therefore, the workshop only spent three or four days to produce the soap that Qin Xuan wanted.
"This stuff can actually remove stains? But the smell is just too wonderful!"
Huaiyun is, after all, a woman, and even as the head of the Chamber of Commerce, she cannot help but notice this.
"If you don't believe me, you can find anyone to try it."
Zhao Luoying couldn't help but laugh when she saw Huaiyun's surprised expression.
But actually, she was the first person to rush to try the soap after it was made.
"If this thing can really remove filth, wouldn't that give Beining City another way to make a fortune?!"
Hu Xu's eyes gleamed with a sharp light; his businessman's instincts kicked in, and he began to devise ways to promote these soaps.
However, before that, he still had Huaiyun call a soldier over, and then brought clean water for him to wash on the spot.
Accompanied by the fragrance of roses, a light foam appeared, and the soldier's originally blackened hands were washed clean, as if a new layer of skin had grown on them.
Mogu's eyes widened in surprise. Without any hesitation, he grabbed the soldier's hands and smelled them, exclaiming, "They even leave a lingering fragrance after washing?"
"Really?" Hu Xu didn't believe it and immediately tested it himself, making the soldier look embarrassed.
"Not only does it leave a lingering fragrance, but this soap can also be used for bathing, and even for washing your hair," Qin Xuan explained.
This wasn't modern times; soap was only used to wash the body or hands.
"It can be used for bathing?! Your Highness, what is the cost of this soap? And how much does it cost per bar?" Hu Xu asked impatiently.
Qin Xuan smiled and said, "The cost is fifteen copper coins. As for the selling price, what do you think it should be?"
Qin Xuan actually had a plan in mind all along; he just wanted to test the leaders of the three major chambers of commerce on the spot.
Hu Xu quickly said, "It has to start at five taels of silver."
“That’s too low. If it were me, I would sell it for at least twenty taels,” Mo Gu shook his head and suggested.
"Twenty taels? Such a good thing should be sold for at least one hundred taels. It would be so useful for us women."
Everyone present was taken aback by Huaiyun's words, except for Qin Xuan, who sighed inwardly, "Indeed, only women are most willing to spend money on things like soap."
He cleared his throat and said, "I agree with the price set by Huai Huishou, let's sell them for one hundred taels each."
"Has the prince gone mad? One hundred taels? Who would buy that?"
Zhuge Xuan stared at Qin Xuan in astonishment, dumbfounded.
Hu Xu frowned slightly, somewhat worried, and said, "Your Highness, this price is a bit too high. Ordinary people can't afford it!"
“That’s right. In my opinion, several tens of taels is already a high price. Even wealthy merchants might not be willing to buy it!” Mo Gu agreed.
"You two are right, but you're only half right."
Qin Xuan pointed to the soap and continued, "From the very beginning, I never intended to sell this soap to ordinary people, but rather to the truly powerful and wealthy, such as the female relatives of aristocratic families, royalty, and high-ranking officials in the court."
"So next, I hope that you three leaders will each bring one hundred bars of soap and give them away for free to the high-ranking officials and nobles you have met, as well as the royal children of various countries."
"Once these high-ranking officials and nobles start using it and it becomes a popular trend, then people below and ordinary people will naturally flock to it."
"Your Highness, this soap is priced so high that even if it becomes a popular trend, ordinary people still can't afford it!" Hu Xu asked, puzzled.
Qin Xuan smiled slightly: "Luo Ying, take out the other wooden box."
Zhao Luoying smiled and nodded, then took out a bar of soap, but instead of a wooden box, she simply placed it on a piece of burlap.
"Huh, why doesn't this one have any aroma?"
Huaiyun was the first to notice something was wrong and couldn't help but look up at Qin Xuan with curiosity.
"This bar is called soap. It doesn't contain any flower juice, so it has no fragrance, but its cleaning effect is just as good."
Qin Xuan explained for a moment, then continued, "This kind of soap is sold to ordinary people. Each bar costs twenty coins. Do you think many people will buy it?"
Upon hearing this, Hu Xu and the other two reacted immediately, their faces filled with fear and shock. They knelt down before Qin Xuan and exclaimed, "Your Highness is a genius! We admire you!"