Chapter 40: Clearance Sale

Since the shop has been bought, it cannot be left idle.

Ji Lan picked out a few rouge and powder products; they were not as good as the cosmetics Yan Ze had exchanged for her, but they were still quite good.

After finding a few boxes of rouge and powder to keep, she asked Yan Ning: "It would be a pity to throw these things away; see if there is a way to resolve this."

Yan Ning calculated the time: "I still have to find a silversmith to make jewelry, so we can't reopen for at least a week. Otherwise, let's have a clearance sale—fifty percent off, seventy percent off, even ninety percent off—and sell everything."

Ji Lan looked at the price tags and felt it was feasible; after all, this rouge and powder shop was the most famous one in Haicheng, and the location was good. Yan Ning decided on seventy percent off for the first floor and fifty percent off for the second floor.

Yan Ning also prepared a large wooden board and wrote on it: "Clearance Sale! Everything on the first floor is thirty percent of the original price, and the second floor is fifty percent off. If you buy it, you earn it! Only for seven days; once this village is passed, this shop will be gone."

This shop had no manager; Yan Ning and Ji Lan collected the money together, while Yan Ze took a trip to Shawan County.

Yan Ze asked: "Father Laifu, is there anyone here you can trust? Ningning wants to do business, and it is inconvenient for us to stay in Haicheng for too long, lest we become living targets again."

Laifu hurriedly said: "Yes, there is, there is."

Saying this, Laifu took Yan Ze to a shop in Shawan County.

The Empress Dowager had set up several shops for him: one selling Yuanqi, one selling fruit, and one embroidery mill. Yan Ze took a look at the one selling Yuanqi; the manager was trying his best to introduce items to a man wearing brocade clothes.

"Take a look at this quality, how beautiful it is! And this carving craftsmanship is impeccable; our masters all came from the Capital."

Sure enough, the man who had originally only wanted to buy one Jade Pendant bought a whole pile.

Yan Ze said to Laifu: "I think this manager is quite good; he is material for doing business."

Manager Jin saw them coming over and hurriedly bowed.

Father Laifu introduced: "This is His Highness."

"Your Highness, this is Manager Jin of this Yuanqi shop."

Yan Ze asked: "Can he be transferred to Haicheng to manage our Liuli Pu for us?"

Manager Jin froze.

What shop?

What Liuli?

What Liuli Pu?

He must be dreaming.

Laifu was somewhat puzzled: "A Liuli Pu? Is it the Liuli I am thinking of?"

Yan Ze nodded, "More or less. I saw the method in a book, and Ningning improved it a bit, so we were able to make Liuli."

Currently, the Liuli is only transparent, but Yan Ning is still flipping through videos to figure out how to color the Glass.

They will probably like colored Glass even more.

Laifu and Manager Jin were both stunned.

Such a rare thing could actually be made?

Laifu felt a bit dazed; the little Princess is truly amazing.

Yan Ze was very satisfied with Manager Jin and said: "Why not let Manager Jin go to the shop in Haicheng to keep watch? But this shop..."

Laifu pointed to the clerk behind Manager Jin: "Mingshan, from now on, you will be the manager of this Jade Pavilion."

Yan Ze did not delay any longer and took Manager Jin directly to Haicheng.

On the boat, Manager Jin cautiously sized up Yan Ze's back. Logically speaking, being exiled to Lingnan should be miserable; even the few of them who were brought to Lingnan were somewhat depressed. But this person showed no signs of sorrow at all.

Moreover, following His Highness, he only felt that he treated people gently. Manager Jin could not help but wonder, how could the Emperor bear to exile such a person to this kind of place?

The boat ride took two hours, and they entered the city just before the city gates closed.

It was already evening, so Yan Ze opened a premium room for Manager Jin and went to find Yan Ning and Ji Lan.

The two were sprawled on the bed, looking extremely exhausted.

Yan Ze was taken aback: "You two have been selling for a whole day?"

Yan Ning sprawled on the bed, her voice weak: "Running back and forth between the first and second floors, we sold for an entire day; we just got by on coarse grain pancakes at noon."

"But fortunately, hard work pays off; we have already sold more than half."

Yan Ze then said: "Let's have a good rest tomorrow and go back the day after. I brought Manager Jin from the Jade Pavilion; tomorrow he and I will sell together."

At this rate, we will definitely be finished in seven days.

The rouge and powder here can sell for hundreds or thousands of taels of silver; buying this shop was truly a bargain.

The next day, Yan Ze got up early and hurried to the rouge and powder shop to tidy things up so that it would at least look cleaner; there were also many customers coming to buy.

However, the young women who came to buy rouge and powder today were clearly somewhat absent-minded, staring fixedly at Yan Ze.

When Yan Ze was not talking, his temperament was scholarly and elegant. People in ancient times had children early, and although he was now thirty, he looked quite young. And so, many young women began to inquire about him.

The corner of Yan Ze's mouth twitched.

Seeing that Yan Ning and Ji Lan had not come over, he said to Manager Jin: "In a while, go to the Four Seas Tower and book a private room for me, and take a message back to my wife, telling her to bring my daughter to the Four Seas Tower later."

Manager Jin hurriedly agreed.

Hearing that he already had a husband, the young women in the room were all somewhat disappointed.

On the other side, Yan Ning and Ji Lan were wandering around on the street.

Both of their appearances were bright and moving, and their attire was also exquisite; just one look made people unable to look away.

The two walked around aimlessly.

At this moment, a man wearing a moon-white robe approached, "Two young ladies, which family are you from? This humble one is untalented, but I have passed the provincial examination, and next year I will go to the Capital to participate in the imperial examination. Two young ladies, may I have the honor of inviting you to the Jade Full Restaurant together?"

Yan Ning & Ji Lan:???

Yan Ning refused directly, "No."

Ji Lan also ignored him.

The two knew that the folk customs in Lingnan were fierce, but they did not expect that one could confess on the street.

Yan Ning called out: "Mother, let's go over there and take a look."

The man's expression cracked when he heard that "Mother."

But he stared at Ji Lan's face for several extra moments, then remained silent for a long time: "Then... is your husband still alive?"

Yan Ning spat, "Are you cursing my father?"

The man left sheepishly.

Yan Ning let out a cold snort.

At this moment, Manager Jin saw the two of them and hurried over: "The master says he wants to go to Four Seas Tower for lunch."

Yan Ning replied: "We will wander around a bit more and go in a while."

After walking for a long time, Yan Ning sighed with emotion: "Haicheng still cannot compare to the prosperity of Jingdu; I kind of want to go back."

Ji Lan pinched her little cheek: "You are missing the music houses of Jingdu, aren't you?"

Yan Ning gave a "hehe" laugh, her eyes filled with craftiness.

As the mother and daughter walked, they saw a crowd of people gathered together, three layers deep inside and three layers deep outside, packed so tightly that not even water could pass through, and for a moment they did not know what was inside.

Seeing so many people watching the spectacle, Yan Ning pulled Ji Lan and squeezed in.

Once they squeezed to the front, they saw a girl of fifteen or sixteen years old kneeling on the ground, with a corpse wrapped in a straw mat behind her, and the words written in front of her read: Selling myself to bury my father.

The people around were still saying: "Oh my, this girl is pretty; who knows who will give the silver."

The girl's face turned pale, and she began to pray that she would meet a good person.