Chapter 170: Chen Yan Deeply Feels His Foundations Lacking, A Grand Plagiarism Scene

Ten days later.

Twilight spreads over the towering city walls, and Zhuque Avenue is coated with amber‑hued soft light.

Flying eaves and upturned corners pierce the sprawling sunset, while cloud wisps carry molten‑gold sunlight.

Chen Fu.

Shufang.

"Qin Zhao, Lu Mo, have also befriended and secured two more…"

"But that's still far from enough!"

Chen Yan, after assisting with the handling and tidying up the aftermath, finally found some free time and, alone, focused intently, hunched over his desk inside the room.

On the tactical board, he added the names "Qin Zhao" and "Lu Mo".

Although he holds the status of Old Master's legitimate grandson, he has not inherited the network of connections Old Master once built…

All the foundational accumulation must be completed by Chen himself.

He needs sufficient power behind him!

"Only profit can achieve a deep binding between both sides!"

"It seems the time has come to 'start a venture'…"

Chen Yan set his pen down, stared at the blank spot on the tactical board, and muttered to himself.

Others travel across time to amass wealth, all to get rich…

But now Chen Yan has already passed the stage of primitive capital accumulation.

He must advance to a further profit merger, making it a medium to befriend and bind the great noble families!

Let those prestigious clans, whose lineages span hundreds to thousands of years, steadfastly choose him, stand behind him, and become his supporting arms!

"Which line of business would be suitable?"

Chen Yan leaned his body back, lazily propped against the chair back, tapped his jaw with his fingertip, fell into thought, and immediately recalled that wildly popular male‑oriented series, "Father Five's arrival, Fan's glass, and Dream of the Red Chamber…"

"Ugh, seems a bit unworkable!"

The thought of copying Fan's work had just sprouted when Chen Yan crushed it.

The reason is simple: Dream of the Red Chamber and a host of classic books, he has indeed read, but the difficulty of being able to transcribe them verbatim is truly too high…

As for glass, he only knows roughly some raw materials, not the firing steps, and would need slow experimentation…

Pass!

"Old Lin's restaurant is launching novel dishes and snacks…"

Chen Yan pursed his lips, recalled another classic figure's tactic, but after a moment of thought shook his head, "I'll just drop it!"

"Perfume is indeed viable; from ancient times to now, women's silver is the easiest to earn, and even if modest, it can be used to win the Empress Dowager's favor…"

Given Chen Yan's former status, he certainly dined on many fine dishes—Manchu‑Han banquet, the eight major culinary schools—none missed…

But having someone who can't even make egg fried rice tinker with it makes the difficulty coefficient inevitably too high!

As for perfume, he actually remembers the production method and could directly copy Brother Wan Rong's work.

Market it as a coveted luxury, package it as a high‑end product, sell in limited quantities, and by controlling output and price, reap enormous profit…

When Chen Yan wrote the word "Perfume" on the tactical board, he suddenly smacked his head and exclaimed, "Right, how could I have forgotten soap!"

"Hahaha!"

"Then differentiate into various styles, harvesting both common folk and aristocratic merchants!"

Soap is, after all, a must‑sell item for time‑travelers!

Compared with this era's cleaning products, soap cleans better and is more convenient.

And by adding various fragrances to make scented soap, you can set the price sky‑high!

Chen Yan, reflecting on himself as a truly wicked capitalist, glanced sideways at the books on the desk, seemed to recall something, his mouth curving into a smile, and said, "And movable type printing!"

"Today's rubbing (ink‑transfer) technique is far too backward…"

Rubbing involves wetting a resilient thin paper and laying it on a stone tablet, covering with a water‑absorbing thick paper, lightly tapping with a brush until the paper sinks into the carved recesses, then peeling off the thick paper.

Then, using cotton or silk wadding dipped in ink to lightly brush the thin paper, once dry and peeled off, you get a white‑on‑black rubbing.

The process is extremely cumbersome and inefficient.

Movable type printing emerged in the Northern Song period, carving characters in clay paste, then firing them to harden into movable type.

During typesetting, the movable types are arranged within an iron frame and fixed with a mixture of pine resin, wax, and other materials, ready for printing.

This technology boosted replication efficiency, lowered costs, and had profound impact on cultural dissemination and development!

"These three money‑tree plants are sufficient for now…"

Chen Yan lifted his pen, recorded the three items on the tactical board, and his thoughts scattered again: "Now I should consider which noble families and which important figures to engage in deep cooperation…"

"Perfume", "Soap", and "Movable type printing" are important as media, and the choice of partners is equally important!

Moreover, this process is best run with the scions of noble families managing it, while the important figures hold shares and sit back to collect dividends.

Thinking of this, Chen Yan again lifted his pen, and on the tactical board wrote down the two major families he had repeatedly deliberated.

They were, astonishingly:

"Capital Wei Clan!"

"Jing Zhao Du Clan!"

During the Two Han periods there was a saying, "Cheng Nan Wei Du, go heaven five chi," showing the influence of these two great surnames in Chang'an and the Guanzhong region.

Chen Yan had once, at a poetry gathering, assisted Wei's legitimate son Wei Heqing, and also met Du Shuying at Pei Fu…

These two can serve as the wedge for him to befriend the Capital Wei Clan and the Jing Zhao Du Clan!

"Hedong Liu Clan!"

"Hedong Xue Clan!"

Chen Yan again, on the tactical board, hand‑wrote the two families among the three He Dong surnames.

These two great aristocratic families were placed in the second tier because Chen Yan currently has no connections with them....

But Li Tan does!

If he remembers correctly, the fiancé assigned to that youngster's family comes from the He Dong Xue Clan.

As for the He Dong Liu Clan, later see whether there will be a connection with the future father‑in‑law......

"The foremost important figures to be courted are, first of all, Yu Jie, the Veteran Pillar of State!"

After confirming the families, Chen Yan did not hesitate and took up his brush to hand‑write that person's name.

Yu Jie, Duke of Zheng, Grand Clan Earl, Taizu's loyalist faction.

When the Grand Tomb Chancellor first rose to power, smoothly inheriting authority was impossible without this Veteran Pillar of State steadfastly supporting him from behind.

Moreover, after years of campaigning north and south, he commands massive prestige within the army!

"The remaining ones are Grand Imperial Rectifier Shang Ting and Marquis Tao Zhui of Pingyang......"

Chen Yan's mind raced as he wrote name after name, until at the end he paused his brush, thoughtful, murmuring, "Old Master's Old Troops should use this chance to draw more allies, but how should they make contact?"

Those who have been in place for so long have been watching, still lacking a suitable opportunity or channel.....

Chen Yan couldn't help but feel a headache of difficulty!

The proud soldiers and valiant generals under Old Master's command are also a key part of the future plan and cannot be handed over lightly.....

"Clang clang clang!"

Just as Chen Yan was at a loss, a knock sounded from outside, "Who?"

"Me."

A gentle girl replied from outside the door.

"Qingyu?"

Chen Yan was pulled back to his thoughts, recognized the visitor, and said, "Come in!"

Saying so, he put away the tactical board, gently massaged his brow, and continued refining the plan in his mind.

"Young Master, the Personal Guard from the Grand Tomb Chancellor's Office has arrived....." Qingyu paused at the desk, speaking cautiously.

Before the brainstorming, the Young Master had specifically instructed that unless something urgent arises, no one may disturb.

"Something again with Grand Tomb Chancellor's father?......" Chen Yan muttered inwardly, then said, "Please, quickly!"

"Lord Chen Yan, the Prince summons you; please proceed at once!" the Personal Guard entered swiftly, bowing and delivering the message.

"Mm."

Chen Yan nodded, exhaled a puff of foul breath, and laughed, "Thanks for leading the way ahead!"

Jin Wang Fu.

Shufang.

Chen Yan gave a quick glance, didn't have time to examine who around him was, walked straight to Yuwen Hu and respectfully bowed: "Your servant has seen the Grand Tomb Chancellor!"

"No need for formalities!" Yuwen Hu waved his hand casually.

"Wang Xiong?"

"Dou Luling?"

"Kou Luo?"

After Chen Yan stood up, he finally had a chance to see who was around.

It was a crowd of faces both familiar and unfamiliar in his memory.....

The heirs of Old Master's Old Troops were almost all present, and there were also several aristocratic youths he had never met but had investigated!

——

PS: Time‑Travel Guide Mini‑Lesson, Simple Soap‑Making Process.

Materials Preparation

? Fats: animal fats such as lard, beef tallow, etc., or plant oils like olive oil, palm oil, etc.

? Alkaline substances: usually wood ash, whose main component is potassium carbonate, which serves for saponification.

Production Process

1. Extract alkaline liquid: place wood ash into water, stir and soak, allowing potassium carbonate and other alkaline substances to dissolve, then filter to obtain clear alkaline liquid.

2. Mix fats with alkaline liquid: heat the fats until melted, slowly pour into the alkaline liquid while continuously stirring, ensuring thorough mixing.

3. Saponification reaction: during stirring, the fats and alkaline liquid react to form soap. This requires continuous stirring and a steady temperature, which can be maintained with low heat; the reaction lasts many hours, possibly several hours or longer. As it proceeds, the mixture gradually thickens.

4. Molding: when the mixture reaches a suitable thickness, resembling pudding, pour into molds; after cooling and solidifying, soap is formed.