Chapter 29: Having Money

…

More than ten days later.

Liang Shicheng, who had taken an instant liking to Gao Qiu, invited him out for wine.

Upon meeting, Liang Shicheng smiled warmly: “Younger brother, I’ve got a big opportunity to bring you in.”

Gao Qiu was sharp—he didn’t ask what the opportunity was, but said: “If elder brother is willing to take me along, I’ll go into water or fire, and if I ever betray you or fail to risk my life for you, may I meet a violent death, struck down by plague or misfortune!”

Seeing Gao Qiu say such things, Liang Shicheng cut straight to the point, taking a finely crafted brocade box from a nearby eunuch and placing it on the table: “Younger brother, do you know what this is?”

The box was made of premium wood, its lid embroidered with gold thread in intricate floral patterns, radiating an air of distinction and refined elegance.

Gao Qiu silently speculated: “This box is so exquisite—the thing inside must be extraordinary.”

He suppressed his curiosity and shook his head: “The contents must be no ordinary item; I dare not guess.”

Liang Shicheng chuckled: “The contents are indeed extraordinary, but since I’m asking you to guess, it must be something you’ve seen before.”

As he spoke, Liang Shicheng opened the box—inside lay a translucent, gleaming bar of soap.

“Soap?!”

Because of his outstanding performance on the pitch, Gao Qiu and Li Bangyan had each been gifted ten bars of soap by Zhao Yu.

Gao Qiu had already tried it—the soap was truly miraculous.

He also knew that the women of the Prince’s household, including the Prince’s consort, all raved about the soap after bathing with it.

Zhao Ji, who already used the Imperial Dragon Cream for beauty, had even given the soap the elegant name “Clear Fragrant Jade Dew” to show his fondness for it.

Still, Gao Qiu didn’t understand how this soap related to Liang Shicheng bringing him into the opportunity.

Liang Shicheng didn’t let him wonder long: “That day, my lord didn’t elaborate, but this soap is no ordinary thing—it was crafted by a remarkable woman, using rare ingredients and complex processes. Each bar requires meticulous work to achieve its lasting fragrance and skin-nourishing, beautifying effects. It has already won the favor of the palace ladies. My lord saw its potential and decided to sell it publicly; I am one of those in charge.”

Gao Qiu began to understand Liang Shicheng’s meaning and asked quickly: “How much does each bar sell for?”

Liang Shicheng held up three fingers.

Gao Qiu guessed: “Thirty cash?”

Glancing at the exquisite packaging, he thought: “Thirty cash won’t even buy this brocade box.” So he amended: “Three hundred cash?”

Liang Shicheng shook his head: “Three guan.”

Gao Qiu stared in disbelief: “That expensive?!!!”

One guan was roughly equivalent to seven hundred renminbi in Zhao Yu’s previous life, enough to buy five dou of rice.

A single bar of soap was worth enough to feed an adult for half a year.

No wonder Gao Qiu was stunned by the price.

But Liang Shicheng added: “Three guan is only our wholesale price to distributors. Whether they sell it for five or ten guan, we don’t care.”

Gao Qiu, ever astute, didn’t question the Prince’s pricing but cut straight to the point: “What’s the current market price?”

Liang Shicheng answered honestly: “Minimum five guan. In the palace, it’s already been bid up to ten guan.”

Gao Qiu’s eyes lit up—he immediately declared: “Whatever I earn, half goes to elder brother.”

Liang Shicheng smiled even brighter: “Younger brother, you speak plainly—I won’t hide anything. Truthfully, I was once just a junior eunuch with few people under me. If I could’ve monopolized this profit, why would I share it with you? But now I see you’re no petty schemer—you’re capable. I give you my word: when others can’t get soap, you’ll always have ample supply.”

Then Liang Shicheng and Gao Qiu discussed specific sales plans. Gao Qiu lacked capital, so Liang Shicheng offered to handle the first batch himself—he’d deliver the soap and settle payment with the Prince’s household only after selling it.

After a while, Liang Shicheng sighed: “That day, Li the Elder was right—if we sold this soap to the seventy-two wine houses like Fanlou, the courtesans would flock to it. But we don’t know anyone there—we’d be outmatched.”

Gao Qiu immediately offered a plan: “That’s easy. Li the Elder is handsome, bold, refined, and writes with flair—he calls himself ‘Li the Rogue.’ The courtesans adore his charm; they even pay him to be their lover. If we bring him in, who can compete with our trio?”

Liang Shicheng thought: “Hooked.” But aloud he said: “If Li the Elder truly has such influence, bringing him in won’t hurt…”

The next day, Gao Qiu brought Li Bangyan to meet Liang Shicheng. The three instantly agreed and partnered to sell soap.

Once they got started, Gao Qiu and Li Bangyan realized Liang Shicheng was truly leading them to fortune.

The soap sold out the moment it hit the market.

In Dongjing, officials, noble families, even commoners all took pride in owning a bar of soap.

It had become more than a luxury for daily cleansing—it was now a symbol of status and taste, instantly becoming an essential topic and gift in social circles.

As a result, even the Prince’s household working at full capacity couldn’t keep up with demand.

Gao Qiu had a large gang of ruffians with plenty of hands; Li Bangyan, through his wide network in brothels and wine houses, easily opened the market at Fanlou and the other seventy-two establishments, flooding courtesans with soap; Liang Shicheng could always secure soap for Gao Qiu and Li Bangyan when others couldn’t get any.

Through their seamless cooperation, in barely over a month, Liang Shicheng, Gao Qiu, and Li Bangyan each earned tens of thousands of guan, becoming fabulously wealthy.

Of course, the biggest earner was Zhao Yu behind the scenes.

The soap’s cost didn’t even reach one hundred cash.

Zhao Yu gave every member of his Prince’s household, no matter who, three guan per bar.

Each bar netted Zhao Yu two guan and nine hundred cash.

After selling for a while, Zhao Yu grew tired of the packaging and stopped providing boxes to distributors.

This further lowered costs.

In just over a month, Zhao Yu had earned hundreds of thousands of guan.

Besides Zhao Yu’s massive profits, everyone in the Prince’s household, from top to bottom, had also benefited.

But no one else had earned as much as Liang Shicheng.

Liang Shicheng earned so much not only because his trio with Gao Qiu and Li Bangyan was exceptionally capable, but because Zhao Yu had ordered that Liang Shicheng be given first priority for supply.

Precisely because he had more soap than anyone else, Liang Shicheng’s trio captured the largest market.

After over a month of profit-sharing, Liang Shicheng had grown intimately close to Gao Qiu and Li Bangyan.

At this point, Liang Shicheng reported to Zhao Yu: “My lord, Gao Qiu and Li Bangyan now obey me without question—they can be trusted to betray their master. When shall I have them lure the Prince to the brothels?”

Zhao Yu smiled faintly: “Not yet…”

…

(End of Chapter)