74 Soap Workshop

"Do you want a share of that silver?"

At this time, in addition to the greenhouse, there was a large workshop in the western suburbs. Three tall factory buildings, each a hundred feet wide, stood next to the greenhouse, surrounded by high walls, making it impossible for anyone to see anything inside.

Su Yubai stood at the door waiting for her. When she arrived, he pushed open the door and welcomed her inside.

The factory was built according to Shen Suqin's blueprints; it was tall, large, and very spacious. In the center of the factory were stoves, cooling platforms, and areas for molding and packaging; it was very neat and clean.

"The raw materials are almost ready. We have prepared several bushels of each: wood ash, pork fat, and salt. We are just waiting for an auspicious day to start construction," said Su Yubai.

Shen Suqin was somewhat surprised. The workshop, which she had only started preparing after the New Year, was now not only completed, but the factory buildings were also ready. "How did it happen so quickly?" she asked.

The men that Zhou Baihu hired were incredibly efficient and worked tirelessly.

"No wonder, those who retire from the Black Flag Army are ultimately different."

“Yes,” Su Yubai said. “How so? When does work start?”

Shen Suqin thought for a moment, "Then let's do it the day after tomorrow. There's no time like the present."

"OK."

After spring had fully arrived, Shen Suqin received a package delivered by fast horse from the Shule River.

She opened it and saw that it contained several rather plump fish.

She looked at the visitor with some confusion and asked, "Why did the general send me several fish from so far away?"

The messenger replied, "The general said you asked him before if the fish in the Shule River were delicious, so as soon as the ice melted, he went to catch some for you to try."

Shen Suqin never expected that her casual remark would be remembered by him.

"I understand. Please thank the general for me."

Later, she ate the fish. It had many bones and a strong fishy smell, but she liked it.

The weather is getting warmer day by day, and the soap factory has started shipping out its products.

As usual, Su Yubai meticulously packaged several portions of each finished product and sent them to the capital via the post station, presenting them to His Majesty in the name of the Crown Prince.

Emperor Jingkang inquired in detail about the purpose of the item from the person who delivered it, and knowing that it had great potential, he bestowed the soap upon his officials as a gift while praising them.

Soon, everyone in the capital knew that Shen Ji had another rare item.

At first, they all thought this would be as ridiculously expensive as vegetables. But to their surprise, a palm-sized bar of soap only cost thirty coins.

Someone bought it and tried it at home, and wow, it works so much better than wood ash water.

Although thirty coins isn't exactly cheap, it's durable. Every time you rub it on your clothes a couple of times and then rub it, you can immediately get black water out of the clothes. Saving a few coins will last you for half a year, so it's especially useful.

As a result, soap became ubiquitous and irreplaceable. Sales soared, eventually leading to stockouts.

Su Yubai made money like water for the first time in his life, and he could even wake up laughing in his dreams at night.

“This small soap workshop is simply not enough. I plan to expand by building two more factories next month,” said Su Yubai and Shen Suqin.

"You handle it, I don't care."

Do you want a share of that silver?

Shen Suqin narrowed her eyes, "Of course we have to divide this. I'm the kind of person who has to support an army."

"How should it be divided? 40/60? 30/70?"

Shen Suqin thought for a moment and said, "Let's make it 40/60, you get 60 and I get 40."

“Okay.” Su Yubai’s face was beaming from ear to ear.

"Speaking of which, these cotton seeds have been planted for some time now, but there's still no reaction?" Shen Suqin asked.

"No, that Luo Su keeps saying he needs time, he needs time, but I don't know how much time he needs."

"Spring plowing has already begun, does that mean the cotton doesn't need to be plowed during spring?"

"I don't know."

"Alright, take me to see the soap."

Su Yubai led the way, with a refined-looking steward following behind them.

"Old Sun, come here." Su Yubai called out to him, "This is Sun Jiwen, the manager of the soap workshop I hired. He has been working for me at the Su family before."

"Manager Sun," Shen Suqin greeted him.

"Master Shen, I have long admired your name."

"Manager Sun, you're too kind."

The three entered the factory building, where soap solution was bubbling and boiling in a cast iron pot in the center.

The men stirring soap with long-handled wooden spoons beside the earthen stove were all tall and strong retired soldiers. They didn't say a word, just kept their heads down and worked hard.

"How much can you produce each day?" Shen Suqin asked.

"Around a thousand," this quantity is not large, and we are often out of stock. "Based on the current market demand, we need to produce about five thousand a day just to barely meet our needs."

Shen Suqin nodded: "Then let Master Su oversee the construction of a few more factory buildings."

"yes."

"Take me to see the mold."

The molds were made by hiring people, and they were divided into two grades. The superior grade had floral patterns and was very exquisite; the inferior grade was a simple, smooth mold, which did not require much effort.

The soap is cooled and molded in a separate, airtight room containing saltpeter ice prepared according to Chen Suqin's formula, which cools the soap very quickly.

"We only have one set of top-quality molds right now, featuring plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums," Manager Zhou said, handing her the wooden mold. "We're already arranging for a new one to be carved."

Seeing how lifelike the flowers and plants on the mold were, Shen Suqin exclaimed in surprise, "These flowers and plants are..."

“It was painted by Sun Jiwen. He was very busy because he had to go to the post station to discuss business later.”

Shen Suqin put down the mold in her hand. "What was he doing at the post station?"

“Let’s talk about cooperation. We’re shipping goods south almost every few days now. The post station doesn’t say anything because of the general’s face. But it’s not a long-term solution. According to the usual calculations, we’ll have to give them a lot of money,” Su Yubai said.

The official roads leading from Jinzhou to various places had been in disrepair for many years, and the roads were full of potholes. Whether it was pedestrians or freight, it took a lot of effort to travel. Shen Suqin had experienced this firsthand when he went north.

The post station had its own horse team and supplies, and it would make some money by taking on freight transport.

"How about we consider forming our own escort team?" Su Yubai suggested.

Shen Suqin thought for a moment and shook her head, saying, "We can't make all the money; we have to let others make some too."

Su Yubai thought about it and realized that it made sense. "I was too naive."

“Now that the soap workshop is up and running, we need to be careful when hiring more people. This stuff doesn’t require much technical skill; anyone can learn most of it after watching it two or three times. We can’t let others copy it,” Shen Suqin said.

"I know, that's why the walls are built so high. The people adding the ingredients and controlling the heat are all our own people, and outsiders aren't allowed to get close."

That's exactly right.

"Don't worry, the soap workshop is making a fortune every day, so I'll definitely be extra careful," Su Yubai said. "By the way, with the workshop expanding, I'm afraid the supply of raw materials might not be timely."

The main product is lard, which they used to buy from farmers.

Jinzhou was poor, and few families could afford to raise pigs. The soap workshops had almost completely depleted the pig population in the area shortly after they started operating.

"What do you plan to do?" Shen Suqin asked.

“I want to select a few suitable counties around Ningyuan and provide them with breeding pigs so that they can raise pigs full-time.”

"That's a good idea."

"I plan to set up a processing workshop for the remaining pork. Didn't you say before that you wanted to make it into jerky and send it to the Shule River? We can start doing that gradually."

Shen Suqin couldn't be more satisfied with Su Yubai, considering her needs in every way.

"You can do whatever you want with this western suburb. You can do whatever you want with this place," she said.

Su Yubai clicked his tongue: "What? Trying to slack off?"

"No way, you just didn't give me any room to maneuver. How is it? Isn't it more comfortable here than in Jiaozhou?"

Su Yubai took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, saying sincerely, "In Jiaozhou, inheriting the family property required careful consideration and was very restrictive. Here, I can act freely, and the results are immediate. It's simply fantastic!"

Shen Suqin patted his shoulder: "Keep Su in charge, and I guarantee you will create an even bigger business than the Su family."

Su Yubai cupped his hands and said formally, "Thank you, Steward Chen."

Back in the city, Shi Ye was already waiting at the Shen residence.

He rarely took time off from his trip to come back, but he did so to introduce Shen Suqin to a few people.

"Chief Secretary Zhang Kunyu, Field Clerk Yuanmei, Director of Works Gong Shunan, Academic Official Lu Xun..." Shi Ye introduced them one by one; these were the talents he had brought from the Eastern Palace.

In addition, there were also the Household Affairs Bureau, the Grain Transport Bureau, the Gold Bureau, and so on.

The prefecture was divided into two main categories: assistant officials and clerks. Assistant officials were appointed by the imperial court, such as chief clerks and commandants; chief clerks served as advisors. Clerks were in charge of practical matters; for example, the land official in charge of land allocation and cultivation was responsible for the redistribution of land among households, a task overseen by Yuan Mei, the land official in charge of land redistribution. The construction official was in charge of engineering projects, and the education official was in charge of education...

The officialdom in Jinzhou could not remain vacant for long, and Shen Suqin himself was also short-handed. So, after discussing with Xiao Pingchuan, he suggested that Shi Ye transfer people from his subordinates.

Xiao Pingchuan also had his own considerations. Although Emperor Jingkang had granted Jinzhou to him, a new emperor meant a new court. Once the crown prince ascended the throne, there would inevitably be discord. So he decided to let him find his own people to govern the region.

Shen Suqin greeted each of them and said, "I will need to rely on you all in the future. Today I have a question to ask you. Please wait a moment, Lord Gong."

Gong Shunan nodded in acknowledgment.

"Your Highness, may I speak with you in private?" Shen Suqin said to Shi Ye.

Shi Ye told everyone to make themselves at home, and then followed Shen Suqin to the study.

"I would like to ask Your Highness about your next plans," Shen Suqin said, getting straight to the point.

Now that the land redistribution is on track, Shi Ye should have some free time.

"The number of refugees pouring into Jinzhou is far greater than expected. Local officials have reported that they cannot accommodate them all. I have been busy with this matter recently."

"Hmm?" This was something Shen Suqin hadn't expected.

Shi Ye, having finally caught her off guard, laughed heartily, “You know how attractive land redistribution is to displaced people, why do you act like you’re scared? In just one month, tens of thousands of people have poured into Jinzhou. Soon you’ll see a scene of crisscrossing streets.” Shi Ye sighed.

Shen Suqin: "That's not bad. Before, all the people from Jinzhou had left, and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to recruit workers for my workshop. Now it seems that I don't have to worry about it anymore."

“Speaking of your workshop, I’ve heard a lot about it from other places. They say that those who can be recruited into Shenji are the best of the best. And Shenji not only provides three meals a day, but also gives you clothes, and the wages are higher than elsewhere. Many people are proud to work at Shenji.”

Shen Suqin waved her hand: "This is not my achievement. The soap workshop is now fully managed by the Su family, so I have no say in it."

“It’s him,” Shi Ye recalled his unrestrained and unconventional manner. “He’s a talented person.”

“A genius that the Su family of Jiaozhou only sees once every six months,” Shen Suqin said with pride. “He does everything very well.”

“Indeed.” Shi Ye nodded. “By the way, the people I introduced you to today will gradually sort out the officialdom of Ningyuan and even the entire Jinzhou, and bring Jinzhou back under the rule of officials. But you don’t need to worry. I specifically told them that you don’t need to be controlled. Except for committing crimes, you can do whatever you want.”

Shen Suqin clasped his hands and bowed deeply: "Thank you, Your Highness."

Shi Ye supported her arm and helped her up, saying, "I also rely on Miss Shen Er."

"No problem, no problem."

Shen Suqin left the clerk behind alone to make a plan for the western suburbs. She wanted to develop the western suburbs in the style of a modern industrial park and needed experienced people to help her come up with ideas.

"Lord Gong, this is a map of the western suburbs. Right now, this area is used for growing vegetables, and this area is a soap workshop, which needs to be expanded. I want to use the remaining land for textile and tailoring workshops, and perhaps an iron smelting workshop as well. Oh, and we also need to set aside a piece of land to build houses for people to live and support their families."

"Does Madam intend to build a large village or town?"

"That's roughly the idea, but the workshops inside must not be connected to each other; secrecy is crucial. The roads must be wide enough for carriages to travel side-by-side; and they must be clean and tidy..."

"I understand."

"This matter is not urgent. Lord Gong can take his time and take more time to stroll around the western suburbs."

"must."