Discussing the sachet business
"Miss is my lifelong love. No matter your status, in my heart, you will always be my master."
As she spoke, Xiaoxiang took out an exquisitely crafted purse from her waist and handed it to Su Qingli.
"These are the silver coins I earned from sewing purses. Young lady, please take them for now. Although my life is a little poor, my husband treats me very well. If you need anything in the future, I will do my best to help you within my ability."
She was used to doing rough work, so it was no big deal.
If she runs out of money in the future, the worst that can happen is that she makes a few more purses and sells them.
But the young lady is different from her. She was raised by others and cannot do those chores. After all, she has received the young lady's favor, so she will help if she can!
As Xiaoxiang thought about this, the heartache in her eyes became more and more obvious.
Su Qingli, on the other hand, kept her eyes on the purse and did not come back to her senses for a long time.
The two birds on the purse were lifelike, and the stitching was so fine that you couldn't tell unless you looked closely. However, the purse was made of cotton and couldn't be sold for much.
If it could be replaced with silk brocade, I think the nobles and ladies would like it.
Suddenly, something flashed through my mind.
A light flashed in Su Qingli's eyes, and she took the purse and looked at it carefully.
"Xiaoxiang, how many years have you been working as a maid?"
Hearing this, Xiaoxiang was confused, but she still thought about it obediently and answered with pursed lips.
"I've been learning handicraft from my mother since I was seven, and I entered the palace as an embroiderer at thirteen. That's eight years now. Why are you asking this, young lady?"
Eight years...
Her white fingertips stroked the purse in her hand, and the thoughts in her heart became stronger and stronger.
Su Qingli pursed her lips, looked around, then looked at Xiaoxiang and asked softly.
"I do have something I'd like to ask you for help with, but there are so many people here that it's hard to discuss in detail. Do you have time to come with me to the teahouse to chat?"
Hearing this, Xiaoxiang agreed without thinking.
"Miss, you have something to discuss with me. I have time. I happen to know a teahouse nearby. I'm familiar with the proprietress there. I'll take you there!"
Su Qingli nodded slightly, as a sign of agreement.
The two of them passed through the crowd and walked one after the other to the door of a small, well-behaved teahouse.
Two lanterns were hung high on both sides of the teahouse entrance, and in the middle was a pinewood plaque with the three words "Between the Clouds and Water" engraved on it.
Its facade is not as magnificent as the other restaurants nearby. Instead, it is decorated in a simple and elegant style. The aroma of tea wafts out from inside, accompanied by the sound of conversation.
"This is it!"
Xiaoxiang pointed at the teahouse, showing her two fangs, and introduced it to Su Qingli.
In the past, she always went to Qingmingxuan for tea and meeting friends, and she didn't know that there was such a small teahouse in the imperial city.
Su Qingli nodded and followed her in.
Since they were old acquaintances, the proprietress exchanged pleasantries with Xiaoxiang, then took the initiative to arrange a private room for them and gave them some newly arrived tea for them to taste.
"Miss, if you have any instructions, just tell me. As long as it is something I can do, I will never refuse!"
Xiaoxiang was straightforward. She took a sip of tea and couldn't wait to ask.
Su Qingli placed the purse in her hand on the table, pushed it in front of Xiaoxiang, gently stroked the purse with her slender fingers, and responded with curved lips.
"It's not really an order, I just want to do business with you."
Doing business?
Hearing this, Xiaoxiang tilted her head, her face full of confusion.
Before she could ask, Su Qingli took the lead in explaining.
"Your embroidery skills are solid, comparable to those of the palace embroiderers. However, embroidering purses to supplement the family income seems a bit of a waste of your talent. Have you ever considered starting an embroidery business?"
Xiaoxiang was shocked and waved her hands in panic.
"How can I do this? I'm clumsy and can only do passable embroidery, but I can't run a business."
"Besides, this purse isn't a rare item. Rich ladies wouldn't even look at it. We're lucky to be able to sell a few. How can we use it to build a long-term business?"
The more she spoke, the more depressed Xiaoxiang looked.
If you want to start an embroidery business, you can't just rely on embroidering purses.
They had to find a way to transform ordinary purses into exquisite and novel embroidery products so that they would be attractive enough to attract rich ladies to buy them.
His eyes lingered on the purse for a moment, and Su Qingli's smile widened, as if he was confident about it.
Women in the city used incense to fumigate their clothes every day, or boiled spices into juice and soaked clothes in it to cover up body odor.
However, this method not only easily damages the clothes, but also can only keep the fragrance for a short time and is difficult to last.
She had once seen in a book that the barbarians outside the Great Wall put spices into bags and hung them around their waists. When they walked, the fragrance would be carried into the wind, which would not damage their clothes but would add fragrance.
At that time, she just felt it was novel and didn't take it seriously.
Now that I think about it, it was actually a good business.
Thinking of this, Su Qingli's eyes gradually lit up. She withdrew her thoughts, raised her eyes and looked at Xiaoxiang steadily, shook her head gently, and said mysteriously.
"Who said we're selling purses? We're selling sachets."
Hearing this, Xiaoxiang's eyes flashed with doubt, and she frowned and asked.
"What is a sachet?"
"As the name suggests, they're made by putting spices into bags and wearing them on the body to mask body odor. However, the way sachets are sold is different from purses, so the process should be improved. Purses are mostly bought by ordinary people, while our sachets are meant for wealthy ladies, so we'll first need to replace the cotton with brocade."
Su Qingli picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and then spoke slowly.
"Brocade is breathable, allowing for easier fragrance release and resisting wear and tear. Furthermore, its vibrant colors, combined with your exceptional embroidery skills, should make it easy for you to attract a wealthy young lady."
The more she talked about it, the more she felt that this was feasible.
At this time, no one in the city had ever heard of using sachets. If they were really made and sold in the city, they might really be successful.
Hearing this, Xiaoxiang's doubts gradually disappeared, and she nodded and muttered to herself.
“Business can still be done this way.”
After a moment, she raised her head and said hesitantly to Su Qingli.
"While what you said makes sense, business is no joke. We are all in dire straits. Where would we get so much money to buy brocade and silk thread?"
Su Qingli had just considered this carefully, then curled her lips in relief.
"Don't worry about that. Leave the money to me."
"Right now we need to..."
Since they were sincere about cooperating, they naturally couldn't hide anything from each other. Su Qingli rolled up his sleeves with one hand and held the teapot with the other. While pouring tea, he told Xiaoxiang the rough plan in his mind.
At the same time, the Prime Minister's Mansion.
The man in front of the desk rubbed his brows. The cloud patterns embroidered with gold thread on his cuffs shone golden in the candlelight, making his already flawless facial features even more noble and cold.
Fu Xuechen put the booklet in his hand on the table and glanced out the window.
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