The imperial court had a Shaofu (Ministerial Treasury), whose responsibilities included: firstly, collecting taxes from mountains, seas, ponds, and marshes, and collecting local tributes for the use of the palace; secondly, providing all the necessary supplies and services for the palace's daily life, including clothing, food, housing, hunting, and entertainment.
The Imperial Household Department wielded considerable power, with numerous departments responsible not only for the daily needs of the palace but also for establishing offices throughout the country to collect all sorts of rare treasures, including gourmet food. Royal food was supplied by designated personnel, with everything from planting to preparation handled by them.
The Empress was in charge of some departments of the Imperial Household Department, and she was given tasks and standards for palace expenses every month.
In the palace, the emperor, concubines, and princes naturally ate the best food. So what about the less desirable food? The palace maids and eunuchs, of course, ate it. The royal assets were enormous, and the supply to the palace was far more than they could consume. Therefore, the servants had two attitudes: they hoarded all the good food for the palace, while looking down on the less desirable items. This led to the servants becoming very lazy.
The eunuch was aware of this situation, so when Qin Mu mentioned that royal products could be sold for money, he was immediately intrigued. Previously, the people in the Imperial Household Department only sold a small amount of goods secretly, and only officials did so, with the meager subsidies barely enough for the servants. Now, they could sell openly and in large quantities, meaning the profits would be substantial! Most importantly, it would also allow them to curry favor with the person before them.
The eunuch remained calm, his mind constantly searching for a solution; his management of the marketplace provided him with many advantages.
"I'll have to curry favor with Qin Huaidao from now on," the eunuch thought to himself. Aside from the fact that Changsun had teased the two earlier, he couldn't ignore the fact that Changsun had asked him for advice. Of course! This was also because the eunuch didn't know that Qin Mu was the real leader of the commercial street; after all, Cheng Huailiang and Yuchi Baoqing usually spent more time at the construction site.
Knowing the immense size of the royal family's assets, the eldest grandson immediately decided that she had to join the vegetable market.
"Hmm, I agree to this. So, what about the fifth floor? What suggestions do you have?" Changsun nodded in satisfaction and asked.
"I suggest opening a royal boutique," Qin Mu suggested. "There are many skilled craftsmen in the palace who can make and sell ready-made garments. They just need to change some of the taboo patterns. As long as the craftsmanship is excellent, I imagine many people would want to own a garment just like the Empress's."
“That makes sense, but most of my clothes are ones that others wouldn’t dare to wear.”
"Your Majesty can easily provide some styles, just say they're your everyday clothes. How many people would care? It's not just for Your Majesty, but for other ladies too. We can use this name to promote ourselves. Hmm! Turn the fifth floor into a royal women's boutique, exclusively for female customers; set up a separate passage for dignitaries. That's perfectly feasible!" Qin Mu explained, becoming more and more excited as he spoke, and the more ideas he had.
"A women's specialty store? It only sells women's clothing? There will be quite a few people who come here, but I'm afraid they all have other purposes in mind?" Changsun raised an eyebrow and said.
"Your Majesty! Do you know whose money is easiest to earn in this world? Women! Think about it! Which woman doesn't love beauty? Whether it's for herself or to please others! As the saying goes, women dress up for those who appreciate them! Why wouldn't they be willing to spend a little money for beauty and prettiness?"
"It's not just clothes! Royal-grade rouge and powder, jewelry and bags, and you can even choose a few skillful palace maids to do your makeup! Just imagine! Who wouldn't be excited if they had makeup artists exclusively for the empress!" Qin Mu explained excitedly.
"Hmm! A woman?" Changsun said, drawing out his words.
Qin Mu then realized that Changsun was looking at him with a blank expression. His excitement vanished instantly, and his lips twitched as he remembered that the person in front of him was also a woman, a woman who needed to please others, and the most noble woman in the world.
"So this is how you see women?" Changsun said in a calm tone.
Qin Mu hurriedly smiled apologetically and said, "I was referring to ordinary women. A person as noble as Your Majesty would certainly not be so superficial."
Changsun didn't speak, but just looked at Qin Mu until beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, then he relaxed and asked, "What was that bag you were talking about earlier?"
"A bag? Did I mention that?" Qin Mu asked in surprise.
Princess Changning nodded with a smile, and Qin Mu also remembered that he had indeed said such a thing.
"A bag is a leather handbag or backpack. It can hold cosmetics, a small bronze mirror, and even coins. It's much more convenient than carrying it in your bosom or sleeve," Qin Mu explained, gesturing as he spoke.
Changsun raised an eyebrow, quite interested in the style Qin Mu had described. Being able to apply makeup anytime was indeed very convenient.
“Since it was you who proposed it, you will be responsible for making a batch of samples,” Changsun said, leaving no room for argument.
"Ah!" Qin Mu thought he only needed to offer one idea, but unexpectedly, the task fell on him again.
"What 'ah'?! It's been so long, and you've given Cheng Huaimo, Yuchi Baolin, and even Li Dejiang Restaurant shares, but why didn't you think of Changning? This matter is my decision, it belongs to Changning and Changle!" Changsun Feng glared and said.
Upon hearing that it would be handed over to Changning, Qin Mu was immediately satisfied and nodded repeatedly with a smile, saying, "No problem, you can leave this to me!"
"Thank you, sister-in-law!" Upon hearing Changsun's words, Princess Changning smiled broadly and pulled her to express her gratitude, though she was a little shy and didn't look at Qin Mu.
"Alright! I've been out long enough today. The business matters need to be resolved as soon as possible!" Changsun was very satisfied with Qin Mu's attitude and waved her hand.
The two accompanied Changsun down from the mall. Changsun turned around and instructed, "You two should be more mindful of your image." Before they could answer, she glanced at Princess Changning and nodded slightly, saying, "Fortunately, Qin Huaidao didn't do anything excessive."
Before Qin Mu could react, Princess Changning's face was flushed, and her head was lowered so low that she almost buried it in her chest.
"It's all your fault! My sister-in-law even made fun of me!" Princess Changning pinched Qin Mu as soon as Changsun left, still feeling embarrassed.
"Why blame me? Blame me for not doing anything wrong?" Realizing what Changsun meant, Qin Mu grabbed Princess Changning's hand and asked with a mischievous smile.
"You!" Princess Changning's heart skipped a beat. She looked around in a panic, then hurriedly broke free from Qin Mu and walked forward.
"Be careful!" Qin Mu stepped forward and reached out to grab Princess Changning, who was about to fall again.
"It's alright!" Princess Changning smiled sweetly at her lover after regaining her balance. It felt so good to have someone to protect her at all times!
"I'm worried about breaking it," Qin Mu said softly.
"What did you say!" Princess Changning, with her sharp ears, naturally heard his words. She was stunned for a moment before reacting, her face flushing red again. She glared at Qin Mu and said, "You just know how to bully me!"
"I'm going back to the yamen!" Princess Changning said, and quickly walked forward. After walking a distance, she glanced at her chest and a smug smile appeared on her face.
Qin Mu, of course, couldn't see this scene. He was admiring Princess Changning's peach-shaped buttocks, which were faintly visible; between her waist and legs, her curves were full and round, arousing a certain thought in his mind.
Only after Princess Changning's figure disappeared did Qin Mu withdraw his gaze, take a deep breath to suppress his restless mood, and turn to walk towards Li Gang's house. The afternoon was his study time, and he didn't want to leave a bad impression on his first day with such a great scholar as his teacher.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com