Although it was only a fleeting glimpse, the quality of that jade was definitely not bad.
Moreover, the outer box looks exceptionally exquisite.
These days, luxurious goods are usually packaged in brocade boxes, and the most common material for brocade boxes is wood.
As I received more gifts, I saw more wooden brocade boxes.
In recent years, Choi In-sik has never seen anything that can amaze him.
Until today, I saw this gift box filled with white sugar!
I don't know what material this thing is made of. It's lighter and softer than wood, with vibrant colors and exquisite patterns.
It was a magnificent sight that Cui Renshi had never seen before!
Just for this box, for this jade, and for the white sugar I've never tasted before, spending a hundred taels of silver to buy something new is definitely worthwhile.
Thinking of this, he casually beckoned his page over and handed him a silver note.
"Go find the shopkeeper and tell him you're Benxiang's man, and ask him to give Benxiang a box!"
"yes."
Upon hearing this, the young page rushed into the general store.
But he slunk out a moment later.
"Sir, the shopkeeper said that cutting in line is not allowed here. Even if it were the emperor, let alone Prime Minister Cui, he would still have to wait in line."
What?
Upon hearing this, the ministers all widened their eyes.
Who is this arrogant shopkeeper?
Cui Renshi narrowed his eyes: "It seems this shopkeeper has connections. No wonder he can sell white sugar that I've never seen before. Alright, you go to the back of the line. You must bring me a box of white sugar today! I want to see what kind of strange things they're up to."
Seeing that Cui Renshi had already bought some, the other ministers were not to be outdone, and they all took out their silver and ordered their men to line up.
However, they are not entirely so easily fooled.
Cui Renshi, in particular, always felt that there was something fishy going on.
His Majesty gave him tea with added sugar for no reason and even told him which general store sold the sugar. Who knows, this general store might be related to His Majesty.
Upon returning, he immediately ordered his men to investigate.
To everyone's surprise, the investigation revealed that the grocery store had been open for decades, and the owner was backed by local gentry in the capital, having absolutely no connection with His Majesty.
Moreover, according to people in the surrounding shops, they have been selling white sugar for some time, and it's not something they just started doing today.
Cui Renshi was finally relieved.
It seems he was overthinking it. The Empress is still young and has just ascended the throne when she began to participate in the war. Her mind is always on fighting the enemy. She is still very inexperienced in the court and doesn't have that many tricks up her sleeve.
Little did he know that Wu Lanxi had already anticipated his prediction.
This shopkeeper is an informant planted during the reign of the late emperor, and has always served only the royal family.
The surrounding area had already been taken care of by Lin Wan'er, so they couldn't find out anything by asking around.
As for that unusual gift box, the material wasn't anything special; it was just cardboard that Tang Huan had invented himself.
These days, even slightly better Xuan paper is hard to find, let alone cardboard.
No wonder Cui Renshi is so easily surprised.
...
As evening fell, Wu Lanxi was reviewing the accumulated memorials when she suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps.
It's obvious without even asking that it's Lin Wan'er.
The only person who would dare to run around so recklessly in the inner palace without any regard for etiquette is her personal attendant.
Sure enough, before they even saw the person, they heard her shout repeatedly, "Your Majesty, great joy, great news!"
Soon, Lin Wan'er rushed to her, bowed, and excitedly said, "All fifty boxes of white sugar we prepared today have been sold! We made a total of five thousand taels of silver, and after deducting the cost, we made a profit of two thousand six hundred and fifty taels!"
"They're all sold out?"
Wu Lanxi paused for a moment, then put down her pen, her face full of surprise: "I didn't expect it to sell so well."
Lin Wan'er clapped her hands and said, "Yes, yes, the shopkeeper said that besides the shills we found, there were at least thirty or forty people queuing up to buy when we were selling out today."
Wu Lanxi was even more surprised upon hearing this.
A hundred taels of silver and three taels of white sugar and so many people are buying it?
It seems there are far more wealthy people in the capital than she imagined.
Tang Huan is right!
Rich people never think things are too expensive; they only think things aren't expensive enough so they can show off.
He looks young, but his ability to see through people's hearts is truly remarkable.
How much sugar do we have left?
Lin Wan'er said, "There are thirty-seven boxes left."
Is that all?
No wonder.
At the time, they only had five thousand taels of silver on them, and they only bought twenty-six catties of white sugar.
Wu Lanxi narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth, saying, "Don't rush to release all thirty-seven boxes of white sugar for sale. Starting tomorrow, only sell ten boxes a day, and give the other five boxes to scalpers to speculate on. They should speculate on them for at least a thousand taels!"
"After you finish this matter, take all the silver with you... and try to raise a little more, to make a total of 50,000 taels, and go to Qihuai County to buy more sugar!"
By purchasing 50,000 taels of white sugar, she could earn at least 70,000 to 80,000 taels of silver.
With this money, she could once again travel incognito to Qihuai County to re-examine businesses that could be brought to the capital.
When the time comes, she will not only bring the profitable business back to the capital, but also bring Tang Huan back with her!
The thought of having money soon and no longer having to scrimp and save filled Lin Wan'er with excitement, and she hurriedly tried to find ways to raise the money.
Wu Lanxi opened the memorials on the table and couldn't help but smile: "Tang Huan, Tang Huan, I never thought that you, a mere scholar, could stir up such a storm. You are a genius sent to me by the heavens. You must not disappoint me!"
The first page of that memorial featured a striking image of Tang Huan!
The second page contains Tang Huan's biography.
It turns out that five years ago, he participated in the imperial examination. Due to serious cheating in the examination at that time, Tang Huan did not become the top scholar, but he still made it into the top thirty.
He could have stayed in the capital as a minor official, but he was inflexible and offended the powerful figures in the capital, so he was exiled to Qihuai County as a low-ranking magistrate.
I thought he'd be sent to some godforsaken place and wouldn't last a month.
Unexpectedly, he not only survived, but also transformed Qihuai County into a paradise on earth!
After investigating Tang Huan's background, Wu Lanxi was even more satisfied.
He had no powerful figures behind him, no powerful backers, and no court officials acting as his inside agents.
In this way, she wouldn't have to worry about him forming cliques and betraying her.
She was certain that once he arrived in the capital, given his personality, he would quickly make enemies everywhere, and he would have no way out except to rely on her, the empress who was still willing to promote him.
Qihuai County.
Since the entertainment center opened, Tang Huan hasn't been anywhere else. He spends all his time there having fun and enjoying himself immensely.
"Didn't I teach you? Pole dancing can't be done so timidly. You have to dance with style and confidence. The more confident you are, the more captivating the dance will be. The more shy you are, the more erotic the effect will be. Do you understand?"
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