Chapter 15 All time-travel novels are lies! The Emperor…
Daily Task: Find ways to make money
Require:
Before arriving in Liuzhou, the fiefdom, devise a feasible way to make money and submit a comprehensive and detailed plan.
(Task pending, completion time approximately two to five months, depending on arrival time)
Abandoning punishment: Living a miserable life of austerity and frugality might lead to the predicament of not having the Prince Rui's mansion.
Rewards for completion: Book "Friends of Dual-Use Military and Civilian Talents", 50 points.
"Ha ha……!"
Qi Chengming couldn't help but laugh out loud.
This time, the daily task finally came with a punishment, but it felt more like a mockery than a punishment. Since he couldn't earn money, wouldn't his future situation just become exactly as described in the task's punishment description?
"Your Highness?" Xiao Chengzi, feeling guilty, lowered the corner of the curtain he had drawn back and sat back down properly. He thought his Highness was laughing at him.
"It's alright, you can keep watching." Qi Chengming waved his hand.
If he hadn't been busy studying the mission page, he would have loved to sneak over and peek outside, disregarding his image.
The convoy was slowly making its way towards the main road outside the capital; it would soon be in the suburbs.
First came the advance cavalry, followed by the Imperial Guards, then mule carts and donkey carts carrying luggage. Qi Chengming's carriage was the only one made of horse and horse. It was positioned in the center-forward part of the convoy.
Further behind were a large entourage of palace maids, eunuchs, and other people. The elderly, the weak, or the tired took turns resting on the carts loaded with grain, herbs, and supplies.
The last group of the convoy was a group of Imperial Guards.
Xiao Dezi wasn't in the carriage; he was probably with Bi Shu and Steward Song, repeatedly checking all the trivial details related to the trip.
It must have been tough for him lately, having to grit his teeth and manage such a huge workload.
Qi Chengming leaned back on the cushion, half-sitting in front of the small table, absentmindedly calculating: "..."
What are some ways to make money?
Are soap, glass, and cement the three essential items often used in time-travel novels?
Cement won't work for now... It's practical, but not suitable for making a name for ourselves. The same goes for glass; it's too expensive. If we want to sell it, it has to go through several intermediaries to avoid attracting attention and be sold in other places disguised as a merchant's sale.
Soap should be even less noticeable... no wonder it was considered the time traveler's first pot of gold.
Thinking of this, Qi Chengming casually asked Xiao Chengzi, "Do you know what people usually use to bathe or clean themselves?"
Like the original owner of this body, who used a grayish-brown bar of soap, it was impossible to tell what it was made of. In any case, it was a supply uniformly distributed by the Imperial Household Department, and it smelled nice.
Although it looks rather cheap, at least it's usable. Otherwise, Qi Chengming estimated he would still have to use the same things as the eunuchs.
"The servants?" Xiao Chengzi said without hesitation, "There are soapberry trees in some remote corners of the palace. You can just break them off and use them. I heard that the head maids in the empress's palace use soap issued by the Imperial Household Department. It smells wonderful, and I heard there are different kinds!"
"..." Qi Chengming thought of the amount he used and wisely refrained from asking further questions. Instead, he changed his question to, "Then do you know what the empresses or the emperor use?"
"It's bath powder and scented pills with precious spices, isn't it?" Xiao Chengzi lowered his voice, his expression blank, but his tone betrayed envy. "Your Highness, are you curious?"
He asked carefully, "I know a young eunuch who used to work in the tea storehouse of the Imperial Household Department. He should know about spices and bath powders."
“…Let him come over.” Qi Chengming’s expression was somewhat solemn.
The soap he's been using these days is quite effective at cleaning, though it's certainly not as good as regular soap. But he needs to understand what kind of cleaning products the upper-class nobles used in ancient times.
Let's see if there's any market for bar soap.
This is, after all, a fictional story about a power struggle for the throne.
Half an hour later, Xiao Chengzi finally boarded the carriage with a reserved young eunuch. The eunuch looked familiar but didn't know his name; Qi Chengming only knew that he was from the Second Prince's household.
"Your Highness, I once saw the maids making bath beans, which were for the concubines," the young eunuch, named Guazi, said honestly.
"The specific steps are unclear... but the ingredients include glutinous rice, almonds, peach kernels, peas, honey, and spirits. Also included are white aconite, white peony root, angelica root, white atractylodes rhizome, white bletilla rhizome, and poria cocos..."
"And soapberry, musk, agarwood..." Guazi recited it all in one breath without a single stumble, sounding like he had been pondering it for some time.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be so skilled.
Xiao Dezi, who had followed him there at some point, knelt at the door and gave him a half-smile. Guazi, realizing his thoughts had been seen through, lowered his head guiltily, as if he had done something wrong.
"Xiao Dezi, get me a box of snacks, I'm a little hungry." Qi Chengming casually sent Xiao Dezi away. Five people inside and outside the carriage was really too crowded.
Xiao Chengzi pondered for a moment, then found an excuse and considerately left: "I'm going outside to learn how to drive a carriage!"
He went out as if he knew the way well, lifted the curtain, and sat on the carriage shaft next to the driver.
Only Qi Chengming and Guazi remained in the carriage.
He pondered the recipes the melon seeds had mentioned, and became somewhat troubled: "..."
These royal bath beans rely on the soap pods inside for their cleaning power, and are certainly not as effective as their soaps.
But listening to the other materials... he almost got hungry. During this time studying medicinal prescriptions, he understood the effects of some basic Chinese medicinal herbs.
For example, white aconite, angelica, peach kernel, and apricot kernel are believed to have whitening effects. Honey can moisturize and protect the skin. Agarwood and musk not only enhance fragrance but also increase its value.
Do wealthy ladies use bath soap? They clearly value the additional benefits of bath soap beyond its cleansing ability!
Soap can't compare to bath beans at all.
But if we focus solely on cleaning capabilities... it won't appeal to the nobility. As Xiao Chengzi said, ordinary people can just break off a soap pod and use it... so who would buy it?
Qi Chengming looked troubled.
A note from the author:
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Qi Chengming: Waaah, time-travel novels are all lies...
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