Chapter 18 The First Step in Winning Hearts and Minds
midnight.
Qi Chengming suddenly woke up.
To put it bluntly, he drank too much porridge that night and needed to relieve himself. The young man quietly lifted the curtain and woke Xiao Dezi—he had no choice but to. Xiao Dezi was truly prescient; sleeping in a place like this, Qi Chengming couldn't even sneak off to the toilet by himself.
"Your Highness?" Xiao Dezi rubbed his eyes, his gaze alert even in the darkness. "What is it?" His hand instinctively reached into the bedding, where a thick branch he had specially picked up lay. The little eunuch looked around.
"Don't be nervous, I just want to relieve myself normally," Qi Chengming said with a wry smile. Xiao Dezi was probably going far from the palace for the first time, and he was worried about assassination attempts or wild animal attacks in the middle of the night.
Putting aside the fact that he would never stand under a dangerous wall and relieve himself alone, the diligent imperial guards around him were not to be trifled with. Didn't you see that as soon as there was any unusual movement on the carriage, the nearest soldier came over to observe the situation?
“We’ll accompany Your Highness.” Xiao Dezi looked at the Imperial Guard, feeling completely safe.
The three of them headed to the specially dug changing pit next to the camp in the cool night breeze. Several guards who noticed from afar gave a signal, and four more men followed them. This was the official signal; secretly, the whistles in the trees and down the slope also changed their focus.
In truth, proper princes should have their own chamber pots and shouldn't be using such dangerous public open-air toilets. But... Qi Chengming had genuinely tried his best, yet he still couldn't manage it. Being served to use the toilet was simply unbearable... Even leaving him outside, the thought of others having to specially clean his chamber pot filled Qi Chengming with shame. He had barely managed to endure it in the palace until leaving; did he really have to force himself again?
The Imperial Guards were all heading towards the changing pit. A young craftsman who was changing clothes was startled by the commotion and quickly finished his business, then retreated far away.
His youthful face was filled with surprise that he tried hard to hide.
Father, I saw something amazing today! His Highness the Prince is using the same changing pit as us!
Although they usually didn't pay any attention to this and would relieve themselves wherever they went, the Second Prince explicitly ordered them to use the changing pit together.
"..." Qi Chengming's expression was indescribable. He recognized the face as that of the youngest son of a craftsman surnamed Zhao. He had originally wanted to take the opportunity to ask him a few questions privately to find out more about the situation, since there were too many people around during the day. But now... he didn't even have time to call him back.
Even though these people are his closest attendants and henchmen, there is still a great distance between him and the prince.
...They may respect him, but he wants to understand their thoughts, personalities, strengths, and areas of expertise as much as possible, to get to know each of them as quickly as possible.
Xiao Dezi noticed the fleeting complex expression on His Highness's face. He seemed to be deep in thought, then turned back and gave a wink to the craftsman who hadn't gone far and the Imperial Guards not far away—Xiao Dezi didn't know what his Highness wanted to do, but if he preferred a more approachable demeanor, Xiao Dezi would do as he was told.
He guessed that His Highness might have had a terrible time in the palace, so he wasn't used to maintaining his princely dignity. That didn't matter. His Highness was very wise, and he had been very skillful in dismissing people before. He hadn't even needed to remind him to accurately eliminate those fickle opportunists. As long as His Highness had that kind of shrewdness and ability, no matter how kind His Highness wanted to be, he wouldn't let those guys run wild.
...So when Qi Chengming finished using the toilet quickly and came back, he saw the half-grown boy waiting there.
Judging by his age, the craftsman was only a few years older than Qi Chengming. He stood there somewhat uneasily, wondering what His Highness wanted to do with him.
Qi Chengming gave Xiao Dezi an approving look. He was still planning to spend his time chatting with people privately every few days on the way to thoroughly familiarize himself with the list of talents recorded in his system—these were all his core personnel. Xiao Dezi then offered him a way out.
Qi Chengming silently scrolled through the system and found the name of this Zhao family boy in the talent list: "...It's Zhao Ju'er, right?"
For some reason, the Zhao family's son didn't have a formal name; only the nickname "Ju'er" was listed. Perhaps because the two were facing each other, the name glowed faintly. Xiao Dezi's name and five or six other unfamiliar names were also glowing, but not as brightly as Zhao Ju'er's. Those were probably the names of the imperial guards stationed around.
Zhao Ju'er's expression immediately changed to one of flattery and surprise; her unease lessened considerably, and her flushed face was now filled with excitement.
...Out of so many people, His Highness actually remembered his name?!
Who does he think he is?!
"Yes, yes... Your Highness, whatever you wish to ask, I—this humble one—will certainly answer it all!" The young man thumped his chest, his posture no longer hunched and timid, but now ramrod straight. His eyes shone brightly, as if burning with excitement and admiration. If Qi Chengming were to order him to kill someone or do something dangerous right now, he would certainly not hesitate to grab a weapon and go.
"Relax, I'm just asking a couple of questions. Are you working with your father now?" Qi Chengming reassured him, but inwardly he was amazed and impressed.
In the past, when reading historical anecdotes or novels, those in power would merely make empty promises, or even not make any promises at all, just a casual remark, and the lower classes would react with the fervor of "a scholar will die for one who understands him," willing to give their lives and loyalty. He hadn't really grasped the reality of it... but what happened? He hadn't thought much about it just now; he had simply uttered the child's name, and to Zhao Ju'er, that was an immense sign of high regard.
He just doesn't understand; he should do the conversion.
If one day the country's second-in-command suddenly and privately approaches him, calls him by name, wants to have a talk with him, and wants to entrust him with important responsibilities at work...
It's over.
Is this the treatment he deserves? He's really something!
Even though Qi Chengming had been battered and bruised by his work, he still couldn't resist this level of honor and temptation.
Ancient social classes only became more rigid. He was the legitimate ruler of this group, and his importance would only increase. In this light, it seems he's discovered another application of the infrastructure system to the struggle for succession… Just think about it: as long as someone is truly loyal to him, no matter how long it's been since they last met, or even if they've never met before, he can call them by name upon seeing them…
This concern, to put it bluntly, is a powerful tool for winning people's hearts.
While Qi Chengming mentally processed his initial understanding of the methods to win them over, he didn't forget his business. After chatting for a while and asking about the situation, he had Zhao Juer give his father and several craftsmen a new task—to buy some bath powder balls and the miscellaneous materials he had just mentioned when they went to Yichuan to purchase supplies in the morning.
On their way, they will begin research into the manufacture of handmade soap!
First, he compared whether the high-end bath beans sold in this world used saponification reactions of animal fats. If they only contained soap pods, then their soap's cleaning power would be formidable. If they were only used in the palace and not available outside, then… Qi Chengming could shamelessly sell them to others. If saponification reactions were already widespread in bath beans, no problem. Qi Chengming immediately began recalling his high school chemistry, racking his brains to figure out how to create some strong alkaline solutions under the current conditions, and how to stabilize the ratio of oil to alkaline solution in the formula.
After finishing these experiments, it's time to buy ingredients, medicinal herbs, and precious spices... to try and increase the "value" of the soap.
If you can't beat them, can't you join?
Consider the advertisements and promotions of modern soaps; he could easily focus on efficacy—adding all sorts of claims like beauty enhancement, exfoliation, skin whitening, and wrinkle reduction. If handmade soaps of this era cannot yet achieve stable, quantifiable formulas, then he'll be limited to selling in limited quantities.
Come out, my high school chemistry!
Qi Chengming's only advantage right now is that he is actually hundreds of years ahead of the ancients in terms of technology.
If all else fails, he won't fight to the death with soap. At worst, he'll just take the entire Prince Rui's mansion down to sell food! Although it's a slow and steady business, modern dishes can always become popular and make money.
Hmm... or these two can be done together.
A flash of inspiration struck Qi Chengming, and the more he thought about it, the more ideas came to him.
Thinking about this, he couldn't sleep for the rest of the night, tossing and turning in the carriage, racking his brains—
What did he learn during those three years of high school when he acquired the most knowledge? Think back... bring it all back, knowledge!!
You only realize how little you know when you need it.
...Qi Chengming could only look on with longing and resentment as the infrastructure system refreshed his points.
He now fully understands what it means for "knowledge is power".
A note from the author:
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Mini-theater:
In the future—
A minister, deeply moved, covered his face and exclaimed: "Your Highness's memory is usually above average, but it's as if you can remember everything we've seen! What merit do I possess to deserve this…?"
Sobbing Minister B: Waaah...
Minister C, his eyes reddening: Your Highness even remembered something I casually mentioned, and invited me to try the stir-fried dish…
The first two ministers were no longer moved to tears, and silently turned their heads away:
...Your Highness, is it only you who are invited?
Minister C stroked his beard proudly and said modestly: "I, your humble servant, enjoy spicy food..."
The chili dishes Your Highness developed are in a completely different league of spiciness compared to those made from dogwood.
The two ministers' faces turned red and then pale.
Damn it, this is something I really can't do!
Minister C laughed heartily: Haha!
The two ministers looked at each other, then turned around and rolled up their sleeves in unison.
—In Liuzhou, it was another day of chaos and panic, with chickens running and dogs barking and people scrambling for cover.
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