Chapter 177 Dare to Steal My Business
"Seanman, well done!"
Qin Mo looked at the large mirror in front of her and patted the "Great Alchemist" Seaman on the shoulder, making the dull green elf grimace.
“Your Highness, I feel that if I always work according to your instructions, I will never become a great alchemist in my lifetime. I am now always being unknowingly bewitched by you to do useless things instead of researching and thinking in order to become a great alchemist.”
"No, Seaman, have you considered that if all the mirrors produced in my workshop are engraved with your name, it won't be long before all the nobles and royalty know your name, Seaman. At that time, won't you still be a famous alchemist?"
Qin Mo once again began to bewitch the dull-witted elven alchemist, because he was short of talent! This versatile talent, Siman, needed to be kept busy non-stop.
“Your Highness, this is an insult to alchemists. Only items made by the hands of craftsmen can bear a name, and an alchemist’s signature work must have its own unique meaning. How can those lifeless mirrors in the workshop be worthy of bearing my name?”
"oh!"
Watching Ximan storm off in anger, Qin Mo felt truly wronged. Louis Vuitton had his name printed on all his bags; who would dare say he wasn't a master? Picasso created over ten thousand works in his lifetime, of varying quality, but who would dare say he wasn't a giant in the art world?
"Your Highness, do you think this mirror needs... an autograph?"
The artisans in the workshop asked Qin Mo with concern that the mirror was fragile and it wasn't right to have someone holding it all the time; packing it up and shipping it away was the proper way.
"Sign! Why won't you sign? I'll sign!"
Qin Mo picked up the brush and channeled her energy into it, quickly writing six characters on the mirror: "A smile makes you ten years younger."
He threw down his pen and said, "Find a craftsman to carefully make a mirror frame, pack it up and ship it to the capital. Also, turn all the glass inventory into mirrors and sell them at high prices."
Since Qin Mo's blast furnace was completed, the production of glass became simpler. Glass furnaces have many similarities with steel furnaces. Under Qin Mo's guidance, the world's first piece of pure, colorless glass was finally produced.
Qin Mo perfectly exemplified the saying among high-ranking officials: "The navy is the only true son; everything else is just a concubine." Large panes of glass were supplied to the navy and ocean-going fleets to create fully enclosed bridges. Meanwhile, smaller panes of glass were stored, awaiting technical breakthroughs by Ximan.
A piece of wood is only worth ten taels, but a carved pillar is worth one hundred taels. Qin Mo knew how much profit there was in the deep processing of items. So when the mercury mirror was successfully developed, the pieces of glass that were produced due to the lack of skill in the process were transformed into pieces of value ten times.
Even in the most magnificent palace of the entire Great Xia Dynasty, the life-sized dressing mirror was the most dazzling piece of furniture. The reflection in the mirror was crystal clear, and the fiery red color danced and spun lightly, like rising clouds.
Wang Yushi, dressed in a fiery red blouse, turned left and right in front of the mirror, looking at herself more and more, finding the mirror truly magical. She even gently poked her jade-like cheek with her finger, gazing at her supple skin in the mirror with disbelief.
A smile makes you ten years younger.
Wang Yushi softly recited the distinctive handwriting signature, and couldn't help but feel happy, her smile as bright as a flower.
"His Highness Prince Heng does not think of sharing the burdens of the country, but spends his days engaging in strange and frivolous skills. His Majesty should send a letter to reprimand him." Qing Ning, maintaining her airs, solemnly bowed to Wang Yushi and offered her advice.
"Oh! Didn't Prince Heng send you a mirror?"
Qing Ning's shamelessness has improved by leaps and bounds in the past year, and she can now accept gifts and file complaints at the same time.
"Oh! They did give me a mirror, it's... this big!"
Qing Ning gestured with both hands, indicating that it was about the size of a washbasin, clearly showing that the mirror Qin Mo had given her was a makeup mirror rather than a full-length mirror.
"Oh! Have you estimated the value of your mirror?" Wang Yushi had grown accustomed to Qing Ning's reports, as well as Qin Mo's and Wang's reports, all of which were trivial matters, and she was already used to them.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, there's no need to even estimate. There's a shop on Xizhou Street that specializes in mirrors, slightly larger than mine, with a carved rosewood frame, and they're priced at a thousand strings of copper coins! Even a palm-sized one costs tens of taels! What a 'shady' merchant!" Qing Ning was furious, sounding exactly like a righteous person criticizing a 'shady' merchant.
"Oh! How much does such a big mirror cost?" Wang Yushi was also taken aback by the price. A thousand taels for a mirror—this was clearly not intended for ordinary people.
"Your Majesty, I do not have mirrors of that size in my shop, so I do not know the price!"
"...Qing Ning, you're easily swayed by kindness, so why are you angry?" Even the formidable Wang Yushi was defeated by Qing Ning's self-righteousness; she simply couldn't guess the reason for Qing Ning's anger.
"My lord, this time, Prince Heng... did not do this business with us; he chose to cooperate with another powerful family."
"Hmm? Which company is it? How dare they try to steal my business?"
Wang Yushi's expression changed drastically as she fiercely questioned Qing Ning, a stark contrast to her previous elegant and poised demeanor.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, it is the shop of the Prince of Hejian's heir. That heir, Qin Yuanze, is a good friend of Prince Heng. They used to visit brothels together when they were young. During the New Year, he and the heir of the Marquis of Kaiyang went to Dayuan, but Prince Heng was in seclusion, so the two of them returned late."
"Hmph! You returned after killing only a few orcs in the north. I gave the King of Hejian some face and didn't hold it against you. But you didn't know when to back down and dared to take on Qin Mo's business. It seems I need to teach you a lesson."
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