Chapter 4 Jiangnan Fragrance
Zhu Yuhuan personally handed the handkerchief to Shen Guangci. Seeing that he was a little uneasy after washing his face, he finally sat down next to Zhu Yuhuan. She smiled and said, "Are you feeling better?"
Seeing Zhu Yuhuan still calm and composed, Shen Guangci felt even more embarrassed and could not help but show a look of shame on his face, "I am sorry..."
Zhu Yuhuan waved his hand and said, "It's just a small matter. Who hasn't been rude sometimes? Laughter, anger and scolding are the truest things in the world."
After a little thought, she understood Shen Guangci's thoughts. For Zhu Yuhuan, these methods were a means to build up connections and accumulate wealth, but for Shen Guangci, it meant the royal family's renewed trust. Especially after the Shen family had been abandoned by the royal family, this "royal grace" was even more precious.
Although Zhu Yuhuan was not really a king.
Shen Guangci knew that she said this to reassure herself, and she felt that Zhu Yuhuan was sincere to her, so she said, "Thank you, Your Highness..."
"What I just said is all from the heart, don't worry." Zhu Yuhuan turned slightly, looked straight at Shen Guangci, and said, "I want you to build a factory in Jiangnan. Not only will I give you the method you just mentioned, but I will also give you the drawings of the loom. When you go to Huangzhuang later, I will have someone tell you the key points."
Shen Guangci naturally knew that Chengping Cloth Shop was also the princess's property, but he had never thought that he would be able to get involved in these industries. Being able to obtain the method of firing glass was already the best expectation in Shen Guangci's mind.
Zhu Yuhuan noticed the surprise on his face and said with a smile, "I'm not giving you this method for free. Now that I'm letting you build a factory in Jiangnan, it can be considered a collaboration between the two of us..."
Before she could finish her words, Shen Guangci suddenly stood up and said humbly: "I am just working for Your Highness, how can there be any "cooperation"? Your Highness, please forgive me..."
Zhu Yuhuan didn't argue with him, but continued, "Once we build a factory, we'll have to recruit a large number of people to work. You can set the monthly wages, but you must not exploit them. Merchants seek profit, but ill-gotten gains are detrimental to business. You should understand what I mean."
Shen Guangci nodded repeatedly, "Your Highness, don't worry. I'll save you. If you don't have kindness in business, you'll be like a rootless duckweed, only able to make small fortunes but never great wealth."
Zhu Yuhuan was a little surprised and said, "You travel around doing business, and you still have time to study."
Shen Guangci said ashamedly, "I passed the exam, but it's a pity that I have no talent and am not even a student. But my son has studied, and he has been a businessman everywhere, so I should understand some principles."
Zhu Yuhuan laughed and said, "What's the point of the imperial examination? If a person's talent could be judged solely by the imperial examination, how could there be a pearl covered in dust?"
Seeing Shen Guangci's excitement, she continued, "In addition to the most common working people, you'll also need to recruit some skilled women and craftsmen from Jiangnan. Those familiar with weaving are best. You should constantly assess them and help them hone their skills. Although spinning and looms have been improved and can now use water power, there's still room for improvement. Anyone who can further improve them, making them more convenient and faster, can be promoted from a minor worker to a skilled worker, and receive a bonus and double their monthly salary."
Chen Guangci was a little puzzled and couldn't help asking, "Your Highness, don't you want those skilled women to study patterns and designs?" He was afraid that Zhu Yuhuan would misunderstand, so he hurriedly explained, "There are many cloth shops and clothing businesses in Jiangnan. The colors, patterns, and craftsmanship of the cloth are very diverse, and the shapes and sizes of clothes are even more so. If you don't carefully design the patterns of the cloth, your cloth shop will probably have difficulty gaining a foothold in Jiangnan."
Zhu Yuhuan's fingertips paused on the table. She looked at Shen Guangci and asked, "Are there more people in this world who are officials or those who are not officials? Are there more people who are rich or those who are poor?"
Shen Guangci was slightly stunned, and immediately understood what Zhu Yuhuan meant. He nodded repeatedly and said, "Thank you for your advice, Your Highness. I understand!"
He naturally understood Zhu Yuhuan's point, but the return on investment was too slow, not as fast as the big cloth shops' gimmicks. However, His Highness still cared about the common people, and he was willing to do his best. Moreover, when it came to making money from luxury goods, glassware, which other shops couldn't easily replicate, was more than enough, so why bother with a short-term profit.
Not everyone can afford the silks and satins of Jiangnan, but everyone has to wear clothes, and everyone wants to dress decently within their means. No one is satisfying this market yet. If they don't occupy it, who will?
"I've never been to Jiangnan, so I can't fully judge the situation there. You can make your own decisions on the subtleties. I'm not so rigid as to demand you follow my words without change." Seeing him breathe a sigh of relief, Zhu Yuhuan paused for a moment and emphasized, "But these two most basic rules must not be easily changed. Otherwise, I will hold you accountable."
Shen Guangci stood up and bowed, saying, "I will remember your Highness's teachings!" He hesitated a little, but still suggested in a low voice, "Your Highness, that soap can actually make a lot of money. If you can add more spices to it, those scholarly and prestigious families will definitely like it."
Speaking of this, Zhu Yuhuan smiled slightly and said, "I already have an idea for this. I'm currently using oil to make perfume. This is different from traditional incense. The perfumed ointment produced is exquisite and delicate, and relatively expensive. You can smell the fragrance by applying it on your wrist. From this, you can continue to extract a water-like liquid called 'perfume'. The fragrance lasts longer after use, comparable to Xun Lingjun. The oil left over from making perfume can be directly used to make soap, which smells even better. The equipment is at the imperial farm, and you can take it away with the perfume and ointment to attract customers."
The princesses were also taught to mix perfumes, simply to cultivate their refined taste. Zhu Yuhuan spent some time learning about perfume blending from the court ladies. Recalling a bizarre film he had seen, Zhu Yuhuan had lard and tallow refined to absorb the fragrance of flowers, adding benzoin for preservation. Finally, the oils were washed repeatedly with alcohol to create a small number of perfumes.
The distillation method is relatively simple, and the key lies in the production of utensils. Zhu Yuhuan was not able to use the craftsmen in the palace to make utensils for him, so he could only ask Xu Wangzhi to slowly grind them outside the palace. It was difficult for him to make them. Zhu Yuhuan picked flowers in season, and used citrus instead if there were no flowers. However, the climate in the north was not as suitable as in the south, so Zhu Yuhuan did not produce them on a large scale.
Despite this, Zhu Yuhuan also spent a lot of flowers and herbs, and the cost was very high.
Shen Guangci didn't expect Zhu Yuhuan to even think of this, and couldn't help but be more respectful and said, "The princess is indeed as foresighted as a god."
This ointment alone is a great way to make money. Your Majesty has been vigorously promoting agricultural tools over the years. Not only has the rice harvest in the Central Plains increased significantly, but it has also invisibly reduced the tax and grain supply burden borne by the Jiangnan region. There are more and more wealthy families. Do we still need to worry about the sales of this ointment?
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