Chapter 53: The Prince is endowed with supreme talent!

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed.

During this period, thanks to the inclusion of Qiu Xingzhi, the governance of Beining City had reached unprecedented heights.

The phrase "orders are strictly executed, and prohibitions are strictly enforced" was no longer an empty promise.

Meanwhile, the twenty million refugees had begun the intense and vigorous land-reclamation project.

Large quantities of mountain timber and stones were transported from the mountains, and subsequently used to construct a vast array of temporary wooden cabins.

The twenty million refugees became the primary labor force, vastly accelerating the construction pace of Beining City.

"Your Highness, over the past month, the three major merchant guilds have collectively turned in ten million taels of silver. Our coal briquettes, coal stoves, and refined salt are now selling like wildfire."

Zhuge Xuan reported to Qin Xuan with ecstatic joy, as he could never have dreamed that these businesses could be so lucrative.

Especially the coal briquettes; almost the moment they were manufactured, they were loaded onto carriages and rushed relentlessly out of the city.

Qin Xuan smiled and nodded. He had anticipated this situation long ago, so he was not overly excited. Instead, he calmly addressed the three guild leaders—Hu Xu, Huai Yun, and Mo Gu:

"The three of you have worked hard!"

The three of them did not dare to act presumptuously and repeatedly shook their heads.

Hu Xu belonged to the Divine Strategy Army, making him Qin Xuan's direct subordinate and one of his own people.

Although Mo Gu and Huai Yun were also attached to Qin Xuan, they ultimately managed their entire merchant guilds independently. Therefore, their resurgence this time was something they truly owed to Qin Xuan.

After all, the item of refined salt alone was enough to make any merchant guild soar to the skies.

"Since all three of you happen to be back, I have a wonderful item here. Take a look at it."

Qin Xuan instructed Zhao Luoying to bring over an exquisite, palm-sized wooden box and place it on the table.

The three looked at each other in dismay, knowing that their Prince rarely displayed anything casually. Could this be another brilliant moneymaking treasure?

"Open it and take a look!" Zhao Luoying said with a smile, noticing that the three were hesitant.

Hu Xu nodded slightly, then carefully opened the wooden box with both hands, instantly releasing a wave of exotic, refreshing fragrance.

"Huh? This scent smells somewhat like roses!" Mo Gu wrinkled his nose, staring suspiciously at the contents inside.

The object was only about half the size of a palm and rectangular in shape, its surface as warm and smooth as jade, yet it was clearly not made of jade.

"Could this be colored glaze? But that's not right either; colored glaze should have more luster, and it doesn't carry this kind of fragrance."

Huai Yun tilted her head to observe for a moment, growing increasingly perplexed.

"Your Highness, Princess, what on earth is this item?" Hu Xu asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

Qin Xuan smiled as he stood up and said, "This item is called scented soap. Its function is similar to the honey locust pods we use in daily life, but this is much more comfortable to use and far more effective at removing grime."

The smallpox epidemic had given Qin Xuan the idea of producing soap.

The manufacturing process of soap was actually not complex.

Wood ashes burned to residue were mixed with an appropriate amount of water, filtered to create an alkaline solution, and then heated to increase its purity.

Finally, lard was added to the purified alkaline solution, heated a second time, stirred thoroughly, and poured into suitable molds to produce soap.

As for the scented soap, it simply had a certain amount of flower juice added to it.

Influenced by Qin Xuan's various brilliant ideas, the craftsmen of Beining City had made tremendous progress in their skills.

Therefore, the workshop had managed to produce the scented soap Qin Xuan desired in just three or four days.

"This thing can actually remove dirt? But isn't this fragrance a bit too pleasant?"

Huai Yun was a woman after all. Even as the head of a major merchant guild, she could not help but notice this detail.

"If you don't believe it, feel free to find someone to test it out."

Zhao Luoying chuckled at Huai Yun's astonished expression.

In truth, she had been the very first person to scramble to test the scented soap after it was made.

"If this item can truly cleanse dirt, doesn't that mean Beining City has gained yet another pathway to immense wealth?!"

Hu Xu's eyes flashed with brilliance, his merchant instincts already beginning to formulate how to promote these scented soaps to the wider world.

Before that, however, he had Huai Yun summon a soldier, fetched some clean water, and conducted a demonstration on the spot.

Accompanied by wisps of rose fragrance, faint bubbles emerged, and the soldier's previously blackened hands were washed a few shades cleaner, as if a fresh layer of skin had grown over them.

Mo Gu stared in wide-eyed astonishment. Unfazed by any squeamishness, he grabbed the soldier's hands and brought them right beneath his nose to sniff, praising, "It even leaves a lingering fragrance after washing?"

"Really?" Hu Xu remained skeptical and immediately tested it himself, leaving the soldier feeling thoroughly embarrassed and blushing.

"Not only does it leave a lingering fragrance, but this soap can also be used for bathing, and even for washing hair," Qin Xuan explained.

This was not the modern era, where soap was restricted solely to the body or hands.

"You can bathe with it?! Your Highness, what is the estimated cost of producing this soap? And how much will it sell for per piece?" Hu Xu asked eagerly.

Qin Xuan smiled and said, "The cost is fifteen copper coins. As for the selling price, how much do you think it should go for?"

Qin Xuan actually had a set plan in mind already, but he wanted to test the three guild leaders on the spot.

Hu Xu spoke up first, "This has to start at five taels of silver."

"Too low. If it were me, I'd sell it for at least twenty taels," Mo Gu shook his head and suggested.

"Twenty taels? For something this wonderful, I say we price it at no less than a hundred taels. It is simply too useful for us women."

As soon as Huai Yun said this, everyone present was startled. Only Qin Xuan sighed inwardly, thinking that indeed, when it comes to items like scented soap, women are always the most willing to spend.

He cleared his throat and said, "I agree with Guild Leader Huai's price. Let's sell it at one hundred taels per piece."

"Has Your Highness gone mad? One hundred taels, who would ever buy it?"

Zhuge Xuan stared at Qin Xuan in absolute bewilderment and shock.

Hu Xu frowned slightly, expressing concern, "Your Highness, this pricing is somewhat too exorbitant; ordinary people simply couldn't afford it!"

"Indeed, in my opinion, a few dozen taels would already be a high price. Even wealthy merchants might not be willing to buy it!" Mo Gu agreed.

"What the two of you said is correct, but you've only hit half the mark."

Qin Xuan pointed at the scented soap and continued, "From the very beginning, I never intended to sell this soap to ordinary people. Instead, I plan to target the true nobility and elite—such as the female family members of great clans, the imperial household, and high-ranking court officials."

"Therefore, I hope the three of you will each take one hundred pieces of this scented soap and gift them for free to the high-ranking officials and nobility you know, as well as the royal offspring of various nations."

"As long as these dignitaries begin using it and it becomes a widespread trend, the people below and the common folk at the bottom will naturally flock to it."

"Your Highness, but with the soap priced so high, even if it truly becomes a craze, the common people still won't be able to afford it!" Hu Xu said, confused.

Qin Xuan smiled faintly, "Luoying, bring out the other wooden box."

Zhao Luoying smiled softly and nodded, then retrieved another piece of soap. However, this one lacked a wooden box package and rested merely on a piece of burlap cloth.

"Huh? Why doesn't this piece have any fragrance?"

Huai Yun was the first to notice the anomaly and looked up at Qin Xuan in curiosity.

"This piece is called ordinary soap. It does not contain flower juice, so it has no fragrance, but its cleansing power is identical."

Qin Xuan offered an explanation before continuing, "This type of soap is what we will sell to the common people, priced at twenty copper cash per piece. How many do you suppose will come to buy it?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Xu and the other two instantly realized the implications. Panic and shock washed over their faces as they simultaneously dropped to their knees before Qin Xuan, shouting aloud, "Your Highness is truly a genius of our generation, we are in absolute awe!"