Yu Jiuzhou agreed to cooperate with her. The medicinal ingredients in the Princess’s Residence were at her disposal, and they could purchase more if needed.
However, Yu Jiuzhou set a condition. “I will take ninety percent of the profits.”
Chi Wan feigned hesitation, pretending to be pained. “Alright.”
She was providing the technique; the Princess’s Residence would handle almost everything else. Besides, without the Princess’s Residence, this business wouldn’t last long.
As for the split, Chi Wan didn’t much care how large her share was, as long as she could save enough silver to retire.
She feigned hesitation only to give herself some leeway. After all, if she had offered to take only ten percent, Yu Jiuzhou wouldn’t have let her have her way. As long as Chi Wan didn’t get what she wanted, Yu Jiuzhou would be happy.
But Yu Jiuzhou’s next words made her feel she shouldn’t even take that ten percent. In any case, once she left the capital, the business would belong entirely to Yu Jiuzhou. Her share was only temporary.
How could Yu Jiuzhou—a Kun Ze who had fought Prince Bao’an to a standstill even after he had become emperor and accomplished his grand ambitions, all while being constantly plotted against—not know what she was thinking? Besides, the scoundrel’s petty thoughts were written all over her face.
Seeing that the woman was being reasonably well-behaved, Yu Jiuzhou didn’t mind giving her a ten percent share. “Also, you cannot set the price of the suppression patches too high. They must be affordable for all the common people in the realm.”
If the suppression patches were sold cheaply, the profits wouldn’t be very high. It seemed Yu Jiuzhou wanted ninety percent not for herself, but for the common people of the realm.
The lofty Grand Princess, a noble royal supported by the entire realm, actually understood the suffering of the common folk. This filled Chi Wan with admiration.
In her predecessor’s memories, not just the imperial family, but even the titled nobility were ignorant of the people’s suffering. Yu Jiuzhou was truly good. Who could call such a person a villain? How could someone who cared for the realm and worried for its people be a villain? She simply stood on the opposite side of the protagonist.
But Chi Wan clearly had other ideas. “Setting a low price isn’t feasible for now. But once the pharmacy business grows, the price of the suppression patches will definitely be lowered.”
In truth, the cost of producing the suppression patches wasn’t high. But there was one problem: with ancient production capabilities, they could only make a small amount each day. Even if the price were low, it would be useless. Those who needed them still wouldn’t be able to get them.
Therefore, her initial target was the wealthy households of the capital—the titled clans, official families, and rich merchants. Once she had earned enough money from them, she would expand production and gradually introduce low-priced products.
Yu Jiuzhou raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
Chi Wan took out two pills. One she placed in a bejeweled box, the other she wrapped in paper. She held up the bejeweled box. “Our production capacity is too low at the moment. Your Highness can’t possibly be so extravagant as to open pharmacies all over Great Zhou overnight, can you?”
“The pharmacy will certainly start only in Shengjing. Once we’ve earned money and increased production, we can then sell to the common people at a low price. To avoid affecting future business, we can’t have the products be identical. Exquisite, high-class packaging can be sold to the noble clans, while simple packaging can be sold at a low price to the common folk.”
The contents would be the same, but different packaging would command different prices. This was tiered marketing. The noble clans were the ones most eager to demonstrate how different they were from the common people.
Different packaging would attract different customer groups. At most, they could carve some patterns on the pills; different tiers of pills would have different patterns.
It would be best to introduce tiered cards, making certain items or privileges available only to those who possessed a card of the corresponding tier. In this world, they would probably be made into tokens.
Yu Jiuzhou was unfamiliar with this sales model, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t understand it. She looked at Chi Wan with a hint of surprise, not expecting this person to have such a talent for business.
In that case, giving her only ten percent was indeed a bit low. But the words had been spoken, and there was no taking them back.
If this person handled the matter in Qingyuan County well, the vacancy at the Grand Court of Revision was not out of the question for her.
Chi Wan didn’t know the first thing about business; she just understood a few sales tactics. Exquisite and luxurious packaging always attracted the wealthy, who cared more about displays of status.
In the beginning, their business was too small and their production capacity limited. To expand quickly and make the pharmacy bigger and stronger, they had to earn money from the rich first.
“Your Highness, it’s not that this subject is unwilling to sell to the common people. It’s just that we must first earn money before we have the resources to distribute the suppression patches throughout Great Zhou.”
Yu Jiuzhou’s gaze sharpened. She found herself looking at Chi Wan in a new light, and was immediately annoyed with herself for the thought.
But then she once again recalled Chi Wan’s claim of being a lonely soul reborn. It wasn’t that she believed Chi Wan; it was that she believed that scum from her past life lacked such insight and ability.
Some things were just too incredible to contemplate. Yu Jiuzhou pushed the thoughts from her mind and said coldly, “I will have Chun Gui cooperate with you.”
Chi Wan was pleasantly surprised. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
With Chun Gui’s cooperation, everything would be much easier.
Yu Jiuzhou taking ninety percent might seem like a lot, but in reality, the pharmacy’s startup capital and its future development all required Yu Jiuzhou’s protection.
Never mind opening pharmacies outside the capital; even if it just became famous within Shengjing, it would attract unwanted attention. Only with the Grand Princess as a backer could it spread across the entire country.
However, Chi Wan was thinking of something else. She still needed someone to manage it, which meant another share of the profits would have to be given away.
She also needed money—enough to escape the capital someday, find a quiet, slow-paced town, open a clinic, and buy a courtyard where she could live out the rest of her life in leisure.
But for now, she had too much to do, especially concerning the House of Huai’an. That family truly wouldn’t shed a tear until they saw the coffin. Chi Qing had sent word that not only had they failed to turn the servants over to the authorities, but they also hadn’t returned the commoners’ fields.
Did they think she really wouldn’t dare to seek an audience with the Emperor?
Chi Wan thought about the procedure for an imperial audience. First, she had to submit a memorial, which would then be reviewed by the Secretariat. Only then would the Emperor decide whether to see her.
Given her predecessor’s image in the Emperor’s eyes, he certainly wouldn’t see her. It all depended on what she wrote in her petition.
After finishing their discussion about the pharmacy business, Yu Jiuzhou closed her eyes and dismissed Chi Wan.
As Yu Jiuzhou rested, Chi Wan left Yongning Courtyard, her mind on writing the memorial to request an audience with the Emperor.
Back in her own shabby little courtyard, Yue Luo had just woken up. She had seen the note Chi Wan left and had quickly devoured the roasted lamb flatbread. As for the botuo noodles, she decided to cook them for dinner; good things shouldn’t be eaten all at once.
Seeing Chi Wan, Yue Luo hurried over to greet her. “Mistress.”
“Help me grind the ink. I need to write a memorial.”
Yue Luo nodded immediately. Though she didn’t know why, she would do whatever her master commanded.
—Your subject, Chi Wan, Fuma Commandant, Grand Master for Discussion, Commandant of the Tiger Guard, and Magistrate of Qingyuan County, presumes to write to Your Majesty, humbly requesting that Your Majesty grant this subject an audience.
This subject has received Your Majesty’s sacred grace, married a princess, and holds important posts, yet this subject’s family…
Writing a memorial in such a formal, literary style would take several hundred characters. Chi Wan first wrote a draft to polish before copying it onto the final document.
Just as Chi Wan finished the draft, Chun Gui arrived with people in tow.
“Fuma, this servant has come on Her Highness’s orders to bring you two people.”
Chi Wan looked up and saw two women behind Chun Gui—one Qian Yuan, one He Yuan.
“And these two are?”
The two stepped forward together. “This subordinate, Chen Yuan, greets the Fuma.”
“This subordinate, Chen Jin, greets the Fuma.”
Chen Yuan was the female Qian Yuan. She spoke first. “Fuma, if you need anything in the future, please do not hesitate to command us.”
It was clear they were sisters.
Chi Wan nodded and said to Chun Gui, “Please thank Her Highness for me.”
Chun Gui: “Yes.”
As she spoke, she tilted her head to look at the draft on the desk, silently committing its contents to memory.
Back at Yongning Courtyard, Chun Gui reported what she had seen to Yu Jiuzhou. “Your Highness, are you really going to let the Fuma see His Majesty?”
“Imperial Father will not see her,” Yu Jiuzhou stated with certainty.
Chun Gui was surprised. “The memorial mentions the House of Huai’an annexing commoners’ fields, forcing good people into prostitution, and driving citizens to their deaths. Will His Majesty turn a blind eye?”
Yu Jiuzhou shook her head. “His Majesty values face above all else and is most unwilling to discuss shameful matters openly. He will not handle this unless a Censor impeaches them or the situation becomes uncontrollable. He has no fondness for Chi Wan, and he will absolutely not allow this matter to be debated in the open—unless Chi Wan is willing to risk everything and force his hand.”
In her previous life, someone had killed themselves by ramming into the palace gates, forcing Imperial Father to act. Spilling blood at the palace gates was the only idea the common people could devise to attract attention, even at the risk of their entire clan’s extermination. Yet in Imperial Father’s eyes, it was merely a stain on the imperial family’s honor. For that, he had cursed the people as lawless and fatherless, disloyal and unfilial.
A pang of sadness struck Yu Jiuzhou’s heart. In her past life, she had missed so many opportunities precisely because she had believed too much in her Imperial Father’s love for her.
Chun Gui stared at her, stunned. Before His Majesty, Her Highness had always acted like a devoted daughter. She never imagined Her Highness viewed His Majesty this way. For retainers of the Princess’s Residence like them, the Grand Princess’s will was paramount. They wouldn’t hesitate even if she asked for their lives, let alone asked them to point their swords at the Emperor.
At that moment, Chun Gui understood. To the Princess, her father was first the Emperor, and only then her father.
But the Yu Jiuzhou of the previous life had always believed her Imperial Father was first a father, and then the Emperor.
Chun Gui had another question. “Your Highness, what if the Fuma really is willing to risk everything?”
Yu Jiuzhou’s lips curved into a smile. “Then we’ll see if her luck is good enough.”
“But Your Highness, if the Fuma dies, the pill business will fail.” As a female official, Chun Gui naturally had a discerning eye.
The suppression patches Chi Wan created would surely bring a great deal of silver into the Princess’s Residence. It was the Grand Princess’s business; no one would dare to counterfeit it, much less try to steal it.
The Grand Princess did not lack silver for her personal life, but she lacked it for her ambitions. Even the Emperor of Great Zhou was short of funds.
Yu Jiuzhou smoothed her wide sleeves and said impassively, “I do not cooperate with fools.”
If Chi Wan couldn’t even survive this ordeal, why would she bother finding herself such a foolish partner?
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