The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 048 The Art Of Flattery Part 1
Essential oils are not considered a rarity in Shengjing.
Customers who can afford essential oils could buy them at high prices from distant places like Gusu or Jinling, even if they were not available in Shengjing. Now that Autumn Hall is about to start selling essential oils, within just half a month, all the wealthy households in Shengjing were aware of it.
They've used essential oils before, so the fact that Autumn Hall is selling them now is just for novelty and entertainment. It hasn’t created the same buzz as the advertising campaigns in Gusu or Jinling did.
Shopkeeper Xing ordered the staff at Autumn Hall to vigorously promote the essential oils, but it hasn't had much effect.
Three days before the Qixi Festival, Tang Shen came to meet with Shopkeeper Xing at Qianli Tower after leaving his duties at the Hanlin Academy. This once imposing shopkeeper now seemed rather dejected. Upon seeing Tang Shen, he sighed and said, "Tang gongzi, to be honest, I've heard about the scenes of selling the Golden Wisp and scented soap at your Zhenbao Pavilion in Gusu and the Jinxiu Pavilion in Jinling—it truly drew massive crowds. However, although Jiangnan is wealthy, it still can't compare to Shengjing. Please don’t be offended; what I’m saying is the truth. The ladies and misses in Shengjing have seen all sorts of luxury items—luminous pearls from the West, three-zhang coral from Japan. I’m afraid our sales of the Golden Wisp won’t compare to those in Jiangnan."
Hearing this, Tang Shen had already guessed as much, but he was still a bit surprised: "Are the wealthy families in Shengjing really so knowledgeable?"
"Indeed."
Tang Shen consoled him, "You can only blame it on the wide experience of the people in Shengjing; how could that be your fault, Shopkeeper Xing?"
Shopkeeper Xing felt much better after this reassurance, and his fondness for Tang Shen grew.
Tang Shen then asked, "Have you made the items I asked for half a month ago?"
Shopkeeper Xing replied, "Such jade and jewelry items are no trouble for Autumn Hall. As per your request, we made a hundred of them, and this morning, Shopkeeper Lu already took them to the workshop on the outskirts of the city. If I may ask, Tang gongzi, what do you plan to do with these?"
Tang Shen smiled slightly, "Didn’t you say that the ladies and misses of Shengjing are knowledgeable and have seen everything? Since they’re already familiar with the Golden Wisp, we’ll give them something new. In three days, you’ll see."
Three days later, on Qixi Festival.
The Qixi Festival, also known as Qiqiao Festival, falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Initially, it was a day for worshiping the Weaving Maid (Zhinü) on her birthday, with young girls praying for dexterous skills. Later, with the love story of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid, this festival gradually became a day for young women to pray for a good marriage.
That evening, several luxurious carriages stopped in front of Autumn Hall.
The ladies and misses from wealthy families generally rarely appear in public during the day, but as night approached, several of them coincidentally arrived at Autumn Hall. After dismounting from their carriages, the three women exchanged glances and immediately recognized each other.
“Madam Lin, Madam Zhao.”
“Madam Ma, Madam Zhao.”
“Madam Lin, Madam Ma.”
The three women curtsied slightly, a formal greeting, and then entered Autumn Hall together.
The first floor of Autumn Hall featured affordable jewelry, hairpins, rouge, powder, and original soap. Original soap was sold on this floor. As soon as the three wives from official families entered the shop, a clerk greeted them and respectfully led them to the second floor.
Upon reaching the second floor, they saw a beautifully arranged display at the corner of the stairs and paused in unison. One of the women covered her mouth and laughed, “I’ve heard that in Jiangnan, soap is used by commoners for washing clothes and hands. Only scented soap is used by wealthy families for handwashing. I started using scented soap to wash my hands a year ago, and it does indeed clean well, leaving my hands smooth.”
Another woman said, “I also started using scented soap a year and a half ago for handwashing—it’s quite effective.”
The last woman smiled and said, “Well, I can’t compare to you two elder sisters; I only started using scented soap half a year ago. But that Golden Wisp is truly impressive. After using it for a year, my hands have become much fairer. Clerk, I heard that Autumn Hall is also selling scented soap and the Golden Wisp starting today. Where can we see the Golden Wisp? Please show it to me and my two elder sisters.”
The clerk felt a pang of distress, thinking that he had to deal with three demanding figures.
Shengjing, the capital of the Song Dynasty, has a saying that if a signboard falls, it would hit ten people—eight of whom would be officials, and one would be a retired official. These three women were old acquaintances, and their husbands were all officials, the lowest being a fifth-rank official, while Madam Ma’s husband was a fourth-rank high official! Their husbands were rivals in court with opposing political views, and every time these three women met, they would engage in veiled sarcasm and compete with each other.
And now, just as Autumn Hall was about to sell the Golden Wisp, these three showed up together!
The clerk was inwardly distressed but put on a smile and said, “Please, madams, follow me.”
The three women quickly passed through the second floor, where scented soap and various jewelry pieces were displayed, and rounded a yellow rosewood hundred-treasure cabinet filled with various antiques. Behind a double-sided Gusu embroidery screen depicting a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix, there was yet another small treasure cabinet—a hidden gem!
In front of the treasure cabinet stood a high shelf, upon which was placed a small glass bottle of a translucent, pale yellow liquid. A large luminous pearl was luxuriously set in one corner of the shelf, its glow reflecting off the glass bottle, creating an exquisite sight. Even the three women, well accustomed to luxury, were stunned by this opulent display.
Then they looked up at the treasure cabinet.
Each compartment of the treasure cabinet held a small translucent bottle, each containing some liquid. These bottles were only one-fifth the size of the bottle on the luminous pearl shelf, but they were crafted so delicately that just the bottles alone were captivating. Most of the liquid in these small bottles was yellow, though some were so pale that they were almost colorless.
Madam Ma, with her extensive knowledge, immediately said, “The one on the high shelf is the Golden Wisp; that I know. But the dozens of small bottles on this shelf—could they also be the Golden Wisp?”
The clerk smiled and said, “Madam, you are perceptive. Indeed, the bottles on the treasure cabinet also contain the Golden Wisp, but it has been personally adjusted by our owner with slight modifications. The Golden Wisp sold at Autumn Hall in Shengjing is not available in Jinling or Gusu! Our Shengjing Golden Wisp comes in three grades: low, high, and premium.” The clerk then explained the three grades of Golden Wisp and added, “Jiangnan only sells the low and high grades, but the limited Golden Wisp is exclusive to Shengjing!”
The three ladies showed their admiration as they listened, nodding repeatedly.
The shop assistant, seeing their reaction, continued, "But what's truly remarkable is what's on the Hundred Treasure Shelf. The premium Golden Wisp oil is made from a blend of various flower petals, each creating a different scent. Here at Autumn Hall, we’ve made some improvements. The small bottles of Golden Wisp oil behind me each contain a single floral scent, all high grade. But these Golden Wisp oils can be mixed and matched by you!"
Madam Ma was surprised, "Are you saying that we can create our own premium Golden Wisp?"
The shop assistant nodded repeatedly, "Exactly! Different floral scents mixed together will create different aromas. How could distinguished guests like the three of you use the same fragrance as others?"
These words hit the three ladies' hearts, and their eyes brightened. Fifteen minutes later, they left Autumn Hall with many small porcelain bottles, each looking pleased.
Having sold over a hundred bottles of small Golden Wisp oil, the shop assistant was extremely proud. After seeing the three VIPs out, he became curious, "How did the shopkeeper know that these ladies would buy all the small bottles of Golden Wisp oil with every scent available?"
Indeed, this was a new idea that Tang Shen had come up with in Shengjing: DIY essential oils!
Tang Shen's method of making essential oils was simpler and didn’t match the quality of those in the modern world, but it also required fewer precautions. Mixing different essential oils might result in unpleasant scents at worst, but it wouldn’t cause major issues. The glazed bottles were exceptionally precious and were only used to hold samples displayed in the shop. The essential oils the ladies bought were all in white porcelain bottles.
Uniqueness is an irresistible temptation for the wealthy in Shengjing.
They’ve seen all the good things in the world, so no matter how precious, even if you market Golden Wisp as diamonds, they can afford to buy it and won’t care. But if you say they can mix and create a Golden Wisp that’s uniquely theirs, they’re sure to be tempted. Tang Shen even imagined that within half a year, it would become a trend in Shengjing for women to compete in mixing their Golden Wisp oils in their boudoirs!
Tang Shen shared his idea with Shopkeeper Xing, who praised it as brilliant and then came up with another clever strategy. Ordinary shop assistants couldn't speak in such a persuasive and enchanting way—these were words taught by Shopkeeper Xing himself! He flattered the ladies of Shengjing while belittling the ladies of Jiangnan, emphasizing that this Golden Wisp was unique to the entire Song Dynasty and only available in Shengjing. How could the ladies not be moved?
This marketing strategy was indeed very effective, and when Tang Shen heard about it later, he was momentarily stunned and then found it both funny and exasperating: "So, the tactic of pitting one region against another and regional discrimination has existed since ancient times and still works like a charm!" After thinking about it, he added to himself, "How shameless!"
Anyway, the ladies of Jiangnan didn’t know about this, so Tang Shen could only plan to start selling premium Golden Wisp with DIY options in Jinling and Gusu next year.
Soap, scented soap, and Golden Wisp were also selling well in Shengjing, and both Tang Shen and the Jing Prince Residence were making a fortune.
By August, the weather had cooled, and the jinshi from Tang Shen’s batch had gradually established themselves in Shengjing. The top three in the first rank were all serving at the Hanlin Academy, and Tang Shen was already familiar with Yao Shan and Wang Xiao. As for the jinshi in the second rank, half of them were not assigned to posts outside the capital and stayed in the capital. At the end of August, Wang Xiao took the lead and organized a gathering of fellow jinshi at Qianli Tower.
The moon was high in the sky, and the lanterns had just been lit.
In an elegant room on the second floor of Qianli Tower, more than twenty newly appointed jinshi raised their goblets.
Wang Xiao smiled and said, "Colleagues, let’s toast to each other tonight, and we won’t leave until we’re drunk!"
Everyone replied in unison, "Cheers to Wang daren, no one leaves until we’re drunk!"
The group was divided into two tables, eating, drinking, and composing poetry—a romantic scene worthy of talented scholars and beautiful stories.
However, as they drank more, the scholars all turned into drunks, unable to recite poetry anymore, and instead, they started rambling. Some complained about their overly strict supervisors who gave them too much work every day. Others cried about their low salaries, lamenting how they could barely support a family of eight. They had thought that becoming a jinshi would make them superior, but to live as a clean official, they had to eat gruel and suffer!
Everyone had their own troubles, but since Tang Shen was the youngest, he was urged to drink the least and didn’t get very drunk. Soon, he found Mei Shengze, who was sitting at the other table. Mei Shengze, who also had a decent alcohol tolerance, was only slightly tipsy. When he saw Tang Shen, his eyes reddened, and he hugged Tang Shen, crying, "Jing Ze, I’m suffering!"
Tang Shen had never seen Mei Shengze like this before. He wanted to laugh but had to hold it in, pretending to be concerned as he asked, "Brother Sheng Ze, what’s wrong?"
Mei Shengze cried, "After the imperial examination, I was assigned to the Ministry of Works. Did you know about this?"
Tang Shen teased, "Of course I knew. Aren’t you an Assistant Director in the Water Department of the Ministry of Works? This Assistant Director position was a fifth-rank official position in the previous dynasty. Although it’s sixth-rank now, Mei daren, you’re from the second-rank jinshi, and now you’re a sixth-rank official, so you’re higher ranked than me. I should call you senior."
Mei Shengze pointed at Tang Shen, "You, you, you..."
"What about me?"
Mei Shengze wiped his tears, "You’re too much, Tang Jingze! I’m not going to talk to you. I’m suffering! I’m just a frail scholar who spent ten years studying hard to serve the emperor. What’s the point of assigning me to the Ministry of Works? Recently, our Water Department has been overseeing the renovation of the Taiye Pool, and I’m as blind as a bat, clueless, and totally ignorant. Yet, the Director insists on taking me to the palace every day to inspect the Taiye Pool. As a lowly sixth-rank official, I’m terrified every time I enter the palace, trembling with fear. In my eyes, Taiye Pool is just a big pond. What do I know about it?"
Tang Shen thought for a moment and then said, "Would you rather, like me, stay in the Hanlin Academy every day, compiling the Four Books, writing until your wrist aches, living a monotonous life with no end in sight?"
Mei Shengze’s eyes lit up, "Yes!"
Tang Shen: "..."
Tang Shen: "You must be kidding me!"
Mei Shengze looked bewildered.
Mei Shengze envied Tang Shen’s opportunity to compile the Four Books, seeing it as a great task that could be recorded in history and immortalized for centuries. But to Tang Shen, compared to sitting indoors copying and writing books, he’d rather go inspect Taiye Pool in person! More importantly…
Tang Shen’s eyes darkened.
More importantly, entering the imperial palace every day!
Mei Shengze trembled with fear because he couldn’t avoid bumping into important figures, and occasionally, he even ran into the emperor. But what an opportunity this was! Tang Shen sighed inwardly. If you don’t want such a good opportunity, give it to me! I’m still worried I won’t have a chance to show my face in front of the emperor!
In September, after a year of work, the Hanlin Academy finally completed the revision of the Doctrine of the Mean, and Grand Secretary Li personally placed it in the library.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but they didn’t get to rest for long before a new task was assigned.
Writing blessing texts for the emperor’s birthday!
The Hanlin scholars immediately groaned in distress.
People always think the Hanlin Academy is a leisurely office, probably because whenever someone visits the academy, they see these officials, from second-rank grand secretaries to seventh-rank compilers, either reading or on their way to read.
"They’re so idle that they have nothing to do but read; how can it not be leisurely?"
Seventh-rank Hanlin Academy compiler Tang Shen would spit in your face, "I scoff at that!"