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Three days after the results of the provincial examination were released, the air in Sujiawu was still filled with the smell of gunpowder from firecrackers.

At the village entrance, the village head personally hung a three-foot-long red silk ribbon on the old locust tree, and the plaque with the inscription "Scholar Passes the Imperial Examination" was hung on the gate of the Su family courtyard.

Before dawn, Zhou and her sisters-in-law were busy in the kitchen, stewing a whole pig's head in a large iron pot and steaming buns piled up like small mountains in the steamer.

"Father, move the square table a little further into the yard." Zhou Shi wiped her sweat and directed, her sleeves covered in flour. "Ning'er's uncle brought some seafood from Jimo, it should arrive by noon."

Su Shouzhuo responded, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothing out.

He had just brought the family genealogy to the main hall; the red paper cover was brand new, and today he was going to write the name "Su Ning" into the list of scholars.

Just after 9 a.m., donkey carts and oxcarts crowded the village roads.

Suning, dressed in a brand-new blue silk robe, stood at the gate to greet guests.

Elder Su was helped down from the covered carriage by his children and grandchildren. His withered hand grasped his wrist: "Good child! Our Su family hasn't produced a scholar in thirty years!"

Holding the congratulatory gift covered with a red cloth, her voice was loud and clear: "From now on, Ning-ge'er won't have to kneel when he sees the county magistrate!"

She lifted the red cloth, revealing a complete set of "Zhaoming Anthology," its pages yellowed but well-preserved. "Your cousin bought it in Jinan Prefecture back then. Now he works as an accountant at a grain store, so it's useless to him."

The most surprising one was Zhou Zhengjie.

The sixteen-year-old cousin came alone, leading a skinny donkey with two bags of fine rice on its back.

He was wearing a faded cotton robe with frayed cuffs. Upon seeing Su Ning, he bowed deeply and said, "Congratulations on passing the imperial examination, cousin."

"Thank you, cousin."

The banquet was set up in the courtyard, with eight tables arranged to form a continuous banquet.

Zhou Zhengjie was seated next to Suning, but he remained silent with his head down the whole time.

A relative teased him, "Zhengjie, your cousin has already become a scholar, aren't you going to offer him a toast?"

He stood up hastily, his hand holding the wine cup trembling slightly: "I...I'm bad with words..."

He held back his anger until his face turned completely red before finally saying, "I wish my cousin... to pass the imperial examination soon."

Amidst the laughter of the table, Su Ning took the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp: "My cousin's rice porridge is the most fragrant. I'll have two more bowls tomorrow morning."

"Hehe, as long as you like it! I'll bring some more over later."

……

While everyone was playing drinking games, Su Ning pulled Zhou Zhengjie to a persimmon tree nearby: "I heard that my cousin is learning carpentry at a carpentry shop in the city?"

Zhou Zhengjie rubbed the calluses on his fingers: "In the spring, my master made me make spinning wheels on my own..."

He suddenly pulled a paulownia wood box from his pocket, saying, "This is an inkstone screen I carved for you."

Upon opening it, one finds a miniature carving of "Solitary Angler on a Cold River," with the texture of the straw raincoat as fine as a hair.

Seeing Su Ning examining it closely, he quickly explained, "It's carved from scraps, it's not worth much..."

"Thank you! I love it."

……

As the moon rose high in the sky, the relatives gradually dispersed.

Zhou Zhengjie was squatting by the well washing dishes when a sudden shout came from the kitchen: the cart carrying seafood had gotten stuck in the muddy ditch.

Before anyone could react, Zhou Zhengjie had already rushed towards the village entrance.

Fifteen minutes later, he returned carrying a fish basket that was half his height, his trouser legs covered in mud and his shoulders chafed raw.

Zhou offered to find him some medicine, but he waved his hand and said, "Aunt, no need to trouble yourself! I have to go to Jimo to deliver furniture tomorrow."

Before parting, Su Ning gave him a silver ingot: "Buy some tools."

Zhou Zhengjie recoiled as if burned: "I can't accept it! Your education costs money..."

After refusing for a while, he finally accepted two strings of cash, saying, "That's enough to buy a good set of chisels."

……

In the stillness of the night, Su Ning stroked the inkstone screen under the lamp.

Su Shouzhou walked in and sighed, "Zhengjie is just as honest as his father. Back then, your uncle sent him to school, and the teacher praised his math skills, but the family couldn't afford it..."

The sound of a loom could be heard outside the window; Zhou was rushing to make luggage for her son to go to the prefectural school.

Moonlight spilled over the courtyard wall, illuminating the newly pasted couplet in the west wing: "The first-class people are loyal ministers and filial sons; the two most important things are reading and farming."

Su Ning placed the inkstone screen next to the Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government).

Within this web woven from clan bloodlines, there are sycophantic relatives as well as silent guardians like Zhou Zhengjie.

He recalled what the clan elders had said during the banquet: "The Su family's ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke."

But he knew that wisp of smoke needed countless hands to lift it up...

The hunched backs of my parents, the earnest gazes of my relatives, and the deep, bone-revealing marks on my cousin's shoulders.

As the rooster crowed at dawn, Su Ning added a line to his notebook: "In scholarship, one should learn from Xu Jie's tact and diplomacy; in dealing with the world, one should emulate Zheng Jie's simplicity and humility."

The dim light of the prefectural school flickers ahead, while the roots of my hometown have already taken deep root in the frozen soil of the Jiajing era.

……

The hustle and bustle of the victory celebration banquet subsided.

Having made up his mind, Su Ning went to his uncle's house and found his honest and kind cousin, Zhou Zhengjie.

“Cousin,” Su Ning said bluntly, “you’re working for someone else in the carpentry shop. Have you ever thought about starting your own business?”

Zhou Zhengjie paused, his hand holding the teacup still, his dark face filled with confusion: "I... what else can I do besides planing wood?"

Su Ning took out a small glass bottle from her sleeve, uncorked it, and a delicate orchid fragrance wafted in the air: "If I asked my cousin to go to the capital and open a shop specializing in cosmetics like these, would you be willing?"

Zhou Zhengjie was stunned; he had never smelled such a pure and lasting fragrance before.

I've never seen such a beautiful glass bottle before; it feels like the bottle alone is worth a fortune.

However, Su Ning lowered his voice, his eyes flashing with a shrewdness beyond his years:
"This product is called 'Jade Dew,' and it is different from face powder and lip rouge. Take a few drops and pat them lightly on your cheeks to make your skin moisturized and fragrant. With noble ladies gathering in the capital, this product is sure to become a sensation."

He dipped his teacup in the stone table and sketched out a business map: "We don't sell ordinary face powder or rouge. What we want to do is—'beauty that makes fish sink and geese fall from the sky'."

"The first product: 'Jade Complexion Powder'. Apply it after cleansing your face and wash it off after half an hour. It can make your skin as white and tender as jade."

"The second item: 'Crimson Lip Balm' contains no cinnabar, but is colored with flower juice. It is used to color cherry lips, making them bright and luscious without harming the body."

"The third product: 'Green Silk Cream' is used when washing hair. It can nourish and darken hair, and the fragrance will last for three days."

"As for the fourth item, it is this 'Fragrance Dew'..."

Zhou Zhengjie was dumbfounded; he had never heard of these terms before.

Suning smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about the supply. I have special connections in the south that can ensure a stable supply of these unique products."

“As for the start-up capital, shop rent, and initial inventory, I will cover all of that.” Su Ning took out a pre-prepared contract. “Cousin, you will be responsible for the daily operation, accounting, and staff scheduling of the shop in the capital. You will take 20% of the profits, and I will take 80%.”

Seeing that Zhou Zhengjie was about to decline, Su Ning pressed his hand down: "Cousin, don't feel like you're taking advantage of me. You're unfamiliar with the capital, and managing all the affairs and looking after the shops has been incredibly hard work. This 20% is your hard-earned money. Besides..."

His tone turned serious: "The shop is ostensibly your property, and has nothing to do with me or the Su family. After all, I'm going to pursue a career in government. This is both for convenience and to leave myself a way out."

Zhou Zhengjie gripped the teacup tightly, his hands trembling with excitement.

Although he is honest and kind, it doesn't mean he's a fool. He naturally understands that this is Suning's way of promoting him.

He understood that this was not only his cousin helping him, but also entrusting him with an immense trust.

“Cousin,” Zhou Zhengjie suddenly looked up, tears welling in his eyes, “I’m not good with words, but if there’s even the slightest ambiguity in the accounts, may I be struck by lightning! If the shop loses its capital, I’ll work like a slave for the rest of my life to repay you!”

Su Ning smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "I trust my cousin's character. But there are a few things to keep in mind..."

"Firstly, the source of the goods must never be revealed to outsiders. If anyone asks, just say that they were purchased from merchants in Southeast Asia."

"Secondly, the goods in the shop should be priced high, catering specifically to high-ranking officials and nobles, since only high prices can match their status."

“Thirdly,” Su Ning said with a deep look in his eyes, “pay attention to befriending the personal maids of the women in various households. Sometimes a word from them is worth more than a thousand taels of silver in publicity.”

"clear."

……

Three days later, Zhou Zhengjie quit his job at the carpentry shop.

Su Ning gave him three thousand taels of silver notes, a box of samples, and a hand-drawn map of the business districts in the capital, which marked potential shop locations and the government offices that needed to be bribed.

On the eve of his departure, Zhou, with tears in her eyes, stuffed pancakes into her nephew's bundle: "Rice is expensive in the capital, don't go hungry..."

She secretly slipped him two taels of silver, saying, "This is my secret stash of money. Don't let your cousin know."

"Thank you, aunt."

"Silly child, be careful when you're out and about."

"Aunt, I understand."

As dawn broke, Zhou Zhengjie kowtowed three times heavily before the Su family's gate. When he shouldered his bag and stepped onto the official road, the simple, honest carpenter's apprentice disappeared, replaced by the resolute determination of a merchant.

In his mind, Su Ning was destined to become a high-ranking official, and it was truly an honor that she had taken a liking to him.

……

In the second month of spring in the fortieth year of the Jiajing reign, twelve-year-old Su Ning, dressed in a newly washed scholar's robe, was personally led into the academy by the professor of the prefectural school in front of the Lingxing Gate of Laizhou Prefectural School.

Passing through the ceremonial gate with the plaque "Mingde Xinmin" hanging on it, one sees ancient cypress trees reaching the sky, a pool as smooth as a mirror, and the sound of reading aloud coming from the Minglun Hall.

"Although Su Ning is young, his essay 'The People's Plenty' in the provincial examination showed his economic talent." Professor Li, who was over fifty years old, stroked his beard and said, "However, the prefectural school is not the same as the county school. Today, your classmates include old students who have studied hard for twenty years, as well as children from families with generations of scholarly traditions. You cannot slack off in your studies for even a moment."

Su Ning bowed deeply and solemnly: "This student will remember your teachings."

The curriculum at the prefectural school was demanding and rigorous.

Every day at dawn, students would strike the cloud-shaped clapper to read aloud, reciting the Four Books and Five Classics fluently. At dawn, teachers would lecture on the meaning of the classics, delving into the principles of Hu Anguo's commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals and the original meaning of Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi's Book of Changes. At dusk, students would practice writing imperial edicts and memorials, even following eighteen rules regarding the "heading taboo" in official document formats.

What surprised his classmates the most was Suning's math skills.

While others were still using abacuses to verify the "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art," he had already drawn a Pythagorean theorem on the ground and even solved the customs duties of the Maritime Trade Office using counting rods.

One day after class, a fellow student surnamed Zhang couldn't help but ask, "Brother Su, you spend all day studying these miscellaneous subjects. Do you perhaps want to become a money clerk?"

Su Ning put down his writing brush and pointed to the cargo ships outside the window: "Brother Zhang, do you know that last year, during the land survey in Songjiang Prefecture, three thousand mu of school land disappeared out of thin air due to poor arithmetic skills?"

He dipped his brush in water and drew a trapezoidal diagram of fields on the table. “If you and I become officials in the future, do you want us to let clerks fool us with their 'bows'?”

In the silence of the room, applause suddenly erupted from the back row.

But it turned out to be a young man in an indigo robe, Zhang Nanting, whom he had met once during the provincial examination.

He picked up the scrap paper from Suning and examined it closely, then sighed softly, "Someone should have applied the 'Sea Mirror for Circular Measurement' to economic practice long ago."

"Brother Nanting, are you also interested in mathematics?"

"Of course! It's those simple-minded people who don't understand the intricacies of mathematics."

"Haha, Brother Nanting, you've really overturned the whole boat with one blow!"

"Hmph! Did I say something wrong?"

……

On the Dragon Boat Festival in May, the prefectural school held a literary gathering in Laoshan.

As the crowd was reciting "Li Sao" in front of the waterfall, they suddenly saw the mountain people and the salt patrol officers pushing and shoving each other.

Only after asking did I learn that the government had newly established a "beach tax," which even levied taxes on the rocks where fishermen dried seaweed.

The scholars all made way, but Su Ning stepped forward to check the tax plate.

He turned and bowed to the professor: "I remember that the Ming Dynasty Code states that Emperor Hongwu decreed that 'no taxes should be levied on barren and saline land.' May I ask the professor for clarification?"

While Professor Li was pondering, Su Ning had already taken out the "Laizhou Prefecture Gazetteer" from his book box and turned to the iron scroll copy of the exemption of beach tax during the Hongzhi period.

Seeing their well-dressed and respectable appearance, the salt soldiers eventually retreated in frustration.

……

May 18th, 3:45 AM, Dashilan, Beijing.

A burst of firecrackers startled the morning mist from the street, and the newly painted "Sinking Fish and Falling Geese" plaque gleamed with tung oil in the sunlight.

Zhou Zhengjie stood at the shop entrance wearing a newly tailored Hangzhou silk robe, his palms covered in cold sweat.

Inside the three-bay storefront, rosewood shelves are arranged in a staggered manner, and white porcelain bottles and jars gleam warmly under the glass lamps.

"A newly opened cosmetics shop?" A grain store clerk craned his neck to peer inside. "Playing with these women's things..."

Before he could finish speaking, two constables from Shuntian Prefecture strolled over.

Zhou Zhengjie hurriedly presented a red envelope that he had prepared beforehand: "Officer, you've worked hard. This is a newcomer to our shop..."

The foreman weighed the red envelope in his hand and glanced sideways at the shelf: "From the south? Does it have any official documentation?"

"Yes! Yes!" Zhou Zhengjie took out a document stamped with the official seal of Wanping County from the counter. "My ancestral home is Shandong. I trade in some goods from Southeast Asia."

Just then, a clear, girlish voice came from outside the shop: "Make way! Don't block the way!"

Two maids with double-bun hairstyles squeezed in, dressed in fine Suzhou embroidery. The one in the lead glared at them and said, "I heard you have a fragrant dew that doesn't cause headaches?"

Zhou Zhengjie recognized that this was the attire of a maid from Yan Shifan's mansion, and his heart pounded like a drum.

After all, the main reason I came to Beijing these past few days was to inquire about the families of various households.

Because he remembered Su Ning's instructions, he took out the white porcelain dish for testing with neither arrogance nor servility: "Miss, you may try this bottle of 'Jade Dew'."

The almond-eyed maid dipped some oil in the back of her hand and sniffed it lightly: "Hmm? It's clearer than osmanthus oil..."

Suddenly, I noticed a glass bottle deep inside the shelf. "What's that?"

“This is a ‘Hibiscus Mask.’ Apply it before bed, and you’ll have a radiant complexion the next day,” Zhou Zhengjie said, observing the other person’s expression.

Another round-faced maid suddenly interjected: "The rose dew that Miss gave me the other day caused a rash after I applied it!"

Zhou Zhengjie seized the opportunity to hand over another glass bottle: "Miss, try this 'Peach Kernel Cream,' it's the gentlest of all."

The almond-eyed maid bought all three items, and when she went to pay the bill, she gasped, "What? It costs ten taels of silver?"

“Young lady, you are wise,” Zhou Zhengjie said, pointing to the goods under the glass lamp, “There are South China Sea pearls and Changbai Mountain ginseng here, and even the glass bottles used to hold them are quite expensive…”

"Hmm, not bad! I'll buy it."

After the maid left, Zhou Zhengjie immediately closed the door and took inventory.

He muttered to himself while looking at the ledger: "Two ounces of Jade Dew, five ounces of face mask, three ounces of Peach Kernel Cream... Can they really sell at these prices?"

In just three days, the almond-eyed maid returned with two maids from another residence, demanding ten bottles of Condensed Jade Dew.

As she picked out the goods, she chattered on and on: "Our young lady went to the flower-viewing banquet at Grand Secretary Xu's house, and after applying your fragrant dew, bees and butterflies were attracted to her!"

Half a month later, a woman wearing a veiled hat came to the shop.

Seeing the jade pendant made for the palace hanging from his waist, Zhou Zhengjie quickly invited him into the inner room.

As the woman inspected the goods, she casually asked, "Does the owner have anything better?"

Zhou Zhengjie, recalling Suning's instruction about "rare goods being highly sought after," could only force a smile: "Next month there will be a new batch of goods, called 'Resurrection Incense'..."

"Okay! Remember to send me a message when the time comes."

"Don't worry, young lady! I will never forget."

……

That night, Zhou Zhengjie wrote a letter in code under the oil lamp: "To my cousin: We opened on the 18th and sold out on the 22nd. The Yan family made three purchases, and the women of the Xu and Li families sent people to inquire. We currently owe eighty taels of silver for Jingdezhen porcelain vases on credit, and have hired two assistants at six taels a month. Also, someone from the palace has inquired about 'Resurrection Incense'..."

Meanwhile, in the embroidered pavilion of the Yan family mansion, Yan Shifan's most beloved third young lady looked at herself in the mirror and suddenly asked her maid, "Do you still have the face mask I used the other day? Tomorrow we're going to Prince Yu's mansion to admire the lotus flowers..."

"Third Miss, the face masks are all used up." The maidservant beside her quickly explained to the Third Miss.

"Hmph! Then hurry up and go buy it." The third young lady scolded the maid dismissively.

"Yes, Third Miss."

"Remember to buy more."

“Uh? Third Miss, ‘Sinking Fish and Falling Goose’ is a limited-edition item.”

"What? Can't you just say we're from the Yan family?"

"It's no use! Even those in the palace can't do anything about it."

In the height of summer in June, sedan chairs with green curtains were already lined up in front of the "Sinking Fish and Falling Geese" gate.

In the teahouse across the street, several owners of long-established rouge shops gathered in a private room, whispering: "I heard that their lip rouge is edible?"

"More than that! The concubine of Minister Zhang used that face mask and actually lured the master back from his newly acquired concubine's room!"

"Amazing! Isn't this just like an old clam blooming?"

"Haha, it's just too expensive! Otherwise, I would definitely let my wife try it."

"Yes! Rouge and face powder with the beauty to make fish sink and geese fall from the sky were used by high-ranking officials and nobles."

On the streets, the yamen runners of Shuntian Prefecture began patrolling the streets daily; people from the Imperial Medical Academy came to inquire about the formula; even the godson of the Grand Eunuch Feng Bao ordered twenty boxes of "Qingsi Ointment".

Zhou Zhengjie noted down the newly added monthly wages for the employees in the ledger, and when he looked up, he saw himself in the mirror...

His dark skin glistened with oil, and his calloused fingers were stained with ink and spices.

He suddenly remembered what his cousin Su Ning had said under the persimmon tree the night he left his hometown: "We want to make the first thing the noble ladies of the capital do when they wake up in the morning is to open 'The Beauty That Makes Fish Sink and Geese Fall'."

At this moment, the first gust of wind has blown across the Jade Belt River, stirring the handkerchiefs inside the deep palace walls.

Meanwhile, at the Laizhou Prefectural School in Shandong, Su Ning was sketching out the initial concept of "using commerce to support officialdom" on his schoolwork when he received the letter from the capital.

...(End of chapter)