Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 135 Everything is in ruins, a grand plan to make money.

"What? You're out of money?" Cao Yan's eyes widened as he stared intently at his wife, Zhuge Ruoxue.

Zhuge Ruoxue gently handed over the account book in her hand, her face full of helplessness: "Husband, please take a look... There are many people in the household, and your salary is really not enough to fill this huge hole."

Indeed, Zhao Yun, Xiahou Lan, and their group of half-grown boys were at the age where they could eat a lot, not to mention Dian Wei, who was worth three men.

After a moment, Zhuge Ruoxue asked curiously, "How did you deal with it when you ran out of money in the past?"

“Ask my elder brother for it,” Cao Yan replied matter-of-factly.

Zhuge Ruoxue was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this: "Now that you are married, my lord, you should have a long-term plan."

Cao Yan then realized that he was used to spending money extravagantly and would ask Lao Cao for more after he finished using it, never thinking of anything else.

But now that I'm married, I really can't continue like this; I need to have my own livelihood.

It seems that it's time to sell the items in the workshop to make money.

Therefore, Cao Yan said to Zhuge Ruoxue, "My lady, please don't worry, I have a plan."

"Hmm." Zhuge Ruoxue smiled, which almost made Cao Yan pick up his spear again.

……

Not only Cao Yan himself, but also the construction of Chenliu County requires a lot of money, and the matter of the Chamber of Commerce and new products can no longer be delayed.

Cao Yan spurred his horse straight to the new workshop thirty miles outside the city, intending to inspect the progress of the new product's development.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhen personally came to greet him.

Upon seeing Cao Yan, he couldn't help but smile and ask, "Your Excellency is newly married, why don't you spend more time with your wife?"

Cao Yan said with a wry smile, "My family is almost starving, so I came to see how the research and development is going."

Wei Zhen was both amused and exasperated, and said, "If the Prefect is short of money..."

“No need,” Cao Yan said, waving his hand before Wei Zhen could finish speaking. “Take me to see the things first.”

"Yes." Wei Zhen understood Cao Yan's meaning and did not insist.

The workshop is currently mainly developing three products: soap, perfume, and glass.

Soap making is relatively simple. He had made handmade soap by hand in his previous life. The materials needed are not many and the process is not complicated.

Soap is mainly made of water, vegetable oil, and lye.

Moreover, soaps made using this method contain no additives, have strong cleaning power, and are extremely gentle on the skin.

Although there is no readily available alkaline solution, it can be made using quicklime and soda ash, which is not difficult.

There are large natural alkali mines in Nanyang County, and the Wei family has been secretly acquiring them.

The two arrived at a workshop that specialized in making soap.
The artisans are methodically mixing vegetable oils in a specific ratio and heating them on a stove to melt them.

As the wooden spoon continued to stir, the oil and lye gradually reacted to form soap base.

Then, the craftsmen poured the soap base into pre-prepared molds and waited for it to cool and solidify.

On the tables nearby, there were several rectangular molds, each about the size of a palm.

Inside lay several different colored soaps, each color representing different effects and scents.

Cao Yan bent down to examine the semi-solidified pale yellow soap in the mold, and at the same time smelled a faint scent of mugwort.

Seeing this, Wei Zhen used a bamboo skewer to pick up a small piece of unformed soap liquid and smeared it on a silk handkerchief to show it off: "Your Excellency, please look, this is a soap made from mugwort, which can repel mosquitoes. Here we also have soap mixed with Panax notoginseng powder, which can relieve pain from bruises and sprains."

This is a peppermint soap; it can refresh and invigorate the mind…

Cao Yan took the silk handkerchief, sniffed it gently, and said, "Not bad, it smells quite nice too."

Then, Wei Zhen took the peppermint soap and put it into the copper basin. "As per your request, Your Excellency, the soap should produce foam immediately upon entering the water. In the past, soap pods needed to be pounded for half an hour to produce foam. This soap is truly wonderful."

Cao Yan looked at the soap, which was almost finished, and nodded in satisfaction.

He then asked, "What is the current cost of this item?"

“The cheapest ordinary soap costs only three coins. Other scented soaps, such as those made with mugwort and mint, cost only seven or eight coins.” Wei Zhen said, pointing to a wooden shelf in the corner of the wall, “Following your ideas, Your Excellency, the artisans have successfully distilled floral essential oils.”

These soaps are made with rose and osmanthus essential oils, mixed with beeswax and other ingredients, and can leave a fragrance for two days after bathing.

His subordinates also planned to use sandalwood, borneol, and other ingredients to make even more luxurious soaps, specifically for sale to high-ranking officials and celebrities.

Cao Yan stroked a "precious" bar of soap and asked, "How much do you think would be a suitable price for these soaps?"

"Ordinary soap costs twenty coins, medicated soap one hundred coins, and the highest grade scented soap will cost one string of cash!" Wei Zhen said, cupping his hands in greeting.

Cao Yan frowned and stared at Wei Zhen.

Just as Wei Zhen thought Cao Yan was complaining about the price, he heard Cao Yan say, "Not enough! The Liuxiang soap should sell for at least fifty strings of cash, and the price will have to be increased depending on the ingredients!"

Wei Zhen's eyes widened, and he thought to himself, "This price is way too outrageous!"

Cao Yan explained, "In a sense, scented soap has become a symbol of status, so selling it at a higher price is necessary to reflect that status!"

Wei Zhen suddenly understood, cupped his hands in admiration, and exclaimed, "Your Excellency's insight is truly remarkable!"

"Currently, a shi (a unit of dry measure) of millet in Yanzhou costs around fifty coins, slightly higher than before the two major battles," Cao Yan said calmly. "However, a single banquet hosted by Bian Wenli and his ilk can easily cost tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of coins..."

Wei Zhen smiled knowingly: "I understand."

After saying that, the two moved to the perfume workshop.

Compared to soap, perfume is much more difficult to make.

However, with the technology of distilling floral essential oils, the biggest challenge now is blending.

Upon entering the perfume workshop, Cao Yan was immediately enveloped in an air thick with strong fragrance, and he couldn't help but cover his nose.

In the perfume workshop, the wooden shelves against the wall were filled with various porcelain bottles, but almost all of them were semi-finished products, and no perfume had yet been produced that truly satisfied Wei Zhen.

It's no wonder, these artisans rarely come into contact with spices on a daily basis, so it's really difficult for them to blend high-end fragrances.

Wei Zhen took down a small celadon bottle, opened it, and placed it under Cao Yan's nose, saying, "My lord, this is agarwood. It takes more than ten distillations of old agarwood to obtain even half a bottle like this."

Cao Yan took a sniff, but suddenly coughed, "This is way too strong."

Wei Zhen said helplessly, "There are still many problems with the current perfume formulation, and the artisans are still exploring the formulas."

Cao Yan knew that he was currently lacking a perfumer, so where would he get that perfumer?

As I was pondering this, Xun Yu's image suddenly flashed into my mind, "That guy burns incense every day, he must be extremely sensitive to fragrances!"

Thinking of this, Cao Yan said to Wei Zhen, "It's still early. I'll go to Juancheng and find Wenruo. He has a lot of experience in incense and may be able to offer some brilliant ideas on perfumery."

Wei Zhen's eyes lit up: "If it's Vice Minister Xun, it might really work!"

(End of this chapter)