What's wrong with me, a powerful minister, supporting a few female officials?

Chapter 301 Explosive Success! Profits Shock the Empress and Princess!
Su Mo was slightly surprised when he heard that the other party was asking for twenty cuts on each side. This would cost thirty or forty taels of silver, which was enough for an ordinary family in the capital to spend for half a year!
However, in those days, only ordinary families could afford to employ a pageboy.

Paper prices have always been stable. Cold Suzhou paper is better than Wangjia paper. Now that it's 10% off, it's normal to buy several months' or even a year's worth at once.

Fang Qing'er immediately instructed the shop assistant to pack the paper for the two scholars, and then asked, "Twenty reams of paper is quite heavy. Would you like the shop to help transport it back?"

One ream of cold Suzhou paper weighs about ten jin (5 kg), so twenty reams would weigh two hundred jin (100 kg), which is indeed quite heavy.

These two scholars and their page looked like really weak and frail students; they certainly couldn't handle such weight.

The chubby scholar was slightly surprised: "Your shop also offers delivery?"

"Is there any additional charge?"

Fang Qing'er explained, "If you spend more than ten taels of silver at our shop in one transaction, we will deliver the goods free of charge to both inside and outside the capital. If you need the goods to be delivered outside the city, a certain fee will be charged."

The two scholars were taken aback upon hearing this.

As we all know, when buying things, the larger the quantity, the higher the price.

I bought a full twenty reams of paper at once, which is quite a large quantity.

The shop not only didn't raise prices, but also offered free delivery. It seems to be a truly honest shop, and they do honest business.

He had sent his page to watch the shop assistant pack the paper to prevent the shop from passing off inferior goods as superior ones. He was being petty and judging others by his own standards. At this moment, he felt a little embarrassed.

The fat scholar nodded and smiled, "In that case, we'll have to trouble you, shopkeeper, to send someone to help us return the papers."

He paused slightly, then suddenly became curious: "This female shopkeeper, you just said that the shop doesn't sell books?"

"I am very curious, how can a bookstore not sell books?"

Fang Qing'er explained further, "That's how it is."

"Our store has just opened and we don't have enough books. Some of them are rare copies, so we won't be selling them to the public for the time being."

"However, the books in this store can be viewed for free, and there is a free reading area in the store."

"If either of you finds anything you like, you may copy it down, also free of charge."

The two scholars became even more curious upon hearing this.

My eyes lit up instantly when I heard the words "rare and unique copy".

The value of a unique copy lies not only in its high price, but also in its immense practical significance.

Putting aside other things, how did the imperial court select candidates for the civil service examinations?

The vast majority of scholars study the same classic works, and none of them are any worse than the others.

The only way examiners differentiate scores is through the amount of reading.

Among them, rare books are given special attention.

If your reading is not broad enough or your knowledge is insufficient, you may not even be able to understand the questions!

Upon hearing that the store had a rare book, the two quickly looked at the bookshelf displaying the books, and then paused in surprise.

There are indeed very few books; they probably only add up to thirty-four volumes.

The two walked over and looked at it, their expressions becoming even more surprised and suspicious. They exchanged bewildered glances: "Elementary learning? Treatise on Febrile Diseases? Mathematics?"

"And what about this pinyin annotation? What kind of knowledge is that? I've never heard of it before."

Rare books are rare, but rare books where even the title is incomprehensible are even rarer.

The two of them instinctively picked up the books and took a look.

I don't understand the Treatise on Cold Damage very well, but I know it's a medical book.

Mathematics should be arithmetic, but neither of them were particularly good at math, so they could only get a rough idea.

I won't go into the pinyin.

Without anyone explaining the pronunciation of the initials and finals, it looks like gibberish.

Only the elementary education caught their eye.

"What a wonderful primer!"

"If children use this book to learn, they will definitely achieve twice the result with half the effort!"

"The Three Character Classic is easy to recite and contains various allusions, while the Thousand Character Classic mainly uses commonly used characters and also contains profound truths!"

“The Rules for Students can teach young children the way to respect their teachers and elders.”

The two scholars exchanged a glance and said in unison, "If we copy this down and use it to teach the children in our clan, it will surely be of great benefit!"

Without hesitation, the two said to Fang Qing'er, "Where is the reading area? We need to copy the elementary textbooks!"

Fang Qing'er then instructed the waiter to take the two to the reading area.

The two quickly returned: "Why is there no writing brush, ink, paper, or inkstone in the reading area for me to copy?"

Fang Qing'er smiled and said, "The reading area is only for reading; the shop can't possibly provide paper and ink at a loss."

"If you two wish to copy books, you will need to bring your own writing brushes and ink, or purchase them from our store."

She paused briefly, then added, "The reading area also has private rooms for guests to read books in peace. Pens, ink, snacks, and tea are provided free of charge, and it costs fifty coins per hour."

The two scholars thought for a moment and realized that the public area of ​​the reading area was already spacious enough and the environment was very quiet, so they naturally wouldn't spend an extra fifty dollars to rent a private room.

They each took one hundred coins and bought ordinary brushes, ink, and inkstones.

The price is slightly higher than other shops, about twenty dollars more.

But it wouldn't be right to have the page boy go to other shops to buy it just for that little bit of money.

Scholars still care about their reputation to some extent.

They've already provided me with books I've never seen before for free to copy, and I'm still haggling over a few dollars. I can't bear to lose face like this!

……

The Empress and others naturally copied Wang Yangming's masterpiece in the elegant private room (VIP room) of the reading area.

However, the Empress only allowed Liu Siyun to stay and serve, and told Nangong Sheyue, Lin Moyin and others to find another elegant place to rest, so as not to disturb them from watching and copying the classics.

Zhong Yin intended to buy some writing paper and then return to the Ministry of War.

Once you see Wang Yangming's masterpiece, you can't stop reading.

The Empress was equally shocked.

Unlike the Crown Prince, who was instilled with too much Confucianism from a young age by so-called great Confucian scholars and imperial tutors, the Empress and officials such as the Minister of Works and the Minister of War preferred practical knowledge.

Wang Yangming's concept of the unity of knowledge and action emphasizes precisely the inseparable connection between knowledge and action.

In particular, Su Mo subtly added his own interpretation, emphasizing the relationship between knowledge and practice in Wang Yangming's central idea of ​​unifying moral concepts and moral behavior.

For people like the Empress and Zhong Yin, who value practical knowledge, the unity of knowledge and action is absolutely a classic text of sages, no less important than the Four Books and Five Classics!
Zhong Yin had not studied and copied books with such care for a long time.

When copying, one must be extremely careful, checking each sentence two or three times before moving on to the next.

Just as Su Mo said, the meaning would be completely opposite if even one word were different!

When you turn to the last page.

The Empress, Princess Baicheng, and Zhong Yin all finished writing at the same time!
Zhong Yin blew on the ink on the paper, then his gaze fell on the four lines of Zhang Zai copied on the first page, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "What a wonderful scroll of the unity of knowledge and action!"

"This has truly enlightened me, and I feel as if I am carrying on the legacy of the sages!"

His face showed amazement and longing: "I really don't know where Su Shi got such a masterpiece that can be called a Confucian classic!"

"What amazing and unparalleled Confucian sages Prince Zhao and Zhao Zi!"

Then, with a serious expression, he looked at the Empress: "Your Majesty, this book can be called a classic, no less than the Four Books and Five Classics, but..."

His voice suddenly stopped.

The Empress frowned slightly and said calmly, "Please speak freely, Minister Zhong."

Zhong Yin gritted his teeth: "Please forgive my bluntness, but although this book also inherits Confucian learning, it takes a different approach and is different from mainstream Confucianism. Once it is circulated, it may cause a great academic dispute!"

The Empress narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly: "Minister Zhong, do you think I should ban this book?"

Zhong Yin hesitated for a moment: "This book differs slightly from mainstream Confucianism, advocating the way of practice. If officials study it, they will surely be able to govern the local area better..."

He gritted his teeth and said, "I believe that it is best not to prohibit it, but also not to force it; let it spread naturally!"

The Empress pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Minister Zhong's concerns are indeed justified."

"As Zhong Qing said, it is so."

Zhong Yin couldn't help but smile wryly: "Such knowledge, even if the court doesn't promote it, it will probably spread rapidly before long."

As he spoke, he carefully put away the "unity of knowledge and action" he had just copied.

My gaze followed and fell on the jade medicine vessel on the table. This glass vessel was quite peculiar, wide at both ends and narrow in the middle, with fine sand sealed inside. When placed on the table, the fine sand naturally fell from the top.

It looks similar to a regular hourglass.

However, this medicinal jade was a single piece without any gaps, and even Zhong Yin did not know how it was made.

Zhong Yin looked at Liu Siyun beside him and said, "I have observed you placing this item twice."

"What is the purpose of this object? Is it like an hourglass, used for telling time?"

Liu Siyun quickly replied, "Your Excellency, this is indeed an hourglass. However, the sand is sealed inside, so it neither increases nor decreases, and no water vapor enters, making it more accurate."

"The fine sand in the vessel has run out in half an hour, and now almost an hour has passed."

Zhong Yin exclaimed in amazement, "What an exquisite and ingenious hourglass! It's made of medicinal jade and has no gaps whatsoever!"

"However, this hourglass is indeed more accurate in keeping time than the commonly used wooden hourglass!"

Leng Liuxi casually tucked the hourglass into her sleeve and smiled sweetly, "Young Master Su is just so thoughtful!"

"Hmm, I didn't expect that it would take a whole hour to finish copying this 'unity of knowledge and action'."

"Let's go and see how much money Young Master Su makes in these two shops in an hour!"

Liu Siyun watched as the Empress effortlessly put away the hourglass, and was speechless.

No wonder the young master had instructed him to keep a close eye on the Empress and prevent her from taking anything from the shop!

The question is, does she dare to speak?
Empress, is this hourglass your husband's treasure? Why don't you return it immediately?

When the Empress left the VIP room, she was surprised to find that dozens of people had gathered in the public reading area outside, all of them intently copying books!

Most of them copied "Elementary Learning", a few copied "Mathematical Learning" and "Treatise on Febrile Diseases", but almost no one copied "Pinyin Annotations".

To popularize pinyin, we need to set up a forum in the reading area and hold lectures.

These people were completely focused, and even when the Empress and others appeared, few of them looked up to look at them.

The Empress sighed again.

If we wait until "Unity of Knowledge and Action" is put back, this place will probably be full of people in no time!
All twenty private rooms will probably be full.

In such a small space, it costs fifty coins per hour. I probably can't earn three hundred coins a day, which adds up to six taels of silver, or one hundred and eighty taels a month!

Many large shops, occupying acres of land, cannot match the monthly profit of a small private room!
The Empress truly had to admire Su Mo's business acumen!

They say it's free, but you actually end up spending more money!
Besides renting out private rooms, we also make a profit from items like writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones!
When everyone left the viewing area, they were even more astonished to see that the shop counters were packed with people, many of whom were waving their silver coins and scrambling to buy cold Suzhou paper.

Upon seeing this, Lin Moyin's expression also became strange.

It is said that the Wang family intends to buy up all of Su Mo's cold Su paper, leaving Su Mo's shop with no paper to sell.

It's unclear how many of these people were sent by the Wang family, or if they were all just normal customers.

After all, the rich don't get their money from thin air.

Moreover, most scholars were actually very poor, and their education was funded by the savings of their entire clan.

Such a good thing is a once-in-a-decade occurrence, so it's perfectly normal for ordinary readers to rush to buy paper.

Leng Liuxi turned her head to look, but Su Mo was nowhere to be seen.

I simply walked out of the store.

Su's Department Store belongs to Su Mo, but the clothing store has its own members.

Whether it's the Empress or Princess Baicheng, they are more concerned about the clothing shop.

However, with Su's Department Store so popular, the clothing stores must be doing just as well.

As the group walked to the front shop, they saw Su Mo smiling broadly as he removed a sword tag from a box and then instructed the shop assistant to lead a man dressed as a swordsman to the counter to pay.

"Hmm? The big sword has been sold?"

Su Mo suddenly heard the Empress's voice in his ear. He turned his head and saw the Empress walking gracefully toward him with her women.

He nodded and smiled, "I sold one, but only got four hundred and fifty taels of silver."

The Empress laughed and said, "A great sword for four hundred and fifty is indeed a bit cheap."

Su Mo added smugly, "However, I resold two bicycles, earning five hundred and forty taels of silver."

"Hmm...you guys have finished reading about the unity of knowledge and action?"

Su Mo originally thought that Wang Shengxin's masterpiece, which was on par with Confucius and Mencius and collectively known as "Confucius, Mencius, Zhu Xi, and Wang Yangming," would surely allow the Empress and others to study it for two or three hours.

Unexpectedly, they returned in just one hour.

The Empress chuckled: "An hour has passed. Tonight, a banquet for all officials will be held in the palace. We cannot delay any longer."

"Hmm..." The Empress thought for a moment and then asked, "Will Young Master Su attend the banquet for all officials tonight?"

Su Mo shook her head without hesitation: "Forget it!"

"I can't get along with any of the civil and military officials, so I'd better not go and cause them any more trouble."

He was already somewhat socially awkward, and felt more comfortable having a lively meal at home with his wives.

The Empress didn't force Su Mo, and gently hummed in agreement, then couldn't help but ask curiously, "How much revenue has the bookstore made this day?"

Su Mo thought for a moment: "I haven't calculated the exact amount, but it should be a little over 1,300 taels."

"We'll have to summarize the specific profits tonight to find out."

Su Mo actually knew exactly how much profit he would make.

However, profits are a trade secret, so Su Mo would certainly not reveal it in public.

Upon hearing this, the Empress and the others simultaneously gasped.

One thousand three hundred taels of silver per hour?

Even excluding the thousand taels for the great sword and bicycle, the other goods sold for three hundred taels of silver.

Wouldn't that amount to more than a thousand taels in a single day?

Even if the profit is only 10%, it's still 100 taels a day!

Three thousand taels a month?
Add to that the high-value, high-profit acquisitions from weapons, bicycles, and other items, and the profit could easily reach five or six thousand taels!

Another Jade Palace!

Princess Baicheng, in particular, stared at Su Mo in disbelief, speechless for a long time!

She finally understood why the Empress had always told her, "Don't come to me about military pay, go to Su Mo!"

Is it really that easy for Su Mo to make money?
Tens of thousands of taels of silver a year!
A shop that operates for ten years must be richer than the Qi Prince's mansion.
The problem is, Su Mo's shops aren't limited to this Su's Department Store!
Princess Baicheng felt her worldview was about to be turned upside down.

No wonder the Empress didn't hesitate to steal Su Mo's glass hourglass!
If we don't take down such a tycoon, who should we take down?

Princess Baicheng suddenly felt a surge of anticipation for the clothing shop.

She couldn't hold back any longer: "Lord Leng! County Magistrate Su!"

"Shall we go and take a look at the clothing shop?"

Seeing Princess Baicheng's excited expression, Su Mo hesitated for a moment, but decided to pour cold water on her first, so as not to let her expectations be too high.

"The clothing stores sell high-priced goods and need time to build a reputation."

"At the beginning, business will probably not be as good as that of the bookstore."

Princess Baicheng was taken aback upon hearing this, then looked at Su Mo suspiciously: "A clothing shop is not as good as a book shop?"

"Didn't you say that wool sweaters would definitely be a hot seller? And you even had me, the princess, send my personal guards to run that kind of advertisement?"

Su Mo was both amused and exasperated: "Princess, please don't look at me like that!"

"Didn't I ask the princess to send her accountant to keep an eye on things? Surely she wouldn't cheat the princess."

Princess Baicheng looked slightly embarrassed, and finally snorted, "That's not what I meant!"

Su Mo could only explain, "Clothes are not as valuable as paper, which is a consumable."

Whether wool sweaters are warm or not, and whether their styles will become popular, only time will tell...

"Hmm... it would be quite good if we could sell a hundred taels of silver on the first day!"

The Empress was taken aback upon hearing this: "What?"

"Only one hundred taels of silver a day?"

"How long will it take to raise the funds for the new army?"

(End of this chapter)