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

Chapter 302 The Empress is Getting Affluent!
Seeing that even the Empress had raised a question, Su Mo's expression immediately turned strange.

Is it my fault for being too good at making money and raising their threshold?
Back then, the two markets in Changping County only earned a thousand or so taels of silver a month. Yet, as the Emperor of Dawu, Leng Liuxi disregarded all decorum and asked for half of it!
Now that she's heard that a wool sweater can fetch a hundred taels of silver a day, she actually thinks it's too little?

Even if the sales volume is this high for a whole month, that's still three thousand taels of silver in revenue and more than two thousand taels of profit!

The Empress has gotten too arrogant!
They've got so much money to host a year-end banquet for all the officials; they're practically asking, "Why don't they eat meat porridge?!"

Do they think that as long as they find a dozen or so beautiful women to stand in front of the store and strike a pose, people will rush over and buy wool sweaters?

Business can't be that easy!
Others aren't brain-dead, especially since most people here are dirt poor and stingy with their money.

The reason why Su's Department Store is so popular is simply because of its high value!

Seeing Su Mo's strange expression, the Empress realized she might have gone too far and coughed lightly, "Perhaps I misspoke?"

Su Mo didn't want to explain.

However, seeing that everyone was staring intently at him, even his beloved general and concubine Liu Siyun was treated as such.

I think I should teach them some basic business knowledge.

"According to my plan, the wool shop is doing high-end business, which takes time to build a reputation."

"Although I am the only one who has the secret method to soften wool, I'm afraid this technique cannot be kept secret for much longer."

The Empress's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

She understood what Su Mo meant.

There are many people and many eyes on Gufeng Mountain. No matter how much secrecy is maintained, such a large-scale degreasing of wool cannot be kept secret forever.

Su Mo then added, "Furthermore, the matter of wool is another important matter."

"I never intended to monopolize this secret technique for a long time."

The Empress and Princess Baicheng's expressions changed instantly.

They naturally knew what important matter Su Mo was referring to.

Wool sweaters are crucial to the entire northern Xinjiang strategy, and ultimately, it still depends on countless merchants to go to the grasslands to purchase wool!
The two couldn't help but sigh.

If all merchants in the world had the same heart for the country and its people as Su Mo, why would the Great Wu deliberately suppress them?
"Therefore, I intend to take advantage of this window of opportunity... this time difference, to try my best to promote the Su's wool sweater brand."

"Even if other merchants produce wool sweaters in the future, they can only seize the low-end market, while I will firmly grasp the high-end market."

Su Mo looked directly at the Empress: "When new things appear, normal people have a tendency to resist them. We can't just rely on unorthodox methods like advertising to do business."

"It will take a considerable amount of time to get high-ranking officials, wealthy families and gentry to accept the Su's wool sweater brand. We cannot rush it."

Upon hearing this, the Empress nodded thoughtfully: "What you say, Young Master Su, makes sense. I was just being too hasty."

"In that case, earning a hundred taels of silver a day would be excellent."

Princess Baicheng, realizing her mistake, bowed respectfully to Su Mo, saying, "I have learned my lesson!"

Su Mo smiled and said, "It's nothing!"

"As long as everyone wears more wool sweaters in the future, given the status of the two adults, countless people will naturally follow suit, and the sales of wool sweaters will naturally increase rapidly in the future."

After pausing, Su Mo suddenly remembered something and smiled again, "This humble official has also prepared wool sweaters for all of you gentlemen, for both the Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards."

"My lords, please don't say that this is an act of bribery."

The Empress looked at Su Mo with a wry smile: "My lord, isn't it inappropriate for you to say such things in front of me, a centurion of the Phoenix Cry Division?"

"How can this not be bribery?"

Su Mo immediately replied confidently, "Of course not!"

The Empress blinked: "Does my lord have another explanation?"

“A regular wool sweater or outer robe costs ten taels of silver. The Great Martial Law stipulates that anyone who accepts more than thirty taels of silver must be skinned and stuffed with straw!”

Zhong Yin, the Minister of War, looked at Su Mo speechlessly.

This guy is probably the only one in the whole world who dares to give gifts in front of the Empress.

Su Mo chuckled: "Only gifts are considered bribes, but this is not a gift from me!"

"This is merely a tool necessary for propaganda!"

"In addition, as long as you gentlemen wear more Su's wool sweaters and do more promotion, I can pay you corresponding remuneration."

The Empress was taken aback: "Sending clothes and paying a reward?"

"What kind of logic is this?"

She chuckled as she looked at Su Mo: "You used a wool sweater to cover up for your husband, but now you're giving me money directly. I'd like to hear how you'll put it in your defense?"

She felt that no matter how eloquently Su Mo spoke this time, she would definitely believe it was a bribe!

As for whether or not Su Mo should be punished, that's another matter.

Princess Baicheng and Zhong Yin also frowned as they looked at Su Mo.

Su Mo seemed to be treating him like a fool. How could this not be a bribe?

Su Mo chuckled and said, "Really not!"

"Sir, think about it. If someone asks you to do something... well, if someone hires you to do work, shouldn't you be paid?"

"Isn't it the same principle to have someone wear a wool sweater and advertise for it?"

"We can't expect people to work for free, can we?"

Su Mo looked at the Empress smugly: "Your Majesty, I work for you, and you even give me a salary!"

"Lord Leng, don't you agree? How can you expect a horse to run without giving it any grass?"

The empress was instantly dumbfounded.

Su Mo's words seem to make some sense!

Zhong Yin and Princess Baicheng...

Su Mo continued to sizing up the Empress, "Uh... someone as naturally beautiful as Lord Leng..."

The Empress was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and suddenly interrupted Su Mo: "What is meant by being naturally beautiful?"

Su Mo slapped his forehead!
It seems there was no such person as Li Lizhi in history, so we can only change our words to: "She was just born with an exceptionally beautiful face."

The Empress was both amused and exasperated!

Su Mo thought for a moment: "Lord Leng is so beautiful, advertising with her will definitely be very effective. She must be paid one hundred taels of silver a month for advertising!"

The Empress blushed slightly, gave a soft snort, and then looked at Su Mo with a half-smile: "Is this concubine only worth one hundred taels of silver?"

Su Mo...

Princess Baicheng also joined in the fun: "How much silver am I worth?"

As she spoke, she pointed to the corner of her cloak, where a strange-looking yet adorable sheep pattern was embroidered.

"This princess has been wearing Su's wool sweaters lately!"

Su Mo quickly replied, "Eighty taels of silver a month is a must for the princess!"

Princess Baicheng then asked, "What about my personal guards?"

"They can't possibly advertise for Su County for nothing, can they?"

Su Mo was speechless.

However, he is a good boss because he seeks benefits for his subordinates.

My immediate boss is terrible. He only wants me to run away and won't give me any benefits. He's always trying to squeeze money out of me.

People are so irritating!

No wonder Princess Baicheng became a great general!
Su Mo thought for a moment and said, "Hmm... five taels a month, I guess!"

Princess Baicheng nodded in satisfaction.

Those personal guards certainly wouldn't be worth the same as His Majesty, or even himself.

Five taels of silver is quite a lot, considering their monthly military pay is only three taels!

Zhong Yin, who was standing next to him, suddenly coughed twice.

Su Mo replied without hesitation, "If Minister Zhong wears more Su-style wool sweaters, he can earn eighty taels of silver a month in advertising fees!"

Zhong Yin, his face dark, snorted heavily at Su Mo: "How could this Minister possibly advertise for merchants for a mere sum of money!"

In his heart, he was thinking, "So this kid thinks I, the Minister of War, am on the same level as Leng Li, the Grand General of the State!"
Lin Moyin suddenly interjected, "Young Master Su, how much silver is this chiliarch worth?"

Su Mo looked at Lin Moyin with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

He's busy negotiating business deals and signing endorsement deals, why is his woman getting involved?
I'll see how I deal with her when I get back!
He rolled his eyes at Lin Moyin: "Mo'er! Stop fooling around!"

Then, with a serious expression, he looked at Princess Baicheng and said, "If the Princess has any close friends or wives of officials, please introduce them to advertise for our shop. We will also pay them a reward!"

Princess Baicheng was stunned for a moment: "Really?"

Su Mo laughed and said, "It's absolutely true!"

He certainly understood the importance of advertising.

In later generations, some traffic-driven companies could even have advertising fees accounting for more than half of their revenue!
Spending 18,000 taels of silver on advertising is nothing!
Once Su's wool sweaters are introduced into the social circles of officials' wives and noblewomen, creating a trend, they will naturally attract countless women to follow and imitate them.

The advertising costs will come back tenfold or even a hundredfold!

Seeing that Princess Baicheng's eyes darted around as if she was really interested, Su Mo chuckled inwardly and didn't continue the topic: "Let's go to the clothing shop and see what's going on. Hopefully, we won't disappoint Lord Leng and the princess too much."

We need to sell at least three to five sweaters; the sales figures shouldn't be too bad.

Use the data to motivate the Empress, the Princess, and others, so they can advertise themselves more effectively in the future.

The clothing store and Su's Department Store were connected by a small door, and the group went directly through the small door.

Then Su Mo was slightly taken aback.

Surprisingly, the wool sweater shop had quite a few customers, probably not more than 800 or 100.

However, the capital city is populous, and there is no shortage of onlookers eager to watch the drama unfold.

Most people who entered the store were just there to watch the excitement, with few actually buying anything. The shop assistants were busy attending to customers, so Su Mo didn't bother asking them anything and led the group straight to the counter.

The manager of the men's clothing department was different from the manager of the Su's Department Store; he was a middle-aged man who was very neatly dressed.

The shopkeeper was named Hu Yang, an old scholar who had failed the provincial examination for over a decade.

They were both refugees who fled to the capital.

Because of his beautiful handwriting, eloquence, and smooth personality, he quickly rose to the position of "foreman" after arriving at Gufeng Mountain.

Moreover, he was proficient in various fields of knowledge, and despite having no business experience, he was eventually chosen as the manager of the clothing shop, making him one of the reserve talents that Liu Siyun cultivated for Gufeng Mountain.

Upon seeing Su Mo and the others appear, Hu Yang hurriedly ran out from behind the counter, bowed his head with a fawning smile, and greeted them: "This humble one greets all distinguished guests!"

"Greetings, Mr. Liu!"

Su Mo was slightly surprised upon hearing this.

This guy has good social experience; he seems to be quite quick-witted.

How could someone with such talent not even pass the county-level imperial examination?
Fang Qing'er was just a little short.

Knowing full well that he was using Liu Siyun's name to avoid suspicion, he still addressed Liu Siyun as "Madam"!
Hu Yang started by calling Liu Da Dong Jia!
Su Mo nodded, not needing to be polite with him: "There seem to be quite a few customers in the store. What are the sales figures for today?"

Hu Yang hurriedly replied, "Sir, in the first hour since the shop opened, we have sold clothing worth 498 taels of silver."

Upon hearing this, Su Mo was immediately taken aback.

Leng Liuxi and Princess Baicheng asked in unison, "What? Four hundred and ninety-eight taels of silver?"

Hu Yang hurriedly replied, "That is indeed the number."

“Everything, down to the smallest detail, is recorded meticulously, so there can be no mistakes.”

He paused, then said, "I don't know why, but so many customers are buying wool sweaters. Some people buy several sets at once, spending twenty or thirty taels of silver!"

Leng Liuxi turned to Su Mo with suspicion: "Young Master Su, didn't you say that a brand needs time to build its reputation? And that selling a hundred taels of silver a day would be considered good?"

Princess Baicheng stared at Su Mo with shining eyes!

Zhong Yin, who was standing next to him, was completely stunned!

Five hundred taels of silver per hour, how much would that be in a day?
Damn it, I, the Minister of War, a second-rank official, only earn a little over seven hundred taels of silver a year!

How can merchants make so much money?
The imperial court demanded a tax of one-thirtieth of their income, and they still didn't want to pay? Clearly, suppressing merchants is the only way to succeed!
Su Mo was also dumbfounded at this moment.

Not right.

A woolen robe costing ten taels of silver and an inner lining costing a few taels of silver could actually be sold for several hundred taels of silver.

Are there that many rich people in Shenjing?

It's only been an hour!

Is wool really that good at keeping you warm?
Su Mo had no idea that before cotton became widespread, most people didn't have warm clothes!
You either have to tough it out or buy a more expensive fur coat.

Or they might rely on sheer quantity, resulting in an incredibly bloated design that not only looks bad but also makes movement extremely inconvenient.

Now that there are wool sweaters that are much cheaper than fur and even warmer than fur, it's no wonder they're so popular!
He gave the Empress a wry smile: "This humble servant truly had no idea..."

"Hmm... Four hundred and ninety-eight taels of silver, after rounding, it's ninety-eight, which is about the same as one hundred taels of silver."

The Empress and Princess Baicheng were speechless.

Is this how rounding is used?

Su Mo also felt that her analogy was indeed a bit exaggerated, and quickly added, "Well, men's clothing is relatively cheaper. I suppose those people saw that the princess's personal guards were not afraid of the cold even though they were only wearing simple woolen skirts, so they gritted their teeth and bought them."

He paused, then added confidently, "The prices at Lirenfang are too high, so they definitely won't sell for much!"

Princess Baicheng was in high spirits upon seeing the wool sweaters selling so well. She rarely smiled as she looked at Su Mo and teased, "Why does it look like County Magistrate Su doesn't want to see the wool sweaters selling so well?"

"Are you unwilling to spend money on the new army's pay?"

Su Mo was speechless.

Finally, he could only say dejectedly, "Let's go! To the Beauty Gallery!"

Liu Siyun hesitated for a moment, but finally reminded Su Mo, "My lord said that men are not allowed to enter the Beauty Pavilion..."

Su Mo...

The world has turned upside down!
These women, relying on their connections, are all ready to rebel!
The Empress, Princess Baicheng, Nangong Sheyue... Aren't they just... just officials with slightly higher ranks than me?

Su Mo gritted her teeth and glared at Liu Siyun: "Fine! Go! Go now!"

"Hmph! I've been busy for half a day, it's time for me to take a breather!"

The Empress glanced at Su Mo, then covered her mouth and smiled. After greeting Princess Baicheng and the others, she went around to the Lirenfang area.

Su Mo snorted and waved for Hu Yang to leave.

He then invited Zhong Yin to the lounge and personally brewed a pot of tea.

Before the two could even take a couple of sips, they saw the Empress and the others turn back with strange expressions.

Su Mo blinked, bewildered: "What's wrong?"

The Empress's expression became even more peculiar.

Instead, Princess Baicheng couldn't help but ask, "Su County Magistrate, guess how many units are selling at the Beauty Pavilion?"

Su Mo paused for a moment, then tentatively uttered a number: "Zero?"

Princess Baicheng was immediately stunned: "Zero?"

Why does Su Xianzi make this guess?

Su Mo knew he had guessed correctly as soon as he saw Princess Baicheng's expression.

He laughed smugly, "That's normal."

"Women rarely go shopping, especially since the target audience of Lirenfang is well-bred ladies and noblewomen who rarely leave their homes."

"Now that the shop has just opened, word of mouth hasn't spread yet, so how can we expect female customers to come?"

As he spoke, he took a sip of tea and smiled at Princess Baicheng: "Otherwise, why would I spend so much money to ask Lord Leng and the Princess to advertise for the wool sweaters!"

Zhong Yin, who was standing next to him, immediately sighed with emotion.

It's a real shame that this young Su isn't in business!
Hmm? That sounds a little strange.

Princess Baicheng nodded slightly: "Prince Su is indeed remarkable!"

"but……"

She changed the subject: "But this time, County Magistrate Su guessed wrong!"

"At the Lirenfang shopping mall, although there were few female customers, more than thirty pieces of clothing were sold."

"What?!" Su Mo spat out his tea, staring at Princess Baicheng in disbelief. "Sold more than thirty items?"

Princess Baicheng nodded: "A total of five hundred and twenty-one taels of silver!"

According to Su Xianzi, rounding up, the sales amount is one thousand taels of silver!

Su Mo immediately felt a black line appear on her forehead!

Who would have thought that Princess Baicheng, who seems unapproachable, is actually so cunning and stingy at heart!
He coughed and said, "Sometimes, buying and selling luxury goods also depends on luck."

"Just like before, I've seen people pick out three items and say they don't want those three, but will pack up the rest and take them all, and then the sales figures explode!"

Princess Baicheng...

Empress...

Just as Su Mo was speaking, a pretty woman rushed over to ask Liu Siyun for instructions. She was none other than the manager of Lirenfang.

"Mrs. Su, a customer wants to purchase Set No. 18!"

"However, she said that three hundred taels of silver was still a bit expensive even with a 10% discount, and asked if it could be sold for two hundred and fifty taels of silver."

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this.

Set number 18, a bright red dress priced at three hundred taels of silver, is the most expensive item in the Lirenfang!

Someone actually wants to buy it?

Liu Siyun was also taken aback. Just as she was about to speak, Su Mo suddenly said calmly, "Not for sale!"

"Go back and tell that customer that Lirenfang's clothing will not be sold at a discount."

"There's only one of these number eighteen garments. It won't be made again. It's a special opening offer today. If you come back tomorrow, it will cost three hundred taels of silver!"

The female shopkeeper was immediately taken aback.

However, knowing that Su Mo was the real boss, she opened and closed her mouth for a moment, then nodded and left.

After the female shopkeeper left, the Empress finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Two hundred and fifty taels of silver, such a high price, why not sell it?"

"Could it be that the cost of those clothes is higher than this price?"

Leng Liuxi visited Lirenfang twice, specifically looking at the most eye-catching and novel outfits.

Despite its pearl and gold decorations, and the exquisite materials, craftsmanship, and embroidery, the Empress felt it shouldn't have cost so much.

Su Mo smiled and said, "The cost of that dress is certainly not two hundred and fifty taels of silver."

He thought for a moment and added, "Based solely on material costs, it should be around eight taels of silver."

These words stunned everyone once again.

I never expected it to be this number.

If Su Mo hadn't told her, even Liu Siyun wouldn't have known the specifics. After all, Su Mo had personally handled many of the processes, and Liu Siyun hadn't participated. Only Su Mo knew the exact costs.

Upon hearing this, the Empress looked at Su Mo in surprise.

"The cost is eight taels of silver, but someone is offering more than two hundred taels. You can make a profit of two hundred and forty-two taels from just one garment. Why not sell it?"

　That's exactly three hundred chapters! A long chapter of over five thousand words, could I ask my godfathers for some monthly votes?
　　
　
(End of this chapter)