The Marquis doesn't support his beloved wife's ambitions, so I'll take the imperial e

"I wouldn't dare call myself a genius; I'm just a bit clever."

In her heart, she thought, this is just a marketing tactic that's become commonplace in later generations, but here it's become a groundbreaking and ingenious plan. The strategy of using a lower dimension to attack is indeed effective.

"Which of these two methods do you think is more suitable for us to do first?" Jiang Zhenxue asked, probing.

Shen Yu was intelligent after all. After a moment's thought, he pointed to the first line, "Naturally, we should distribute flyers first to let more people know about our 'Golden List Success' program. If no one knows about it, then the method of pre-depositing tuition fees is just a castle in the air, and there's nowhere to implement it."

"Not bad, you're teachable." Jiang Zhenxue nodded approvingly. "Then I'll leave the flyer matter to you. Find a few clever people to distribute them at the entrances of academies and schools, making sure that all the scholars in Pu County know about us."

"Don't worry, Sister Jiang!" Shen Yu accepted the task, his eyes full of enthusiasm.

Jiang Zhenxue gave him a few more details and then sent him off to do his work. She herself took the promotional material she had already written and went to the largest printing house in Puxian County.

The printing house was filled with the strong scent of ink. An old man with a goatee was typing away on an abacus. When he saw Jiang Zhenxue, a woman, enter, he didn't even raise his eyelids.

"Does the young lady want to buy books or print books?"

"Print something." Jiang Zhenxue handed over the paper covered with writing.

The boss took it casually, glanced at it, and then exclaimed "Eh!" with a shrewd glint in his cloudy eyes.

"The 'Golden List Success Study Room'... provides a quiet place for students preparing for the college entrance examination to study?" he muttered, then looked down again.

"Pre-deposit five taels of silver to enjoy a 10% discount and receive a numbered bamboo tag as a gift."

"Pre-deposit 10 taels of silver to enjoy a 15% discount, plus a month's worth of complimentary tea and priority seating."

"Deposit 20 taels of silver and enjoy a 20% discount, plus complimentary tea and a collection of poems by a renowned poet!"

The shopkeeper grew increasingly confused. He looked up and scrutinized Jiang Zhenxue closely. "Miss, what do you mean by this? You want someone to give you money first, and then come to study here? What kind of logic is that? Isn't this just trying to get something for nothing?"

Jiang Zhenxue wasn't annoyed. Instead, she patiently explained, "Boss, this is called pre-deposit. Students deposit their money with me and then pay directly when they need to spend, saving them the trouble of paying every time. I give them discounts, they benefit, and I can retain customers. It's a win-win situation."

The shopkeeper shook his head, rattling the abacus in his hand like a rattle-drum. "I don't understand, I don't understand. In business, it's always cash on delivery. Your method is too unreliable. Scholars are too proud to fall for it."

"Whether I'm fooled or not is my concern." Jiang Zhenxue didn't want to waste any more words with him. "Just tell me, boss, how much does it cost to print five hundred copies?"

The shopkeeper held up three fingers. "Thirty coins per sheet, fifteen taels of silver in total."

Jiang Zhenxue sneered inwardly. This old man was taking advantage of her being a woman to make exorbitant demands. She remained calm and turned to leave.

"Hey, girl!" The boss was anxious. These days, the book printing business is tough, and he couldn't let such a big order slip away.

"If the boss isn't sincere, I'll just go to another one."

"No, no, no!" the shopkeeper quickly grabbed her arm. "The price is negotiable! Twenty coins! That's the lowest I can go!"

Jiang Zhenxue then stopped and slowly said, "Ten coins. I will continue to print these flyers in the future; it's a long-term business. If the boss thinks it's worthwhile, we can sign the contract. If not, there are other printing houses in Pu County besides yours."

The boss's beard twitched as he quickly made a mental calculation.

Ten coins per sheet, the profit is a bit thin, but the volume is large, and judging from the girl's tone, there will be more printing in the future.

He gritted his teeth. "Fine! Ten coins it is! Come and collect it at this time tomorrow!"

……

After everything was arranged, Jiang Zhenxue specially invited Kang Mingyan to dinner.

"Mingyan, I'm going to hold a grand opening celebration for my study in a few days, and I'd like to ask for your help."

"Xue'er, you're too kind. You saved my life. Please don't hesitate to ask if there's anything you need," Kang Mingyan assured him, patting his chest.

"It's nothing major, I just wanted to invite you and your classmates to come to my shop sometime, sit down, read some books, and decorate the storefront."

Kang Mingyan immediately understood that they wanted to use his reputation as a newly appointed scholar to attract customers. Far from feeling used, he was quite pleased.

"That's easy! My friends have been incredibly curious about your study room for ages. I just need to call, and they'll all come!"

All is ready except for the opportunity.

Three days later, Shen Yu, accompanied by several hired teenagers and carrying stacks of printed leaflets, stood guard at the entrance of the largest official school in Pu County.

It was the time for students to leave school, and they emerged in twos and threes.

"Brother, how about checking out the 'Top Scholar Study Room'?"

"Young master, look! This is a wonderful place to study!"

Shen Yu and the children enthusiastically handed out flyers.

At first, some students curiously took the papers to read them. But once they saw what was on them, their expressions changed.

"What is this? Pre-deposit silver? It's just a vulgar merchant trick, an eyesore for us scholars!" A student dressed in brocade clothes crumpled the flyer into a ball and threw it on the ground with disgust.

Once he took the lead, others followed suit.

"This is all about money! We scholars study with sincerity, not with such underhanded methods!"

"Exactly! I thought it was some kind of elegant place, but it turns out to be a money-making den!"

The papers were scattered all over the ground, trampled and rotten by the footsteps of passersby. Shen Yu's face flushed red, and he tried to argue, but was drowned out by the jeers of the crowd.

"Get lost, you brat! Don't get in my way!"

The scene was awkwardly quiet for a time. Half an hour had passed, and less than one-tenth of the five hundred flyers had been handed out, with most of them being thrown on the ground.

Shen Yu returned to the study room dejectedly and told Jiang Zhenxue everything that had happened.

Jiang Zhenxue's face showed no surprise after hearing this; she simply asked calmly, "No one took a single one?"

"There were... a few, they seemed to be students from poor families, who picked them up and put them in their pockets," Shen Yu said softly.

"That's enough." Jiang Zhenxue picked up her teacup and gently blew on the steam. "Just wait, someone will come."

Sure enough, half an hour later, the door to the study room was pushed open a crack, and a timid head peeked in.

The newcomer was a young man wearing a faded, worn-out scholar's robe. He clutched the crumpled flyer tightly in his hand and asked in a low voice, "Excuse me... is this really the 'Top Scholar' self-study room?"

Jiang Zhenxue stood up, revealing a gentle smile, "Yes, please come in, young master."

The student hesitated before walking in, and immediately saw Kang Mingyan sitting quietly by the window reading a book, along with several classmates beside him.

"Kang...Kang Xiucai?" He was taken aback. Kang Mingyan had just passed the imperial examination and was quite well-known among the students in Puxian County.

Hearing the voice, Kang Mingyan looked up and recognized the person. He nodded in a friendly manner, "It's Brother Zhou, you've come too."