Weeping and Begging Ye Xun for Favor, the Three Major Trading Houses Fight for Exclusive Sales Rights

Inside the front hall, Zhao Qingfeng and the other two had completely dropped their pretentious airs, their eyes shining with undisguised eagerness.

They were no longer acting with the aloof reserve they had shown earlier; instead, they were practically begging Ye Xun to grant them a share of this fortune.

Ye Xun knew well enough that he had them firmly in the palm of his hand. Yet, there was nothing particularly boastful about this. After all, these three types of liquor stood at the absolute pinnacle of the world; no other alcoholic beverage could even hope to rival their potency. If Zhao Qingfeng and his companions hadn't reacted with such profound astonishment, it would have been Ye Xun's failure.

These spirits were brewed from sorghum and wheat, keeping production costs relatively low. Sorghum and wheat cost only a dozen or so coins per dou. Roughly two taels of liquor could be extracted from a single catty of grain, and that was precisely because these were distilled spirits. Ordinary brewing methods would yield over four taels of liquor per catty.

However, low production costs were no reason for Ye Xun to sell them cheaply, especially since his liquor was entirely unique.

Without missing a beat, Ye Xun slowly announced, "Spring Brew is priced at eighty coins per tael, Ocean Brew at two hundred coins per tael, and Heaven Brew at three hundred coins per tael."

Gasp...

This pricing left the three men utterly startled. Even though they had mentally prepared themselves, they never imagined the price would be so exorbitant—it was nothing short of astronomical. The imperial court's famed lingering-immortal brew cost only two hundred coins per tael, while ordinary wine sold for a mere few coins a catty. Ye Xun certainly dared to ask for an outrageous sum.

Yet, they had no choice; Ye Xun possessed every right to command such a price.

Zhao Qingfeng looked at Ye Xun, wearing a ingratiating smile as he asked timidly, "Your Highness, is this the wholesale price for us, or the retail price?"

Ye Xun replied calmly, "It is the retail price."

Hearing this, the three men exchanged glances, each letting out a silent sigh of relief. If that were the wholesale price, they would have had no idea how to set the retail markup. In the Great Xia Dynasty, the three of them were considered magnates of immense renown, yet today, negotiating business inside the Prince of Qin's Mansion, they had truly revealed their inexperience.

Throughout the entire negotiation, Ye Xun had remained serene and unruffled, keeping everything firmly under his control. Looking back at the three tycoons: as proud as they had been upon entering the estate, they were equally humble now.

Zhao Qingfeng continued cautiously, "Your Highness, then what about the price for us..."

Although the retail price set by Ye Xun was astonishingly high, they had all dominated the commercial world for many years; as long as the product was exceptional, they could sell it. Upon second thought, the price was completely acceptable, particularly since the current production volume of this liquor was still quite low.

Ye Xun mused aloud, "Sixty coins, one hundred and forty coins, two hundred and ten coins."

At these words, the three men calculated mentally.

Spring Brew offered a profit margin of twenty-five percent, while Ocean Brew and Heaven Brew both yielded thirty percent. Considering the superior quality and market potential of these three liquors, the profit margin was undeniably substantial. Ye Xun had not driven a hard bargain to squeeze them; instead, he had left them plenty of room for profit, which deeply moved them.

The Prince of Qin was truly a man worth associating with—when there was money to be made, he genuinely let everyone share the wealth.

After a brief pause, Ye Xun set down his teacup and asked, "Well, the three family heads, are you satisfied with your profit margins? I, Ye Xun, am not a stingy man. Since we have decided to cooperate, we will naturally make money together. If you have any differing thoughts or suggestions, feel free to raise them with me."

Hearing this, the three waved their hands repeatedly. "No, we have no objections whatsoever. The profit margins Your Highness has allotted us are more than fair."

They were all intelligent men. Knowing that Ye Xun had already granted them tremendous face, they knew how to conduct themselves and would never act ungratefully.

Seeing that all three accepted the terms, Ye Xun nodded slightly. "For now, the output of the liquor is not high, but this is only the initial stage. I believe that within three months at most, the supply we can provide you will certainly double."

In his mind, he was already plotting to further expand the production workshops. Judging by the expressions of Zhao Qingfeng and the others, the sales volume of these three liquors would likely exceed even his own expectations.

"We will follow entirely in accordance with Your Highness's instructions."

"Whatever Your Highness says, we will do."

"Your Highness flatters us. No matter how much you give us, we will never find it little."

The three wore broad, flattering smiles, terrified that a single wrong word might cause Ye Xun to withdraw from their partnership.

Cao An, Zheng Qian, and Liu Jie sat to one side, unable to interject at all. Cao An and Zheng Qian, needless to say, were Ye Xun's core retainers and utterly loyal to him. Even Liu Jie now looked upon Ye Xun with absolute, five-body-prostrating admiration. Leaving aside soap—which was the product Liu Jie intended to use to carve out a name for himself in the Great Xia commercial world—the three varieties of liquor introduced by Ye Xun had caught him completely off guard.

He felt as though he was no longer leading the Prince of Qin's commercial ventures with a few items; rather, these products from the Prince of Qin's Mansion were lifting him to heights he had never previously imagined.

Shortly after, Ye Xun brought out the final product of the day. Sweeping his gaze across the group, he slowly said, "This item is called scented soap. Different from regular soap, it is used for washing the face and bathing. It possesses the effects of removing grime, clearing oil, and cleansing the body.

"Scented soap is a newly developed creation of mine. One variety has a honey-locust fragrance, and the other a milk fragrance. I probably do not need to explain the market potential of such an item to you gentlemen. This is yet another commodity I wish to cooperate with you on."

As these words fell, they created another turbulent wave in the hearts of Zhao Qingfeng and the other two.

They had been wondering just moments ago what this object, shaped similarly to soap, could possibly be. They never expected it to be a scented soap specifically for facial cleansing. In the Great Xia Dynasty, those who paid attention to personal grooming would only use natural plants like honey-locust pods and soapberry. Once introduced, scented soap would undoubtedly be enthusiastically pursued by wealthy young ladies.

The three men understood clearly: the money of these wealthy young heiresses was the easiest to earn. As long as they deemed something worthwhile, they cared not whether the price was high or low.

Immediately afterward, several manservants entered the hall, each carrying a basin of water and placing it on the tables before the guests.

Ye Xun glanced at Zhao Qingfeng, Chu Liufeng, and Li Qingfeng, saying slowly, "It is meaningless for me to merely speak of the soap's efficacy; you must test it yourselves."

This...

The three exchanged glances, hesitating to move. To test it out like this—wouldn't it imply a lack of trust in Ye Xun?

Seeing their hesitation, Wei Feng mused, "The three family heads need not stand on ceremony. Affection is affection, and business is business; the two cannot be mixed. What we are discussing today is not personal friendship, but commerce. There is no question of status or hierarchy here—before business, we are all equals."

Ye Xun echoed, "My cousin is entirely right. Please go ahead and try it, gentlemen. If you do not understand the soap firsthand, it will hardly help you sell it."

With both Wei Feng and Ye Xun speaking thus, the three men nodded in agreement and stood up.

Meanwhile, Shangguan Yunqing had grown deeply interested in the scented soap, picking up the milk-scented bar to give it a gentle sniff. Normally, she washed her face exclusively with natural honey-locust pods. Such a wonderful article as scented soap held an immense appeal for her as well.