Daming: I can’t kill such a greedy prince-in-law?

Zhu Yuanzhang's "Zhu Ji Clothing Shop" successfully obtained a license to produce and sell new clothing after applying in strict accordance with the rules and regulations of the Ministry of Industry.

On the day he got the license, Old Zhu called all the partners together in the meeting room of the trading company, slammed the document with the seal of the Ministry of Industry on the table, and said proudly: "From today on, our Zhuji Clothing Shop will be the leader of the Ming Dynasty clothing industry!"

Businessmen such as Li Wancai, Zhang Fugui, and Chen Shouting all bowed in congratulations, with excitement shining in their eyes.

They know that as long as they follow this "Boss Zhu", their future wealth will be limitless.

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately began to arrange personnel, and personally took care of every step from purchasing raw materials, building factories to recruiting garment workers, and was determined to become the number one clothing merchant in the Ming Dynasty.

"Songjiang cotton, Huguang linen, Jiangxi dyes, all of them, negotiate for us!" Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at the map and said to Wang Hongru, who was in charge of purchasing, "The price must be as low as possible, but the quality must be the best! Whoever dares to pass off inferior goods as good ones will be punished!"

Wang Hongru nodded repeatedly: "Boss Zhu, don't worry, I have contacted the largest cloth merchants in Songjiang. They are willing to supply cotton cloth at 90% of the market price as long as we have long-term cooperation."

"Not enough!" Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes, "Tell them that our Zhuji Clothing Shop will monopolize the entire Ming Dynasty's ready-made clothing market in the future. If they are sensible, they can reduce the price by another 10%, otherwise we will find someone else!"

Wang Hongru was shocked, thinking that this "Boss Zhu" was indeed ruthless, and quickly agreed: "Yes, I will go and talk to him right away!"
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In order to ensure that Zhuji Clothing Shop's styles were novel and of high quality, Zhu Yuanzhang even ran back to the palace and took Empress Ma to discuss countermeasures.

"Sister, if we want to expand our business, we can't just rely on ordinary short coats, we need something new!" Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed his hands, his eyes flashing with the shrewdness of a businessman.

Empress Ma smiled and shook her head: "You, even though you are the retired emperor, you are still restless and want to learn how to do business from Ouyang Lun, and you want to be the first!"

Zhu Yuanzhang got anxious when he heard this: "What do you mean by learning from him? This is..." He stiffened his neck, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind, "This is to benefit the people of Ming Dynasty! Think about it, if Ouyang Lun's family is the only one in power, wouldn't the price of this new style of clothing be driven sky high by him?"

As he spoke, he felt more and more that he was right, and his voice became louder: "We are helping the court to relieve its worries! Let the people wear cheap and good clothes! Besides..." He moved closer to Queen Ma and lowered his voice, "The money that guy earned went into his own pocket, but the money we earned has to be used as military expenses."

Empress Ma looked at him with a half-smile: "Oh? Then what about the batch of Western Region gems that you secretly bought with the treasury money last month?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's old face turned red, and he waved his hands hurriedly: "That, that's for business! Business always needs some appearance." Seeing that Queen Ma was still laughing, he simply acted like a rogue: "Anyway, we are going to run this clothing shop! Not only that, but we have to run it better than Ouyang Lun's! Sister, just tell me if you can help or not!"

"Help, help! I'm helping you!" Queen Ma said helplessly.

"That's right, sister, you and I are of the same mind." Zhu Yuanzhang smiled like a child and continued, "Sister, Ouyang Lun is a very cunning guy. He will most likely come to find you. You can't be persuaded by his words. This time, you have to stand on our side no matter what!"

"If we join forces, we can even take over the whole world. Why should we be afraid that we can't deal with Ouyang Lun?"

"Yeah, okay. Cough cough." Queen Ma nodded with a smile and suddenly started coughing.

"Sister, are you okay? Aren't you feeling much better? Why are you coughing again?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked hurriedly.

"It's okay. I guess I'm just a little tired from making new clothes these days." Queen Ma said with a smile.

"That's good, that's good." Zhu Yuanzhang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhu Yuanzhang paced back and forth in the Imperial Garden with his hands behind his back, crushing a few fallen leaves under his feet. He suddenly stopped and turned to Queen Ma and said, "Ouyang Lun is really quick. I heard that he has opened a trading company selling new clothes, called 'Nike', and even got the production and sales license from the Ministry of Industry."

He frowned, his fingers unconsciously stroking the jade pendant on his waist: "This kid has always been vigorous and decisive in doing things. From newspapers to maritime trade, he has always been the first to get things done. We can't lose to him this time."

Empress Ma was embroidering. She looked up and said with a smile, "How can you, an emperor emeritus, compete with a junior?"

"This is not a competition!" Zhu Yuanzhang threw his sleeves and sat down heavily on the stone bench. "This is... This is the rule of the business! How can our Zhu family fall behind in the business that Ouyang Lun can think of?"

As he was talking, he suddenly sneered: "Humph, that kid named himself Nike, which is weird. How can it be as famous as our Zhuji Clothing Shop?" Zhu Yuanzhang said disdainfully, "Just for this reason, he can't beat us!"

Empress Ma was helpless, but she still took out a stack of drawings and handed them to Zhu Yuanzhang: "These are some new styles that I asked the palace embroiderers to design. There are wear-resistant shorts suitable for farmers, improved Confucian shirts suitable for scholars, and even waisted skirts for women, which are convenient for work and decent."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up, and he flipped through the blueprints, becoming more and more satisfied. "Great! Sister, your brain is much better than those people in the Ministry of Industry!"

Queen Ma smiled and said, "Also, you have to advertise in major newspapers so that the people know the name of Zhuji Clothing Shop."

"Advertisement?" Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned. "How do I advertise it?"

Empress Ma was prepared. She took out a copy of the Ming Daily and pointed to the page and said, "Put a notice here saying 'Zhu Ji Clothing Shop, personally recommended by the Emperor, licensed by the Ministry of Industry, the number one clothing store in Ming', and add some pictures of some clothes. I guarantee that people all over Ming will rush to buy them."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed loudly: "Okay! Let's do it!"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed loudly: "Okay! Let's do it!"

He suddenly paused, squinting his eyes to stare at the newspaper, tapping his fingers on the table lightly: "Hey, this newspaper was established by Ouyang Lun, and the publicity effect is first-class. I actually forgot about this!" He slapped his thigh suddenly, his eyes flashing, "This thing is more effective than the government notice. Once a newspaper is sent out, all the people in the Ming Dynasty can see it!"

Empress Ma smiled and said, "Why? Do you understand the harm of newspapers now?"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted twice: "Ouyang Lun, this kid, his products are really useful. But -" He raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a shrewd look unique to businessmen, "Now this weapon, we have to use it! Pass the order, take up all the front page headlines of the Ming Daily, Jinling Times, and Yingtian Morning News! Wait for it for ten days and half a month, we want to see how Ouyang Lun competes with us!"

The more he thought about it, the more proud he became. He rubbed his hands and said, "Isn't he good at running a newspaper? We can use his newspaper to make Zhuji Clothing Shop famous all over the world! Then when people mention new short-sleeved shirts, the first thing they think of is our Zhuji, not his 'Nike'!"

Empress Ma shook her head and laughed: "You are like a child, you want to win or lose everything." Zhu Yuanzhang said confidently: "Business war is like a battlefield, you can only win if you seize the initiative! Ouyang Lun wants to start a business with newspapers, let's make him taste the pain of being cut by his own knife!" After that, he turned to the eunuch Wang standing by and ordered, "Go, call all the managers of the newspapers in Yingtian Prefecture and tell them that the emperor has a big business to discuss with them!"

Just as Eunuch Wang was about to leave, Zhu Yuanzhang added, "Remember, tell them - if they dare to secretly leave the page to Ouyang Lun, they will never be able to stay in Yingtian Prefecture!"

Queen Ma sighed helplessly, but there was a smile in her eyes. She knew that this business war had just begun.
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Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was busy preparing for Zhuji Clothing Shop, Ouyang Lun's "Nike" business was also quietly established.

"Nike?" Zhu Yuanzhang almost laughed out loud when he heard the name. "What a crappy name this kid picked! It's hard to pronounce and remember!"

Li Wancai also agreed, "Yes, Zhuji Clothing Shop is easy to pronounce and you can tell it's a royal business. But Nike is so weird, who can remember it?"

Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his beard proudly: "Just the name alone has already cost him half the battle!"

However, Ouyang Lun was not slow at all. He not only obtained the license from the Ministry of Industry, but also quickly opened the first Nike clothing store in the most prosperous street market in Yingtian Prefecture, with a striking sign hanging at the door - a hook-shaped symbol, simple and unique.

What surprised Zhu Yuanzhang even more was that the first piece of clothing launched by Ouyang Lun's Nike Clothing Factory was not an ordinary short-sleeved shirt, but a new type of clothing called "sportswear", designed specifically for martial arts and labor. Elastic bands were added to the cuffs and trouser legs to make movements more convenient.

"This kid... is really good at something." Zhu Yuanzhang frowned slightly as he looked at the Nike clothing samples sent by the spy.
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With the opening of Zhuji Clothing Shop and Nike, the clothing market in Ming Dynasty suddenly became lively.

Zhu Yuanzhang's Zhuji Clothing Shop quickly attracted a large number of people to buy with the reputation of "recommended by the emperor". He published advertisements in the Ming Daily and Jinling Times, and even sent people to beat gongs and drums on the streets to promote: "Zhuji Clothing Shop, royal quality, affordable prices! Buy three pieces and get a pair of cloth shoes for free!"

Ouyang Lun's Nike took a different approach, focusing on "lightweight, durable, and fashionable", and even set up fitting rooms in the clothing store so that customers could try on the clothes before buying. This move attracted many rich young men and young women, after all, there were few shops in the entire Ming Dynasty where customers could try on clothes.

The competition between the two companies soon became fierce.

Zhu Yuanzhang saw that Nike's "sportswear" was selling well, so he immediately asked Empress Ma to design a similar "training suit" and emphasized in the advertisement: "Zhu's training suit, tried on by the emperor himself, suitable for martial arts competitions and hunting!"

Ouyang Lun was not to be outdone and launched "limited edition" clothing, selling only 100 pieces of each style while stocks lasted, which attracted wealthy businessmen to rush to buy them.
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Seeing that Ouyang Lun's tricks were endless, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to use his trump card - lowering the price!
"Pass the order down, the prices of all ready-made clothes in Zhuji Clothing Shop will be reduced by 20%!" Zhu Yuanzhang made the decision.

Li Wancai was shocked: "Boss Zhu, this... the profit is so thin!"

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered: "Small profits lead to more sales! We have the foundation of the Royal Trading Company, so we are not afraid of losses! Once we squeeze Nike out of business, the market will be ours!"

Sure enough, once the price war started, people flocked to Zhuji Clothing Shop and Nike's sales suddenly dropped.

However, Ouyang Lun was not panicked at all. Instead, he published a notice in the Southern Metropolis Evening News:
"Nike solemnly declares: our store will never reduce the price of ready-made clothes, because every stitch and every thread is the work of craftsmanship."

As soon as this statement came out, Nike's clothes were praised as "high-end goods". Rich businessmen felt that wearing Nike would give them face, and some even bought them specifically as gifts.

Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he slammed the table and said, "This kid actually turned the tables!"
-
Just when the two businesses were fighting fiercely, Zhu Biao suddenly issued an edict:
"The imperial court will hold the 'First Ming Dynasty Clothing Exhibition' next month to select the best clothing business. The winner will be qualified as the 'royal supplier' of the Ministry of Industry!"

Zhu Yuanzhang and Ouyang Lun's eyes lit up at the same time - this was the real decisive battle!
Zhu Yuanzhang immediately summoned all the embroiderers to work day and night to make the latest styles of clothing, and even personally participated in the design, in order to outdo Nike at the exhibition.

Ouyang Lun secretly developed a new type of fabric that is light, breathable and wear-resistant, and he plans to amaze everyone at the exhibition.

On the day of the exhibition, the streets of Yingtian Prefecture were deserted.

Zhu Yuanzhang's Zhuji Clothing Shop exhibited the "Royal Series", which had everything from farmers' shorts to officials' casual clothes, and even a "dragon and phoenix" ceremonial robe embroidered by Empress Ma herself, which attracted everyone's admiration.

Ouyang Lun's Nike launched sportswear made of "flyweave technology", which was as light as a feather but extremely tough. He demonstrated on the spot that it could not be cut by a knife or wet by water, shocking the audience.

Finally, after discussion, Zhu Biao and officials from the Ministry of Industry came up with a result that was beyond everyone's expectations:

"Zhu Ji Clothing Shop and Nike are tied for first place, and both are awarded the title of 'royal supplier'!"

Zhu Yuanzhang and Ouyang Lun looked at each other, one laughed out loud and the other smiled indifferently.

There are no losers in this business war.
-
After the exhibition, Zhu Yuanzhang held a banquet at Yuelai Tower and invited Ouyang Lun for the first time.

"Ouyang Lun, you are indeed quite capable." Zhu Yuanzhang raised his glass and gave a rare compliment.

Ouyang Lun raised his glass with a smile: "The Emperor's Zhuji Clothing Shop is the real benchmark in the industry."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed: "Don't give me that! But... I think cooperation is more profitable than competition."

Ouyang Lun's eyes gleamed: "What does the emperor mean?"

Zhu Yuanzhang lowered his voice, revealing a businessman-like cunning: "Look, your Nike is good at the high-end market, and our Zhuji takes the civilian route. If we join forces..."

Ouyang Lun smiled: "Then the clothing market of Daming will really be ours."

The two wine glasses touched lightly in the air, making a crisp sound.

Outside the window, on the streets of Yingtian Prefecture, people were wearing all kinds of new short clothes and walking briskly. (End of this chapter)