Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

The next morning, after getting up, Chen Chang'an waited for Qing Shuang in the courtyard for a while.

Today is the first day of Qing Shuang Fang's opening. The two of them had made an appointment a few days ago to go to the store together today.

She is now the most talented woman in the capital; she becomes a living advertisement for the shop simply by standing at the entrance.

However, Chen Chang'an waited at home for a long time, but Qing Shuang did not come over.

After waiting a while longer, Chen Chang'an realized he was about to miss the opening time, so he had no choice but to lock the courtyard gate and head to the shop alone.

Perhaps Qing Shuang has already passed away.

On South Street, the shops of Qing Shuang Fang had already been tidied up.

The plaque bearing the three characters "Qing Shuang Fang" is black with gold lettering, making it particularly eye-catching at first glance.

Chen Chang'an pushed open the door and entered. The two young women in front of the counter immediately bowed and greeted him, saying, "Greetings, Young Master Shen."

The two women wore matching dresses and had their hair styled in the same buns, looking like maids from an ordinary household. However, their every move exuded a feeling different from that of ordinary maids, though Chen Chang'an couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Chen Chang'an had seen them before when he came to the shop with Gong Yue; they were the sales assistants that Gong Yue had arranged for them.

The two girls, one named Emerald and the other Pearl, were both sixteen years old and were in charge of selling floral water.

Pearl looked at Chen Chang'an and said with a smile, "Miss asked us to help out here. If there's anything you need, please just let us know."

Chen Chang'an nodded and said, "Let me take a look first."

He wandered around the store. The counter and shelves were already set up, with rows of small, exquisite emerald green porcelain bottles neatly arranged on the shelves, each bottle bearing the three small characters "Qing Shuang Lu" (Clear Frost Dew).

The bottle containing the Qing Shuang Lu was also specially customized by Chen Chang'an. The bottle is emerald green, which gives people a cool feeling at first glance.

Even the three characters "Qing Shuang Lu" are fired onto the bottle.

At this time, there weren't many people on the street, but South Street was one of the busiest commercial streets in the capital, and it would become lively in no more than half an hour.

He had three hundred bottles of Qing Shuang Lu (a type of herbal remedy) on the shelf. Including packaging, the cost was less than two taels per bottle, and the price was ten taels. After deducting shop rent and labor costs, the net profit was enough for him to live comfortably for quite some time.

Chen Chang'an took out a stack of Xuan paper from his pocket; these were leaflets for his floral water hand-drawn by him.

The leaflet, complete with pictures and text, illustrates the mosquito repellent, itch relief, and mental refreshment effects of the floral water.

In the most prominent position on the flyer, there is also a line of eye-catching text.

"Please present this receipt upon entering the store to enjoy a 20% discount."

Pearl looked up at Chen Chang'an with a puzzled expression: "Young Master, what is this?"

"Flyer".

Chen Chang'an divided the stack of papers into two parts, handing one to Pearl and the other to Jade, saying, "Take these to the street corner and give them to those who are dressed richly and look wealthy, especially women. Tell them that they can get a two-tael discount at our shop by presenting these items..."

Pearl and Jade were stunned. They had never seen business done this way before. How could they get two taels of silver less just by holding this piece of paper?

They didn't ask any further questions. Before the princess left, she instructed them to obey Young Master Shen's orders. They were to do whatever Young Master Shen said.

The two took the flyers and left the shop one on the left and one on the right. They stood at the street corner where the crowd was densest and, following Chen Chang'an's method, handed one to everyone they met.

"Hey ma'am, look here. Qing Shuang Fang on South Street has just opened. Show your receipt for a 20% discount."

"Madam, this mosquito repellent and itch-relieving dew can be applied to children's bites."

"Young master, our Qing Shuang Lu (Clear Frost Dew) is exceptionally good for refreshing the mind. Would you like to buy a bottle and try it?"

……

Qing Shuang Lu was positioned to compete with Ruyi Lou's Xiang Lu. A bottle originally cost one tael of silver and was initially positioned as a luxury item that ordinary people could not afford.

Therefore, both of them were very particular about the targets they chose.

Their flyers were only given to well-dressed ladies who looked like they were from wealthy families, or young men in silk gowns.

However, the flyers were not very effective.

The wealthy people in the capital city looked down on this new thing that they had never even heard of.

"They dare to sell such a small bottle for eight taels of silver? They might as well just rob it!"

"The fragrance is nowhere near as good as Ruyi Lou's perfume, yet it dares to sell at the same price. What gives it the right?"

"Qing Shuanglu, how dare she use the name of the capital's most talented woman! She's shameless!"

……

Pearl and Jade went out excitedly, but returned dejectedly.

Most people waved and left. Occasionally someone would take the flyer, glance at it, and then casually stuff it into their sleeve. Pearl and Jade had run halfway down the street, but only half of the thick stack of flyers had been handed out.

The whole morning passed, and very few people entered the store.

Occasionally, a few customers would come in clutching flyers, be enthusiastically greeted and introduced to pearls and jade, but in the end, they would either complain about the price or shake their heads and leave.

In the afternoon, a young man dressed as a scholar finally came in. He smelled the scent of Qing Shuang Lu and found it to be quite refreshing, so he took out his money and bought a bottle, making it the first sale of Qing Shuang Fang.

After the scholar, a young lady dressed in fine clothes arrived. Hearing that Qing Shuang Lu could relieve itching, she also took out her purse and bought a bottle.

As evening approached closing time, a girl who looked like a maid came in, looked around for a while, and finally bought a bottle, saying she would take it back for her mistress to try.

Throughout the day, nearly a hundred flyers were handed out, but fewer than twenty customers entered the store, and only three bottles were sold in total.

Pearl and Jade sat dejectedly behind the counter. Although they were freer outside than in the palace, their inability to sell anything still filled them with frustration.

Chen Chang'an had a good attitude. Doing business is never smooth sailing. His past experiences had honed his good mindset.

Qing Shuang's absence disrupted his original plans.

Her decisive victory over the Yan Kingdom envoy had already made her famous, and her defeat of Lin Wenjing at Wangyue Tower earned her the title of the most talented woman in the capital, bringing her fame to its peak.

She is now the most suitable spokesperson for Qing Shuang Lu (清霜露).

Her mere presence at the shop entrance is the best advertisement; given her reputation as the most talented woman in the capital, Qing Shuang Fang's business is sure to thrive.

But for some reason, she didn't show up for our appointment today.

It was within Chen Chang'an's expectations that only three bottles of Qing Shuang Lu were sold without any prior publicity or endorsement.

Chen Chang'an knew that Qing Shuang would not be absent unless she was truly unable to come.

He sent Pearl to inquire, and learned from the gatekeeper of the general's mansion that Qing Shuang was being confined to her home by the Zhenyuan General and would likely not be able to leave for some time.

As dusk fell, lanterns lit up one by one in the shops on South Street.

Chen Chang'an came out from the backyard, looked at the empty money box, then at the dejected expressions of Pearl and Jade, and smiled, saying, "You've worked hard today. It's the first day, so it's good that you made any sales. Alright, close the shop and go back to rest."

Pearl rested her chin on her hands, asking worriedly, "Young master, what if we still don't have any customers tomorrow?"

Her Highness the Princess's monthly allowance is only one hundred taels.

His Highness has invested all his savings in this shop and even sold some of his favorite jewelry.

They naturally hope that the store will have as much business as possible.

Chen Chang'an brought the signboard from outside into the house and said with a smile, "No rush, good wine needs no bush. Let's see what happens tomorrow..."