Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

"Yes, Madam, it's absolutely true. Last time, Madam instructed me to send someone to keep an eye on him..."

Chen Fu himself couldn't understand it either, and honestly said, "My men watched them on the street all day. Three hundred bottles of Qing Shuang Lu were sold out in less than two hours. Each bottle of Qing Shuang Lu cost ten taels of silver, so the turnover alone was three thousand taels, and the profit was at least one thousand taels..."

Zhao still looked incredulous. Chen Wenyuan, a high-ranking official of the fourth rank, only earned a few hundred taels of silver a year.

This is even with all subsidies included.

These few hundred taels of silver were far from enough to cover the expenses of the Chen family, and she still needed to get money from her family to support them.

That good-for-nothing who was penniless when he was kicked out of his home was able to earn more than a thousand taels a day in just half a month?

She took a deep breath, and after thinking for a moment, asked, "How could he have such ability? Could it be those two women who were with him last time? By the way, have you found out their identities?"

Chen Fu shook his head and said helplessly, "I've had people watching her for a long time, but they just can't keep an eye on her. That woman can leap across rooftops and walls, and the men I sent out would lose her after only a couple of steps..."

He paused, then asked hesitantly, "I dare to guess that the woman might be the daughter of General Zhenyuan's mansion, named Xiao Qingshuang. Her shop is also called Qingshuangfang. This might not be a coincidence..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao sneered and waved her hand, saying, "What kind of status does the Zhenyuan General's Mansion have? Xiao Qingshuang is a heroine personally bestowed by His Majesty, the most talented woman in the capital. How could she possibly be associated with a good-for-nothing from the Chen family who was kicked out of the house?"

She glanced at Chen Fu indifferently: "Don't you even use your brain? What skills does that bastard have that the daughter of the Zhenyuan General's Mansion would even look at him?"

Chen Fu immediately chimed in, "Yes, yes, Miss Qing Shuang would never fall for any good-for-nothing!"

"He must have somehow managed to hook up with a rich girl and then used Qing Shuang's talent to bolster his own reputation..."

Zhao snorted coldly and said, "His face is quite good at fooling young girls."

Chen Fu quickly replied, "Madam is right. I was overthinking it."

Zhao picked up her teacup and asked again, "What exactly does he sell in his shop? How come it's so profitable?"

Chen Fu quickly replied, "It's said to be a fragrant dew called Qing Shuang Lu, which can repel mosquitoes, relieve itching, and refresh the mind. I had someone buy a bottle to try, and it does have some effect in relieving itching and refreshing the mind, but it's definitely not worth ten taels of silver..."

"Fragrant dew?"

After listening, Zhao seemed to have thought of something and narrowed her eyes slightly.

Chen Fu tentatively asked, "If Madam can't stand it, should I send someone to trip him up? Just send a few people to make a scene at the shop entrance, and he'll be in big trouble."

Zhao waved her hand and said indifferently, "No need. He's a good-for-nothing who's been kicked out of the house. He's not worthy of dirtying our hands."

After saying that, a meaningful smile suddenly appeared on her face, and she slowly said, "The owner of Ruyi Tower is none other than the Empress's own younger brother, Wu Guojiu. Ruyi Tower owns ninety percent of the perfume business in the capital. Now that someone is taking their business away, do you think they will remain indifferent?"

Her eyes flickered, and she whispered, "Let's just wait and see what happens. That bastard doesn't even know his place, daring to steal Ruyi Tower's business. He's really asking for trouble..."

Chen Fu suddenly realized what was happening and immediately bowed, saying, "Madam is wise!"

Zhao didn't say anything more. She wanted to see how long that bastard could be so smug.

If Ruyi Tower were to intervene, it would save her a lot of trouble. They all have the same father, so why is it that Chen Chang'an is the imperial son-in-law instead of her son? She wished Chen Chang'an would die out there.

She didn't need to do anything herself; she could still give the master an explanation...

……

Beijing.

East Street.

Ruyi Tower.

Unlike the bustling Qing Shuang Fang on South Street, Ruyi Building was unusually quiet today.

At this time on weekdays, the shop is always packed with customers, and the shop assistants are always busy.

But today, there were only one or two customers sitting in the store.

The manager of Ruyi Restaurant leaned against the counter, fiddling with an abacus. After a moment, he looked up, glanced at the door, called over a waiter, and asked with a frown, "Why is it so quiet today?"

The shop assistant said with a bitter face, "Boss, I also feel something is wrong. None of our usual customers are here today. I just asked around and heard that a new shop has opened on South Street called Qing Shuang Fang. They sell something called Qing Shuang Lu, which can repel mosquitoes, relieve itching, and refresh the mind. It has many benefits. Business has been booming these past two days, and many of our customers have sent people to buy it there."

Upon hearing this, Manager Sun frowned and asked, "Frosty Dew, what is that? I've never heard of it before."

The shop assistant said, "This is a newly opened shop, only open for two days. A palm-sized bottle of Qing Shuang Lu (a type of lotion) sells for the same price as our Xiang Lu (another type of lotion). Yesterday, they sold three hundred bottles, and this morning they were sold out as soon as they opened. I estimate they make two or three thousand taels of silver every day..."

Manager Sun put down the abacus, his face darkening.

Ruyilou, backed by the Empress, had dominated East Street for over twenty years, completely controlling the perfume business in the capital.

Ruyilou has always been the one taking business from others, but no one has ever dared to take business from Ruyilou.

Now, a Qing Shuang Fang has appeared out of nowhere...

Two or three thousand taels of silver a day! Even at its peak, Ruyi Tower couldn't sell that much. It's simply outrageous!

Manager Sun looked at the shop assistant and asked, "What's so good about his Frost Dew?"

The shop assistant quickly replied, "I had someone buy a bottle and compared it with our scented lotion. Our lotion has a delicate floral fragrance, while their cream lotion has a stronger scent with a cooling effect. It does feel refreshing on the skin, but in terms of fragrance, it's not as good as ours..."

The shopkeeper said helplessly, "But his Clear Cream Lotion has an extra benefit: it repels mosquitoes and relieves itching. Many people buy it specifically for that. Now is the time when autumn mosquitoes are at their most venomous, and wealthy and powerful families, those with children and elderly members, are all scrambling to buy it..."

Manager Sun's eyes flickered, and after a moment, he asked in a deep voice, "Have you investigated the background of the owner of Qing Shuang Fang?"

The shop assistant nodded and said, "Anyone who dares to steal our business, I'll definitely investigate them thoroughly. That guy doesn't have any background, there are only two maids in the shop, and the shop's name is Qing Shuang Fang, the same name as Xiao Qing Shuang, the most talented woman in the capital. I even did a special investigation, and I didn't see them having any dealings with the Zhenyuan General's Mansion..."