Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Chen Chang'an's small courtyard.

Several open booklets were spread out on the stone table. Chen Chang'an sat on a stone bench with a sheet of white paper in front of him, on which more than half a page had already been written.

Having never participated in the imperial examination process, Chen Chang'an often simulated the examination these days, setting time limits for himself to complete his policy essays and articles.

He had practiced calligraphy for a period of time in his previous life, and had become somewhat rusty. But these days, he writes thousands of characters every day, and the feeling of practicing calligraphy back then has returned.

His calligraphy in the Yan style is getting better and better, and it's already showing some promise.

Princess Zhaoyue stood beside Chen Chang'an, looking at the still-wet handwriting on the paper with a look of amazement in her eyes. She couldn't help but ask, "Have you practiced calligraphy before?"

Chen Chang'an nodded and said, "I used to practice casually on the sand with tree branches when I was bored at the Chen residence."

Princess Zhaoyue looked down at the calligraphy for a while, her gaze lingering on the rise and fall of the strokes several times. After a moment, she said, "Your calligraphy is truly excellent. Although it is slightly immature, it has its own unique style, showing the flair of a master, yet it is not the style of any particular calligraphic master..."

Chen Chang'an thought to himself, "I practice Yan Zhenqing's regular script, how could I not have the style of a master?"

Although there are some great calligraphers in the world, they are far inferior to Yan Zhenqing.

Princess Zhaoyue continued, "I believe that, given time, you will surely become the most outstanding calligrapher in Da Ning..."

Chen Chang'an smiled and said, "Then I'll take advantage of Miss Gong Yue's auspicious words..."

He put down his pen, stretched his wrists, then stood up and stretched lazily.

For the past two weeks, he has been doing this almost every day: reading in the morning and practicing martial arts in the afternoon.

The business at Qing Shuang Fang is now on the right track, and with Qing Shuang and Gong Yue looking after it, he doesn't need to worry about it at all.

In Gong Yue's words, his only task was to focus on preparing for the exam, strive to pass it with flying colors, and then enter the Hanlin Academy for further study. As for the shop's affairs, she wouldn't let Chen Chang'an get involved.

She wouldn't even let Chen Chang'an go to the shop.

For the past two weeks, Chen Chang'an has stayed home, reading and practicing martial arts. The last time he spent like this was before the college entrance examination.

Compared to the college entrance examination, the imperial examination was clearly more important.

He looked at Miss Gong Yue and couldn't help but ask, "How's business at the shop lately?"

Chen Chang'an was still concerned about the shop. After all, Qing Shuang Fang was his cash cow, and whether he could realize his dream of having beautiful wives and concubines and a big house depended entirely on the shop's business.

Princess Zhaoyue glanced at him. She didn't want to distract him from the shop's affairs, but the thought of not telling him made him even more uneasy, so she said, "Everything is fine at the shop. The perfume is still in high demand, and we even received an order from the palace a few days ago. The sales of soap are also quite stable..."

"smooth?"

Chen Chang'an seized on the key phrase and asked, "What's wrong? Are the soaps not selling well?"

Princess Zhaoyue shook her head and said, "It's not that they're not selling well, it's just that they're not as popular as Qing Shuang Lu and Xiang Lu. We can probably sell ten or twenty pieces a day, and the workshop still has quite a lot of stock. The ladies and young ladies in the capital are still more used to using bath beans..."

Before launching the soap, Chen Chang'an conducted in-depth market research.

Ordinary people in the capital used rice water and soapberry to bathe, or simply used plain water, while the upper class preferred to use bath beans.

Bath beans are made from bean powder with added medicinal herbs and spices. Chen Chang'an had also used them. They can be considered an all-purpose cosmetic of this era, suitable for washing hands, face, hair, bathing, and washing clothes.

Although their soap is a better and more advanced product than bath beans, it lacks promotion and people are still finding it difficult to accept it for a while.

Chen Chang'an thought for a moment and said, "I'm going out for a bit..."

He changed his clothes, put a petal-shaped bar of soap in a silk-lined brocade box, tucked it into his pocket, and went out.

A moment later, at the entrance of Qunyu Tower.

Before Chen Chang'an even reached the door, the madam of Qunyu Tower, who was soliciting customers at the entrance, recognized him and greeted him with a beaming smile, saying repeatedly, "Oh, Young Master Chen, what brings you here today? Come in, come in..."

Chen Chang'an came to Qunyu Tower to see Gu Qingcheng.

She was known as the most beautiful courtesan in the capital, and countless women watched her every move.

She uses the fragrant dew from Qing Shuang Fang, and countless people will follow suit.

If she uses Qing Shuang Fang's soap, it's only a matter of time before their soap replaces bath beans.

Chen Chang'an entered the Qunyu Tower and said to the madam, "I have some business with Miss Qingcheng. Please inform her."

The madam immediately summoned a maid and said, "Quickly, go tell Qingcheng that Young Master Chen has arrived."

Chen Chang'an's poem "Clouds remind me of her clothes, flowers remind me of her face" made Qunyulou famous throughout the capital, and business improved significantly during this period.

Qingcheng never accepts impromptu meetings; she would probably refuse anyone else.

But Chen Chang'an is the cash cow of Qunyu Tower, so he is naturally worthy of being an exception.

Inside a private room on the third floor.

Gu Qingcheng sat behind the zither table by the window, idly plucking the strings.

The piano music only played occasionally, two or three notes at a time, and didn't form a complete piece. She wasn't in the mood to play the piano today, and she refused when her mother asked her to perform.

Footsteps suddenly came from outside the door, and a maid pushed the door open and came in, saying, "Sister Qingcheng, there is a young master Chen downstairs who wants to see you..."

Gu Qingcheng didn't look up. Her fingers casually swept across the strings, producing a series of scattered notes. She waved her hand and said, "I don't want to see any of these Young Master Chen or Young Master Li."

Just as the maid was about to leave, Gu Qingcheng suddenly remembered something and looked up sharply: "Which Young Master Chen?"

The maidservant said, "Young Master Chen Chang'an."

Gu Qingcheng paused for a moment, and her hand, which had been resting on the strings, was suddenly pulled back.

She stood up, walked quickly to the bronze mirror, turned to look at her reflection, tidied her temples with her hand, then picked up a lip gloss from the dressing table, dabbed a little with her finger, and gently smeared it on her lips.

When he turned around, he had already regained his usual composure.

She walked back to the zither table, tidied up the scattered books, and then said to the maid, "Please invite him up."

The maid responded and turned to go downstairs.

Gu Qingcheng stood in front of the zither table and glanced down at her clothes.

A moon-white long dress with neat, wrinkle-free cuffs.

She took a soft breath, then walked to the window and stood there with her back to the door.

Before long, footsteps sounded again outside the door. The maid pushed open the door and said, "Miss, Young Master Chen has arrived."

Gu Qingcheng turned around and smiled, "Young Master Chen, please come in."

Chen Chang'an walked in, smiled at Gu Qingcheng, and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "Miss Qingcheng, it's been a long time..."

Gu Qingcheng glanced at him and said with a hint of resentment, "I thought that Young Master Chen had long forgotten about Qingcheng."

Chen Chang'an, having a favor to ask of her, immediately said, "Miss Qingcheng, you misunderstand. As you probably know, I was embroiled in a lawsuit a few days ago, which I finally managed to resolve. The provincial examination is approaching, and I've been studying at home all day for the past two weeks. I simply couldn't find the time to come here today to thank you for your help last time..."