Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

Inside Qing Shuang Fang.

Pearls and jade were being wiped on the shelves when suddenly footsteps sounded at the door.

They turned around and saw seven or eight beautiful women with outstanding temperament and stunning looks walking in from outside.

The woman at the head of the group was none other than Gu Qingcheng, who was wearing a veil.

Gu Qingcheng entered the shop, looked at the pearls and jade, and asked, "Ladies, may I ask where the perfume is?"

Pearl snapped out of her reverie, pointed to a shelf on her right, and said, "This is all..."

Gu Qingcheng walked to the shelf and turned to the courtesans of Qunyulou behind her, saying, "Sisters, pick one you like. It's my treat today..."

The shop assistants didn't stand on ceremony; they spread out and started browsing the shelves.

At that moment, several more young women walked in.

Seeing Gu Qingcheng and the courtesans from Qunyulou gathered around a certain shelf, they immediately went over as well.

Although we don't know what they're buying, the things used by the most beautiful woman in the capital and so many courtesans must have something special about them.

Several young women bought a few bars of soap, paid for them, and then the woman in the lead asked Pearl, "What is the use of this?"

Chen Chang'an had already trained Pearl and Jade. Upon hearing this, Pearl smiled and said, "This substance is called balm. It has cleansing, moisturizing, and skin-nourishing effects. We can use it to wash our hands, face, and bathe every day. Washing our hands with balm daily can also prevent some diseases..."

"Really? This thing is that useful?"

"Can bath products really prevent diseases?"

"Didn't you see? Miss Qingcheng and these courtesans are all using it. Whether it's as good as they say or not, we'll know once we go back and try it. It's ten taels of silver apiece, not that expensive..."

……

Chen Chang'an stood in the backyard, holding a book in his hands.

He looked at the scene inside the shop through the beaded curtain, just as Gu Qingcheng turned her head.

The two looked at each other, then looked away without saying a word.

A smile crept onto Chen Chang'an's lips. He had gained a free spokesperson in exchange for a single poem. This deal couldn't be more profitable.

He breathed a sigh of relief, returned to his room, and continued reading.

With the departure of Gu Qingcheng and the others, in less than half a day, the poem "There is a Beauty in the North" spread throughout the major poetry societies in the capital.

Firstly, the poem itself is an excellent description of a beautiful woman, and it is also easy to recite and sing.

Secondly, the poem is about Gu Qingcheng, the most beautiful woman in the capital, and the name Gu Qingcheng is inherently controversial.

Third, the author of this poem is the great scholar Chen Chang'an.

In recent days, the most famous woman in the capital is undoubtedly Gu Qingcheng, while the most famous man is none other than Chen Chang'an.

His story is nothing short of legendary.

His background also became a topic of conversation among the common people when they were bored.

With a combination of factors, plus the encouragement from Qunyu Tower, the poem spread extremely quickly, and within three days, it was known to everyone.

Even children playing in the street can sing a few lines of "In the North there is a beautiful woman, peerless and independent. One glance could topple a city, a second glance could topple a nation."

"To the point of captivating a city or a nation" has even become a fixed description of an unparalleled beauty in people's minds.

In the past few days, besides the fame of this poem about a beautiful woman, another new product from Qing Shuang Fang has also become popular among the noble ladies of Beijing.

Initially, there was a rumor that Gu Qingcheng, the most beautiful woman in the capital, would use a substance called balm when she bathed.

Even if people don't understand the purpose of the items Gu Qingcheng uses, they will still rush to buy them.

After the ladies bought the balm from Qing Shuang Fang, they discovered that it was truly effective for cleaning and bathing. Not only did it remove oil and dirt instantly, but it also kept their skin moisturized for a long time, making it far superior to bath beans.

The noble ladies in the capital each had their own social circles.

Initially, the balm only circulated within a small circle, but in just two days, as word of mouth spread, it became a complete sensation in the capital.

Qing Shuang Fang's stockpiled inventory was sold out yesterday. In addition, they received a large number of orders, and the soap workshop, which had previously stopped production, has started working day and night again.

All of this started because of Gu Qingcheng, but ultimately it depended on the quality of the product.

She was like a butterfly flapping its wings. Although she only gave a small push, what Chen Chang'an needed was just that gentle flap of her wings.

The backyard of Qing Shuang Fang.

Chen Chang'an was reading a book when Qing Shuang and Princess Zhao Yue walked in side by side.

Qing Shuang walked to Chen Chang'an's side, crossed her arms, and said, "You wrote poems for that stunning girl again, with phrases like 'peerless and independent,' and 'captivating to the point of ruining cities and kingdoms.' Now everyone is saying that you are her exclusive talent, writing poems only for her..."

Chen Chang'an didn't even look up, saying indifferently, "I'm doing this to make money for you guys. A mere poem can boost our perfume business and earn us at least tens of thousands of taels of silver. Let others say what they want..."

Qing Shuang glanced at Princess Zhao Yue without revealing her thoughts and said, "I'm doing this for your own good. There are so many beauties in the capital, yet you wrote two poems like these only for Gu Qingcheng. One praises her as a celestial fairy, and the other says she's so beautiful she could topple kingdoms. You'd even give up your kingdom for her. It doesn't matter now, but you'll eventually get married. Think about what your wife will think when she finds out about this?"

Chen Chang'an was slightly taken aback and looked up at Qing Shuang.

Qing Shuang puffed out her chest, defiantly asking, "What? Am I wrong?"

Chen Chang'an stood up, put down the book in his hand, gently patted Qing Shuang's shoulder, and nodded, saying, "No, you're absolutely right this time!"

Qing Shuang nodded in satisfaction at first, then seemed to realize something and looked up to ask, "When did I say something wrong?"

Chen Chang'an laughed and said, "I misspoke. You're always right..."

Zhao Yue stood a few steps away, watching this scene. She shook her head slightly and looked at Chen Chang'an, saying, "The sales of balm have indeed improved a lot these past few days. Orders are already booked for half a month. The workshop is working hard to meet the demand, and there are enough raw materials. You can focus on your studies and don't worry about those gossips."

This time, Chen Chang'an truly agreed with Qing Shuang, saying, "Qing Shuang is right. If my wife finds out about those two poems in the future, she'll definitely be jealous, and might even cause me a scene. We must take precautions..."

Princess Zhaoyue smiled slightly and said, "Perhaps your future wife is well-educated, understanding, and will understand your original intentions and not care about these things?"

Chen Chang'an shook his head and said, "Whether she doesn't care or not, I can't give others the opportunity to criticize my future wife..."

Qing Shuang, who is usually unreliable, finally did something reliable.

The two poems Chen Chang'an wrote for Gu Qingcheng were nothing special to him, but they could easily be mistaken by others as the pursuit of the most beautiful woman in the capital.

However, he couldn't take back the poem he had already sent out, especially since the person who accepted it had indeed done him a favor.

Chen Chang'an thought for a moment and suddenly had a good idea.

Since ancient times, scholars have been known for their fondness for women. The poems and lyrics written by great poets and lyricists of ancient times for courtesans are countless. In particular, a certain predecessor surnamed Liu can be considered the progenitor of courtesan literature.

Why doesn't he just write a few more poems for a few more women?

That way, no one will think he's Gu Qingcheng's personal poet...

However, these poems can't be given away for free. Chen Chang'an looked at Qing Shuang and said, "You help me spread the word that all women in the capital can commission poems from me. One thousand taels per poem. Limited quantity, first come, first served..."