Tang Dynasty: Taking the Empress Dowager to a brothel, Father Emperor, what a coincidence!

The Cui family mansion in Qinghe.

Cui Mingan, who had just returned from Luoyang, sat in the main seat with a smug look on his face.

"Not a single one sold?"

Wang Qinian, sitting below, said with a smile:

"One hundred coins for a garment stuffed with tattered cotton, five hundred thousand for a piece of iron—Li Chengqian really thinks the people of Chang'an are fools."

The fat shopkeeper said with a fawning expression:

"Master, you didn't see Changsun Chong's face at that time. It was so dark it was unrecognizable."

Our people only needed to stir up a little trouble outside, and all those peasants scattered."

"Well done."

Cui Mingan laughed loudly.

"Does Li Chengqian think he can bring back some junk from Liaodong and sell it like hotcakes in Chang'an? He's dreaming."

Wang Qinian then looked at Cui Mingan and asked:

"Brother Cui, shouldn't we close the net? He's stuck in Luoyang, and he can't sell a single item in Chang'an. His money won't last much longer, will it?"

"No rush."

Cui Mingan waved his hand.

"Wait three more days, until his so-called trading company becomes a complete laughing stock in Chang'an, then I will personally go to the Eastern Palace."

"At that time, he will have to return all the trade routes he took, as well as the 1.7 million strings of cash from the West Market."

When Cui Mingan said this, he glared fiercely at Cui Minyuan, who was huddled in the corner.

If it weren't for this idiot, would my perfect plan have ended up in such a passive position?

......

Yanpingfang, on the edge of the West Market.

This is the most dilapidated slum in Chang'an, filled with low thatched huts.

"Your Highness, what are we doing in this run-down place?"

Changsun Chong looked at Li Chengqian, who was walking ahead, and asked.

"I'll teach you how to do business."

Li Chengqian stopped and pointed ahead.

Changsun Chong followed the finger and saw a dozen or so poorly clothed refugees huddled under the eaves of a dilapidated temple.

The children's lips were purple from the cold, their bodies were shivering, and their hands were covered with festering frostbite.

Changsun Chong usually frequented places like Pingkangfang, a notorious den of iniquity; he had never seen such a miserable scene before.

They were all stunned for a moment.

"Go and get them some cotton-padded coats."

Li Chengqian kicked Cheng Chumo.

Cheng Chumo hurriedly took out a few cotton-padded coats from the car and walked to the front of the dilapidated temple.

"Here, put them on."

Cheng Chumo simply threw the cotton-padded coat in front of the refugees.

The refugees were startled, thinking that officials had come to drive them away.

An old man shakily picked up the cotton-padded coat, touching the light fabric, and said with wary eyes:

"Sir...we can't afford these clothes."

"It's free, it's a freebie."

Cheng Chumo pursed his lips.

Over the years, he had followed his father on numerous campaigns and witnessed far more tragedies than Changsun Chong.

So we're already used to things like refugees.

The old man put on the cotton coat with some skepticism.

Before half a cup of tea had been brewed, a blush appeared on the old man's originally deathly pale face.

He touched his chest excitedly, and his whole body stopped trembling.

"Good heavens! Is there a stove inside this garment? Not a breath of air can get through."

The old man knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly in the direction of Li Chengqian.

Seeing this, the other refugees rushed forward like madmen to snatch the cotton-padded clothes.

Without exception, everyone who wore it was amazed by the warmth of this tattered garment.

Changsun Chong seemed to understand something at this moment.

"Your Highness..."

Changsun Chong swallowed hard.

"These cotton-padded coats weren't originally intended for high-ranking officials and wealthy people, were they?"

"Not too stupid."

Li Chengqian turned to look at Changsun Chong.

"The Tang Dynasty had millions of people. Those who truly needed warmth were the poor who couldn't even afford sheepskin coats."

If they knew this cotton-padded coat could save their lives, they would sell everything they owned to scrape together a mere hundred coins.

Changsun Chong was taken aback for a moment, then asked:

"But Your Highness, aren't we setting the price too high? How will they survive after paying for just one cotton coat?"

Li Chengqian looked at Changsun Chong speechlessly, then sighed:

"No one will appreciate things that are worthless."

I can price this garment at ten or twenty coins. That way, all the people of the Tang Dynasty can afford it.

But do you believe that no one will cherish this hard-won cotton coat in the future?

That's human nature; people tend to cherish things more when they are harder to obtain.

They can afford it with a hundred coins if they work hard.

Changsun Chong suddenly realized.

"Your Highness is wise! As long as we distribute these cotton-padded clothes today, word will spread tomorrow, and our business will be packed with customers."

"Word of mouth spreads too slowly."

Li Chengqian shook his head.

"The powerful families will not give me time."

Tomorrow they will definitely send thugs to cause trouble on the streets, and even forcibly stop customers.

"I'm going to administer a strong medicine."

Changsun Chong asked blankly, "Strong medicine?"

"Return to the palace."

Li Chengqian turned around and went back.

Half an hour later, at the Eastern Palace.

Xiao Shunzi walked up to Li Chengqian carrying a brocade box.

"Open."

After the brocade box was opened, a fist-sized luminous pearl was placed inside.

Holy crap!

Cheng Chumo shouted excitedly.

"Your Highness, isn't this the national treasure from the Goguryeo royal palace?"

Changsun Chong was also stunned.

Such a rare treasure could not be found anywhere else in the entire Tang Dynasty; its value was immeasurable.

Li Chengqian picked up the paper that had been written on beforehand from the table, patted it on Changsun Chong's chest, and said:

"have a look."

Changsun Chong glanced at him with a puzzled look.

"Every customer who spends 100 coins or more at the shop will receive a raffle ticket."

Present this voucher to enter a lucky draw for a grand prize of a Goguryeo royal luminous pearl.

Changsun Chong suddenly raised his head and asked in shock:

"Your Highness! Are you insane? This luminous pearl is worth at least several hundred thousand strings of cash. You're using it as a prize? To buy a cotton coat for a hundred coins?"

Cheng Chumo also shook his head beside him:

"Yeah, right. If just anyone takes it, wouldn't we lose a fortune?"

Li Chengqian looked at the two of them and smiled slightly:

"Loss? I don't have that word here."

"I ask you all," I say, "what would those wealthy merchants and aristocratic scions of Chang'an do upon seeing this luminous pearl?"

Changsun Chong blurted out:

"They'll go crazy."

This is something you can't even buy. If you were to win it in a draw, you could present it to His Majesty or keep it as a family heirloom—that would be an immense honor.

"That's right."

Li Chengqian snapped his fingers.

"If they want the luminous pearl, they need the lottery tickets."

To get a lottery ticket, you have to spend money to buy a cotton-padded coat and a kitchen knife.

One hundred coins equals one coupon, and one thousand strings of cash equals ten thousand coupons.

Those wealthy businessmen would never buy items one by one to increase their chances of winning.

They'll buy all our goods and haul them home, truckload after truckload.

Changsun Chong felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

He originally thought the crown prince's goal was with the common people.

Unexpectedly, their real goal was to exploit those merchants.

"But Your Highness..."

Changsun Chong asked with some concern,

"What if someone gets lucky and manages to steal the luminous pearl by only buying a cotton coat?"

Li Chengqian looked at Changsun Chong as if he were an idiot and said:

"We made the raffle box ourselves. We printed the raffle tickets ourselves. I never intended to put the grand prize slip in the box."

The study fell silent instantly.

Cheng Chumo never expected the Crown Prince to be so shameless.

After a moment of stunned silence, Changsun Chong suddenly burst into laughter.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Your Highness's move to get something for nothing is absolutely ingenious."

Those wealthy and powerful families spent hundreds of thousands of strings of cash buying piles of cotton-padded clothes, only to find they couldn't even touch a hair of the luminous pearl.

"Not only that."

Li Chengqian sneered.

"The cotton-padded clothes they bought back were too big for them to wear, so they could only sell them to poor people at low prices."

Not only did I profit from them, but I also used them to spread cotton-padded clothes all over the Guannei Road.

Cheng Chumo shouted excitedly:

"Damn it! If those old scoundrels from the Cui family knew the truth, they'd probably be so angry they'd vomit blood on the spot."

Li Chengqian put the luminous pearl back into the brocade box and pushed it in front of Changsun Chong.

"Changsun Chong, take this thing to the trading company. Tomorrow morning, send a hundred fully armed guards to watch over it. Post notices all over the streets and alleys of Chang'an."

Isn't Cui Mingan complaining that our goods aren't selling?

Tomorrow I'll show him what it means to go bankrupt and still not be able to get a single thread.

Changsun Chong nodded:

"Your Highness, rest assured. I guarantee that the entire city of Chang'an will know this news first thing tomorrow morning."