Chapter Thirty-Seven: Sales Results

As these words were spoken, the many women who had previously been at odds nodded in agreement.

Such a fine treasure must not be known to others. Even if it were, the supply from the First Prince’s residence must be cut off. Otherwise, how could they highlight their noble status, proving they were capable of obtaining such rare items?

"That is true; there is no need for us to fight to the death here."

"Exactly. While we can only order one jar of 'Floral Radiance' at a time, the fragrance within each jar is the same. It would be better if we swapped our own jars; that way, everyone could enjoy a variety of scents."

"That is exactly what we should do. After all, we are the ones closest to the source. If not for Ru-xue, how could this treasure have ever fallen into our hands? Why should we argue amongst ourselves?"

Seeing that they had reached a consensus, Zhou Hao said nothing more. He simply watched quietly as they arranged themselves in a ranking based on their family background, status, and wealth. The women lower in the hierarchy were not left without compensation, however; they were permitted to take more of the non-customized Floral Radiance. This ensured that even if they did not secure their preferred custom scents, they could still leave smelling of flowers.

Once the women had settled their arrangements, Zhou Hao stepped forward to calculate their individual needs and collect the deposits. Soon, the servants appeared with the sorted jars of Floral Radiance. The women did not bicker; instead, they purchased their items in an orderly fashion and departed, leaving Zhou Hao with a mountain of silver and numerous custom order forms.

"Young Master Zhou, your Floral Radiance is truly easy to sell. I never imagined they would wake up so early just to buy this stuff."

Bi Ru-xue, as the daughter of a great general, had never seen anything as effective as Floral Radiance, yet she had never worried about her own personal hygiene, as her daily baths were always scattered with fresh petals. She could hardly conceive of the level of attraction this product held for these noblewomen. After all, it left one smelling of flowers all over and ensured not a speck of dirt remained. At the price of one tael of silver per jar, it was an absolute bargain.

"Miss Ru-xue, you really ought to have told me about the price change. If I hadn't had my servants call for you quickly, your words would have been exposed." Zhou Hao looked at Bi Ru-xue with a hint of playful teasing in his eyes.

Who would have guessed that Bi Ru-xue had tripled the price she had originally set? Yet, even then, the noblewomen had sensed nothing amiss; if anything, they thought it was cheap.

Upon hearing this, Bi Ru-xue froze, her expression turning slightly awkward. She had indeed forgotten to tell Zhou Hao; she had been busy yesterday and had gone straight to sleep after bathing. She had intended to tell him today, but she had not expected these women to be so frantic, bursting into the First Prince’s residence at the crack of dawn.

"I simply didn't think of it. It won't happen again. But haven't you reported the production capacity as being quite low?" Bi Ru-xue asked, her eyes flickering with confusion. "With our current craftsmen, we could surely produce three or four jars a day, couldn't we? Is it really wise to suppress the numbers like this?"

Zhou Hao understood, however, that only by keeping production low would these women feel that the high price was justified. It gave them a sense of psychological superiority. Without that, they would never have been so frantic—so much so that, to preserve their sense of exclusivity, they had even booked the production capacity for the next three months.

"Miss Ru-xue, while you understand that they only believe in the value if the price is high, you do not realize that they only cherish what is scarce. A custom order costs one and a half taels, while the standard sale is one tael. We have even saved on raw materials, yet the price is fifty percent higher. If we hadn't undersold our capacity, would they be buying so madly? Would they even be willing to neglect their own gardens just to customize their Floral Radiance?"

This was the source of Zhou Hao's confidence. Floral Radiance was excellent, but it was the rarity that drove the women to such lengths. Just from today’s sales alone, nearly ten thousand taels of silver lay before him. In this day and age, what other business could generate such vast wealth?

Bi Ru-xue pondered for a moment and nodded, finally grasping his meaning. The more people believe an item is rare, the higher the price will climb? But... if that were the case, they would never dare to increase production. While the silver was plentiful, wouldn't that eventually cap the total sales of Floral Radiance? She looked at Zhou Hao with bewilderment, struggling to understand. From her perspective, the path Zhou Hao had chosen seemed to be a dead end. How could he possibly follow such a course?

"Ru-xue, do you think this will trap our Floral Radiance in a box?"

Bi Ru-xue nodded, waiting for his explanation.

"It is quite simple: we split the product into two types—one with floral scents, and one without. The scentless version can be cheaper, allowing all the wealthy households to use it, and even encouraging men to do so."

Floral Radiance had a strong floral scent, which most men would naturally be reluctant to use. What kind of man would want to walk around smelling like a garden?

"Once the men start using it, we can cultivate their habit of cleaning themselves with Floral Radiance until they cannot stand to use anything else. Then, we introduce a 'Bamboo Scented' version. This not only expands the market but also satisfies the noblewomen, as we can explain that these are two different products and will not affect their own exclusivity. We expand the market, increase production, and the price of the original Floral Radiance remains entirely undiminished."

As he spoke, a look of delight and excitement surfaced on Zhou Hao's face. If he calculated correctly, every civil and military official in the Imperial City would soon be paying for his product. Otherwise, upon attending court, the difference between the clean and the unkempt would be obvious at a glance—not to mention the distinctive, refined scents.

"If they find the bamboo scent too monotonous, we can introduce a 'Four Gentlemen' set, offering Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum. The scents will be more subtle than the women's versions, allowing us to continue raking in their silver by the handful."

Bi Ru-xue listened, not daring to blink. So, Zhou Hao had already thought this far ahead? He had even planned out his subsequent actions? He was truly worthy of being the First Prince; even after returning from the lands of the barbarians, his abilities and methods were far beyond those of ordinary people.

"In this way, we shall have even more silver to build up our territory," Bi Ru-xue said, her eyes brimming with joy.