Chapter 63: Laborious Planning

In the end, Hu Xiaoxia compromised.

She had no other choice in this matter. Even though she had already taken a loss, she had to swallow her bitterness and bear it.

Who told her to speak her mind so rashly in the first place?

Upon hearing her words, Zhou Haos lips curled into a smile before he slowly began to speak.

"I understand. You will definitely choose to join. This holds nothing but benefits for you, with no drawbacks whatsoever."

At this point, Zhou Hao began to gradually lay out his own ideas.

"First of all, since these aristocratic ladies wish to display their uniqueness, custom-ordered floral cleansing soap is one aspect of it."

"But must we simply let them order whatever they please? Why can't we make them accept our story instead?"

Here, Zhou Hao paused for a moment, lowering his voice.

"I shall say this: the peach, the lotus, the chrysanthemum, and the plum are the four beauties among flowers, representing the circulation of the four seasons across the entire world."

"By using these four flowers to launch seasonal floral cleansing soaps according to the calendar, it naturally aligns with the principles of the unity of heaven and humanity, as well as the harmony of Yin and Yang. Therefore, a specific seasonal floral cleansing soap will only appear during its corresponding season."

"At the same time, because the production process is rigorous and the selected materials are of superior quality, the efficacy of this floral cleansing soap is vastly improved, and even its fragrance is much richer and more enduring."

"In this way, won't our four-seasons floral cleansing soap come with its own captivating narrative?"

Even so, Hu Xiaoxia still harbored a lingering doubt.

"That sounds wonderful, but how many of these aristocratic ladies will actually believe it? If no one believes it, isn't this story just a piece of worthless paper?"

How could Zhou Hao not have considered this?

This was his money pouch, after all; naturally, it had to be carefully and meticulously managed.

"You do not understand. Since the Third Prince was able to use rumors to smear my name, I can naturally use rumors to spread the tale of the four-seasons floral cleansing soap."

"Lady Hu, once we leave, you should find storytellers in batches and stages, and have them gradually disseminate this matter and this story bit by bit."

"You can add even more bizarre elements to the tale—even if it sounds like pure fabrication at first blush. What I want is for every woman who can afford custom floral cleansing soap to have heard of such a legend."

"As long as they have heard of it, someone will naturally believe it when we officially launch it. Even if they don't believe it, it doesn't matter."

"Those who disbelieve were never going to purchase the four-seasons floral cleansing soap to begin with."

Hu Xiaoxia was already beginning to feel a stir of excitement.

If this venture truly succeeded, wouldn't her family fortune become far more substantial than before?

Starting from the stories concocted by Zhou Hao, these floral cleansing soaps would no longer be mere everyday consumables.

Instead, they would transform into symbols of status laden with added value and unique efficacy.

As a result, those eager to flaunt their status would naturally feel compelled to acquire this merchandise.

Moreover, the price they would pay would even surpass that of the previous custom-ordered floral cleansing soaps.

As Zhou Hao spoke, he grew more animated, a gleam of excitement flashing in his eyes.

He had often wondered why the soap he developed should only cater to the low-end market.

It was abundantly clear that the high-end market had yet to be fully tapped, and there was still a vast fortune waiting to be reaped.

How could he possibly abandon such an opportunity?

"Not only that, but we must also put immense effort into the packaging. We must make the packaging even more exquisite, select skilled artisans to carve relief sculptures onto the jars holding the floral cleansing soap, or perhaps adorn them with gold-inlaid jade."

"In short, we must highlight the value of the four-seasons floral cleansing soap. Whether it is through the appearance, the efficacy, or the story, we must weave an enchanting tale for those aristocratic ladies who desire to purchase it."

"Only then will they perceive true value in this item, and only then will they be willing to part with their silver."

Having reached this point, Zhou Hao understood even better that if it were merely these things, those aristocratic ladies might not invest their hearts so deeply.

"Even that is not enough. These four-seasons floral cleansing soaps will only be sold within the imperial city, and in any given season, only three jars of the four-seasons floral cleansing soap will ever be made available for sale."

Zhou Hao had already bared his fangs.

If one were to use his jar of floral cleansing soap sparingly, it could naturally last for three months.

Yet could the aristocratic ladies who bought these four-seasons floral cleansing soaps be ordinary people?

Would they not constantly show off their unique fragrance at every turn?

With such behavior, the rate of consumption would soar. If they wished to emanate that distinctive scent throughout the entire season, they would simply have to buy more.

"Furthermore, we must put these three jars of floral cleansing soap up for auction, forcing every woman who wishes to buy them to bid for them jar by jar."

Upon hearing this, Hu Xiaoxia finally understood. If the four-seasons floral cleansing soap were truly executed according to Zhou Hao's words, it would undoubtedly become a sharp sickle—a sickle harvesting the money pouches of aristocratic women.

Merely three jars of floral cleansing soap could be sold for an exorbitant price entirely disproportionate to their actual worth.

This was the power of a story; this was the power of added value.

Initially, Zhou Hao had not planned on going quite this far.

Because he understood well that making the entire imperial city instantly accept such a narrative was an impossible feat.

Some would doubt, some would ponder—all of that was entirely normal.

Yet once this story was woven step by step, compelling everyone to reflect upon it, the tale would have already begun to exert its influence.

The entire imperial city would plunge headfirst into the web of stories spun by Zhou Hao.

They would all come to believe that the four-seasons floral cleansing soap was noble, and they would all deem its high price to be nothing less than natural and proper.

Whatever they themselves were using would suddenly seem like mere common goods, vastly inferior to the four-seasons floral cleansing soap.

Hu Xiaoxia stood frozen for a moment after listening to all of Zhou Hao's words, the panic in her eyes threatening to spill over at any second.

Did the First Prince even realize what he was doing?

Was he truly certain he wasn't unleashing a money-devouring demon upon the world?

"First Prince... Do you... do you truly intend to do this? Will no one really expose this scheme?"

Zhou Hao chuckled, his expression carrying a proud and lofty demeanor.

"Naturally, at the very beginning, someone will surely expose it, and some might even curse me for being utterly consumed by greed. But what does that matter?"

"We merely need to bribe those storytellers to gradually spread the rumors, and then auction off the four-seasons floral cleansing soap in fixed quantities at set times. What possible recourse will they have?"

"Even if a truly clever person sees through the fact that this four-seasons floral cleansing soap is fundamentally no different from ordinary cleansing soap, it still poses no major problem."

"His cleverness does not mean everyone else is clever. Even if everything he says is the absolute truth, how many people will actually listen to him?"

"Not to mention that such clever individuals would never buy the four-seasons floral cleansing soap in the first place; they were never part of our target audience."

Zhou Hao had thought the matter through thoroughly, explaining the logic with crystal clarity.

He had harbored this idea for some time, but due to being constantly occupied with route planning lately, these thoughts had merely swirled about in his mind.

He simply hadn't voiced them aloud until now.

Yet now, not only had Zhou Hao spoken them, but he had also supplemented them with numerous details and unique elements.

At the very beginning, Zhou Hao had indeed considered whether he should impart this method to the Fushou Chamber of Commerce, and coincidentally launch a unique variety of floral cleansing soap within each different territory of Great Zhou.

However, upon second thought, he restrained himself.