Chapter 33: A Smash Hit

Li Shen returned to the inner palace from the Taiji Hall. He handed the remaining four gift boxes to Consort Wei, intending for her to use them as gifts. Consort Wei was astonished to learn that her son had gone to the imperial court today to present gifts, and even more so when she heard that each box was worth fifty strings of cash. Over the past year, her son’s capabilities had grown increasingly impressive.

By now, her private treasury held over ten thousand strings of cash, accumulated from Li Shen’s earnings and imperial rewards. Within the entire inner palace, she was the wealthiest person, second only to the Empress, who managed the state treasury. With the Empress delegating many responsibilities to her, Consort Wei now wielded both wealth and power, all of which had been brought to her by her son.

The next day, Wang Hongfu opened the shop early. Following Li Shen’s instructions, the entrance was flanked by flower baskets, and the threshold was covered with thick, dyed-red linen, creating a festive atmosphere. Two receptionists stood at the door, joined by Wang Hongfu himself. Several long strips of red silk were draped from the second floor, making the shop stand out along the entire street.

Around the hour of the dragon (shortly after 8:00 AM), a carriage arrived and stopped at the door. A noblewoman stepped out, supported by her maid, and entered the Boutique Pavilion.

"Welcome," the receptionists bowed in unison, startling the lady. Wang Hongfu hurried forward to meet her.

"My lady, please do not be alarmed. This is simply a welcoming gesture of our shop," Wang Hongfu explained.

"I heard you have fine liquor for sale here?" the lady asked softly. She was the wife of Zheng Yuan, a Secretary in the Ministry of Rites. Her husband had mentioned that this place sold gift boxes and had asked her to come early to purchase a few. As a fifth-rank official, her husband was hoping for a promotion during this year’s performance review and needed to present gifts to his superiors.

"Indeed, my lady. However, they are quite expensive. Our finest stock is limited to one hundred boxes, priced at ten strings of cash each," Wang Hongfu replied.

"Ten strings of cash? That is so expensive!" Lady Zheng exclaimed in surprise.

"My lady, our shop also offers a standard gift box for only five strings of cash. Each box contains two jars of wine, and this wine is superior to the 'Immortal’s Drunkenness' from the Cui family, yet the price is the same. Which would you prefer?" Wang Hongfu asked with a smile.

As they spoke, they entered the main hall, where the maids displayed both types of boxes on the counter. After examining them for a moment, Lady Zheng bit her lip and decided, "I will take two of the high-end ones."

One was for the Minister of Rites, and the other for the Vice Minister. For the sake of her husband’s career, a mere twenty strings of cash was nothing. Their family had other businesses; otherwise, her husband’s meager salary as a fifth-rank official would never cover their large estate and numerous servants.

"Very good, my lady. Please, allow my staff to carry them to your carriage," Wang Hongfu said, beaming as he called over a male porter to assist.

After respectfully seeing Lady Zheng off, Wang Hongfu was still savoring the success when another carriage arrived. Recognizing it as belonging to an official’s household, he stepped forward to greet them with renewed enthusiasm.

Throughout the morning, one carriage after another—sometimes several at once—pulled up to the shop. It was not just the families of officials, but merchants as well. A merchant’s sense for profit is often keener than that of the imperial court. Seeing the constant flow of people, they quickly inquired and understood the situation.

Their immediate thought was that this was a lucrative opportunity. If they transported these boxes to other regions, the price would surely double, especially for those merchants who had come to Chang'an for business and were preparing to return home. They all planned to buy several boxes, anticipating a profit of several strings of cash per box back home. They were not worried about sales; since this was a gift favored by the nobles of Chang'an, other regions would surely follow suit.

Most of these were small-time traders seeking the price difference between regions. They mostly purchased the standard boxes, two or three at a time, but the sheer volume of people turned the shop into a sea of humanity. Wang Hongfu quickly had his workers change into shop uniforms to maintain order, prevent any trouble, and ensure the merchants did not jostle the noblewomen.

By noon, all five hundred standard boxes and one hundred high-end boxes were sold out. Yet, many customers remained. Wang Hongfu stood on a stool behind the counter and shouted, "Everyone, everyone! I am truly sorry, but both types of gift boxes are sold out."

"Sold out? I’ve been waiting in line for an hour!"

"Indeed, you should stock up more!"

"My husband is waiting to give these as gifts!"

The crowd began clamoring for him to restock.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there is truly no more for today. Our wine requires many complex processes, so production is limited. Another batch may arrive tomorrow. If you still wish to purchase, please come early tomorrow," Wang Hongfu replied.

After seeing the last customer off, Wang Hongfu had the staff close the doors and retreated to a private room on the second floor, where Shi Tou was sitting by the window, watching the dispersing crowd.

"Officer Shi, please tell the Prince that we require a large number of gift boxes. Three large vats of our own brewed wine finished fermenting today, and from now on, two vats will be ready every day. Once the factory the Prince ordered is built, we won't be so constrained," Wang Hongfu said.

"Very well, Manager Wang. I will relay the request for gift boxes to the Prince. However, the Prince also noted that once production increases, the price of the wine will not remain this high. He hopes that all the people of the Great Tang can enjoy good wine; he only wishes to profit from the nobility for now. If there is nothing else, I shall return to report," Shi Tou replied.

"I will see you out, Officer Shi," Wang Hongfu dared not offend the young attendant, having heard that he was the Prince’s childhood companion and most trusted confidant.

Upon returning to the palace, Shi Tou gave Li Shen a full account of the day and conveyed the request for more boxes. Li Shen sent Shi Tou to the Imperial Textile Workshop with orders to set aside all other tasks and focus entirely on producing gift boxes. With nearly a hundred people working through the afternoon and night, producing one thousand standard boxes and two hundred high-end ones should be no problem. In truth, the boxes were not that complex.

Li Shen had initially overlooked the demand from merchants, which was why he hadn't prepared enough stock. The wine supply was barely sufficient, but he did not intend to sell it all anyway. Scarcity creates value; if he sold too much, the wine would lose its prestige. He planned to wait until September to increase sales of the standard wine, gradually impacting the Cui family’s market share. Since his standard wine was better than their "Immortal’s Drunkenness," he was confident he could challenge them.

The next day, Shi Tou transported a dozen cartloads of gift boxes to the East Market. When he arrived at the Boutique Pavilion, Wang Hongfu was waiting eagerly. As the staff unloaded the carts, Shi Tou pulled Wang Hongfu aside and whispered, "Manager Wang, the Prince has ordered that from now on, we should sell five hundred standard boxes and one hundred high-end boxes daily. Furthermore, prioritize sales to merchants, especially those from far away. The Prince says it is already the fourth day of the month; merchants from afar are anxious to return home for the Mid-Autumn Festival, and we must consider our customers. Do you understand the Prince’s intent?"

Wang Hongfu pondered for a moment and grasped the meaning. First, merchants needed to transport the goods back to sell before the festival to fetch a good price, and unlike the local nobles, they were on a tight schedule. Second, the Prince did not want to lose out on sales because the merchants left in a hurry.

"The Prince is indeed farsighted. I understand. But if the Prince wants the merchants to transport them back early, why limit the quantity?" Wang Hongfu asked.

"The Prince says that scarcity creates value. He estimates this craze will only last a few days, until the officials have finished their shopping. After that, it will just be the aristocratic families. The Prince says to sell the boxes only until the fourteenth of the eighth month, at which point he will come to make further arrangements," Shi Tou added.