"Young master, you can't make a move!" Chai Yi, quick with his hands, stopped the about-to-act Chen Pangzi. He looked at Chen Pangzi with disdain and contempt. Was he an idiot? To lay hands on a scholar about to participate in the prefectural examination in front of everyone was like handing over a ready-made handle to Prefect Zhang.
Enraged by the mockery, Chen Pangzi roared and kicked at Chai Yi who was blocking him, "Get out of the way!"
Chai Yi, with his back to Chen Pangzi and standing on the stairs, was kicked face-down, falling flat on his face.
Zhan Feiyu watched Chai Yi fall directly at her feet and chuckled, taking two steps back. "Even if Young Master Chen was rude, you didn't need to perform such a grand bow."
Another burst of laughter erupted in the hall, everyone amused by Zhan Feiyu's teasing.
They had initially thought Zhan Feiyu was arrogant and haughty, acting wildly and ruthlessly by relying on her apprenticeship with Scholar Gu. But now, seeing her, she was a cute and lively young girl. Although a bit mischievous, she didn't evoke any dislike.
Her teeth hit her lip, drawing blood, and Chai Yi, barely suppressing his rage, wiped away the blood and got up. "Young master, why don't we go back first."
"Go back for what!" Chen Pangzi had felt a bit guilty. After all, Chai Yi was his strategist, often offering advice. No matter how tricky the matter, as long as it was handed to Chai Yi, it would be perfectly resolved.
But seeing Chai Yi's cowardice, Chen Pangzi pushed him away in disgust and stood on the stairs, glaring down at Zhan Feiyu. "So what if your surname is Gu? Do you think my Chen family is a pushover? Zhan Feiyu, if you obediently kowtow and apologize to me today, considering Scholar Gu, this matter will be dropped. Otherwise..."
Fortunately, he still had some sense. Chen Pangzi didn't directly say that Zhan Feiyu wouldn't be able to participate in the prefectural or imperial examinations, as interfering with the imperial examinations was a capital offense.
Tilting her head slightly, Zhan Feiyu's eyes were full of smiles, but her words were full of killing intent. "Since that's the case, why doesn't Young Master Chen propose a challenge? Do you want a literary or martial duel? Whoever loses must take a detour whenever they see the other person in the future!"
"I..." Chen Pangzi, with his neck stiffened, had only said one word, but thinking of his lack of knowledge, Chen Pangzi loudly declared, "Martial duel!"
They had seen shameless people, but never someone this shameless! The scholars in the hall looked at the self-righteous Chen Pangzi with disdain.
Setting aside the fact that they were of different genders and separated by seven or eight years in age, and considering their physique, Zhan Feiyu, though not thin, was short. Chen Pangzi, on the other hand, was covered in flesh, his arms likely thicker than Zhan Feiyu's legs. How could he even mention a martial duel?
Completely disregarding the others' opinions, Chen Pangzi's beady eyes darted around, and he continued loudly, "Since it's a martial duel, there must be a stake. If you lose, you will roll back to Shangsi County and are not allowed to participate in this year's prefectural examination!"
Before Zhan Feiyu could speak, the scholar in green clothes slammed the table and glared at the smug Chen Pangzi. "You ignorant and dissolute scoundrel, besides committing evil deeds and bullying others with your influence, do you know that we scholars endure years of hard study? Yet you dare to speak such arrogant words, it's utterly shameless!"
"Brother Mei, there's no need to be angry. These scoundrels only know how to act arrogantly by relying on their family background. What do they understand!" A fellow student consoled him, his face also filled with indignation. To ruin someone's future is like killing their parents!
Although Zhan Feiyu was a young girl, she also came from a humble background. Even though she was apprenticed to Scholar Gu, her neat script alone was enough to show her diligence in her studies. This was also one of the reasons why the scholars of Nanxuan Prefecture accepted Zhan Feiyu.
Chen Pangzi didn't care that he had incurred the wrath of the crowd and aggressively looked at Zhan Feiyu. "Do you dare to make this bet?"
"Then what if I win? Young Master Chen, can you offer an equivalent stake?" Zhan Feiyu asked back with a light smile. Compared to the several angry scholars, she, the person involved, remained calm and composed.
"Five thousand taels of silver!" Chen Pangzi generously threw out a large sum, squinting his beady eyes and sneering contemptuously. "You've probably never seen so much silver in your life, have you?"
"Young Master Chen, you probably don't know that although 'Beauty's Makeup' is the property of Prince Yu, the formula for the fragrant soap is from me." Zhan Feiyu's words were equally boastful. "I refused to sell the formula even when someone offered me fifty thousand taels. Do you think I lack money?"
Zhan Feiyu suddenly said, "The shopkeeper seems to be from the Chen family."
"You!" Chen Pangzi's face turned red with anger. It was precisely because his attempt to buy the formula failed that he wanted to resort to underhanded means to seize it. In the past, relying on his status as the maternal relative of the First Prince, Chen Pangzi had often engaged in acts of murder for wealth and the secret recipes of others.
Chen Pangzi glared dismissively and deliberately raised his voice. "Fifty thousand taels is still not enough? Zhan Feiyu, you are truly black-hearted!"
Shaking her head, Zhan Feiyu, who was being looked down upon, sighed deeply. "One cannot discuss ice with a summer insect."
He hated these scholars who only knew "if and then" the most! Chen Pangzi retorted resentfully, "If you're greedy, just admit it. There's no need to say these incomprehensible words!"
There were thousands upon thousands of scholars in the world, but more than ninety percent of them came from humble backgrounds. They had initially thought Zhan Feiyu was one of them, but hearing Chen Pangzi's shallow instigation, some looked at Zhan Feiyu with complicated expressions.
"It seems Young Master Chen doesn't know why I refused to sell the formula." Zhan Feiyu turned around and looked at the scholars in the hall. "The fragrant soap has the effect of removing dirt. It can be used for washing clothes or dishes, and each bar is sold for fifty wen, lasting for a month. Even ordinary families can afford it."
The fragrant soap became popular throughout the Daqing Dynasty as soon as it was launched. Except for families who were too poor to make ends meet, most women would buy it.
"Young Master Chen, if the Chen family buys the formula for the fragrant soap, they will likely raise the price immediately, won't they? Five hundred wen per bar, or a thousand wen? It's the only one in Daqing. They can hoard it and sell it at any price, and people will still buy it. But poor families will only continue to use plant ash or soap beans."
By the time Zhan Feiyu finished speaking, the scholars in the hall understood. The fragrant soap was not a tool for the Chen family or other merchants to amass wealth. Only when it was in Zhan Feiyu's hands would the price be set so low that ordinary women could afford it.
Thinking of this, everyone looked at Zhan Feiyu with a touch of admiration.
The scholar in green clothes who had slammed the table earlier bowed solemnly to Zhan Feiyu. "A gentleman loves wealth and obtains it righteously. Miss Zhan, your actions are admirable!"
Others also stood up to bow. Five thousand taels of silver was a fortune, and fifty thousand taels was unimaginable. Yet Zhan Feiyu, a nine-year-old girl, was not corrupted by wealth. Such noble character deserved their bow.
Seeing this scene, Chai Yi was amused. Zhan Feiyu was indeed not to be underestimated. Once this matter spread, her reputation would surely soar.
Chen Pangzi was so angry he couldn't speak. These scholars were all fools with water in their brains. They called him shameless, but wasn't Zhan Feiyu's behavior also shameless? Who didn't understand the principle of small profits but quick turnover?
"Miss Zhan, your words are not entirely accurate." Chai Yi, as Chen Pangzi's strategist, said sharply, "The fragrant soap is priced low, but the sales volume is huge. If the price is increased, the volume will greatly decrease. However, when comparing the two, the total amount of silver does not change much. It's just a different strategy."
In short, the former was small profits and quick turnover, while the latter was high price and low volume. In essence, there was no difference.
"Yes, that's the logic!" Chen Pangzi finally found a breakthrough and sneered, "You people are so foolish from reading books that you've been fooled by a little girl! Zhan Feiyu's actions have earned her a good reputation, and all the money has gone into her pocket. Haha, you don't believe me when I call you stupid, being played by a little girl!"
Uh... mocked by Chen Pangzi, the scholars in the hall looked embarrassed, but for the moment, they couldn't find a retort.
"If superiors are greedy for profit, then the officials and clerks will take advantage of it to enrich themselves and extort the people without limit." Zhan Feiyu quoted a classic, and Chen Pangzi was as bewildered as if he were listening to heavenly scriptures.
Zhan Feiyu straightened her small back, her round face serious and stern. "As the saying goes, take from the people and use it for the people. The silver earned from selling the fragrant soap, I will only take one thousand taels each year for my studies. The remaining silver, I will entrust Prince Yu to use for the relief of wounded soldiers at the border."
As soon as she said this, there was an eerie silence in the Li Ji hall. No one knew how profitable the fragrant soap was, but the fact that the Chen family was willing to spend fifty thousand taels to buy the formula was enough to indicate the profit margin.
Zhan Feiyu's act was undoubtedly benevolent. Moreover, she was using the money for the relief of wounded soldiers. This could not be considered bribing the army, as these wounded soldiers would basically return to their hometowns and live as ordinary citizens.
Chen Pangzi couldn't help but shout, "Are you crazy?"
"We have different paths and cannot plan together. Young Master Chen comes from a noble family and has been pampered since childhood. Do you know what it means for one general to achieve success at the cost of ten thousand bones turning to dust? Do you know what it means for iron horses to go to battle and to be wrapped in horsehide upon death?" Zhan Feiyu asked repeatedly, her gaze towards Chen Pangzi becoming colder. "The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every common man! This silver is merely my small gesture as a citizen of Daqing to the border generals."
"You..." Chen Pangzi was speechless, yet still unconvinced, his fleshy face turning red again.
"I've thought of it." Zhan Feiyu suddenly smiled, the corners of her mouth curving up, her clear eyes like water suddenly falling on Chen Pangzi, inexplicably making him shiver, giving him the fear of being stared at by a wild beast.
"Young Master Chen." Zhan Feiyu continued with a charming smile, "The Chen family's grain business is spread throughout Jiangnan Circuit. If Young Master Chen loses, why not also express your sincerity by donating all of the Chen family's grain inventory to the border soldiers."
"No!" Chen Pangzi refused without thinking, glaring fiercely at Zhan Feiyu. She had gone mad and donated all the silver from the fragrant soap, and now she wanted to drag him down with her!
The fragrant soap was profitable, but the Chen family's rice shops were also profitable. The grain stocked each year amounted to over one hundred thousand shi. A shi of high-quality polished rice sold for at least two to three taels of silver, and even coarse grains could sell for two to three hundred wen per shi.
To ask Chen Pangzi to donate at least one hundred thousand taels of silver to the border soldiers was impossible, even with a knife to his neck. After all, the grain stocked by the Chen family was worth one hundred thousand taels, but the cost of acquisition was included. The profit earned each year was the amount after deducting the cost when all of it was sold.
"It seems Young Master Chen cannot afford to bet." Zhan Feiyu smiled wryly, as if she had predicted he wouldn't dare to agree.
"Bah, don't try to provoke me with a goad. I won't fall for it!" Chen Pangzi looked at Zhan Feiyu with disdain. The little girl was indeed full of schemes, calculating him like this!
Although the Chen family's businesses in Nanxuan Prefecture had been suppressed by Prefect Zhang, their foundation was not damaged. As long as the Chen family remained the maternal relatives of the First Prince, their grain business could continue, they would just have to relocate and avoid Nanxuan Prefecture.
Although Old Master Chen was a collateral branch of the Chen family, with the grain business in his hands, he had some say in the Chen family. This was also the reason for Chen Pangzi's arrogance and tyranny.
"Young Master Chen, it's getting late. Why don't we go back first?" Old Master Li smiled and tried to mediate. He could see that Zhan Feiyu had deliberately set such a sky-high bet, and Chen Pangzi dared not accept it, so the martial duel would naturally come to nothing.
However, thinking that Zhan Feiyu had donated all the silver from selling the fragrant soap, even though it wasn't his money, Old Master Li felt a pang of heartache. But Zhan Feiyu had also established a good reputation for herself, so it wasn't a great loss. After all, scholars valued reputation, while merchants valued money.
Chai Yi also whispered a suggestion. It was meaningless to continue entangled with Zhan Feiyu. Fortunately, his young master had not suffered any losses. Zhan Feiyu must have been bleeding internally from losing so much silver.
Chen Pangzi descended the stairs, intending to leave, but seeing Zhan Feiyu's clear eyes with a hint of provocation, he couldn't help but say, "Zhan Feiyu, if you have the guts, change the bet! In the end, you still don't dare to have a martial duel with me!"
"Then let's change the bet!" Zhan Feiyu agreed readily, which surprised everyone. She continued, "A Go board has sixty-four squares. How about this: if Young Master Chen loses, put one grain of rice in the first square, two grains in the second square, and eight grains in the third square. Continue this way, filling all the squares. The rice within will be Young Master Chen's stake. Do you dare to agree?"
Although Chen Pangzi was not skilled at playing Go, he had played before. After hearing Zhan Feiyu's words, Chen Pangzi quickly calculated in his mind. However, his arithmetic skills were only enough to read account books, and he couldn't figure it out in the end.
But the board only had sixty-four squares. He estimated that even one hundred catties of rice would be more than enough. Therefore, Chen Pangzi agreed without thinking. "Alright, let's use this as the stake!"
"A gentleman's word is his bond." Zhan Feiyu also agreed, but then changed the subject. "Words are not proof. Let's have it in writing!"
Chai Yi, Old Master Li, and even the scholars present felt that there was something fishy about this. But after carefully considering it according to Zhan Feiyu's explanation, they couldn't find any traps. Although they hadn't calculated how much rice would be needed to fill the entire board, it was estimated not to be much. Even if it were a thousand catties, compared to Zhan Feiyu not being able to participate in the prefectural examination, Chen Pangzi was definitely getting the better deal.
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