Time flew by, and before one knew it, December had arrived.
In the past two months, a significant number of events had taken place. The conflict for succession among the princes of Nanzhou affected the court, making the situation in the Zhou Kingdom increasingly unstable, as if a political coup or even civil war could erupt at any moment. Consequently, some of the Zhou Kingdom's merchant caravans were unable to return and were forced to remain in the East and West Markets of Chang'an, causing the rent for inns to rise considerably.
Next were the new inventions from the Academic Palace.
Soap and scented soap, once introduced, were widely praised. Their clean, non-greasy appearance, excellent cleaning effects, and long-lasting fragrance thoroughly surpassed the previous greasy pastes. The first few batches of soap swiftly sold out. Even after a slight price increase, the large merchants stocked up on them massively and then drove the prices back down.
