The price war between Yun Cizhai and Taoran Pavilion had become the capital's hottest spectacle—
And Qin Hao's visit to Yun Cizhai, followed by its palace procurement deal, spread through Yanjing like wildfire.
Naturally, Zhou Maoran's fainting spell didn't escape gossipmongers either—
Nor Prince Li Manor's intelligence network.
"Fainted?" Gu Yanshu's brow arched before he chuckled. "Second Young Master Zhou's resilience is lacking."
"He thought he'd caught a golden goose—only to bite into poisoned bait," Qin Hao added, his tone dripping with faux sympathy.
(Translation: He's relishing every second.)
Lately, Qin Sheng's smugness around Qin Hao had been insufferable—
Were it not for Gu Yanshu's plan, Qin Hao would've long since retaliated with scathing remarks.
Just recalling how Zhou Maoran's face crumpled when he'd delivered that "thank you for your generosity" line—
Pure catharsis.
Now, hearing Yun Cizhai had shuttered its doors post-Zhou's collapse, Qin Hao's curiosity ignited:
"How much did Yun Cizhai lose to anger him so?"
A casual question—he never expected Gu Yanshu to know.
Yet the Princess Consort set down his teacup and answered casually:
"Excluding today's palace order? 500,000 to 600,000 taels."
Qin Hao choked on his tea.
"With your batch," Gu Yanshu amended, "conservatively... 700,000 taels."
The palace's exacting standards meant higher rejection rates—
Ten fired ceramics might yield only five passable pieces.
Thus, the 100,000-tael loss on Qin Hao's 15,000-tael order wasn't exaggerated.
"That much?!" Qin Hao blanched, then tensed: "But Taoran Pavilion also received many orders—how much did you lose?"
Gu Yanshu's lips curled.
"Lose? We turned a modest profit."
"What?!"
Even Qin Lu's gaze sharpened with interest.
"I dislike losing money," Gu Yanshu purred. "Since Second Young Master Zhou enjoys it so, I let him."
Here's the trick:
Every Taoran Pavilion order was immediately mirrored at Yun Cizhai—
Via anonymous buyers exploiting its 5% lower prices.
No kiln costs. Pure resale profits.
"Bravo!" Qin Hao erupted into applause.
The price war between Yun Cizhai and Taoran Pavilion had become the capital's hottest spectacle—
And Qin Hao's visit to Yun Cizhai, followed by its palace procurement deal, spread through Yanjing like wildfire.
Naturally, Zhou Maoran's fainting spell didn't escape gossipmongers either—
Nor Prince Li Manor's intelligence network.
"Fainted?" Gu Yanshu's brow arched before he chuckled. "Second Young Master Zhou's resilience is lacking."
"He thought he'd caught a golden goose—only to bite into poisoned bait," Qin Hao added, his tone dripping with faux sympathy.
(Translation: He's relishing every second.)
Lately, Qin Sheng's smugness around Qin Hao had been insufferable—
Were it not for Gu Yanshu's plan, Qin Hao would've long since retaliated with scathing remarks.
Just recalling how Zhou Maoran's face crumpled when he'd delivered that "thank you for your generosity" line—
Pure catharsis.
Now, hearing Yun Cizhai had shuttered its doors post-Zhou's collapse, Qin Hao's curiosity ignited:
"How much did Yun Cizhai lose to anger him so?"
A casual question—he never expected Gu Yanshu to know.
Yet the Princess Consort set down his teacup and answered casually:
"Excluding today's palace order? 500,000 to 600,000 taels."
Qin Hao choked on his tea.
"With your batch," Gu Yanshu amended, "conservatively... 700,000 taels."
The palace's exacting standards meant higher rejection rates—
Ten fired ceramics might yield only five passable pieces.
Thus, the 100,000-tael loss on Qin Hao's 15,000-tael order wasn't exaggerated.
"That much?!" Qin Hao blanched, then tensed: "But Taoran Pavilion also received many orders—how much did you lose?"
Gu Yanshu's lips curled.
"Lose? We turned a modest profit."
"What?!"
Even Qin Lu's gaze sharpened with interest.
"I dislike losing money," Gu Yanshu purred. "Since Second Young Master Zhou enjoys it so, I let him."
Here's the trick:
Every Taoran Pavilion order was immediately mirrored at Yun Cizhai—
Via anonymous buyers exploiting its 5% lower prices.
No kiln costs. Pure resale profits.
"Bravo!" Qin Hao erupted into applause.
Though Qin Hao had long known his sister-in-law's tactics were ingenious—
He never imagined they'd be this ruthlessly brilliant.
"If Second Young Master Zhou learns the truth, he might faint all over again!"
Gu Yanshu merely smiled.
Zhou Maoran's fury—or potential syncope—was irrelevant to him.
Once the awe subsided, Qin Hao voiced another concern:
"But how can you be sure Zhou won't breach the contracts?"
Rational merchants would default when facing massive losses, no?
"Breach?"
Gu Yanshu laughed as if hearing a joke:
"Can the Zhou family afford to enrage Yanjing's aristocracy? Or can First Prince defy the Emperor himself?"
Here's the crux:
The bulk orders came from elite households—
In the capital, where nobility outnumber stray dogs and officials crowd every street.
Drop a shop sign here, and three of five casualties would be court officials—
The other two? Their distant cousins hold office too.
Merchants sit at society's bottom rung.
Would the Zhous dare renege on such clients?
Perhaps First Prince could intervene—
Had Yun Cizhai not taken the palace order.
But now?
As Minister of Revenue, Qin Sheng's cozy ties to a merchant house reek of embezzlement suspicions.
Rather than helping, he'll distance himself explosively.
"First Brother and Zhou Maoran must be choking on regret..."
Qin Hao finally grasped why Gu Yanshu had let Yun Cizhai "win" the palace deal—
It was the trap's final spring.
A pang of pity struck him:
Since confronting Third Brother-in-law, First Prince hasn't scored a single victory.
Noticing Qin Lu's pensive look, Gu Yanshu tilted his head:
"What weighs on Your Highness's mind?"
"How did you accumulate so many orders at Yun Cizhai undetected? Its manager is no fool."**
Gu Yanshu's answer was a proverb:
"Boil a frog slowly."
"Boil... a frog?" Both princes echoed.
"Toss a frog into hot water, it jumps out. But place it in cold water and heat it gradually? It won't notice until cooked."
Those delayed days before Qin Hao approached the Emperor?
That was Gu Yanshu raising the water's temperature.
Manager Zhang, though experienced, grew accustomed to surging orders during Yun Cizhai's profitable phase—
Blind to the lethal heat until it was too late.
By the third price cut, Manager Zhang and the Zhou family were wholly fixated on seizing the palace order—
How could they possibly notice the trap in just three days?
Both Qin Lu and Qin Hao grasped the logic instantly.
Seeing their comprehension, Gu Yanshu sipped tea and added:
"Besides, Yun Cizhai made another blunder—allying with rival shops to suppress Taoran Pavilion."
Yun Cizhai's solo price cuts wouldn't have suffocated Taoran Pavilion.
So Zhou Maoran strong-armed other porcelain shops into joining his crusade.
While Yun Cizhai acted under Qin Sheng's pressure—
The other shops demanded profit-sharing to participate.
Gu Yanshu's spies later confirmed:
Most loss-making orders from allied shops were signed under Yun Cizhai's name.
Thus, Taoran Pavilion didn't just target Yun Cizhai—
It systematically hunted every collaborator.
Every shop that initially joined Zhou's scheme received Taoran Pavilion's "orders"—
All funneled back to Yun Cizhai for fulfillment.
The aggregated losses became unstoppable.
Hearing this, Qin Hao's gaze at Gu Yanshu shifted subtly:
Who grows a mind this diabolical?
Qin Lu murmured: "Whether First Brother regrets it, I can't say—but Consort Hui certainly will."
Everyone knew why:
The imperial concubine had orchestrated Gu Yanshu's marriage to Qin Lu.
Had she known this would gift Qin Sheng such a nemesis—
She'd have chosen death over that decree.
"May I take that as a compliment?" Gu Yanshu teased.
"Merely stating facts," Qin Lu replied, amusement lacing his voice.
"Your Highness flatters me."
Gu Yanshu's tone held zero humility, his eyes blatantly demanding: More praise.
Qin Lu obliged effortlessly.
Qin Hao looked away, visibly pained by this marital display.
(Months of exposure had numbed him to their post-strategy affection.)
Steeling himself, he interrupted:
"With Yun Cizhai neutralized, will Taoran Pavilion revert prices tomorrow?"
A sudden price rebound might damage Taoran Pavilion's reputation.
But Gu Yanshu surprised him again:
"Revert? No. Taoran Pavilion will also close temporarily."
"Close? Why?"
"After this price war, reclaiming Taoran Pavilion's premium positioning requires... upgrades."
Qin Hao recalled Manager Tang's lectures on "brand positioning"—
Initially baffled by Gu Yanshu's contradictory price cuts, he now saw the long game.
But how does one "upgrade" a porcelain shop?
"What will Taoran Pavilion sell instead?"
As if on cue, Xing Ren entered with a lacquered box, bowing before presenting it to Gu Yanshu.
"From Taoran Kiln, per your instructions."
Gu Yanshu gestured to the desk.
Xing Ren set it down with exaggerated care—
A caution that instantly hooked Qin Hao's curiosity.
"What's inside?"
Gu Yanshu rose, unlatching the box as he answered:
"Taoran Pavilion's future."