"Why are you losing out?" Shao Lili asked, frowning. "I'll give you half of the shares in the entire Twin Moon City, isn't that enough?"
"That's not how you should put it," Chu Chen shook his head. "There are simply too many ways to manipulate things here."
Chu Chen's concerns were not unfounded.
If he only asked for shares in one or two cities, and Shao Lili only opened one, or even no milk tea shops in those cities, how would he make money?
Or, if he asked for shares in a certain number of milk tea shops, and Shao Lili gave him shares in poorly performing ones, in the end, not only would he not make money, he might even lose it.
How could that be accounted for?
Don't underestimate a mere milk tea shop. Once it starts operating, even a ten percent annual profit from each shop would be calculated in the thousands of taels of silver.
"It's not that I don't trust you, sister, but I don't want to test human nature with money," Chu Chen said, shaking his head.
"However, for Princess Xin Yue's sake, I am willing to compromise," Chu Chen said seriously. "As long as you can guarantee that there will be no less than five milk tea shops in each city, then I will only ask for shares in three major cities."
"As for other places, it's all up to your discretion."
In fact, this was Chu Chen's bottom line from the beginning.
The previous statements were merely negotiation tactics.
After thinking for a long time, Shao Lili sighed helplessly.
"Little Chenzi, you really know how to do business," Shao Lili said, looking at Chu Chen with a hint of complaint. "I absolutely cannot refuse your terms."
"Even though I know you're trying to get something for nothing, I still feel very touched, sister."
Saying this, Shao Lili hugged Princess Xin Yue beside her. "You are so fortunate to have found such an excellent little follower! If he weren't a eunuch and couldn't leave the palace, I would really want to take him from you!"
Although she didn't understand what was happening, Princess Xin Yue knew that Shao Lili was expressing her envy.
"Of course, I won't give him to you!" Princess Xin Yue said proudly. "He's my Little Chenzi!"
"Let's put the milk tea shop business aside for now and talk about the soap business," Shao Lili said, her playful demeanor gone.
"Can you really make decisions, sister?" Chu Chen asked, frowning.
It wasn't that he looked down on Shao Lili, but the matter was of great importance and required extreme caution.
If he hadn't happened to know that Shao Lili was both a businesswoman and a good friend of Princess Xin Yue, Chu Chen would never have revealed the news about the soap.
"You don't need to doubt Sister Lili. She has the final say at home," Princess Xin Yue mumbled indistinctly, her face buried in Shao Lili's chest as she was held in her arms.
"Xin Yue is right. When it comes to business, I do have a say," Shao Lili said with some pride. "Any businessman will give me some face."
Chu Chen nodded slightly. "Since you say so, then I have no problem."
"This is not a place to talk. Let's move somewhere else to discuss it in detail."
The teahouse was crowded and noisy. If any information leaked, Chu Chen would be unforgivable.
"Then let's go upstairs next door," Shao Lili stood up. "That restaurant is also one of my family's businesses. There are some rooms that are always empty, making it a good place to talk."
Chu Chen was slightly taken aback.
The restaurant next to the teahouse was the same high-end dining establishment Chu Chen had seen before.
Based on his preliminary estimates, the net profit from food alone would not be less than ten thousand taels of silver annually.
"Not only that, but even this teahouse is Sister Lili's family business!" Princess Xin Yue chimed in. "Sister Lili is amazing."
Chu Chen understood.
Being able to conduct business to this extent, he could rest assured entrusting the soap business to her.
...
"Tell me, what's going on? What makes you treat it like this?"
"Sister, you tell me first, do you want the formula, or do you just want to resell the soap from me?" Chu Chen asked calmly.
Shao Lili looked at Chu Chen as if he were an idiot. "If I can get the formula, of course I want the formula. Only a fool would just resell it!"
But seeing Chu Chen's serious expression, Shao Lili was slightly taken aback.
She suddenly realized that Chu Chen's demeanor meant that this formula must be very tricky.
If she took the formula, she would have to pay a corresponding price.
She might even be held hostage by the formula, and thus be controlled by Chu Chen.
This was something she absolutely could not accept.
"Can I first..."
"No!" Chu Chen interrupted Shao Lili without hesitation. "Unless you agree, I cannot tell you what to do!"
Hearing this, Shao Lili hesitated.
Frankly, she really wanted to get involved in the soap business.
Although she didn't know the exact costs, judging by how easily Chu Chen had cut the price of soap in half before, the profit from this soap must have far exceeded her imagination.
If it could be sold in various countries, the profits gained would be enough to make her the wealthiest merchant in the entire Yun Yue Kingdom overnight.
However, if the price for this was to be tied to the royal family's chariot, Shao Lili was less inclined to accept it.
"Tell me," Shao Lili pondered for a moment, and finally decided to board Chu Chen's pirate ship.
Although she might be controlled by the royal family from now on, from another perspective, didn't this also mean that she and the royal family were now one family?
Wouldn't it be easier and simpler to develop in Yun Yue Kingdom in the future?
Overall, this move had both advantages and disadvantages.
Under normal circumstances, Shao Lili would never have made such a decision so easily.
But with the bait of soap, she really couldn't easily give it up.
While Shao Lili was hesitating, Chu Chen activated Life Simulator.
He wanted to see if Shao Lili was the suitable candidate he had in mind.
The rest of the plot was not important; Chu Chen only cared if Shao Lili was the right person.
Therefore, he quickly skipped other plot points and went straight to the main topic.
[...]
[Shao Lili's methods were strong, and in just three months, she stirred up trouble in neighboring countries and made a large profit.]
[...]
Seeing this result, Chu Chen breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't misjudged her.
"Since that's the case, then I won't hold back," Chu Chen smiled slightly. "Let's not talk about Yun Yue Kingdom for now."
"For the soap business, the first thing to do is to sell it to various countries, especially the neighboring ones," Chu Chen said seriously. "While selling, you also need to purchase grain in other countries."
"The amount doesn't matter, but it must be done discreetly, and absolutely must not be discovered by others."
"Even if you are discovered, you must bluff your way through and not arouse suspicion," Chu Chen paused and continued, "But I think this should be very simple."
"After all, there are always many merchants hoarding grain. As long as you are careful, no one will suspect you."
"But... is that all?"
Shao Lili found it hard to believe.
The conditions Chu Chen gave were too simple, to the point where she almost thought Chu Chen was toying with her.
"Just buying some grain, do I need to be so careful?" Shao Lili questioned.