AUBTN -Chapter 137 We’re Making Money!

Shen Jue idly played with the incense ball Su Hewan had just blended, a faint smile in his eyes.

“So this is what you meant by… drawing traffic?”

“Just watch, Supervisor,” Su Hewan replied, glancing back.

Her gaze fell on the figure downstairs who was currently thriving in the spotlight.

“The real show has only just begun.”

On the high platform, Yu Qing saw that the atmosphere had been built up enough and suddenly clapped her hands.

In an instant, her expression shifted—from the girl-next-door to a full-on sales queen.

“I know exactly what all you sisters are worried about!”

Yu Qing’s voice was crisp and highly infectious.

“For us women, our faces are practically our lives! The cosmetics on the market either cake up and look patchy, or they’re full of lead and mercury. Use them long enough and your face becomes rougher than a wall!”

“Today, Huaxiangrong will break that curse!”

With a magician-like flourish, she pulled out a delicate white porcelain jar from her sleeve.

“What’s this? This is the crown treasure of Huaxiangrong—Yurong Cream!”

“It’s made from a secret imperial formula, processed through forty-nine meticulous steps, and infused with the essence of Tianshan snow lotus…”

“To prove its effectiveness, I’ve specially invited a model today!”

As soon as she finished speaking, a timid little maid was pushed onto the stage.

The maid’s face was covered in freckles, her complexion dull and sallow. She kept her head lowered, too embarrassed to meet anyone’s gaze.

The crowd immediately erupted in murmurs.

“That’s… really ugly…”

“Can that even be fixed?”

This reaction was exactly what Yu Qing wanted.

She smiled confidently, opened the porcelain jar, and scooped out a dab of the crystal-clear cream. With practiced movements, she applied and massaged it into one side of the maid’s face.

“Everyone, watch closely! This isn’t magic—it’s scientific skincare technique!”

“Lifting, tightening, concealing, and nourishing—the four effects in one!”

When Yu Qing finally removed her hand and handed the maid a bronze mirror, the entire venue fell into a deathly silence.

Then—

An explosion of astonished gasps.

Half of the maid’s face remained dull, yellow, and rough.

But the other half had become fair and luminous. Most of the freckles were concealed, and under the sunlight her skin glowed with a delicate sheen, as if she had changed faces entirely.

“My heavens! What kind of miraculous ointment is that?!”

“I want it! Give me ten jars!”

“Stop pushing! I’m from the Minister’s residence—let me buy first!”

Yu Qing was overjoyed inside, but outwardly she kept a calm demeanor. She raised one hand.

“Hey, hey, hey—don’t rush! Today’s grand opening special!”

“The original price of Yurong Cream is fifty taels per jar, but today it’s only twenty taels!”

“And the first fifty customers who place an order will also receive a full skincare technique tutorial and a Supreme VIP Membership Card!”

“Buy! Buy! Buy!”

The scene quickly spiraled out of control.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the crowd, Lu Yan happened to be passing by with a squad of the Jinyiwei.

Watching the girl on stage who seemed almost to be glowing, his usually cold and stern expression softened slightly without him even realizing it.

This girl… though she was a bit greedy for money, her ability to captivate people’s hearts was truly first-rate.

【Hahahaha! I’m rich! I’m rich! Did that block of ice Lu Yan see that? This young lady is a business genius! This wave of hunger marketing is absolutely perfect! Once I’ve made enough money, I’m buying that abalone restaurant and turning it into my cafeteria!】

Hearing her thoughts, Lu Yan’s mouth twitched slightly.

Buying an abalone restaurant… just to use as a cafeteria?

What ambition.

Inside Huaxiangrong, the place was packed with people.

Su Hewan’s “experiential consumption” concept had achieved tremendous success.

The first-floor hall featured a special makeup trial area. Every noble lady who entered was personally served a cup of nourishing floral tea. Meanwhile, maids who had undergone Su Hewan’s crash training conducted one-on-one skin assessments and explanations.

This feeling of being treated like a treasured guest made these ladies—who were usually confined within their deep courtyard mansions—feel extremely pampered.

The second floor consisted of more private elegant rooms, reserved for receiving prominent figures of the capital.

“Shopkeeper Su, your Jade Beauty Cream truly is miraculous, but…”

Inside one of the private rooms, a richly dressed yet haggard-looking woman held a teacup in her hands, hesitating to continue.

Su Hewan recognized her.

She was Madam Qian, the principal wife of Minister Qian from the Ministry of Revenue.

Logically speaking, since the Minister of Revenue controlled the empire’s finances, his household should be overflowing with wealth. Madam Qian ought to have been well cared for. Yet now, dark circles lay beneath her eyes, and her expression was absent-minded—as though she hadn’t slept well for a long time.

“Madam Qian, is there something troubling you that’s difficult to speak of?” Su Hewan asked gently, while signaling a maid to replace the tea with a calming lily-and-lotus seed brew.

“It’s just the two of us here. If it concerns skincare or beauty troubles, Madam may speak freely.”

Madam Qian sighed and set down her teacup. Her eyes unexpectedly turned red.

“Miss Su, you know that although my husband is usually busy, he has always treated me well. But recently… recently I don’t know what has happened.”

Lowering her voice as though afraid someone might overhear, she leaned slightly forward.

“A few days ago, my husband somehow obtained a kind of incense called Bliss Incense. Ever since he started using it, he has completely changed.”

Su Hewan’s gaze flickered as she immediately caught the key phrase.

“Changed?”

“Yes.” Madam Qian wiped the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief.

“At first he was just unusually excited—staying awake all night, dancing and gesturing wildly in the study. Later… later he became irritable and easily angered. At the slightest dissatisfaction he would beat and scold the servants. Most frightening of all, the silver in our household treasury has been flowing out like water. Whenever I ask where it’s going, he refuses to say. He only claims he’s going out to ‘seek bliss.’”

Su Hewan’s heart tightened.

【Heightened excitement. Drastic personality changes. Reckless spending. Addiction…】

【Bliss Incense? The name alone sounds suspicious. Minister Qian manages the national treasury—if something happens to him, wouldn’t the finances of Great Wei fall into chaos?】

Keeping her expression calm, Su Hewan took out a specially prepared soothing cream from her sleeve and gently pushed it toward Madam Qian.

“Madam, please don’t worry. This cream contains mint and lavender—it’s excellent for refreshing the mind. As for that Bliss Incense, if it’s convenient, could you provide me with a small sample? I can examine it for you and see if there are any herbs that might counteract it.”

Madam Qian looked as though she had found a precious treasure. She hurriedly pulled out a tiny oil-paper packet—no larger than a fingernail—from her personal pouch and stuffed it into Su Hewan’s hand.

“This is something I secretly scraped from the incense burner in my husband’s study. Miss Su, you’re knowledgeable and talented—please, you must help me.”

After Madam Qian left, dusk had already arrived.

Huaxiangrong’s first day of business had been astonishingly profitable. The accountant’s abacus clattered rapidly as he tallied the numbers, and the final figure made Yu Qing beam from ear to ear.

“Five hundred taels! Five hundred taels in a single day! Wanwan, we’re going to get rich!”

Yu Qing hugged the account book and spun around in circles in the private room. Shen Jue and Lu Yan sat nearby. Although they didn’t care much about such a small sum, seeing their women so happy made the investment feel worthwhile.

Just as everyone was immersed in joy, a ragged-looking little beggar suddenly rushed to the shop entrance. He handed a letter to the shop assistant and vanished into the crowd in the blink of an eye.

“For Shopkeeper Su,” the assistant said as he presented the letter.

It was a black invitation card stamped with gold.

There was no signature—only a faint, cloyingly sweet fragrance lingering upon it.

Su Hewan took the invitation. The moment her fingertips touched the golden powder on its surface, her brows knitted slightly.