Imperial Treasure
Chapter 234 - 172: Discussing Matters

Chapter 234: Chapter 172: Discussing Matters

"The initial sales target is the college student demographic—an incredibly influential group capable of infinitely propagating the consumption system. They’re also the ones whose affluent parents are most willing to splurge on them."

"Jewelry doesn’t seem suitable for students."

"As long as it meets a need, no product is unsuitable."

Sui Yi, inherently a person with classic temperament, was now speaking with full economic vigor, partly because she’d taken the time to peruse basic business books recently. Of course, she herself did not like the deceit intrinsic to business; her reading was merely to avoid some wrong paths.

She had her own principles and methods.

Sui Yi casually took out a piece of white paper and sketched two items with a pen.

A pair of rings, one for men and one for women, both stunningly beautiful. Elder Tang instantly felt they exuded an ancient charm; the designs were too delicate. And those patterns, with the male ring both domineering and graceful, and the female ring elegantly demure—when put together, they seemed to complement and interlock perfectly.

Sui Yi gently spoke, her voice soft as she described, "These are inspired by an anecdote I read about from the Tang Dynasty. Rings were not merely modern tokens of affection; during a period in the Southern Tang, there was a trend across the nation with romance prevailing. Legend has it that a princely heir happened to notice a lady official during the Lantern Festival, and he fell deeply in love with her. By coincidence, the lady inadvertently dropped her embroidered handkerchief. The princely heir picked it up, intending to return it—yet couldn’t bear to part with it and ended up sending his own thumb ring as a gift. When the time came for the harmony of the guqin and se, each having the intention of bonding for life, the thumb ring from the princely heir was taken out, and a jeweler was commissioned to create a matching ring for the lady. Together, they symbolized an unchanging heart and a lifelong commitment" (The events in the text mix fact with fiction; the authenticity isn’t worth scrutinizing—enjoying the read is what matters).

As she relayed this tale, Li Jingyan, who was sitting nearby, became somewhat distracted, especially when Sui Yi softly recited about an unchanging heart and a commitment for life—his gaze growing even more focused.

He wondered who could be the one to stay by his side for a lifetime...

Elder Tang’s reaction was more straightforward, "Hmm? It’s in the books? That’s intriguing... This story is good, the ring too. Young people nowadays really go for this sort of thing. If it were sold in Provincial City, it’d be even more popular..."

A romantically classical ring—yes, it’s quite nice.

"So, what’s the name of this ring? And don’t forget to include that story, it’ll make it more appealing," chuckled Elder Tang.

"Let’s call it the ’Loyal Heart Ring’... As for the story, the original is too long—it’s from a novella—so we’ll just abbreviate it to: In the autumn of the Southern Tang, the willow smoke was like brocade, orchids and irises adorned the riverbanks, the streets and rivers were bustling, and the Divine Capital’s lanterns shone all night. When a young man and woman granted their affections, the jade on their finger was a vow of an eternal heart, a plea for immortality."

Listening, Elder Tang repeated the name and nodded. No matter what the shop, there always needs to be a flagship product to drive conversation, and this lovers’ ring was certainly a good choice. Plus, making them in gold, silver, or jade all fit the concept perfectly—materials wouldn’t be hard to come by.

"What about this other item?" Elder Tang pointed to another tag in the drawing, which featured something palm-sized, with smooth, beautiful lines and a small, majestic yet somewhat comical beast. It was not the overexposed auspicious beast like the kirin,

"This object is named ’Rui Ling.’ During the Tang era, infants and children would hang it on their bodies after birth for good fortune and protection... It’s documented in books too, although there are no illustrations of the auspicious beast, only textual descriptions. We’ll rely on this design when the time comes."

The two designs Sui Yi had seemingly created on the fly were more surprising to Elder Tang than he’d expected. He was certain no book contained such detailed illustrations...

It was as if Sui Yi had seen them with her own eyes.

This was very strange.

Of course, Elder Tang immediately attributed this to Sui Yi’s design talent. With this primary product, plus Sui Yi’s own ability to draw various styles for sales, and an additional stock of mainstream brushes, inks, papers, and inkstones, there was no lack of cultural artifacts.

The main focus was jewelry.

Jewelry~~~

Both Sui Yi and Elder Tang knew that raw materials could only be sourced from the Public Trading Platform, a fact that went without saying.

Luckily, the shop wasn’t open yet—it was still just a plan—so there was still time.

Next, Sui Yi and Elder Tang continued discussing the business of opening a store. The blueprint Sui Yi spread out wasn’t vast, but Elder Tang saw great potential in it. The luxury goods industry was already highly profitable, and if they handled the timing right and were well-prepared, it wouldn’t be hard to succeed.

The most challenging aspect, the supply, could be solved with some effort. After all, entrepreneurship always comes with its difficulties.

Two hours later, after Li Jingyan had replaced their tea three times, they settled on a plan. Sui Yi handed several pieces of paper, with the plans written on them, to Li Jingyan to bind and make copies. She phoned Lin Yun, asking her to pick them up from the Yantang Residence, but she herself needed to leave.

"Where are you off to now? Won’t you stay for dinner~~~" Elder Tang inquired,

"I’m going to school."

The person who had just discussed entrepreneurship was now heading to high school... Li Jingyan couldn’t help but find it funny. After Sui Yi left, he saw Elder Tang looking at him.

One look, and he knew Elder Tang had a task for him.

"You heard everything we discussed just now?"

"Yes, I won’t speak out of turn."

"I’m not worried about that... It doesn’t matter if you do speak, it’s not a secret. But since you heard it, help me contact the manufacturers we listed just now. Later on, you’ll need to accompany Sui Yi on a visit."

The underlying message in Elder Tang’s words was for Li Jingyan to accompany Sui Yi.

Li Jingyan felt a surge of happiness and immediately agreed, taking his leave.

No sooner had he left than Elder Tang let out a sigh, "To be young, what a wonderful thing~~"

------

It was now just past four in the afternoon, and the sounds of diligent studying echoed throughout Second High School. The campus wasn’t deserted; albeit it wasn’t crowded. Most of the figures were teachers who looked somewhat surprised to see Sui Yi and even stopped her to chat a bit, all aware of her impending school transfer and inevitably feeling regretful...

For the school, having a number one student transfer wasn’t good news, but as the saying goes, ’people aspire to ascend and water to flow downwards’—they had neither the right to stop her nor the means to make her stay.

Huang Liang was waiting in the office; once Sui Yi arrived, he promptly escorted her to the principal’s office.

Shi Chao was considered quite ambitious, but unfortunately, he had sided with Li Run in previous matters, so he harbored some wariness towards Sui Yi. He didn’t say much, just exchanged a few cordial words with a warm smile, and let Sui Yi go after instructing the dean of studies to transfer the files.

After leaving the principal’s office, Huang Liang hesitated before asking, "Should we visit the class?"

Yhan Qingwu’s silent departure had been a heavy blow to the class. Although Sui Yi’s departure had been foreshadowed, if he also left without saying goodbye, that would really hurt...

Sui Yi glanced at the clock on the wall and laughed, "No, I’m not going over. But could you do me a favor?..."

--------

Inside the classroom, some of the students looked depleted. The math teacher scanned the room and laughed, "School’s about to end, and you’re all out of energy? It seems Sui Yi’s departure is really hitting you hard."

"Hey, it’s only been a short while since the term started and so many people have left... Never mind Qian Fengling, Goddess Yhan left! Now, even Goddess Sui is leaving..." Little Fatty Zhou sprawled across his desk, looking like a parrotfish struggling to breathe.

"Ha, it’s not hard to see them again.." the math teacher winked.

"You’re not going to tell us we have to get into Harvard, Cambridge, MIT, are you?"

"Am I that mean?" the math teacher smiled. "You don’t need to go to Harvard, Cambridge, MIT—you can also go to Q and B Universities..."

Damn!

This world truly is full of malice~

"But Sui Yi just up and left, without even saying goodbye... It’s really sad."

"Who do you think you are, eh~~ She never shared her heart with us... She was only a bit closer to Yhan Qingwu, that’s all."

Even though they said that, even those who once disliked Sui Yi now felt a somberness inside.

The only kindness time may possess is perhaps its ability to fade scars and underscore beauty.

So much so, that with the passing of time, when you think back on people you didn’t like, it’s always their good sides that you remember.

Even if it’s for those years spent as classmates.

After a while, the school bell rang to signal the end of the day, and some students lethargically started to pack up...

Suddenly, Huang Liang appeared at the door.

"Everyone, please stay for a moment."

"Ah~~ Teacher, we’re not going to have extra lessons tonight, are we? No way, the cafeteria’s about to run out of food..."

"More classes to add? No, my dinner at home will be cold..."

"Oh, no~~~"

A chorus of groans filled the classroom.

Scholars in this chilling weather can hardly bear it, let alone those in their third year of high school.

Without giving a direct answer, Huang Liang called over seven or eight boys.

As the boys left, the remaining students began complaining bitterly.

"Damn, it must be to move exam papers..."

"And he called so many boys, how many papers could that be?"

"It’s cruel, utterly inhumane~~"

Of course, the biggest blow to them was... their class was the only one required to stay behind! Not the other classes!

Word spread quickly, and students from the other classes immediately exhibited their fraternal spirit by leaning over the corridor railings to offer their ’congratulations’~~

In a mix of resentment and mirth, it wasn’t long before...

The boys returned, along with several uniformed men carrying boxes into the classroom, among them were Yu Hang and others, each holding a large plastic box...

Their arrival drew countless onlookers.

Thump thump thump!

Box after box was placed on the tables.

Li Qing rushed forward, "What kind of papers need boxes to carry..."

"Papers?" A middle-aged man chuckled upon hearing this.

With a snap and a click, latches opened and lids lifted, filling the entire classroom with a delicious aroma.

The students were all stunned. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote, recommend, and support it on Qidian (qidian.com). Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to continue reading.)