Chapter 42: Delivery to the Person

Chai Xiao responded with a smile.

"Good!"

He gestured for Zhu Que to approach, whispered a few instructions, and handed her the first large leaf he was holding. Zhu Que accepted it, bowed in acknowledgment, and immediately set off to find the Vice Superintendent of the Imperial Household Department to convey the two oral edicts from the Sovereign.

The first was to rapidly construct a "Martial Arts Matchmaking Platform" south of the East Drum Tower, consisting of one large central stage and four smaller ones at the corners, designed to be connected or separated as needed.

The second was to rush the production of three tiers of admission tickets—Prestigious, Noble, and Honorable—distinguished by color and equipped with stubs.

After the noon ritual for the heavens, the matchmaking tournament would officially begin. Before then, the Sovereign and Consort Shu would personally inspect the quality of the stage construction and the design of the tickets.

Chai Xiao then began to twirl the second large leaf in his hand.

"The second great method for making money: food and beverage expenses."

"Jian Yu, go find Chef Yi in a moment and tell him about these three ways to generate wealth. Have him keep a separate ledger for each."

"The first is discounts based on tickets."

"For the first-floor fast-food restaurant and the second-floor elegant seating area, all tickets for the three viewing zones—Prestigious, Noble, and Honorable—will receive a minimum discount of twenty percent."

"At the same time, design three exclusive perks to attract crowds."

"Holders of 'Honorable' tickets will have the privilege of taking away one complimentary beverage from the fast-food shop. This drink could be a flask of wine, a pot of tea, or a refreshing glass of sour plum soup."

"Holders of 'Noble' tickets will enjoy the privilege of skipping reservations for the second-floor elegant seating. This means they not only save a quarter-hour of waiting time but can also be seated ahead of regular guests."

"Holders of 'Prestigious' tickets will enjoy a forty percent discount on all dishes priced above twenty taels of silver in the elegant seating area."

"Understood!"

Jian Yu bowed, her eyes filled with an incredulous sense of "I never would have thought of that," yet tempered by a conviction that "this is bound to work."

How did the Young Master come up with such ingenious ideas? At first hearing, they were entirely unheard of and incredibly novel. Yet, upon closer reflection, they were perfectly logical and certain to succeed. If she hadn't known that the Young Master had grown up entirely within the Great Qi palace, she would have assumed he had once run a restaurant himself.

Of course, even if he had, it must have been a massively successful establishment. It was on a completely different level from her own father’s small workshop. Perhaps he viewed the entire Great Xu as one massive establishment to be managed. "Governing a large state is like frying a small fish"—she remembered hearing that line when the Junior Tutor was teaching the Young Master the *Tao Te Ching*.

Chai Xiao noticed the glint in the eyes of his "second actuary" and spoke with added emphasis:

"Tell Chef Yi not to worry that this will affect the normal revenue and expenditure of the first and second-floor dining rooms."

"The reason for the separate ledger is for him to realize that this single project will yield ten, twenty, or even thirty times the normal income."

"As for the 'profit' lost through discounts, once the 'volume' picks up, it becomes entirely negligible."

"For instance, dishes like sea cucumber braised with pork tendon or stewed deer tail, which are priced triple, are indeed rare and seldom ordered. But with this forty percent discount as an incentive, once the crowds grow, the income will be quite substantial."

"All he needs to do is prepare more ingredients and ensure the quality of the dishes!"

"As long as the supplies are sufficient and the quality is high, there will absolutely be no shortage of buyers!"

"Understood! I’m going now!"

Jian Yu turned to leave, but Chai Xiao called her back.

"Wait! There are a second and third method for generating wealth; listen to them all before you tell him!"

"Understood!"

"The second method is 'Simple Dining at the Stands'."

Knowing the women would surely not understand the term "Simple Dining," he paused to explain.

"The discount system I mentioned earlier uses the first and second floors as the back-of-house for the matchmaking arena. This 'Simple Dining' approach flips that entirely—we turn the stands under the arena into a restaurant for light refreshments."

"Naturally, because the functions differ, there are some distinctions. For heavy meals and drinking, it is still more comfortable to go to the restaurant, and it avoids the friction of people being packed too closely together. Therefore, to make the distinction, we can treat the stands as 'small tables'."

"Focus primarily on simple fare: fresh fruits, dried nuts, tea, wine, and pastries."

"You can create different tiers of sets for the Prestigious, Noble, and Honorable areas."

"For example, in the front-most 'Prestigious' section, cut the fresh fruit into beautiful platters and peel the dried nuts in advance. Make the truly wealthy feel that it is worth the price—or even better than the price!"

"As for pricing, in a word: keep it proportional to the ticket price, starting at one times the value, up to three times."

"Take the first row as an example: if the first-day ticket is half a tael of silver, provide a set worth half a tael, and at most no more than one and a half taels. If the second-day ticket is one tael, provide a set worth between one and three taels."

"Birds of a feather flock together; people can eat, watch, and chat—that is what makes it interesting!"

The women nodded in succession. If time had turned back to yesterday, none of them would have imagined that this pot-bellied, seemingly incapable Ninth Prince could possess such a meticulous and thoughtful side. Since this morning, he had demonstrated a dual nature of "comprehensive planning" and "precise calculation." Even Zhuge Liang from the Three Kingdoms era could hardly do better!

Could this be what he meant by the "actuary" title he gave Superintendent Zhang Bao? He urged his subordinates to strive in this direction, yet he had clearly mastered it himself long ago!

Unexpectedly, Chai Xiao flicked the large leaf with his finger and delivered another astonishing remark.

"Next, the third method: 'Takeout to the Audience'."

Because the term "takeout" and the concept behind it were so new, he deliberately slowed his pace.

"The audience standing outside the paid zones also represents a huge business opportunity."

"The kitchen staff are already busy enough preparing ingredients and cooking! It is unrealistic to ask them to handle deliveries."

"Therefore, we can hire some young ladies, give them baskets, and have them deliver 'takeout' directly to the customers."

"To distinguish them from those taking the opportunity to conduct their own small trades, put labels on the outside of the baskets!"

"I heard the elegant seating area in the East Drum Tower is planning to specialize in rich broths, calling it the 'Yi Yin Soup Feast'. Just write 'Yi Yin Soup Feast' on the labels."

"The baskets will also have a few varieties similar to sets."

"The cheaper ones—fruits and nuts—can be sold for a price just double the cost, maybe ten or twenty wen. For the more expensive ones, use a bowl filled with rich broth, covered with a lotus leaf, and paired with pastries; sell those for forty or fifty wen."

"Who knows? Since many people can afford it, the sales might reach figures far beyond everyone's imagination!"

When Consort Shu heard Chai Xiao say this, her heart stirred. It felt familiar. This morning, during breakfast, this brat had made a bet with Chef Yi and his sous-chefs over whether the first-floor fast-food shop or the second-floor elegant seating would earn more. Everyone thought it was a foolish bet, as any idiot would choose the second floor with its higher prices and premium dishes. But he was like a boiled duck—stiff-necked to the end—insisting that the first-floor fast-food shop, with its high volume and low margins, would bring in far more than the second floor.

Now it seemed he truly had a soft spot for this type of "fast food" and "takeout" that catered to the common people. What gave him such certainty? Could he foresee the future?

Fortunately, this "dare-to-bet-on-everything" little ancestor did not start yet another "gambling match" over this. For that, she was truly grateful!

Chai Xiao waved at Jian Yu and handed her the second leaf.

"Go! Make these three methods—discounts by ticket, simple dining at the stands, and takeout delivery—clear to Chef Yi."

"Tell him to assign one sous-chef to be responsible for each method."

"What I promised him before still stands. Don't worry about losing money!"

"Ten percent of the profits will be given as a reward—the more earned, the more gained!"

"Understood!"

Jian Yu took the second leaf and bowed. However, as she turned to run off, this "second actuary" hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but held back. Chai Xiao followed her gaze and saw her exchanging looks with the other eleven beauties, wanting to summon the courage to speak but not daring to.

He couldn't help but laugh.

"You want to speak for them, right? That with so many ways to make money, even if we do turn a profit, there's no share for you twelve beauties as the protagonists, is that it?"