Chapter 801: A Major Problem Arose
Although feudatory princes faced many restrictions, when the Prince of Qin's estate—the premier princely establishment in the realm—truly set its mind to something, its power was still formidable.
At Zhu Cunji's command, advertisements for the new train's inauguration plastered the entire city of Xi'an.
And this fellow's advertising prowess was actually learned from Gao Family Village; it wasn't for nothing that he watched Gaojia News daily.
From some of the modern advertising concepts Li Daoxuan had introduced, he had indeed managed to secretly grasp a fair degree of skill.
Every street and alleyway in Xi'an Prefecture was plastered with small advertisements and notices by the Prince's estate's people. After all, there were no city management officials these days, so no one would bother with things posted on the streets. And even if there were, they wouldn't dare interfere with the Prince of Qin's estate.
Zhu Cunji even hired storytellers who wove short tales about the train station and recounted them repeatedly in teahouses.
He also engaged singing girls in taverns, brothels, and other such establishments to compose and sing songs about the train.
This whole advertising strategy, he had truly mastered completely.
With such efforts, train tickets were, naturally, a massive success.
With just this one trip, Zhu Cunji earned several hundred taels.
"Hahahahaha, hundreds of taels flowing in daily!"
Zhu Cunji sat in the grandest tavern in the heart of Xi'an City, before a celebratory banquet table, laughing heartily at the shareholder representatives attending the feast. "From now on, we'll effortlessly earn ten thousand taels of silver a month! Each family will split the profits according to their shares, and everyone will get rich. This grand train business is truly a success! Gentlemen, we'll need to invest more capital in the future and build several more railway lines."
Those shareholder representatives, each representing an imperial relative or noble, had no avenues for political advancement and were simply interested in earning more money for lavish lifestyles. Previously, they could only rely on ancestral estates for income, seeing no opportunities to earn significantly more.
They never expected that by associating with Zhu Cunji this time, they could earn so much in just one day. They were overjoyed beyond expectation. Each of them clasped their hands in salute and declared, "From now on, we shall follow the Prince of Qin's lead in all things."
"Come, come, let us drink!"
"Drink!"
Just as the group raised their wine cups, a steward rushed in from outside, his face etched with an awkward expression, saying, "Your Highness, something has gone wrong."
Zhu Cunji rolled his eyes. "What now? Can't you see we're celebrating? Can't whatever unpleasantness wait until after our celebratory banquet?"
The steward, still looking awkward, said, "This matter... it concerns the very achievement you're celebrating."
At this, everyone set down the wine cups they held.
This was a business bringing in hundreds of taels of silver a day. How could anything go wrong? Everyone urgently asked, "What exactly happened?"
The steward reported, "Everyone who went to Sanyuan County and returned said that while the train ride itself was comfortable and interesting, once they arrived in Sanyuan County, there wasn't much to do. They simply wandered around the county town for a bit and then came back, with no desire to go a second time."
Zhu Cunji's expression changed instantly upon hearing this. "So, you're saying tickets aren't selling well anymore?"
The steward nodded. "The tickets for the second day didn't sell out; sales dropped by thirty percent."
"What?!" Zhu Cunji exclaimed anxiously. "Thirty percent of several hundred taels means one hundred taels less profit a day? Wouldn't that be several thousand taels over a month?"
At this, the shareholders also grew anxious. "How can we allow such a significant drop in profit? Your Highness, you must think of a solution."
Zhu Cunji also felt a pang of panic. "Oh no, what are we going to do? Sanyuan County is, after all, a small place with genuinely nothing much to see or do. Could it be that we'll only make real money once the railway extends all the way to Yan'an? The passenger traffic between Yan'an and Xi'an is considerable."
The shareholders chimed in, "Building the railway from Sanyuan County to Yan'an will require extending it over four hundred more li! Who knows how many years that will take? We still need to figure out how to make this Xi'an to Sanyuan County section profitable first."
Zhu Cunji couldn't afford to wait either. He, too, wanted to make money as quickly as possible. How could he wait until the railway reached Yan'an?
The celebratory banquet now felt unappetizing.
Zhu Cunji leaped to his feet with a swish. "Gentlemen, I will go ask Mr. Li right now. He is resourceful, skilled in business, and his ability to make money is ten thousand times mine. I shall go to him and return with a good solution."
Hearing this, the shareholders quickly said, "Then we leave it in Your Highness's capable hands."
Zhu Cunji ran as if flying, towards the fertilizer shop in Xi'an Prefecture.
Mr. Li was a peculiar man. The first time he came to Xi'an, he stayed in the fertilizer shop, and since then, he had continued to reside there. He didn't even seem to mind the shop's less-than-ideal environment.
By then, it was late. Gaojia News had long since concluded, and the fertilizer shop had already closed its doors. Zhu Cunji pounded loudly on the fertilizer shop's main door.
After a good while of knocking, the door finally opened. Wang Tang, dressed in a grey tubular sleeping gown, opened it. "Who is it? It's already dark."
Without a word, Zhu Cunji immediately blurted out, "Is Mr. Li in?"
"Ah, it's His Highness," Wang Tang said. "Our master has already gone to sleep. I'll try to wake him, but I'm not sure if he'll stir."
Zhu Cunji was greatly surprised. "If you shake someone hard enough, how can they not wake up?"
Wang Tang replied, "Our master possesses extraordinary talent. Once he's asleep, not even thunder can wake him, let alone shaking him."
Zhu Cunji cast a sidelong glance. "How can such a person exist in this world?"
Wang Tang didn't know how to explain. He thought to himself, *This fellow might just grab the Heavenly Lord's avatar and shake it wildly. That would be far too disrespectful to the Heavenly Lord. How can I stop him?*
As he fretted, he heard the Heavenly Lord's voice behind him. "I happen to be awake."
Wang Tang turned his head and saw the Heavenly Lord emerging, carrying a birdcage. Overjoyed, he said, "So you were awake after all!"
Although it was dark, it was still early for modern people to sleep. At times like this, there was little of interest to observe in the box. Li Daoxuan was bored, constantly switching perspectives, looking for entertainment. He hadn't expected to switch to Xi'an and find such a drama unfolding. Naturally, he was delighted.
"Your Highness, your expression suggests you're a bit unhappy." Li Daoxuan chuckled. "If there's anything troubling you, tell us and let's all have a good laugh."
When Zhu Cunji saw him, it was like seeing a savior. He grabbed Li Daoxuan's arm and shook it vigorously. "Mr. Li, you must save me... save me! My West Yan Railway, the newly opened Xi'an to Sanyuan County section, tickets sold excellently on the first day, but on the second day, sales dropped by thirty percent! A full thirty percent!"
"Oh, so that's what this is about." Li Daoxuan smiled. "Isn't that inevitable?"
Zhu Cunji asked, "Ah? Inevitable? You already knew this would happen?"
Li Daoxuan replied, "Sanyuan County is just a small county town with no particular attractions. There's little regular traffic between it and Xi'an. When the train first started, everyone rode it out of novelty. To go a second time, naturally, people lose interest. Forget a thirty percent drop; if you keep running it for a few more days, you might even be running empty cars."
Zhu Cunji's face instantly turned ashen. "Running empty cars? How can that be? Empty cars certainly won't make any money!"
The mynah bird chirped, "What's the use of making money if you can't get it up anymore!"
Zhu Cunji's patience snapped, and his anger surged to its peak.
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