Chapter 16: A Streak of Good Fortune

Next, Li Shen shared his plan with Zhang Wang. He instructed him to find someone who could complete the design sketches tonight, and they had to be visually appealing. To that end, Zhang Wang personally went to the Ministry of Works and brought back a painter, offering 500 wen as a tip for the work. Then, Li Shen and Zhang Wang calculated the costs.

In the end, they decided to stick with Li Shen’s price. The profit margin could reach at least seventy percent, primarily because the expenses were mostly for materials, with no labor costs. The craftsmen would work when there was demand and idle otherwise, and on top of that, they were given a ten percent bonus.

The next day, Li Shen continued his period of mourning in the hall while researching his penicillin. Perhaps because it was December and bitterly cold, the incubation temperature for the bacteria was insufficient, leading to repeated failures. Despite placing two charcoal stoves near the experimental setup to raise the temperature, it still wasn’t enough.

Eventually, Li Shen had some animal hides wrapped around the samples and placed them beside the charcoal stoves, though space was limited, so there were fewer test samples. Today was the day to unveil the results.

Before Li Shen lay over thirty small jars, all sealed. He felt anxious. After countless failures over the past months and considerable expenses—wasting entire baskets of bread and steamed buns to let them mold—it was disheartening. If the thrifty Emperor Li Shimin found out, he would surely be furious. Additionally, there were many bottles and jars, lots of charcoal, and copious distilled water, which was costly. Li Shen was running low on funds. No wonder penicillin is so expensive in later times; the research costs are enormous.

Li Shen opened one jar after another with the uncertainty of a blind box, each revealing failure. When only five jars remained, he had almost given up. But upon opening one, his eyes lit up: success! The sample showed a clear sterile zone in the center. Ecstatic, he quickly opened the remaining four, finding another successful sample among them.

“Success! Ha ha ha! Success!” Li Shen laughed joyfully. Finally, he had succeeded. His money had not been wasted.

“Prince, it’s already successful? How come I didn’t notice?” Shi Tou peeked over and, unable to understand the science, was puzzled by Li Shen’s wasteful spending on grain over the months. Several times he wanted to advise Li Shen against such extravagance but never dared.

“Of course it’s successful. If you saw it, would I have spent so much? This is a treasure,” Li Shen said happily.

“Right. These two successful samples are all recorded, right?” Li Shen continued.

“Yes, Your Highness. Everything is recorded—the ingredients added, their quantities, durations, and so forth,” Chun Xiang, another attendant nearby, replied.

“Good. Chun Xiang, have the team continue experiments using the method from these two samples to see if success is consistent. Bring me the original liquids from these two jars,” Li Shen instructed.

While watching TV dramas, Li Shen had searched online to verify this method’s feasibility, never expecting to succeed so quickly. Now, he was filled with joy. He knew that with enough money, anything could be achieved.

However, the current penicillin, or penicillin G as it was called, was of very low concentration. Further purification was needed—something shown in the drama as “chromatographic separation.” But this required high-quality rice paper, which was expensive. Purifying enough for a single dose could barely be managed in half a month.

“Keep going. Keep going,” Li Shen said firmly. He resolved to work hard and earn more money.

Just as Li Shen was leaving with the two sealed jars, a eunuch reported that Zhang Wang, the head of the manufacturing department, requested an audience. Li Shen quickly handed the jars to Dong Mei, instructing him to store them in his small warehouse, where the temperature was just right this season. If it got hotter, they would need to be placed in the ice cellar.

Upon arriving at the front hall, Li Shen saw Zhang Wang waiting excitedly. Seeing Li Shen, Zhang Wang hurried forward.

“Your Highness, we’re about to strike it rich,” Zhang Wang said eagerly.

“Calm down. Sit and tell me,” Li Shen invited him to sit.

“Today I visited Prince Wei, Prince Shu, Prince Jiang, and Prince Yue. I showed them the sample designs, and they immediately placed orders,” Zhang Wang reported.

“Oh? How much did each order?” Li Shen asked expectantly.

“Prince Jiang and Prince Shu ordered mid-range sets made of redwood: Prince Jiang for 120 guan, Prince Shu for 130 guan. Prince Yue ordered mid-range oak sets totaling 175 guan. The largest order came from Prince Wei—high-end purple sandalwood sets of tables, chairs, and tea tables for 265 guan. Altogether, the four princes ordered 690 guan. After deducting 150 guan for materials, we netted 540 guan in profit,” Zhang Wang said excitedly.

Li Shen gasped, never expecting such a large sum. The costs for different sets were roughly the same; only the carving patterns varied from simple to complex, and the wood was the same species. At most, they might buy some animal skins, which cost only a little.

In an era when five wen could buy a dou of rice during the Zhenguan period, 540 guan was an enormous fortune. He never imagined these brothers, though not yet victorious, were so wealthy.

He had thought it would only be small deals, earning a few hundred guan to continue researching his penicillin. Unexpectedly, a jackpot had fallen into his lap. But this was just the beginning—furniture like tables and chairs, if not damaged, could be used for years. Thinking of this, Li Shen considered promoting the products in various palaces. His sister lived in the Princess’s Palace; she could help with promotion.

Seeing Li Shen lost in thought, Zhang Wang said nothing, caught up in his own excitement. Five hundred forty guan—one layer’s share of the profit—was about fifty-four guan, nearly half a year’s salary for him. Each of his subordinates could receive one or two guan. If this happened monthly, annual earnings could reach five or six hundred guan.

But soon, fear crept in. Five or six hundred guan was about what the chiefs of various departments earned. Holding such money invited envy. In this deep palace, every dry well hid restless spirits. The more Zhang Wang thought about it, the more fearful he became, breaking out in cold sweat.

“Zhang, what’s wrong?” Li Shen noticed Zhang Wang’s unusual expression and sweating profusely, worrying he was ill.

Snapping back to himself, Zhang Wang earnestly said, “Your Highness, I wish to give you all my share of the profit. Please do not refuse.”

“What’s this about, Zhang? Don’t think I’m the type to be blinded by money and break promises. Don’t worry, though young, I keep my word,” Li Shen quickly reassured him.

“No, Your Highness. I am sincere. The profit is so high that even one share over a year amounts to five or six hundred guan—on par with department chiefs’ salaries. Someone will certainly try to replace me. How could I survive then? Money stirs the heart, Your Highness,” Zhang Wang said, growing emotional.

Li Shen studied Zhang Wang for a moment before asking, “You’re really willing to give up that much money?”

“Your Highness, without my life, what good is money?” Zhang Wang replied without hesitation.

“Very well, if you’re willing, then share that portion with your subordinates. I will give you additional rewards so you won’t lose out. I won’t tell others I’m rewarding you. Rest assured, you’ll live in comfort after leaving the palace,” Li Shen promised. Zhang Wang, upon speaking, had already come to this conclusion—envy was rampant, and as a lowly head of department without power or influence, he could easily be crushed.

“Enough. Go back and procure materials. Tell the workers to speed up. Anyone slacking off gets kicked out, and good workers get more pay. You decide the standards. The priority is speed and quality—don’t ruin our reputation. Off you go,” Li Shen instructed Zhang Wang.

“Your Highness, rest assured. No one dares slack off,” Zhang Wang promised before turning back to the manufacturing department.

After Zhang Wang left, Li Shen hurried back to continue researching the penicillin purification method.