After being expelled from the mansion, I changed the dynasty by writing novels.

Chapter 112 The Salt and Iron History Official Approaches Ye Yuwu to Do Business

Some people come not to listen to storytelling, but specifically to eat at the Wen Ding restaurant; however, one still has to queue to eat there.

This directly stole business from the restaurants in Bianjing, and many people were extremely envious of the teahouses' business.

So within a few days, the Wen Ding style of eating appeared in restaurants and eateries all over the streets and alleys.

Some people sell Wen Ding (a type of hot pot) for more than Cha Yun He (another type of hot pot), but people still go to eat it.

It turns out that these people, unlike Chayun and Yutianxia Teahouse, used cheap coal.

Some restaurant staff would secretly disguise themselves as ordinary diners, sneak in to eat at the Wen Ding restaurant, learn everything about it, and then go back to cook it themselves, only needing to prepare some meat and vegetables.

After all, the way to eat Wen Ding is relatively simple; the difficult part is the cauldron and the soup base, but these two are also easy to replicate.

Unfortunately, they overlooked the coal. If their cauldron really needed coal, it would have to be more expensive than the teahouse's.

Fortunately, this way of eating is currently popular, and many people eat it, including many wealthy people. However, the capacity of the Tea Rhyme and World Teahouse is insufficient, which is why it draws away the flow of customers.

"Now every street and alley is full of people making Wen Ding (a type of ancient Chinese cooking vessel). As soon as I walk into the restaurant, I can smell these smells from outside! These people are too good at imitating!" Hua Ping came back from outside, her nose almost crooked with anger.

Ye Yuwu had to comfort her, "I had already thought of this situation. Huaping, you don't need to be angry. Once there is something popular and worth making money, people will rush to imitate it. This is unavoidable."

I just didn't expect that these merchants would imitate this Wen Ding so quickly.

Previously, the restaurant manager had come to her, making unreasonable demands and claiming that their teahouse had stolen their restaurant's business, which angered Ye Yuwu so much that she kicked them out.

The next day, they also started selling Wen Ding (a type of ancient Chinese cooking vessel), and even the vessels were made exactly the same.

Thinking of this, Ye Yuwu was also a little angry. Just then, government officials came to find her.

Ye Yuwu pondered that it must be the person from the Three Departments that the Princess had mentioned.

The princess was afraid that officials would come looking for her, and since she didn't know what had happened, she was worried that the officials would frighten her. So she asked someone to tell her about it beforehand.

Otherwise, Ye Yuwu would really think that she had done something wrong again!

The three offices were solemn and dignified, with few pedestrians passing by. Most people walked around the government offices, which demonstrated the majesty and impartiality of the court. Even the two stone lions at the gate looked very majestic.

Before they could even get a good look at the Three Offices, they were taken to the Salt and Iron Ministry.

The Salt and Iron Department was rather small; that was Ye Yuwu's first impression.

The moment she stepped inside, she sensed the warmth she received.

The Ministry of Salt and Iron had only a few people, and the official in charge wore a different robe than the others. Ye Yuwu guessed that this person should be the Salt and Iron Commissioner.

However, this Salt and Iron Commissioner was different from the officials she had met before. Most of those officials were thin, but this Salt and Iron Commissioner was quite fat, yet he was not unpleasant to look at; on the contrary, he was rather kind.

As expected, Ye Yuwu's sixth sense was still very strong. This Salt and Iron Commissioner did not have the air of an official and seemed very approachable with a smile.

"This must be Miss Ye! Please have a seat."

"My lord, what brings you here, my lady?" Although Ye Yuwu knew in advance what she was here for, she still had to put on a show.

The Salt and Iron History Secretary did not use official jargon or beat around the bush; instead, he stated his purpose directly.

"I heard that Manager Ye has created honeycomb briquettes based on the storybook written by Mr. Wuming. The imperial court has discovered that this briquettes are extremely useful. Winter is coming, and the people still cannot afford coal. If this briquettes can be promoted to the people, it will solve the problem of people's livelihood. However, I hope that the Ministry of Salt and Iron will cooperate with Manager Ye to solve this matter together. Of course, the corresponding reward will not be less."

If they could truly cooperate with the imperial court, they would be essentially becoming imperial merchants, making this a sure-fire way to profit.

"So how would you like to collaborate?"

"Of course, Manager Ye, you provide the technology, and we provide the raw materials."

The Salt and Iron Commissioner made no attempt to conceal anything, stating frankly, "The imperial court will build a special facility for the production and storage of coal near the coal mine, and will also recruit a large number of commoners to produce honeycomb briquettes. You only need to teach them how to make them, and these people will be managed by you. Our imperial court will only earn money from providing the raw coal."

It's equivalent to cooperating with the state, but this move is truly ingenious, directly shifting the risk onto the businessmen.

In this way, one can earn money, while whether honeycomb briquettes sell well or not, and whether they can be sold at all, depends on the merchant himself.

Most importantly, it can also provide employment opportunities for the poor, making it a sure-fire way for the imperial court to make money.

"Until then, the price of honeycomb briquettes was set uniformly by the imperial court."

Ye Yuwu knew this was a good opportunity. With the imperial court behind it, this deal was something many people would be eager to do, and it was also a good thing for the country and its people.

If she doesn't do it, many people will flock to her.

After all, the technique wasn't difficult; she had even written down the method in her storybook.

It's just that those who read the book before didn't believe it, or rather, they didn't seriously read the contents of the book at all.

However, once they realize what's going on, someone will try to do it.

So Ye Yuwu agreed to the matter.

The Salt and Iron Commissioner was pleased. Since the temperature had started to drop recently, this matter could not be delayed and had to be completed quickly so that the Salt and Iron Commissioner could report back soon.

"I've heard that Manager Ye and Mr. Wuming have a very good relationship. I've admired Mr. Wuming for a long time. I wonder if Manager Ye could ask Mr. Wuming to write a title for my book?" After finishing their business, Ye Yuwu didn't expect that the Salt and Iron Commissioner would take out something from his pocket and shamelessly ask Ye Yuwu this.

The Salt and Iron History was usually very fair and impartial, and rarely used his position for personal gain. This time, he was the closest he had ever been to his "idol," so he braced himself and asked Ye Yuwu for Mr. Wuming's autograph.

After saying these words, it was obvious that Yan Tieshi blushed, looking somewhat embarrassed. Yan Tieshi's blush dispelled Ye Yuwu's embarrassment, and she readily accepted the book from his hand, agreeing to the arrangement.

When Shi Yantie heard that Ye Yuwu had agreed, he was visibly delighted.

To her surprise, not long after she left the Three Departments, she encountered Marquis Bai Zunyue of Wu'an on her way back.

Ye Yuwu, who still couldn't figure out what his previous words meant, forced herself not to overthink it.

She acts like she's incredibly charming, but I have no idea what's wrong with this man.

Although she didn't know the true nature of the original owner's relationship with him, it was obvious to everyone that Bai Zunyue disliked Ye Yuwu.

Now that Ye Yuwu has stopped bothering him, he's become more energetic, saying strange things that could easily lead people to misunderstand that he has feelings for her.

But nowadays, relationships are just a burden to her, and she has no interest in developing any kind of romance with these ancient people.