When he looked up, he saw that it was his own father. His gaze seemed to say that the Emperor had no sense of timing at all. As the Emperor sat on the dragon throne, court proceedings officially began.
Officials below reported and argued over state affairs, while the Emperor slowly enjoyed the shredded beef jerky. After just one bite, he instantly fell in love with it—the beef was chewy and flavorful, and he couldn’t stop chewing it.
The Crown Prince, Prince Duanrun, and Prince Runan watched their father eat so happily that tears of envy almost fell from their eyes. They desperately wanted a whole bag for themselves—the small amount they had just now was nowhere near enough. Where on earth did that “fifth brother” get this food?
Only Gu Ruizhe stared at his father with a completely dark expression.
Halfway through the discussions, the court suddenly fell silent. Gu Ruizhe immediately stepped forward into the center.
“Father, this son has something he would like to present for Your Majesty and the ministers to see.”
“Granted!”
Ye Li immediately carried the item inside. The ministers curiously gathered around. They thought it was candy. The Chancellor sneered, “Your Highness, are you bringing a basin of sugar for us to see? Do you take us for fools?”
“This is not sugar. It is salt.”
“…”
The moment those words were spoken with force, the entire court fell silent as a graveyard. The Chancellor looked in disbelief, thinking he was being absurd. Out of refusal to believe it, he pinched a little and placed it in his mouth—then immediately showed a shocked expression.
“It really is salt!”
With that, the Emperor could no longer sit still. He came down personally, tasted a pinch, then the Crown Prince and the princes did the same, followed by the ministers. After tasting it, everyone was stunned as if struck by lightning, frozen in place.
The Emperor urgently looked at Gu Ruizhe. “How can salt be so white as snow? Who made this?”
“A person I know.”
“She said the reason our bodies are so weak is because we consume unrefined mineral salt. This processed salt is like this, and eating it is better for our health. If we want to produce such salt, she also proposed a condition: a fifty-fifty profit split.”
The Emperor did not immediately agree. He thought for a moment, then looked at him seriously. “Take me to see her.”
Gu Ruizhe nodded in agreement. After all, this concerned matters of the state.
After court was dismissed, not only the Emperor, Crown Prince, princes, and ministers followed Gu Ruizhe—there was even a long procession of carriages stretching behind them.
Meanwhile, Mu Jianxi had no idea that a large group of people was already coming to find her.
She was currently working with Ye Yu, Ye Feng, Ye Han, and Zhao Fuhua, trying to produce salt. She recalled that in high school chemistry, her teacher had demonstrated salt extraction from salt ore, but she had never done it herself. This was her first attempt, and she hoped nothing would go wrong.
“Ye Yu, crush all the salt ore. Ye Feng, grind it in the stone mill. Ye Han, dissolve the ground salt in water and stir continuously. Zhao Fuhua, filter the saltwater.”
“Understood!”
The group worked together, and soon they produced a large vat of filtered saltwater. Mu Jianxi added sealed charcoal ash into the vat to purify it.
After waiting a while, she poured it into a pot and boiled it over high heat until the water evaporated and salt crystallized.
They had already built a temporary stove in the courtyard and used a large pot for boiling.
An hour later, the water gradually evaporated, and salt settled at the bottom of the pot. They scraped it out with a brush, ground it with a stone mill, and a large basin of refined salt was produced.
Mu Jianxi finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Knowledge of math, physics, and chemistry really lets you travel the world without fear.”
“We really made refined salt! Miss Mu didn’t lie to us!” Ye Feng cheered. The four shadow guards had already become her devoted fans.
At that moment, voices came from outside. They turned and saw a huge crowd arriving. After entering, they immediately began studying the salt they had just made.
Mu Jianxi saw Gu Ruizhe among them and gave him a glance that clearly asked: What’s going on?
The Emperor looked at Mu Jianxi and Zhao Fuhua and asked, “Who came up with this salt-making method?”
Before he finished speaking, Ye Feng, Ye Yu, Ye Han, and Zhao Fuhua all stepped back in unison and lowered their heads, leaving Mu Jianxi standing alone in the wind, utterly stunned.
“Damn you all, that’s so unfair!” she thought.
But she still stepped forward and bowed. “Your Majesty, it was me.”
Hearing this, everyone was shocked beyond words.
The Emperor studied her carefully. She did not resemble the gentle and soft noblewomen of the capital; instead, she had a firm and resilient aura. He immediately concluded, “Young lady, you are not from our country, are you?”
She answered honestly, “That is correct, Your Majesty. My country is in a very distant place.”
The Emperor continued, “Then why have you come here?”
Without hesitation, she replied with just two words: “To earn money.”
The Crown Prince couldn’t help but ask, “Is the snack Eighth Brother brought to Father also made by you?”
Mu Jianxi nodded.
“Do you have more? I’d like to buy some,” the Crown Prince said.
Prince Duanrun also chimed in, “Me too.”
Prince Runan added, “Me too.”
Even the ministers echoed, “We want some too!”
Seeing their expectant eyes, Mu Jianxi froze. Her mouth twitched. Are they all food lovers? I was even planning how to promote my products, and now Gu Ruizhe has already promoted them across the entire court.
The Emperor shouted, “Silence! I haven’t finished speaking yet—what are you all rushing for?”
They immediately shut up. Then unexpectedly, even the Emperor looked at her with anticipation.
“Girl, do you still have more? I will pay you in gold.”
Mu Jianxi immediately began her pitch. “Um… not at the moment, but tomorrow afternoon I will be selling fruit-flavored cream puffs and drunken peanuts. Only 100 portions will be available, first come first served.”
The Emperor became serious again and asked, “About this salt-making method—how do you propose we cooperate?”
“My requirement is simple. I provide the technology, Your Majesty provides manpower, and we split the profits fifty-fifty.”
“That is not quite fair to me. How about this: seventy-thirty, I take seventy, you take thirty.”
“That works. But I have one condition.”
“What condition?”
“I want the Emperor to guarantee my rights. Wherever I open a shop, if anyone causes trouble, the Emperor must protect me. I have always lived by one principle—if no one offends me, I will not offend them; if someone offends me, I will destroy them.”
As she spoke, a sharp killing aura spread through the air.
“I approve!” said the Emperor.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Mu Jianxi was not surprised by this outcome at all. Last night when Gu Ruizhe came to ask for a plate of salt, she had already guessed he would report it to the Emperor the next day. And since the Emperor was such a powerful backing, why not take advantage of it?