The Emperor turned to his ministers and called out loudly, “Where is the Minister of Works?”
An old official stepped forward and bowed. “Your Majesty, I am here!”
“Leave the salt-making project to you. This afternoon, bring a few people here to learn the process.”
“I obey your command!”
After the Emperor left with the others, Mu Jianxi sat down, rubbing her sore feet. She glared at the group resentfully—every day they only cared about eating, and when it mattered most, they were useless.
She took a sip of rose tea. Thinking that she would be launching sales tomorrow and still hadn’t prepared anything, she realized she definitely couldn’t handle everything alone. It seemed she would need to hire more people.
After lunch, the Minister of Works arrived with several people, smiling as he greeted her. “Miss Mu, please teach us the salt-making method.”
She shook her head and pointed at Ye Yu and the others who were still working. “I won’t teach you myself. I have other matters to attend to. They already learned this at noon—let them teach you.”
The Minister of Works immediately led his people over, taking notes while occasionally trying the steps himself.
Gu Ruizhe asked, “What do you need to do this afternoon?”
“You’ve already made my name known across the capital. Tomorrow there will definitely be many customers. I need to go hire workers. I can’t handle all this alone or I’ll be exhausted.”
“I can send people from my estate to help you.”
“No need! I’d rather hire them myself.”
“Alright. Let Ye Li accompany you then. You don’t know martial arts—it will be safer. He can also take you to see the shop I gave you.”
He did not insist further.
An hour later, Mu Jianxi brought Ye Li to the shop where she had previously made the oven. As soon as the old man saw her, he happily came forward. “Miss, what are you making this time?”
“Old sir, the same ovens as before. Please help me make three more.”
“Alright!”
The old man understood immediately. With her skills, she would surely need more in the future.
After leaving, Ye Li took her to the shop. He unlocked the door, and she went inside to inspect it. It had two floors: the lower floor for selling snacks, and the upper floor for dining. After understanding the layout, she didn’t look further.
Next, the two went to the labor market. Mu Jianxi selected a pair of twin sisters, two strong young men, and a kind-looking elderly woman.
After leaving, she looked at them seriously. “Introduce yourselves.”
Each of them spoke in turn:
“Chun Cao.”
“Chun Xiang.”
“Wang Sheng.”
“Su Wen.”
“Wu Pozi.”
“I am Mu Jianxi. I will be your employer. You will mainly be preparing food, and the work may be tiring. I will pay you two taels of silver per month. If you perform well, I will consider raising your wages. Meals are included for lunch, but not lodging. If you are willing to work here, you must sign a contract and leave your fingerprint. The recipes must not be leaked or sold privately. Anyone who violates this will be reported to the authorities immediately. Think carefully before deciding.”
Without hesitation, all of them nodded firmly. “We will do it! We will not disappoint you!”
Satisfied with their response, she nodded. “Tomorrow, come to the small courtyard next to the Mysterious Nether Prince’s residence. Are any of you living far away?”
“We all live in the city nearby. It’s not far.”
“Alright then.”
After they left, Ye Li asked, “Miss Mu, where are we going next?”
“I don’t want to cook dinner tonight. We’ll have hotpot instead. Let’s go buy ingredients.”
On the way, she purchased meat and vegetables while also ordering supplies for the next few days, arranging for shopkeepers to deliver them regularly to her courtyard.
By the time they returned, it was already dusk. They happened to meet the Minister of Works and his group who were about to leave. Mu Jianxi stopped them.
“No one in my courtyard is allowed to leave early. Tonight, I am hosting dinner.”
“If Miss Mu insists, then we will gladly accept.” The Minister of Works smiled and returned with his people.
Mu Jianxi asked Ye Li to bring small pots and charcoal stoves. Ye Yu and the others sliced meat into thin pieces and marinated them. The hotpot base was simple—she stir-fried seasonings, added a block of hotpot base, and then poured in water to boil.
An hour later, the courtyard was filled with a rich spicy aroma. Everyone looked at the raw meat on the table with confusion and hesitation—no one dared to start eating.
Mu Jianxi explained, “This is hotpot. You don’t eat the meat raw. You dip it into the boiling red broth, then eat it with the sauce in your bowl.”
She demonstrated by picking up a piece of tripe, dipping it into the pot repeatedly, then placing it in her bowl, dipping it in sauce, and eating it.
Seeing this, everyone finally began to move. They quickly started cooking meat and vegetables in the pot, dipping them in sauce, and eating with satisfied expressions.
Mu Jianxi sat at one table with Gu Ruizhe, the Minister of Works, the Deputy Minister, and Zhao Fuhua. The Four Shadow Guards and the officials sat at another table, while the old man and his apprentices sat at a third.
After the meal, no one left immediately—they all helped clean the courtyard before departing.
When the Minister of Works returned home, his wife immediately smelled the fragrance on him and said angrily, “You old man! You didn’t come home at night—where did you go to steal food? And you even brought back the smell to tempt me?”
The Minister of Works quickly smiled apologetically. “Calm down, my lady. The Emperor ordered me to go learn the salt-making technique from a young lady today. She kept us for dinner. You don’t know—it was hotpot. Spicy, fragrant, unforgettable. Once you eat it, you can’t forget it. She plans to open a shop in the capital soon. I’ll take you to try it then.”
The same thing happened in the household of the Deputy Minister.
The next day at court, both ministers enthusiastically described how delicious the hotpot was to the others who had missed it—effectively giving Mu Jianxi another wave of publicity.
After hearing everything, the Crown Prince, Prince Duanrun, and Prince Runan were filled with regret. If only they had stayed yesterday, they could have eaten it too.
Early in the morning, the old man came to Mu Jianxi’s house. She handed him a new drawing—this time a two-story building layout. It was more complex than the previous one, but he was willing to try. After carefully storing the blueprint, he took his leave.