The Crown Prince looked at the large vat beside them and curiously asked,
“Thank you, but… what are you doing?”
“Making ice,” she said lightly.
“……”
Silence fell like the Bridge of the Night.
The three of them froze.
Their mouths trembled in shock…
Shakily, they pointed at the vats in front of them.
“You… don’t mean you’re going to turn this vat into ice, do you?!”
Mu Jianxi curved her lips.
“Old man, your turn.”
“I’m here,” Zhao Fohua replied.
Under Ye Yu and Ye Feng’s coordination, they placed a small vat inside a larger vat, filled it with water, then placed an even smaller vat inside the second one. They repeated the process, stacking up to five layers. The innermost container was a metal pot filled with water.
Zhao Fohua then poured saltpeter into the outermost vat first. As the temperature of the water dropped, he added more into the next layer, then the third, then the fourth.
After a while, Mu Jianxi took out the innermost iron pot and poured its water into a bowl.
A miraculous scene occurred—the moment the water touched the bowl, it slowly turned into ice crystals.
“So this is how saltpeter makes ice… this is incredible!”
“It’s because saltpeter absorbs a large amount of heat when it dissolves in water,” Mu Jianxi explained calmly. “By repeating the process, the temperature keeps dropping. Then when you pour out the water from the iron pot, it forms ice crystals.
But if you dump a large amount of saltpeter directly into water, it can freeze into solid ice blocks—that is poisonous and cannot be eaten. You must only use this method. Also, the innermost layer must not contain saltpeter; only then is the resulting ice safe for consumption.”
Everyone immediately understood, their eyes filled with admiration.
Ye Feng and Ye Yu quickly divided the ice crystals into bowls. Mu Jianxi then added brown sugar pearls and three-colored taro balls into each bowl, poured in milk tea, and thus—bubble tea was completed.
In the next moment, everyone in the courtyard held a bowl of pearl milk tea, their faces full of enjoyment. The heat no longer felt unbearable.
The rich milk fragrance blended with the refreshing aroma of tea. The texture was smooth and sweet, while every sip contained chewy pearls and taro balls. It was so addictive that no one wanted to stop drinking.
The Crown Prince glanced at another bowl. It looked white like tofu pudding, topped with sweet beans. Curious, he took a spoonful.
The flavor was even richer in milk than the milk tea, and combined with the sweet beans, it was unbelievably delicious.
The Prince of Runan and the Prince of Duan saw his reaction and immediately tried it as well. Their eyes widened instantly.
In less than a quarter of an hour, they had finished nearly twenty bowls of double skin milk, and at least half a vat of milk tea.
Mu Jianxi’s face darkened.
If they kept eating like this, she would go bankrupt before even opening her shop. She originally planned to use the system’s required production for afternoon sales and even run a lottery event—but these people had already consumed nearly one-third of it.
“Stop eating. Are you still planning to eat lunch later?”
Only then did everyone reluctantly stop.
At noon, regardless of rank or status, everyone sat around the same table.
Dishes filled the table: braised pork, sliced fish soup, dry-pot shrimp, caramelized sweet potatoes, cold spicy rabbit, spicy beef, and stir-fried pork intestines.
The Crown Prince, the Prince of Duan, and the Prince of Runan were especially stunned—they had never tasted food like this before. After eating, they immediately felt that their own palace meals were bland and uninteresting.
So the rumors from court were true—the Minister of Works and others were not exaggerating at all.
After lunch, the four secret guards voluntarily washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen.
Mu Jianxi brought out a lottery box and a hundred bamboo slips, placing them in front of the four royal brothers. Zhao Fohua also placed brushes and ink on the table.
The four of them were confused.
“What is this for?”
“Since you’ve eaten my food, you can’t just let them work—you have to help too,” she said. “We still have about 30 bowls of double skin milk and over 30 servings of milk tea left. I’m going to run a lottery event. You just need to write four phrases on these bamboo slips:
‘Win a bowl of milk tea’‘Win a serving of double skin milk’‘Try again’‘Thank you for participating’
Distribute them reasonably. I only have 100 draws—whether they win depends on luck.”
They immediately understood her intention.
It was a way to stimulate desire and create repeat customers—like gambling, but harmless. Those who didn’t win would come back again. This marketing strategy was astonishing.
Their respect for her deepened even more.
Soon, the bamboo slips were prepared and shuffled into the lottery box. Outside, a long queue had already formed. Some people who failed to buy yesterday had been waiting since morning.
When the shop opened, Mu Jianxi stepped forward.
“Thank you for your support. In this hot weather, how can you not have something cold? The first 100 customers who purchase today may draw a lottery once!”
The first customer quickly selected his items. After payment, he drew a bamboo slip.
“I won! A bowl of double skin milk!”
Zhao Fohua immediately brought it out from the kitchen.
“Dine-in or takeaway? If you take it away, please return the bowl tomorrow.”
“I’ll eat here!”
As before, everything sold out in less than two hours. Some people left happily, others disappointed—those who won were ecstatic, while those who didn’t blamed their luck.
Inside Cian Palace, the Dowager Empress was selecting items with the Empress. They picked a purple jade bracelet, earrings, pearls, and hair ornaments, and ordered attendants to pack them before heading out in a carriage.
They planned to see what kind of woman she really was.
When they arrived at the gate of the Xuanyou Prince’s residence, they saw a very long queue—and even court officials among them. They were slightly stunned.
The officials, upon seeing the Dowager Empress and Empress, immediately turned away in guilty silence.
As they walked forward, they reached the courtyard entrance—and froze.
The Crown Prince, the Prince of Runan, and the Prince of Duan were all there, helping to sell goods. Even the Xuanyou Prince was present.
The Empress thought she was seeing things and rubbed her eyes—but the scene remained the same.
Her mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Soon, as the crowd thinned, the Dowager Empress coughed lightly, trying to get their attention, her sharp gaze fixed on the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince, who was busy working, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He looked up—
And saw the Dowager Empress and his own mother standing outside, staring at him with eyes that looked ready to flay him alive.
He immediately nudged the Prince of Duan and the Prince of Runan beside him.
They followed his gaze—
And instantly stood straight, eyes widening in shock.