What's wrong with me, a powerful minister, supporting a few female officials?

Chapter 146 The Empress is sleeping at the Su residence!

The dishes Su Mo ordered were served quickly.

Inside the small kitchen, Jiang Lan personally took charge of the cooking, using a high-powered stove that produced a wonderfully smoky flavor.

The menu is limited to eight dishes and one soup, but the portions are generous.

Large quantities give customers the feeling that they are getting good value for their money.

In a world where food is extremely precious, this is even more likely to attract repeat customers!
Regarding the prices of Baiyujing's dishes.

The labor and material costs are negligible.

The profit from reducing portion sizes is negligible, unless you deliberately force customers to order more dishes.

But that would be like turning away customers!
The biggest cost for restaurants in later generations—rent—was completely eliminated.

Taxes need not be mentioned.

The Great Wu Dynasty's commercial tax was one-thirtieth, making it a paradise that every capitalist could only dream of.

The tax rate is not high, but other shops have a huge hidden expense—protection fees.

There are numerous entities that collect protection fees.

Thugs, gangsters, clerks in government offices, and even the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

Baiyujing does not have this problem for the time being.

It can be said that for a dish priced at one or two taels of silver, nine hundred coins are for technical and technological expenses!

Several waitresses, carrying trays, entered the private room in an orderly fashion.

Zhang Xuzu, Li You, and Wen Bi, who were inexperienced in the ways of the world, couldn't help but swallow hard.

It smells so good!
The aroma of stir-frying is incomparable to dishes like boiled meat with added spices.

Even the aloof Commander Fengming Si instinctively sniffed!

Leng Liuxi had long been craving braised sea cucumber.

He immediately picked up the sea cucumber and took a small bite.

Then, a look of astonishment crossed his face: "This... sea cucumber, why does it taste so much better?"

"In just one month, Jiang Lan's skills have surpassed yours?"

Su Mo casually replied, "That's not it..."

The Empress frowned slightly: "That's because... you didn't put your heart into it last time?"

Su Mo was speechless: "Lord Leng, can you please stop being so scheming? It's exhausting to live like this!"

High-ranking official...

Zhang Xuzu...

What does it mean to court death? This is what it means to court death!

Does this mean that the Empress was a treacherous and cunning person?

Su Mo explained, "The ingredients were incomplete last time."

"Of course, Jiang Lan's cooking skills have indeed improved quite quickly. In a few more days, I will certainly be inferior to her!"

Leng Liuxi was then relieved.

Seeing that no one else was eating, he laughed and asked, "Why aren't you eating?"

"Try this sea cucumber, it tastes really good!"

Only then did Gao Lengqianhu pick up his chopsticks and put a sea cucumber into his bowl.

Then I took a small bite.

An unprecedented, indescribable freshness exploded in my mouth in an instant!
The aloof Qianhu stared wide-eyed at Su Mo in shock!

No wonder His Majesty couldn't forget him and came to support his restaurant!
No wonder Su Mo was so arrogant, daring to name the restaurant Baiyujing and compare the food there to celestial cuisine!
This braised sea cucumber is a taste beyond human comprehension!
The maidservant taught by Su Mo, with such skills, is still inferior to Su Mo himself?
How high is Su Mo's culinary skill?
Zhang Xuzu, Li You, and Wen Bi.

They were also petrified!
Faced with this incredibly delicious braised sea cucumber.

The so-called delicacies they used to eat were worse than pork!
After a long pause, Zhang Xuzu took a deep breath and stared at Su Mo in shock: "Officer Su, this braised sea cucumber costs seven taels?"

Su Mo nodded: "Yes!"

"This is seafood, and it has nourishing and beautifying effects."

“Beijing is not near the sea, and the goods have to be transported over a thousand miles away, which is quite expensive, so the price is naturally not cheap.”

Zhang Xuzu remained silent for a long time, took a deep breath, and finally spoke: "Seven taels of braised sea cucumber, and this is the taste of a god."

"That braised two-headed abalone worth fifteen taels?"

Su Mo smiled and said, "The taste is about the same, I just wanted to try something new."

Abalone is the same as croaker.

It has been a prized item since ancient times, and its price is quite high.

Two-headed abalone has been hyped up to exorbitant prices in later generations.

Su Mo would not set the price too low.

The key is.

Of the seafood that my third uncle sent, dried abalone was the most abundant.

They basically emptied Taihe County of all the dried abalone they had accumulated in recent years.

Higher prices mean higher profits!

It's impossible for the stock to sell out in just one or two months!
To everyone's astonishment, they then sampled other dishes.

have nothing to say.

In any case, they were all delicacies they had never tasted in their entire lives!

What shocked everyone the most was...

Even the ordinary boiled cabbage tasted several times better than the cabbage they usually ate!
The same goes for tofu and fish head soup!
Leng Liuxi and Gao Lengqianhu finally believed Su Mo's boast that the restaurant would make ten thousand taels of profit in a year!

This meal alone costs twenty taels of silver!
Even though their stomachs were already bloated, they still wanted to eat!
……

The first group of diners who entered the restaurant felt both cheated and not cheated.

As if they'd tricked me, they actually served each table a plate of stir-fried vegetables and half a bottle of aged liquor.

It's not exactly a scam. The stir-fried dish they gave us was only enough for two people, and the bottle of Chenjia wine was small and exquisite. They only gave it to people who needed to be at least four people per table.

and.

The brochure handed to me by the waiter listed dishes that were ridiculously expensive!
The most expensive is three taels of silver per dish!
Of course, those who dare to enter such a grand restaurant must have some status or a bit of money.

Even if someone were to receive something from a poor family, they wouldn't dare step into a restaurant!
This is being watched by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

If you're tempted by cheap prices, you'll only realize you've been scammed once you enter the restaurant, and you might end up losing everything.
Ordinary people, who lack the ability to withstand risks, live more cautiously than anyone else!
Feeling cheated, the diners could only grit their teeth and order a few cheap dishes.

A few dozen coins would be enough to afford it.

With so many people watching, it's impossible for four people to just order four bowls of white rice and a plate of stir-fried vegetables that come with it, right?
And once I started eating it, holy crap, I couldn't stop!
Those watching from outside saw that many people had already gone inside, but there was no commotion inside.

Thinking about it, it probably isn't a scam!

The problem is, half an hour has passed, and no one has come out yet?
If we don't go in now, the drinks and stir-fries will be served out, and we'll be losing out big time!

Many onlookers finally couldn't resist and entered the restaurant in twos and threes.

Then, it turned out that even more people seemed to have been scammed!
The money bag bled profusely.

It was absolutely delicious!

It's so addictive!

Just as everyone was marveling at it.

Several men dressed in fine clothes, who appeared to be of high status, came down from upstairs.

As he walked, he exclaimed loudly, "This is absolutely delicious! No wonder it costs five taels of silver for a plate of braised lamb chops!"

"Braised sea cucumber is even more amazing; it's nourishing, beautifying, and can even enhance a man's sexual performance!"

"I'm bursting with energy right now, I'm off to the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion to show those sluts what I'm capable of!"

"And there's the braised yellow croaker. It's an ordinary yellow croaker, yet it's made to taste so good. It's truly heavenly cuisine!"

Just as the men in fine clothes were discussing this...

In the main hall, a burly man suddenly frowned and asked, "Zhang Hu... Brother, what kind of food are you talking about?" "How come the menu the waiter gave me doesn't include the dishes you mentioned?"

"Especially that sea cucumber, which boosts a man's virility!"

With that, he let out a heavy snort: "Do you look down on us?"

A heavy money bag slammed onto the table with a clatter: "This family has plenty of silver!"

This commotion instantly attracted the attention of many diners in the lobby!

The man in fine clothes chuckled: "Brother, please don't misunderstand!"

"The food we are talking about is dishes personally cooked by the restaurant owner."

"However, the owner has limited manpower and the prices are quite high, so those dishes are not available to the public."

The burly man's temper subsided slightly: "I'm not afraid of expensive food and wine, I'm only afraid of not eating well!"

"Tell me, how can I possibly enjoy the delicacies personally cooked by the Master?"

The richly dressed man smiled, took out a copper square, showed it to everyone, and said proudly, "This is a Baiyujing membership card. You need to deposit one hundred taels of silver to obtain it!"

"With this card, you can order those kinds of dishes and enjoy a 10% discount!"

Upon hearing this, the burly man was immediately taken aback: "You need to deposit a hundred taels of silver to get it?"

The man in fine clothes smiled and said, "Only a hundred taels, not much at all!"

He paused, then sighed and said, "I've also heard that Baiyujing offers silver and gold VIP cards, which offer discounts of 80% and 70%!"

"Unfortunately, this requires a certain identity and verification by the restaurant before it can be issued!"

He paused slightly, then asked with a look of envy, "Do you know Zhang Yanei from the Duke of Ningguo's mansion?"

"They are the nobles who cut the ribbon at the restaurant earlier."

"He has a Supreme Gold VIP Card in his hand!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the restaurant...

I gasped in shock!
The burly man exclaimed in surprise, then asked, "May I ask, sir, where can I obtain this membership card?"

"...I also want to try that nourishing and beautifying braised sea cucumber!"

Upon hearing this, the diners immediately showed expressions of disdain.

Is this for nourishing and beautifying the skin?

We don't want to expose you!
But contempt is one thing.

Everyone perked up their ears!

The man in fine clothes laughed and said, "That's easy. Just go to the restaurant manager, register, and collect your order."

"However, if the credit on the membership card is used up, it needs to be topped up again, otherwise the card will be taken back."

The burly man cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your guidance, brother."

"I'll go find the shopkeeper right away!"

The diners in the restaurant watched with envy as the man strode away.

He's no good in that area, but he's rich!
One hundred taels of silver!
They can't afford these membership cards, but that doesn't stop them from bragging about it to others when they get back!

……

After the Empress had eaten and drunk her fill, and Zhang Xuzu tactfully took his leave, she did not mention leaving. Instead, she said casually, "I feel a little tired this afternoon. Would you be so kind as to arrange a room for me to rest for a while, Mr. Su?"

Upon hearing this, the aloof Qianhu was immediately taken aback.

Why hasn't the Empress returned to the palace yet?

Su Mo frowned in surprise and looked at Leng Liuxi: "Lord Leng, this... isn't very convenient?"

Leng Liuxi smiled and said, "There's no inconvenience at all."

"Don't forget, the Phoenix Cry Division owns half of Baiyujing."

"I must stay and see the details of today's business?"

She turned to look at the aloof commander: "My lord, don't you think so?"

High-ranking official...

What could she say?

He could only nod and say coldly, "Commander Leng is right!"

"Officer Su, go and arrange two rooms. I and Commander Leng will rest here for a while."

Su Mo was speechless.

However, it's normal for the aloof Qianhu and Leng Xixi to stay.

The restaurant is on its first day of business, and things look pretty good. Shouldn't we take a look at the accounts?
I'm afraid I might tamper with it!

But it's not that Su Mo looks down on them.

The ancient accounting methods were still at a rudimentary level, where every debit had a corresponding credit and the total debits and credits had to equal the total credits.

Doing the accounting myself is so easy, it'll make them regret it!

Of course, the worst-case scenario is that Fengming Si is unreasonable.

Feeling that the profit-sharing figures were wrong, he simply cut himself in two!

This is a five-courtyard mansion.

The first courtyard is for shops, and the second courtyard is reserved for shops.

However, the last three courtyards are still very large, with numerous side rooms and guest rooms.

With insufficient manpower under his command, Su Mo had to personally lead Leng Liuxi and Gao Lengqianhu to the back residence to find two guest rooms and settle them down.

He then hurriedly ran back to the restaurant.

On the first day of opening for business, the staff and other personnel lacked experience, so there were bound to be many problems.

It's no surprise that the behind-the-scenes boss is involved!

But Su Mo didn't know that.

I had just left.

Shortly after, the Empress appeared in his study.

Then, with practiced ease, he pulled out Su Mo's secret little diary from a hidden compartment on the bookshelf!
"Hmph! You even know how to hide! You've gotten smarter!"

The booklet contained a guiding incense stick. Even if it were placed in a hidden compartment or under Su Mo's bed, the Empress could easily find it!

The empress opened the booklet and took a look.

I discovered that Su Mo has written a new poem in his signature dog-paw font. It looks grand and magnificent, with extraordinary momentum. It's another masterpiece to be passed down through the ages!

After admiring the image for a moment, the Empress turned to the page showing the reconstruction of the Eight-Ox Crossbow.

Sure enough, the restored image has changed slightly!
However, the Empress frowned and pondered for a moment.

Unexpectedly, this change had no effect.

Forget it.

Su Mo is still having that craftsman make the Divine Arm Bow.

Clearly, he was still determined to manufacture weapons and advance his career.

I will definitely build this Eight-Ox Crossbow in the future!
Leng Liuxi really didn't believe it.

Under Su Mo's guidance, an ordinary blacksmith from the Embroidered Uniform Guard's craftsmanship camp was able to create a genuine eight-ox crossbow!

Even the most skilled craftsmen and sorcerers in Fengming Division are no match for him!

Leng Liuxi carefully put the book back in its original place, leaving no trace.

Suddenly, he frowned.

He quickly slipped away from the study.

A tall figure gracefully vaulted over the courtyard wall and leaped into the backyard, hiding himself furtively and looking around.

I'm begging for your monthly votes!!

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(End of this chapter)