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Huo Haochu only accepted one thousand taels symbolically.

He handed the remaining banknotes back to Shen Qingjiao and said calmly, "I will only take the portion that I deserve."

Shen Qingjiao wanted to persuade him to accept all the money, but after Huo Haochu realized her intention, he spoke in a deep voice with a hint of coldness in his tone.

"If your Majesty disagrees, I will no longer interfere in the restaurant's affairs. Please seek other wise advice."

Shen Qingjiao shook her head and laughed.

This man successfully grasped her weakness. If she "forced" him again, he might get angry and give up.

In this case, she couldn't force him any more.

Shen Qingjiao pondered and said, "I understand. As for the remaining money, please find a good place for me, and use the money to open a branch of Zuixianlou."

Huo Haochu thought for a moment and asked tentatively, "How many branches do you plan to open in Beijing?"

Shen Qingjiao replied, "We only plan to open one branch. After all, things are valuable because they are rare. If we open too many branches, people will not be interested in them anymore, and Zuixianlou's reputation will drop."

"Okay, I understand. The current Zuixianlou is located in the east of the capital. I plan to open a branch in the west of the capital. What do you think, Your Majesty?" Huo Haochu asked.

Shen Qingjiao smiled lightly, "General, I am naturally relieved when you do things. Just let the general decide these matters. You don't need to ask for my opinion on everything."

"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty." Huo Haochu curled the corners of his lips slightly, indicating that he was in a very good mood at the moment.

Shen Qingjiao added, "Also, the restaurant's good business is also inseparable from the efforts of the shopkeeper and others. Please notify the general that starting from next month, everyone's monthly salary will be increased."

"The monthly salary of the shopkeeper has been raised to 50 taels of silver, the monthly salary of the cook has been raised to 45 taels, and the monthly salary of the other employees has been raised to 30 taels. Tell everyone that as long as they work hard, their monthly salary can continue to increase."

Huo Haochu nodded approvingly.

Nowadays, a manager of a medium-sized restaurant can earn twenty to twenty-five taels of silver per month.

The queen was generous and raised the shopkeeper's salary to fifty taels, which was enough to make him stay and work in the restaurant wholeheartedly.

Except for the shopkeeper, the monthly wages of other people are twice what other restaurants offer. In this way, everyone can work with peace of mind and ensure the stable operation of the restaurant.

Maintaining stable operations is an important secret to a restaurant's long-term prosperity.

Then, Shen Qingjiao told her next plan.

"Zuixianlou has been a great success. I plan to contact my grandmother's family and ask them if they are willing to open a restaurant in Yong'an City. I will write a letter home and ask the general to help deliver it to my grandmother's house."

Yong'an City, adjacent to the capital, is the second largest capital city after the capital.

The original owner's grandmother's family was a well-known wealthy businessman in Yong'an, with excellent business skills and great wealth.

Shen Qingjiao thought that with the example of Zuixianlou, her grandmother's family would probably also be interested in running a restaurant.

At that time, she will provide the menu and her grandmother's family will be responsible for the daily operation of the restaurant. Even if they split the profits 50-50, the income will definitely be considerable.

"Okay, I will send a trusted person to deliver the letter." Huo Haochu agreed without hesitation.

The main business had been settled and Huo Haochu was ready to leave. Shen Qingjiao ordered Zhu Ling to get the pickled cucumbers and radishes she had made and give them to Huo Haochu.

"This is the best side dish to go with rice. Please don't refuse, General."

Huo Haochu accepted it readily.

Half a month later, the neighboring country of the Celestial Empire, the Western Rong Kingdom, sent envoys to visit.

A banquet was held in the palace to entertain them.

As a noble concubine in the palace, Shen Qingjiao had to accompany the emperor.

Since the Queen had been demoted to Concubine Jing by the Emperor, the highest-ranking concubine in the palace was Concubine Shen Qingjiao.

Therefore, at the banquet, her seat was closest to the emperor.

At this moment, the envoy had not yet arrived at the banquet hall and the banquet had not yet officially begun. Shen Qingjiao took this opportunity to inquire about the general situation of the Xirong Kingdom from the system.

The Western Rong Kingdom was located in the northwest of the Celestial Empire. Although the relationship between the Western Rong and the Celestial Empire seemed calm on the surface, there were actually undercurrents and frictions on the border from time to time.

Just at the end of last year, the Western Rong sent troops to raid a small border town west of the Celestial Empire.

Fortunately, the Huo family army guarding the northwest border noticed the situation in time and immediately sent troops to expel the Western Rong army, so that the small border town was spared from the war.

The reason why the Xirong is so arrogant is also related to the Xirong King's vigorous expansion in recent years.

Under the leadership of the King of Western Rong, the Western Rong Kingdom sent troops many times, successfully conquered more than 20 small countries nearby, and successfully controlled most of the Western Regions.

This time, the leader of the Xirong envoy team was Helian Yu, the third son of the Xirong King.

It is said that the King of Xirong had eight sons in total.

The one whom the King of Xirong loved the most was his third son, Helian Yu.

Helian Yu's mother was a woman from the Central Plains, so Helian Yu has been very interested in Central Plains culture since he was a child.

When the King of Xirong learned about this, instead of getting angry, he spent a large sum of money to invite a great scholar from the Central Plains to teach his third son the traditional culture of the Central Plains.

At this moment, the eunuch's sharp shouts were heard at the palace gate.

"The third prince of Xirong has arrived—"

The hall immediately became quiet, and everyone focused their attention on the entrance.

The leader was a man wearing foreign clothing.

He was tall and strong, with a high nose, deep eyes, light grey pupils, and strong facial features. He was indeed a man of good looks.

"Helian Yu of Xirong State pays respect to His Majesty."

The man bowed and saluted, his voice was loud and clear, his smile was bright, and he had the unique heroism and bravery of the grassland people.

"No need to be so polite, Third Prince. Please take a seat." Ye Junhong said with a smile.

Not long after sitting down, Helian Yu looked up at Ye Junhong with a gleam in his eyes.

"I have been studying the culture of the Central Plains since I was young. Today I have come to this precious place and hope to exchange ideas and learn with you."

Ye Junhong raised his eyebrows and asked calmly, "How does the Third Prince plan to spar?"

Helian Yulang smiled and said, "I am not talented, but I have a few questions to test everyone here."

"Please speak." Ye Junhong looked calm and confident.

The Celestial Empire is full of talented people, and the civil servants all have unique attainments in literature, are well-versed in classics and have extensive knowledge.

He believed that no matter what questions Helian Yu asked, the officials would be able to answer them accurately.

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Helian Yu stood up and spoke in a clear voice with standard pronunciation, striving to make sure everyone here could hear him.

"Please listen to the question: What kind of people don't take a bath? What kind of melon can't be eaten? What kind of vegetable can't be cooked? What kind of river can't be crossed?"

At first, all the civil and military officials felt that they had a sure victory and were confident.

When they heard the questions raised by Helian Yu, their expressions gradually changed.

What a mess of questions these are.

What kind of people don’t take baths? What kind of melons can’t be eaten?

It's very simple. If a lazy person doesn't take a bath, he will definitely not be able to eat the rotten melon.

As for what dishes are not cooked well???

What a joke! No matter how difficult a dish is to cook, if you cook it for three days and three nights, you don’t have to worry about it not being cooked through.

Also, he asked which river could not be crossed?

The answer is very simple. Of course, a river with strong winds and rough waves cannot be crossed as the boat may capsize easily.

However, none of the officials dared to risk answering, fearing that this was a trap set by the Third Prince.

If they answered incorrectly, not only would they lose face for the Celestial Empire, they might also anger His Majesty and end up with their heads and bodies separated.

For a long time, no one spoke in the hall, and it fell into a strange silence.

Ye Junhong suddenly felt embarrassed.

Although he also felt that the third prince's question was absurd and ridiculous, all the civil and military officials in the court remained silent and no one spoke out to refute it.

Doing so will only embolden the barbarians and destroy the prestige of the Celestial Empire!

When the civil and military officials saw the emperor's gloomy face, they were terrified and lowered their heads, not daring to look at the emperor.

Seeing that the people below were huddled like quails, Ye Junhong's eyes became even colder and he was about to get angry on the spot.

At this moment, a clear and pleasant voice like a spring on a stone sounded from beside him.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to trouble the civil and military officials with such questions. I can easily answer them."

Ye Junhong turned his head and looked.

Shen Qingjiao bowed slightly, spoke in a slow and unhurried tone, with a leisurely attitude, and a noble and generous appearance.

Seeing this, the gloom between Ye Junhong's brows disappeared, the corners of his lips slightly raised, and a gentle smile appeared.

"Okay, the Third Prince's question will be answered by my beloved concubine."