The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

At the wharf in Xin'an County, various cargo ships and passenger ships come and go in an endless stream.

The official road at the dock was bustling with trucks and horse-drawn carriages.

The dock and the area opposite it are paved with bluestone slabs, which makes the dock look much cleaner.

This also shows how much importance the county magistrate attached to the dock; just laying these bluestone slabs required a lot of manpower and resources.

But this also shows the importance of this wharf in Xin'an County.

However, the vendors on the opposite side of the dock were only scattered in one place.

Many people come and go, but few stop to buy anything from the vendors' stalls.

Therefore, most vendors can only push their carts back and forth, calling out their wares.

Even so, very few people are buying food.

Compared to the rows of colorful ships on the dock, the stalls opposite were rather uneven and sparse.

Shen Yu'an and the others stood on the platform opposite the dock, watching the various scenes on the dock.

Both of them were very interested in Shen Cao's plan.

Shen Yu'an and Wei Siyu were both very curious about what the so-called 'secret seasoning' Shen Cao mentioned was.

Shen Cao wasn't in a hurry to explain to them.

“I inquired with the county magistrate beforehand, and there are only three large docks like Xin’an County in the entire Great Xia Kingdom. There are also dozens of smaller docks.”

"Moreover, my plan is not limited to the special terrain of the dock. Any place with high traffic is fine."

Shen Cao was referring to the night market culture that was very popular in her previous life; almost every bustling area in every city and town had a night market.

The night market offers a wide variety of snacks and treats.

What Shen Cao wants to do is become the largest supplier of small stalls in the Great Xia Kingdom.

The raw materials can be sourced locally, but the seasonings must be bought from her to make the exact same taste.

Once the deal is done, the money will flow into her pockets like water.

Shen Yu'an had obviously thought of this as well, but he was still a little uneasy about Shen Cao's so-called 'secret seasoning'.

Seeing the worry on their faces, Shen Cao knew they still had concerns.

Their biggest concern was actually the irreplaceable nature of the 'secret seasoning' she mentioned.

“I know your concerns. Give me seven days, and I will dispel all your concerns.”

Shen Yu'an and Wei Siyu looked at each other and then nodded.

They believed that Shen Cao would dispel their concerns.

However, the amount of money involved in this business deal in the early stages was so large that they had to be cautious.

It's not just about being responsible to Shen Cao, but also about being responsible to them.

The group was wandering around the dock when suddenly some officials stopped them.

The official first bowed to Shen Yu'an before revealing his purpose.

"Young Master Shen, Young Master Wei, Miss Shen, the magistrate heard that you have come to the dock today, so it must be because of that matter."

"We have specially prepared a banquet at the county magistrate's residence and would like to invite you all to attend."

As expected, it was the county magistrate. Shen Yu'an and his group had only arrived yesterday and had barely reached the dock today when the magistrate already knew about them.

Shen Cao thought for a moment; more than three months had passed since she told the county magistrate about her plan.

With the year drawing to a close, the county magistrate was indeed anxious about his political achievements.

I heard that next March, the county magistrate will be going to his superiors to give a report on his work.

No wonder he was anxious.

Shen Yu'an and Wei Siyu looked at Shen Cao.

Shen Cao nodded and spoke first, "Please trouble this officer to tell the magistrate that we'll go there after we've finished looking around at the dock."

In the backyard of the Xin'an County government office, in the county magistrate's residence, the county magistrate, who had taken off his official robes and was now dressed in casual clothes, stroked his beard happily after hearing his subordinate's report.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Shen Cao had promised him political achievements, which is why he handled Shen Chen's matter impartially and did not accept money from Li Changquan's father (the person who made things difficult for Shen Chen at the school).

However, he did not expect that Shen Chen was a capable person. Not only did he rank first in the provincial examination, but he was also accepted as a student by Zhou Taishi, a great Confucian scholar of the Great Xia Kingdom.

Moreover, before Shen Chen left, he even wrote himself a letter.

The letter expressed the deep affection between the siblings, and implied that if he made things difficult for his sister, he would make her pay if he ever became an official.

But if he can protect my sister, I will never forget his kindness and will repay him in the future.

Shen Cao had come to the government office a few months ago to tell him about her plan, but there had been no further activity since then.

He was so anxious he was almost on the verge of a breakdown, but he didn't dare go to Shen's restaurant to ask in person, so he could only wait.

About two weeks ago, Shen Cao told him that she had found a few reliable people who could join her in this project.

He had calculated that his money was barely enough for the entire project, but that was all he had, and he dared not take the risk.

Shen Cao was delighted to have found someone who could provide the money.

However, half a month has passed, and the agreed time with Shen Cao has arrived, but his subordinates have not seen Shen Cao contacting anyone.

He thought to himself, "Oh no, this matter will probably have to be postponed indefinitely again."

However, just yesterday, his men said that a caravan of carriages went to Shen's restaurant last night.

Judging from his appearance, he seems to have come from the capital.

He immediately guessed that the people Shen Cao had found were Shen Yu'an and Wei Siyu, after all, the three of them had a close relationship.

His anxiety finally subsided, and he slept the most soundly he had in months.

The next day, he arranged for his men to find the best chef in Xin'an County to cook at his home.

He had heard some of what had happened between Shen Yu'an and his group and Zuixianlou.

Therefore, they naturally did not want to hold a banquet at Zuixianlou.

Moreover, holding a banquet in one's own residence would demonstrate one's sincerity and allow outsiders to see one's relationship with Shen Yu'an and the others.

He naturally liked things that killed multiple birds with one stone.

Wanyue wasn't interested in their banquet, and it was her first time visiting Xin'an County, so that afternoon she had Shen Cao's younger siblings accompany her to explore the surrounding area.

With her two aunts, Lvwu and Lv'e, accompanying her, and with many shadow guards protecting her in secret, Shen Yu'an went with them.

Aunt Lvwu and Aunt Lv'e were also won over by Shen Cao's wontons and spicy hot pot last night, so they took good care of Shen Cao's younger brother and sister.

The group happily went to Stone Village to play.

They didn't finish touring the dock until it was nearly evening.

After leaving the dock, they went to the magistrate's mansion in Xin'an County.

The county magistrate was already waiting at the gate with his family.

His wife was originally unwilling to come, thinking that it was just Shen Cao. It was only after the county magistrate told her that there would be Young Master Shen and Young Master Wei that she agreed.

Their daughter had been eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Her mother and she spent the whole afternoon preparing for today's meeting.

If she could win the favor of either of the two young masters, she would have no worries for the rest of her life.