Traveling back to ancient times to get rich

These ten secret guards have always remained hidden in the shadows, silently protecting their master and important secrets. However, today, they made a surprising decision—to adopt new titles based on their individual names.

Among them, the guard originally called "Shadow One" renamed himself "Ye Xinjia," meaning the hopeful and vibrant light at dawn; while "Shadow Two" changed his name to "Ye Xinyi," symbolizing a fresh start; "Shadow Three" became "Ye Xinbing," as if the gentle breeze could blow away all the gloom... In this way, each guard gave himself a unique and meaningful new name based on his own characteristics or his aspirations.

Now, they were no longer hidden in the shadows, unknown to anyone, but truly standing in the sunlight. The brilliant light shone upon them, illuminating their faces that had once been concealed in darkness. Their faces beamed with uncontainable joy, and their eyes glistened with tears of excitement. For they knew all too well that their lives as bodyguards had previously been shrouded in darkness, a constant struggle between darkness and danger, living like soulless shadows. But from this day forward, everything would change completely!

From now on, they will no longer have to live in fear and squalor. They can walk openly in the world, enjoy the sunshine, and feel the breath of freedom. This transformation is not just a change in identity for them, but a rebirth, a courageous fight against fate.

And so, the ten people embarked on their journeys to different cities. Upon arrival at their destinations, they all strictly followed Ye Qingchen's instructions. Although they did not choose those large-scale areas, they discerningly selected extremely bustling and prosperous neighborhoods.

On their opening day, to attract customers, the owners personally led their staff in a flurry of activity. They placed the stove in the center, lit the charcoal fire, and meticulously prepared a pot of fragrant and delicious hot pot. Afterwards, they leisurely sat around the stove with their staff, savoring the meal at a relaxed pace. The rich aroma seemed to have wings, wafting through several streets. Passersby, drawn by the enticing scent, followed the aroma, their mouths watering, eager to try this legendary hot pot.

However, the owners remained calm in the face of the surging crowd. One of them smiled and explained, "We apologize, but our space is limited, so the number of hot pots we can serve each day is also limited. We can only make 20 pots at noon and 20 pots in the evening. Therefore, please don't wait here; just take a number and wait for our call." Although some diners were slightly disappointed, they readily accepted the arrangement upon hearing that they still had a chance to try the food.

This hot pot was shockingly expensive, costing a full fifty taels of silver! However, despite the exorbitant price, it contained an incredibly rich variety of ingredients, including tender and juicy meats, fresh and vibrant vegetables, and fine, fragrant wine. Unlike other restaurants, however, there was no option to choose the ingredients; all the combinations were pre-arranged by the owner. Even so, this hot pot restaurant became a symbol of status in the area. Anyone with enough money would try their best to patronize it.

Ye Xingui, the incarnation of Ying Shi, opened this branch in the capital, which was highly favored by the powerful and wealthy. He ingeniously decorated the store with a strong cultural atmosphere, with antique tables and chairs, exquisite calligraphy and paintings, and elegant screens, all exuding a rich scholarly ambiance. In addition, Ye Xingui cleverly added a poetry competition area for literati to exchange ideas, which undoubtedly attracted many scholars and made the store famous overnight.

Even the Crown Prince and other princes, upon hearing of this, couldn't contain their curiosity and flocked to the restaurant to sample its unique and delicious hot pot. In no time, the hot pot restaurant became incredibly popular, the talk of the town in the capital.

A week later, everyone replied, saying the hot pot business was booming, incredibly popular from the very first day, with people lining up to eat. On the third day, someone, envious of the business, tried to imitate it, but the taste was never quite right. Not only did they fail to attract customers, but they almost had their shop vandalized. They had to lower their prices, creating a more affordable version of hot pot, but they barely made any money each day; it was just a small-scale operation and couldn't possibly compete with their business. A week later, their hot pot had a waiting list stretching a year into the future. Even with this methodical approach, they weren't worried about sales for the entire year. With a daily income of 2000 taels and a net profit of approximately 1800 taels, they earned two taels of silver in just one week—two taels in seven days across ten stores.

Looking at the outstanding results before her, Ye Qingchen felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction and accomplishment welling up inside her. Her bright, star-like eyes sparkled with joy, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing a gratified smile.

That's why Ye Qingchen didn't hesitate to approach Gu Changfeng again and request 10 more bodyguards. This time, she had an even grander plan: to further expand and strengthen her hot pot business.

When running her hot pot business, Ye Qingchen adopted a unique strategy. Unlike other restaurants that offer à la carte options, she didn't provide customers with the opportunity to personalize their choices of ingredients and flavors, instead sticking to a few classic tastes. This wasn't because she lacked innovation or was unwilling to cater to customer needs; on the contrary, it was a shrewd move born of careful consideration.

Ye Qingchen knew that if customers were allowed to freely choose their ingredients and seasonings, the hot pot flavors from each shop would vary greatly, affecting the brand's consistency and stability. Moreover, this approach would increase operating costs and management complexity. However, if she could fix the flavor and provide a standardized recipe, anyone with her recipe could easily open a shop and guarantee consistent quality.

Of course, Ye Qingchen had absolute confidence in the taste of her cooking. She firmly believed that no one, not even the most experienced and skilled chefs, could surpass the deliciousness of her creations. This confidence was not blind arrogance, but rather stemmed from her years of love and dedication to cooking, as well as the valuable experience accumulated through countless trials and improvements.

The hot pot business is quite profitable, but she didn't just think about that one business. She had given the floral water she made before to Bai Zhi and Fu Ling, asking them to make some every day and then find a kiln to fire some small porcelain bottles, each containing about 50ml of liquid. She would then sell them for 5 taels of silver. It was up to the cosmetics shops to decide how much to sell it for, but now she was selling it all over the country. In the house in the town, no one knew it belonged to Ye Qingchen.