Chapter 657 An Miaoyi’s plan!

"It's just a small favor, not worth mentioning. Your father's words are too kind..."

Feeling the gratitude in Xiangling's words, Ye Mingsheng smiled and said:

Chen Xiangling pouted slightly at Ye Mingsheng's words, then she hugged Ye Mingsheng's arm and said:
"The last time you left, Brother Ye, my father scolded me and said I didn't know how to entertain guests!"

Jinyu, who was following Ye Mingsheng, saw Chen Xiangling being so close to Ye Mingsheng. She called him "Brother Ye" all the time and looked jealous. She stared at Chen Xiangling's arms as she hugged Ye Mingsheng, as if to hint that Chen Xiangling should not get too close to Ye Mingsheng.

However, at this moment, Chen Xiangling's attention was all focused on Ye Mingsheng, and she had no time to pay attention to Jinyu's hints.

Feeling the youthful vitality of Chen Xiangling, Ye Mingsheng seemed to be infected and said with a smile:

"There's really no need to do this. It's rare for Ye to find a place that suits his heart, so I will naturally not let you be bullied by those scoundrels!"

Although Ye Mingsheng repeatedly said that this was not necessary, Chen Xiangling was unwilling to let Ye Mingsheng go. After thinking for a moment, she seemed to have thought of something and said to Ye Mingsheng:
"Brother Ye, I have just learned a new delicacy. Let me treat you to a meal! It's the most suitable time to eat this kind of delicacy in such a cold weather!"

Ye Mingsheng wanted to refuse Chen Xiangling’s words and leave, but Chen Xiangling refused to let go. They were deadlocked at the door. Other guests were already looking at him. Ye Mingsheng was a little worried that he would be recognized and would not be able to enjoy this peaceful incognito visit in the future. So Ye Mingsheng hesitated for a moment, and accepted Xiangling’s invitation and came to the inside of the teahouse...
Seeing that Ye Mingsheng really accepted the invitation of the little girl in front of him, Jinyu, who was already a little jealous, was even more jealous. She really didn't understand how this yellow-haired girl in front of her, who had no X or T, could hold her husband. Thinking of this, Jinyu couldn't help but hug Ye Mingsheng's arm tightly, rubbed Ye Mingsheng's arm with her plump breasts, and whispered coquettishly:
"Husband, my sisters are still waiting for us to return home!"

Ye Mingsheng patted her hands gently upon hearing this, signaling her to be patient. At this moment, Xiangling took out the mysterious food she had prepared, and placed it in front of Ye Mingsheng like a treasure, and introduced it to him happily:
"Brother Ye, this is the hot pot that came from the Governor's Mansion! It is said that Marshal Ye and his wives love it very much!"

Looking at the copper pot in front of him, Ye Mingsheng nodded with interest. Ever since he brought hot pot into this world, although the chefs in the Governor's Mansion tried their best to make the hot pot more delicious, Ye Mingsheng always felt that it was still a little lacking.

Although he didn't know how Xiangling knew about the existence of hot pot, seeing Chen Xiangling's serious look, Ye Mingsheng really wanted to taste what her hot pot tasted like!
Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng sat down and said:
"In that case, Ye will respectfully obey your orders!"

Chen Xiangling said very happily after hearing Ye Mingsheng's words, because her smile revealed two dimples on her fair and delicate face, which was very cute.

“Today, let Brother Ye taste Xiangling’s cooking skills…”

As soon as Xiangling finished speaking, she went to prepare vegetables and meat for the hot pot. Seeing that Ye Mingsheng was going to eat here, Ye Kui, who was in charge of the guard, showed some hesitation in his eyes. He was hesitating whether to speak to Ye Mingsheng. However, just when he was about to speak, he saw that Ye Mingsheng was very interested. Seeing this, Ye Kui completely gave up this plan and turned to give orders to his subordinates beside him.

In addition to Ye Kui, Jinyu on the side also had a somewhat stiff expression. Although she was a little jealous and didn't want to stay here with Ye Mingsheng, she was born as a maid and had learned a skill at a very young age - observing people's words and expressions.

From Ye Mingsheng's expression, she could naturally tell that Ye Mingsheng was in a very good mood. If she ruined Ye Mingsheng's interest now, she would most likely never be taken out by Ye Mingsheng in the future. Although Jinyu felt a little jealous when she thought of this, she did not dare to continue to act rashly. She could only sit quietly beside Ye Mingsheng, feeling secretly sour in her heart.

I have to say that Xiangling was very fast. In just about an incense stick of time, she had brought up all the ingredients needed for the hot pot.

There were cabbage, vermicelli, frozen tofu, coriander, radish, mutton and so on. In addition, there were several side dishes, such as crispy pork, four-happiness meatballs, stir-fried shrimps and so on. Although the dishes were all home-cooked dishes and nothing special, they were all delicious and tasty. Just looking at them made Ye Mingsheng's appetite growl. What caught Ye Mingsheng's attention the most was the dish of hot pot sauce and the fragrant soup in the copper pot··························

Smelling the tempting aroma of the sauce, Ye Mingsheng's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, and he immediately said to Xiangling:

"Did you get this from the Governor's Mansion?"

Xiangling shook her head and said:

"I felt that the sauce and soup base of the Governor's Mansion were not very tasty, so I only used the peanut butter and sesame paste in it, and added some seasonings that I researched myself!"

After saying this, Xiangling saw the mutton slices in the copper pot floating up with steam, emitting a real meaty aroma. She immediately used a strainer to scoop a bowl of mutton from the pot for Ye Mingsheng, and pushed it in front of Ye Mingsheng along with the sauce, and said to him expectantly:
"Brother Ye, try it and see if it tastes good!"

Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng did not hesitate. He picked up the mutton with chopsticks, dipped it in the sauce and started to eat it with relish. After taking the first bite, Ye Mingsheng's expression changed slightly.

The quality of the mutton in Xiangling's hotpot is largely determined by the quality of the mutton. Although the mutton in Xiangling's hotpot is of good quality, it is still not as good as the mutton that Dadongsheng specially provides for her. However, the rich soup base greatly enhances the taste of the mutton.

Finally, I have to say that the sauce made by Xiangling was really delicious to Ye Mingsheng, which was much better than the ones made by the chefs in his house. It satisfied his last requirement for hot pot in this world. Looking at Ye Mingsheng who was eating with relish, the smile on Xiangling's face became even brighter·······················
After an incense stick of time, with Xiangling watching him off, Ye Mingsheng got on the carriage back home. He closed his eyes and pondered for a while in the carriage. Ye Mingsheng took out a note from his arms. Looking at the girl's delicate handwriting on the note, a faint smile appeared on Ye Mingsheng's face unconsciously. This silly girl, seeing that he liked this sauce and soup base, gave him the recipe!
Those restaurants all hide their secret recipes as if they were their lifeblood, and pass them down from sons to daughters, and they make a living from generation to generation. It is harder to ask for their secret recipe than to ask for their life!
Doesn't she know that if she opens a hotpot restaurant using these two recipes, business will most likely be booming?

Wouldn’t it be possible to spend all the money I earn in a lifetime?

Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng smiled and shook his head. After a moment of silence, Ye Mingsheng asked outside the carriage:

"Ye Kui, do you know how much money it costs to open a two-story restaurant in the best location in Yijing?"

Although he was a little surprised that Ye Mingsheng would ask this, Ye Kui thought about it and replied:

“I don’t know much about this situation, Marshal, but it is said that Ye Cheng’s cousin partnered with someone to open a restaurant on Mingxuan Street. They couldn’t afford to buy the shop, so they rented it for five years and spent a full five hundred taels of silver. Later, they renovated it and hired a master to be the shopkeeper, which cost several hundred taels of silver. In total, they spent more than a thousand taels of silver to open the restaurant…”

After hearing Ye Kui's introduction, Ye Mingsheng nodded and said:
"Go find Hong Sheng tomorrow and ask him to send someone to talk to Chen Qingshu about cooperation. Don't offer too good conditions, so as not to arouse Chen Qingshu's suspicion, but you must help that little girl open this restaurant!"

Just now while they were having dinner, Ye Mingsheng saw that Xiangling made such delicious hot pot, so he casually asked Xiangling if she had any ideas of opening a restaurant.

In response to Ye Mingsheng's question, Chen Xiangling, who was originally very happy, fell silent and quickly changed the subject. Although she did not say anything, Ye Mingsheng saw a hint of desire in her eyes. During the conversation, this simple-minded girl told Ye Mingsheng that her biggest dream was to cook the best dishes in the world and let more people taste her dishes.

Although he didn't know the reason, Ye Mingsheng planned to help her realize her wish step by step. The first step was to open a restaurant of her own.

Although Ye Mingsheng helped Xiangling largely because he liked this energetic girl, he also had an expectation for himself.

The current social atmosphere in this era is not very friendly to women. Many people believe that women are virtuous without talent. The reforms that Ye Mingsheng wants to promote are not only reforms in productivity, but also reforms in social atmosphere. A great man once said that women hold up half the sky.

In the great development of the future, productivity will always be in short supply, so Ye Mingsheng wants to liberate productivity and create some jobs for women. On the one hand, it can make up for the lack of productivity, and on the other hand, it can allow them to realize their own value and experience the difficulties of men working hard outside.

At present, under the instruction of Ye Mingsheng, some weaving factories of the Second Manufacturing Bureau have already recruited thousands of female workers, and plan to recruit more female workers in the future, but this is not enough! So if possible, Ye Mingsheng hopes to use Xiangling as an opportunity to guide the development and progress of society!
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Governor's Office,
While Ye Mingsheng was eating, drinking and having fun outside the mansion, An Miaoyi, the hostess, was telling the story from Nanny Liu in the mansion.

"Lord Cui asked me to tell Madam that Murong Hui will most likely be transferred to Jiyu and take over the post of the Vice-Minister of the Censorate. In addition, Murong Yuliang's eldest son Murong Zhe will serve as the experience officer of the Provincial Administration Office, and his second son Murong Shengwu will join Ye Tie's Fifth Division as the commander. As for Murong Yuliang himself, his position is also very stable. The Marshal still trusts him very much, and he is likely to let him take over as the Governor of Jiyu!"

An Miaoyi, who was originally resting with her eyes closed, couldn't help but open her eyes after hearing these words. Ever since she realized that the last time she and Cui Shao contacted each other in the mansion was likely known to Ye Mingsheng, An Miaoyi never dared to meet Cui Shao privately again.

Even when Ye Mingsheng was leading his troops away on Cui Shao's birthday three months ago, An Miaoyi accompanied Ye Cui to Cui's house to celebrate his birthday, but An Miaoyi did not take this opportunity to communicate with Cui Shao in private.

Although they did not meet and communicate in private, because An Miaoyi and the Cui family and even the entire Liaoyang faction had a relationship of shared prosperity and adversity, the communication between the two sides continued. Because writing letters was likely to give away evidence, both parties adopted the method of sending people to deliver messages...

Because the person responsible for delivering messages will know a lot of secrets, absolute trust is required. An Miaoyi originally wanted Qiqige to take on this task. However, because everyone knew that Qiqige was her confidant and Qiqige had great ambitions, and many people were secretly watching Qiqige, An Miaoyi also found this Aunt Liu to make the contact in order to act secretly.

After hearing what Nanny Liu said, An Miaoyi said nothing, but she was filled with disappointment in her heart.

Although the Governor's Mansion seemed calm on the surface during this period, there were actually undercurrents, and An Miaoyi had been quietly preparing.

Because Murong Lun completely surrendered to the Luoan court and kicked Murong Yuliang, who had surrendered to Ye Mingsheng, out of the Murong family, An Miaoyi also felt that the opportunity to completely defeat Murong Qingwu had come. If she wanted to completely defeat Murong Qingwu, the first step was to eliminate Murong Qingwu's base in the Fengwu Army.

As for Murong Qingwu's base, it is naturally her father and brother. The first one is Murong Yuliang, who served as the governor of Liaoyang, and the second one is Murong Hui, who previously served as the assistant of Youyan Anchasi!

An Miaoyi first contacted Cui Shao, and the two sides jointly planned the first step, which was to use Murong Lun’s accusations against Ye Mingsheng to try to direct the Fengwu Army’s spearhead at the entire Murong family, making Murong Yuliang, Murong Qingwu, Murong Hui and others unpopular inside and outside, and becoming the outliers in the Fengwu Army·································

(End of this chapter)