Jiang Kangning was an official, so according to the law he could not be engaged in business. Therefore, Jiang Kangning could only openly assist Jiang Kangchen and Eunuch An, while they were the main responsible persons. But since eunuch An had many responsibilities in the palace, there were many things that were not good for him to step in, so the first person in charge was Jiang Kangchen. In Shao Yunan’s opinion, the Emperor might intend to train Jiang Kangchen into an imperial merchant. 

 

The son of the Marquis of Hengyuan was doing a lot of business, but he didn’t do business for the Emperor. The money he earned was his, except for the taxes he paid each year. But imperial merchants were different. Marquis Hengyuan was already very rich, so it was impossible for the Emperor to give him another business to make money. Jiang Kangchen was Jiang Kangning’s Elder Brother, who was backed by Master Weng. Shao Yunan guessed that this may be the main reason why the Emperor was willing to entrust this matter to Jiang Kangchen.

 

Eunuch An would not stay here for long. After determining the amount of tea and wine in Shao Yunan’s hands, and confirming the amount for the next year, he would return to the capital. Other related matters would be discussed when he returned to the capital with the goods. Shao Yunan and the Emperor’s relationship could be considered cooperative. The Emperor didn’t need to pay Shao Yunan for the goods first, while Shao Yunan would receive 30% of the profit from the sale of the wine and tea. How the rest was distributed was the Emperor’s business, but Jiang Kangchen’s side would certainly not receive any less.  (30%? It’s a really bad deal since SY is the only person putting money in this business, labor, cost of barrels etc. Don’t do business like this in real life) 

 

This time, Shao Yunan was left without even one barrel of wine or kilo of tea, as they were taken away by Eunuch An and Jiang Kangchen. Jiang Kancheng would be in direct contact with Shao Yunan. After the first sale of wine and tea, Jiang Kangchen would send a confidant to Yongxiu County. Later, this confidant would directly contact Shao Yunan and Jiang Kangchen would come in person when necessary. Jiang Kangning was an official, so in order to avoid suspicion, business matters would be handled by him as little as possible in the future. 

 

What Eunuch An wanted to take away was not only tea and wine, but also chrysanthemum tea, jasmine tea, rose tea, and bamboo tea recipes, as well as the manufacturing method for various types of jam, together with the recipes for 200 dishes and two dozen simple desserts. Therefore, when Jiang Kangchen returned to the capital, he would not only open tea shops and fruit wine shops, but also open flower tea shops, jam shops, dessert shops and restaurants. Shao Yunan would get from 10 to 20% of the profit from the sale of the goods in these shops. 

 

Jiang Kangchen signed the contract, including the most profitable tea and wine contract, with Shao Yunan and Shao Yunan asked Wang Shijing to sign it, as well as put his fingerprints on the contract. His actions surprised both Jiang Kangning and Jiang Kangchen, but Shao Yunan just replied that Wang Shijing was the head of their family and the fields and houses of the family were all in his name, so the bulk of their family income would be in Wang Shijing’s name. 

 

Wang Shijing himself did not expect Shao Yunan to do so, but he did not reject it, as he calmly signed his name and pressed his hand print on the deeds. Others may be afraid that he will do something to betray Shao Yunan in the future, but he knows that no matter how many deeds were in his name, it was Shao Yunan who was in charge of their family. Also no matter how much money their family made, it was Shao Yunan who held all the financial power, so Shao Yunan did this as a sign that he liked him and he was happy with it.

 

Eunuch An and Jiang Kangchen were going back to the capital. In addition to the goods they would take away, Shao Yunan also had to prepare some specialties. Using the greenhouse, Shao Yunan took out many vegetables from the space, such as eggplant, cabbage, leek, bean sprouts, white radish, and pumpkin, which Jiang Kangchen and Eunuch An would bring back to the capital to eat. 

 

He packed all these vegetables in wooden boxes and sprinkled some spiritual spring water so they would keep fresh for more than 10 days. The vegetables planted by Wang Shijing in the space were all ready to eat and the tea trees were growing fast. The goat’s milk trees would also bear fruit in half a month at the latest. As for the cucumbers and other western vegetables, they needed to be kept secret and could only be eaten in secret. 

 

In addition to these vegetables, Shao Yunan also packed dried crab feet, peach gelatin, dried mushrooms, fungus, and so on.  Eunuch An and Jiang Kangchen had never seen crab foot and peach gelatin, since people at this time did not know the value of these things. Shao Yunan told the two people about the efficacy of crab feet and peach gelatin, and as soon as they heard it was good for their health, Eunuch An immediately said that he would give it to the Empress which revealed that Empress’ health was not good. 

 

Shao Yunan couldn’t help but be curious. “Is there something wrong with the Empress? The roasted crab legs and peach gelatin are a bit cold. If you have a cold constitution you should not eat much of it.” Eunuch An sighed and said worriedly, “The Empress was injured when he went out with the Emperor in his early years and then he had a miscarriage. After that, his body was not very good. He often has abdominal pain and no one could find out what was wrong. The Emperor and the Empress are very affectionate, so I can’t help but worry about it day and night.”

 

Shao Yunan knew from Jiang Kangning that the Empress was still childless so he asked, “Is that poor health caused by miscarriage or was it left after the injury?” Eunuch An said, “The Empress has been seriously injured several times and was also poisoned once, so his body was already in bad condition. But after the miscarriage, his body grew even worse.”

 

After staying here for seven or eight days and being served with Shao Yunan’s delicacies and desserts every day, Eunuch An no longer avoided speaking of this matter. The most important thing was that Shao Yunan and Wang Shijing’s attitude toward him often made Lord An forget that he was just a eunuch. Although Eunuch An could be regarded as a powerful person in the eyes of others, he was still a castrated man. Other people’s respect for him was also due to his identity, so few people really respected him. 

 

Eunuch An was a person who could see clearly who was sincere or false to him. Shao Yunan’s respect for him was not due to his contempt. While talking to him about small or big matters, he was also never dismissive, but treated him like an ordinary male elder. That’s why Eunuch An was willing to talk to Shao Yunan about these things. 

 

Hearing Eunuch An say so, Shao Yunan secretly thought that there might be some hidden injury that caused the miscarriage. The frequent abdominal pain might also be because the miscarriage was not clean, right? The Empress never had a child, but the Emperor still loved him. This time, the Empress would also be responsible for the tea and wine business. It could be clearly seen that the Emperor loved the Empress very much, since there were also not many people in the Emperor harem. 

 

Eunuch An said, “After we go back, we will let the doctor see if the Empress can take it. If the Empress can eat it and it really has the effect of nourishing the body, in the future we will ask little brother Shao to pay more attention to this crab feet and peach gelatin.” Shao Yunan hurriedly said, “Lord An, don’t say that. It’s just a little crab feet and peach gelatin, not to mention the fact that it’s good for the Empress, the Emperor and lord An should also eat it. I didn’t intend to sell these either. After collecting them, I will just ask Brother Kangchen to send them to you.” 

 

Then Shao Yunan hesitated for a moment. “I have never given birth to a child, but I know that the body needs to be well adjusted before carrying a child, otherwise it’s easy to miscarry. It’s a kind of slippery topic, but if the mother’s body is cold, it’s also not easy to conceive. The Empress has been injured before and I don’t know if his body was well adjusted before he got pregnant.”

 

Shao Yunan was glad that he had experienced the process of his sister-in-law giving birth, otherwise he would not know this. But when he thought that the Empress was a man, he still shivered in his heart, unable to accept it! Eunuch An immediately said, “The Empress’ body has not been well after several injuries. The Empress was also poisoned once and had a hard time after becoming pregnant.” Speaking of this, Eunuch An looked sad.

 

Shao Yunan thought about it and said, “I will make some Guyuan paste for the Empress to eat. If the Empress feels better after eating it, I will make some more and send it over to Brother Kangchen.” Eunuch An’s expression changed immediately. “Guyuan paste?” Shao Yunan said, “It’s a kind of paste that is made from sesame, walnut, red dates, acacia, and white wine to strengthen the elements in the body.” Eunuch An immediately said, “Then write down this recipe and if the Empress feels better we will ask the imperial doctor to make more.”

 

Shao Yunan said, “Yes. But this  Guyuan paste might sound easy to make, but the dosage has to be adjusted according to the body condition of the person taking it. If the patient’s heart is cold, it needs to have more arming ingredients, and if necessary wolfberry and honey should be added. The main thing is that the acacia for this Guyuan paste should be soaked in white wine for at least ten days before it can be made into a paste. The white wine is also not the same kind as the one sold outside, but my own brew since the grains I use are different.” 

 

“I only brewed one small jar, which I originally intended for Nizi to use when she grows up. In addition, there are also requirements for the water, the mountain spring water in our Xiushui village is sweet and clear. So I am worried that there would be a difference in the efficacy of the Guyuan paste made in the palace and my own.”

 

Eunuch An happily said, “No harm. If the imperial doctors’ do not work well, we will just come back to you. Why don’t we wait until the paste is ready before returning to the capital, so we will let Kangchen take it together with the tea and wine.” Shao Yunan said, “As  long as it is arranged by Lord An, it’s fine. I will go and prepare.” Eunuch An said expectantly, “I’ll be grateful to little brother Shao. I hope it will be effective for the Empress.”

 

The reason why Shao Yunan took this job was because of the Emperor’s relationship with the Empress. Secondly, because it was the Empress who was in charge of the business, if the Empress had any health problems or accidents, who knew what would happen if someone else was in charge. Also this Guyuan paste was just a cover and the things put to real use would be spiritual spring water and spiritual milk. As for the white wine brewed for Nizi, it was even more nonsense. 

 

There are several good white wines in his space, all of which he brewed himself with spiritual water, so he could take them outside at will. There was also white wine in the Great State of Yan, but it was mostly used for medicinal purposes, because it has to be made from grain. Its production was also small and the taste was not pure enough. The good thing was that there was gelatin here, so Shao Yunan didn’t need to find more excuses. 

 

Under the cover of taking ingredients, Shao Yunan went into his space to find white wine, rock candy, honey, wolfberry, and red dates. There were also walnuts and black sesame seeds outside the space. Pouring a small jar of white wine and putting acacia in it to soak, Shao Yunan took the recipe for the Guyuan paste and handed it to Eunuch An, telling him that it was enough to eat one or two tablespoon a day and if there was any discomfort, it should no longer be eaten. It also could be eaten not only by the Empress but also by the Emperor to supplement his body. Shao Yunan also said straight away that he would make some for Eunuch An as well, who accepted it with a smile.

 

Eunuch An temporarily changed his itinerary and on the second day, Jiang Kangchen brought eight carriages to take away all of Shao Yunan’s stored wine and tea. He would directly bring it by ship to the capital without stopping, while Jiang Kangning personally sent his brother on board and Eunuch An stayed at the Wang Residence for the time being. Since that day, Old Lady Wang has been very quiet. She originally wanted to find the opportunity for Jiang Kangning to get together with Wang Chunxiu. But let’s not even mention finding the opportunity, that night after Jiang Kangning returned to the county Yamen, he never went back to the house, while there were two distinguished guests at the new house, so even Wang Chunxiu was not bold enough to knock at their door. 

 

Eunuch An stayed at the Wang residence, eating good food. Although there was no longer good wine and tea to drink, Shao Yunan cooking and those things called dessert made him linger. If the desert making was not so complicated, Eunuch An would definitely want to open a serious dessert store. The twenty dessert recipes given by Shao Yunan were all very simple desserts that could be served with jam. 

 

Their new house had a big oven and since Shao Yunan had nothing to do now, the children asked him every day about making new desserts to eat. The desserts the two children ate every day were not the same and Madam and Elder Cen were also interested in them. The two children would bring a dessert every day they went to see them, so even Zhao Congbo and Wang Yan also had a mouthful.

 

After soaking the acacia for ten days, Shao Yunan began to make the Guyuan paste. The black sesame seeds, walnuts, cinnamon, and wolfberries all needed to be dried and ground into powder, while the soaked acacia should be boiled together with white wine, cooked until soft, and then added to the above mentioned powder. Honey and a little rock sugar then needed to be added, as you stirred it. In modern times, a blender would be used to mix all the powders, but since there was no blender here, he could only use the ancient method.

 

Shao Yunan liked to make desserts and his sister-in-law pulled him to play when she made her own Guyuan paste at home, so Shao Yunan knew both the ancient and modern methods of making it. However, the recipe he gave to Eunuch An did not include sugar, which was not available at this time. Of course, the essence of this Guyuan paste he made lay in the spiritual spring water and spiritual milk.

 

It was cold and there was an ice cellar in the palace, so Shao Yunan made a few more and filled four jars, including the one for Eunuch An. He also did a simple preservative treatment so that the Emperor and the Empress could even eat it until March of the following year. Shao Yunan also instructed Eunuch An to eat it until April at the latest and if he was not finished at that time, he should no longer eat it since it would no longer be fresh. 

 

The day after Shao Yunan made the Guyuan paste, Eunuch An left for the capital. It could be seen that he was very anxious. After seeing off Lord An, Shao Yunan and Wang Shijing were completely relieved. They were not discriminating against eunuchs, but Eunuch An’s status was that of noble after all, so while living with him at home, they always needed to be a bit formal. Wang Qing and Wang Nizi usually also did not dare to come forward, so when eating they didn’t dare to extend their chopsticks. There were no human rights in ancient times and Shao Yunan did not dare to make fun of his own life, even if he had a modern soul. If you were not careful, you could be killed at any time. 

Just as Eunuch An left, Jiang Kangning came. Jiang Kangning came to Shao Yunan very relaxed and as soon as he came Shao Yunan asked, “Brother, what’s the situation in the capital?” Jiang Kangning showed a relaxed smile and said, “My brother will come to talk to you about this matter.” Shao Yunan took a look at his smiling face and immediately smiled along. “Big Brother, sit down and talk. I’ll make you tea.” Jiang Kangning raised his eyebrows, “You still have tea?” Shao Yunan snorted, “There’s always a little bit left.”

 

“Oh, you. I really have a little craving. I’m not going to hide it from you. The tea you left for this brother was all taken away by Big Brother.”

 

“Ah?” Jiang Kangning helplessly said, “Eldest Brother said that the tea and wine you gave me were worth thousands of taels of silver. Now was an important time to earn money, so even the Emperor and Master Weng had to share half of their tea and wine each.” Shao Yunan stuttered, “The Emperor is really short on money.”

 

Jiang Kangning sighed, “There’s even less money than you think. Have you made your Guyuan paste?” Shao Yunan said, “Yes. Just yesterday. Lord An left today, did you see him off?” Jiang Kangning said, “I personally went to drop him off and then come to you.” After a pause, he said, “Do you have any more of that white wine?”

 

“Yes. Does Big Brother want some Guyuan paste?”

 

“Mm.” Sadness surfaced on Jiang Kangning’s face, so Shao Yunan hurriedly asked, “Big Brother, what happened?” Jiang Kangning looked at Shao Yunan and Wang Shijing, and after a long silence, asked, “Do you know why Big Brother decided to defend you in the county school?” Shao Yunan froze and shook his head. Jiang Kangning then sighed and said, “What happened to you two made me think of my own Elder Brother.”

 

“Big Brother Kangchen?” Jiang Kangning was silent for a long time before he slowly spoke.

 

Edited by: Jaisland

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