That night, Mu Wanqing and Boss Guo Erpan had a sumptuous dinner together. There was fish, meat, fresh fruits and vegetables, but the cooking needed to be improved.

Mu Wanqing kept finding fault with the food while eating. She said the meat was not handled well and it was a bit fishy, the fish fillet was not cut well, and the mutton was not flavorful enough. She made Boss Pan almost vomit blood. This kind of customer was too difficult to serve.

Mu Wanqing glanced at him calmly, and casually mentioned the fried eggplant in Dream of Red Mansions, which used more than ten chickens? Both of them were stunned. So extravagant?

It's confirmed that this is a descendant of an aristocratic family, otherwise he wouldn't know it so clearly.

Boss Pan's smile became even more enthusiastic and he was very attentive. Mu Wanqing was indifferent to him, but she was much more enthusiastic towards Guo Er.

This different treatment made the two people feel different, mixed with joy and sorrow.

After dinner, Mu Wanqing didn't stay long and went to rest on the pretext of being tired.

New clothes, shoes and socks were prepared, not just one set, but four sets.

All kinds of daily necessities are available, and even the bathroom is equipped with flower petals for bathing, which shows how much consideration has been given.

Mu Wanqing took a hot bath, washed from head to toe, and felt relaxed.

She touched her new clothes, which were made of the most popular brocade in the capital.

Outside the door, Second Master Mu was guarding, and when he saw his daughter come out, he said, "Qing'er, Guard Shen has been called away."

Mu Wanqing nodded slightly. This was also part of her plan.

She picked up the snack box on the table, which contained various exquisite snacks, and pushed it towards Master Mu, "Dad, is dinner delicious? Come, try some snacks."

Master Mu and his son ate with other guards, and they were not treated unfairly, with delicious fish and meat served to them.

Mr. Mu ate absent-mindedly the whole time, fearing that his daughter's identity would be exposed.

He took a bite of the dessert, the sweet taste melted in his mouth, and he was suddenly filled with emotion, "Your mother loves dessert the most. In the past, when conditions were not good, she made red bean cakes by herself. They are really delicious."

He thought of his wife every time he ate a snack. Mu Wanqing couldn't help but smile. She rolled her eyes and poured the snacks in the box onto a handkerchief, wrapping it up tightly. "Dad, take these back for mom to eat. Mom will definitely be very happy."

Master Mu's mouth twitched, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry, this was really a free meal and drink, and he had to take away the leftovers.

On the other side, Shen Yong took a sip of the fine fragrant tea, "This is this year's Gongcha Dahongpao, right? Boss Pan is very energetic."

Boss Pan didn't expect that a guard could actually drink it, and couldn't help but look at him differently, "No, no, I'm just lucky, I only have one or two ounces on hand, and today I specially let Brother Jiang taste it."

Shen Yong introduced himself, his surname is Jiang!

"You're welcome. I wonder what's the matter that Boss Pan asked me to come here so late at night?"

"Brother Jiang, who is your master's background?" Boss Pan is cautious by nature and must find out the truth before making a decision.

"I'm just a follower, how dare I say anything nonsense." Shen Yong said this, but his face was full of arrogance.

Boss Pan was eager to learn, "I promise not to reveal a single word to anyone. I swear."

"It's no use swearing. I will never tell anyone. The rules in the mansion are very strict. I dare not make any mistakes."

After he said that, Boss Pan became even more curious. He took out a banknote from his pocket and pushed it in front of Shen Yong, "Please give me some convenience."

Shen Yong took a glance and saw it was five hundred taels, quite a large sum.

He quickly took the banknote, still saying, "No, no, I can't say it..."

At the same time, he took out a token and waved it in front of Boss Pan. Boss Pan's eyes widened. What is this? The token of the Fifth Prince's Mansion?

When he saw it clearly, Shen Yong quickly put away the token and said, "I didn't say anything."

Well, I didn’t say it, I just did it.

The first time he tricked his master, he was filled with anxiety and fear. But the second time, he actually felt inexplicably happy.

It feels good to cheat your boss for a while, and it feels good all the time to cheat your boss all the time!

Your Highness, you can't blame your subordinates for not being loyal enough. It's really... Miss Mu San gave too much! They couldn't refuse.

Boss Pan was surprised and happy, but also a little frightened. He was surprised that little brother Mu was actually from a prince's mansion, but he was happy that he could be connected with the Fifth Prince's mansion. If he could please little brother Mu, maybe he could get in touch with this connection.

What scared him was that he had offended Brother Mu, and the other party didn't like him very much.

What should I do?

"Little Brother Mu, no, is his last name really Mu?"

Shen Yong's nose was turned up high, and his expression was extremely arrogant. "According to the rules of this dynasty, the princes are not allowed to leave the capital without permission, and my master is no exception."

This is tantamount to admitting that he is from the Fifth Prince's Mansion, which is a fact.

Boss Pan was a shrewd man after all. After the initial surprise, he felt something was wrong. "The fifth prince got married two years ago. Brother Mu is now ..."

Shen Yong rolled his eyes at him, as if he were an idiot, "Who doesn't have a few cousins?"

Okay, I understand. Brother Mu is the fifth prince’s cousin!

No wonder he is so arrogant and willful, that's the behavior of a noble person.

Boss Pan had a very good imagination and filled in all the details automatically, completely dispelling his doubts.

Shen Yong acted according to the script provided by Mu Wanqing and tricked Boss Pan into falling into the gutter. He couldn't help but feel secretly happy.

"Don't say a word about it, understand? My young master is going out incognito."

"I know, I know." Boss Pan's face flushed with excitement.

The next day, Boss Pan followed Mu Wanqing around, flattering her and fawning on her in various ways, making Guo Er unable to bear to watch.

Is it really that serious? Why did he suddenly become angry?

Mu Wanqing still thought he was annoying, "I heard that the tea market will last for three days, why doesn't Boss Pan go and arrange it?"

Boss Pan smiled and said, "I've asked my men to take care of it. They are all very capable. Young Master, when will your tea bricks be made? I'll ask my men to help you. Don't worry, they will never steal your skills."

His attitude was too good. Mu Wanqing didn't want to hit a smiling person. "Okay, send all the tea over. I'll make a list. Please help me prepare it."

Seeing that she had loosened up, Boss Pan was overjoyed and wanted to perform even better. "Okay, don't worry, I'll take care of it."

The production process of tea bricks is very complicated. The first step is screening, which requires several rounds of screening to remove debris. The tea leaves must be in uniform shape, and yellow tea stems must be removed.

This step alone requires a large number of manpower, but for the local boss Pan, this is no problem.

He asked hundreds of villagers to come and help. The women picked the tea leaves, while the men cut the tea leaves, winnowed them, and piled them together.

The most important thing is pressing. She drew the design of a spiral hand-cranked press and asked skilled craftsmen in the city to find a way to make it.

"Oh, and help me make a few iron pots and stoves."

If there is a chance to make money, she will not hesitate.

Two large iron pots, two small pots, and four shovels. Everything else is fine, except that it uses a lot of iron.

Iron was a controlled product and was strictly controlled by the court. It was difficult for ordinary people to buy an iron tool.

There is a stove, which is one of those rural integrated wood-burning stoves. It is very suitable for cooking outdoors and you can just bring it down and cook.

Boss Pan agreed without hesitation. For someone like him with many connections, it was not a difficult task.

His ability to do things was quite good. He delivered the spiral hand press two days later. Mu Wanqing had to admit that the wisdom of the ancient craftsmen could not be underestimated.

The tea picking in front was still proceeding in an orderly manner. Mu Wanqing picked out a few skillful women and taught them how to steam them.

To steam tea, wrap the sieved tea leaves with gauze and place them in a drawer for steaming.

"I said before that the workers get 20 cents a day, and you get an extra 10 cents."

The women were so happy that they all rushed to express their willingness to do a good job.

After steaming the tea, the next step is to press it. This step requires strong men to do it. Four men work in a group and work together to press the tea leaves tightly.

After cooling, it is sent to the drying room to dry out the moisture.

After taking this step by step, three days had passed.

These days, Mu Wanqing and her team have been keeping an eye on the entire process, and each process has a dedicated person in charge and strict control.

"Come on, let's go see if it works. This is my first time doing this."

Boss Pan: ...

As expected, when you are young, you are ignorant and fearless, you dare to do anything, and the chosen ones are not afraid of failure.

However, when he saw the flat bricks of tea with exactly the same thickness, clear patterns and neatly arranged, his eyes widened.

“Is this a success?”

"I don't know." Mu Wanqing said irresponsibly. She picked up a piece of brick tea and smelled it. It had a faint aroma of tea leaves and no mold spots.

She took the tea knife and pried off a small piece from the side of the tea brick. "Someone, go make some tea."

The brewed tea soup is clear yellow in color and mellow in flavor. It tastes good after taking a sip.

Guo Er looked surprised, "Why do I feel it tastes better than before?"

Mu Wanqing smiled slightly and said, "It smells better after baking, which is normal, and it smells better as it ages."

After hearing the last sentence, Guo Er and Boss Pan's eyes lit up. They were both veterans in business and understood clearly what this meant.

Mu Wanqing casually took out a document and handed it to Shen Yong, who then handed it to Guo Er, "Here, this is the method for making tea bricks, and this is the drawing for making a spiral hand-cranked press. Brother Guo Er, this is for you."

Guo Er was flattered. "Don't be so anxious. Wait until you're done with your work."

Mu Wanqing waved her hand, "Take it. I don't like to owe favors to others. If you don't understand something, just ask. I promise you will learn it."

Guo Er then took the information and scanned it carefully. It was written in great detail.

He felt that Mu Wanqing was a rare and honest child and should be well protected.

Boss Pan on the side was very jealous, "Young Master, I am willing to exchange these tea leaves for your secret recipe, is that okay with you?"

He returned the deposit given by Mu Wanqing and did not ask for any money for this batch of tea, which was considered an exchange.

"This..." Mu Wanqing looked hesitant.

Boss Pan winked at Shen Yong, who nodded knowingly, "Young Master, Boss Pan has been working hard these days and has been very considerate in entertaining us, so just agree to him."

He helped to say something nice, and Mu Wanqing pouted and acted like a child, "Wouldn't that make me lose face?"

Shen Yong smiled and coaxed, "How could that be? You are so magnanimous. A prime minister can hold a boat in his stomach."

Mu Wanqing burst out laughing, "I like what you said, so I'll do it for your sake. Okay, let's do it this way."

Boss Pan is considered an old hand, but he can't stand Mu Wanqing's many tricks.

He was overjoyed, "Thank you, young master, and thank you, Guard Jiang."

Master Mu subconsciously looked at Shen Yong. Has he turned into Guard Jiang again?

Well, it’s a scam if you cheat once, and it’s a scam if you cheat countless times.

That night, when Shen Yong came to see Mu Wanqing for something, Mu Wanqing was counting a thick stack of banknotes with a melancholy look on her face, "It's so hard to spend money these days."

Shen Yong stumbled, oh my god.

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Note 1, from Wikipedia.

Note 2, from Wikipedia.