As soon as the wicked man finished speaking, the saltworks manager and the craftsmen felt a surge of excitement, as if they could see a broader future. Meng Can couldn't help but sigh softly, "Grand Commandant, you have great foresight. As long as we can carry out large-scale salt production along the coast, the output of refined salt will increase exponentially, and the efficiency of refined salt refining will be greatly improved."

Meng Ao agreed wholeheartedly, nodding and tucking his sleeves together: "If that is indeed the case, our Great Qin can meet several times the salt demand at the lowest cost, so that all the people can afford this non-toxic refined salt."

The wicked man listened to their words and said with a faint smile, "The reason we destroyed the Qi Kingdom back then was because it had coastal lands where we could refine salt. Rather than leaving this treasure mountain to be turned into a mess by them, it's better to take it into our possession as soon as possible and benefit all the people."

“Meng Can, the construction of salt fields along the coast is not something that can be achieved overnight. A two-pronged approach is the best strategy. Go and make arrangements for this matter today. Purchase restrictions can alleviate the fatigue temporarily, but they cannot last.”

Meng Can nodded: "The Grand Commandant is absolutely right. After we return, we will prepare a detailed plan for the purchase restriction and order Feng Jie to send someone to supervise the matter."

Speaking of Feng Jie, the wicked man suddenly remembered that the old fellow had been transferred by him to take charge of the State of Qi and to severely punish those Confucian scholars who sought fame and fortune. He wondered how the situation was progressing.

The wicked man smiled slightly, put aside his thoughts, and continued his inspection. Seeing that everything was in good order, he decided to head back to the city; he still had a drinking session to finish that afternoon.

The craftsmen escorted them to the workshop entrance, bowed respectfully, and watched them leave.

The caravan resumed its journey on the official road. There weren't many people along the way, and when some passing merchants saw the Grand Commandant's banner, they quickly stood at attention and gave way.

Inside the carriage, Meng Can was still enthusiastically discussing the layout of Haiyan, thinking about how to merge the coastal areas of Qi and Yan into a "salt field special zone" and then use merchants to transport the salt to inland cities.

Han Fei added that perhaps a special Salt Commissioner's Office could be established to oversee the production and transportation of sea salt, in order to prevent illegal activities such as smuggling.

The wicked man kept his eyes slightly closed, only occasionally interjecting a word or two. He believed that the court would discuss and reach a conclusion on these more detailed plans, but ultimately they would focus on "benefiting the people and the country," and wouldn't be too far off.

Before long, the walls of Xianyang came into view. The guards, seeing the carriage from afar, made way, and the city gates and surrounding areas remained bustling. Some recognized the wicked man's banner and whispered among themselves by the roadside, some praising him, others watching cautiously.

The carriage finally stopped in front of the Grand Commandant's residence. Meng Can and the others jumped down, cupped their hands in greeting, and said with a smile, "Grand Commandant, we've been traveling all morning and must be quite tired and thirsty, heh..."

The wicked man lightly flicked his sleeves: "Now that you're here, do you think you'll go hungry? Today I'll cook for you myself and prepare some dishes you've never seen before. Erhe, come and help me out."

Meng Ao laughed heartily: "Good lad, you're finally going to cook for yourself! I'll be watching with bated breath."

Nowadays, everyone in Xianyang knows that the wicked man is a great eater, but he's too lazy, so few people have the honor of personally enjoying his food.

After a few jokes, everyone headed towards the front hall.

Watching their figures recede into the distance, the wicked man shook his head and smiled bitterly, then ordered Zhang Erhe to quickly prepare mutton, a copper pot, charcoal, and washed vegetables.

It's getting chilly today, so he's planning to have his first hot pot of autumn!

No one knows who had the audacity to do this, but while the wicked husband was busy with his affairs of state, Ying Zheng abandoned his heavy political duties and followed the scent to the Grand Commandant's residence.

"We pay our respects to Your Majesty!" Meng Can and the others were taken aback when they saw Ying Zheng, and then quickly stood up to greet him.

Ying Zheng smiled and waved his sleeve, "Gentlemen, please don't stand on ceremony. Today is a private gathering, so let's not be so formal. Come on, come and sit down."

As he spoke, he walked directly to the chair and sat down. He acted as if his wicked husband had invited him to dinner, while Meng Can and the others were just there to freeload.

Ying Zheng's arrival caught the household completely off guard. The wicked husband was busy in the kitchen when Zhang Erhe came running up to report, "Grand Commandant, the King has arrived!"

The wicked man raised an eyebrow, instructed Zhang Erhe to keep an eye on the broth in the pot, then wiped his hands and hurried to the main hall. Upon entering, he saw Ying Zheng sitting steadily in a chair, with Meng Ao, Meng Can, and others beside him, secretly laughing.

"Oh, Your Majesty's nose is really sharp!" The wicked husband clasped his hands in a sarcastic manner.

Ying Zheng looked him up and down a few times with a scrutinizing gaze, then suddenly laughed and said, "You little rascal, it's rare for you to be so diligent. You didn't even send someone to invite me, I came myself... and you still have this attitude?"

"So what if you're greedy? Why did you learn to be a Confucian?" The wicked husband curled his lip in disdain.

Meng Can quickly chimed in with a grin, "Not at all! The King's arrival is a perfect opportunity for us to try something new. Besides, everyone says that the Grand Commandant is an expert in cooking; we've been looking forward to it for a long time."

Ying Zheng said half-jokingly, "I specially took some time out of state affairs, so you think you can just freeload? Do you think the Grand Commandant, with his vast wealth and power, is afraid of having one more pair of chopsticks from me?"

"How dare I?" The wicked husband was speechless at his stubbornness and said to the maids around him, "Stop standing there, hurry up and get the stove. Remember to tell Erhe... to slice the mutton thinly and cook the broth a little longer."

Upon hearing this, everyone showed an expectant expression.

After a short while, once everything was set up, everyone gathered around a table in the main hall. The copper pot was bubbling and steaming, and the rising steam made the room feel warm and cozy.

Ying Zheng looked at the scalding hot broth and sniffed it carefully: "What other seasonings are in here? Why does it smell so fragrant, yet still retain the aroma of meat?"

The wicked man smiled slightly: "Can I tell you? This is my own secret recipe for spices, and there's only one of its kind in the whole world."

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