Chapter 175 Leaving the Palace (a sweet treat)

Yin'e used both facts and gentle words to coax and persuade the Ninth Prince until he calmed him down. Finally, he stopped the Ninth Prince from saying those nonsense things like he would rather destroy it than let others benefit, with red eyes and clenched fists.

Seeing that the Ninth Prince was still sulking with a puffed-up face, but his emotions had stabilized and his rationality had returned, Yin'e brought up the milk powder business again: "Ninth Brother, cow's milk is not as fishy as goat's milk. Not only do Mongolians and Manchus like to drink it, but Han people can also accept it."

“But milk powder isn’t very competitive; almost every herder in Mongolia knows how to make it, and you can’t make much money from that business. So what I was thinking of was making milk candy from milk. We can do the candy business, and we won’t have to worry about selling it, plus the profit margin is high.”

The Ninth Prince, who had never tasted milk candy before, tilted his head and asked, "What's the difference between milk candy, milk cakes, and cheese? If you're going to make milk candy, why not just sell dairy pastries?"

“We can also sell pastries. We can bring milk powder back from Mongolia and open a pastry shop in the capital.” Yin’e smiled and nodded, expressing his agreement with the Ninth Prince’s opinion. “But pastries don’t keep for long, and they are quite soft and difficult to transport, so they can only be made and sold fresh.”

"But milk candy is different. If stored properly, it can last for a year or two without any problems. Moreover, milk candy made into thumb-sized pieces is not only harder than pastries, but also easier to transport. It can be sold from the capital to all parts of the country, going south to Jiangnan, Sichuan, and Huguang, and going north to Shengjing and Mongolia. There is a market for all of them."

At this point, Yin'e paused for a moment, then added in a low voice, "The colder the place, the easier it is to preserve milk candy, so we can sell more milk candy to Mongolia. It's not just milk candy; we can also develop other kinds of candy, such as preserved plum candy, fruit candy, and mint candy, which would all be good options."

"Especially the mints, there should be a market for them in Mongolia."

The Ninth Prince frowned slightly: "Mint? Can you eat candy made from mint? Why would Mongolians like to eat mint candy?"

Yin'e kept a pot of mint under the window of his study. The Ninth Prince had seen it countless times and knew what mint was. He was very skeptical that mint candies made from the somewhat pungent mint would be unpalatable.

Suppressing a laugh, Yin'e blinked her almond-shaped eyes and whispered in the Ninth Prince's ear, "Peppermint candies are cool and refreshing, they invigorate you and freshen your breath. I've heard that Mongolians don't have many vegetables to eat, they eat meat every day, and they don't have the habit of brushing their teeth..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yin'e gave the Ninth Prince a look that was best left unsaid.

The Ninth Prince tilted his head thoughtfully, blinked his phoenix eyes, and rolled his eyes to reveal a hint of realization. He then gave Yin'e a knowing look.

Most people in the interior of China have the habit of brushing their teeth with salt. Those who cannot afford salt will brush their teeth with willow branches and then rinse their mouths. However, salt is relatively expensive in Mongolia. The price of salt transported from the interior to the border is not low due to transportation costs, so Mongolians do not have the habit of brushing their teeth with salt.

The Ninth Prince had a sweet tooth and loved sweets. He had no doubts about the candy market and wasn't worried about producing candy that wouldn't sell. Even if the candy was truly delicious, with both a milky and sweet flavor, he would be willing to pay for it.

Don't be fooled by Yin'e's disdain for sugar, even finding malt sugar too sweet and cloying. That's because Yin'e lived in a society of abundant resources in his previous life, where sugar was a common commodity. But in the Qing Dynasty, sugar was still a luxury item, and its price was far from being as cheap as it would be in later years.

The pursuit of sweetness and sugar is ingrained in the genes of living organisms. It's not just humans who love sweetness; ants do too. Compared to other flavors like sour, bitter, and spicy, sweetness is the most popular, bringing joy and satisfaction.

The Qing Dynasty's productivity was very backward, and sugar production was also very small. Ordinary people might not be able to eat sugar or taste sweetness even once a year. Not everyone was lucky enough to find a beehive, and even if bees reproduced as fast as rabbits, there wouldn't be enough honey for all the people in the world.

The Ninth Prince was very optimistic about the prospects of the milk candy business. He couldn't help but fantasize about the wonderful days when his initial investment of 500 taels would double to 1,000 taels, and then double again to 2,000 taels, and he could just sit back and wait for the money to make money.

But the Ninth Prince didn't have time to fantasize for long before he suddenly remembered something. He quickly grabbed Yin'e's hand and whispered, "Tenth Brother, sugar is hard to preserve. It's fine when it's transported to the north, where the weather is cold and it just freezes a little hard. But when it's transported to the south, it softens and becomes sticky very easily."

The Ninth Prince loved sweets, and the Fourth Prince of Ganxi always kept candies on hand. He understood better than Yin'e, who did not like sweets, how easily candies could become damp and sticky.

He gave the Ninth Prince a look that said, "Don't worry, Ninth Prince, I have a plan. I just thought of a way to preserve the sugar cubes, which is why I started this milk candy business."

"I see." Ninth Prince subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, putting aside his worries. He had complete trust in Yin'e. "Let's talk about the details when we get back to the Princes' Residence. Anyway, you've already reassured me. Now I'm full of confidence in the milk candy business."

Yin'e hadn't told the Ninth Prince what his method was yet, but as long as Yin'e said he had a way, the Ninth Prince would trust him completely, and would have no more doubts or worries. He would relax and start fantasizing about the comfortable life he would have after making money.

The Ninth Prince was full of confidence and had already started to have a good time, but Yin'e was not as optimistic as him.

Seeing the Ninth Prince grinning from ear to ear, his phoenix eyes narrowed into crescent moons, Yin'e hesitated for a moment before whispering a reminder: "Ninth Brother, let's not even talk about the time it takes to train people in the early stages. Even if the business is established, it will take more than half a month to buy milk powder from Mongolia. The return on investment won't be that quick."

“I know.” Ninth Prince looked at Yin’e in surprise. “I’m not stupid. Of course I know that it takes time for a business to go from production to sales and make money. I never thought that I could make back the money I put in today.”

Yin'e nodded: "Taking out five hundred taels of silver as capital at once, Ninth Brother, you might be a little short on cash." Although they lived in the palace, ate and drank what Kangxi provided, and didn't have to spend money on food, clothing, or lodging, they still had to give money to the Imperial Household Department when they needed to make a request, so they still had expenses.

The Ninth Prince casually replied with an indifferent expression, "It's alright, there are still five hundred taels left, and I don't have any other expenses."

At this point, the Ninth Prince glanced at Yin'e, shrugged, and said nonchalantly, "Tenth Brother, have you forgotten? I eat your breakfast and lunch every day. Only dinner is delivered by the Imperial Kitchen. I cook my own dinner, so it doesn't cost too much."

Yin'e was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "That's right, that's good. Even if you take out five hundred taels of silver, Ninth Brother, you won't be too strapped for cash."

The four princely residences in Ganxi did not have their own private kitchens. Although the expenses for the three princely residences of Yin'e that had their own private kitchens were higher than those of the other princely residences, it was still much more cost-effective than ordering private meals from the imperial kitchen every day. They could save a lot of money each month.

Of course, there was an even cheaper option: not ordering special meals but eating whatever the imperial kitchen provided. But as everyone knows, the food in the canteen was always unpalatable, and the imperial kitchen was no exception.

Whether the meals delivered by the Imperial Kitchen were good or bad depended on two factors: luck and how long the meals had been stored; and social status. The palace was never short of people who fawned over those above them and flattered those below them. Even among princes, the attitudes of the palace servants were different. Some dared not bully them, while others dared to neglect and treat them coldly.

Yin'e was pondering how much to buy for the first time with a capital of one thousand taels, how much to set aside for the manager's wages, and how to promote the milk candy after it was made, when he suddenly saw the Ninth Prince glance furtively at the Fifth Prince sitting in front of them, and whisper in his ear: "Tenth Brother, how about we go mooch off Fifth Brother from now on!"

The Fifth Prince lived in the Fourth Palace of Gandong, which originally did not have a small kitchen.

Last December, the Empress Dowager moved to Ning Shou Palace, and the Fifth Prince also moved there to live with her for a period of time. Although not long after the beginning of spring, the Fifth Prince was sent back to the Princes' Residence by Emperor Kangxi, the Empress Dowager felt sorry for him and assigned two cooks from her own palace to work in the East Fourth Residence, opening up a small kitchen.

Yin'e couldn't help but feel sorry for the Fifth Prince for a second, then shook his head and said, "Forget it, the cook on the Fifth Prince's side was transferred from Ning Shou Palace. He eats mutton or beef all day long, which we can't get used to."

Although the Fifth Prince grew up in the capital, he was raised by the Empress Dowager and had Mongolian eating habits, enjoying milk and mutton and beef. As a result, the Fifth Prince was the most robust among the princes in the Imperial Study, tall and plump, and appeared very composed.

The Ninth Prince tilted his head and thought for a moment, then nodded in deep agreement: "Tenth Brother, you're right, let's forget about it."

His eyes darted around, and the Ninth Prince asked again, "Tenth Brother, when can your uncle help us find suitable people? Once he does, will we have a chance to leave the palace? If we can't leave, how will we train them? Are we going to ask your uncle for help again?"

Given the Ninth Prince's way of thinking, he certainly wouldn't feel embarrassed about asking his subjects for help. He was just worried that if they couldn't communicate face-to-face and had outsiders relay the message, the people he had recruited wouldn't understand his and Yin'e's meaning. They would end up not cultivating good talents into business elites, and all their efforts would be in vain.

"It might take a few days," Yin'e replied after thinking for a moment. "Mother will only summon Aunt to the palace this afternoon. No matter how much Uncle cares or how fast he works, he won't be able to find anyone until tomorrow."

"As for leaving the palace..." Yin'e sighed, with a mixture of helplessness and regret, "I've never left the palace in my entire life!"

The Ninth Prince nodded vigorously and quickly chimed in, "Me too! I've never left the palace in my entire life. I'm so cooped up in the palace every day, I'm practically turning into a country bumpkin!"

The Ninth Prince was merciless in his words, and he didn't hold back when he scolded himself. Of course, he was mainly implying that Kangxi's education was problematic, and how could he keep them confined in the palace and not allow them to leave?

Among the princes, only the Seventh Prince was sent out of the palace to the Prince Chun's residence when he was six years old, and the Fourth Prince went out with Emperor Kangxi once when he was a child, visiting Shengjing. The other princes were only allowed to leave the palace after they turned ten, with personal guards by their side.

Moreover, one couldn't just leave the palace at will. One had to first request leave from the Imperial Study and inform Emperor Kangxi. Only after both sides agreed could one submit a token to leave the palace. Furthermore, one was not allowed to stay overnight outside the palace and had to return on the same day.

Yin'e and the Ninth Prince exchanged a glance and sighed in unison, not expecting that their chance to leave the palace would come soon.