Half an hour later, Ye Caiping and Ye Lizheng arrived at the yamen.

The two followed the constables into the back hall of the yamen, where the county magistrate and his clerk worked.

Master Luo was writing something at his desk when he saw Ye Caiping and stopped writing: "Oh, it's Boss Ye. I'm so sorry for not greeting you sooner."

Ye Caiping said, "What master? Master Luo can just call me Madam Ye."

Master Luo laughed heartily: "Please sit down. Someone, bring some tea."

The constables nearby quickly went down to pour tea.

Master Luo naturally knew that Ye Caiping had set up a spicy soup workshop. He had seen many businesses of this scale before. Earning a few hundred taels a month was considered average in Yue'an County.

But because Ye Caiping had reported on cassava, Master Luo remembered her, and Ye Caiping was good-looking and easy to recognize.

Ye Caiping and Ye Li were sitting down in armchairs by the desk when the yamen runner served them tea.

Master Luo said, "The two of you have come today to..."

Ye Caiping said, "I plan to open a furniture workshop, and I came here today specifically to register."

Master Luo nodded: "Oh. I didn't expect a young woman like you to be so bold. A furniture workshop... is not an easy business to run."

"I'll be counting on the advisor and the magistrate to take good care of me then." Ye Caiping took out two wooden boxes. "These are for the advisor and the magistrate."

As he spoke, he opened one of them. Upon seeing it, Master Luo gasped. It was ginseng! Moreover, judging from the texture of the skin, it was quite old, at least twenty or thirty years old.

A smile involuntarily spread across Master Luo's face: "Don't worry, don't worry, I'll definitely take good care of you then."

Ye Caiping smiled and said, "Then thank you, sir. Um... I wonder if we could see the magistrate?"

Master Luo looked somewhat troubled.

Although this ginseng is quite thoughtful, wouldn't it seem too obsequious to meet with the county magistrate for such a trivial matter as registering a workshop?

Seeing his troubled expression, Ye Caiping quickly said, "It's about cassava. I've found a non-toxic type of cassava."

"What?!" Master Luo jumped up excitedly. "Why didn't you tell me about something so important? I'll go and ask you right now!"

After saying that, Master Luo quickly left.

Watching Master Luo's hurried figure, Ye Lizheng stared in disbelief and whispered, "Cai Ping, is it true that the cassava is non-toxic?"

"right."

Ye Lizheng gasped, "Why didn't you bring out this cassava sooner? You gave them two ginseng roots for free."

Ye Caiping said, "We still have to give them gifts. If I give them cassava first, I've already done a good job. If I give them more gifts, they won't accept them, and they might even give me something in return. But giving gifts is a sign of sincerity."

Ye Lizheng thought about it and realized that it made sense; if you wanted to build a closer relationship with someone, you naturally had to bring a gift when you visited.

He understood the principle, but because Ye Caiping's gift was too valuable—two ginseng roots that were twenty or thirty years old, worth several hundred taels of silver—Ye Lizheng somewhat forgot the proper etiquette.

Ye Lizheng nodded: "You've thought this through very well. No wonder you can make so much money."

At that moment, a series of hurried footsteps sounded.

Ye Caiping and the village headman quickly stood up. A man who was nearly fifty years old walked in. He was dressed in casual clothes, had a beard, and had a handsome and upright appearance.

"Greetings, Your Excellency." The two men recognized him at a glance as their magistrate, Magistrate Lu.

Magistrate Lu smiled and said, "Please rise quickly."

He even offered a helping hand.

Ye Caiping and her companion stood up straight. Magistrate Lu looked at Ye Caiping with some surprise: "Is this the Lady Ye who discovered cassava last year? I didn't expect Lady Ye to be so young."

Last year, he was highly praised for his work with cassava, so he naturally remembered that there was a woman named Ye in Qinghe Village.

At the time, all I knew was that she was a woman in her thirties.

A thirty-year-old peasant woman should have a rough appearance, with a complexion that is either yellow or dark. Who would have thought that this Lady Ye would be so beautiful, with skin that is so supple and delicate, as if it had been carefully nurtured.

Ye Caiping frowned when she saw the woman staring at her in a daze: "The county magistrate?"

"Oh, haha." Magistrate Lu snapped out of his reverie. "You said you discovered non-toxic cassava, is that true?"

After the imperial court promoted cassava to the people, it solved the famine problem in many areas, but some people just wouldn't listen to advice, were careless in their work, and eventually died of poisoning.

But no matter how toxic it is, its high yield and ability to stave off hunger are undeniable.

So you keep eating it and keep getting poisoned, and you keep eating it even though you're constantly poisoned!

In layman's terms, it's better to be poisoned than to starve to death!

Moreover, the poisoning rate is only 10% to 20%, and if handled properly, it will definitely not kill you, so people get more and more addicted to it.

If there really were non-toxic cassava, it would solve the problem of people dying from improper handling.

When the report is submitted, he'll get another big credit!

Thinking about it, Magistrate Lu rubbed his hands excitedly, looking at Ye Caiping with anticipation.

“Absolutely true.” Ye Caiping dragged over a cloth bag that was placed at her feet.

Magistrate Lu couldn't wait to open the cloth bag and take out the cassava roots one by one, not minding the fresh soil sticking to them.

Magistrate Lu hurriedly picked one up: "Look... it looks no different from ordinary cassava?"

Ye Caiping said, "They look the same, but the meat inside is yellow, and it's more powdery, tender, and sweet. Just scrape off the skin, wash it clean, and you don't need to change the water or soak it. Just put it directly into the pot to cook. It's ready to eat when it's soft."

"Really?" Magistrate Lu's eyes lit up.

"I'll cook one now."

"Very well! Let's go straight to the backyard and use my kitchen."

The magistrate's residence was located in the backyard of the yamen (government office), which was a three-courtyard house.

Ye Lizheng and Ye Caiping carried cassava and followed Magistrate Lu and Master Luo into the backyard.

To make it easier to observe, Magistrate Lu had his servants move a stove and a pot to the courtyard.

Ye Caiping simply scraped off the brown outer skin of the cassava, cut it into three small pieces, washed it, and put it into the pot to cook.

Magistrate Lu and his advisor Luo sat anxiously in the corridor, watching.

After more than half an hour, the cassava in the pot had softened. Ye Caiping used a bowl to pick up three pieces of cassava and handed them to Magistrate Lu:

"Sir, look, this cassava is pale yellow."

Magistrate Lu nodded: "The color is indeed different. As for the toxicity..."

"I, a humble woman, am willing to test the poison on myself," Ye Caiping said, picking up a piece and taking a bite.

“Sigh…” Magistrate Lu wanted to stop her, as he could have tried using cats and dogs first, but seeing how readily she ate, he knew she was confident.

Ye Caiping ate two pieces and then felt a little choked. The maid quickly handed her some water.

Ye Caiping drank a whole glass of water before she recovered.

Magistrate Lu said, "Since Madam Ye is so decisive, she really doesn't seem to be poisonous."

Ye Caiping said, "To be on the safe side, you and your advisor can observe for one or two hours."

“Alright.” Magistrate Lu nodded. “Master Luo, please send a doctor back to be on standby.”

"yes."

"Madam Ye, Village Chief Ye, let's sit in the living room for a while."

Ye Caiping and her companion followed Magistrate Lu into the living room. Because Ye Caiping was a woman, Magistrate Lu specially called out his wife to accompany the guests.