Chang'an East City.

Knowing that all the new snow skewers in Chang'an City had been bought up by the Eastern Palace, the ladies of the aristocratic families were three parts envious, three parts upset, and the remaining four parts were helpless.

Who told the prince to be rich and willing to spend money on his wife?

However, the frustration of not being able to get new fabrics did not last long, as everyone's attention was soon attracted by a newly opened bakery in Guangdefang.

The cakes in that shop are so delicious, you can smell them from across the street!!

The customers who were attracted by the aroma at first didn’t really want to buy anything, they just wanted to take a look.

Upon first glance, I found that the store was decorated in a very stylish way. Various cakes were neatly and beautifully displayed. They looked good, the prices were not expensive, and you could even try them.

Some people are greedy for fresh food. After trying them, they think everything is good and want to buy them all.

For the ladies of wealthy families, buying pastries didn't cost much money, so if they found something they liked, they would buy as much as they could without blinking an eye.

For ordinary people, cakes and pastries are not something they are very hungry for. They are okay to eat during festivals, but they are not bought on weekdays.

But this Taotie Pavilion is holding a buy three get one free promotion for the opening of a new store——

As the saying goes, if you can get a good deal, you are a fool. Especially for those who have children at home, once the children have tasted the samples, they will cry and make a fuss to eat more. There are so many people in the store watching, as long as the family is not too poor, the adults will grit their teeth and buy it.

If that doesn’t work, you can ask your neighbors to buy together. After all, the cakes are in pieces and it’s easy to share.

The promotion lasted for three days, and all the cakes in Taotie Pavilion were sold out every day.

After the promotion is over, the store will launch new products, specially labeled as "limited time and limited quantity".

Customers who have tried this pastry shop are naturally curious when they see this gimmick and want to see what this limited-time and limited-quantity pastry is like.

Facts have proved that hunger marketing is very effective in any era, especially in a place like Chang'an where nobles gather and everything is comparable.

After half a month of opening, Taotie Pavilion has gradually gained a firm foothold. As long as the pastries are delicious, there will be no shortage of customers.

As June came, cicadas began to chirp, the sun became increasingly scorching, and the pastry business gradually declined. Taotie Pavilion then opened a special beverage section, offering a variety of flavors of milk tea and iced drinks.

Rich people can choose to buy expensive iced milk tea according to their taste, while ordinary people with limited funds can choose iced mung bean soup for three cents a bowl. The prices are clearly marked and you can choose whatever you want.

At first Xu Wenchan thought that although milk tea tasted good, it was difficult to preserve. If the fresh milk of the day could not be sold, it would all be wasted.

Tao Ti was very confident. She composed a bunch of advertisements about milk tea overnight and asked the little beggars to make them into songs and sing them all over the streets, exaggerating milk tea to be healthy and nutritious.

In addition, she asked Xu Wenchan to arrange some people to line up in front of the Taotie Pavilion. People always like to see the excitement, and when they see so many people lining up and praising, they can't help but buy a cup to try.

Taoti is still very confident in the charm of milk tea. As long as people have tried milk tea, I can’t say that the return rate is 100%, but at least half of them can accept it.

After such marketing, it didn’t take long for the milk tea craze to sweep Chang’an City.

Even when the ladies get together, they will ask, "Have you tried the new milk tea from Taotie Pavilion?"

If someone says they have tried it, the second sentence will definitely be, "What flavor do you like best?" and then they will start chatting enthusiastically.

If you say you haven't tried it, then you'll seem like you're out of fashion, a country bumpkin who doesn't fit in, and in the end someone will advise you, "You can go and try it, it tastes really good."

On this day, Pei Lingbi rarely left the palace and came to Zhou's house to attend a Qushui Liushang banquet. She was in a good mood at first, but when she heard the noble ladies talking about milk tea or something, she felt overwhelmed.

Others may not know about Taotie Pavilion, but she knows clearly that the boss behind this shop is the annoying Tao Ti and the vulgar black fat man Xu Wenchan!

It's really shameful. One is the Crown Princess of the imperial dynasty, and the other is the daughter of a marquis. They have nothing to do but get involved in business. They are really self-degrading.

Pei Lingbi was complaining in her heart, and Zhou Muyan came forward and said in a caring voice, "Cousin, what's wrong with you? You don't look well."

Pei Lingbi glanced sideways at the ladies chatting about milk tea not far away, and said arrogantly, "It's just the same drink. As for the endless chatting."

Zhou Muyan said, "Cousin, you often stay in the palace and don't know that milk tea is very popular in Chang'an City now. Alas, it's a pity that Taotie Pavilion has limited the purchase and only sells 100 cups a day. They will close when they are sold out! It's noon now, they must have sold out. Otherwise, I will ask the servant to buy you a cup to try. I guarantee you will like it..."

Pei Lingbi's face twitched, and she squinted at Zhou Muyan, "From what you said, do you drink often?"

Zhou Muyan said, "Yes, this is delicious! I drink a cup every morning and feel energetic all day long."

Pei Lingbi glanced at Zhou Muyan's slightly rounded chin thoughtfully, and said in a deep voice, "Did you know that Taotie Pavilion is the Crown Princess's business?"

Zhou Muyan was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head, as if feeling a little guilty, and uttered a low "hmm".

Pei Lingbi's eyes widened, "You still bought it even though you knew it!"

Zhou Muyan was also quite embarrassed. She had known before that the store was opened by the Crown Princess, and she was very unhappy about it. She even wanted to find an opportunity to find some thugs to cause trouble.

But I didn’t expect that the store would launch a new product the next day: milk tea with pearls!

Zhou Muyan thought that he would wait until he had tried this new product before sending someone to do anything.

But once she tasted it, she was conquered by the chewy texture of the pearl powder.

Just like that, day after day, the store didn't fall apart, but she became one of the first supreme customers of Taotie Pavilion? She could even get discounts every time she made a purchase.

Although I have enough money for the discount, but... the little card for the supreme customer is still quite unique, inlaid with gold and jade.

Of course, Zhou Muyan couldn't say these things in front of Pei Lingbi, so she just said, "She just opened a store, it's not a big deal. Everyone buys, but I don't buy, so we have nothing to talk about."

Pei Lingbi was filled with anger.

………

In the blink of an eye, another month passed. The weather was getting hotter and hotter, and Taotie Pavilion's business was getting better and better.

When Xu Wenchan took the monthly account book to Yaoguang Temple to find Tao Ti, he smiled so hard that his teeth were showing, just like the Maitreya Buddha enshrined in the temple.

"Ati, we are rich!!!"

As Tao Ti flipped through the account book and calculated the amount on the abacus, the smile on her face grew wider and wider. The catering industry really does make money!

Especially for something like milk tea, the profit is more than ten times higher. Just looking at these numbers on the account book, Tao Ti seemed to see a group of gold ingots holding hands and dancing hula in front of her.

"If we keep going like this, maybe we can buy a house by the end of this year!" Xu Wenchan held his chin and looked at Tao Ti with shining eyes, "Ati, you said before that you wanted to open a branch store, should we start now?"

Tao Ti thought for a moment, closed the account book, and said, "Don't worry, wait until this store is open for three months, then we can consider opening a branch."

Xu Wenchan now listens to Tao Ti in everything. She thinks her good friend is amazing. She can cook delicious food and do business. All she has to do is follow her pace and everything will be fine!

The palace maids were fanning themselves, the ice cubes were piled in the ice cups, and there were some fresh fruits in the ice bowls. Tao Ti and Xu Wenchan were sitting on the cool mats, calculating their accounts, while the cat Yuanbao was lazily lying beside their legs, looking extremely relaxed.

After the bill was settled, the osmanthus and brown sugar jelly in the ice cream cone was almost frozen and ready to eat.

The ice jelly is served in a crystal bowl. With the addition of brown sugar and osmanthus paste, there are a few scattered pale yellow osmanthus petals in the beautiful deep red color, and a layer of raisins is sprinkled on the surface. When you eat it, the crystal clear ice jelly tastes like jelly, smooth and sweet, icy and cool, with the rich fragrance of osmanthus and the mellow aroma of brown sugar, which is very suitable for summer.

Xu Wenchan took only one bite and fell in love with the smooth texture. His round eyes sparkled, "Ati, this ice jelly can also be sold in the store. It will sell well if it is well preserved."

Tao Ti smiled and said, "That's what I was thinking. The ingredients are not expensive. Let's set the price lower so that ordinary people can buy it and eat it."

The two of them were discussing something here. In the Qinzheng Hall, Emperor Zhaokang and Pei Yan sat opposite each other playing chess.

Emperor Zhaokang held the white piece and dropped one. He then asked casually, "I heard that your Crown Princess recently opened a pastry shop and her business is pretty good?"

Pei Yanqingjun showed a gentle smile on his face and said softly, "Yes, she is a good cook, so she opened a shop with the daughter of the Zhenbei Marquis family."

Emperor Zhaokang said, "She is the Crown Princess after all. Her main responsibilities are to take care of you, manage the Eastern Palace, and produce offspring for our royal family..."

Speaking of reproducing offspring, Emperor Zhaokang raised his eyes and looked at Pei Yan, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Pei Yan pretended not to notice and said calmly, "Ati doesn't usually take care of the business in the shop. She is only responsible for launching new snacks. For her, running a shop is just a pastime. The affairs of the Eastern Palace are assisted by the officials of various palaces, and she is in charge of it well... As for taking care of me, she is very considerate to me, so you don't have to worry, father."

Emperor Zhaokang looked him over and snorted, "You are just too used to her. If I say one word to her, you have a hundred words to protect her."

"Ati is my son's crown princess, so I will naturally protect her." Pei Yan smiled gently and said, "As for opening a shop, as long as she is happy, I will fully support her."

Hearing this, Emperor Zhaokang seemed to remember something, his eyes were filled with dark colors, he was silent for a moment, and stopped talking, just continuing to play chess.

If you play a game of chess absent-mindedly, you will lose.

Emperor Zhaokang waved his hand with a lack of interest, asking Pei Yanxian to leave.

After Pei Yan left, he still sat there, bent over, staring at the defeat, his face gloomy.

Seeing this, the eunuch chief Li Gui waited patiently until the cup of tea had cooled down. He then found an opportunity to change the tea and reminded, "Your Majesty, it is time for feeding."

Emperor Zhaokang finally came to his senses, turned his head to look at the warm red sunset outside the window, and whispered, "Li Gui, do you think I did something wrong? Did I restrict the empress too much? That's why she left in such a decisive way... If I were like Yan'er, I would let her do whatever she wanted..."

Li Gui was very nervous and didn't know how to respond.

Fortunately, Emperor Zhaokang did not ask him to answer, and continued to talk to himself, "No, she is different. She does not have me in her heart, and she only wants to leave me... The thing that makes her happiest is to leave me."

He murmured, his eyes filled with cold and deep determination.

He couldn't accept her leaving him, nor did he regret imprisoning her. The only thing he regretted was that he didn't keep an eye on her and let her drink the poison.

Even if she was a prisoner, he wanted her to be by his side. She was his in life and his ghost in death.

Seeing that the emperor's madness was showing signs of recurring, Li Gui quickly went to get the pills and fed them to him. He stroked his back and advised, "Your Majesty, please don't worry too much and hurt your body."

Emperor Zhaokang took a long while to calm down and asked in a deep voice, "How is the search for Xu Wenhe going? Still no news at all?"

Li Gui said, "Since the Yangzhou Clinic was burned down by a fire, Xu Wenhe has been missing. However, there was a tip-off this morning that there seemed to be traces of Xu Wenhe in the Jinzhong area, and the Xuanying Guards have already gone there to look for him."

Emperor Zhaokang stroked his chest and slowly closed his eyes, "Hurry up and find... Yan'er's body is healed, so that I can meet the empress in the underworld in the future, and I will feel less guilty."