Following Yang Shuyi's sudden death, some rumors began to circulate.
It is said that the Yang family had an unfilial and disgraceful son who secretly opened a salt mine.
The Yang family has suffered a terrible misfortune this time, and rumors are spreading. Based on these rumors, Wang Yan has guessed what happened in Jiangnan.
As for the Yang family's private tea sales, the matters involved are truly important, and no such rumors have surfaced.
However, because of the salt mine, slaughtering the entire family gave the world a perfectly legitimate reason.
The matter of tea is too complicated to discuss, as it involves many aspects, and releasing information would only disturb public order!
The reasons for beheading people in salt mines were relatively better, but even so, the case took almost half a year to hear.
Yang Lou was finally sentenced to beheading. Shen Jiamu was determined to see the spectacle.
Besides, his family also owned a cloth shop in the capital. Upon arriving here, he hadn't even thought of Wang Yan.
However, Yu Chun Lou and the Marquis's Mansion have been arguing fiercely lately, and Yu Chun Lou was the place where Shen Jiamu stayed on his first day.
Because Yuchunlou was relatively close to their own shop, they happened to overhear a few servants gossiping and mentioning Wang Yan and the others.
I also heard some key information: chili peppers? Are they really that magical?
Curious, Shen Jiamu first stepped in to help Wang Yan and the others fend off the two families' rampant looting.
No need for elaborate schemes, just release information about Wang Yan's activities in Jiangnan.
As soon as this news came out, Lady Hou immediately remembered what the Marquis had said before the New Year.
Although Yuchunlou was just a restaurant, everyone knew who its powerful backer was, so no one dared to go looking for Wang Yan's business.
The key issue is that Yang Lou is about to be executed, so who cares how many chili peppers Wang Yan has? Nobody dares to rush in at this critical juncture, in case Wang Yan and her group are still connected to this case.
Is money more important or life? Everyone knows the answer in their hearts.
Although she had been given a few days to recover, Wang Yan still couldn't resolve the scheming intentions of both the Marquis's Mansion and Yuchun Tower.
Just then, Shen Jiamu appeared. The fact that Shen Wan couldn't touch Yang Lou or send out the account books back then wasn't entirely because Shen Wan was useless.
Instead, she wanted to devise a plan, at any cost, to make the emperor believe they were innocent.
The Shen family had more than one powerful backer, Yang Lou, but Yang Lou held the highest official position.
But the Shen family's new patron is now on a completely different level than Yang Lou; it's Song Ren.
Song Ren is directly backed by the current emperor. After Shen Jiamu took over the Shen family, he gave away half of the family fortune within six months.
In return, they can have a better, clearer environment to do business.
At least we won't dare to have another corrupt official like Yang Lou trying to extort money.
Shen Jiamu opened three businesses in the past six months: a silk shop, a timber shop, and a ceramics factory.
However, in order to keep a low profile, all the products produced by these three companies are shipped directly overseas.
But in the capital, Shen Jiamu was not content with just opening a silk shop and a general store.
Restaurants and eateries are a booming industry nowadays, and when Shen Wan was alive, she had considered opening a proper restaurant herself.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have gone to Sichuan to inspect a shop and bought back so many recipes.
One reason was that she wanted Shen Jiamu to eat well, and another was that she wanted to open her own shop.
Well, now such an opportunity has arisen. You know, Shen Jiamu is a descendant of Shen Hezhang (grandfather), and her business acumen and shrewdness are buried in her genes!
………………………………………………………………
That day, Wang Yan was sitting in front of the door, facing Wang Pangzi, both looking melancholy.
In the worst-case scenario, we would have no choice but to give this prescription to the Marquis's residence.
The Marquis's mansion only offered one thousand taels of silver to buy control of their chili peppers and menu. That's outrageous!
Without chili peppers, would their shop still be as popular if they made other dishes?
Just as she was worrying, a carriage approached from afar. Wang Yan's heart clenched; could it be the Marquis's residence?
When Wang Yan saw a young girl coming down from upstairs and walking straight towards them, she wondered, "Is she here to reserve a table?"
Wang Yan didn't recognize Shen Jiamu until he walked right up to her.
"Hey, it's you!"
Shen Jiamu smiled slightly, "It's been a long time since we parted ways in Lin'an."
"Yes, it's been a long time. What brings you here this time is...?"
"It's nothing, I just heard that your family's banquet dishes are excellent, and I'd like to come and try them."
Wang Yan's eyebrows twitched upon hearing this, as it was exactly the same thing that the bank manager and the other person had said.
However, she still prepared a feast for Shen Jiamu, who was from Lin'an, where the cuisine is refined and light.
She was a little overwhelmed by the sudden taste of such spicy and pungent food.
Wang Yan watched with concern: "You can't faint from the spiciness and then try to extort money from us. We've already reduced the spiciness by half for you."
Fortunately, Shen Jiamu didn't faint from the spiciness after the meal, and after eating, she realized that the dishes at this restaurant were really popular.
Because even though she's a weakling and can't handle spicy food, she'll still crave it more and more.
Seeing that she had put down her chopsticks, Wang Yan knew that she had finished eating. She turned around and went downstairs to bring up a pot of jasmine tea that she had brewed earlier.
"What brings you here? Just say it!"
Since Wang Yan was so decisive, Shen Jiamu naturally wouldn't beat around the bush anymore.
She raised an eyebrow and stated her purpose directly: "To buy chili peppers."
"Want to buy chili powder? Three bags for two hundred taels of silver."
Shen Jiamu lowered his head and smiled, "I'm not a 'good' customer like Bai Fanlou. What I want to buy is the ownership of your chili peppers."
"I don't own this chili pepper; I only signed a five-year contract."
"Okay, then I'll buy the ownership of your property for the next five years, plus the menu for these dishes."
"One thousand taels a year, you provide me with the menu, and I'll open a restaurant in the capital. You'll take a 10% stake. However, there's a time limit; you'll only get your 10% stake for ten consecutive years."
Wang Yan didn't understand why everyone was trying to take advantage of what she had.
"To be honest, the price you offered was the highest of all these people."
But I don't understand why you can't even wait five years? I'm even telling the truth when I say that chili peppers don't have ownership rights.
"If you want, you can go up the mountain now and pick the first batch of chilies, cultivate the seeds, and you'll be able to harvest a large quantity of chilies next year."
Shen Jiamu nodded, "That's right, but if we do that, in the next five years, if any student finds out and writes an article to make us famous, we'll be infamous."
And are you aware that everyone who comes to you asks for the recipes you have?
Of course, except for Bai Fan Lou, right? But do you really think Bai Fan Lou isn't eyeing what you have?
Wang Yan gritted her teeth, "What do you mean by that? They only bought our chili powder, and they paid the normal price."
"So, even if they have ulterior motives, it's relatively aboveboard for them to become the top of the 72 legitimate stores."
Wang Yan frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
Shen Jiamu sat in the chair, clasped his hands together, and gently tapped his feet to the beat.
"Let's be frank, everyone you see coming to you right now wants to openly and honestly get your chili powder and recipes."
Wang Yan scoffed, "Open and aboveboard?"
"Well, the wording was a bit inappropriate. It should be said that we all want you to admit that you voluntarily gave us the chili powder and the recipe."
"Why! There must be some good chefs among you, right? Whether it's imitating or creating your own dishes, it should be easy for you. Even if it's not easy, it shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
"Yes! But firstly, it takes five years to get the chili peppers, which is a slow process."
As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand to stop Wang Yan from interrupting her, "Yes, it is possible to steal your chili seeds and plant them elsewhere."
But with only chili peppers available, creating our own dishes took quite a bit of time.
The road you've paved here, and the dishes you've prepared, are useful to us.
"What's it for?"
"In three months it will be the Empress Dowager's birthday. At this time, it would be good if each family could present two special dishes."
In addition, given the inherent characteristics of chili powder, this is indeed a condiment.
I've also tried the dishes from Sichuan, and your chili peppers seem to be even more refreshing than the dogwood there.
I personally believe that given time, dishes made with chili peppers will likely be almost as good as those made with black pepper.
That's pure nonsense; pepper has its own flavor.
Shen Jiamu added, "Furthermore, if you open a shop here yourself, it will take at least half a year to make a name for yourself."
It was thanks to the help of Madam Wu (the old lady who was fighting with her grandson for food) that the situation was somewhat resolved.
Partnering with my company isn't actually a bad thing for you. You can go over it again and think about it carefully.
Alright! No need to say anything more, Wang Yan already understands.
The reason why Song Sao Fish Soup became so famous is said to be because the emperor ate it once, and that's how its fame spread.
In just a few years, the founder has become one of the richest people in Jiangnan.
The reason this fish soup sold so well was because the emperor had eaten it, which is equivalent to the celebrity effect.
Otherwise, it's just a mixed fish soup, and it would be difficult for it to become famous.
Wang Yan's family can now sell banquets for five or ten taels of silver. Isn't it because some people have heard that Fatty Wang is a retired head chef from the Marquis's mansion?
Moreover, those noble families didn't seem to care much. If it weren't for Madam Wu's help in promoting the business, very few families would have booked a banquet for ten taels of silver from them.
Because in the eyes of these people, even if the food was indeed prepared by a retired cook from a noble household.
But you did it at a small foot massage parlor, and they didn't think it was worth it.
If it weren't for the truly unique flavors, it wouldn't have been so easy for Wang Yan's family to gain recognition for their banquet.
Once you figure out the trick, who wouldn't be tempted? What if your own family could become the next "Song Sao Fish Soup"?
Shen Jiamu saw through her thoughts at a glance, "Did your father seek protection from the Marquis's mansion?"
Wang Yan's mind cleared up immediately. Yes, without a powerful backer, could they hold on by themselves?
Driven by self-interest, Lady Hou was unwilling to relinquish such a good opportunity to her former servant, hence the recent pressure she has been exerting.
Isn't the truth exactly what Wang Yan guessed?
Please forgive Lady Hou's slow reaction time; the spicy dishes she ate at the Hou residence were all specially modified by Aunt Sun.
And most of the time they were just snacks; nobody expected that cooking could taste so good.
After figuring this out, and learning that the person who cooked the dishes was their family's former head cook, they felt a little resentful.
I had the opportunity to come across this new condiment several years ago, but I didn't take it seriously at the time and let go of such a great opportunity to make a name for myself and reap huge profits.
The point of contention for Lady Hou was that now, for the sake of her own family's interests, she had to negotiate with her former servants, and she felt that Wang Yan and the others were not worthy.
Wang Yan is not worthy of a share of this pie, and President Hu and the manager of Yuchunlou share the same opinion.
Therefore, both sides were more inclined to let the Wang family be sensible and hand over everything themselves.
In this way, they wouldn't have to gain a reputation for coercion, they could present their proposals to the emperor openly and honestly, and they wouldn't have to give up even a single penny of the enormous benefits they would gain in the future.
Moreover, Lady Hou felt that the reward she had given was already quite generous and reasonable.
That's a thousand taels of silver! Even as a reward for Steward Rong, you wouldn't give him this much silver at once!
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