It's unclear whether Zhao Xi was just joking or if everything had been arranged properly, but in any case, since the cake shop opened, he hadn't paid attention to it again.

  Days are still like before, go to school in the morning, and after school, play with Tuan Nang for a while before warming up.

  The empress, who was supposed to be supervising Zhao Xi's playtime, had to leave for the cake house in the late afternoon because Wang Niang was so foolish. Looking at the daily income of 10 yuan and 20 yuan in the palace, the empress couldn't even bother to urge Zhao Xi to play anymore.

  She didn't care about it at all, and those who restricted the warm book were just considering the nagging of their husbands, just going through the motions.

  If Nei Yuan said keep it a secret, maybe it's related to the cake house this time.

  Zhao Xi knew that this place was always a leaky pot, and even the slightest thing could make all of Bianliang aware. So from the beginning, he had told Liu Yi that if the outer court found out about the cake, the cake house would stop immediately.

  Don't think they don't care, Zhao Xi's daily reward to them is like a salary. This group of people won't even spread the word outside, let alone inside the palace, where everyone keeps their mouths tightly shut.

  "Your Highness, Her Majesty is summoning you to the cake house."

  It's getting hot outside, after school Zhao Xi would casually bring a book and accompany Tuan Niang outdoors, just like taking care of a child.

  Xiao Yatou doesn't go to the cake house anymore. Anyway, she can eat at any time, and it's not as enthusiastic as before.

  Wan Niang rushed over, panting and in a hurry.

  Zhao Xi's heart skipped a beat, this thing is not good to keep, at the beginning he had told Liu Yi that when selling, it must be informed to consume within three days, otherwise it will make people sick. Is it possible that this cake has eaten people?

  He doesn't know what kind of supervision and procedures there are for food safety in this era...

  "Xi'er, today's cake didn't sell out, there are over 500 pieces left?"

  I thought it was a big deal, but it turned out to be a sale in my hands. No, Zhao Xi had explained before that every day they would sell, put up a sign for those who hadn't bought yet, record the quantity and order of purchases for the next day, so there shouldn't be any sales in my hands.

  "Miss, how many did you make yesterday?"

  "Five thousand."

  Five thousand? I'm going! Zhao Xi roughly estimated that the entire capital's demand for cakes would not exceed three thousand pieces per day.

  It's not that the nearly one million population of Bianliang can't finish selling, but when they started coordinating with the pawnshops, the pawnshops didn't allow them to set a low price, saying it would snatch away the livelihoods of small businesses and households.

  So, cakes are basically positioned for high-end users such as wealthy merchants and officials...

  Liu Yi...

  He had entrusted all these things to Liu Yi, but he didn't expect this fool...

  "Xī ér, this matter is not surprising to others, it is I who agree."

  I'm afraid it's not an agreement? It should be the queen's order.

  The impoverished queen, even wearing a slightly new dress would be criticized by the imperial court. It's not easy to have a way to supplement the palace expenses, so she naturally wants to save more.

  Alas! Zhao Xi really can't discuss economic theory with them. Even if he's only at a half-baked level, I reckon no one can surpass him.

  "It doesn't matter, daughter, I'll take care of it."

  Since it's an order from Her Majesty the Queen, I'll have to take responsibility for this matter myself.

  "Bake the remaining cake again over low heat."

  Then Zhao Xi ordered someone to find the five grains and grind them into a fine powder.

  While taking advantage of the opportunity to roast in the furnace, Zhao Xi also directed the construction of a very strange stove...

  The re-baked cake was ground into powder and mixed with cereal powder, then added some oil, salt, water and spice powder.

  Then cut into blocks and put them in the oven, then press the weight set inside the oven...

  Zhao Xi was also uncertain in his heart. Compressing biscuits shouldn't be difficult, but this era didn't have the corresponding equipment, so he could only make do with what he had and see if it would work or not.

  If it can be done, he estimated that cookies should be made first, and then... it would be a matter of national importance.

  Military rations have never been a trivial matter since ancient times.

  It's all done in one go, and everyone is watching Master Wang's operation, but they don't understand what this is for.

  Zhao Xi took a piece and put it in his mouth... It's okay, loose, not sticky to the teeth, sweet and salty flavors are just right, very much like the old taste.

  "Xī ér..."

  "Mother, let's not talk about this for now, I want to talk about the cake house."

  The queen would certainly not be satisfied with an income of tens of guan per day, otherwise she would not have allowed the oven to be opened.

  "Your Ladyship, at present, it is imperative that we coordinate with the dental department to lower prices, so that all the people of Bianliang can afford to eat cake."

  "Next is Li's profit. He recruits others to sell cakes and opens many cake shops in Bianliang City."

  "Secondly, it is selling formulas..."

  "Xi'er, selling formulas is often impermissible."

  Zhaoxi hadn't finished speaking yet when the empress immediately interrupted him.

  "Miss, the cake is not easy to store. If it's kept for more than three days before eating, it may cause diarrhea in the person who eats it."

  "The palace is limited, and Bianliang is also limited. If you want to sell the cake to all military states in our dynasty, there is only one strategy: selling the formula."

  "The sale of formulas can be settled annually for the use of formula fees, and can also be bought out once and for all, or a commission can be deducted from the amount of cake produced."

  The franchise and agency that were played rotten by later generations, it's unknown whether it counts as fresh or not when brought up now. Anyway, the queen mother seems to have listened.

  Alas! Liu Yi looked at the Empress's expression and knew that after this, he might not have anything to do with himself. Whether he could still stay in the palace was another matter.

  Liu Yi...

  "Little is in..."

  "Remember, Palace sells only two thousand per day. Also, no matter how other cake houses are in the future, the formula of Palace Cake House must not be disclosed or changed."

  Zhao Xita knew the baseness of this person, even if all of Bianliang were filled with cake houses, for wealthy merchants and scholars, only the cakes beside the palace walls were recognized. This was beyond doubt.

  Liu Yi did not understand Zhao Xi's limit of two thousand, and could only obediently listen. Even the empress did not speak, what could a lowly person like him do?

  At least this job has been kept, and with these seven or eight people in the imperial kitchen, it can be considered that this subsidy has not been lost.

  "Your Ladyship, I think we only need to keep Xiangyang, and let the other military states go for good."

  Returning to Ciming Palace, Zhao Xi did not leave and spoke very seriously with the Empress.

  "Xī ér, this is why again?"

  "Your Majesty, the matter of making cakes in the palace will eventually be known to the imperial court. The imperial court pays attention to the inner courtyard, and no matter how small the matter is, it will inevitably lead to criticism in the imperial court."

  "In this way, Neiyuan needs an alliance, whether it is Xun Gui or Shi Lin Qing Gui, and Neiyuan can only be stable by riding the same boat."

  Zhao Xi didn't know if it was the right time to tell the empress these things, although being clever to the point of being eerie had already become a fact, but would a three or four-year-old child seeing through worldly affairs be too much?

  "Xī ér...... rǔ...... rǔ rú hé xiǎng dào zhè bān chéng dù?"

  Translation: "Xi'er... you... how did you think of this extent?"

  As expected, she startled Empress Cao again. When listening to Xi'er speak, if it weren't for her childish voice, she would almost forget that Xi'er was still a child, and even felt like she was listening to her grandfather's teachings when she was young.

  "Mother, my child reads books and from ancient times to the present, it has always demonstrated one principle: when many people gather firewood, the flames rise high; with many people, there is great power."

  It's not that simple, Zhao Xi wanted to say. When doing things, it is necessary to use interests to tie up alliances and set up defenses, find more people to take the blame and charge forward, so as to return to the essence of interests. To avoid continuing to entangle this issue, it's better to speak in a more majestic tone.