She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 193 - 192: Gloomy Expression

Chapter 193: Chapter 192: Gloomy Expression

Hu Jing spoke in a relaxed tone, comforting Qi Younian, "There’s no need to worry, Elder, it isn’t anything serious, just some matters that aren’t suitable for outsiders to hear."

Qi Younian hastily responded, "Please speak, sir."

Those were his words, yet the expression on Qi Younian’s face remained solemn. All the attendants had been sent out by the Duke’s scholar to keep watch, so it certainly wasn’t a trivial matter, not something that a few words of comfort could dispel.

Hu Jing said, "After Lady Qi helped Sixth Master set up the dairy farm, if the draft cattle were involved in farming, then the large-scale breeding and raising of these animals wouldn’t be a small affair. Thus, when the news reached the capital, it caught the attention of several princes." As Hu Jing spoke, he glanced at Ye Xinyan, "It was around that time that Duke An’s Mansion learned of Lady Qi’s whereabouts."

The words "capital" and "princes" made Qi Younian’s heart tighten. He listened intently to Hu Jing, his heart uneasy. Now that even the distant figures like the princes were involved, this was the first time he was hearing about matters concerning the royal family directly from a senior figure.

"Elder might not be fully aware, but if the dairy farm were truly connected with agriculture all over the land, it would be a major issue. Hence, when Lady Qi approached Sixth Master for the partnership in the Dairy Products Store, Sixth Master agreed immediately, with joy. The purpose was to shift the princes’ focus to the Dairy Products Store and consider Sixth Master’s intention to run the dairy farm as a means of making silver," said Hu Jing.

Ye Xinyan looked outside the window with an indignant gaze. Damn it, was that considered agreeing with joy? At that time, Jinrong was extremely reluctant, even forcefully trying to take an eighty percent share! It was only after her utmost effort that the fellow grudgingly agreed to a thirty-seven percent share with immense reluctance.

Hu Jing was aware of the situation at the time, and seeing Ye Xinyan’s expression, he couldn’t help but smile inwardly. Sixth Master always had the ability to irritate people, yet he was actually quite forthright in dealing with others.

"My visit this time," he continued, "is to confirm this matter, all thanks to Lady Qi’s rapid production of those culinary delights related to cow’s milk."

Ye Xinyan immediately understood Jinrong’s intention. Delivering dairy products to the capital and into the imperial palace, to let the Emperor know in advance that his son had started a profitable workshop, using the cow’s milk produced from the dairy farm as the raw material, provided a solid reason for establishing the dairy farm that was unrelated to the court or political affairs.

As for whether the Emperor would take to dairy products... if they were made with utmost care, surely he would find one or two items to his liking. Moreover, the imperial palace wasn’t just occupied by the Emperor; there were also many empresses, concubines, princes, and His Majesty. Women and children were naturally lacking resistance to dairy products.

Ye Xinyan turned her gaze back to Hu Jing. There were many benefits to being involved with the princes, but the risks were also tremendous. Allowing Jinrong to remain detached from the strife for the Crown Prince was beneficial for Jinrong and an even greater boon for her, Ye Xinyan, and the Qi family.

Hu Jing met Ye Xinyan’s knowing gaze and immediately understood that the lady had grasped the crux of the matter. He greatly admired Ye Xinyan’s acuity; only such intelligence could command a different regard from Sixth Master.

Although Ye Xinyan’s identity was clear and she was the principal partner in the collaboration with Sixth Master, the head of the Qi family was still Mr. Qi Younian, so the discussion had to be held with the elder.

Turning back, Hu Jing addressed Qi Younian, "It’s presumptuous of me to come here, Elder, but I wish to take some Cheese Powder from your mansion, along with a few recipes using Cheese Powder, and deliver them to the capital, to the imperial palace. Let the Son of Heaven taste the delicacies presented by Sixth Master as filial piety to His Imperial Father, and let the Emperor see the profits made by Sixth Master from running the dairy farm."

"The, the imperial palace?" The mere two words made Qi Younian’s speech falter.

Yet what Ye Xinyan said was, "Recipes?"

Turning towards Ye Xinyan, Hu Jing apologetically said, "Yes, recipes. Lady Qi, it’s only by pairing your Cheese Powder with several exquisite recipes and presenting them to the imperial palace that we can achieve an unexpected effect. However, rest assured, Lady Qi, that the recipes sent to the palace will not be leaked to other businesses for a while, so they won’t affect the operation of Qi family’s snack shop."

Ye Xinyan did not utter a word. For such an irrelevant reason as pleasing his father, Jinrong intended to learn a few Western dessert recipes she brought from a thousand years in the future, which she thought was a loss no matter how she considered it.

Hu Jing continued, "Lady Qi is one who handles big affairs. It seems when Lady Qi first planned to start the Dairy Products Store, she must have aimed to promote dairy products as a high-end ingredient, doing business with all the related food merchants across the land, rather than just supplying her own small eatery, right?"

Ye Xinyan glanced at Hu Jing, who was a good talker. Not only could he come up with sly strategies to help Jinrong escape court disputes, but he was also well-versed in business matters. He even knew that promoting dairy products as a basic ingredient had more potential than using it solely in his own operations.

"If the Qi family’s dairy products could gain the emperor’s and the entire imperial city’s approval, though Lady Qi’s eatery is located in a remote area, it could still become known to everyone under heaven, which would be a tremendous good fortune for the Qi family."

Ye Xinyan looked at Hu Jing with a gloomy expression and asked, "How many recipes does your Sixth Master plan to use to curry favor with his father?"

Hu Jing, caught off guard by Ye Xinyan’s words, choked and coughed repeatedly. He quickly put down the teacup he was holding, his finger trembling as he pointed at Ye Xinyan, "Cough, cough cough, that’s the royal family, Lady Qi... you mustn’t speak carelessly, speaking carelessly."

Qi Younian was also frightened, his face turning pale as he apologized to Hu Jing repeatedly, "Mr. Hu, please don’t take offense at Ye Zi, she’s just a child and doesn’t watch her words. I will teach her properly."

While waving his hands, Hu Jing pulled out a handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe the tea off his beard, but he didn’t believe that Qi Younian could teach Miss Ye anything.

After all, Miss Ye’s rash habit had not been corrected by the rules of Duke An’s Mansion even after a decade, so how could a common old man have any tricks? He did not believe it.

Hongzhi stood at the door with a pained expression, wishing he had been the one to go out and stand guard so he wouldn’t have to listen to Miss Ye’s discordant language.

Ye Xinyan pouted, feeling somewhat annoyed. Alright, it was her who was angry at having her golden finger for cheating arbitrarily stripped away, and in a moment of carelessness, she lost her sense of measure.

Once Hu Jing recovered, he earnestly advised, "Lady Qi must have heard the saying, ’All the land under heaven belongs to the emperor,’ haven’t you? Even if Clear Water Village is remote, it is still the emperor’s land. Lady Qi, you still need to be cautious with your speech."

"Mr. Hu is right," Ye Xinyan said with an extremely sincere expression, agreeing at once.

Following the information revealed by Ye Xinyan’s earlier words, Hu Jing further inquired, "How many recipes involving cheese powder does Lady Qi have?"

Immediate alarm bells went off in Ye Xinyan’s mind, and she replied unenthusiastically, "Not many, just a few small desserts that Nanny Liu previously told Sixth Master’s Mansion’s kitchen about. Yesterday, I also tried a meatball cheese recipe, and the flavor was quite good. I’ll have Nanny Liu tell Mr. Hu later."

"Cheese can also be used to cook meals?" Hu Jing’s eyes lit up for a moment.

"Yes, you can eat it however you like. The emperor, His Majesty, has people and silver, and by having them try various things repeatedly, more ways to consume it will be discovered," Ye Xinyan said casually.