Even without Song Fei's words, these people knew their place. Learning that this was the Empress's property, their status as subordinates would be different, and their words would carry more weight than others.
Everyone behaved themselves, waiting for Song Fei's instructions.
He raised the arm holding the fan, flicking away imaginary wrinkles on the embroidered silk, and said, "My requirements are simple. First, you must be loyal to the Emperor and Empress. Nothing about the workshop must be revealed without the Empress's permission."
"Second, do not use your position as the Empress's subordinate to bully the common people, flaunt your power, or act arrogantly. In short, keep a low profile. Anyone who dares to bully others will face death!"
Song Fei held up two fingers and asked the assembled group, "If any of you cannot meet these two conditions, please step forward. I will compensate you with five taels of silver, and you may return to wherever you came from. I need loyal servants, not those who are two-faced and greedy."
Out of sixteen people, not a single one stepped forward.
Zhao Jiaqi stood in the shade of the eaves, watching Song Fei lecture. This fellow was getting quite full of himself. The Minister of Revenue was now acting like a housekeeper.
Indeed, he was a versatile talent, not to be missed. But... what about Fang Mingjiang?
How did the Minister of Personnel become a contractor?
He looked like a mud doll after just a few days, his face tanned to a dark shade. Song Lan, moreover, was busy delivering water and iced fruits to him!
It seemed that for the sake of a workshop, two ministers of the court were disregarding their status and putting in both effort and manpower. Oh, if this workshop didn't make some money, it would be a disservice to their hard labor.
During dinner that evening, Zhao Jiaqi made a decision. She decided to allocate one-fourth of the 'Fancy Tofu Workshop' shares to Song Fei, one-tenth to Fang Mingjiang, and the remaining two-fourths, meaning half the shares, to Yu Meng.
As soon as Zhao Jiaqi spoke, Song Fei's heart ached. The hand holding his chopsticks trembled. The others thought he was moved, but in reality, he was heartbroken for his brother-in-law's one-tenth share. If he had hired people to build the workshop himself, would he have taken more of his brother-in-law's half share?
Fang Mingjiang rubbed his face and chuckled sheepishly, "Thank you, Your Highness. I will definitely build a solid and indestructible workshop!"
Then, he turned and raised his cup to his elder brother-in-law, Song Fei, expressing his gratitude. "Thank you, Brother. If you ever need my help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. Lan'er and I will go all out to assist you!"
Song Fei's twitching face felt a burning heat. He nodded weakly, "Of course. Who else would I help but my brother-in-law? We're family, so let's not be strangers."
This was an unexpected turn of events. He had provided money, effort, and manpower, only to end up helping his brother-in-law make connections. This wouldn't do. He was already so miserable; should he also have to share the money spent on buying servants? At least he could recover some of his losses!
After half a month, the workshop was completed. Zhao Jiaqi inspected it and nodded in satisfaction.
"Calculate the total cost of buying the land, building the workshop, and purchasing the servants. You can collect the money from Chun Fen later. Give each of them an extra two thousand taels. Thank you both for your hard work."
Song Fei, whose head had been hanging low, was instantly overjoyed by this good news. Not only had he recouped his losses, but he also received an extra two thousand taels. Truly, following the Empress meant no worries about food or drink.
This was a great opportunity! His annual salary wasn't even two thousand taels. From now on, he had to hold onto the Empress's leg tightly.
Meanwhile, Zhao Jiaqi instructed Shi He to deliver the fermented tofu to the four major restaurants in the capital. These four restaurants were opened by four brothers who had left their hometown with them.
Along with the fermented tofu, she also sent the recipes for making fermented tofu dishes. The workshop's address and the price per jin were also provided to the restaurant managers. She believed that food items like tofu would become popular.
She not only made it affordable for the common people but also allowed the farmers who produced tofu to earn more money. This would encourage more farmers in the area to grow soybeans, and the ripple effect would soon be apparent.
With the opening of the Fancy Tofu Workshop, tofu from the villages of Langxiang Town flowed continuously to the workshop. After processing, it was transported north along the way and sold in various prefectures before being moved to the inner city. Once Wu Lifeng took over, it was then sold throughout the Zongsheng Kingdom.
Suddenly, a workshop appeared in Langxiang Town, attracting the attention of the town magistrate and the county magistrate. With good business and a constant stream of carriages entering and exiting the small village, the town magistrate and county magistrate were quite envious.
They intended to demand some benefits, but upon learning from the steward that it was the Empress's property, the town magistrate fled in terror. The county magistrate, however, remained relatively calm. Not only did he not seek any benefits, but he also showed great care and attention to the workshop.
Zhao Jiaqi knew nothing of these matters. At this time, they were already heading to the next prefecture, inspecting and sightseeing while looking for business opportunities.
A month and a half after the Emperor and Empress's tour, foreign envoys observed how responsible Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi were towards the people. Compared to the couple, they felt quite ashamed.
Prince Yu Xiaoshuang of the Wei Kingdom declared that he must learn from Fan Zehao. Thus, he followed the Emperor of Yun, determined to learn how to govern a country from him.
Others felt they could not lag behind and joined Yu Xiaoshuang in chasing after the Emperor of Yun.
What was originally a small group quickly grew. With their addition, there were over ten carriages, not including the guards, maids, and attendants, as well as the envoys accompanying the princes of various countries.
This made it difficult for them to conduct inspections. Fan Zehao, suppressing his anger, summoned these few princes and held a meeting.
"You have been in Yun Country for over two months. The contracts have been signed, and bilateral trade has been opened. Shouldn't you be returning to your own countries? How can a dignified prince remain in Yun Country for so long instead of going back to cooperate with your fathers in governing your nations?"
Learn governance from him?
What a joke. He wasn't his son, so he had to teach them everything?
Even if they were his sons, he had no intention of letting them become emperor.
Being dismissed, Yu Xiaoshuang blushed. Although somewhat shy, he knew when to be bold.
He said, "I have already written to my father, explaining that I am learning from the Emperor of Yun. My father is very pleased and has instructed me to stay and learn the Emperor's benevolent heart and how the Empress has improved the agricultural and sideline industries. This way, when I return to Wei Country, I can put my skills to use and ensure that the people can prosper, or at least not go hungry. This is the reason for my staying. I implore the Emperor of Yun, for the sake of all beings, to give Xiaoshuang this opportunity!"
"Yes, Emperor of Yun. My father also means the same. We implore Emperor Yun's magnanimity to give us this opportunity to learn!" said Prince Liang Long of the Liang Kingdom sincerely.
He was usually quiet among the princes and had a low presence. For him to say this today, he must have mustered considerable courage.