In the latter half of the night, Chen Ke returned to his manor in the northern suburbs of Daxia City.
He landed on the riverbank deep in the woods, leaving some human footprints, before quietly passing through the woods and returning to the manor.
After washing up and cleaning the bloodstains off his cloaking gear and weapons, there was still more than an hour until dawn.
Chen Ke simply sat cross-legged in the room, activated the "Great Return to Emptiness True Scripture," and soon entered a profound state of forgetting himself and the world.
At dawn, a commotion arose outside the room, and Chen Ke slowly opened his eyes.
As soon as I got out of bed and left the room, I saw the butler, Chen Xiaofu, directing the newly hired servants to move pots of brightly colored bonsai into the pond.
It tastes so familiar.
Chen Ke sniffed, quickly walked to the pond, and stared wide-eyed at the potted plants.
"Young Master!"
Upon seeing Chen Ke, Chen Xiaofu walked up excitedly, saying proudly, "These potted plants are the most precious varieties in our Shu Prefecture. They were only recently successfully cultivated. Apart from the master's place, yours is the only one of its kind!"
"Young master, look, this is a red lantern. The red fruits hanging down look just like lanterns for the Lantern Festival."
"This pot is called Five-Colored Balls. Look at these fruits, they're all different colors. It's also called Skyward Fire. The red fruits have a pointed end that points straight up to the sky, isn't that just like a vibrant and prosperous scene!"
"And this one is called Sea Emperor Pearl. The fruit looks like a pearl. It looks reddish now, but it will turn golden yellow when it's ripe!"
Chen Xiaofu was speaking with great enthusiasm when suddenly the young master reached out and grabbed a five-colored fruit, stuffing it directly into his mouth.
Chen Xiaofu was horrified: "Young Master, spit it out quickly! This fruit is extremely spicy and poisonous!"
Sure enough, Chen Ke's face contorted in pain, and he spat out the chewed fruit with a "poof," sticking out his tongue and panting heavily.
It's so spicy, so spicy.
Hahaha, I never imagined there were chili peppers in this world!
Chen Ke was covered in sweat, but he laughed heartily.
He seemed to remember that in his previous world, when chili peppers were first introduced, they were also grown as ornamental plants.
It took a very long time before someone discovered that it could be used as a seasoning, and from then on, chili peppers spread throughout the country and became a staple on people's tables.
Just thinking about the fragrant roasted meat and the spicy duck necks made Chen Ke's mouth water uncontrollably.
He looked at the butler, Chen Xiaofu, and said seriously, "Uncle Chen, immediately help me find gardeners who can grow these chilies, uh, these potted plants, at any cost, the more the better!"
Chen Xiaofu was taken aback for a moment, then quickly nodded and agreed.
The master had already instructed him that whatever the young master asked for, he should do his best to fulfill it, without worrying about the money.
The clueless Chen Xiaofu had no idea that this seemingly unreliable act by his young master would later bring the Chen family endless benefits.
Just then, a guard rushed in and bowed, saying, "Young master, someone outside is requesting an audience. They say they are sent by the princess of Qin."
Sent by the princess of Qin?
Chen Ke's expression was strange. Could he be here to check up on him?
Before long, a middle-aged warrior walked in, and when he saw Chen Ke, he immediately showed a surprised expression.
Chen Ke chuckled inwardly; as expected, they had come to check up on him.
This guy probably didn't expect me to get back so quickly.
After looking at the visiting card from the princess's residence, Chen Ke feigned a blank expression: "You were sent by Her Highness the Princess. What business do you have with me?"
The middle-aged warrior stared at Chen Ke for a moment before reacting and hurriedly said, "Young Master Chen, Her Highness the Princess has sent me to ask if you have anything you wish to say to her."
Chen Ke thought for a moment, then nodded solemnly: "There really are, and there are a lot of them!"
The middle-aged warrior's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly said, "Young master, you can rest assured. Once your words reach my ears and are relayed to Her Highness, no fourth person will know!"
Chen Ke stepped forward and lowered his voice, saying, "Tell Her Highness to take good care of herself and her health!"
That's all?
The middle-aged warrior was dumbfounded, staring blankly at Chen Ke.
Chen Ke had already sat up and hummed in agreement: "Okay, that's all."
The middle-aged samurai was so angry he almost twisted his nose. Why did you have to be so mysterious and deliberately lower your voice for such a simple greeting?
But seeing Chen Ke's serious expression, and not realizing he was being played, the middle-aged warrior nodded reluctantly, clasped his hands in farewell, and left.
As Chen Ke watched the warrior's departing figure, a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.
You want to check up on me? No way!
After washing up, Chen Ke boarded a carriage and, under the protection of four warriors, headed towards the city.
In the Great Xia Dynasty, nobles with the title of viscount were allowed to have four armed guards accompany them.
Although these four guards were mediocre in strength, their sheer presence still had a deterrent effect.
After the morning classes ended, Chen Ke purchased a batch of items from the Engineering College, which were then transported by three horse-drawn carriages to the manor near the Western Hills in the western suburbs.
Like a cunning rabbit with three burrows, those powerful and wealthy people often changed their residences to avoid being assassinated, so no one thought Chen Ke was strange. At most, they would secretly curse Chen Ke as a coward.
Upon arriving at the manor, Chen Ke ordered his men to unload all the strange tools and sent everyone away, leaving no one behind.
Since he's going to the harsh northwest Pearl City, shouldn't he prepare some gifts for the people in charge there, especially the beastmen's garrison?
Duck necks with chili peppers are a must, as are strong liquors.
It seems that the Great Xia Dynasty focused all its efforts on defending against foreign enemies, and the modified technology did not spread among the common people.
Otherwise, with modified technology, not to mention high-proof liquor, even high-purity alcohol could be extracted.
Therefore, Chen Ke seized this opportunity and decided to refine the high-proof liquor first.
This is a sure-fire way to make money, and it can solve part of the funding problem for buying spirit stones.
Using the brewing techniques he learned from time-travel novels, Chen Ke quickly installed and tested all the equipment in the courtyard.
Before long, Chen Xiaofu sent someone with wine to deliver the drinks. The person who came was someone Chen Ke had specifically instructed, and they were all trusted confidants of the Chen family.
The liquor, which is as high as 30 degrees, is poured into a still, and under the operation of the modified equipment, it is refined into liquor with a proof of 60 degrees in a short time.
Chen Ke poured another basket of rotten fruit into the liquor, stirred it, and then filtered it again.
I took a bite, and hmm, the taste was weird, but it was strong!
"Did you understand?" Chen Ke asked Chen Xiaofu and the others.
The group looked completely bewildered. What did they understand?
They had no idea what the young master was doing; he was probably mixing fruit into the drinks.
It's okay if you don't understand.
Chen Ke purified the remaining half-cart of liquor, bringing the alcohol content to over 70 degrees, making it usable as medical alcohol.
Chen Ke filled two small bottles with jade and left Chen Xiaofu and the others to watch over them. He then took the purified alcohol and rode quickly towards the city.
At this time, Director Liu had not yet left the capital. Even if we were to promote alcohol, we couldn't do without Director Liu's contribution.
Of course, they couldn't just give it away for free; the Chen family had to get the exclusive rights to operate the high-proof liquor business.
Whether it's chili peppers or high-proof liquor, monopolies are impossible. They're inherently hated, and they don't involve much technology.
Chen Ke wasn't that greedy; making a big profit would be enough for him.