Chapter 110: Cooperation

That evening, Tian Mi invited her parents and Bai Mucheng to the county magistrate’s residence for dinner. Although he knew Bai Mucheng was now his son-in-law, Tian Dabiao still felt a little uneasy.

Aunt Feng didn’t dare to come out, hiding behind people.

Tian Dabiao, with a nervous laugh, said, “Welcome, my good son-in-law, please have a seat!”

Bai Mucheng, with a respectful expression, replied, “Thank you, Father-in-law.”

Tian Dabiao’s tense heart finally relaxed.

The next day, the Marquis of Cheng’en and his wife, along with Prince Xian, arrived at the county magistrate’s residence. Prince Xian had been excited since last night when he found out that the Princess of Ding Wang had invited his family to their residence for a visit. He hadn’t slept at all.

Since he opened his bookstore, he frequently visited the bookshop to borrow books. At first, he was intimidated by Xu Feiyan, the fierce woman, but soon he realized that she was kind to every poor student who came to borrow books. She would even bring candied hawthorns from the backyard to share with everyone, as if in her eyes, everyone was equal.

After the various delicious dishes from Bawei were launched, some products sold out so quickly that people had to scramble to buy them. Prince Xian had wanted to buy some for the restaurant he managed. When he went to find Xu Feiyan, they accidentally bumped into each other.

He was knocked to the ground, and she hurried to help him up. He felt embarrassed, but over time, he couldn’t help but pay attention to her. He noticed she was quite carefree and generous.

He thought that despite her wild and untamed nature, she had her merits.

Then one day, he saw her behaving intimately with a handsome young man. He was stunned! This woman, so simple-minded, would surely be deceived. He considered himself a gentleman, and he couldn’t stand by and watch her be tricked, so he began to keep an eye on her. That handsome young man, however, was truly charming—women were often too quick to judge based on appearances.

Gradually, Prince Xian came to realize that Xu Feiyan had many admirable qualities.

He had just heard that her parents had come to the capital.

Today, the county magistrate’s residence had invited not only her parents but also him. It wasn’t an invitation to the Ding Wang’s residence, but to the county magistrate’s residence.

Prince Xian, feeling pleased, glanced at himself in the mirror. “Not bad. I look handsome!”

The Marquis and his wife were also curious. They didn’t have much interaction with the Princess of Ding Wang’s family, so they wondered why they had been invited. But since the invitation had been extended, they naturally accepted. Being invited by the princess was an honor.

Tian Mi, Tian Dabiao, and Uncle Xu received them warmly. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Tian Mi expressed her gratitude to Prince Xian, and they all sat down for lunch.

When the large table filled with exquisite dishes was brought out, even the experienced Marquis and his wife were astounded.

They were deeply moved. This was such a grand reception—the entire capital would never have seen anything like it!

Even the Emperor hadn’t had the chance to taste these dishes!

The variety of food was truly delicious, with rich flavors and perfectly balanced seasoning.

After the meal, Tian Mi explained, “Our Yi Pin Xian in Qinghe County serves these dishes, and business is booming. We plan to expand into the capital, and when our restaurant opens, it will certainly have an impact on yours. Prince Xian is kind, and his family is respectful. We don’t want any bad blood, so we’d like to discuss how we can handle the competition.”

The Marquis and his wife finally understood the purpose of the princess’s invitation.

Tian Mi, understanding that they needed time to process this, didn’t press them further. She simply mentioned that they could think it over, and once they had a plan, they could discuss it with Uncle Xu. After that, she saw them off.

Prince Xian’s rosy imaginations about this visit were dashed.

Sigh… He felt deflated!

On the way back to their residence, the Marquis of Cheng’en’s wife said, “If they open their restaurant, I will have to close mine.”

The competition at this level truly had an impact.

The Marquis of Cheng’en said, “Fortunately, our son has built a good relationship with them. Otherwise, this would have been troublesome.”

But now, what should they do?

Prince Xian spoke up, “We should collaborate with the Princess of Ding Wang. We can rebrand Piaoxiang Lou as Yi Pin Xian. We’ll contribute the staff and location, and they’ll provide the dishes and seasonings. It’ll be a 50-50 split.”

The Marquis and his wife exchanged a glance. It seemed that they had been approached with the intent to collaborate, but the question was whether the other side would accept a 50-50 split. After all, the Princess of Ding Wang didn’t lack in resources like staff or location.

“Let’s discuss this with them tomorrow,” the Marquis said. “We think a 60-40 split in their favor is reasonable.”

Seeing their son leave in high spirits that morning, only to return now like a wilted eggplant, the Marquis of Cheng’en comforted him, “Don’t be upset. Competition in business is common. This is actually a good thing. Once the dishes from the Princess of Ding Wang’s restaurant are released, Yi Pin Xian will surely do even better than before. No one in the capital will be our competition. We should be happy.”

Prince Xian gave them a sidelong glance and said, “You’re both in a hurry to marry me off, but I’m already nineteen, and you’re still concerned with the restaurant business?”

This made the older couple laugh. They had long wanted to find him a wife, but he had refused, saying that he wanted to pass the imperial examination first and become a Jinshi before considering marriage.

“How did he go wrong somewhere?” his father mused.

The Marquis’s wife rolled her eyes and asked, “Come on, tell us! Have you set your sights on a particular young lady?”

Prince Xian flushed and quickly denied, “Nonsense!”

That evening, Tian Mi roasted two types of sunflower seeds, one flavored with five-spice and the other plain. She also made some flower-flavored seeds and boiled some for Bai Mucheng to try.

At first, Bai Mucheng only ate a couple of seeds without much thought, but soon he found himself addicted to the flavor and couldn’t stop eating.

“These seeds are quite good, Mi’er. You should prepare some to send to Father, Mother, and Brother-in-law tomorrow for them to try.”

Tian Mi nodded. “No problem!”

The next day, the Marquis of Cheng’en’s residence came to the county magistrate’s residence to discuss matters with Uncle Xu. They proposed a 60-40 split, with the Marquis of Cheng’en’s family taking the larger portion.

Tian Mi and Uncle Xu had already discussed it and agreed on a 50-50 split for the collaboration. The two families would combine their resources for the locations they already had, while they would open new branches themselves in areas they didn’t yet cover. This would give them more time and energy to seize the market.

Uncle Xu smiled and said, “The Princess’s idea is to work together and make the business successful. The competition will be long-term, so a 50-50 split is fair.”

The plan was decided without any further disagreement.

The Marquis and his wife had realized Prince Xian’s intentions but had not yet fully come to terms with the matter. They didn’t know Xu Feiyan well, and they didn’t necessarily want their son to marry the daughter of a merchant. They had worked hard to raise Prince Xian with the hope that he would pass the imperial examination and restore the honor of the Marquis of Cheng’en’s residence.

Of course, they respected his wishes, but he needed to prove himself capable first. And that could only happen if he passed the imperial examination.

Soon, it was time for the winter hunt, a grand occasion where all officials of the fifth rank and above could bring their families. The emperor would also be present, along with the empress and consorts.

It was a moment when many young sons of military families had their chance to stand out.

The previous emperors had often selected talents during the winter hunt.

The event was lively, and Tian Mi, with her current status, could bring anyone she wanted. She decided to bring Tian Dabiao, Huang Yuanying, Xu Feiyan, Xu Yunfei, and Chen Miaomiao along. She had also wanted to bring her grandmother, but her grandmother refused, saying she would be exhausted after three days and didn’t want to join the crowd.

As for Jin Wenwen, she brought her maid and Xu Yunzhao, who had changed his appearance and dressed down.