While Yun Ye was racking his brains trying to come up with new ways to prepare potatoes, the achievements of students from the two academies made Yun Ye, as their guiding mentor, feel deeply ashamed. Things taken for granted actually needed students to point them out.

Wei Chunpeng, a poor boy from a jelly-making family, had parents who year-round brought his younger siblings to the West Market to sell jelly to support his studies. This lad didn’t disappoint expectations—in the examination two years ago, he successfully entered the Academy. Entering the Academy effectively lightened his family’s burden. As the saying goes, children from poor families mature early. From his first day at the Academy, he worked in the dining hall kitchen to earn some copper coins to subsidize his family. He believed his younger siblings should all study and learn to read. He taught his sister himself and decisively sent his brother to school to be instructed by teachers.

Whether helping in the kitchen or studying diligently, his grades at the Academy weren’t among the top. The simple and crude knowledge he learned as a child from private school teachers made him suffer terribly when facing a large group of elite disciples at the Academy. Almost no one would notice that every day in the dining hall there was a thin-bodied youth laboriously carrying large basins to serve food to other students.

These days the Academy served potatoes at every meal. Wei Chunpeng had to peel large quantities of potatoes daily. This was a simple and monotonous task. One day, when he was preparing to wash the wooden basin that had been soaking shredded potatoes, he discovered a thick layer of white substance settled at the bottom of the basin. At first he thought someone had accidentally poured flour into the basin and prepared to scoop it out, dry it, and make it into yeast for steaming buns.

When his hand touched the white substance, he knew this wasn’t flour. It was slippery and very loose. He put a bit in his mouth and found it similar to raw flour, so he cooked a pot of paste, planning to feed it to the pigs.

The pigs liked eating it very much. The Academy’s wilderness knowledge lessons had covered this—human and pig diets were very similar. What pigs could eat wouldn’t poison humans either. He really wanted to know what this thing actually was, so he also served himself some to taste. It was edible, and the flavor seemed pretty good.

The paste looked too disgusting and there was no way to cook it properly, so he went to find his good friend Lan Yushu, planning to research together how to give this thing some form.

When the research funding application report from the two of them was delivered to Yun Ye’s desk, Yun Ye felt both gratified and ashamed. How could he have forgotten even such a common food item as vermicelli?

Looking at the two respectful students standing before him, Yun Ye wrote a few words on the report, closed it, handed it to Wei Chunpeng, walked before them and said: “Very good, extremely good. Yushan Academy truly has no fools. Wei Chunpeng, Lan Yushu, if your research can succeed, I will definitely personally make some of this thing for your parents to taste. I very much look forward to your success. Once successful, the potatoes covering the mountains and plains will no longer be a burden but a treasure. Your invention will surely make your names go down in history, and the common people will remember your great kindness and virtue for a lifetime.”

“Look here, this thing Lan Yushu researched only needs slight modification—turn it into a cylinder, add a perforated iron plate at the bottom, and on top…”

After the two jubilant students left the office, Yun Ye called over his household servant and instructed: “Go back and tell Madam that our household is purchasing large quantities of potatoes and also piglets—no limit. However much we can purchase, we’ll purchase. This is a good thing!”

The gloom that had lingered for many days dissipated all at once. With vermicelli, who would still worry about too many potatoes? That thing was even more delicious than wheat. It spared Yan Zhitui, a hundred-year-old elder, from having to gnaw on potatoes every day. That wasn’t humane.

Yun Ye was in an excellent mood. He had discovered another way to make money. Making vermicelli—this business could continue indefinitely. No matter how large it grew, no one would jump out to curse him. In the Great Tang, this kind of business was a good business.

Entering Master Li Gang’s room, he placed the file copies of Wei Chunpeng and Lan Yushu’s report on the old man’s desk, then smugly filled the teapot himself and poured the old man a cup of tea.

The old man puzzledly opened the report, took his magnifying glass and read through it from beginning to end, then asked Yun Ye with confusion: “Do you think these two children can succeed?”

“They definitely can succeed, old sir. The most important thing in this world is ideas. With ideas, everything else is just bricks and stones to fill in the gaps. Since the students have applied to the Academy for funding, the Academy has eighty percent rights to what they research. I want to buy it. What price do you think is appropriate?”

Li Gang raised his head and looked at Yun Ye with contempt, saying: “This thing will definitely make a lot of money—otherwise you wouldn’t be so anxious. This old man doesn’t like haggling with people. You’d better go find Xu Jingzong instead. Neither of you are good people. Let you two compete yourselves. Just don’t shortchange those two children—too low a price won’t do.”

“Old sir, you’re not unaware of what kind of character Xu Jingzong is. He’s the type who’s burrowed into money’s eye. This time I represent the Yun Family, not the Academy teacher Yun Ye. If he’s willing to pass up this opportunity to fleece a fat pig, do you think that’s still him?”

Li Gang laughed so hard his whole body shook, pointing at Yun Ye saying: “You always have your reasons. Initially, we elders really disliked this person, thinking a hungry wolf had mixed into the clean Academy. You insisted that the Academy couldn’t be entirely gentlemen, that having one or two petty men around would be very useful. After these few years of verification, it’s indeed as you said. Dealing with officials, with local people, with merchants—we truly can’t do without him. His contributions to the Academy are plain for all to see. During the most dangerous times, he didn’t run away and dutifully did his job. Well done—he’s a man of our Academy. You two go argue it out. This old man is happy to see it happen. Hahaha.”

Walking out of Li Gang’s office, he could still hear the old man laughing cheerfully. As long as the old man was happy, that was good. The happier elderly people were, the longer they lived. This was a good thing.

Xu Jingzong took the report and looked it over three times. Each time he read through the report, he glanced at Yun Ye. Finally, he closed the contract on the desk and said with a smile: “Since Teacher represents the Yun Family, don’t blame me for being all business. Although I haven’t figured out exactly how much profit is involved, I can already very certainly believe this is a good deal, and not a small one. Since I don’t know how big the business is, naturally I can’t give an appropriate price. How about this—the Academy will pay each of the two students five hundred strings to buy out their twenty percent rights. I imagine these two children won’t have any objections. As for the Academy and the Yun Family, we don’t need to do business. We’ll invest with technology. The Yun Family just handles production and sales. The final profits will be split fifty-fifty between our two families. What do you think?”

“Old Xu, you’re too ruthless. The Academy doesn’t put out a single wen yet monopolizes fifty percent? No good. At most twenty percent, or I won’t buy it. You can take the Academy’s invention and make it multiply yourself.”

“That doesn’t matter. The Academy’s children who can invent this will sooner or later figure out exactly how much profit what they created will have. There are many merchants in Chang’an—we don’t necessarily need to find your Yun Family, right? Forty percent, can’t be less.”

Today Xu Jingzong was like a snapping turtle—he bit down and wouldn’t let go. Finally, after much persuasion, the Academy took away thirty percent of the profits. After the contract was signed, Yun Ye said to Xu Jingzong with a bitter face: “The Yun Family has taken a huge loss.”

“Impossible. Marquis Yun can sell locusts at the price of pork. What the children have made must be good. I still feel the Academy took a loss. If I had held firm for forty percent just now, looking at you, you would have agreed too. Now it’s too late for regrets.”

Yun Ye drove his carriage back home happily. Seeing Xinyue sobbing in the bedroom—what was this about? Who in the household dared bully her? Even Li Anlan wouldn’t dare.

“It’s you, it’s all you! You’ve caused me to be scolded by Aunt Cheng and Aunt Niu, and mocked by the noblewomen of Chang’an City. Our household can’t even finish eating our potatoes, yet you’re having us purchase unlimited quantities. People are now calling me ‘Potato Wife,’ joining you in ruining the family.”

“A bunch of housewives—they really have no vision. Do you think potatoes can only be gnawed on after they come out? Do you know that Academy disciples actually researched a good method? Grind the potatoes into pieces, precipitate out dry powder—like lotus root powder—then make it into something like noodles. Tell me, isn’t that good? Very simple, and after drying it won’t spoil no matter how long you keep it. Moreover, it tastes very good. When the time comes, I’ll make it for you to eat once and you’ll know.”

“Moreover, the filtered residue can feed pigs. Where can you find such a good thing? First, it solves the people’s urgent need; second, our household also makes a fortune. Everything is about selling novelty. Our household won’t sell gemstones anymore—gemstones don’t fetch good prices now. We’ll switch to selling vermicelli. Business in clothing, food, housing, and transportation—that’s good business. Can do it for a lifetime.”

Xinyue couldn’t resist talk of money. Hearing Yun Ye explain, she immediately smiled like a flower and leaned coquettishly in her husband’s arms. Ever since Li Anlan came, she had become very clingy.

Li Anlan’s presence at home now was quite imposing. Except for Wang Cai who didn’t pay her much attention, everyone up and down the household treated her as the mistress. No matter how big Xinyue’s temper, it couldn’t overcome Li Anlan’s noble status. When a lofty person deliberately lowered their airs, they would instantly be surrounded by a crowd of people.

Lingdang most liked the Yun Family kitchen—it could always produce countless good things. Now it was different from being in the palace. The eighteen-year-old girl lived carefree. Only when seeing Yun Ye would she always lower her head and secretly steal glances from the corner of her eye. If Yun Ye looked at her a bit longer, she could be happy all day. Yun Ye knew her thoughts but didn’t expose them. Now regarding Xinyue, he already felt full of guilt. Taking another concubine—it wouldn’t sound good and couldn’t be justified.

Regarding women, Yun Ye’s heart was indifferent. Na Rimu could already be considered an absolutely beautiful woman, and Xinyue and Li Anlan were also above average standards. What he cared more about was emotional exchange, not naked carnal desire.

He had envied the kind of feelings between Gae Suwen and Ronghua. Looking back at his own three women, he discovered that if he planned to commit suicide, Na Rimu would follow unconditionally. Xinyue would consider it, then decide that raising the children properly was the right thing to do. As for Li Anlan, she would grieve for a few years, then begin planning her son’s great enterprise.

This was good. Na Rimu’s way was inadvisable—leaving a daughter all alone to accompany a cold corpse was brain-dead behavior and must be corrected. Xinyue’s choice was correct. Li Anlan had received imperial family interest education since childhood—wanting to change her was a bit difficult.