“Don’t be angry. I know my limits.” Yu Youyao panicked and quickly explained, “I tried to take more every day. There’s no discomfort in my body. Uncle Sun takes my pulse every month and says that I’m very healthy.”
She did not use them all.
Instead, she progressed slowly.
Yin Huaixi took a deep breath and asked, “Where did you use the spiritual dewdrop?”
Yu Youyao swallowed and whispered, “I— I sent it to the incense shop to make the incense medicine I mentioned previously.”
In order to help the Longcheng refugee camp prevent the epidemic, the incense shop had opened a special area for basic incense medicine. Sister Bai Kui and Sister Qing Xiu felt that the cost of basic incense medicine was low, and it was very practical. The consumption was even greater. No family could lack it. They could take the path of low profits and high sales. They could also treat it as an activity and gift to continue mass production.
Yin Huaixi pursed his lips and said nothing.
Yu Youyao felt guilty. Instead, she felt a little self-righteous. She glared at him. “In the past two years, I’ve been observing the growth of the spiritual dewdrop. I realized that it was basically in line with our previous guesses. I only dared to try it because I was confident. If there were any problems, I would have stopped long ago. Why are you scolding me?!”
“I’m not scolding you.” Yin Huaixi paused, and even his voice softened. “You should discuss it with me…”
Yu Youyao’s expression softened. “You think that the spiritual dewdrop is mysterious and beyond the world, so I should treat it carefully. But what if the
person with the spiritual dewdrop is you? Will you also be so secretive that you don’t even dare to use it?”
Yin Huaixi thought to himself, “No, if I can’t figure out its origin and analyze the pros and cons of such a mysterious thing, how can I feel at ease?!”
Yu Youyao said, “The spiritual dewdrop belongs to me. Only by figuring out its exact situation can I really be at ease and use it well.”
There was a mountain of treasures, but it did not have a door. Wasn’t it a waste?!
“Ms. Ye once said something to me.” Yu Youyao looked at him seriously and said softly, “If I don’t take what the heavens give me, I’ll suffer.”
Yin Huaixi frowned.
Yu Youyao moved closer to him and blinked. “Open your eyes and take a good look. Am I fine? Look, I’m sitting here fine now. Doesn’t it prove that it’s harmless to me?”
“I think the spiritual dewdrop and I have a relationship of mutual effect. The more good I do, the more spiritual dewdrops will be produced. I’m not using it for free, nor am I abusing it.”
“I remember that when I first obtained the spiritual dewdrop, I could only take two drops a day at most. If I took too many, I would feel dizzy and uncomfortable. However, I’m taking 30 drops a day now, but I still don’t feel any discomfort. The amount of spiritual dewdrop I’m using now is far from the limit of my body.”
Yin Huaixi’s voice was dry. “Don’t continue to try, and don’t expose the existence of the spiritual dewdrop.”
Yu Youyao had a respectful and cautious attitude towards the spiritual dew. Other than taking two to three drops a day and using them on herself and her family, she would not use too much spiritual dew.
There was a limit to how much she took, and she had her ways of using it.
She did not seek personal gain.
The incense medicine sold in the Jade Pavilion had never been brewed with spiritual dewdrop.
But now, she wanted to use the spiritual dewdrop on the soldiers at the front line to create a greater chance of winning for him. She also hoped to use her own method to end the war as soon as possible and reduce casualties.
Wasn’t this another kind of kindness?
Yu Youyao pinched her sleeve and said in a soft and sweet voice, “I just hope that fewer people will die in the war. I’ll disguise the spiritual dewdrop as a concocted essence dew and hand it to Sister Qing Xiu. The effect of the incense medicine produced will at most be better than others. Everyone in the world knows that I’m good at mixing incense. The incense medicine concocted by me will be better than the ones on the market and won’t be exposed.”
Fragrance was one of the core secrets of a product. The existence of fragrance dew was usually in the hands of the owner and would not be easily leaked.
The owner would concoct a high concentration of fragrance dew and hand it to the trusted aide in charge of production.
During production, a small amount would be taken and diluted to increase the fragrance.
If the core secret was not exposed, the risk of the incense prescription being exposed would be greatly reduced.
The spiritual dewdrop was not a heaven-defying thing to begin with. After being diluted, the effect was greatly reduced. It was only 40% to 50% better than most incense medicine on the market.
Others only thought that she had inherited Auntie Xu’s teachings and mastered many secret recipes that had been passed down for a long time, so the incense medicine she made was effective.
Even Uncle Sun couldn’t detect the existence of the spiritual dewdrop, let alone others.
Yin Huaixi’s heart softened. “Get Uncle Sun to take your pulse later.”
If he didn’t hear from Uncle Sun himself that she was fine, he really couldn’t feel at ease.
Yu Youyao knew that he was worried, so she nodded obediently and agreed. Then, she continued, “In terms of business, I didn’t give you my incense medicine for nothing. It’s at most 40% lower than the market price.” At this point, she felt a little guilty. “Although the cost of the basic incense medicine is low, it’s not a small expense to make it in batches. There are so many people in the incense shop. Recently, the incense shop has hired a batch of workers and signed a long-term contract. When this group of people is trained, the incense shop will continue to expand. I can’t treat them badly…”
It had only been three to four months since the official opening of the Jade Pavilion, but the incense medicine in the shop was already in short supply.
In the past few months, the incense shop had already hired a few groups of people one after another. From the looks of it, Yu Youyao would soon be able to realize her dream and expand the incense medicine business throughout the country and even overseas.
They would use incense medicine to earn high profits from the overseas countries and continuously send the resources of the overseas countries into the country.
Yin Huaixi smiled. “I didn’t take advantage of you for nothing. No matter how many incense medicines the incense shop makes, I’ll buy them in the name of military supplies. I don’t need you to lower the price. I’ll buy them according to the relevant rules for military procurement.
There were relevant rules for military procurement. One could not lie or hide the price of items. The price had to be lower than the market price, but it would not make one lose money.
On the surface, they earned very little, but the military suppliers enjoyed some of the benefits of the trade tax reduction. At the same time, the various trade policies of the Imperial Court would be relatively relaxed, and the benefits would far exceed the losses.
Everyone followed suit.
Yu Youyao tugged at his sleeve and looked up at him. “Tell me about the battlefield!”
In the past, Yin Huaixi had told her some of the big and small battles in the North by telling her stories. In fact, she knew nothing about the battlefield.
She was about to go to Jinzhou, so she couldn’t not know anything. Yin Huaixi sighed softly. “The battlefield is even more cruel than you think…”
When Yu Youyao heard that there were broken limbs and bones on the battlefield and blood flowed like a river, she subconsciously tightened her grip on her handkerchief. “I’m not afraid. Empress Zhangsun participated in the Xuanwu Gate Incident at the age of 13. She instructed the guards of the residence to kill the army that was besieging the residence and stabilized Li Shimin’s home front, so that he won’t have anything to worry about…
Her tone was a little shaky, but her expression was very determined.