The Great Song Dynasty had no door valves, but that doesn't mean there were no aristocratic families. Families who cultivated and studied together, generation after generation, produced prominent and noble scholars like the Lin family, which was not unusual.

  Zhao Xi absolutely did not believe that these hereditary nobles had no connection with them.

  The discord between civil and military officials is a fact, but it only exists in the imperial court, or some people use the discord to settle personal grudges, or because of the ancestral system, they have to pretend to be like this, even just for show to the newcomers.

  Having been officials in the same dynasty for decades, and even having had private friendships and interactions since the beginning of the dynasty, Zhao Xie did not think that the literary and martial families would be as clearly divided as recorded.

  The Cao family, Shi family, and Gao family, did not end up with generation after generation being unable to make a living, could not produce any successful candidates in the imperial examination, but instead consistently passed down their military legacy.

  The Zhong family and the Qu family in the Western Army were also the same, and this continued until the Southern Song Dynasty.

  Zhao Xi just wanted to bring their relationship to the surface and use benefits to bind them more closely together.

  What a pity...

  Rumors are always biased. Later generations have such jokes, Zhao Xi originally thought it was for performance, now he understands... rumors will greatly change the meaning.

  It wasn't until Zhao Xi responded that he finally understood... the list sent by his maternal uncle's family only meant to agree to their sons' daily purchases of compressed biscuits for their camps, and had no intention of intervening in the construction or promoting the entry of compressed biscuits into military supplies.

  Where am I going? Zhao Xi was speechless.

  "Xī ér, you said that this thing is only useful in wartime, and regular consumption is still needed. Since the Qingli era, after the stabilization of the northwest war, none of the gentlemen have spoken lightly of war."

  "My aunt's family is also helping out in their own way..."

  Empress Cao couldn't tell Xi'er the true meaning of her mother's words, fearing it would create distance and resentment.

  There is no disagreement about the effectiveness of this thing, it's just that neither the imperial family nor the Shi and Gao families have any intention of promoting it as a military equipment in the court.

  The imperial court is vague about war, and if someone advocates for war preparations... no one wants to be the target. Moreover, the new policy involves military system reform, which is exactly a chaotic time.

  Xī ér jué wú jiāng niáng shū jiā dàng qiāng tóu zhī yì...

  Translation: Xi'er absolutely did not mean to use her maternal uncle's family as a shield...

  They're all old foxes! Zhao Xi couldn't help but sigh in admiration, these families that have been able to thrive for generations in the Great Song Dynasty are truly not simple lamps.

  Well, I'll just throw out some bait first, and don't worry if no one takes it.

  "Miss, can this matter be put on hold? Is there any progress with the cake franchise and formula sales?"

  "The dental clinic agreed to lower the price, but intentionally participated in the branch's affairs."

  Empress Cao did not allow her maternal uncle's family to take advantage of their relationship, and the head of the household also repeatedly warned them about this. Besides, the cake shop was not directly operated by the Cao family on the surface, it was just a saying.

  This also made the dental clinic dare to open its mouth wider.

  Alas, what's the use of being an imperial relative? Everywhere we go, people are watching our every move. It's not as convenient as being a pure merchant.

  "Girls, it's also okay, as long as the store location is agreed upon in advance. The formula will be sold, Bianliang branch 1,000 yuan, Sijing 2,000 yuan, Shangzhou 1,000 yuan, and Xiaozhou 500 yuan."

  "Those who have purchased the formula from Fangzhou Prefecture will operate it independently under their jurisdiction."

  Zhao Xi now urgently needs money, so he has no time to play with franchise agents and directly authorizes patents.

  "Xī ér, rǔ yòu yù hé wèi?"

  Translation: "Xi'er, what do you want to do again?"

  "Mother, I'll make a new dish today that can be stored for a longer time. Since the space in the palace is limited, I was thinking of moving to the residence next to the palace wall..."

  Crackers, first of all, crackers are food for both military and civilians. Since no one is making them, I can only start doing it myself.

  A fledgling food factory would definitely require more than just a vacant house. Since I currently have no chance of leaving the palace, I can only purchase the houses next to the palace walls.

  Beijing housing prices... no need to think about it, they will never be cheap.

  Empress Cao had always been ignoring Xi'er's age, and in terms of words and emotions, no one treated her as a child anymore. In fact, Xi'er was thoughtful and thorough in many things.

  Is it right or wrong for one's own family to be like this?

  Butter is already available, that's good. Now it's just a matter of the stove. Last time Zhao Xi had a top and bottom fire stove built. There's nothing left to do.

  Zhao Xi let Liu Yi call two cake-making servants and started directing them to make cookies.

  Sweet, salty, milky, oniony, a bit of everything. The biggest difference from cake is actually time and heat control.

  Bake over low heat for a long time...

  When husbands made their offerings, they often included several kinds of exquisite pastries, sometimes scattered about and sometimes wrapped in oil paper, with all sorts of flavors, truly suitable for both old and young.

  The ministers also rewarded these snacks.

  For a time, every woman and child knew... a kind of pastry called biscuits swept Bianjing.

  At the same time, in the palace wall cake shop, they also started selling this kind of cookie. There are various flavors, novel and unique styles, and the price is affordable for ordinary people.

  Anyone who has a little extra money can buy it for their own children.

  The key is that this thing is not as precious as cake, and it can be stored for several days without changing its flavor. Some of them can even be stored for more than a month and still taste fresh and delicious.

  Kaifeng has always had new and interesting snacks, but never one as cheap, diverse in flavor, and convenient to store as biscuits.

  "General Cao, didn't you say it was a military necessity? Why are there now biscuits everywhere in the city?"

  Gao Jia Taigong wasn't blaming Cao Jiong, but...but originally there was a chance to make a fortune right in front of them, they didn't cherish it, now thinking about it afterwards they regret it endlessly, if given another chance, he wanted to tell Cao Jiong: this matter is a must.

  "Gao Tai Gong, although similar, are not the same thing. Furthermore, who can discuss military matters in the temple?"

  "Marshal, what is your plan at present?"

  Still want to make this money! This is not a cake, can't be transported. This food can be transported to all military states of the Great Song. The benefits in between... Alas! Got older and more cautious.

  "The princess once passed on a message, Prince E wants to buy out the civilian residences next to the palace wall..."

  "How did you get so wealthy? Even officials in the imperial court are not allowed to be so extravagant."

  "No, all the funds needed were obtained from selling cake recipes, which is the king's private property and does not enter the left or right treasury."

  It involved Lord Wang of Hubei, and even Old Man Gao didn't dare say anything.

  All sorts of rumors and legends have been circulating among the people, or perhaps they were extolled by the scholars, but those things are all unbelievable.

  He had never seen the true form of the King of E, nor had he ever experienced his demonic powers. Even if he mixed up the cake incident, Old Gao still didn't dare to believe that it was done by a three-year-old child... It's almost four years old now, and he is still just a kid.

  Even the old man Cao was half-believing and half-doubting what he said, but in his heart, he felt that the officials and the inner court were in a difficult situation and were using the name of Prince E to embezzle money.

  Cake... is probably also created by Gong Nei Yu Chu Suo, under the name of E Wang Ye.

  So when it came to military rations, Old Gao flatly refused and even tried to reason with the Shi family, ultimately causing all three families to back out of the deal.

  But now...

  "Marshal, can this matter be remedied?"

  It's one thing if he didn't know any better, but the money that should have been his was lost like this, and Old Gao couldn't help feeling a little resentful.

  His family is not as good as the Cao family, and even the first assistant of the inner palace, Zhao Fu, has a reputation for being greedy for wealth for two generations in the Shi family. The big family supports very expensive things.