After being expelled from the mansion, I changed the dynasty by writing novels.

Chapter 119: Water cant flow

There were only three people working in the shop: one was sent by the Ministry of Salt and Iron, and the other two were from the coal mine.

They never expected that their shop would be so crowded with people from all directions so soon after opening.

These people, having somehow learned that honeycomb briquettes were useful and cheap, all came to the city gate to buy coal.

Those who bought it went back and told others, and word spread, attracting even more people.

The nearby merchants had never seen such a scene before. They imagined that during famine years, this many people would be just as frantic when looting grain.

Later, even the vendors nearby, upon hearing the news, abandoned their stalls and joined the rush to grab coal.

In no time, all the honeycomb briquettes made in the past few days were sold out, the whole process taking no more than two hours.

The three people inside the shop had their collars askew from being jostled by the crowd.

Even after the goods were sold out, many people lingered, crowding the shop to the point of being impassable.

They shouted at them to hurry up and come, or they would smash up their shop. After all, it was a really cold day, and people who didn't buy honeycomb briquettes were naturally unhappy and agitated.

The three tried their best to calm her down, but to no avail.

Fortunately, Ye Yuwu and Qi Jingyue arrived shortly afterward.

Ye Yuwu rushed over after hearing the news.

The three people in the shop saw her as if she were their savior and quickly pulled them out of the crowd and into the shop.

Faced with the menacing manner of these people, who were about to fill the shop, the air was filled with their arguing, making one's eardrums feel like they were going to explode.

"Everyone, don't panic!" Ye Yuwu's words were drowned out by the noise of the crowd, and no one listened to her.

Seeing that they wouldn't listen to him, Ye Yuwu and Qi Jingyue exchanged a glance. Qi Jingyue then took out a cloth bag containing cymbals. Only then did the other three notice that Qi Jingyue was carrying a bundle on his back.

The cymbals were taken out of the bundle on his back.

Ye Yuwu calmly covered her ears, and then, with a clap, she slammed the cymbal down, making a soft "bang" that was particularly noticeable in the noisy environment.

The other three people in the shop were also hurt by the sound and quickly covered their ears.

Seeing that the noisy scene had quieted down, Ye Yuwu put her hand down and cleared her throat.

"Everyone, I am Manager Ye from this honeycomb briquette shop. Please listen to me first." She quickly instructed Qi Jingyue to press down the person who was about to interrupt.

She stepped forward to make sure that people outside the shop could hear her.

Ye Yuwu raised her head slightly and said loudly to the people outside, "I know the weather has been cold lately, and everyone is in a hurry to use coal."

Our shop is collaborating with the imperial court and has recently started producing honeycomb briquettes.

New honeycomb briquettes are delivered every morning. Each person can only buy one pound per day. We hope you understand, otherwise other people will not be able to buy any.

Weighing it once a day is enough for a family to use, so there's no need to stockpile so many honeycomb briquettes!

If anyone continues to cause trouble in my shop, I'm sorry, but don't blame us for reporting you to the authorities!

When she said the last sentence, Ye Yuwu's tone became noticeably more threatening.

Even Qi Jingyue, who was maintaining order for her, couldn't help but glance at her.

It's like she's become a completely different person.

He had never gone out with her from the bookstore before, so he had never seen this different side of her. That's why he was surprised and turned his head to peek at her.

Before he could finish speaking, someone in the crowd jumped out and asked, "Is it served every day, Manager Ye?"

"Of course there will be. It's been cold these past few days, so more honeycomb briquettes will be produced. There's no need to worry, and the price won't change. These are all blessings from the imperial court to the people. We will never raise the price, so you can rest assured."

He answered several more of their questions, which calmed them down. Before long, the people left after being persuaded by him.

After the people had left, Salt and Iron Commissioner Xue finally arrived.

When he arrived, he found that there was no one at the shop entrance, and he wiped his sweat.

Qi Jingyue had already put on a veil, which covered his delicate face, so no one could see his true appearance except for his eyes, which were like light mist and glass.

Instead, with only his eyes showing, a glance at him reveals only his cold, sharp, eagle-like eyes, filled with a chilling sense of danger.

Lord Xue happened to glance at her and was immediately startled by her eyes. He looked at her uncomfortably and then looked away.

Lord Xue was inwardly wondering: Who is this person? His eyes are so calm and sharp, it's as if I've seen him somewhere before, like an old friend!

He soon had no time to pay attention to this person.

"It seems that many people are still buying honeycomb briquettes."

After listening to Ye Yuwu and the others describe the scene at that time, Lord Xue couldn't help but sigh.

"Lord Xue, that's what I think too. It seems that the city still uses a lot of coal. If things continue as they are today, I'm afraid our production rate will be far from enough to meet the demand."

Moreover, the imperial court did not seem to intend to buy honeycomb briquettes only in Bianjing; people in other towns were also counting on buying coal to get through the winter, so the market was huge.

"So I thought of hiring a large number of people to make honeycomb briquettes."

"Manager Ye, you can decide these things. If you have any needs or difficulties, you can come to the Three Offices to find me."

"To be honest, Lord Xue, I happen to have a problem and I hope you can help me."

"Oh?"

"I hope that the three companies can take the lead in connecting merchants from outside with the market so that they can learn about the low price of honeycomb briquettes, come here to buy them, and then sell them to other towns."

Currently, some merchants in Bianjing dare not buy her coal, so she will sell the coal first. When all the towns and cities are using cheap honeycomb briquettes, they will be anxious.

"Manager Ye, I've come here today precisely for this matter." Lord Xue hadn't expected that Ye Yuwu would have the same idea as the imperial court.

"Oh? Please speak, Lord Xue."

"The imperial court has issued a proclamation, appointing the Ye family as imperial merchants and putting them in charge of coal affairs in Bianjing. Merchants from all the major dynasties should be aware of this."

The imperial court established agencies in various places to implement a government-run coal sales system. Some places that did not have coal mines would import coal from these agencies.

Furthermore, the imperial court has decided to replace all coal in the country with honeycomb briquettes, priced at eighty cash per pound. Manager Ye, you can simply produce honeycomb briquettes; merchants from other places should come to you to purchase them in a couple of days.”

Ye Yuwu was somewhat surprised that the imperial court issued the proclamation so quickly.

After returning this time, Ye Yuwu recruited many more people. Almost every family in the nearby villages had one person working at the coal mine. These farmers had no land to cultivate in the winter, so in order to make a living, they used to do odd jobs everywhere. This year, they were able to work at the mine.

This also solved the predicament of these people's lives in winter.