September 3rd, early morning.
A convoy of carriages quietly departed from the gates of the Honglu Temple post station, heading out of the city.
The Third Prince of the Purple Eagle, Yin Tianzheng, sat forlornly in his carriage, watching the buildings flash by outside the window, his eyes filled with pain.
He had arrived full of ambition, welcomed by thousands, but left desolate and forgotten.
What a stark contrast!
Ever since learning that his second team of a thousand assassins had been wiped out, and that Chen Ke had been promoted to First-Class Earl, Yin Tianzheng knew he had no more chances.
Besides a dry "Agreement of Friendship Between the Two Countries," and some promises from princes and ministers that couldn't be kept, every mission he'd undertaken had yielded nothing.
Staying would only bring further humiliation.
Besides, he was out of money.
The convoy drove out of the city gates. Looking at the towering walls of the Great Xia City, Yin Tianzheng snarled, "I will definitely come back!"
Hu He, the head guard outside the carriage, subconsciously touched the Second Prince's secret order hidden in his robes, and sighed inwardly.
"Third Prince, you will never return."
"He will never return," the Qin princess said calmly on the path by the artificial lake near the Great Xia Academy.
Chen Ke looked at the princess in surprise: "You wouldn't be…"
The Qin princess brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, smiling and shaking her head: "I won't do it myself. Do you remember the golden seal you gave me?"
Chen Ke nodded. He had accidentally discovered the Third Prince's golden seal in the Bearman Cave, along with a letter from the state.
He had no use for it, so he gave it to the Qin princess.
"I gave the golden seal to the Second Prince of the Purple Eagle Dynasty. With this seal, the Second Prince only needs to bribe a few of the Third Prince's confidants to take over the Third Prince's military power without bloodshed."
The Qin princess said calmly, "Without the military backing, the Third Prince is nothing more than a bird with broken wings; he probably won't even be able to save his own life."
Using someone else to do the dirty work!
Princess Qin took out a token and handed it to Chen Ke: "Of course, we've gained quite a bit from this deal with the Second Prince, including this token. With this token, you can command the two thousand Black Mountain bandits of Jigong Mountain at any time."
Seeing Chen Ke looking at her strangely, Princess Qin smiled enigmatically: "The token isn't for you, it's for your elusive friend. In case he encounters any trouble on Jigong Mountain, he can find some help."
Chen Ke shook his head: "You should keep the token. As long as my friend knows the Black Mountain bandits are on his side, there won't be any conflict."
Princess Qin didn't insist, put away the token, and solemnly reminded him: "Tell your friend that there are many cultivators going to Jigong Mountain for trials, so don't be careless."
Chen Ke knew Princess Qin was thinking of him, and nodded: "Don't worry, I'll tell him."
The autumn wind was cool, and the golden leaves rustled under their feet.
Princess Qin looked at Chen Ke with bright eyes and said softly, "Chen Ke, thank you for taking care of my people."
Chen Ke was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "It was nothing, besides, I've earned just as much."
Princess Qin also smiled, "I heard that you don't have to do anything, just sell a signboard, and you earn more than them. Everyone is grateful to you now, but they're still cursing you behind your back."
Chen Ke didn't care and said, "I'm just making quick money, their business is a steady stream. As long as they manage it well, they'll definitely earn more than me."
Before braised duck necks were invented, nobody in the Great Xia Dynasty ate duck necks; they were practically worthless.
With such low costs, everyone could afford them, and now that they're becoming popular nationwide, it's hard for those shops not to make money.
Some clever merchants have already started launching "deluxe versions" of braised duck necks, specifically targeting high-ranking officials and nobles, with prices that are exceptionally high.
But how luxurious can they really be? It's just adding a few more secret ingredients, a bit more exquisite packaging, and maybe even a free handkerchief.
Princess Qin nodded: "I will remind them."
In just a few days, the "Chen Xiaolu" franchise stores expanded to 200, and this was only the result of Chen Ke's deliberate control.
If they were allowed to expand further, exceeding the consumption capacity of Daxia City, no one would make money in the end.
Even when powerful nobles offered a franchise fee of 300,000 taels, Chen Ke refused.
However, some nobles, greedy for the 200,000 tael difference, eagerly transferred their shops.
When news came from the palace that the new emperor had personally inscribed the "Chen Xiaolu" plaque for Chen Ke, those nobles who had transferred their shops regretted it deeply.
Some nobles, however, were quite clever and had already sent people to other cities to try and secure the "Chen Xiaolu" franchise rights.
Throughout the Nine Provinces, there were many cities as prosperous as Daxia City; if franchise stores could succeed in Daxia City, they could succeed in other cities as well.
The new emperor was unwilling to compete with the common people for profit, but he was more than willing to take money from the powerful nobles!
Were the powerful nobles considered commoners?
After the new emperor inscribed the name for Chen Ke, he dispatched various forces to use Chen Ke's name to begin handling franchise matters in cities across the country.
The bulk of the franchise fees went into the new emperor's pocket.
A single inscription could bring in tens of millions of taels of silver; anyone who didn't participate would be a fool.
In any case, Chen Ke would ultimately bear the blame.
Chen Ke was furious but helpless, and could only make the business plan extremely detailed to prevent the new emperor from ruining the market while raking in profits.
Of course, Chen Ke's own benefits wouldn't be small either; the more franchise stores opened nationwide, the more secret ingredient packets he could sell—that was the real windfall.
Moreover, with the emperor's inscription, Chen Ke could smash any unauthorized "Chen Xiao Lu" shop he saw.
At the end of the alley, several carriages were already parked there.
Princess Qin stopped, a hint of reluctance in her eyes: "It's likely we won't see each other again until the new emperor returns to the capital in triumph. You must take care of yourself, and remember to be tolerant in all things!"
Chen Ke resisted the urge to grab the princess's hand and nodded: "You take care of yourself too. If anything happens, I'll have two guards inform you."
Watching the princess's figure disappear before the carriage, Chen Ke withdrew his gaze and sighed helplessly.
From the day he entered Daxia City, he had been fighting his rivals for love.
His struggle in the capital was a brutal history of killing rivals for love. And this was beyond Chen Ke's control; he could only passively kill wave after wave, two waves followed by three.
The Goddess Guardian Alliance, the beloved grandson of the Daxia Academy's headmaster, the young marquis of Ningguo Marquis's mansion—all of them were utterly defeated, falling at his feet.
The third prince of the Purple Eagle, Yin Tianzheng, this formidable rival for love, was now completely defeated as well.
But what he would face next was an even more formidable rival in love, arguably the ultimate rival:
Xia Shijie, the beloved son of the new Emperor Xia Yuncheng and the Crown Prince who would soon assume the regency!