Chapter 14: What Makes Money

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Itaihe boldly responded,
“Your Majesty! You are not mad! We all know the one who’s crazy is the Second Prince!”
“Ha ha!”
Chai Xiao seemed to envision how ‘Firewood’ must have gone mad last night upon seeing two beautiful body pillows, and he couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
“He is indeed mad!”
“But if we fail to collect that one million taels, the Xu family will cease to exist.”
“Then the ones who are truly mad are us!”
“To raise one million taels, aside from hoping for donations from wealthy princes and officials, the only ones we can count on are ourselves!”
“Just now, I calculated the food consumption for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—it’s roughly one-fifteenth of before, so over ten days, we can save about fourteen hundred taels.”
“That’s the cost of materials—but what about the people?”
Hearing this, Zhang Bao hurriedly picked up another ledger detailing kitchen staff expenses and began calculating.
“The kitchen staff of the Prince’s Mansion numbers sixty in total.”
“One head chef earns twenty taels per month; nine sous chefs earn ten taels per month each; twenty assistant cooks earn five taels per month each; thirty kitchen helpers earn three taels per month each.”
“In total, that’s three hundred taels per month. Calculated for ten days, roughly one-third of a month, that’s about one hundred taels.”
“If we reduce staff to one-fifteenth, corresponding to the food reduction, that leaves four people—saving ninety-three taels, costing seven.”
“If those four are a head chef, sous chef, assistant cook, and kitchen helper, their ten-day wages would total about thirteen taels, saving eighty-seven.”
Itaihe grew excited, his face flushing crimson.
He wanted to explain something but held back under Zhang Bao’s steady gaze.
Chai Xiao smiled and finished the last mouthful of millet porridge.
“So you mean, even with such savings, cutting labor over ten days only saves about ninety taels, which isn’t even enough to cover a day’s worth of ingredients, right?”
“Yes!”
Itaihe nodded emphatically.
At this moment, he said whatever came to mind, caring little about appearances!
Suddenly, Chai Xiao made a move that stunned everyone!
He placed a large bowl in the center, then arranged four small bowls around it.
“Have you ever considered, instead of cutting off the livelihoods of fifty-six people—leaving just four—why not let them go out and earn money?”
“Earn money outside?”
Itaihe’s mouth involuntarily gaped wide, large enough to fit a goose egg.
His eyes widened like copper bells.
His shocked expression suggested he had just heard the most unbelievable thing in the world.
Zhang Bao was equally astonished.
He had long suspected the sovereign was plotting something grand but had never imagined it would be like this.
Yet soon, this experienced steward of the Imperial Household roughly grasped the monarch’s intent.

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“Your Majesty, do you mean to divide these fifty-six people into four groups to operate four eateries located to the southeast, east, west, and north around the Prince’s Mansion?”
“Exactly! To get rich, run side businesses!”
Chai Xiao nodded lightly, then placed a plate in front of Itaihe.
“Master Chef Itaihe, you won’t need to worry about the cost of materials—no, expenses at all.”
“Nor the rent for the eateries.”
“All fifty-six people will keep their daily wages as usual.”
“You’ll cook the same dishes as here.”
“As for pricing, charge one or even two times more.”
“Of course, I don’t decide how much to raise, nor do you. It depends on how much food you can actually sell!”
“If the sales are good, your daily wages can increase, calculated as ten percent of your profits.”
“That’s it. Honestly, given your skills, how much do you think you can earn in ten days?”
“Don’t rush to answer!”
“Just now, you saw me running drills with the guards.”
“No military orders, no increased pay, yet they volunteered to train and forge a mighty army!”
Having said this, Chai Xiao clasped his hands and silently watched Itaihe.
This was probably the longest speech he had given since crossing over.
Having spent a full semester—the first six months—in the culinary unit at the military academy, he was very confident.
Itaihe would definitely give the answer he wanted.
If one asked which department was the strongest and most central at the military academy, no one would dispute it was the command department.
After all, victory is won by strategy and decisive command. Armies are easy to find; great generals are rare.
Commanders determine the outcome of battles and campaigns.
What they study—strategy, campaigns, tactical command, and how to organize forces based on terrain and enemy conditions—are all decisive factors.
Of course, engineering, intelligence, and logistics departments are also indispensable and important.
Broadly speaking, they all fall within the scope of command studies.
First, be a soldier; then an officer; and finally, a commander.
Within this system, the culinary unit, as a vital part of logistics, has its own share of complexities.
Indeed, in some ways, it’s even more challenging than the command department.
First, the culinary unit is full of hidden talents.
Even someone like him, who entered the military academy as the top candidate that year, had to keep a low profile in the culinary unit.
Because inside, there were four or five “soldier kings.”
The sixth-best vegetable cutter was actually a missile operator ace, with three second-class merits.
The eighth-best dishwasher was the leader of an intelligence project, here to gain experience.
Second, the culinary unit may seem insignificant but is absolutely critical—no mistakes allowed.

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A rookie who had just joined once undercooked green beans slightly, causing food poisoning for hundreds, leading to vomiting and diarrhea.
As a result, from the department head down to the kitchen chief and his mentor, all were disciplined and nearly dismissed.
There was also a lovestruck young chef who, on his own initiative, prepared a “menstrual meal” of red dates, longan, and wolfberries for a beautiful nursing major he adored.
It was a warm and thoughtful gesture.
But unfortunately, it was delivered at the wrong time—to the department head who was in the midst of menopausal disorder.
Just one glance at this unique “love meal” and the “stern matron” nearly lost her mind.
She almost fired both him and the young woman.
As the saying goes, “Food is the God of the people,” and “People are iron, food is steel.”
No matter how small an issue in the kitchen, it is a matter of utmost importance—it forges “steel.”
Having been tempered in the crucible of the kitchen brigade, with firsthand experience and deep affection, Chai Xiao had long discerned Itaihe’s temperament.
Serving in the kitchen for so many years, though the careless Ninth Prince was not picky, not a single problem had occurred.
This alone showed the head chef was conscientious and dedicated!
The gluttonous prince demanded a whole pig at every meal, yet the entire kitchen had never once frowned.
This proved that Itaihe and his team were reliable and highly skilled!
Eighteen years as a foodie had forged an extremely capable culinary unit.
Perhaps this was the only truly valuable contribution of the careless Ninth Prince!
Of course, aside from the prince’s support, Itaihe indeed had qualities that set him apart from ordinary chefs.
When he first spoke of reducing staff, he seemed to be pleading for himself, fearing his livelihood would be destroyed.
Later, he insisted no one be cut, still defending others—showing his concern was for all in the kitchen.
Those who think of others are surely rewarded!
Now Itaihe’s face flushed and paled repeatedly.
Clearly, the head chef felt like a warrior ready to shed his blood, wielding his cleaver as a sword and turning the kitchen into a battlefield.
After a moment’s thought, he spoke with resolute conviction,
“Your Majesty! I guarantee that daily income will be at least two to three times the cost of materials!”
“Oh?”
Chai Xiao’s eyes gleamed like shining gold ingots.
“Is that so?”