Chapter 48 Chapter 48 He wanted to keep Qin Ren behind for a proper chat...

Afterwards, Madam Qi smiled and saw the matchmaker off first, wanting to keep Qin Ren alone to have a proper chat about his wedding date with Liu Qingyue.

Their situation was a little different; they were in a hurry to marry Liu Qingyue off, so they couldn't say too much in front of the matchmaker.

Qin Ren originally came here hoping to settle things as soon as possible, but after listening to his future mother-in-law's words, he realized that she actually wanted them to get married sooner.

Qin Ren, who didn't own a house yet, suddenly felt a little uneasy.

Qin Ren: "Getting married in a month... isn't that too rushed?"

Madam Qi: "The time is indeed a bit rushed, but in order to get married before his father..., the two of you must get married in a month."

Qin Ren wanted to say that he could wait, but seeing the determined look in Qi Shi's eyes, he understood that it wasn't a question of whether he could wait or not, but rather that Liu Qingyue's current situation was not good. Otherwise, as a mother, she wouldn't be in such a hurry for him to get married.

To avoid embarrassing his mother-in-law and to prevent Liu Qingyue from overthinking, Qin Ren could only nod and say, "Alright, then I'll follow your arrangements for the wedding date, Auntie."

It's the end of June now, and the wedding date is set for July 27th.

It's not long now, so the wedding is indeed a bit rushed.

However, Madam Qi had no other choice. She didn't want Liu Qingyue to continue wasting her time because of the mourning period for Minister Liu.

Liu Qingyue was a boy, and boys are different from men.

It's rare for a young man to be unmarried by the age of nineteen, let alone when he's in his twenties.

She was a little afraid that before the mourning period was over, Liu Qingyue would be targeted by someone.

Now that Liu Yuze holds no official position and the Liu family has suffered such a tragic fate, they have no way to protect him.

It would be better to make him suffer a little now and marry him off to Qin Ren sooner rather than later.

In this way, Liu Qingyue will at least marry someone she loves, and she won't have to live a life of regret later.

For the next half month, Liu Qingyue, accompanied by Madam Qi, began to busy herself with preparations for her marriage to Qin Ren.

Their family couldn't prepare many nice things, but his wedding dress absolutely couldn't be bad.

Qi spent all the money Qin Ren gave them on buying wedding dresses, clothes, shoes, socks, and quilts for Liu Qingyue.

These things may seem cheap, but if you buy them one by one, it can actually be quite expensive if you buy a lot of them.

When Qin Ren came to propose marriage that day, he deliberately circled the Liu family's neighborhood twice, so that everyone living nearby would know that Liu Qingyue had already been betrothed. This would also prevent any fools from doing anything shameful because they coveted Liu Qingyue's beauty.

Because Liu Qingyue was engaged, and her fiancé's family seemed quite wealthy, they brought geese and brocade with them when they arrived.

When the people living near the Liu family saw this, they stopped pointing fingers and gossiping about the Liu family so much.

On Liu Yuze's side, no one mentioned wanting to take his younger brother as a concubine anymore.

That afternoon, when Liu Qingyue and Qi Shi went out to buy things, they encountered Qin Ren, who was on his way to the Prince Ying's mansion to receive a reward.

The two people were separated by a street, and they glanced at each other from a distance.

Seeing Qin Ren's expressionless face suddenly brighten with a big smile, Liu Qingyue felt inexplicably happy.

He smiled at Qin Ren and quickly followed Qi Shi's pace.

He wanted to look back again halfway through, but felt embarrassed in front of so many people, so he gritted his teeth and didn't look back even once.

Seeing this, Qin Ren couldn't help but laugh. Thinking that their wedding was approaching and that the emperor had taken notice of his alcohol, his mood gradually improved.

Qin Ren arrived at the Prince Ying's residence and waited for a while in the side hall before the Prince Ying arrived with several boxes of things.

Logically speaking, since Prince Ying has already been granted the title of king, he should be going to his fiefdom.

However, because Prince Ying was the new emperor's younger brother, and the new emperor was currently short of talent, he did not allow him to be granted a fiefdom like the other princes.

Among the people who came to Prince Ying's residence to see Qin Ren was a very noble-looking young man.

The young man was imposing, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, and he looked somewhat kind.

Ying Wang coughed lightly at Qin Ren, signaling him not to stare at the other person. Qin Ren immediately understood.

This person... is either an emperor or a member of the royal family, definitely not an ordinary person.

Instead of introducing themselves to each other, Yingwang started talking about alcohol as if there was no one else there.

Qin Ren was a smart man. Seeing this, he did not ask about the identity of the person who came, nor did he show any fear or trepidation.

It's not that Qin Ren is disrespectful to the emperor; he's just that living in modern society, he doesn't have any reverence for monarchs.

In addition, that's just his personality. He's talented and capable, while the other party lacks capable people. In Qin Ren's eyes, they are just partners, and Qin Ren feels that he doesn't need to be too humble.

He treats the emperor like a boss; if the boss isn't good enough, he'll just replace him with another one.

In any case, talented people are popular no matter where they go.

Prince Ying: "I've asked His Majesty for a reward for you. Are you satisfied with these rewards?"

Qin Ren certainly couldn't express his dissatisfaction upon hearing this. Regardless of whether the noble young man was actually the emperor, he couldn't say in front of him that he was dissatisfied with the emperor's reward.

He wasn't afraid of the emperor, but he couldn't appear too arrogant either; he still had to maintain a certain facade.

Qin Ren replied with a respectful attitude, "It is my honor to serve Your Majesty, and how could I possibly have any complaints?"

Prince Ying raised his hand, "Open the box and let Young Master Qin take a look."

The men responsible for carrying the boxes immediately opened them.

They brought in five boxes in total, four of which were filled with silver.

One box contained five hundred taels, so four boxes would contain two thousand taels.

In addition to these four chests of silver, there is also a relatively small chest.

This box is the real highlight, and the most valuable item among this reward.

The small box contained four house deeds, five land deeds, and a jade pendant.

The jade pendant is the waist token of Prince Ying's residence. With this jade pendant, Qin Ren can freely enter and leave Prince Ying's residence, so that he won't have to go through so much trouble to see Prince Ying in the future.

Furthermore, with this waist token, Qin Ren no longer needs to worry about being bullied by the noble families of the capital just because he is a merchant.

Looking at it this way, compared to silver and house deeds, this jade pendant is the most valuable. With its protection, it won't be difficult for Qin Ren to gain a foothold in the capital.

Prince Ying: "Now that you've given my men the method for making alcohol, you no longer need to handle it personally. Besides alcohol, you've also taught them how to brew wine. Someone told me that the wine they brew might become a major source of revenue in the future. I thought that since you're so generous, I couldn't let you suffer a loss. I heard you've been looking at houses and shops lately, so I've specially prepared some house deeds and land deeds for you. Later, I'll have someone take you to see these houses and lands. If you're not satisfied, you can sell them and then buy more yourself later."

The emperor's rewards may seem plentiful, but in reality, they weren't that many.

Firstly, the advent of alcohol has been of great help in the medical field, reducing the risk of death for many injured people due to bacterial infections.

This is not an achievement that can be easily overshadowed by a few thousand taels of silver.

Secondly, the presence of alcohol indicates the presence of high-concentration alcoholic beverages.

Before the introduction of alcohol, the alcohol content in Da Yong's beverages was always below 10%.

Now that Qin Ren has taught them new brewing techniques, the liquor industry in Dayong will definitely develop rapidly, as high-concentration liquor can bring huge revenue.

Looking at it this way, the emperor's reward to Qin Ren was really not much, so Qin Ren wasn't particularly surprised.

Qin Ren quickly bowed slightly and said, "Thank you for your gifts, Your Majesty and the Prince. I am very satisfied with them."

King Ying gestured for him to stand up and speak, then asked calmly, "By the way, where is your father's country, and how far is it from Da Yong?"

“Your Highness, my father’s country is overseas, where the seas are rough and there are tsunamis, so it is not suitable for trade.”

"Then... what about those goods you brought with you before? How did you transport them here?"

“Those came with me. My father passed away two years ago, and my mother missed her hometown very much. That’s why I took a great risk to come to Dayong with her. Later, my mother contracted an illness at sea and passed away not long after returning to Dayong. The goods I brought before were all brought with me at that time. Because I wasn’t sure if they would sell well at first, I didn’t bring much of anything.”

Qin Ren dared to say that because he fabricated the story that his mother was a northerner.

The northern part of Da Yong suffered from famine for two years, followed by war and the flight of refugees. It is no exaggeration to say that nine out of ten houses in the north were empty.

Under such circumstances, even if the emperor wanted to investigate Qin Ren's mother and hometown, he would have no way to do so.

Upon hearing about the dangers at sea, King Ying frowned slightly.

"Then you won't be able to go back? And you won't be able to get the car Wen Lingzheng wants?"

"This humble subject truly has no way to return, but the kind of carriage that the young marquis desires, this humble subject can find a way to make."

Upon hearing Qin Ren say that he had a way to do it, the noble young man who had been silent until now suddenly spoke up.

"It seems you really have found a treasure this time."

Upon hearing this, a smile flashed in Ying Wang's eyes, and he thought to himself that the face reading technique his master had taught him was indeed amazing.

He only glanced at Qin Ren once, but he felt that this person had an extraordinary demeanor, giving him the feeling that he was definitely not an ordinary person.

Now it seems he was right; he really did find a great treasure.

"What you're talking about is that we can make the frame, but we don't know how to make the wheels for the car?"

When Ying Wang mentioned "wheels," he was probably referring to the tires of a bicycle, not the wheels.

When Qin Ren and Liu Qingyue went to the south, they saw rubber trees in a certain place.

The latex from rubber trees can be used to make tires, rubber gloves, rubber rain boots, rubber hot water bottles, and so on, making it a very important industrial raw material.

There are rubber trees in Dayong, so naturally rubber can be produced.

However, due to the low level of industrial development in ancient times, even if they had rubber trees, they would not have been able to produce things like tires in large quantities.

Qin Ren: "This humble subject knows how to make tires, but I need to go to the south. Moreover, the production process is very complicated, so I guess I will need Your Highness's help."

"Alright, whatever you need, just name it. As long as you can make such a car, His Majesty will definitely reward you handsomely."

"This humble subject thanks Your Majesty and the Prince in advance."

When do you plan to leave?

"I'm engaged to a young man, and the wedding is scheduled for the latter half of this month. I want to get married before I set off."

Qin Ren paused for a moment, then, as if remembering something, suddenly bowed towards Prince Ying.

"Actually... compared to that kind of vehicle, I have something even better to offer to Your Majesty and the Prince."

Qin Ren thought Prince Ying was a decent person; he hadn't taken credit for Qin Ren's work, and he had even invited the emperor to his residence. Clearly, Prince Ying intended to introduce him to the emperor for a personal meeting.

If that person really was an emperor, then an emperor who would disregard his status and come specifically to see a merchant like him wouldn't seem like the kind of despicable and incompetent ruler.

Qin Ren thought of all the people he had seen who were displaced by famine when he and Liu Qingyue fled together, and he wanted to get the sweet potatoes out as soon as possible.

Qin Ren had thought about taking out the sweet potatoes back in Yu Yang's mansion, but unfortunately the timing wasn't right.

He took it out at this time, which means that the sweet potato came with his merchant ship.

He could say that at the beginning, he didn't understand the language of Dayong, so he didn't know that Dayong didn't have sweet potatoes.

It was only recently, after he learned to speak the local dialect of Yongzhou, that he realized there were no sweet potatoes in Yongzhou.

Upon hearing that it was something even better than tires, both Prince Ying and the noble young master looked towards Qin Ren.

Prince Ying: "What is it?"

Qin Ren: "I only recently learned the language of Dayong and then learned that the Dayong Dynasty did not have sweet potatoes."

Ying Wang: "What is a sweet potato?"

Qin Ren: "A type of grain with relatively high yield."

Upon hearing the words "high production," the noble young master became restless. He walked from behind to the front, slightly raising his chin as he looked at Qin Ren.

Young Master: "How high is the production volume?"

Qin Ren: "The yield is 5,000 jin per mu."

Prince Ying: "Five...five thousand catties?!"

Qin Ren: "That is, a mu of land yields several dozen shi (a unit of dry measure), which is more than ten or even twenty times the yield of grain."

With a crash, the teacup in Prince Ying's hand was knocked to the ground.

Ying Wang thought he had misheard and subconsciously reached out to rub his ears.

He looked up at Qin Ren, and everyone in the side hall, including His Majesty, looked on incredulously.

There are no sweet potatoes, corn, or potatoes in Da Yong.

Even in Qin Ren's world, sweet potatoes, corn, and potatoes only appeared after the 15th century.

Actually, sweet potatoes are not as good as hybrid rice, but Qin Ren is a steady person and he doesn't plan to bring the rice over yet.

He wanted to try planting a sweet potato first, and also to see the emperor's character.

He has only met the emperor once, and he is unaware of his future actions.

If the emperor is problematic and he has given him too many good things, it will be difficult to replace him with a new emperor later.

Another point is that Qin Ren needs to demonstrate his usefulness, but he cannot appear to be overly useful.

He can now produce alcohol, and he can also produce sweet potatoes.

But we cannot create hybrid rice, cars, trains, etc.

If he becomes too useful, so useful that the entire city of Yongzhou knows his name and even the people are on his side, it will attract a lot of danger.

Qin Ren hasn't established himself yet, so he can't be too hasty.

He wants to take it one step at a time and gradually develop his power.

Only when he has enough power can he ensure that if he stands out too much, he will not be hated or schemed against by some people.

Prince Ying: "Is what you said true? Can sweet potatoes really yield a thousand catties per mu?"

Qin Ren: "It is true, of course. However, since the sweet potatoes were brought from overseas, I am not sure if they are suitable for planting in Dayong. I need Prince Ying to report the situation to His Majesty and then grant me a piece of land for experimentation."

Upon hearing this, Prince Ying subconsciously turned around, but then quickly stopped as if he had remembered something.

Ying Wang: "Alright, then I'll leave this matter to you."

After saying that, Prince Ying shook his head again, "No, let's put aside the tire business in the south for now. I need to work with you on the sweet potato business. This matter concerns the people's livelihood and is a matter of national importance. It might not be easy for you to do it alone. It would be safer for me to accompany you."

People in ancient times were not very receptive to new things. If Qin Ren suddenly asked them to plant sweet potatoes, they would definitely be unwilling since they had never seen such a thing before.

Furthermore, Qin Ren was unsure whether the yield of sweet potatoes in Da Yong would be as high as it was in his hometown.

He needs someone to assist him, and that's when he needs Ying Wang's help.

After saying that, King Ying pulled Qin Ren to find the sweet potatoes, looking like he was planning to start planting today.

It's truly incomprehensible to modern people to understand the feeling of countless people starving to death in ancient times due to food shortages.

Even though... Qin Ren had personally experienced famine and witnessed many people starve to death.

However, he was an outsider; the place where he grew up was affluent and peaceful.

This meant that even though he came here, he couldn't truly integrate into the community.

Naturally... he couldn't understand the feelings of King Ying and the others at this moment.

Qin Ren looked at his hand, which was being held by Ying Wang, and tried to pull it back several times but failed.

Qin Ren looked at Prince Ying and said calmly, "Your Highness, you are of noble birth and there is no need for you to come with me to farm."

Prince Ying: "Hahaha, it's alright, it's alright. I grew up outside the palace when I was young, so I know a bit about farming."

Upon hearing that Prince Ying had grown up outside the palace, a hint of surprise flashed in Qin Ren's eyes.

The main reason is that Prince Ying looks very noble, like the kind of rich and noble young master in TV dramas who never lifts a finger.

He simply couldn't imagine that such a person grew up outside the palace and had even farmed the land himself when he was a child.

Afterwards, Qin Ren took Prince Ying to the manor outside the city. He dared to propose presenting sweet potatoes to the emperor now because he had made preparations at the manor in advance.

After giving the alcohol to Ying Wang, Qin Ren decided to offer the sweet potato instead.

Just then, he and Liu Qingyue set a wedding date.

Qin Ren was worried that the prices in the capital were too high, and he couldn't afford a good house there to provide Liu Qingyue with a good life.

So Qin Ren found a piece of land on the estate and planted sweet potatoes there in advance.

The land is very small and located in a remote corner.

While Liu Qingyue was busy arranging her wedding with Madam Qi, Qin Ren had been busy planting sweet potatoes for the past two weeks.

The capital was located in the north, where the weather was dry and the temperature was lower than in the south.

In northern regions, planting sweet potatoes in June or July is ideal as temperatures can remain above 15 degrees Celsius.

Now, half a month has passed, and the sweet potatoes that Qin Ren planted have already sprouted.

That's why Qin Ren was so at ease when Ying Wang wanted to go with him to see the sweet potatoes.