49. Chapter 49

"none"

Qi You was not a stingy person. He didn't know if his monthly allowance was enough for the princes in the palace. But for him, who was away in Shunyi, it was really tight.

It is not easy to make money, but it is also easy.

The difficulty lies in the fact that the imperial court has expressly prohibited bannermen from engaging in trade.

Of course, there were bound to be people who violated these rules. From the rich and powerful to the common people, there were many people who engaged in business.

But Qi You would not do that.

The collapse of a society begins with the corruption of its system.

Just because everyone is doing something doesn't necessarily mean it's the right thing to do. If a system is unreasonable or imperfect, Qi You will choose to promote reform of the system rather than violate it.

Assuming that the bannermen are allowed to do business, Qi You can do business reasonably and legally. Then where will his capital come from? Will he rely on loans or make money out of nothing?

What kind of business can make a lot of money?

Are there any inventions or creations with core competitiveness that can make a lot of money?

Business in this era is nothing more than a few things: food, clothing, housing, transportation.

What remains are mineral resources, which have long been monopolized by the powerful.

As for food, clothing, housing, transportation, etc., except for some embroidery, weaving, dyeing, etc., those with good skills can make money.

Products made with good technology were supplied to the Imperial Household Department and several major weaving factories.

Whatever money could flow out was divided up by those with connections and used to make a fortune.

Relying on reselling to make a profit, not to mention the risks involved in the journey itself, just the taxes alone, plus the layers of bribery to officials along the way, would definitely not make any money without connections.

As for maritime trade, forget it. The Qing Dynasty had no ships of its own to trade overseas, and the goods brought in by Westerners were simply bought and sold at a profit.

The reason why ordinary people could not afford Western goods was not because Westerners sold them at high prices, but because the middlemen manipulated the prices and drove them too high.

Qi You can make money temporarily with his novel ideas, but in this era there is no intellectual property protection, so he can only earn the first pot of gold from his novel ideas.

Businessmen have very flexible minds. Within ten days or half a month, they will have learned most of the new ideas, or even surpassed him.

Business opportunities, business opportunities, opportunities come first, business comes second.

Those who can make a lot of money, apart from those who monopolize resources, are the privileged powerful and those who have first-hand insider information.

As a prince, it is easy for Qi You to make money.

Privileges plus resource monopoly, that's it.

There used to be a pigpen in the farm, and Qi You was reluctant to waste the leftover slop from their group every day.

In addition, pig manure is an excellent fertilizer, so Qi You bought two piglets and raised them there. Now each pig weighs about 100 kilograms.

Qi You subcontracted the task of cutting grass and feeding the pigs to Lin Daniu and his group. Their reward was daily cleaning of the pigsty and the nightshade accumulated by everyone in the village. Whoever took their turn feeding the pigs would own all of it.

The night incense business is also a livelihood, and people without some background cannot do this business. Although it looks dirty, the boss of the night incense business can make a lot of money.

Snakes have their own paths, rats their own paths. Qi You estimated that Kangxi would not understand the various aspects of people's lives.

Kangxi was the emperor and also his biological father, so Qi You could only hold his nose and order Gui He to arrange to catch a pig and kill it.

Considering the safety issue, Qi You did not go outside the farm, but dug a stove in the backyard garden, slaughtered a pig, plucked its hair, and cooked vegetables.

Qi You invited two women who were good at making blood sausage to help, and with De Gao guarding them, they were busy in full swing.

Kangxi washed up and rested for a while. When he heard the faint noise outside, he immediately became interested. He said to Qi You who was waiting in the room, "Come on, take me to see it."

Qi You led Kangxi to the garden. The guards had already gutted the slaughtered pig, removed the head, and placed it in a large pot for braising. The pig's large intestine had been washed and set aside, while a woman was pouring pig blood into the small intestine.

Kangxi was drawn to the situation and walked forward, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, waving to those who wanted to greet him. He was unusually approachable and said with a smile, "You are busy, no need to be polite."

It was dark, and there were pine wax torches around, emitting bursts of pine oil scent, making the garden as bright as day.

Kangxi looked at the bustling world before him with an indescribable sense of relief. He turned to Qi You, who was quietly following him, and said with a smile, "Why is this pig so small? I don't think I can see many pieces of meat. The whole pig is less than the half pig you brought back to the palace last time."

Qi You was silent for a moment, then something clicked in his mind. He lowered his eyes and pretended to be shy, saying, "Last time, it was my brother the Crown Prince and my eldest brother. The three of us put in the money together and bought a fat pig. I raised this pig on the farm. It weighed just over 100 pounds. After removing the pig's head and internal organs, there wasn't much left."

Kangxi was stunned for a moment and asked in surprise: "You also raise pigs?"

Qi You nodded and said yes, "We have two pigs. If we raise more, the slop won't be enough. Just the slop won't be enough. We have to cut grass for the pigs and add some grain to feed them, otherwise they won't grow fat. We will raise two pigs and kill them during the New Year. We will treat Mr. Xu, Mr. Zhang, and the others, as well as the elderly and children in the village, to a meal. The rest will be pickled into bacon, which can be eaten until the wheat harvest next year. The remaining pig will be sent back to the palace as a filial tribute to Mama and Khan Ama."

Kangxi's expression froze, he reached out and stroked Qi You's head, saying lovingly: "You have worked really hard in Shunyi."

Qi You looked up at Kangxi and said with a smile, "Thank you, Khan, for your concern. It's not too hard. Fortunately, every day is very fulfilling and I sleep well at night."

Kangxi was stunned, feeling an indescribable emotion. After a moment, he smiled and said, "As a father, how can I eat my son's pig? Xu Risheng and Zhang Cheng are here, and I just happened to need something from them. Let's invite them to dinner later. I'll pay for the pig you raised."

"Thank you, Khan." Qi You thanked him. He couldn't take this little money from Kangxi.

First of all, the pig was sold to Kangxi without any money, so accepting the silver was equivalent to selling it to Kangxi, which was unacceptable both publicly and privately.

Furthermore, Qi You couldn't make up his mind about this pig, so he just put it aside for the time being, maybe it would be of great use in the future.

Qi You quickly made up his mind and said with a smile: "Khan Ama came to Shunyi, how can I ask Khan Ama to pay money? This pig is raised by me, so I don't want any money."

Kangxi laughed and said, "That's great! I'm enjoying the blessing of having a son in advance."

Qi You laughed along and called Degao, saying, "Go and see if Mr. Xu and Mr. Zhang have returned. Tell them that Khan Ama is here and ask them to come to the garden to eat the pig-killing dish."

Degao Mangying went down to help, and Liang Jiugong also went up to help, setting up the tables, chairs, dishes and chopsticks.

Kangxi saw Liang Jiugong placing the kang tables separately and hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Just set up the Eight Immortals table. Since we are away from home, we should follow the customs of the countryside."

Liang Jiugong quickly agreed and called the guards to change the table for the eight-immortals. A short while later, Xu Risheng and Zhang Cheng followed by Degao also arrived and went forward to pay their respects to Kangxi.

Kangxi smiled and invited the two to sit down together at the Eight Immortals Table. Xu Risheng knew more about etiquette and asked Qi You to sit below Kangxi.

Qi You said modestly, "Mr. Xu and Mr. Zhang, please don't be so polite. Please take a seat."

Kangxi glanced at Qi You and said to them with a smile, "Please sit down. You are the teachers and Lao Qi is the student. We in the Qing Dynasty have always respected teachers."

Xu Risheng and Zhang Cheng finally sat down. Qi You went over to help bring the cooked blood sausage to the table and said, "The blood sausage should be eaten while it's hot. However, it's not easy to pick up, so you have to be quick and accurate. Dip it in some sesame oil and garlic sauce. It's fragrant and smooth."

Kangxi had practiced riding and archery since he was a child, so he had no problem controlling the strength. After trying it with chopsticks, he was able to control the strength and pick up a piece of blood sausage steadily.

He dipped it in some sesame oil and garlic sauce and tasted it. His eyes suddenly lit up and he praised: "It's really good, smooth and tender, without any fishy smell."

During the Chinese New Year last year, Xu Risheng and Zhang Cheng had eaten blood sausage and could not forget this delicacy.

Xu Risheng was more skilled in using chopsticks, but Zhang Cheng was still clumsy. The blood sausage was very tender and fell apart as soon as he picked it up.

Kangxi laughed as he watched, and Zhang Cheng followed suit with a wry smile. He replaced his chopsticks with a spoon, scooped a piece into the bowl of garlic juice, dipped it randomly, and ate it impatiently.

In addition to blood sausage, there are also sauerkraut and pork pot, stir-fried pork intestines, stir-fried liver and kidneys, braised pork head, meatball soup, etc.

The table was filled with dishes, which were not as exquisite as those in the palace, but they were fresh and full of the flavor of home.

Kangxi saw the pig intestines and struggled for a moment before trying to pick up a small piece and chewing it. He smiled at Qi You, who was drinking meatball soup in a gentle manner, and said, "It's true. It tastes quite fragrant. It doesn't have the stench I imagined."

Qi You smiled. Kangxi didn't usually drink much, but Xu Risheng and Zhang Cheng would usually have a few drinks. Tonight was a rare happy night, so he poured himself a glass of Shaodaozi for the two of them and sipped it slowly.

After a few cups of Shaodaozi, Kangxi felt a bit tipsy. Above him was a starry sky, the garden was in full bloom with flowers, and on the table was a large bowl of meat.

Unspeakable emotions welled up in his chest. He put down his glass, stood up and said, "You two can enjoy it slowly. Old Seven, you can accompany me for a walk."

Xu Risheng and Zhang Cheng hurriedly stood up to see Kangxi off, and Qi You followed him outside.

Kangxi put his hands behind his back, looked at Qi You sideways, and said, "I heard that your night school is very lively. Take me to have a look."

Qi You quickly agreed, and Kangxi didn't want to disturb anyone, so he stood outside the night school gate, closed his eyes slightly, and listened to the loud reading sounds in the room.

Crickets that came out early from somewhere are chirping, and a warm breeze is blowing. The world is peaceful and beautiful.

Kangxi looked indescribably excited, his chest felt sore and swollen, and his eyes gradually became hot.

If everything he saw during the day was peaceful and prosperous, the sea would be at peace and the rivers would be clear.

Everything he saw and felt that night reminded him of the words written at the beginning of Qi You's plan: "Peace and prosperity for the country and the people."

All of this happened because Qi You came to Shunyi.

Kangxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then changed his original plan and asked, "Do you know about the border dispute between the Qing Dynasty and the Rakshasa Kingdom?"

Qi You was stunned for a moment, his mind racing as he asked, "What did Khan Ama say about the border treaty we have agreed to with the Rakshasa Kingdom?"

Kangxi glanced at Qi You in surprise, but considering his intelligence, it was not surprising that he knew. "Let's go, let's talk while we walk."

Qi You hurriedly followed Kangxi and heard him talk about the conflict with the Rakshasa Kingdom and his concerns.

Kangxi hesitated, then whispered, "I asked Xu Risheng and Zhang Cheng to come here earlier. I planned to take them back to the capital, along with Soetu and Tong Guogang, to Selengesk to serve as interpreters and negotiate border demarcation with the Rakshasa Kingdom. You understand Latin, so I'll have Fuquan come and help you with the school affairs. You should come with us."

Qi You immediately held his breath and asked cautiously, "Khan Ama, may I know where you want the border to be? Even if Luosha Kingdom doesn't agree, what border will you ultimately accept?"

The author has something to say:

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solution between 2022-10-19 19:51:51 and 2022-10-20 18:50:35~

Thanks to the little angel who cast the mines: 1 dandelion;

Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the nutrient solution: Sue Ziyue 1 bottle;

Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!