Chapter 718: New Year's Goods Cost Money (Two in One)
Su Yunyan and Chen Yixuan insisted on going on business. Gu Nanxi did not say whether he agreed or opposed, but only said to consider it after the New Year.
Gu Nanxi left Su Yunting and Shuyao alone, and gave Shuyao two commercial streets and a 10% share of the commercial center.
Su Yunting's eyes rolled and he knew why his mother was worried: "Mother, although the original betrothal gifts and dowry are still in Jiangnan and cannot be brought over, my uncles will help to deal with them."
There is a high probability that it will be exchanged for gold and silver at a discount.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, engagement was a complicated matter, with three steps in total: paying the betrothal gift, paying the betrothal gift, and paying the betrothal gift.
If the family is wealthy, they will usually use pearl and jade jewelry, gold articles, gilt skirts, satin tea cakes, and send it as a gift, pulled by two sheep.
The Great Zhou Dynasty always emphasized lavish dowries, and the dowry had to be higher than the betrothal gift.
When the two of them offered their betrothal gifts, Gu Nanxi directly gave 10% of the shipyard's share and said that she was very satisfied with her future daughter-in-law and did not need a high dowry.
But Shuyao's father and maternal grandparents loved Shuyao very much and were worried that if the dowry was too little, Shuyao would be looked down upon, so they prepared many farms, fertile fields, etc.
These things were not easy to take away, so before leaving Jiangnan, Shuyao gave the dowry to her uncle to help deal with.
Gu Nanxi shook her head: "It's not the same thing. I'll give it to you, just take it."
A gift from an elder should not be refused.
Su Yunting signaled Shuyao to accept it, and after making sure that there was no one around, he said, "Chen Tianhe has completely taken control of the island. Mother, what are your plans for the island?"
The island has a great geographical location and can be used as a supply station for ocean-going teams.
It would be a pity if the island were to be positioned as an agricultural island.
Gu Nanxi thought the same thing: "My idea is that after you get married, you can go to the island together."
"Mom?!" Su Yunting frowned.
Gu Nanxi's tone was unyielding: "Don't put all your eggs in one basket. The ocean is very important to us."
When the expansion of land reaches its limit, we have to rely on the ocean to explore new worlds.
Gu Nanxi never doubted that she would take over the land of Da Zhou. What she wanted to do was to establish a true empire on which the sun never sets with the will of Chinese civilization!
The island is rich in resources and can be completely self-sufficient in agriculture.
If the shipyard is moved there, the island can be built into a naval base.
This process will be slow, perhaps taking five or ten years, but it doesn’t matter, Gu Nanxi can wait.
"Please keep this matter confidential." Gu Nanxi had no intention of telling anyone else about the island.
Before the conquest of Da Zhou, the island was a wasteland.
The Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty could not do anything to him, but the navy of the Great Zhou Dynasty was not made of paper. If Su Yunting confronted them, he would suffer a great loss.
Su Yunting understood and looked at Shuyao apologetically.
If you want to develop the island, you need a large investment and a lot of money.
Su Yunting's original plan was to use the island as a refuge, attract the nobles from the south of the Yangtze River, pool resources, and develop it together.
But A'niang acted too quickly and was ruthless to the noble families, which overturned Su Yunting's original plan.
So where does the money come from?
Shuyao took Su Yunting's hand and took the initiative to say, "What's mine is yours. The farmland in the village is all dead stuff, and there's not much profit if you just leave it there. If you want to use it, just take it."
Gu Nanxi felt embarrassed after hearing this.
The laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty paid great attention to protecting a woman’s dowry, which was actually a woman’s private property.
If it were an ordinary family, Su Yunting's behavior would be criticized and he might even be sued to the government.
Su Yunting squeezed Shuyao's hand and swore, "I will never let you down in this life!"
Gu Nanxi was moved by Shuyao's dedication, so she took the initiative to ask Shuyao if she had any thoughts on becoming an official.
Gu Nanxi made up her mind that as long as the official position chosen by Shuyao was not excessive, she would definitely agree.
When Shuyao heard about being an official, she was stunned on the spot.
She thought about becoming Su Yunting's wife, the woman behind him, and if she was a little bolder, she could even become a princess, but she never thought about becoming a female official.
“Can I be an official, too?”
"Why not?" Gu Nanxi was puzzled. When he met Shuyao's gaze secretly glancing towards Su Yunting, he instantly understood what Shuyao really wanted to ask.
Gu Nanxi: "Even if you become a princess in the future, you can also serve as a female official. Princess is an identity, not a position. The two are not contradictory."
Shuyao's eyes suddenly lit up, as if they could hold a sky full of stars, and she said in a clear voice, "I want to go to the Maritime Customs!"
"good."
Gu Nanxi agreed without hesitation, then waved her hand and told the two to go out and play so as not to delay her from sorting out the information.
Gu Nanxi stared at the map of Great Zhou hanging on the wall in a daze.
What kind of dynasty was the Great Zhou?
The market is prosperous, commerce is thriving, romantic and affluent, like a peony flower.
But it lacks a certain temperament, the temperament of a world hegemon like the previous dynasty.
The territory of the previous dynasty was 12.3 million square kilometers, while that of the Great Zhou was only 4.65 million square kilometers, only one-third of the previous dynasty.
Gu Nanxi stood up and measured the size with his fingers.
Xixia, Tubo, Dali, Goryeo...
Gu Nanxi spread out her hands and slapped them on the map. These places will be mine one day!
…
In Kyoto, as the front-line troops returned one after another, the tense atmosphere slowly dissipated.
Especially after Wei Xiaozhi's letter spread in Kyoto, everyone understood that the war was about to end, and the remaining issues would be dealt with by the bigwigs and had nothing to do with ordinary people like them.
As for the soldiers who died in the battle, the government issued an order requiring the payment of pensions as soon as possible, and sent masters from the Daxiangguo Temple to the battlefield to hold an altar and seek salvation for the souls of the dead.
The pension came quickly. Although it was not paid in full, only 80% was issued, the families of the soldiers who died in the battle had no objection.
This is already very good. In the past, I would be thankful to get 50%.
They took the money and started to prepare for the New Year. They could buy more Tusu wine for the New Year, but they definitely couldn't buy firecrackers.
Ever since Yunzhou's cannons and firearms demonstrated their power, the Zhou Dynasty court has brought firecrackers and gunpowder under its control and prohibited their sale.
"Mom, let's use this money to build a kang." A pregnant woman said hesitantly.
Just now, the official from the Pension Office gave them thirty strings of cash, implying that this was the emperor's thoughtfulness. Otherwise, with so many soldiers killed in the battle, they should have replaced it with silk cloth to save money.
The mother-in-law took out two hundred coins from the thirty strings of cash and gave them to the lord, and then he left.
"No, that won't work. Your eldest brother is the only laborer in our family right now. After paying the rent, the money he earns is not enough for food and drink. Then it's the New Year, and you'll need money to have a baby."
The old woman held her purse tightly. She had such a big child, but this was all the money she earned.
The old woman had a dazed look on her face, and her back, which was already a little bent, became even more hunched.
She muttered to herself, calculating where the family still needed money. There seemed to be a big hole in her heart, and the wind blew, making her feel cold.
The pregnant woman seemed to have lost her strength. She leaned against the door and looked at the alley. Her husband would never come back.
The pregnant woman hugged herself tightly with her hands and couldn't help shivering. She wanted to cry, but couldn't.
Compared to the grief of losing her husband, the thought of how to survive overwhelmed her.
Thirty strings of cash, is that a lot?
It’s a lot, equivalent to two months’ salary of a low-level official!
However, the price of food rose again. It was heard that there was an uprising of rebels. They wanted to draw a line along the river to defend it and impose light taxes and levies. Within ten days, the number of rebels had grown to over ten thousand.
Therefore, all the grain shops in Kyoto raised their prices.
She didn't understand how a mere 10,000 rebels could cause the price of food to go up so much!
The shopkeeper Qian in the market said that the shop under the name of Lord Li was the first to raise prices. Lord Li was such a high-ranking official that he always had better-informed information.
The pregnant woman stomped her numb feet with difficulty and went into the kitchen. It was almost New Year's Day and it was time to eat something thick.
People's joys and sorrows are different.
Some people are worrying about the year-end, while others are gathering together happily.
“Is this a truffle?”
"So this is what it looks like. The Yunzhou Weekly said that truffles are top-notch ingredients that can nourish the spleen and replenish qi. I looked through all the medical books but couldn't find it. Li Lang must be amazing. He was able to get such fresh truffles!"
The tea drinkers at Fuquan Teahouse are enlightened!
This thing is a truffle! I can't tell how it's different from other mushrooms.
Recently, the debate has become less popular. Most people who are paying attention to this matter are educated people, while some ordinary people are tired of watching it.
After hearing the voices of the general public, Yunzhou Weekly reserved a page to publish other content, such as Mengxi Bitan.
As soon as Mengxi Bitan appeared, it was enthusiastically praised. Nowadays, it is extremely difficult to travel far away. Most people have never left their villages in their entire lives.
For example, "Mengxi Bitan" was written by a man named Shen Kuo, and its content covers everything, including astronomy, local chronicles, calendar, music, divination, etc.
Many students in Kyoto believed that Shen Kuo must not be a single person, but a team! Otherwise, how could he know so much knowledge?
Anyway, Dream Stream Essays is a hit! The truffles mentioned above are also a hit!
Li Lang, the owner of Fuquan Teahouse, was very proud: "These truffles are unique in Kyoto! When they were delivered, they were all buried in the soil. Just this small basket of truffles cost me a thousand strings of cash!"
“Wow!”
"Worth it! If I can find a way, I can get more money than a thousand strings of cash!"
The news that a basket of truffles was sold for one thousand strings of cash instantly caused an uproar in the lobby.
In the corner of the lobby, there was a table of skinny people trembling with excitement.
"Boss, one thousand strings of cash! One thousand strings of cash!"
"Don't be impatient. Have you forgotten what the adults told us? Be patient and wait. We have brought a lot of goods. If we dump them on the market all at once, the price will definitely not go up."
The thinnest man's lips were trembling. "As expected... our master made the right choice by looking for her to cooperate with! Unfortunately, we are too far away. When I look at our master, I also want to work for her."
"Shh! Shut up! You're risking your life! How can you say that here?"
They were anxious and expectant, wanting to see what price the truffles would be sold at.
Li Lang is the son of Li Ge Lao. He finally managed to get a basket of truffles, so he went to Fuquan Teahouse to show off.
He kept six truffles, planning to hold a banquet in two days and have the chef prepare them to show off.
As for the remaining half, he would naturally use it to honor his biological father, Lord Li.
Lord Li looked at the basket of truffles and then at his son who was showing off. For a moment, he didn't know whether to praise him for his filial piety or scold him for being stupid.
"Take my invitation and go invite Grand Tutor Tong, the Minister of Revenue, the Minister of War and others."
"Huh? Why invite them?"
Li Ge Lao: "Since you are so high-profile, we have to hold a truffle tasting conference. Just say that this is specially found for my birthday. Because truffles are not easy to preserve, we are holding a truffle tasting conference in advance."
"Oh. What about the official?" Li Lang knew that he was too high-profile.
"I will go and invite him in person!" Lord Li originally thought that the emperor was in a bad mood and would not come.
Unexpectedly, the emperor actually planned to bring the queen and Concubine Tong with him.
Mr. Li...
Well, this also shows that the government respects me and it is the honor of the entire Li family.
Li's mansion was tidied up inside and out, and all the plaques and pillars were painted with raw lacquer.
Because it was winter, the flowers, plants and trees were all bare and looked ugly.
Li Fu used colorful silk cloth, cut it into the shape of petals, folded it into flowers, and stuck it to the branches with wax.
In order to make the scenery more vivid and lively, some butterflies and birds are placed in the woods.
I don’t know what it is made of, but it looks so lifelike.
Three days before the emperor came to attend the banquet, the imperial guards had already imposed martial law on Li's residence.
Except for Grand Tutor Tong, all the people invited by Lord Li came.
Li Ge Lao invited the emperor to take a seat and explained with a smile: "Teacher Tong is really not feeling well, so he won't come."
The red lanterns hanging under the eaves look particularly festive.
The official looked indifferent, as if he didn't hear it.
Concubine Tong had a fake smile on her face, and her every move seemed to be measured with a ruler. She was noble and elegant, but lacked a sense of life.
This was even more true for the Queen. She didn't even dare to breathe unless the Emperor gave the order.
Lord Li’s eyebrows were twitching.
He seldom saw the empress and the imperial concubine, but he had heard how arrogant the imperial concubine was. Looking at the actions of these two people, it seemed that there was unrest in the harem.
Lord Li seemed to notice nothing and served the dishes according to the procedure.
Shen Kuo was a good man. While introducing truffles, he also wrote several recipes.
Truffle steamed egg, truffle risotto, truffle roasted chicken, truffle soup...
All the chefs in the Li Mansion have been reproduced.
To be honest, the truffle tastes just like that when you put it in your mouth, not as delicious as described in Yunzhou Weekly.
Lord Li gently put down the spoon. He suspected that his son had been cheated.
However, the truffle conference has come to this point, and even if the food is not delicious, Lord Li has to bite the bullet and write a few hundred words of praise.
Fortunately, the official was quite considerate and politely praised it: "Not bad."
As soon as the official opened his mouth, others naturally followed suit, and their words of praise flowed like a torrent of water.
“This delicacy is only seen once in a century.”
The banquet was a complete success.
Mr. Li wrote a poem specially for this purpose, and the participants praised the truffles highly.
The terrified cook almost thought his life was in danger. The cook was a little skeptical about life, is it really that delicious?!
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