Chapter 101 Get Busy
The reason for going into the mountains was that a new copper mine was discovered fifty miles southwest of Hedong Prefecture.
Copper mines are the basis for making ritual vessels and casting copper coins. Especially this copper mine was discovered in Hedong, which can just make up for the shortcomings of insufficient coinage in Shanxi and the need to transport copper coins from other places.
The emperor attached great importance to the Hedong copper mine, so he specially sent He Yanxiu to inspect it and deal with matters such as copper mining, smelting and even the establishment of the Hedong Mint.
These tasks added up to be very heavy, and also a big challenge for He Yanxiu.
He Yanxiu did not dare to be negligent in the slightest.
For Qu Zhiwen, the mining of copper mines and the establishment of a mint both require a large number of people to work. At the same time, the workers' daily food, accommodation, etc. require even more people to maintain.
It can be said that these things will bring many benefits to Hedong Prefecture.
Moreover, the Ministry of Revenue set up a mint in Hedong Prefecture, and would also favor Hedong Prefecture in terms of military pay.
In short, there are many benefits.
Because of this, even though Qu Zhiwen was the prefect, he was extremely polite and respectful to He Yanxiu, the doctor of the Ministry of Revenue. Even the carriage prepared for He Yanxiu was very spacious and luxurious.
"Sir Qu, it's inconvenient to go into the mountains by carriage. Why don't we go there on horseback?" He Yanxiu suggested.
The mine is not very close to Hedong Prefecture, and riding a horse is faster.
"That's fine." Qu Zhiwen nodded, "But I'm sorry to wrong Lord He."
After all, he is a civil servant, and looks gentle and elegant. Even if he can ride a horse, I think he can't stand too much bumps.
However, it is enough to show that He Yanxiu is a dandy who works hard and does not come here just for pleasure or to gild his reputation.
"Master Qu, you are too polite." He Yanxiu bowed, and after the prepared horse was brought over, he climbed onto it.
The movements were so smooth that even the mounting stone was not used.
Not bad.
Qu Zhiwen agreed, got on his horse and followed He Yanxiu.
The group galloped out of Hedong Prefecture and headed west.
At first it was a flat official road and the journey was smooth, but the further they went, the narrower and more rugged the road became, and it became more and more difficult to walk on. Even with a horse under him, Qu Zhiwen still felt exhausted.
Look at He Yanxiu again...
He looked normal, rode skillfully, and was obviously much more relaxed than him.
Qu Zhiwen, "..."
Previously, I was worried whether He Yanxiu could bear riding a horse, but now it seems that the weak scholar is actually himself! After walking for another half an hour, they arrived at the foot of the mountain where the copper mine is located.
The mountain is not high, because there is gurgling water in the mountain. Even though the weather is not warm enough now and the grass has not turned green, you can still see the lush vegetation through the short trees and dense weeds.
In the cave dug at the foot of the mountain, a sturdy wooden frame has been set up, which is large enough for people to go in and out. A small number of people have been going in and out, continuing to dig the mine in preparation for future mining.
"This is the estimated distribution of the copper ore veins, and this is a topographic map of the area." Qu Zhiwen showed He Yanxiu a few drawings, "This place is relatively flat, so it's more suitable for building a smelting furnace."
"This place is suitable for building houses, which will be convenient for everyone to stay and eat. Before Master He came, I had posted a notice to recruit masons and smelters. Some people have signed up in recent days. Once Master He has looked at the drawings and confirmed that they are correct, we can immediately start leveling the ground and starting construction."
He Yanxiu looked at the blueprint, then at the surrounding terrain, frowning and thinking. ——Su Yujin had breakfast at a breakfast stall.
Meatball soup, vegetable sandwich, a combination of meat and vegetables, just the right amount.
After breakfast, I walked slowly around the city of Hedong.
Hedong Prefecture is much larger and more prosperous than Qinghe County. The streets are wider, and there are more shops and restaurants on both sides than in Qinghe County, and it is also more lively.
However, Hedong Prefecture is located in Shanxi, and the things sold there are similar to those in Qinghe County, which is adjacent to the capital. However, things like cloth patterns and jewelry are not as exquisite as those sold in Qinghe County.
After strolling around for the whole morning, Su Yujin was not in high spirits and just went to a restaurant to eat at noon.
It is a restaurant with an imposing facade and is of considerable size. It should be one of the most famous restaurants in Hedong Prefecture.
Su Yujin ordered some of the restaurant's signature dishes.
Crispy pork, tofu boxes, pork elbow with handle, dry-fried carp, dry-fried bergamot, radish meatballs in clear soup, and the staple foods are scallion pancakes and fried cakes.
They can all be regarded as local specialties of Hedong Prefecture. The cooking is pretty standard, not amazing, but tastes pretty good.
After dinner, she walked around the street again, bought some rouge and powder, lard ointment for hand washing, and then went back.
We had dinner in the backyard of the government office in the evening. There were a few exquisite side dishes and glutinous rice porridge, nothing special.
After finishing her meal, she took a short rest, watched Ai Cao do some needlework, and watched Qingkui tidy up the house. Before He Yanxiu came back, Su Yujin was too sleepy to go to bed first.
In the following days, He Yanxiu was busy with official duties, leaving early and returning late, while Su Yujin's daily life was like a train, shopping and eating.
After a few days like this, Su Yujin felt really uncomfortable.
I have nothing to do all day long. I either go out for a stroll or go out to eat and drink. It is extremely boring and not as fulfilling as when I was busy in Qinghe County.
Su Yujin suddenly felt homesick.
I also suddenly understood why the women in the backyards of wealthy families always cause trouble.
I'm so bored that I just want to bully this one and fight for that one.
Sure enough, it's better to keep busy! After Su Yujin calmed down and thought about it, she changed her clothes and called Ai Cao, Qing Kui, and two maids to accompany her into the small kitchen in the backyard of the government office.
When Chen arrived, she was slightly surprised to see that Su Yujin was not there, "Miss Su is not in the courtyard?"
When she came, she asked the doorman and was told that Su Yujin had not gone out.
"Madam, Miss Su is in the kitchen." The maid answered truthfully, "She said she wanted to make some food."
Want to cook something for herself? Is it because you think the food in the small kitchen here is not tasty enough? Her husband had told her many times before that she must take good care of Su Yujin and not let anything go wrong. Now she wants to cook for herself. Doesn't that mean she is not taking good care of her?
If He Yanxiu heard about this, he would definitely be dissatisfied.
Chen suddenly felt uneasy and without any hesitation, she hurried to the small kitchen.
The small kitchen was filled with steam.
And, bursts of fragrance.
This made Chen unable to help but sniff her nose again and again.
The ancient coin minting agency was the Shanglin Sanguan in the Han Dynasty, the Qianjian in the Tang, Song, Ming and Qing Dynasties. During the Qing Dynasty, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works could mint their own coins for easy use.
For the sake of plot, this article borrows the setting of the Qing Dynasty and tentatively stipulates that the Ministry of Revenue is responsible for coinage.
Regarding official positions and official duties in the text, the author usually makes slight adaptations based on certain historical materials. The historical background of this article is fictional, so please do not delve too much into it.
(End of this chapter)
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