Song Anxin: Please, I don't want to hear anything else. Magistrate Yan, please shut up. She didn't want to hear any royal secrets, so Song Anxin quickly said:
"It is precisely because His Majesty is a wise ruler that I, as a noblewoman of the court, should be even more dedicated to relieving His Majesty's worries and difficulties. Lord Yan, this is a kind of earthen bed that I once saw in a miscellaneous book. It is said that this thing can be made into a bed to keep people warm in the cold winter, and the materials used to make it are also extremely simple."
These past few days, I've been reflecting on this and have drawn up the blueprints for this pit. I've written down the construction methods and precautions on them, hoping that they can be widely adopted as soon as possible so that the people of our region can have a warm winter.
As Song Anxin spoke, she placed a drawing in front of Magistrate Yan. Yan Shuping's eyes lit up, and he picked up the drawing to examine it carefully. Gradually, his eyes became brighter and brighter, and the corners of his mouth gradually turned up.
"Haha, Madam Hui is indeed worthy of the name, she truly deserves the title of 'wise and clever.' If only we could find the miscellaneous books that Madam Hui has read, it's not always possible for Madam Hui to stumble upon strange things while flipping through books."
Song Anxin chose to play dumb and continue to maintain a polite smile. This guy definitely didn't believe her, but he didn't care. As long as he believed her, that was fine.
She simply stopped pretending and took out the Tianqing wine directly from a wooden box.
"Lord Yan, I have another important gift to present to you and His Majesty. Please help me pass it on."
Yan Shuping could smell that the bottle contained wine, and the aroma was very strong. After she poured it out, the wine was clear and transparent. Without even tasting it, he knew that this wine was no ordinary wine. He had never seen such pure wine in the palace.
Song Anxin continued, "This is the Tianqing Wine I brewed. The brewing method is written inside. Lord Yan, I only ask that my family be granted the privilege of brewing and selling this wine. Is that possible?"
She figured it out: the safest thing for this wine was to be in the hands of the government. All she needed to do was obtain permission for brewing and selling it among the common people. Once the wine was handed over, it would be in the hands of the royal family and fall into the hands of royal merchants. Ordinary people would find it difficult to do business with royal merchants, and this would be enough for her to make a profit.
Looking into her clear eyes, Yan Shuping couldn't help but admire the woman's wisdom and composure once again. The sake was clearly of exceptional quality. By handing it over to him, she was not only protecting herself but also paving the way for her own future. Her request was nothing more than an opportunity to win over more people.
"Hahaha, Lady Hui, I've truly turned misfortune into blessing! I've actually met such an extraordinary person as you. Those old folks would be furious if they knew."
After laughing, he looked at her with a serious expression and said, "Madam Hui, you can rest assured about the Qing wine."
Although it wasn't explicitly stated, both sides understood perfectly well that Song Anxin had finally settled her mind on the Tianqing wine, and that Magistrate Yan was indeed a reliable fellow.
About half a month later, winter had arrived, and earthen beds were gradually becoming more common among the people. She had already built an earthen bed in her own house. Although it was early winter and the daytime was fine, she still felt unbearably cold at night and couldn't get warm no matter how she slept. Therefore, she started using it early.
At that moment, she was enjoying the lingering warmth of the earthen bed in the house when Sister-in-law Lin brought in Da Xiao and Xiao Cao.
“Sister-in-law, why don’t you like to come out as soon as winter comes? Why don’t you keep an eye on your house? The house is already half finished. Just looking at that half, I can tell how beautiful your house is.”
"Second maternal grandmother, second, maternal grandmother."
As soon as they saw her, the two grasshoppers called out sweetly and then scrambled onto the kang (heated brick bed) into Song Anxin's arms. Song Anxin naturally embraced them and then picked up some tea and snacks from the side for them to eat.
She smiled and said, "With Uncle Lizheng and my elder brother there, and Fengnian Fengshou there, they don't need me to supervise the construction. The house will be built naturally when the time comes."
The main problem is that she doesn't understand that going there would be pointless.
Sister-in-law Lin plopped down next to her and laughed, "Yes, sister-in-law, you can just wait to move into your new house. I see that Liu family mansion in Peach Blossom is quite grand. I wonder if your house will be as grand as that."
Yesterday, Song Anxin and Sister-in-law Lin visited Master Liu at the Liu residence, mainly to see Lin Taohua. Taohua and Mingzhu and Mingyue are doing very well. Taohua said that Master Liu is often at home now and often spends time with Mingyue and Mingzhu. As for Madam Liu and her son Liu Mingjie, they have become much more restrained. It seems that Master Liu has taken her words to heart.
"Sister-in-law, let me tell you, before the big wedding, that man Wu Youcai actually married that Cui Cui. I don't know what Cui Cui was thinking, she actually married a man who lied to her."
However, the Wu family is in constant chaos now. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Madam Lü, are no match for that Cuicui; they fight all the time. I heard that Madam Lü faints from anger every now and then. Guess what? She's actually possessed by evil spirits; her mouth is crooked and she can't speak clearly. I think this is retribution for her constant cursing. Even her good niece doesn't help her anymore; she complains about her every day. Tsk tsk, so you really shouldn't do evil. It really proves the saying, "The wicked will be punished by the wicked; it's not that retribution won't come, it's just that the time hasn't arrived yet."
Song Anxin just smiled faintly. Throughout history, who can predict the karmic retribution for good and evil? So it's always better to have a good heart and do good deeds.
Just then, a voice rang out from outside, "Is Fengnian's mother home?"
Then came Song Mei's voice, "Grandma Han, Grandma Guiying... Sister Chuntian, why are you all here? My mother is inside."
Then the thick curtain was lifted, and a group of women walked in. Song Anxin hurriedly greeted them.
"Aunties and sisters-in-law... and Chuntian... why are you all here today? Come and sit down, it's very warm on the kang."
Fang Chuntian, beaming with joy, plopped down without ceremony, touching the warm crater beneath her feet and saying:
"Aunt Lin, you are truly my lucky person! How did you come up with this pit? I slept in it last night, and it was so warm. You have no idea what it's like when I'm shivering in the cold every night in winter."
Grandma Han said, "Yes, my old woman is always cold in winter. I don't know how many times I wake up from the cold every night. These past few nights, I've finally had a good night's sleep because it's warm."
"Yes, with this earthen bed, I'm not afraid of even the coldest winter anymore..."
"......."
The women who arrived immediately echoed each other's praises, all complimenting the earthen kang (heated brick bed).
Song Anxin listened to them talk with a smile on her face, her heart filled with immense satisfaction.
She thought this was the meaning of handing over this earthen bed. Although she couldn't make all the poor people in the world happy, she hoped that the people at the bottom of society would at least no longer suffer from the cold of winter, especially in some cold and harsh areas in the north. She had heard that many people would freeze to death every winter, and she hoped that her earthen bed could give them a way to survive in the cold winter.
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