Chapter 80: The wronged Lingzhuzi from ancient times to the present...
From ancient times to the present, money has never been simply money, but a general equivalent that facilitates the transaction of goods.
To shoulder this heavy responsibility, the materials themselves must be able to maintain their value.
In ancient times, people lived inland. Shells from the sea were rare and precious, so people used shells as money.
Later, as the population increased, humans continued to migrate in order to survive and avoid disasters. Finally, a tribe migrated to the seaside and suddenly discovered: Wow, so much money!
Although there is no record in history books because it happened too long ago, there must have been inflation at that time, which caused considerable turmoil.
Later, by chance, a green stone was thrown into the fire and copper was obtained by chance.
People also discovered that copper tools were more flexible than hammered stone tools and harder than polished bone tools. The arrival of the Bronze Age caused the value of copper to soar, and naturally it reached the standard of being a general equivalent.
Thus, copper coins came into being.
Even in Fu Li's previous life, without her butterfly, iron coins would have appeared in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in the normal course of history.
Now it’s just that she brought iron into the world ahead of time, causing the iron coins to appear ahead of time.
It was just that the concepts of ancient currencies like copper, gold, and silver were so deeply etched in her mind that she subconsciously overlooked the fact that iron was now more valuable than copper and was likely to replace copper as currency.
But it’s not too late to find out now. The copperware and copper blocks given to her by the five nobles last time are enough for her to use for two or three years.
Now that I think about it, these five families must have received inside information a long time ago, knowing that iron coins were about to rise and copper coins would inevitably depreciate, so they did her a favor.
Today, Young Master Han exposed this matter in front of her, and he might have intended to step on the other four families and gain her favor.
But it doesn't matter. From her point of view, whether it is the favors from the five families or the news sent by Mr. Han today, she has benefited from it.
For a relationship to last long, both parties must benefit from it.
Benefits can be distributed unevenly, but everyone must be taken care of. Otherwise, the one who always suffers the loss will inevitably break the pot and make no one benefit.
Fu Li also followed the example of the five families and handed over the rattan weaving business to the Han family.
Mr. Han achieved his goal of pulling someone down, and left with satisfaction, taking his wicker weaving business with him.
He knew very well that this kind of provocation would have no effect on a determined person like Fu Li.
But in this world, the most important thing is perseverance. He knocks today, pries tomorrow, and sooner or later he will become Miss Dai's most intimate partner.
After seeing off Master Han, Fu Li pondered for a long time alone, then got up to find Mr. Mu and asked him to exchange the salt and porcelain he brought with him for food.
"Not changing to bronze anymore?" asked Mr. Mu.
Fu Li sighed secretly and told him the news about currency that Mr. Han brought.
Elder Mu was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but smile bitterly. "My master has always disliked socializing with the ministers at court. Whenever there's a war, he'll go out on the king's orders, and upon returning, he'll devote himself to military maneuvers. Naturally, I have no way of knowing about decrees like this that haven't yet been announced to the world."
Ministers like Wen Taishi who never make friends with their colleagues are the king's favorites. This is also his way of survival. Fu Li naturally will not ask him to change for his own selfish desires.
She said to Elder Mu, "Young Master Bian thinks highly of himself. No matter how much business I offer him, he takes it for granted. The Han and Xue families are different. Even for the sake of long-term cooperation, they will compete to tell me the news from the court."
Mr. Mu knew that she was trying to comfort him, so he smiled and praised her for her ability.
Lingzhuzi came back at this time.
Early this morning, he said something to Fu Li and took out some knife coins.
He was so cheerful when he left, but his face was gloomy when he came back. Fu Li and Mu Lao looked at each other and signaled him to leave first.
Mr. Mu nodded in understanding, pretended not to see anything, and said goodbye with a smile.
"What's wrong? Who made you angry?" Fu Li stepped forward and took his arm, shaking it gently. There was a hint of teasing in her tone, but more of it was worry and a sense of solidarity.
Ling Zhuzi didn't want to speak harshly in front of her, so he took a few deep breaths to suppress his anger and asked, "Do you know what day it is today?"
Of course Fu Li knew this, and she always kept everything about Lingzhuzi in mind.
"Today is the birthday of Nuwa. You're going out so early in the morning, aren't you going to the Nuwa Temple to burn incense for her?"
If Master Han hadn't suddenly visited, she would have gone with him.
Lingzhuzi's anger turned into grievance in an instant. He stretched out his arms and hugged her tightly in his arms. He rubbed his cheek against her neck and his eyes turned red instantly.
He said angrily: "The goddess is the Holy Mother of the human race. Not only did she create humans from clay, she also repaired the sky, controlled floods, and revised the calendar.
It's fine that the leader of the human race doesn't offer incense and offerings on ordinary days, but he even refused to bring the officials to pay homage to the Queen Mother on her birthday. How outrageous, how outrageous! How dare he do that?
"Isn't that right?" Fu Li was startled and asked doubtfully, "Old Mu just mentioned that the Grand Tutor left home earlier than usual today in preparation for the trip to Nuwa Palace to offer incense and congratulations."
Wen Zhong was a man who disdained to deceive. Given her relationship with Mu Lao, he wouldn't try to trick her with such a thing.
"Hmph!" Ling Zhuzi sneered and gritted his teeth, "All the officials did go, led by the Prime Minister and the Grand Master, to offer sacrifices together, but the King of Shang did not go."
At that time, he and many people were waiting outside the Nuwa Palace. The people wanted to take the opportunity to admire the king's heroic figure, while he wanted to see the grand occasion of the common leader of the human race offering sacrifices to Nuwa.
But he and the people were disappointed. Only the officials headed by the Prime Minister and the Grand Tutor came, and they did not see the Shang King's ceremonial procession at all.
After all the officials finished their sacrifices, he couldn't help but use invisibility to walk to Wen Zhong and ask him what was going on.
Wen Zhong also had a stern face at the time, and he only said a few words to him hurriedly: "The king is ill. According to the witch doctor's advice, you can't do any hard work for the next few months."
Fu Li immediately sensed something was wrong: "Since he's ill, shouldn't he go to Nuwa Palace and offer sincere sacrifices, hoping to pray for the blessing of the Goddess Nuwa and cure all his illnesses?"
This is a mythical world where miracles really do exist.
Ling Zhuzi sneered and said, "I thought so too." He then went into the palace in stealth to investigate and see if the King of Shang was really too ill to get up.
At this point, his eyes flashed with resentment: "Who would have thought that the King of Shang was not ill at all, but was enjoying a boat ride in the palace with a few beauties!"
Fu Li had no doubt that if King Wo Ding of Shang were present at this moment, Ling Zhuzi would immediately pounce on him, kick him to the ground, and beat him to death.
At this moment she reacted and patted Lingzhuzi gently on the back, signaling him to let her go first.
Ling Zhuzi let go of her hand with a snort, his expression still very grim. Fu Li looked at him, not knowing what to say.
Before he was born with intelligence, he had been listening to the teachings of Nuwa. His enlightenment and transformation were all under the protection of Nuwa. The status of Nuwa in his heart was definitely no less than that of Huajing Yuanjun to Fuli, and even more important.
It’s because Fu Li still has her mother who loved her in her previous life in her heart. For Lingzhuzi, Nuwa is the only figure who serves as a mother.
It's not that he wasn't smart enough. If she explained it to him seriously, telling him that the reason why the King of Shang neglected the sacrifices to the Queen Mother was not because he was dissatisfied with her, but because of the dispute over the legal legitimacy, he would definitely understand.
But being able to understand is one thing, and being able to accept is another.
In the final analysis, the reason why the King of Shang dared to be so negligent was, firstly, because most of Nuwa's deeds happened in ancient times. Since the war between the witches and the demons, the six saints have strictly followed the orders of the Taoist Ancestor and rarely left their own Taoist temples, thus being away from the human world for too long.
Secondly, they understand that Nuwa is the Holy Mother of mankind and must be compassionate to them and will not really do anything to them.
During the reign of the Xia dynasty, Nuwa was the supreme deity in the rituals of altars and grain. The Shang dynasty, starting with King Wu of Shang Tang, had been intent on replacing her with other deities.
However, the world had just been settled at that time, and many princes left over from the previous dynasty were afraid that Cheng Tang would replace Nuwa, and they united to strongly oppose it.
The emerging princes who followed the Shang clan had weak foundations and were simply unable to compete.
In order to stabilize the world, Shang Tang put aside his thoughts and issued an edict to the world, which finally stabilized people's hearts.
Now, as time goes by, the power of the emerging princes has become stable, and the old princes who followed the Xia family have all died. Their descendants are determined to regard themselves as the kings and queens of the Shang State.
Seeing that all the conditions were in place, the reigning King of Shang naturally became restless.
Fu Li couldn't bear to tell the truth and make Ling Zhuzi sad, so she racked her brains to think of a way.
What are the achievements of Nuwa that are praised by the world?
Refining colorful stones to mend the sky, burning reed ash to control floods, revising the calendar...
Got it!
Her eyes lit up, and she stepped forward, pulling Ling Zhuzi aside and saying with a smile, "Good Ling Zhuzi, your filial piety is something that the Empress, though far away in Buzhou Mountain, must empathize with. Today is the Empress' birthday, so don't get angry over irrelevant people. Why don't we make some delicious snacks, set up an incense table, and offer them to the Empress, wishing her a happy birthday from afar? How do you think?"
Lingzhuzi also knew that today's events were a foregone conclusion. Even if he had supernatural powers, he could not turn back time and force the King of Shang to worship the Queen Mother.
He had no choice but to calm down and follow his force to the kitchen.
The chefs in the kitchen were still the same as before. When they saw the two people come in, they greeted them warmly and asked them what they wanted to eat. Some of them even started to recommend the new dishes they had developed over the years.
Knowing that Lingzhuzi didn't want to talk, Fu Li responded with a smile. After exchanging greetings with everyone, she raised her hand and pressed it down.
Seeing this, everyone listened to her quietly.
Fu Li smiled and said, "Today is the birthday of the Goddess Nuwa. We are going to make some special cakes to celebrate her birthday."
The steward asked, "What does the young lady need? We can go and prepare it."
Fu Li had already made up her mind and asked directly, "Are any of the cattle and sheep raised in the mansion raising calves?"
Unlike wild animals, captive cattle and sheep do not have a fixed breeding period. Generally, they can be bred again about a month after the cubs are born.
The steward said, "Yes. Lady, would you like beef or goat's milk?"
"That's great." Fu Li clapped her hands and laughed. "Bring a bucket of fresh cow's and goat's milk. Also, prepare eggs, flour, rice flour, various dried fruits, and fresh fruits. Whatever is available."
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