"It's my death, it's my death!"
Princess Huyang slumped on the couch.
The soft couch in this villa is different from the common soft couches.
The chair back is tilted and the cushions are soft. Once you sit down, your whole body nestles smoothly on the soft couch, feeling so comfortable that you don't want to move.
She naturally didn't know that this was a new type of soft couch that Gu Jiu had ordered the carpenter to build based on the sofas of later generations.
The perfect combination of human body mechanics and the skills of top carpenters and embroiderers makes this soft cushion extraordinary.
On the low table next to him, there was an empty plate.
Princess Huyang didn't care about her image at all and rubbed her abdomen.
"It's terrible, it's terrible. After this meal, I'm afraid I'll gain three pounds."
Huang Qubing burst out laughing.
"Aunt Huyang, are you going to eat tonight? I heard there will be longan and red date soup and lychees later."
"Lychees? Are there really lychees?"
Huang Qubing nodded, "Of course there is."
"Of course I have to eat. My nephew's wife spent so much money on this tea party. If I don't let her finish the tea, I'd be letting her down."
Huang Qubing was speechless.
You clearly want to eat it, but you have to find a plausible reason.
Huang Qubing reminded her, "Don't just focus on eating, remember your mission tonight."
"The mission is yours. I am only responsible for keeping the peace."
The longan and red date soup was served. Princess Huyang immediately rushed over and ordered a bowl.
Ah, this is the smell, it makes me feel refreshed all over.
Some wealthy businessmen who had participated in the last bidding conference all had a full stomach.
A few people gathered together, eating cream cakes and muttering, "What a pity that we didn't get this kind of treatment at the last bidding meeting. If it had been the same as this time, I could have bid at least 50,000 taels more, no, 100,000 taels more."
"This time, Madam is ordered to build a road. Will you support her?"
"Of course I will. Just for this dinner, I will vote."
"That's right. Madam Zhao invested a lot of money in this dinner. All these ingredients were shipped from the south, and I don't know how much it cost just to keep them fresh. Madam Zhao is so sincere, how can we be stingy?"
"That's true. But I'm short on money right now, so I can only invest 20,000 taels."
"Twenty thousand taels is not a small amount. I plan to invest twenty-five thousand taels."
"I'm going to vote..."
Several wealthy merchants got together, some contributed tens of thousands, some contributed tens of thousands, and in a blink of an eye they had collected two hundred thousand.
After eating and drinking, he took out the bid form that was inserted in the invitation letter, filled in the amount, and handed it to the bid box.
A group of young men from aristocratic families who had come all the way from Luozhou gathered together. Gu Rui came out to greet them.
As the eldest grandson of the Marquis's family, Gu Rui has a noble status.
He came forward to greet these children from aristocratic families, which was considered to be giving them enough face.
Everyone was well fed and satisfied.
Even though they were children of wealthy families, they had never eaten many of the delicacies on the menu before, and had never even heard of them before.
Madam Zhao was able to have so many delicacies transported from the south, and the ingredients were kept fresh, which shows that she is very powerful and sincere.
Gu Rui chatted with them, not mentioning the road construction at all, but only talking about love and romance, which was exactly what these young men from aristocratic families wanted.
Talking about business is so vulgar.
The business is managed by the people around you.
Today, these stewards enjoyed a top-notch buffet meal with their masters.
After eating, I started to weigh how much money to invest.
Before coming, the head of the family gave the bottom line.
However, the specific amount of investment depends on the specific situation.
Look at how classy this tea party is.
If these ingredients were placed in the capital, they would probably be snatched up like crazy.
"Madam Zhao should be able to build this cement road from the capital to Luozhou."
"Did you see that group of wealthy merchants over there? They've reportedly invested hundreds of thousands of dollars."
"A bunch of nouveau riche, they're everywhere."
“Who told those people to be rich?”
"This section of Luozhou must not fall into the hands of outsiders, otherwise we Luozhou people will lose face."
"That makes sense."
The managers made up their minds, secretly asked for instructions, and then filled out the bid.
Huang Qubing entertained this group of people from the capital.
The Gu brothers took over all the prominent families in more than a dozen counties along the way.
Princess Huyang is the anchor that keeps the peace, preventing anyone from causing trouble.
The whole tea party went smoothly.
People who are well fed and well-drinking are always easy to talk to, so it is not too difficult to persuade them to invest money in road construction.
Only the Zhu family father and son were extremely embarrassed.
"Father, we don't have a bid, what should we do?"
Yes, what should we do?
Before Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci came, he thought all he had to do was pay. Unexpectedly, tonight they didn't accept money, only bids.
As for the money, someone will come to collect it in the next few days.
The entire buffet hall is divided into many small private areas by various green plants, allowing you to see the entire venue while blocking the prying eyes of others.
Many people present were surprised by this arrangement.
Some people have already decided that after returning home, they will change the decoration style of their own flower halls, restaurants and teahouses to this style.
Tasteful and elegant.
The predicament of the Zhu family father and son was blocked by the green plants and no one saw it.
But this made the father and son even more anxious.
Gu Jiu’s new tricks are one after another.
The father and son's impression of Gu Jiu still remains the same as last year, but they didn't expect that Gu Jiu had already upgraded and no longer played the same tricks as last year.
"What should we do?" asked Master Zhu.
Marquis Cheng'en Zhu Ci frowned in thought, "I heard Princess Huyang is coming tonight too?"
"Exactly."
"Go see where Princess Huyang is sitting?"
"Father wants to talk to Huyang? Is that possible?"
"Who else can I look for if not her? Is it Huang Qubing, that kid who hasn't even grown all his hair yet? Or are we looking for those brothers from the Gu family?"
Master Zhu had no choice but to obey his father's orders and go find Princess Huyang.
After confirming the location of Princess Huyang, Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci stood up, adjusted his collar, and made sure there were no flaws on his body. Then he slowly walked towards where Huyang was sitting.
Princess Huyang had eaten too much and was digesting the food.
She was quite surprised to see the Zhu father and son.
"Oh, who was it? Isn't it Uncle Cheng En? What brings you here? You are a rare guest!"
"You are too polite, my lady. I am not a rare guest at all. I am just a useless old man."
"Haha, you really know how to joke. Honestly, does my eldest nephew's wife know that you're here today?"
Gu Jiu, the eldest nephew's wife mentioned by Huyang, was taking care of the children with great difficulty, and her arms were almost sore.
Yu Ge'er is particularly clingy because of this illness.
He doesn't even want Nanny Fang, he just wants Gu Jiu to hold him.
While Yu Ge'er was asleep, Gu Jiu wanted to put him on the bed. However, he woke up within two minutes of putting him on the bed.
There was no other way, Gu Jiu could only continue to hold the child and coax him.
Who said the child is sick and enjoys privileges?
After taking care of the child for a whole day, Gu Jiu was already exhausted. But he couldn't leave the child alone.
There was no other way, Gu Jiu could only take the child to bathe and put the child to bed.
She lay on the bed and the child lay on her. After a while, both mother and child fell asleep.
As for how the self-service tea party went, she had no intention of caring.
She has made every effort, and whether the result is good or bad, we will see tomorrow.
Let’s get back to the tea party.
Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci's old face turned red. He felt embarrassed when being ridiculed in front of others.
He does not have the shamelessness of Emperor Wende.
If it were Emperor Wende, this level of sarcasm would be nothing.
Even if someone pointed at Emperor Wende and called him shameless, he could remain calm and only wanted to achieve his goal.
Zhu Ci, the Earl of Cheng'en, considered it for a moment and said, "Our Zhu family has already paid the price for what happened last time."
Princess Huyang laughed heartily, "You deserve it."
Master Zhu's face turned green with anger, but he had no right to speak here.
Zhu Ci, the Marquis of Cheng'en, continued, "Our Zhu family has learned our lesson. This time, I will risk my dignity and sincerely seek Madam Zhao's forgiveness."
"Bah! What do you mean by sincerely asking for forgiveness? It's obvious that you, the Zhu family, saw that the cement road is profitable and wanted a piece of the pie. If you want to make money, just say so directly. There's nothing shameful about it. But you have to find those high-sounding excuses. Is that interesting? I despise people like you."
Princess Huyang directly tore off Cheng Enbo's face, threw it on the ground, and did not forget to step on it hard.
This move is indeed cruel.
The greatest humiliation that Cheng'enbo Zhu Ci had ever suffered in his life came from Princess Huyang.
This woman simply takes pleasure in humiliating the Zhu family.
It just so happened that the Zhu family needed help from others, so Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci had to swallow his anger and force his son not to speak.
Compared with last year, the current situation is completely different.
With the ascension of Emperor Wende to the throne, the advantages that the Zhu family once had disappeared.
Nowadays, no one will give him any extra face just because he is the uncle of the late emperor.
On the contrary, because the Zhu family had once fought with Gu Jiu, many people secretly took advantage of the situation and came out to disgust the Zhu family from time to time.
The Zhu family used to keep a low profile.
Now, they have to keep a low profile.
If you want to regroup, there is no faster and more effective way than joining Gu Jiu's cement road plan.
Therefore, Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci endured this tone.
He said, "The princess is right. I really want to make money. My whole family is crying out for money, waiting for me to take it home and buy rice. I would sacrifice my reputation just to have a meal."
“Tsk tsk tsk…”
Princess Huyang stared at him as if she was looking at something strange. "You are my uncle, are you really going to throw away your dignity just for a meal?"
Cheng En Bo Zhu Ci sighed and said, as if he was going through a hard time, "How much is your face worth? You have to eat in this world."
Princess Huyang sneered repeatedly, "My Lord, don't talk so pitifully, as if I have bullied you. Your Zhu family is bigger than a horse. How can you be short of a few food money?
As for road construction, if you just invest money and wait for a response, I wonder how many years it will take. If I were to ask you, old man, don't even think about building roads. With that kind of money, you could start any other business. Don't you agree?
Ignorant fool!
Once the road from the capital to Luozhou is paved with cement, it will be like paving a layer of gold.
Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci was furious. Why did Gu Jiu choose such a foolish woman to help him out? She couldn't even see the value of the cement road, so what right did she have to rant here?
Talking to such a stupid woman, Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci felt like he had suffered ten thousand points of damage.
He suppressed his emotions and said patiently, "I would like to throw money outside the South City Gate, but Madam Zhao will definitely not agree. There is no other way. I can only rely on this cement road.
"Please be lenient, Princess, and give Madam Zhao a message. Whether it's money or food, our Zhu family will do our utmost to support you. Also, regarding the road construction, our Zhu family will not interfere. Madam Zhao will make all the arrangements."
Princess Huyang smacked her lips. The Zhu family was quite sincere.
She humiliated the other person like that, but he actually endured it.
It's incredible.
Princess Huyang laughed heartily. "Alright. It's easy to just deliver a message. Tomorrow I'll see my nephew's wife and I'll be sure to pass on the message."
"Thank you, Princess."
Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci was full of gratitude.
After working so hard for so long, it’s finally paid off.
Princess Huyang waved her hand, "Alright, alright. You are so old, I will not accept your courtesy. It is getting late, old man, please go back quickly."
"The princess is right. I will go back right away."
Cheng'en Bo Zhu Ci took his eldest son and left the villa.
The father and son rode in a carriage.
Master Zhu asked, "Father, will Huyang convey this message to Madam Zhao?"
"She will."
"Will Madam Zhao agree to let us invest money?"
Zhu Ci, the Marquis of Cheng'en, was unsure about this either. He said, "We should do our best and leave the rest to fate. If Madam Zhao still harbors a grudge about what happened last year, our Zhu family will have to find another solution."
"What method?"
Cheng En Bo Zhu Ci sighed, "Unless it is absolutely necessary, I am not willing to go down that path."
From beginning to end, Cheng'enbo Zhu Ci never told his eldest son what the other solution was.
The value of the cement road from the capital to Luozhou is best understood by only Gu Jiu and Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci in the entire capital.
If Gu Jiu's approach doesn't work.
Cheng'enbo Zhu Ci thought that he had no choice but to follow the path of Emperor Wende.
But this road is a hundred times more difficult than Gu Jiu's road.
Following Gu Jiu's path, the Zhu family can keep their business affairs separate and political integrity clean, and will not be involved in the princes' quarrels.
To follow the path of Emperor Wende, one needs someone to introduce him.
In this way, the Zhu family will no longer be innocent.
Working for Emperor Wende, they were inevitably involved in state affairs. The future of the Zhu family was truly unpredictable. They might prosper for generations, or they might fall into ruin overnight, their property confiscated and their entire clan exterminated.
It’s difficult!
No matter how difficult the Zhu family's situation is, tonight's tea party left a deep impression on everyone invited to attend, and they were all generous in paying.
The tea party goals were successfully completed and exceeded.
But no one expected that after one night, the whole capital city would be talking about the tea party.
As for the bidding conference, it was completely ignored.
Everyone was discussing the novelty of the tea party, the rare ingredients, and the various delicacies...
It is indeed a country of foodies.
When it comes to novel ingredients, novel ways of eating, and novel foods, everyone is full of curiosity and enthusiasm.
Even the top officials in the court would call their children who attended the tea party home after the court session, under the pretext of inspecting their performance yesterday. In reality, they were asking what they had eaten at the tea party last night.
Damn it!
There were dozens of kinds of food that had never been heard of in a tea party, and it was confirmed that they were all delicacies that appeared in the capital for the first time. The bosses immediately lost their composure.
"It's just a bidding meeting, but there's so much going on."
But the guests were all unimportant children in the family.
What a loss! What a loss!
What a loss!
The bosses are very upset.
They want to eat too!
They want to eat lychees, longans, cream, and lobsters...
The bosses were greedy but couldn't rush to Prince Ning's Mansion, so they asked Gu Jiu to hold another tea party.
I could only secretly encourage Emperor Wende, "Look, the weather is so hot, do you want to escape the heat?"
How about holding a tea party in the palace?
The buffet is perfect!
The trend of discussing food easily spread to the palace.
Gu Jiu felt a little proud and a little tired when he saw the people sent from the palace to ask about the tea party in a roundabout way.
It’s just a buffet. In modern society, who hasn’t eaten a few buffets?
There were still some fresh fruits and vegetables left in the ice storage, so they had them packed up and sent to the palace. Even the cooks had prepared it.
As for cream, the cook was asked to teach the imperial chef in the palace how to extract the cream, and let the imperial chef make it himself.
The reason why Gu Jiu was so decisive was because she didn't want to be a foodie.
I don't want to be called to the palace every few days just for a little food.
She didn't want to get into trouble because of something wrong with what she put in her mouth. If that happened, she really couldn't wash herself clean even if she jumped into the Yellow River.
Compared to the safety of the whole family, a few cooking recipes are really nothing.
She has developed a lot of real estate and has a golden concrete road in her hands, so she really doesn't want to make money by eating.
Food is the most feared thing to go wrong with, and it is also the easiest thing to go wrong with.
She wanted to cut off all ties with the food in the palace, so how could she possibly take the initiative to get close to it?
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