On the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, the palace had a sweet potato feast.
All concubines of a certain rank received a bowl of sweet potato rice.
For the concubines who were used to eating delicacies from land and sea, sweet potato rice was not necessarily delicious, but it was fresh and decent to eat.
Decency is the most important thing.
How could the sweet potato rice given by Emperor Wende be indecent?
The concubines received a bowl of sweet potato rice, but a sweet potato banquet was held in the Weiyang Palace.
Steaming, boiling, baking, various cooking methods, the best royal chefs have come up with new ways to cook the tiny sweet potatoes.
"I'm really hungry!"
Emperor Wende ate a roasted sweet potato and felt full. He could no longer eat the other dishes.
Empress Pei personally filled a bowl of soup and placed it next to Emperor Wende. "Your Majesty, please drink some soup to help digest your food. I would like to congratulate Your Majesty on the good harvest of sweet potatoes. You no longer have to worry about the people starving."
Emperor Wende drank half a bowl of soup, wiped the corners of his mouth, and said, "It's too early to draw conclusions on this matter."
Empress Pei paused for a moment, "Your Majesty, do you not trust Gu Jiu?"
"Of course I believe her. She wouldn't have the guts to lie about such a major matter. But food is a matter of national importance and I must treat it with caution. When spring arrives, I'll have the imperial farms plant sweet potatoes. By autumn, if the yield per mu reaches 700 to 800 kilograms, not even 1,000 kilograms, I'll order the government to promote sweet potato cultivation."
"Your Majesty is more thoughtful than me. What if the sweet potato cannot produce 700 to 800 kilograms per mu? If we promote it rashly, it will damage the prestige of the court." Queen Pei said softly.
Emperor Wende nodded, "That's exactly the point."
Seeing Emperor Wende's happiness, Empress Pei smiled and said, "Gu Jiu has made a great contribution this time. She is truly a lucky star."
For the sake of her son Liu Zhao, Empress Pei didn't mind saying good things about Gu Jiu in front of Emperor Wende.
Liu Zhao and Liu Yi were both her sons.
Let me make my sons shine first.
Emperor Wende laughed heartily, "Don't worry, I will reward her. Once the sweet potatoes are promoted, I will reward her handsomely."
"I would like to thank Your Majesty on behalf of the eldest daughter-in-law." Queen Pei smiled happily.
She thought that if Gu Jiu got the reward, Liu Zhao would also benefit from it. This was a good thing.
At this time, Liu Zhao took advantage of his wife's favor and stayed in the palace to eat sweet potato rice.
Gu Jiu was with him.
Gu Jiu muttered quietly, "I feel like I've done something wrong, so I have to stay in the palace and eat sweet potato rice."
She had long been tired of eating sweet potato rice and wanted to eat some solid dishes, so Emperor Wende rewarded her with a bowl of sweet potato rice.
Oh, oh, oh!
She can't help but eat.
Liu Zhao silently picked up Gu Jiu's bowl of sweet potato rice, poured it all into his own bowl, and ate it for her.
Gu Jiu smiled happily, "Guess what the emperor will reward me with?"
Liu Zhao shook his head, "I can't say for sure."
Emperor Wende had been on the throne for two years and had rarely bestowed rewards upon anyone. Even when he did, they were often worthless trifles, worth noting.
Gu Jiu asked again: "Guess what the emperor will ask later?"
They, as a couple, dined in a side hall of the Weiyang Palace. This was respectable.
However, both of them knew that Emperor Wende had asked them to have dinner in a side hall, and he must have something to ask them later.
Liu Zhao finished two bowls of sweet potato rice in one breath, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and said, "Maybe it's about the cement road. You should get ready."
Gu Jiu put down his chopsticks.
If Emperor Wende asks about the cement road later, how will she answer?
Liu Zhao said bluntly: "Submit the cement recipe, provide an engineering team, and help the court build the road."
This was his advice to Gu Jiu.
It was destined that Gu Jiu would not be able to continue building the cement road.
Since it concerns people's livelihood and financial power, the court will definitely not let it go.
Although the cement from the capital to Luozhou had not yet revealed its true nature as a gold-devouring beast due to the heavy snow, it did not prevent the court from taking control of this powerful weapon.
Gu Jiu nodded, "I understand."
From the very beginning, she didn't expect to become a road construction expert, nor did she expect to build one cement road after another.
The cement road is a new source of revenue for the imperial court and can be considered a people-benefiting project, so it will have to be paid sooner or later.
Gu Jiu was already very satisfied with being able to obtain the toll collection rights for the cement road from Beijing to Luozhou for 40 years.
She is not greedy.
If she wants to make money, she has plenty of ways.
There is no need to go against the court or Emperor Wende.
As expected, just after dinner, a eunuch invited the couple to go to the main hall to talk.
Emperor Wende and Empress Pei both sat on the Arhat couch, each occupying half of the space.
The couple bowed and greeted each other.
"No need to be polite! Is the sweet potato rice delicious?"
Emperor Wende asked with a smile.
Liu Zhao was cold and emotionless, and said expressionlessly, "It's very frustrating. If this can be extended to the border areas, the military food problem will be greatly alleviated."
"That's right. I just don't know if sweet potatoes can be grown in the arid northwest."
Gu Jiu whispered, "With the joint efforts of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Revenue, we will sooner or later be able to cultivate sweet potato seeds that can adapt to the climate and soil of the northwest. The yield per mu may catch up with that of the south and reach 1,000 kilograms per mu."
Emperor Wende liked what he heard, so he laughed heartily. "Well said. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Revenue have the best farmers in the world, and they will definitely be able to successfully cultivate the seeds."
After saying this, Emperor Wende's eyes swept across the faces of the two men one by one.
Before, when he was in Xingqing Palace, Emperor Wende did not mention the cement at all, because he was on guard against the Ministry of Revenue.
The Ministry of Revenue was so poor that it wanted to get involved in any project that could make money.
However, Emperor Wende planned to bring the cement road project under the jurisdiction of the Shaofu, who would oversee the construction of the cement road and prevent toll collectors from collecting tolls.
To put it bluntly, Emperor Wende just wanted to get rid of the Ministry of Revenue.
So he chose to discuss this matter in the Weiyang Palace.
"The cement road from Beijing to Luozhou is well built!"
It is indeed a cement road.
Gu Jiu was very understanding. "It is all thanks to my father that the cement road from the capital to Luozhou was completed on schedule and tolls can be collected smoothly."
Emperor Wende laughed heartily, "I heard that seven thousand taels of tolls were collected in October."
Gu Jiu answered honestly: "That's right."
Emperor Wende continued, "In October, snow had already begun to fall in many places, and the weather was so cold that merchants stayed home. Furthermore, many people didn't know the cement road was fully connected at the time. Even so, they collected 7,000 taels of toll in the first month of opening. That's incredible."
When spring arrives and the weather warms up, merchants will flock to the city. I estimate that the monthly tolls could reach tens of thousands of taels."
Gu Jiu said: "My daughter-in-law thinks so too. After the New Year, the toll station should be able to usher in a significant increase."
Gu Jiu no longer complains about being poor.
His generosity and openness won the approval of Emperor Wende.
November, the twelfth month, is colder than October.
The tolls collected at toll stations have dropped significantly compared to October.
However, the toll prices at the two toll stations in Jingcheng and Luozhou increased instead of decreased.
The capital, Luozhou, is one of the largest cities in the world.
As the end of the year approaches, don't be too busy visiting relatives and friends, traveling for business, or transporting goods.
There are fewer merchants from other places, but local merchants are very active.
In November, the tolls collected at these two toll booths alone totaled over 4,000 taels.
Including the other 18 toll stations, the toll collection at all toll stations in November barely exceeded 6,000 taels.
Some make money!
The only problem was that the opening time was not chosen right, as it was in winter. It didn’t become as popular as expected.
But it will be fine once spring comes and the weather gets warmer.
Along the way from the capital to Luozhou, the bandits and tyrants on the road were severely punished. By the second year of Wende, more people would come out to trade.
Emperor Wende smiled and said, "The toll booth may seem insignificant, but it has the advantage of being a steady stream of income and can benefit the people's livelihood."
The key lies in its military role.
Of course, there is no need to say this out loud.
Gu Jiu made a prompt decision, "My daughter-in-law would like to offer a cement recipe, please accept it, father."
Emperor Wende was delighted. It was really rare. Gu Jiu was so knowledgeable and understanding today.
But he said, "How can I have the nerve to ask for your cement recipe?"
Gu Ji felt disgusted. How hypocritical!
She had to say respectfully, "I, your daughter-in-law, am not capable of building cement roads throughout the world. Only the imperial court, only your father, has the courage to do so. Please accept the cement recipe."
Liu Zhao also said: "This is a filial gesture from my son and Xiao Jiu. Please accept it, father."
Empress Pei also said, "Your Majesty, please accept the children's filial piety."
Emperor Wende said cheerfully, "Since you are so filial, I can't refuse it, so I will accept it."
Gu Jiu took the opportunity to propose a money-making idea to Emperor Wende. "Cement can not only be used to build roads, but also to build houses, plaster walls, and floor surfaces. Especially for floor surfaces, you don't have to worry about muddy ground on rainy days. With the price of goods in the capital, ten cents per dan, this business has great potential."
"oh?"
Emperor Wende asked curiously, "Such a good business, don't you plan to do it?"
Gu Jiu said, "I beg you, father, to allow me to send people to Jiangnan to build a cement workshop and sell cement there."
What this meant was that Gu Jiu would give the northern market to Emperor Wende, and she would go to the south to open up new markets and blaze a trail.
Emperor Wende laughed heartily. "You are quite astute. Okay, I will allow you to open a cement workshop in Jiangnan. If the Shaofu ever comes to Jiangnan, you must help him out."
"Don't worry, Father. The Sihai Trading Company under my daughter-in-law's name is like a brother to the Shaofu. The Shaofu is the elder brother, and Sihai is the younger brother. The younger brother must always look up to the elder brother."
Ugh!
Gu Jiu was overwhelmed by his own shamelessness.
Is this her?
Yes, that's her.
She has fallen!
Oh, oh, oh!
No, she is not depraved, she is a wise man who knows the times.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
