Mu Cheng'an sensed someone breaking in and was wondering why no one around him gave any warning. But as soon as he said that, he flashed out of the study at an even faster speed because he was too familiar with the aura of the intruder.
Sure enough, seeing a man standing there with a smile on his face, looking over with his head tilted slightly, Mu Chengan's eyes were filled with gentle smiles. He walked towards the man and stretched out his hand to him: "Are you satisfied with everything you see in the mansion?"
Of course Mu Cheng'an thought of what Yuan Jing said when he first learned internal skills. He didn't expect that one day it would come true, which gave him a great surprise.
Yuan Jing, who had made such a bold move, was a little reserved at this moment: "It's too big. Without the secret guards to lead the way for me, I'm afraid I'll get lost and can't find this place."
After saying that, he put his hand into Mu Chengan's, and he immediately held it tightly, as if he was holding this person. Mu Chengan laughed: "Then I will show you the map of the palace later, so that you can come and visit me often in the future? Come on, I will show you my study."
Yuan Jing was no longer reserved and said, "Okay."
Then, Mu Cheng'an took Yuan Jing's hand and walked into the study together. The secret guard behind them took a big bite of the melon. It was so sweet, so sweet that it was killing him. He never knew that the prince had such a side.
Mu Cheng'an was handling government affairs. As the regent, he was of course doing the emperor's job. Yuan Jing looked at him with respect and said, "Thank you for your hard work." He could do research, but he was still at the elementary school stage when it came to handling government affairs.
"Then accompany me to review these memorials later."
Yuan Jing thought about it and didn't refuse. It wouldn't be a bad thing to learn more skills.
Mu Chengan actually found the map of the palace and showed it to Yuan Jing. The place was indeed large, several times larger than the Tao family's. However, he only needed to remember Mu Chengan's study and the main courtyard where he lived. Other places had nothing to do with him. Then Mu Chengan pointed to the courtyard next to the palace and said, "This courtyard you have been to is mine now, but I would like to hang the Tao family's door plaque in the future. What do you think?"
Of course Yuan Jing had been to that courtyard before. He met Mu Chengan next door just after he came back from Jiangnan Province. So this was Mu Chengan's intention?
Yuan Jing smiled, looked at Mu Chengan and said, "Okay, if our family moves in, it will be much more convenient for us to communicate with each other in the future, and I won't have to climb over the wall in the middle of the night."
Mu Chengan held him in his arms: "I'm actually welcome to do this no matter when or where." That would be great. He would be even happier if he could send himself to his bed.
Yuan Jing gave him a nudge and showed him a map of the house next door. Yuan Jing looked at it carefully and saw that there were five courtyards in total, so the place was indeed much more spacious.
"Wait two years. After another two years, I will buy this house and let my family move in with me." Speaking of family, Yuan Jing remembered the purpose of coming here tonight. He turned to face the man, crossed his arms, raised his chin and said, "I came to see you tonight for something. Did you ask Master Huineng to tell you the fortune by the eight characters?"
Mu Chengan chuckled. It turned out that the person who was going to settle the score with him was not coming until tonight. He had thought that he would be come that day or the next night. He guessed that the Tao family would also need some time to digest and accept this fortune.
"Is my arrangement not good? Or, Yuan Jing, you don't want to be with me anymore?" Mu Chengan grabbed Yuan Jing's hand and bit it lightly with his teeth.
Yuan Jing snorted: "Why don't you say that you are a woman and I am a man?" This is a matter concerning a man's face, how can he back down?
Mu Chengan laughed out loud: "Why don't we try it now and see who has what fate?"
As he spoke, he looked meaningfully at the compartment at the back of the study. There was a bed there. Instead of arguing about it, it would be better to practice the truth. Mu Chengan was very happy to let Yuan Jing experience for himself who is the husband.
Yuan Jing understood what he meant and his face turned red. This man was being a hooligan again and said, "I'm still young and growing." As a medical student, he knew that having sex too early was bad for the body and would cause great suffering.
Mu Chengan was indeed a little eager to make a move. This beauty had come to him and thrown herself into his arms. How could he not take a bite of her? But when he heard this, he gritted his teeth, so Yuan Jing's fingers were left with teeth marks, and he really bit down with some force.
"Hey, you, aren't you afraid that I really won't be able to resist and eat you? You just torture me for fun." After saying that, he simply held the man horizontally in his arms, turned him over, and slapped him on the butt.
It has such good elasticity that I couldn’t help but knead it again.
Yuan Jing didn't react at all. When he realized what this man was doing, his face turned even redder and he struggled to get down. This made him even angrier, and Yuan Jing didn't dare to move.
Mu Cheng'an didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He was suffering from his own sins. He rubbed the man's head and finally let him go. He was reluctant to embarrass him at all.
Both of them drank a cup of cooled tea to cool off, and then Mu Cheng'an stopped teasing this man. It was a rare occasion for him to come at night, so he took Yuan Jing to read the memorials and taught him how to handle the political affairs. They also exchanged views on the current Daxia court. He sent this man back in the late night.
Mu Cheng'an almost let Yuan Jing stay, not only because he couldn't bear to part with him, but also because some of the insights Yuan Jing expressed tonight made him realize that he, the great baby, was a treasure, with many good ideas hidden in his belly, and could see higher and farther than him. Da Xia was so lucky to have Yuan Jing's help.
Yuan Jing didn't know what Mu Chengan was thinking. If he knew, he wouldn't think he was anything special, because he had the memories of three future lives. If Mu Chengan hadn't lost the memories of his previous lives in every life, with his abilities, he would have done better than himself.
So he couldn't be proud. He only hoped that during the more than ten years that Mu Cheng'an was the regent, the Great Xia Dynasty would develop better, so that future generations would gain more praise when mentioning the regent and history would affirm his achievements. At the same time, helping the people live a good life was also what he hoped to do.
Because of this idea, he knew what to do next. He wanted to improve agricultural tools, increase farming efficiency, reduce farmers' work, and make farmers more relaxed.
So Yuan Jing threw himself into his work again. This time he found another group of craftsmen who were good at making farm tools. He improved a batch of farm tools and sent them to an imperial farm for testing. At the same time, Mu Cheng'an followed Yuan Jing's advice and sent people out to sea. One way was to go to Jiaozhi to look for Champa rice, and the other way was to go to more distant places to look for edible crop seeds, especially those with high yields. At the same time, he also wanted to open up foreign trade.
The previous emperor was very extravagant during his lifetime, and coupled with natural disasters and man-made disasters, there was not much silver left in the treasury. After Mu Chengan took over, he needed silver no matter what he did. He accidentally mentioned it to Yuan Jing, and Yuan Jing gave him this idea. Want gold and silver? Easy to do. If you develop outside, you can use a small amount of porcelain, tea and silk to exchange for a large amount of gold, silver and gems. Of course, the construction of the navy is also indispensable. The strong maritime force can ensure that the ships passing by are not attacked by pirates.
However, neither going out to sea for business nor developing Daxia's navy are things that can be accomplished overnight, because building ships that can go to sea and establishing a navy require capital investment. Yuan Jing rummaged around and came up with another idea for people who time travel must have to make a fortune, that is, making glass, which is the colorless and transparent glaze of this era. Of course, Yuan Jing gave it to Mu Chengan together with the soap recipe, and asked Mu Chengan to find another place to build a workshop to make these two money-making tools without having to put them in the Ministry of Industry.
As soon as Mu Cheng'an got the recipe, he arranged for people to conduct experiments in his own farm. Soon the finished product was delivered to him. The vessel was made of colorless and transparent glass and was crystal clear, just like crystal. It can be imagined that once it is launched, it will surely attract the admiration of dignitaries and wealthy businessmen.
Yuan Jing even came up with a complete plan on how to promote glass. Making it into handicraft-like utensils was only the first step to make money. The second step was to burn large pieces of glass, and then cut them into pieces and install them on the windows. After those wealthy families replaced their windows with glass, Mu Chengan would be able to make enough money from them. Then, add a layer of mercury and it would become a mirror that could clearly reflect a person's image. Thinking of these prospects for making money, Mu Chengan couldn't help but smile. It was really his treasure. This item alone could bring him so much wealth.
Not only that, glass can also be used to make telescopes. Yuan Jing merely described the function of the telescope and Mu Chengan, who had led troops in battles for many years, immediately realized how much use this thing could play on the battlefield.
When Yuan Jing was immersed in making farm tools in the Ministry of Industry, a few shops selling transparent colored glass suddenly appeared on the streets of the capital, and immediately became the favorite of dignitaries and wealthy businessmen. Before long, a trend emerged in the capital that if you didn't have a transparent colored glass product at home, you would seem out of date.
Some people noticed that these shops had accumulated enough money in a short period of time, so they set their sights on these shops. However, before they could make any move, they were warned that the owners of these shops were all regents, so how could they dare to make any move?
Some old stubborn people thought that the Regent was competing with the people for profits. As a result, the Regent made a statement in the court that half of the profits from the sale of all the glass products produced in his workshops would go into the national treasury.
Now all the voices of opposition disappeared, and what followed was a wave of flattery, especially from the Ministry of Revenue. They were even happier. The Regent was good in every other way, but every policy that benefited the people required the Ministry of Revenue to pay out a large sum of money. But where could the Ministry of Revenue afford it?
Now I finally have some income.
Colored glass products quickly became popular outside the capital, especially in wealthy areas. For example, the big salt merchants in the Jiangnan region knew that this was colored glass produced in the Regent's workshop, so what were they waiting for? They paid large sums of money to buy it. This was called catering to the Regent's taste. In the past, it was impossible to find ways to please the Regent. Therefore, in these areas, the enthusiasm for colored glass was even higher than in the capital.
The gradual promotion of glass windows and mirrors brought rich income to the national treasury, which made the Minister of Revenue very happy. However, the money had not even warmed up in the Ministry of Revenue before it was allocated by the Regent for other uses.
The Minister of Revenue wanted to cry but had no tears. Later he came to his senses and thought that it didn't matter if the Regent spent money, the Regent could still earn money. Maybe he spent money now in order to earn more money in the future.
When Yuan Jing finally finished his work and returned home, he found that all the windows in his house had been replaced with glass. The lighting was obviously much better than before, and he also placed several exquisite glassware in the house.
Because Yuan Jing had been in the imperial farm for a while and had not been back for a long time, he was caught by the old lady and Tao Dayong as soon as he got home and asked: "These windows were replaced by people from the Ministry of Works. Yuan Jing, is it really okay? Those adults said that you knew about this matter, so they asked us to ask you."
They were very worried. The Tao family was replaced in the first round. At that time, the families in the capital who had higher official positions than them had not yet had their turn, so they kept it secret and reminded Tao Yuanze not to mention this matter outside.
Yuan Jing smiled, patted his forehead and said, "I forgot about this when I was busy. In fact, I came up with the recipe for making glass. I made it by the way when I was making cement. I gave the recipe to the Regent and negotiated with him that 10% of the profits would belong to our family."
In this way, he would be able to quickly raise enough money to buy a new house and move with his family next door to the Zhenbei Palace.
"Really? Is it the recipe you came up with, Yuan Jing?" The Tao family members were stunned. They knew how popular this thing was in and outside the capital during this period. If they didn't buy one, they would be laughed at. When the old lady and little Song went out to visit guests, other families would specially show off the glass products they had just bought. They were embarrassed to say that they had the same ones at home.
"Yes, so don't worry, grandma and mom and dad, we can use it. Grandma's eyesight is not very good, so it's just right to use the glass window with good lighting."
"Yes, that's right." The old lady said happily, "I can thread the needle and sew by myself in the house now, and I don't need your mother to help me."
"Then this silver..." Tao Dayong felt that the silver was a little hot. The windows and glass decorations used in the house alone would cost hundreds or even thousands of taels. How could he afford to take more silver, especially from the Regent? Tao Dayong had heard others describe how powerful the Regent was. Thinking about the thrilling night that was suppressed by the Regent, he was in awe of such a man and dared not take silver from him.
"Dad, if the regent wants to give it to us, just take it. When we have enough money, we will move to a bigger house. In the future, our family will have more and more people."
"Yes, yes." The old lady was very happy to hear this. She hoped to see many descendants. Although she couldn't see him on her eldest grandson, she still had her younger grandson. The old lady looked at Tao Yuanze with such kind eyes that Tao Yuanze subconsciously wanted to escape. He felt that this matter would be very terrible.
The glass business was settled monthly, and the 10% profit that was given to Yuan Jing was quite a bit. Of course, Mu Cheng'an still felt that it was too little. Originally, this business belonged to Yuan Jing, and he felt guilty for using it. However, he was very happy that Yuan Jing trusted him so much and gave him complete control of the recipe.
After getting the silver, some things can be dealt with. For example, regarding Taojia Village, the hometown that the old lady and Tao Dayong missed, Yuan Jing said that he would buy sacrificial land in Taojia Village, and no one in the family objected. After all, Taojia Village was the root of their Tao family. Now that their family has become rich, they cannot forget the people in Taojia Village, otherwise they will be accused of being ungrateful.
Besides, the old lady and Tao Dayong are still thinking about their eldest son and eldest brother who are staying in Taojia Village. There is a saying that things that are far away are fragrant, while things that are near are smelly. What Tao Yuzhu did is indeed disgusting, and Wang's behavior is also unpleasant, but Tao Dazhu is the old lady's biological son and Tao Dayong's eldest brother. In addition, Tao Dayong knows that Tao Yuzhu is living a very bad life now and there is no chance of turning things around, so he gradually let go of his dislike for his eldest brother.
He couldn't let his family enjoy a good life in the capital while his eldest brother lived in Taojia Village. Of course, he knew that his eldest brother's family was living a much better life than at the beginning, but there was still a big gap compared to his family.
The family members discussed it, and Xiao Song also agreed very much, because Xiao Song also had her own family, and now that she was living a good life, she would be able to free up hands to help her family, so these matters were handed over to Tao Dayong, who was asked to return home and finish all the things that needed to be done before coming back.
Tao Dayong returned to his hometown with his long-time attendant, and Yuan Jing asked Wu Yi to send two people to accompany him secretly for protection just in case.
The news that Tao Yuanjing had been promoted in the capital had spread back to Taojia Village a long time ago. Now, the people of Taojia Village were very prestigious when they went out. In addition, every household planted medicinal herbs, so the life of Taojia Village became more and more prosperous and it became a place where unmarried girls from far and near vied to marry.
Wang, who should have been the most proud, was suppressed by the clan leader and Tao Dazhu. She had no say in the marriage of her two daughters. When the news of Yuan Jing's promotion in the capital came back, Wang wanted to take her family to the capital to join her younger brother-in-law's family. This was a very normal thing in the eyes of ordinary people. No matter how good life was in Taojia Village, could it be as good as life in the capital?
But Tao Dazhui was a blockhead and refused to listen to Wang. He didn't think there was any good in going to the capital to cause trouble for his second brother and nephew. Besides, the two families had separated long ago, and his family lived a good life thanks to his nephew and relatives. His youngest son was now studying in the village school. What else was there to be dissatisfied about?
When they were eating coarse food in their early years, they never dared to imagine the good life they have today. They just thought it was a dream. So Tao Dazhu was really satisfied and didn’t know why Wang was dissatisfied.
Wang was of course dissatisfied. No matter how good her life was in Taojia Village, she was still a peasant. How could she have the luxury of wearing gold and silver and being surrounded by servants in the capital? If not for herself, she had to think about Jinbao. If Jinbao failed to pass the imperial examination, she could still get an official position with the help of her nephew in the capital. Then she would become a noblewoman.
Another thing she was thinking was that she was jealous of her sister-in-law. Why did Xiao Song have the power to act like a lady of an official? She was married into the Tao family just like Xiao Song, so why was her life so much worse than Xiao Song's? She didn't believe that when she went to the capital, Xiao Song would dare not give her half of the gold and silver jewelry.
But no matter how much she thought, it was useless, unless she had the courage like Tao Yuzhu to run away from home alone. Unfortunately, she really didn't have that courage, and she was afraid that if she really did that, Tao Dazhu would break her legs.
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