The third day of the first lunar month in the fifth year of Daxia.
In the evening, a heavy snow fell again.
The snowflakes made the light of the big red lanterns in Chang'an City hazy, giving it a unique beauty.
Especially the lights of the Never-Sleeping Street seemed to become softer under the heavy snow.
Yun Xiyan's carriage stopped in the front yard of Liuyun Tower. He got off the carriage, looked at the soft and somewhat ambiguous red light, and walked into Liuyun Tower.
Tonight is a hometown gathering initiated by Sima Tao——
In fact, the people invited were not real fellow townsmen, but they were all once people of the Yu Dynasty.
Among these officials were Yun Xiyan, Shi Yiming, Fang Wenxing and He Ansheng, three prefects who had returned to Beijing to report on their work, and Huo Huaijin, the garrison commander of Chang'an City.
As for the three prime ministers... Sima Tao didn't dare to invite them after all.
Therefore, there will be more businessmen in today's hometown gathering, of course, they are all old acquaintances, such as Zhong Jitang or Yu Xingjian and others.
Led by a maid, Yun Xiyan walked through the bustling lobby and went up to the second floor, arriving at the largest private room in Liuyuntai, called Wan Zi Qian Hong.
It was very lively inside and many people were already sitting there.
“Minister Yun…!”
Sima Tao immediately stood up and went to greet him, bowed and said with a smile: "You came last, so you have to drink three glasses of wine as punishment!"
Yun Xiyan returned the greeting with a bow and said with a smile, "It's the agreed time of Xu, and I've arrived just in time. Your reason for forcing me to drink is invalid. Besides, I've been drinking too much these past two days. Wouldn't it be better if we had tea?"
Everyone laughed. Yun Xiyan sat down and looked at Sima Tao and asked, "How is your investment in Huangtang Town, Qianshan County going? Prime Minister Yan is very concerned about this matter!"
Sima Tao suddenly smiled bitterly. "As soon as Shi Daotai took office, he arrested me and questioned me about this matter. Today, I will explain everything to Minister Yun and Shi Daotai in detail... We have to drink when we talk about things. Bring some wine. Also, please ask Miss Rong Duoer to come."
There were six maids serving in the private room, and they came forward to pour wine for everyone.
Sima Tao raised his wine glass, his expression becoming serious. "Investment is easy. My family has indeed made a lot of money in recent years thanks to the rise of Great Xia. It's the same with Zhongjitang, Yu Xingjian, Wang Sun Wuya, and the others. It's hard for them to lose money."
"According to Prime Minister Yan's original intention, I have already invested the first 30 million taels of silver. It was mainly used to purchase mulberry saplings and distribute them to the people so that they can plant mulberry trees. Then it was used to build a workshop and purchase equipment... To be honest, the workshop is being built, but I haven't purchased any equipment."
"Because we have to wait, wait for the mulberry trees to grow taller, especially wait for the road on Izumo Mountain to be repaired better... This will take about three to five years."
"So, generally speaking, investing in Huangtang Town is a long-term investment. It will take a long time to see the benefits. Of course, I'm not in a hurry. After all, if this can be accomplished, it will firstly benefit the villagers of Huangtang Town, and secondly, it will also be of great benefit to my family's business... There is basically no competition in that place!"
"Minister Yun, in my opinion, the most difficult part is that road!"
"After Shi Daotai took office, he submitted a memorial to the Ministry of Works. Hasn't our Great Xia's engineering corps been reorganized? I really have a reason to treat you to a drink today... After all, you are a senior official deeply trusted by the Emperor, no, the Grand Emperor!"
"If you speak up for us in the court, I think our engineering troops will be dispatched to Qianshan County at the beginning of the new year. Building a road is a long process, let alone the road to Chuyun Mountain."
"Come, let me offer you a toast. Please take this matter to heart! Firstly, it's for the Sima family's business, and secondly... more importantly, it's for the people of Qianshan County!"
Yun Xiyan listened carefully. Shi Yiming, Zhuo Liuyun and He Ansheng had talked about this matter in detail when they came to visit him yesterday.
According to Fu Xiaoguan's instructions before he left, the Daxia Engineering Corps was still directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War, but their tasks were assigned by the Ministry of Works.
That is to say, if the Ministry of Works needs engineering troops to build roads and bridges, it will submit this task to the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of War will arrange an engineering troop to complete the task.
Before the end of last year, the three prime ministers convened a small meeting with the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue to draw up a plan for several major roads to be built this year, among which Yueshan North Road was ranked at the forefront.
Therefore, there is no need to worry about what Sima Tao raised.
"Don't worry about that. Prime Ministers Yan, Qin, and Ning have already made arrangements. The Ministry of Revenue established a special account at the end of last year, and the funds have been allocated... According to the budget, completing the road network north and south of Yueshan will require at least 1.5 billion taels of silver!"
Sima Tao felt relieved when he heard this.
"Thank you, Minister Yun! Come on, come on, we finally got together for a drink, let's not talk about these things anymore, cheers!"
After a glass of wine, the door creaked open and a beautiful girl in a red dress walked in.
She is Rong Duoer, the top star of Liuyuntai!
She stood in front of everyone with grace and grace, bowed, her face brimming with joy, and said coquettishly, "Gentlemen, I wish you a happy new year!"
"Okay, okay...Come on, Duo'er, everyone here is extraordinary. Pour them a glass of wine. With their support, your reputation will surely become even more famous!"
Sima Tao stretched out his hand and handed the wine jug to Rong Duoer. Yun Xiyan was a little surprised. It seemed that this guy was quite familiar with Rong Duoer!
Rong Duoer smiled sweetly, "Ah, apart from Mr. Yu, Mr. Zhong, and Mr. Wang Sun, I'm really unfamiliar with them. Then I'll trouble Mr. Sima to introduce them to me!"
Yun Xiyan was a little dazed, as if in the past when he was drinking in the building, these women would call him Young Master, but today it became Mr.... Unknowingly, the young men in the past have now become middle-aged men in their thirties!
He couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. Time flies, and when he looks back, he is no longer the young man he used to be.
Sima Tao introduced them one by one, and Rong Duoer drank a glass of wine for each of them. After a while, she had drunk six glasses of wine. Her face turned slightly red, and she looked even more beautiful.
"Being able to meet so many noble people is a blessing that Duoer has cultivated in her previous life. Duoer will now play the zither and sing a long-standing song for you gentlemen."
Rong Duoer sat in front of the zither, her hands resting on it. "This is the 'Song of the Wine' composed by the Emperor last year!"
The sound of the zither started, and Rong Duoer began to sing:
"Have you not seen the white hair in the mirror in the hall, which was black in the morning and turned to white in the evening?
When you are happy, you should enjoy yourself to the fullest; don’t let your golden cup face the moon empty.
I was born with talent and it will be useful. Even if I lose all my money, I will get it back.
..."
Yun Xiyan and others are of course familiar with this poem.
Listening to the beautiful song, he remembered the young man who had eaten hot pot with him in Jinling.
Throughout history, all sages and wise men have been lonely, only drinkers have left their names...
Fu Xiaoguan, you have become a sage, are you lonely?
You should have arrived at the continent of Leah, right?
Have you ever had a drink with a few close friends like you used to?
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