Yu Wenjun was naturally happy and said with a smile, "There's a West Mountain Villa in Linjiang, and a South Mountain Villa outside Jinling. We only need two more in the northeast, so we have four villas... In the future, we can live in whichever one is more comfortable for a while, isn't that great?"
Dong Shulan glanced at Yu Wenjun and said, "How much silver do we need to earn to cover our expenses? It cost over a hundred thousand taels of silver to build the Fu Mansion. I've never been to the Nanshan Villa, but His Majesty hasn't gone hunting there in recent years. My father once said that a hunting trip costs His Majesty nearly a million taels of silver, most of which goes towards repairing the Nanshan Villa."
Dong Shulan leaned forward, tilted her head, and asked, "If we move in later, we'll have to throw in 500,000 taels of silver, right?"
Yu Wenjun gasped, but smiled, reaching out and grabbing Dong Shulan's hand, "Don't we have you? You are the future housekeeper and god of wealth!"
Dong Shulan's eyebrows raised, and she looked quite proud. "I sent an accountant from the mansion to Xishan to help my uncle take care of the accounts there. The accounts there are too messy, and he is the one who is responsible for it..."
Dong Shulan glared at Fu Xiaoguan and added, "The expenses there are quite high, but the profits should be good later, especially the workshop in Yao County. As for Fenglin Mountain... it's a money-burning pit, and the benefits haven't been seen yet."
Iron mining at Broken Soul Cliff on Fenglin Mountain had long been underway, and the blast furnace, after trial production, had proven to be many times more powerful than previous ironmaking furnaces. The Red Cannon was forged from the iron produced at Broken Soul Cliff, which was why it wouldn't explode.
But if iron is sold directly, it is not cost-effective.
The country has iron ore, and the state-owned foundry will never purchase iron ore from outside. Besides, Fu Xiaoguan has never thought about selling the iron he smelted.
The iron was of very high quality, and he needed to turn it into weapons and armor, firstly to equip his private army, and secondly to sell it to the Yu Dynasty.
It’s not time yet. This matter will probably have to wait until the end of the year. Let Dong Shulan talk to Her Royal Highness the Princess.
Those weapons and armors are definitely several times better than what we have now. Fu Xiaoguan is not worried that the princess will not buy them, so Fenglinshan’s profit output will not be seen until at least next year.
"The red cannon you built at Xishan, my father and mother went to Prince Hui's mansion to see it. They were supposed to be visiting, haha, but when my mother came back she said Prince Hui knelt before my father and gave you a good scolding. She also said the cannon was so powerful that there were several man-deep pits in the backyard and front hall of Prince Hui's mansion, and many buildings collapsed. When my father came back, he stared at the red cannon for a long time, and I guess he was attracted to it."
"That thing was sent to the Ministry of Works..." Yu Wenjun was a little worried. He stared at Fu Xiaoguan and asked, "What if the Ministry of Works found this thing? Wouldn't you be unable to sell it to Father? You shouldn't have sent it to the palace. That's all silver!"
Fu Xiaoguan laughed. "No problem. I just want to show His Majesty. Only when he sees it with his own eyes will he understand that this cannon is a powerful weapon and not a waste. Don't worry, the Ministry of Works can't make it. If His Majesty wants it, he can only buy it from me."
Dong Shulan also felt that Fu Xiaoguan had been inconsiderate and rolled her eyes at him. "Buy? If His Majesty requisitions it, what can you do?"
Fu Xiaoguan was stunned, no way...!
Just when Fu Xiaoguan thought it wouldn't happen, Eunuch Jia caught up on a fast horse.
The convoy stopped, and Fu Xiaoguan got off the carriage. Eunuch Jia handed him a secret letter, "Master Fu, I've been beaten to a pulp trying to catch up with you! Just look at how anxious His Majesty is."
Fu Xiaoguan thought to himself, you are a martial saint, but you are really good at pretending!
As soon as he opened the secret letter, he felt unwell immediately!
"I like the red cannon very much. I think it will be of great use on the battlefield. Therefore, I will remember your great contribution and quickly send one hundred red cannons to Shangjing. I will use them to blow the Yi Dynasty's army into pieces!"
Oh shit!
What are you thinking about?
Fu Xiaoguan was stunned for a long time. Eunuch Jia came over and asked, "How is it?"
"There's no other way. Please tell His Majesty that a cannon costs five thousand taels of silver, and a shell costs one hundred taels of silver. I can only guarantee to give him ten cannons within a month."
Eunuch Jia grinned and took out a secret letter and handed it to Fu Xiaoguan, "Your Majesty is as wise as a god!"
Fu Xiaoguan took the secret letter and took a look:
"I don't have any money right now, but the war in the east is urgent. At this juncture, I hope you can consider the overall situation and not focus on the petty gains in front of you!"
"Because of the Queen Mother's passing, your engagement with Shulan and Wenyun has not been realized. I feel deeply sorry for this, but due to etiquette and rules, I cannot change it. Therefore, I grant you three marriage certificates—the other one is the strong request of that old man Yan Beixi. Considering Yan Beixi's hard work for the country and his willingness to die, I agree to all of them."
"These three marriage certificates, written by me personally and backed up by the Imperial Household Department, officially seal the relationship between you and the three women. My only wish is for you to be at peace. From this moment on, you are my son-in-law, serving my country. You are no longer a bystander. I will remember all your contributions to the country."
"Also, I've carefully read The Wealth of Nations, but I still have many doubts. Please explain it to me in detail when you return from Wu Chao. Following the advice in your book, Yan Beixi and I have agreed to conduct a pilot program. Currently, the six counties selected for the pilot program are Yao County in Linjiang, Gong County in Henan Prefecture, Kaiyang County in Qi Prefecture, Quyi and Pingling Counties in Yongning Prefecture, and Heyu County in Ning Prefecture."
"However, after consulting with many of my ministers, I believe that the implementation of this matter still falls on your shoulders. Without you, even Yan Beixi would be helpless. I have instructed the Political Affairs Hall to draft a policy for the simultaneous development of commerce and agriculture. I believe that by the time you return to the capital, this policy will have been publicized throughout the country. You can then implement the reforms as the Imperial Commissioner, without any worries."
"You must always remember that you are my son-in-law. If you don't do something great, it will mean that I, the Queen, and Yan Beixi are blind. Think about it as you go along!"
Eunuch Jia smiled and took out three big red marriage certificates from his sleeve pocket.
"Congratulations, Master Fu!"
Fu Xiaoguan took the marriage certificate, glared at Eunuch Jia, and then took out a five thousand tael silver note and stuffed it into Jia's hand. He said sternly, "Your Majesty's request is beyond reality. The technology for the red cannon is not yet mature, and the monthly production is a maximum of ten. Please be sure to convey this to Your Majesty. In addition, I have another matter that you need to convey to Your Majesty."
"Mr. Fu, please speak."
"West Mountain is short of materials for making ammunition. I will write a letter and ask the eunuch to bring it to Your Majesty. Otherwise, even if we have cannons, they will be useless."
"Also, please ask Eunuch Jia to tell His Majesty that the properties confiscated from the Shi family should be transferred to the Ninth Princess' name!"
“…”
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