Chapter 112 Demonstration Post Station The sun sets, and Deputy Governor Ha Feng’s face is very gloomy…
As the sun was setting, Deputy Governor-General Ha Feng's face looked long.
Assistant Manager Fulong'a glanced at his face, then looked at the donkey ridden by a passing farmer, and felt that there was a bit of similarity between them. He wanted to laugh, but couldn't, so he just lowered his head and pretended to cough, with his shoulders shaking.
There was no conversation along the way until they returned to the Governor's Mansion. Deputy Governor Ha Feng casually threw the whip to the guards at the door, and walked to the meeting hall with a sullen face to find the Governor to reply.
The lights were already on in the hall, and Commander-in-Chief Shuo Dai was sitting behind a large mahogany desk, reviewing official documents.
Hearing the noise, he looked up and asked with concern: "Are you two back?"
"Yes, I have already explained it to Tumed old Taiji." Deputy Governor Ha Feng took two steps forward and said with a frown, "I just don't know why the princess's chief secretary is also here..."
His voice stopped abruptly.
Wait, why does that post on the mahogany desk look so familiar?
"What is that post?" Deputy Governor-General Ha Feng stretched out his hand, his fingertips trembling with anger.
"What?" Shuo Dai followed his gaze and picked up the note nonchalantly. "Oh, it's a note sent by someone from the Princess's Mansion, saying there's a gathering on the grassland and they invite me to go."
Assistant manager Fulong'a, who came in a little later, happened to hear this and thought it was all over and he was going to go crazy.
As expected, Deputy Governor Ha Feng sneered, "Good, very good. I have been enjoying the wind on the grassland for half a day, and I didn't know that you have already accepted the princess's invitation."
"Just speak nicely. What's the meaning of this sarcastic tone?" Shuodai slammed the post on the table, and the ink in the inkstone trembled.
"What do you mean?" Deputy Governor Ha Feng folded his arms and said, "Just now, the chief secretary of the princess's mansion went to Tumed Old Taiji and gave him an identical invitation. It seems that the governor is deeply trusted by the princess and even got one!"
"Hafeng, I've tolerated you for a long time!" Shuo Daiteng stood up and pointed at his nose, "Don't think you have a good relationship with the Shanxi Governor Galin. I'm really afraid of you! When I was an official in the capital, Galin was eating sand, not to mention you! You have so much to say about the princess sending me a letter? What do you want to say, ah, just say it!"
They had a quarrel and ended up parting on bad terms, with Deputy Governor-General Ha Feng leaving in anger.
Shuo Dai sat on a chair, his beard twitching with anger, and complained to the remaining assistant manager Fu Long'a:
"Look at this, look at what kind of arrogance he has! Galin is lucky, he was noticed by His Majesty, and he has been promoted over the past few years! He is getting promoted, and he is also shaking with it."
Assistant Manager Fulonga listened to him patiently, offered him a cup of tea to moisten his throat, and when he saw that he was no longer so angry, he said, "It just so happened that he ran into him, and he was also furious."
So he picked out the key points and talked about how he spoke to the old Taiji of Tumed, how he met the Chief Secretary of the Princess's Mansion, and how he received the letter.
After losing his temper, Shuodai gradually regained his senses. After listening to the whole story, he picked up the post on the case and looked at it as if he was picking up a hot potato.
There is nothing wrong with posting messages and having gatherings, but when they are connected, things become more complicated.
He couldn't help but sigh. The princess was really good at this. She killed three warriors with two peaches. She didn't even show up. It was just a small note. The tacit agreement he had reached with the deputy governor was torn into pieces in an instant, although it was not that solid to begin with.
Rumors spread faster than the wind. After such a quarrel over a post, who would be willing to believe that he had no connection with the princess's mansion?
Once the stamp of this faction is stamped, unless there are particularly strong examples, everyone will look at you with deep meaning.
Assistant Manager Fulonga asked softly, "How about you talk it over with the Deputy Governor?"
"What? I scolded him just now, but now my son is rushing to explain. I really don't want to lose face." Shuo Dai waved his hands irritably, "Forget it, I'll go and see what's going on."
The princess's mansion is brightly lit in the night.
After dinner, Mu Xue was eating a snack of basil peach and ginger. The newly-released crisp peaches were washed and cut into pieces, mixed with basil leaves and young ginger, pickled with salt, and then a few crystal sugars and honey were added. They were sealed in a white porcelain jar, hung in a bamboo basket and soaked in the cool well overnight. It was just right to eat now.
The peach petals are slightly transparent, with pink edges. They are crunchy and refreshing when chewed. After a few chews, the aroma of basil, the sweetness and crispness of peach, and the spiciness of ginger spread out on the tip of the tongue. It is a unique delicacy.
After she had her snack, she called the chief secretary in to answer a question. After she had said a few words, a eunuch came running in from outside and whispered a few words in her ear, explaining the commotion that had just occurred in the Governor's Mansion.
After hearing this, Mu Xue raised her lips slightly.
She said to Chief Smuthson, "The governor will also be there at the rally, so you should pay close attention."
Mu Sen thought about it and understood the princess' intention, and immediately agreed.
"That's easy to say, but I hope the princess can give me some advice on what the meeting will be like so that I can prepare in advance."
"As for arrangements, there are some."
Mu Xue was about to speak when she suddenly heard laughter from outside. The maid guarding under the eaves announced with a smile, "Aunt Yunqi is here."
"You're here just in time. You can ask her directly later. Yunqi has taken care of everything." Mu Xue said.
Yunqi came in from under the curtain and bowed to the princess: "I am honored to be here. Four of the eight imperial merchants, except the Fan family, are willing to come to Guihua City."
"Thanks a lot."
After Mu Xue listened to her main points, it was time to check the patient's pulse, so she asked Yun Qi to talk to Mu Sen.
Mu Sen followed Yunqi out and found a quiet place to talk.
"I wonder what plans the princess has?"
Yunqi said succinctly: "The princess wants to attract investment for the post station and ordered me to contact the imperial merchants and others."
Attracting investment? This term is new to me. Mu Sen pondered for a while and roughly understood the meaning of this term.
"So the Chi Le Chuan gathering is to introduce this matter?"
"Yes, and not only that." Yunqi lowered his voice, "The princess had someone build a demonstration post station nearby."
The day of the rally was a very sunny day. The sky was blue, the fields were vast, and the grasslands were green.
There were quite a lot of people coming, including the wives of Taiji from neighboring tribes, as well as imperial merchants who came from afar. Of course, there was also Dutong Shuodai, who was dressed in ordinary clothes with a slightly different style from the others.
It was a sunny summer day, but his face was gloomy. After getting off the horse, he did not speak except to greet the taiji he knew well. He asked the servants to spread a felt blanket on the grass, and then he sat down cross-legged.
After a while of enjoying the fragrant breeze, they suddenly saw the princess's procession approaching from the depths of the grassland, and everyone stood up to greet them. Shuo Dai also stood up to greet them.
The princess asked her maid to help her get off the canopy carriage.
Shuo Dai saw the princess's bulging belly and his eyes widened. When did the princess get pregnant? Even so, was she still planning the post road?
He couldn't help but feel complicated.
"May the princess be blessed with good health."
"May the Eternal Heaven bless the princess with everything that goes well."
Everyone greeted each other, and after some pleasantries, they played together like a small Nadam.
After the excitement was over, everyone was happy. The princess's entourage brought many delicacies, packed tightly in paper boxes, such as ox tongue cake, hawthorn cake, cheese cake and the like. Both the Taiji's wife and the imperial merchant enjoyed the food.
See everyone eating and drinking well.
The princess smiled and said, "These snacks were originally invented by the chefs from the palace. They can also be bought in the bakery in Guihua City. However, if you want to eat them on the grassland, you have to rely on the post road."
Hearing this, the old Tumed taiji and the nearby Khalkha taiji were moved and came, finally mentioning the matter.
They had basically received notice from the government before, saying that they had to contribute to the construction and maintenance of the post station. When they heard the princess talk about it, they thought she was going to be a lobbyist, and the cakes in their hands suddenly became difficult to swallow.
Unexpectedly, the princess said, "I know that if we want to keep the post road going for a long time, it will require a lot of manpower and material resources. It doesn't seem to be a good idea to just ask the taijis to contribute. Maybe there is another way."
She smiled slightly: "These post roads and post stations can actually be profitable. For example, it is normal for caravan travelers to spend some money on food and lodging. The world is bustling for profit, perhaps we can find a compromise so that everyone can benefit and pay for the labor costs of various postmen, and maybe there will be a surplus. Yunqi——"
Yunqi took a step forward and said to everyone, "I have built a demonstration post station not far away. If you are interested, you may go and have a look."
It had come to this point, and everyone was interested. Even Shuo Dai was curious. How did the princess get someone to build a demonstration post station? What did it look like?
Everyone stood up and followed Yunqi on horseback to another place.
Mu Xue didn't move. She stayed leisurely on the grassland, eating snacks, drinking milk tea and looking at the blue sky.
After riding for a while, we saw a square earthen wall with a plank house in the middle and some smaller houses dotted around it. There were several tents set up in the open space inside the wall. It was called a post station, but in fact it looked a bit like a military station.
Yunqi led everyone in through the earthen wall gate, introducing the place as he walked. "In the middle is the main house of the post station, where travelers can rest and eat, and caravans can store goods and exchange business information. The row at the back is the guest room, including single rooms, double rooms, and multi-person rooms. The tent at the back is the dining tent, where the kitchen is located. There is also a well over here, which guests can use."
She led everyone through the main house of the post station and came to the backyard. She pointed to a few fences and said, "Those fences over there are reserved for livestock. The post station also provides fodder, beans, and salt. Of course, this is not free. There are fees for various services, but the prices are all guided prices. You just need to fluctuate within the guided prices."
Going around to the side, there were actually several small stalls set up outside the earth wall on the right. Seeing people coming, the vendors began to shout enthusiastically. Some were selling dry food, drinks, and even ready-made clothes and boots.
Yunqi said: "This is another function, equivalent to a small market on the grassland. The herdsmen no longer have to travel long distances to the town, and the caravans no longer have to risk going deep into the grassland. Of course, a small stall fee will also be charged."
She winked, and the attendants immediately distributed flyers, which were personally instructed by the princess and written by Zhou Qiniang. It clearly listed the cost of contracting for ten years and the estimated basic profit to be collected each year. The estimated total profit for ten years was clearly written in large red letters, which was about 50% profit.
Seeing this, the taijis, who were originally quite troubled, changed their expressions, thinking that troubles could actually be turned into money bags. The imperial merchants, on the other hand, quietly calculated their profits.
After all, the leaflet had a rather inflammatory line of words written on it: The number of post stations is limited, and you can’t miss this opportunity, so hurry up if you want to sign the contract.
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