novelonline Chapter 1935: Rectification (rolling around asking for monthly tickets)
Chapter 1935: Rectification (rolling around asking for monthly tickets)
Chapter 1935: Rectification (rolling around asking for monthly tickets)
The emperor arrived in Suzhou today. After the local officials welcomed him, they all came to meet him.
If I only meet the Governor of Pianyuan tomorrow, I can really free up most of the day.
The Ninth Prince plans to go and ask.
But before he left, he asked the Fourth Prince, "Fourth Brother, are you free tomorrow? I have an orange orchard and a pearl farm in Dongshan. I will go to the Imperial Court to ask for permission. I want to see if Khan Ama can come over to take a look. If you and Thirteenth Brother are free, you can also go and take a look."
The Fourth Prince only knew that his younger brother's family had an orange orchard in Suzhou, and he had received a lot of oranges and orange jam from his younger brother's family in the past two years, but this was the first time he had heard of a "pig farm".
He thought it was the pig in the pig-dog, so he was very puzzled and asked: "Why did you think of setting up a pig farm in Suzhou? Are you adapting to local conditions and feeding pigs with oranges?"
Oranges are cheap during the season, but it is not easy to transport them to the capital, and they have to be sealed with wax.
As a result, the price has increased by more than dozens of times.
But after all, we have to use the official ship of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which makes transportation inconvenient.
The number of oranges sent to the capital from the Ninth Prince's orange orchard is limited every year.
The Ninth Prince was confused after hearing this, and then he burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha… Fourth brother, you are so funny. How could you think of feeding pigs with oranges? Even if we don’t bring them to the capital, there are fruit merchants who will come to buy the fruits. It’s just a matter of price. Why would we feed pigs with them…”
Fourth elder brother: "..."
His face darkened.
This brother needs a lesson again!
Seeing his expression change, the Ninth Prince quickly restrained himself and stopped laughing, saying, "This pearl farm is not the 'pig' of pigs and dogs, it is the 'pearl' of pearls..."
Thirteenth Prince happened to come looking for Fourth Prince. Upon hearing this, he said, "Pearls? Ninth Brother, do you want to buy some jewelry for Ninth Sister-in-law in Jiangnan? Then take one with me. I also want to bring some back for Mrs. Fujin."
Seeing that Guaerjia's due date was approaching, the Thirteenth Prince always felt guilty towards his wife.
He was hoping to have a legitimate eldest son, and the couple had sex quite often, but things did not go as they wished.
When the Ninth Prince saw his younger brother coming, he called him forward and planned to explain the "Pearl Cultivation Plan" to them in detail.
It didn't work out before, and I never mentioned this to my brothers, but now that I've started trial planting, there's nothing to hide.
When the words came to his lips, the Ninth Prince thought of the difference between pearls, cement and grain.
Cement and grain both relate to people's livelihood. If they have anything to do with women, the corrupt scholars outside might attack and slander his wife. However, pearls would not be a problem.
Whether pearls were exported through customs or sold in the Qing Dynasty, they had nothing to do with people's livelihood and only affected the rich and powerful.
This was intended to be presented as a tribute to Khan's father in the future, and it would be a good opportunity to accumulate merit for Lady Fujin.
No matter how filial you are, you are still your father’s son.
But now that the daughter-in-law has shown her filial piety, the Khan Ama will not be embarrassed to embarrass his wife in the future.
His mind was working rapidly, and he changed his words as soon as he spoke them.
"When we got the Dongshan Orange Orchard, we knew it was next to the Taihu Lake. My wife thought it would be a waste to just run an orange orchard, so we dug out the notes of a Song Dynasty scholar and found the records of pearl farming. I thought it was reliable, so I thought of giving it a try, and sent Sun Jin here last year..."
The Fourth Prince listened and raised his eyebrows.
All the cleverness is really on his face.
This time I won’t hide it.
It was said that all the troubles that had been caused earlier were figured out by the Ninth Prince, but in fact the Emperor knew it clearly in his mind.
The Ninth Prince has never been the one who reads widely.
Dong E knew the rules and did not boast about her achievements in front of others. The Ninth Prince also knew that it was not good to publicize matters involving female relatives, so he did not push his wife to the forefront.
They are one as husband and wife, and their success and failure are shared by all. It doesn't matter who gets the credit. The emperor's father just pretends not to know about it, but he still knows Dong E's contribution in his heart.
Otherwise, half of the reward for cowpox would not have fallen to Fusong.
The Thirteenth Prince was listening with great admiration, and said, "People outside say that the Ninth Brother is the God of Wealth, and the Ninth Sister-in-law is the Goddess of Wealth!"
The Ninth Prince was very proud and said, "It's nothing. It was your Ninth Sister-in-law who proposed the tea plantation. We invested 100,000 taels of silver in it. Now it's starting to make a profit. Last year, we made 8,800 taels of silver. The tea trees are still young and it's not a good year yet. In three to five years, when it's a good year, the investment will be back and the rest will be net profit. This alone can save enough money for Akdan to split up the family!"
The Thirteenth Prince praised: "Sister-in-law Nine thinks long-term and chooses a good industry. Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea are essential for everyone's life."
The Ninth Prince nodded and said, "Yes, if we don't have a tea garden, we will spend hundreds of taels of silver a year just on tea bags and gifts."
The Fourth Prince asked, "How much money do you put into the pearl field?"
The Ninth Prince stretched out his hand, flipped it over, and said, "It's also one hundred thousand taels..."
The Fourth Prince frowned and said, "This is different from the tea mountain. Isn't it too risky?"
Since we are going to use river clams to cultivate pearls, after all, it involves living things and is beyond human control.
After hearing this, the Thirteenth Prince also became worried.
One hundred thousand taels of silver was almost half of the prince's share of the inheritance.
It is equivalent to forty years of salary as a Beile.
The Ninth Prince explained hurriedly: "Not all of it was thrown into the Taihu Pearl Field. There is also another place over at Hongze Lake. It was divided into two places, and the silver was not thrown in all at once."
The Fourth Prince was slightly relieved when he saw that he knew what was going on.
The Thirteenth Prince thought about the prince's palace that had been built in the capital, and approached the Ninth Prince and said, "Ninth Brother, Ninth Brother, can you think of another business like the one in Xiaotangshan last time? I am also worried. If I move out of the palace at the end of the year, how will I live in the future?"
The Ninth Prince said, "What's the problem? Even if you and the Twelve Prince move out, before you are conferred the title, your daily supplies will go through the Ministry of Internal Affairs. After you are conferred the title, you will receive the salary."
The Thirteenth Prince said, "But food and drink are not the biggest expense. Gifts and favors are the biggest expense. Nowadays, in the palace, gifts and favors are limited to the royal family and cousins, and they cost two to three thousand taels of silver a year."
The Ninth Prince recalled that in the two years before he was conferred the title, he had indeed spent a lot on social favors and gifts.
He received three festivals and two birthday gifts from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which not only settled his accounts, but also left him with a surplus.
The Ninth Prince nodded and said, "We really need to think of a way. Otherwise, when you and the Twelve Prince leave the palace, you may have to rely on the dowry of the concubine to support you..."
The Thirteenth Prince said awkwardly, "That's not the case. I'm just a little tight-fisted. If I don't have any, I'll spend less."
Speaking of this, he recalled that before his ninth brother's family was conferred the title, the number of people employed in the mansion was reduced by half.
He said, "By then the population will be reduced and we won't need so many people..."
The Fourth Prince was standing by and disapproved, "Why should we do this? We still have to be respectful."
As the brothers were talking, the eunuch of the Thirteenth Prince came over to look for someone.
A letter from the Thirteenth Lady has arrived.
The eunuch of the Thirteenth Prince was worried that something important had happened, so he did not dare to delay and came to see his master.
The Thirteenth Prince had a tense expression on his face. He took the letter and opened it immediately.
The Fourth Prince was nearby and was also a little worried.
Apart from the Ninth Prince and his wife who were very close and exchanged letters every ten days, the Fourth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince did not communicate with their families. Unless there was something going on at home, they would not send letters through the Ministry of War.
After reading it, the Thirteenth Prince felt very complicated. He felt relieved but also a little disappointed.
The Ninth Prince looked at the Thirteenth Prince's uncertain expression and asked, "Is there something going on at home?"
The Thirteenth Prince said: "Guaerjia gave birth to a princess..."
The Ninth Prince said, "Isn't this great? The eldest son doesn't have to be born out of wedlock. It saves a lot of trouble!"
The Fourth Prince said, "Congratulations, Thirteenth Brother, you are now a father."
The Thirteenth Prince exhaled, with a smile on his face, and said, "Yes, now that I am the father, the eldest son does not need to be born out of wedlock, which saves a lot of trouble."
The Ninth Prince thought about his expression just now, understood, and said: "Are you disappointed that you don't have a son? Why are you in such a hurry? Each son is a creditor. You don't have to worry about it. As long as you are not ill, these creditors will come to you one by one..."
The Thirteenth Prince naturally knew that there was nothing wrong with his body, so he straightened his chest and said, "Then I'll take advantage of Ninth Brother's good words!"
The Ninth Prince snorted, "What's wrong with your frequent urination? Don't you know it? Dampness and coldness are most harmful to the kidneys and spleen. You are young now and it's not obvious. Don't take it seriously. Wait a few years and you may have to take deer blood paste to cope with it!"
Thirteenth Brother: "..."
The Fourth Prince thought about the symptoms of arthritis that the Thirteenth Prince had suffered before, and said, "These are all good words, don't take them lightly. Now that you are on the water, ask the imperial physician to cup you more to remove the coldness in your body."
The Thirteenth Prince nodded and said, "Well, I understand. I'll go find the imperial physician when I get back to the ship..."
The Ninth Prince took out his pocket watch and checked the time. It was almost time for dinner, so he said, "I'm going to the Imperial Court first. I need to ask Khan Ama if he will go to Taihu Lake with us tomorrow..."
The Fourth Prince waved his hand and said, "Go quickly. If Khan Ama really wants to go, we will arrange for someone to go over and take care of the security today..."
"Uh-huh……"
The Ninth Prince responded and left in a hurry...