Chapter 89: A female mate chooses to farm (38)
In the middle of snowy winter, as merchants sell goods from the south to the north, novel food from Nanman, especially the newly launched soy sauce, has appeared in Beijing.
The nobles were discussing these foods in their spare time. Sugar and soy sauce were better than the similar seasonings they used before, and canned fruits had replaced fresh fruits as their current favorite foods.
In a room with a charcoal fire and a heated kang, a cup of sweet and refreshing canned fruit will make you feel as happy as a fairy!
It’s a pity that the quantity is too small. After eating these, there is no place to buy them if you have money.
There is not enough food for the nobles in the capital, let alone the common people.
So those merchants began to raise the price. Originally, the price of the goods that had been transported thousands of miles to Beijing was already several times higher than that of the Nanman. Now, the price has even been raised to a level that is beyond the reach of ordinary people.
It could still be sold at a civilian price in Furong County, but in Beijing it was actually raised to an aristocratic price.
The emperor even rewarded several capable ministers as rare gifts.
After Prime Minister Xu submitted his resignation to return to his hometown after old age last year, the emperor suppressed his approval, but his attitude was quite pleasant. On the day he retired, he even asked the **** to send some canned fruits.
Prime Minister Xu returned to the mansion in a daze holding the can.
When the prime minister's wife saw this, she was puzzled: "Master, this is..."
“Oh, the Holy Spirit rewarded me.”
Seeing that Madam didn't believe it, Xu Xiang explained while stroking his beard: "Madam, I don't know, this thing has become an extremely rare thing in the capital. Your Majesty accidentally got a few pieces and gave them to General He and I as a reward in the early morning. .”
The prime minister’s wife choked and became more and more unbelievable:
“This canned orange was already tasted last year. Before winter this year, the Jinnan Palace sent someone to deliver canned pineapple. Your Majesty…”
"The prince is busy with official duties, so the gift delivery must have been handled by Xiaosi. She was ignorant and did not send it to the palace. You and I just keep this matter in our stomachs and don't talk about it outside."
In fact, it wasn't that Xu Yin didn't understand, but she also temporarily learned that the **** agency had picked up an **** not far from the capital and was going to transport a batch of silk there. By the way, she asked them to deliver some rock sugar and sugar newly developed this year to the Prime Minister's Palace. Canned pineapple and yellow peach. I also brought my brother a small toy that he might like.
I didn’t have time to prepare anything else. I thought it was just some cheap food, so I didn’t send it to the palace with much fanfare.
Central Beijing is too far away from Nanban. The guards who went to the palace to deliver New Year's gifts last year set out in early October. At that time, there was no soy sauce, only a few kilograms of brown sugar and white sugar obtained from experiments, and the canned food only had a single orange flavor.
The palace has very strict control over the food brought in from outside the palace. When Xu Yin prepared the gift list, she did not add any canned food, but she did find a lot of high-quality medicinal materials.
I didn’t expect to be disliked.
It is said that the prince said a few words in front of the emperor and told him about the medicinal materials sent as tribute from Beidi. The root system was thick and the medicine was very effective.
Then the emperor spoke, saying that the Southern Barbarians were not wealthy in the first place, and if they had anything, they should keep it for themselves and don't send it to the palace.
Tsk! Who are you looking down on!
Since the emperor didn't like it, Xu Yin didn't bother to prepare.
Having this time, it is better to cultivate a few more high-yielding grain varieties than to have a hot face and a cold butt.
As for the mother’s family, no matter what they send, the family will always ask the guards to bring back a cart of supplies.
They always feel that they are not living well in Nanman, so they send some supplies here every year.
It is only a matter of friendship that people come and go; if there is no contact, they will break off the relationship sooner or later.
No, when she learned that the **** agency was going to send escorts to Beijing, she quickly packed some newly developed and durable food and asked them to go to her parents' house.
The two canned pineapples and yellow peaches are newly released in mid-summer this year. There is not enough to sell in Nanman, so naturally there is no supply to Furong County and other areas in the Central Plains.
Xu Yin made this very clear in the letter, so the Prime Minister's Office did not send any of them out.
For married aunts and girls, only open a can for them after they return to their parents’ homes.
It can be stored in a cool and dry place for a year. Wouldn't it be delicious if you keep it and eat it slowly?
This is embarrassing.
Xu Xiang once again told his wife to cover the cans carefully and be careful if she wanted to eat them.
"I know." The prime minister's wife pressed her forehead, and once again realized that the fourth girl was acting out of tune, "Master, didn't you say you planned to retire and return to your hometown? Have you made a decision?"
"Soon!"
Xu Xiang vaguely guessed the emperor's thoughts.
I submitted my resignation last year, and if the emperor had approved it immediately, it would inevitably give people the feeling that he couldn't wait for Mr. Xu to resign and feel nostalgic for his hometown, so he waited for a year. I will give it one more performance before finalizing this year, and it will most likely be approved.
“Dad! Dad!”
Xu Zhe rushed in sweating profusely. When he saw his aunt was there, he quickly saluted and then jumped up to Xu Xiang:
"Dad, are you going to deliver something to the fourth sister? Then can you write a letter to the fourth sister for me? Tell her that I have been good recently. I listen to the master's lectures and practice my martial arts. And, I like the little pistol she gave me very much. It’s much more fun than a knife, but..."
At this point, he twisted his chubby fingers and said, "Can you bring a bigger one next time? This one is too small. My fingers can't fit into the wrench mentioned in her letter."
Xu Xiang twitched his lips: "That's because you are too fat! Don't always eat meat in your diet from now on."
Xu Zhe's fat face wrinkled into a bitter melon face: "How can I not eat meat? Can I grow taller if I don't eat it? I will be a general in the future! How can there be a general who is as short as a winter melon..."
Xu Xiang pinched his forehead with protruding veins: "You don't just have to be tall to be a general..."
“But the fourth sister said that all generals are tall and tall, and dwarfs can only be soldiers.”
"Humph! I don't care! Anyway, Dad, you must write what I said in a letter and tell the fourth sister! I won't tell you anymore, I'm going to practice martial arts!" After that, Dong Dong Dong disappeared.
Xu Xiang and his wife looked at each other helplessly. Neither of the siblings was worried.
“Speaking of which, Zhe’er’s health and bones have indeed improved a lot in the past two years. Aunt Liu hasn’t asked the government doctor much in the past two years, which has saved the government a lot of expenses.”
The Prime Minister’s wife smiled.
It is not easy to be a legitimate mother. If the children of a concubine are strong and healthy, it will also reflect her reputation.
Hearing this, Xiang Xu shook his head with a smile. It seems that being out of tune sometimes has its benefits.
East Palace.
The Crown Princess took the trouble to remind the Prince:
"I really don't want to send someone to check the origin of these cans? The news I got from you may be related to the Jinnan Palace..."
"So what if it has something to do with him? It's just some cheap food, what can it do?" The prince sneered disdainfully, "You just like to think too much. No wonder you have been married to Gu for so long but never got pregnant with Gu's legitimate son."
The prince left.
The princess was so angry that she clutched her chest and couldn't breathe.
She is planning everything for him, so it would be better for him...
If this man hadn't finally been on the throne in the previous life, how could she have chosen him as her husband? Simply stubborn!
After being angry, I couldn't help but frown, worried that if the canned goods were really the property of Jinnan Palace, the acquisition would not be feasible.
Yan Kejin's family is full of capable people, and there are actually some people who know how to do this.
It is easy to boil fruits into sugar water, but the difficult part is packaging. I wonder what the tough but thin can packaging is made of...
Xu Yin, who was far away in Nanman, sneezed.
Mammy was worried that she would catch cold, so she quickly got a thick brocade robe and put it on her.
Xu Yin wrapped her brocade robe tightly. The temperature had dropped a bit quickly. A while ago, she felt too hot wearing single clothes and a skirt. Now she still feels cold even though she is wrapped in a thick robe.
“Have you returned to your residence, Your Majesty?”
Mammy replied: "The prince has not come back yet, but he sent someone back to say that he will be there before dinner."
"Okay, let the kitchen prepare the food. Let's heat up a pot today and I'll make some warm soup."
"yes."
After soaking in the hot spring, she felt much warmer. Xu Yin wrapped herself in a cotton robe and prepared a plate of dipping sauce by herself. As soon as she finished her work, she saw Yan Kejin hurried back to eat with her.
“Very cold?”
He took her hand, rubbed it, and used his warm, dry hands to warm her.
“It’s winter and I’m free. Do you want to go to Qin County? It’s warm there.”
"now go?"
"Why not? The gold mine opened in Qianzhong on October 1st has a large reserve. This is all due to the princess. No reward is too high. It is just a winter in Qin County."
Xu Yin was also very happy after hearing this. There was another gold mine and more workshops could be opened. When quartz mines are mined, glass can be made.
"But the look on your face when you came in didn't sound like you had good news. Did you have any other troublesome matters?"
There is bad news. The **** agency encountered a wave of bandits on the way to deliver goods.
"Fortunately, our people robbed the bandits. That hilltop used to be the most troublesome bandit mountain in Qianzhong County. We never went there unless we had to. Now that we have defeated the bandits, we have done something for the local people." It’s a real thing.”
The mountain road was so rugged that the wheels of the carriage shook and fell apart, and about half the carriage of cans was lost.
Yan Kejin showed a bit of annoyance after speaking.
Xu Yin reached out to smooth his frown in a funny way: "It's just a few cans. The prince is the man who dug a gold mine overnight."
"That's different! This can, whether it's packaging or the preparation of sugar water, was all made with great effort by the princess. Not to mention half a car, both of us feel heartbroken."
Xu Yin's heart felt warm after hearing this, and she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his chin.
The latter took advantage of the situation and wanted to seek more comfort, but saw her stroking her palm: "That's right!"
She suddenly thought that the technology for using rubber on ships had matured. Could it be possible to produce tires?
With rubber tires, the stability of the carriage will be better.
The experience of cement road with rubber tires is not as good as that of asphalt road, but in this era, it can be described as perfect.
Yan Kejin saw that she had not said enough, and wanted to find charcoal to draw a drawing on the spot. All her charming thoughts flew away, and she hugged her in a dumbfounded voice:
“Let’s wait until Qin Bei comes back to do this.”
Xu Yin thought about it. This work is estimated to take another ten and a half days, and the electric motor that pulls the cart needs to be redesigned.
“When we come back, we will open a two-wheel and three-wheel non-motor vehicle workshop.”
Yan Kejin: “…”
Have you heard or not understood?
But...as long as the princess is happy.
(End of this chapter)