Wild North America 1846

Chapter 160
A few important matters were arranged today. After Alan-Maupassant, Financial Commissioner Huang Yuanqing, Economic Commissioner Chen Cailiang and others all left, Li Cha still didn't feel tired at all, so he stood up and walked out.

Today's King Li Cha has military, political, and economic powers in one body, taking care of all important domestic affairs, and has a lot of affairs.

Therefore, the royal secretariat was established, which is similar to the role of the Tang Kingdom's internal affairs chief steward, and its importance is beyond doubt.

The first secretary-general was Gu Yan, who was originally a Jinshi. He had served as a seventh-rank parental official in one party, and a sixth-rank official in the Inspectorate. However, he was convicted and imprisoned for offending the Manchu nobles in the capital.

This man is full of knowledge, and at the age of 37, he has seen through the darkness of the Manchu court. By chance, he came to North America to seek development...

Gu Yan, with the word "Qing'an", is currently the Secretary-General of the Royal Secretariat of the Tang Dynasty.

"Brother Qing'an, you and I have nothing to do today, how about going out for a private visit?" Li Cha beckoned to Gu Yan, and said with great interest.

Gu Yan is an old bureaucrat who has been in the ups and downs of the officialdom for many years, of course he will not dampen His Majesty's interest, and said with a respectful smile; "Since Your Majesty is so elegant, Qing'an should accompany you, but I just dare to ask Your Majesty to cover it up a little, so as not to alarm you. It is not beautiful to become a mobilizer for the common people.”

"Hehe...wait for a while."

in a while
When Li Cha came out again, his face had changed drastically. He was followed by Major Tian Mantun, an aide to the royal family. Both of them were dressed as ordinary people, which didn't look surprising.

Gu Yan is not surprised to see His Majesty's ingenious disguise technique, he has long been psychologically immune, but at this moment, he still can't help being amazed when he sees it, and can't help but take a few more glances.

"Don't look at it, brother Qing'an, even if you look at it, you won't be able to learn it. You have to have a kung fu foundation that you have practiced since you were a child. It is too late for you to learn it now, and your muscles are all stiff."

"Your Majesty, your skills are amazing!"

"Hehehe... let's go, talk while walking if you have anything to do."

"Qing'an would like to obey the holy edict."

Although Li Cha is a king, he is a small country with few people. The court rules are not as strict as the Eastern Shenzhou Empire, and the etiquette is serious. Instead, it can be simplified as much as possible. It is more inclined to the daily life of the European court, but it has also absorbed ancient oriental customs. Melt into one.

Today, the population of the Tang Kingdom is only over 70, and it is beginning to take shape as a new kingdom, and it will be placed in Eastern China. This size is also a prosperous and developed state capital.

Li Cha has always disliked red tape, so naturally everything should be kept simple.

get out
Not far ahead is a bustling market. The market is full of people, and it is really lively. Because of the pleasant climate, many families go out together.

The woman is holding the child in her arms, and the man is walking in front with square steps, shopping along the street, or listening to the theater for entertainment, and there are joyful scenes everywhere.

Li Cha was walking and strolling on the street, Gu Qing'an was one step behind and walked beside him, Major Tian Mantun led a few guard officers in civilian clothes, and followed behind with a distance of four or five to ten steps, as far as possible Avoid drawing attention to yourself.

As Li Cha walked and looked, the shops on the market were much richer than a few months ago, and the products were also very rich, selling silk cloth, lacquerware, porcelain, folding fan lanterns, bamboo baskets, bamboo baskets, bamboo handicrafts, wave drums, and bacon rice dumplings. It's all-encompassing and really an eye-opener.

Many of the commodities here are East Asian commodities that flowed into the Tang Kingdom along the frequent North Pacific route, which confirms the deepening of the trade between the two sides from one side.

For example, the price of a bamboo basket is 1.5 Tang yuan, and a bamboo basket is 1.2 Tang yuan. This price is more than ten times more expensive than that of China Mainland, but the sales are still very good.

Zongzi bacon must be produced locally, such as this kind of Zongzi leaves, which are made of broad-leaved reeds that are a specialty of North America. The plump Zongzi are tied up in strings and hung on the front of the store, which looks very appetizing.

There were quite a few people buying at the entrance of the shop, and Li Cha couldn't help but gesture to the guard officer behind him, asking them to buy some and bring them back to the Jinghu Palace. This is the taste of his hometown!
not long ago
Li Cha unexpectedly discovered a newly opened Ningbo soup dumpling shop, which immediately aroused his strong interest, he held out his hand and said, "Brother Qing'an, I must try this! I wonder if there is any authentic brewed sweet-scented osmanthus dumplings." , I can’t remember how long I haven’t eaten.”

"Young master, I think this store dares to play the sign of Ningbo Tangtuan restaurant. It must be a bit capable. Qing'an is not talented, so he is willing to find out for the young master for the sake of taking risks."

"Hehe... How can such an interesting thing be enjoyed alone? Go together, go together."

"Young master, please."

Taking advantage of their interest, the two walked into the store talking and laughing.

Ningbo Tangtuan Shop is just a snack bar, and there is no waiter from the hotel restaurant to come out to greet, and the shop is filled with a scent of cakes.

The ready-made cakes are red, green, and yellow, and they are placed crystal clear on the green lotus leaves. They can be eaten at home or bought back to enjoy slowly.

The bosses are two Chinese brothers who work in the store with several Indian women, two of whom are pregnant and have already shown their pregnancy.

Needless to say, it must be the woman who bought it in Taoyuan City.

Now is the leisure time of the day, there are not many people in the shop, Li Cha and Gu Yan walked in and sat down, one of the 30-year-old Chinese shop owner put down his work and patted the rice noodles that were stained on his hands , came over with a smile on his face and asked;
"Two guest officers, what do you want?"

"Hehe... Where is the boss from?" Li Cha was not in a hurry to order a bowl of gnocchi, but asked with great interest.

The shop owner glanced at Li Cha, who was not surprising, and felt that this person had extremely bright eyes.He glanced at Gu Yan who was next to him with a refined demeanor, he was a bit confused about what the two were doing, he hesitated and didn't answer.

Seeing this, Gu Yan immediately opened his mouth and said, "Be careful when you answer, this is our young master."

Although Gu Yan was wearing ordinary clothes, he couldn't hide the refined temperament revealed in his bones. Coupled with his age of nearly forty, he didn't look like an ordinary person.

The people who open the door to do business have a little bit of eyesight. Seeing that this mediocre young man turned out to be the young owner, the Chinese shop owner did not dare to neglect, bowed respectfully, and replied; "Return to the two guests In other words, the younger brothers are from Ningbo Prefecture, surnamed Wu, I am Wu San, and the one who is busy is my brother, named Wu Liuer. "

Li Cha never wanted to ask a question, but he had to take advantage of Gu Yan's momentum, and he couldn't help but feel awkward, and immediately put it down, and continued to ask; "This is a good job, what year did you two come here?" Yes, aren’t most immigrants bonded labor?”

"Returning to the young master, my brother-in-law and I are not bonded workers, but self-funded immigrants who landed in North America in May last year."

"Oh, then you are very courageous!"

"If you go back to the young master's house, there is even the slightest possibility. Who wants to abandon their family and children and go overseas to find a way out?"

Having said this, Wu San showed a look of emotion on his face, and replied seriously;

"Our Wu family in Ningbo has been craftsmen for generations. Since our ancestors, we have worked hard and kept a low profile. Although the generations have not been rich or powerful, they are also well-off.

It is a pity that there are unforeseen circumstances in the sky, and people have good and bad luck.

Since a land-grabbing magistrate came to Ningbo Mansion three years ago, in Yurou Township, the exploitation of the people is especially vicious.

Many well-to-do families were forced to sell their sons and daughters, and many well-known families ransacked their homes and lost their properties. Even us craftsmen who have always been indifferent to the world were not spared.

Those who were oppressed by corrupt officials couldn't survive anymore, so they had to bite the bullet and sell their property and houses, and went overseas to struggle for a way out. "

When Wu San'er said these words, Wu Liu'er, who was not far away, had already stopped what he was doing, sobbing and shrugging his shoulders with tears all over his face, presumably those suffering years and the family members who died in the hands of the gangsters floated in his heart, and his emotions were uncontrollable.

Seeing this scene, Li Cha knew that the question just now had aroused the pain in the hearts of the Wu brothers, so he couldn't ask further.

Of these Chinese who have been displaced overseas, whose heart is not covered with blood and tears?
He sighed and said;
"It's Li who is taking the liberty. I hope the store is not to blame. Looking at the beacon fires everywhere in Shenzhou, you can see that the dark and corrupt rule of the Manchu Tartars is exhausted, and it is already unsustainable.

But the so-called centipede is dead but not stiff.

The reign of the Qing Dynasty in China is not exhausted. Even if uprisings occur one after another in various places, it is still difficult to shake the overall situation in a short period of time.

It is a blessing that you brothers have such courage to go out to sea.

Datang Kingdom is a newly emerging kingdom dominated by Chinese immigrants. Here, you can flex your muscles as much as you want without worrying about being exploited by corrupt officials.

Wang Guoxinjin has launched a reporting system. Any business or enterprise that suffers from unfair treatment can report to the mailbox of the police station, and its legitimate rights and interests are protected by law.

Perhaps the laws of the kingdom are not yet perfect, but as long as time passes, it will surely be able to create a fair and just market environment that is conducive to business and ensure that citizens' property rights are not violated.

After the rule of law is established..."

Li Cha was talking along his train of thought, when he inadvertently raised his head and glanced at Wu San, seeing him looking at him in confusion, with two big question marks in his eyes.

Apparently, what Li Cha said was too profound, brothers Wu San and Wu Liu'er, who didn't know a lot of Chinese characters, were stunned when they heard it, and couldn't fully understand the meaning inside.

Only then did Li Cha wake up, what he was facing were only two ignorant shopkeepers, not one courtier selected from a million, his words were a bit of a parody.

So, he coughed twice and said, "Don't worry shopkeeper, life will definitely be more and more exciting, uh...do you have authentic osmanthus glutinous rice balls made with fermented rice and glutinous rice, please come and serve me and Brother Qing'an." bowl."

"Oh... yes, yes, thank you, Young Master, for your good words. Please sit down for a while, and I'll be here soon;" Wu San understood it now, and quickly replied with a smile, then turned around and went to work.

not for a while
Ningbo glutinous rice balls exuding a strong aroma of fermented osmanthus were served. Finger-sized snow-white glutinous rice balls floated in the bowl, and there were occasional dots of fermented osmanthus.

scoop a spoon into the mouth

The tender glutinous rice dumplings are accompanied by the slightly sweet and unique aroma of fermented sweet-scented osmanthus, and a strong sense of nostalgia arises spontaneously.

This taste is so authentic!

After drinking a bowl of glutinous rice balls with fermented osmanthus, I felt the warmth in my lower abdomen, and I had a little extra energy for shopping.

out of this shop
Li Cha and Gu Qing'an's eyes met, and the two couldn't help smiling, Gu Qing'an raised his hands and clasped his fists in salute, and said, "Young master, Qing'an has the courage to recommend himself, and is willing to do his best to understand the needs of the people, please accept your promise."

"Okay, then you can ask."

Li Cha knew that he was not good at this, so he might as well leave it to Gu Yan.

as expected
Gu Yan, who has had many years of ups and downs in the officialdom, is very good at observing words and demeanor, knowing what His Majesty wants to know about private visits in disguise?
Walking and stopping along the street shops, you have to go in and sit for a while when you meet bars and teahouses, and even the lantern shop and coffin shop have to go in and have a chat with the shopkeepers.

What is said, what is said, is the day-to-day, but inadvertently reflects the kingdom's market management, taxation, business conditions, and other important issues.

Along the way, Gu Yan picked up questions that Li Cha wanted to know, and he had a refined temperament, and he naturally carried an aura of superiority, so he could easily get the truth out of the mouth of the shop owner.

For example, in Taoyuan City, the business of brothels and brothels is generally relatively light, which is quite different from the coastal cities in the Kingdom.

This is because there is no shortage of women in Taoyuan City. Any Chinese family has several concubines, one or two less, and five or six more.

Secondly, in the early days of starting a business, and now the climax of formal colonization and land reclamation, most of the hardworking Chinese spend their energy in the farmland and pastures outside the valley.

Even if the Chinese have some money in their pockets, there are so many aunts and children in the family who have to eat and dress, and save money to buy a house and buy a house.

There is some confusion in market management. The economic department of the kingdom is temporarily unable to set up a special market organization, and the police station and taxation department are not yet sound.

It is specifically reflected in the swarm of charges, and when encountering troubles with merchants, they push [-], and no one wants to get involved.

It appears that this is an important issue that needs to be addressed urgently.

Now there have been signs of multi-management, but in fact no one is managing, involving taxation, public security, sanitation, shop regulation and urban management.

wander the streets
You can often see some older Indian women sweeping the streets with brooms and dustpans, and the streets are always kept clean and tidy.

This is the biggest characteristic of the city management of Datang Kingdom.

Li Cha hated the dirty and messy environment in the city. Every time a new town was built in the Tang Kingdom, it had to build relatively complete urban sewer facilities, even if it cost more municipal funds.

A clean city, clean sanitation, dotted city gardens and a public toilet not far away are the biggest features of the new towns of the Tang Kingdom, which are completely different from the dirty and messy environment of American towns.

Note; the old father at home is hospitalized, and the author has been accompanying him in the hospital. The update has been a bit crotch these few days. This is my fault.Now the operation has been completed and is recovering, and the update will be resumed as soon as possible in the near future, thank you!

(End of this chapter)