Daming: Mixed in Dangzhi County, Beiping

Chapter 171 Never trade at a loss

Guo An smiled lightly and said, "Your Highness, the few words you cursed at the gate of the palace a few months ago have already offended all the scholars in the south, so why worry about it?
Besides... Anyway, Weichen thinks you are overthinking.

No matter how big the academy is, it can only affect Beiping Prefecture at most, and then several prefectures in Shanxi and Shandong... Even if His Highness's academy has 1 students, it is only a drop in the bucket for the entire Ming Dynasty. "

"..."

Zhu Di just wanted to get angry, but soon he figured it out, and his face brightened, "This statement is reasonable, as long as we can train more scholars for our family, even if it costs tens of thousands of taels of silver every year, it will be worth it."

Guo An looked at Zhu Di strangely, "His Royal Highness, when did you see that I have lost money?"

"Ok?"

Zhu Di's eyes lit up, and he looked at Guo An in disbelief.

"Guo Qing, is it possible that you can still make money in the academy?"

Guo Andao: "Your Highness, I feel that in the library, I can earn at least thousands of taels of silver every year."

"Oh?"

Now, not only Zhu Di, but also Monk Daoyan and Jin Zhong looked at Guo An in astonishment.

"Guo Qing, the entire library and even the entire academy are completely free, how can you make money?"

Guo An said: "Your Highness, there are currently tens of thousands of books in the library, and there must be many scholars who come here every day."

Zhu Di nodded slightly, "It's natural, even the collections of books in the homes of those aristocratic families are less than one percent of the collections in our library."

"Your Highness is wise."

Guo An nodded slightly. Scholars in this era are also very well-read. In order to read more books and know more allusions, they can really do anything.

"Therefore, we only need to provide some pastries and tea in the library every day. Do you think those scholars would want to eat some tea and pastries after reading books for an hour or two hours without eating or drinking?" With snacks?"

Zhu Di's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "According to the pampered urine habits of those scholars, they will definitely eat."

Guo An said: "If so, wouldn't that make money?"

On the side, Jin Zhong asked with some doubts: "But Chang Shi, what if those scholars bring pastries and tea in by themselves?"

Guo An smiled slightly, "In order to keep the library clean and peaceful, no foreign tea, cakes, and snacks are allowed to be brought in. In addition, even the book boys behind the scholars are not allowed to enter."

Jin Zhong: "..."

Well, after following Guo Changshi for so long, he is still a little innocent and kind.

Zhu Di obviously still had some unfinished business, and asked again: "What else?"

Guo An said: "The entire academy's meals are usually free for ordinary meals, which are provided for scholars from poor families.

However, some delicacies require a fee.

Among the scholars, people from the gentry family still make up the majority, and they can all afford it. "

"Very much."

Zhu Di nodded, and asked again: "What else?"

Guo An said directly and enthusiastically, "Weichen has bought the land of three miles around the entire academy again.

It is planned to open a few shops selling the four treasures of the study at the entrance of the academy, as well as a few tea shops, restaurants, and invite some women to play the piano... so many scholars gather together, there will inevitably be many scholars who will be inspired.

Coupled with the fact that they don't lack money, the business of these shops will definitely be very hot! "

"In addition, build some houses around the academy...Your Highness, the academy is the residence of Beiping, and even the place where the great Confucian scholars and scholars in the north of the Ming Dynasty gather most, and the style of writing is extremely prosperous.

If they settled here, wouldn't it be possible to give the children of each family a little bit of culture?
Your Highness, although these houses are only three or four miles away from Wanping County, but after these houses are completed, there is no need to worry about selling them..."

Zhu Di was overwhelmed when he heard that, Guo Qing was worthy of being the chief recruiter of the Prince Yan's Mansion, just building an academy, he had already calculated clearly the inside and outside of the academy, as well as the minds of the scholars in the north of the Ming Dynasty.

Thinking of the expression of gratitude to Guo Qing and him from the scholars below, Zhu Di didn't know whether to feel sorry for those scholars, or should he fully support Guo Qing?
Although he felt that such a calculation was a bit incompetent, Zhu Di felt a little excited and excited when he thought of earning so much money.

On the side, Monk Daoyan's eyelids twitched, this boy was even more ruthless than him, and he was not a son of man.

As for Jin Zhong and the others, they wished they didn't have long ears!

Guo Changshi, who is admired by tens of thousands of scholars, counts these yellow and white vulgar things in such a holy place?

"What kind of eyes are you guys seeing?"

Guo An looked around, with an angry and aggrieved expression on his face.

"Our Prince Yan's Mansion spent tens of thousands of taels of silver, and we spent so much effort to build the academy with thousands of craftsmen and young adults...

And this library, in order to search for these books, we used so many reading glasses and confiscated a penny. How much money did we lose in exchange for a library with so many books? ...

Moreover, for those great Confucian scholars and masters, how much salary does our Yan Palace give them every year?

In this way, shouldn't we earn some money from these scholars and subsidize the Yan Palace? ..."

"Also, how many rare books are there in this library? These are priceless treasures for any scholar... Besides, we provide them with delicious food and comfortable services, and we didn't force them to spend money, right?
All this is their voluntary?
Doesn't each of them have hundreds of acres of land in their homes?With so much silver income every year, if they are far away in the academy, wouldn't it be a waste if they don't spend the money? ..."

Hearing this, the corners of Zhu Di and Dao Yan couldn't help twitching.

Jin Zhong bowed his hands to Guo An with a face of shame and apologized, "I also ask Guo Changshi to forgive me, it's because of my impure heart that I misunderstood Guo Changshi."

"No problem, no problem."

Guo An waved his hand very generously, "It's just a few trivial things, but Shizhong needs to worry about the management of the college in the future."

Jin Zhong was taken aback, "Chang Shi, let the villain run the academy?"

As he spoke, he couldn't help looking at Zhu Di who was at the side.

Guo An smiled slightly, and said: "The academy is so big, there are so many things to do, and we have to build houses and shops around the academy. I will leave these trivial matters to you, so I can rest assured."

With such a capable and reassuring laborer by his side, he would not tire himself out.

Zhu Di also nodded his head slightly. After such a long time, Zhu Di has already admired Jin Zhong's ability.

Jin Zhong hurriedly said: "Please rest assured, Your Highness and Chang Shi, the villain will definitely take good care of the academy."

"Very good!"

Guo An nodded in satisfaction, "When the surrounding shops and houses are completed, I ask His Highness to give you a reward."

So straightforward?

Jin Zhong couldn't help but look embarrassed, but deep in his heart he still had some expectation.

On the contrary, Zhu Di was already used to Guo An's straightforward style of doing things, so he nodded slowly, agreeing.

Jin Zhong was overjoyed immediately, "My villain, thank you Your Highness!"

"Ok?"

Suddenly, Guo An kept his eyes fixed, staring straight at several figures not far away, as if he had discovered something incredible.

"Guo Qing, what surprised you so much?"

Zhu Di couldn't help asking curiously.

Guo An hurriedly bowed his hands slightly to Zhu Di and saluted, "Your Highness, forgive me, I seem to have seen my father and father-in-law, please excuse me."

After finishing speaking, he walked to a small cubicle on the sixth floor in the distance.

Behind them, Zhu Di, Dao Yan and others looked at Guo An curiously.

But they knew that Guo An's father and father-in-law seemed to be still in their hometown in Shunde Mansion, so how could they see it in the library?
And Guo An squeezed through a group of scholars, came to the door of a small cubicle, looked at the three middle-aged people in the cubicle, and hurriedly saluted.

"Ning Yi has seen father, father-in-law, and Uncle Nie. I don't know when father and father-in-law came to Beiping Mansion. Why didn't you tell Ning Yi?"

In the cubicle, Guo's father, Liu Weiyuan, and Nie Zishi looked at Guo An who appeared at the door of the cubicle, they couldn't help staring, and there was a little guilty conscience of being caught on the spot for doing bad things.

After a long while, Father Guo explained: "Father and brother Liu haven't been to Beiping Mansion for a long time, and they just arrived today. I just heard that the academy you built is open, so we came to take a look at it. You are busy with business. I didn't tell you."

On the side, Liu Weiyuan also said to Guo An with a full face of admiration, "Such a huge library is open to all scholars for free, Ning Yi has immeasurable merit!"

"Father-in-law is too famous. The academy can be built only thanks to the support of His Royal Highness Yan Wang." Guo An hurriedly said humbly.

"You kid..."

Liu Huiyuan smiled helplessly, then looked at Father Guo who was beside him, "Brother Zhongshi, you gave birth to a good son!"

"Brother Liu also got a good son-in-law." Father Guo stroked his beard with a satisfied expression.

On the side, Nie Zishi also said: "That's right, in the entire Beiping Mansion, who doesn't know the name of Guo An, Guo Changshi, the right-hand man of Yan Wang's mansion?

Although the old man is the chief envoy of the Beiping government, he only makes those common people and merchants afraid, but he has never had such sincere admiration? "

"Especially the library building under my feet. There are so many books and the complete collection of books. I am afraid that apart from the capital, there is no place in the whole of Ming Dynasty that can compare with it."

"Blessed are the people of Beiping Mansion."

"The old Guo family's generation is expected to prosper..."

After a series of compliments, the awkward atmosphere brought by Guo An disappeared without a trace.

Guo An quickly said: "Uncle Nie, Mr. Yue Zhang must not praise Ning Yi like this. Ning Yi just built an academy and has not yet reached the height of his ancestors."

"..."

Immediately, Nie Zishi, Liu Huiyuan, and Father Guo all fell silent.

Guo An was taken aback, "Uncle Nie, Lord Yuezhang, it's a pity that Ning Yi said something wrong?"

Father Guo patted Guo An's shoulder lightly, with a look of relief on his face, "Good boy, you don't have to put so much pressure on yourself..."

Guo An: "..."

Liu Huiyuan also said with a gentle face: "Ning Yi, with this academy alone, you can be famous as a man of scholars, with disciples all over Ming Dynasty."

Guo An shook his head slightly: "The students of the academy are all students of His Highness, Ning Yi dare not have any delusional thoughts"

As he said that, Guo An couldn't help but think of something, and asked, "I don't know if Mr. Yuezhang is willing to sacrifice wine for the academy?"

"Sacrifice wine?"

Liu Huiyuan was startled, then slowly shook his head, "Ning Yi's kindness is appreciated, but I miss my house and will leave in a few days, so I'm not suitable for offering wine to the academy."

Guo An said with some regret: "In this case, then Ning Yi will ask His Royal Highness King Yan to find another person."

"Is this the intention of His Highness King Yan?"

Liu Huiyuan and Nie Zishi all looked at Guo An in astonishment.

Guo An explained: "His Royal Highness Yan Wang did not know about this, but His Royal Highness Yan Wang is in the corridor next door.

If Lord Yuezhang is interested, we can immediately introduce Yuezhang to His Royal Highness King Yan, presumably based on Lord Yuezhang's reputation, His Royal Highness King Yan also agrees. "

"His Royal Highness King Yan actually trusts Ning Yi so much?"

Liu Huiyuan and Father Guo couldn't help being surprised again.

The academy is such an important place, how could Guo An decide a seat for offering wine?
……

(End of this chapter)