Daming: I can’t kill such a greedy prince-in-law?

"I didn't say anything." Ouyang Lun raised his glass and took a sip. The wine wet his lips, shining cunningly under the candlelight.

The old emperor suddenly laughed so hard that he started coughing, which frightened Zhu Yunwen so much that he patted him on the back. "Good! Great Ouyang Lun!" He wiped away the tears from his laughter, "If we had your thoughts back then, we could have saved 100,000 lives in the battle against Chen Youliang!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's beard trembled, and he suddenly grabbed Ouyang Lun's hand and said, "Good son-in-law! Teach me!" The old emperor's palms were burning hot, "How should we go about this business?"

Ouyang Lun looked out the window at the gradually brightening sky: "First, build your own cotton fields; second, control the transportation routes; third" he turned his head and looked directly at Zhu Yuanzhang, "always be half a step ahead of the market."

The old emperor looked at his son-in-law and suddenly drank the wine in one gulp: "Let's issue an order tomorrow! Allocate 100,000 acres of official land in Jiangnan to plant cotton!"

"Not appropriate." Ouyang Lun shook his head. "The taxes on government farmland are too heavy, and cotton farmers cannot make any profit."

"That"

"How about this." Ouyang Lun dipped his wine in the wine and drew a circle on the table. "The court provides the land, the merchants provide the seeds, and the harvest is split in half. After three years, the cotton fields belong to the farmers."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up: "Great! The court doesn't have to pay for this, and the people can benefit!" He suddenly frowned, "But where do the seeds come from?"

Ouyang Lun smiled and took out a brocade bag from his sleeve, and poured out a few special cotton seeds: "This is what I got from a Persian merchant. This cotton has long fibers and the yield per mu is three times that of ordinary cotton."

The morning light shone through the window lattice onto the cotton seeds, which had an ivory luster. Zhu Yuanzhang carefully picked up a seed and seemed to see countless snow-white cotton balls swaying in the wind.

"Good!" The old emperor suddenly slammed the table, "Let's do it!" He turned to Wang Zhong, "Speak to the emperor about this early tomorrow. Wait!" He suddenly remembered something and looked at Ouyang Lun suspiciously, "You kid, you haven't even stockpiled cotton seeds, have you?"

Ouyang Lun smiled without answering, but pushed the brocade bag in front of Zhu Yuanzhang.

In the dim morning light, the gilded signboard of Heaven on Earth was still covered with dewdrops.

Two drunken figures staggered out of the door, startling the swallows sleeping under the eaves.

"Good son-in-law! Keep drinking!" Zhu Yuanzhang's dragon robe was half stained with wine, but he still hugged Ouyang Lun's neck tightly, "We still have three jars of Western wine that haven't been opened yet!"

Ouyang Lun's jade crown was tilted to his ears, his face flushed: "Madam, your Majesty is so magnanimous that I, your son-in-law, am humbled by your presence." Before he could finish his words, Zhu Yuanzhang pulled him and he staggered, and the two of them almost fell into the drainage ditch on the side of the road.

The Jinyiwei who was accompanying him wanted to help him, but was waved away by Zhu Yuanzhang: "Get away! We need to have a private talk with our son-in-law!" The old emperor came close to Ouyang Lun's ear, reeking of alcohol, and his voice was so loud that the whole street could hear it: "I'll tell you a secret. We have hidden... hiccups... twenty jars of Maotai in Fengyang!"

Ouyang Lun raised three fingers with drunken eyes: "Your Highness will exchange it for three steam engines!"

"Deal!" Zhu Yuanzhang slapped his son-in-law on the back, making Ouyang Lun almost vomit.

"Hey, that's not right. Where did you get the Maotai from, Your Majesty? It can't be a fake Maotai! Only the wine in my cellar is the real Maotai!"

"Bullshit! Of course ours is the real Maotai! We dug those tunnels there."

"Tunneling? Where?"

"Well, I didn't go anywhere. Anyway, our place is really a Maotai!"

"Maotai, I have plenty, change one."

The two of them walked arm in arm, crossing the Qinhuai River like street hooligans, scaring the early-rising vendors into giving way.

One of the old emperor's boots had fallen off at some point, but he was still singing the Fengyang Flower Drum, so out of tune that even the mule pulling the cart was shaking its ears.

When they reached Chengtian Gate, the generals defending the city were about to kneel down and kowtow, but Zhu Yuanzhang sprayed him with alcohol in his face: "No need to be polite! Can't you see we are busy!" Suddenly, his legs went weak and he hung on Ouyang Lun, "Lun'er, what about the cotton field?"

"Madam, please be careful on the steps!" Ouyang Lun staggered and held onto the palace wall, the jade pendant on his waist jingling. He tried to keep the last bit of consciousness, but when he turned around, Zhu Yuanzhang's jade belt hook entangled his sleeves, and the two of them were twisted like a dough stick.

"Chongpachi!"

"Husband!"

Two exclamations sounded at the same time.

Empress Ma and Princess Anqing ran down the steps of the clan house, holding up their skirts, followed by a group of flustered palace maids and eunuchs.

Empress Ma quickly supported the shaky Zhu Yuanzhang, but her husband grabbed her shoulders and said, "Sister! We have found a good son-in-law for you!" The old emperor pointed at Ouyang Lun proudly, his fingertips drawing a shadow in the air, "This kid is not only knowledgeable, but also smart and good at business! He is good enough to be the son-in-law of our Zhu family!"

Princess Anqing blushed and went to support Ouyang Lun, but saw her husband suddenly sit up straight and bow solemnly towards the palace wall: "Your servant pays respects to the Supreme Emperor." Before he finished speaking, he fell forward and was held up by the princess's shoulder.

"Mother!" Princess Anqing stamped her feet anxiously, "How many times has this happened?"

Empress Ma shook her head helplessly and stretched out her hand to tie up Zhu Yuanzhang's messy belt: "Chongba, you promised me that you would not drink until dawn again." Her fingertips suddenly touched a hard object and she took out a handful of cotton seeds from her husband's sleeve, "This is..."

"Baby!" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly perked up and whispered mysteriously to his wife, "It can be exchanged for 200,000 sets of military uniforms!"

Ouyang Lun heard this and interrupted drunkenly: "Mother-in-law, you are right. Yes, it is 300,000 sets." "Shut up!" Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head and glared at him, "We said 200,000, so it's 200,000!"

Empress Ma looked at this funny couple, feeling both angry and amused. She winked at the eunuchs, and two sedan chairs were immediately brought in. However, Zhu Yuanzhang refused to get in, insisting on dragging Ouyang Lun to continue drinking the "sobering tea".

“Father!” Princess Anqing’s eyes turned red with anxiety. “My husband can’t even stand steadily!”

"Nonsense!" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly grabbed Ouyang Lun's arm, "Look! How energetic our son-in-law is!" As a result, he used too much force and both of them fell into the sedan chair, forcing the sedan bearer to take three steps back.

Queen Ma sighed and stepped forward to separate the two.

The old emperor's hand was still tightly grasping the corner of his son-in-law's clothes, and the sound of cloth tearing was particularly clear in the morning light.

"My good son-in-law, I will take you to see Maotai tomorrow. You need two, not three, steam looms from us!" Zhu Yuanzhang's voice gradually became lower, and he finally collapsed in the sedan chair and began to snore.

Ouyang Lun struggled to stand up and salute, but was held down by Princess Anqing: "Still showing off!" The princess poked his forehead in a reproachful tone, but eased her pressure when she felt a burning sensation, "I'll go back and make you some hangover soup."

Since Zhuji Clothing Shop and Nike stopped fighting among themselves and joined forces, the clothing industry in the Ming Dynasty has ushered in an unprecedented transformation.

In just one month, new short jackets, improved cloth shoes, and lightweight trousers swept across the north and south like a spring breeze, not only changing people's dressing habits, but also driving the vigorous development of the entire industrial chain.

The first people to feel the changes were the common people in the capital.

At the early morning market, the tofu seller Old Wang changed out of his brown gown that he had worn for five years for the first time ever, and replaced it with an indigo-colored "convenient shorts". The sleeves of the gown were tight, and the hem only reached the waist, so it would not get soaked by tofu water while working. What's even better is that there are two hidden pockets on the chest, one for copper coins and the other for handkerchiefs, so he no longer has to stuff all the sundries into his belt like before.

"Old Wang, your new clothes are so smart!" Aunt Zhang, who was selling vegetables next door, said with bright eyes, "Where did you buy them? How much did they cost?"

"The new style from Zhuji Clothing Shop is only 280 wen!" Old Wang turned around proudly, "It uses Nike's 'flying cotton'. I heard it is woven on a new loom from Nanyang. It is much more breathable than the old coarse cloth!"

Such conversations were heard in the streets and alleys of Yingtianfu. In front of the branch of Zhuji Clothing Shop, which used to be deserted, there was now a long queue. A striking wooden sign hung at the door of the shop: "New summer shorts, starting at 280 wen." The waiter stood on a stool and shouted: "Today's special offer is the 'cool style', with breathable mesh under the armpits, so you won't sweat when you work!"

Changes are not only happening in the market. The students of the Imperial College found that the usually conservative Jijiu Lord was wearing a modified straight gown to teach today. This straight gown retains the elegant shape, but is tightened at the cuffs and hem, so that it will not stain ink when writing and will not be tripped by the threshold when walking. What is even more surprising is that what Jijiu Lord took out from his sleeve was not the traditional bamboo slips, but a thread-bound book with a cover made of "Nike" new fabric.

"You all saw it, didn't you?" the chief priest stroked his beard and said, "The way of sages is to apply knowledge to the world. This improvement in clothing is the principle of 'keeping pace with the times.'"

The trend of clothing reform soon swept across all walks of life. Porters at the docks changed into wear-resistant "overalls" with a thick layer of cloth sewn at the knees, so they no longer had to mend their pants every month as before. Doctors at medical clinics wore "white coats" made of "easy-to-clean cloth" specially made by Nike, which could be wiped clean of drug stains.

The most lively place is the "Garment Street" along the Qinhuai River.

In just half a month, more than 20 new shops have popped up here. There is "Luo Qixuan" which specializes in women's clothing, focusing on improved skirts, which keep the traditional charm while shortening the skirt to facilitate women's travel; there is "Zhiziju" which focuses on children's clothing, and launched "growth pants" that can adjust the trouser legs according to the height of the child; there is also a shop called "Jianbufang" which specializes in "light shoes" with Nanyang rubber soles, which make walking much lighter than traditional cloth shoes.

This revolution not only changed the way people dressed, but also gave birth to a whole new industry. The newly built "Tiangong Textile Workshop" outside Suzhou City was running day and night, with 30 improved looms "clicking" and spitting out cotton threads. The owner, Mr. Li, pointed to the piles of cloth in the warehouse and said, "The cloth we produce in one day now is equivalent to the cloth we produced in a month in the past!"

The cotton farmers in Songjiang Prefecture were grinning from ear to ear. Cotton, which used to be hard to sell, is now in great demand. Buyers sent by Nike weigh and pay directly at the farm. Old cotton farmer Zhang counted the money and said, "This year, the harvest from my ten mu of cotton fields is 30% more than last year, and the price has increased by 20%!"

The most amazing change is in the job market. The job postings at the entrance of the Yingtian government office were crowded every day: "Dyeing workshop recruits workers, food and accommodation included, two taels of salary per month", "Clothing shop recruits tailors, piecework pay, more work, more pay". Even women and children, who have always had difficulty finding work, can now find jobs in spinning mills. The widow Liu worked as a spinner in the "Tiangongfang" for half a month. When she received her wages, she almost cried: "This is enough for my mother and me to eat for three months!"

As night falls, the Qinhuai River is full of pleasure boats. The singing girls on the boats are wearing new waist-binding skirts and moving briskly among the guests. On the river bank, three or five scholars are drinking and chatting in modified straight robes, and their bookcases are filled with new books covered with Nike fabrics. Further away, dock workers finish their day's work and walk in groups of three or two to the newly opened "mutton soup shop" on the street. Although their work clothes are covered with dust, they are still crisp.

That night, the people of the Ming Dynasty slept soundly. What they didn't know was that the clothing revolution initiated by the two businesses was quietly changing the economic veins of this ancient empire. At this moment in the Forbidden City, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the report submitted by the Ministry of Revenue, which said: "This month's commercial tax increased by more than 30% compared with last month." The old emperor stroked his beard and smiled: "This Ouyang Lun is really good."

The impact of the clothing reform continues.

At the Songjiangfu Wharf, porter Zhang Ergou wiped his sweat and tugged at his new indigo-colored short shirt. This shirt was much lighter than the coarse cloth robe he had worn before, with tight cuffs so that it would not get caught on the goods while working, and a hidden pocket at the waist that could hold a few copper coins and a sweat towel.

"This is a really nice dress!" Zhang Ergou said to his companion with a smile, "I used to trip over things when I was carrying goods in a long gown, but now I'm much more agile!"

My companion nodded in agreement: "That's right! It's breathable and wear-resistant, and it won't shrink after washing!"

Nowadays, almost all the porters at the dock have changed into this kind of short-sleeved clothes.

Not only coolies, but also waiters in teahouses, accountants, and even children in private schools began to wear improved and convenient clothing. Long gowns with big sleeves were no longer the only choice, and people could finally choose clothes according to their actual needs.

The prosperity of the apparel industry has directly driven the upstream and downstream industries.

As for cotton planting, thanks to the joint underwriting of Zhuji and Nike, farmers in the south of the Yangtze River have switched to growing high-quality cotton. Some landlords have even set aside good farmland and signed "guaranteed purchase" contracts with the businesses, no longer worrying about low cotton prices hurting farmers.

New spinning mills and dyeing houses popped up everywhere like mushrooms after a rain.

"Tiangong Textile" in Suzhou Prefecture even introduced Ouyang Lun's steam loom, producing cotton cloth day and night. The wages were high, which attracted many farmers' daughters to come to the city to work.

There are more and more vendors selling ready-made clothes in the streets and alleys. Some clever merchants even started the "old for new" campaign, exchanging old clothes for new ones at a discount, which not only cleared the inventory but also allowed poor people to wear decent clothes.

"In the past, we only had farmers here, but now things are good. My daughter works in a spinning mill and can earn two taels of silver a month!" An old farmer in Songjiang said happily, "Life at home is much better!" (End of this chapter)