The prince is more stable

Chapter 30: Money for a toast
You can’t be too snobbish when making friends. Does that mean if you don’t have money, you’re not our friend?

Zhao Xiaoqian despised this kind of snob from the bottom of his heart.

But Zhao Xiaoqian is now in poverty, and he certainly hopes to make a rich friend.

Strictly speaking, Zhao Xiaoqian and Zhao Shuangzheng are relatives.

It’s just that their relationship is quite distant, and both of them are descendants of Taizong.

The clan of the Song Dynasty was so large that there were no less than hundreds of clan members and descendants living in the city of Bianjing alone.

If you meet anyone with the surname Zhao on the street, most of them are relatives.

Because of the distant relationship, Zhao Xiaoqian and Zhao Shuangzheng treated each other as friends. If we talk about their relatives, it is really a bit complicated.

Besides, Zhao Xiaoqian didn't care about the so-called relatives. He was still unfamiliar with this world and had not yet fully integrated into it. The so-called distant relatives were basically no different from strangers.

Zhao Xiaoqian made friends with Zhao Shuangzheng because he found that Zhao Shuangzheng was different from other playboys.

Although there is a bit of an unconcealable bastard temperament, but... the taste is not that strong?

Compared with other playboys, Zhao Shuangzheng stands out particularly, and facts have proved that he did not go along with the corrupt crowd. People should have a bottom line.

After squatting beside the tile-roofed house of the palace and chatting for a while, Zhao Xiaoqian had some understanding of Zhao Shuangzheng.

It is true that he is different from other playboys. They all come from good backgrounds, but Zhao Shuangzheng has been brought up in a strict family and has hardly done anything out of the ordinary since he was a child.

During the last Cuju match, Zhao Shuangzheng's statement that he was entangled by a young lady from a brothel was of course a lie.

In fact, he knew the conspiracy of the playboys and knew that they were using Zhao Xiaoqian to bet and act as the banker. Zhao Shuangzheng couldn't stand the evil deeds of these people and was worried that he would get into trouble, so he found an excuse to stay away from them.

Today, Zhao Xiaoqian targeted the playboys, showing a completely different personality from before. Zhao Shuangzheng was surprised, and suddenly found that Zhao Xiaoqian was a very interesting person.

Besides, he had not participated in the murder of Zhao Xiaoqian, and he stayed alone and made friends with Zhao Xiaoqian because he had a clear conscience.

Having made new friends, Zhao Xiaoqian was in a good mood and decided to be generous to his new friends.

I just happened to get some ill-gotten gains, so I have to go out and spend it, right?
"Brother Bingshen, I'll pay for your food, drinks and entertainment today." Zhao Xiaoqian took out a purse from his arms and counted the money while making the promise.

The silver coins in the Song Dynasty were divided into iron coins, copper coins and silver.

Iron coins are the least valuable and are despised in the market. The ratio of iron coins to copper coins is usually 9:1 or 10:1.

Silver was more common because the Song Dynasty had developed a number of silver mines, which made the circulation of silver not as difficult as in the Tang Dynasty. One tael of silver could be exchanged for about one string and four hundred coins.

Most of the money in the purse that Zhao Xiaoqian robbed contained copper coins, but there were also a few small silver ingots.

The more he counted, the happier he became, and the corners of Zhao Xiaoqian's mouth were harder to suppress than AK.

Who would have thought that there is such a way to make money? If I had known this, I would have started grabbing it the next day after I came here. It is a gift from nature.

Zhao Shuangzheng watched him counting the money and couldn't help but laugh, "Brother Zi'an, as the Crown Prince, why do you like this thing so much? If outsiders saw it, they would definitely laugh at you again."

Zhao Xiaoqian's counting of money suddenly stopped, his expression instantly becoming stern. He picked up a silver ingot and said to him, "Apologize!"

Zhao Shuangzheng was stunned and said subconsciously: "I'm sorry!"

After apologizing, Zhao Shuangzheng came to his senses and said in astonishment: "Why should I apologize to it?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said seriously: "Because you don't respect it and just insulted it."

"Gentlemen in this world despise gain, so shouldn't money be insulted?"

“If there were no money in the world, a gentleman would only eat rice cakes for free. If he takes money and then curses it, he should be despised.”

Zhao Shuangzheng was stunned for a while, then hesitantly said, "Although I think something is wrong, I really can't refute you..."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "People only respect what they lack. I won't hide it, I lack money, so I respect money very much." Zhao Shuangzheng looked at him strangely, his lips trembling, as if he wanted to say something but stopped.

"What do you want to say?"

"Brother Zi'an just said that people respect what they lack."

"Any questions?"

Zhao Shuangzheng said with a stiff upper lip, "Everyone in Bianjing knows that His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu is a devout Taoist. A statue of the Taoist deity is enshrined in the main hall of the palace's backyard..."

"Is there anything wrong?"

“…and the Tao Te Ching.”

Zhao Xiaoqian shut his mouth tightly, his face looking grim.

Zhao Shuangzheng came over with a tactless look: "From what Brother Zi'an said, does your father need..."

"You, pay me fifty taels of silver tomorrow," Zhao Xiaoqian ordered.

"Why?"

"You and I are already friends, so don't force me to snatch you away. Wouldn't it be better if you offered it to me on your own initiative?"

…………

After counting the silver and money in several purses, they looked heavy, but most of them were copper coins. Together with the silver, they were equivalent to about ten strings of coins.

The Song Dynasty had a flourishing commercial economy, and prices fluctuated frequently. Based on the prices of the first year of Shaosheng, a dan of grain cost about 200 wen. At a little over a wen per jin, rice was considered relatively cheap.

Zhao Xiaoqian was a little disappointed. He could certainly buy a lot of rice with the money he had, but if he went to some brothel to spend it...it might not be enough for two people.

So for today's consumption, you can probably only find a cheaper place.

There is a long way to go, and the hundreds or even thousands of playboys in Bianjing City are all his potential customers.

So the two of them were about to leave the palace, but they heard a commotion outside the palace gate.

The dandies who had been beaten had not left yet. They huddled in a corner outside the door, crying and huddling together for warmth.

Their elders were filled with righteous indignation and were blocking the entrance to the palace, pointing at the closed door and cursing loudly.

In this situation, Zhao Hao was certainly unwilling to show up. The remaining elderly noble relatives gave up their prime locations outside the door and watched the excitement with great interest.

The dirtier others curse, the happier they are, and they look relieved.

Zhao Xiaoqian heard the scolding through the door, and decisively pulled Zhao Shuangzheng around and went out through the back door of the palace.

Zhao Shuangzheng was a little puzzled. "They were cursing so harshly, why didn't you and your father go out and argue with them?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said calmly, "What's the point of wasting my breath? In a few days, a large number of New Party officials will be transferred to Bianjing City. The curses at my door will become less and less, and eventually they will even turn into flattery for my father. Believe it or not?"

"The farce in front of Prince Chu's palace is nothing more than the final madness of the old party before its doom. Let them be. They are unhappy, so why shouldn't they be allowed to curse a few times to vent their anger?"

Zhao Shuangzheng nodded, not quite understanding.

Zhao Xiaoqian thought for a moment and said, "Write a letter to your elders, telling them not to interfere in the recent court affairs. If you must submit a memorial to express your position, just follow the emperor's lead. The new law is an inevitable trend, and the old party cannot stop it."

"I am grateful for your advice, Brother Zi'an." Zhao Shuangzheng bowed deeply.

　Regarding the prices and silver-to-money exchange rate in the Northern Song Dynasty, an explanation should be made here. The data in this article is true and reliable, and is referenced from "Research on Prices in the Song Dynasty (written by Cheng Minsheng)".

　　
　
(End of this chapter)