Lu Dynasty

Chapter 440

Cao asked the shopkeeper to take Xun Yu to change clothes, but the shopkeeper had to take him to his own room to change, because only the shopkeeper's own room had a lit coal stove.Otherwise, given the temperature in Xuchang, Xun Yu would catch a cold when he went out.Xun Yu went into the room to change clothes, and the shopkeeper withdrew.But when Xun Yu left, the shopkeeper entered his room again, and almost fainted from the smoke.It turns out that Xun Yu likes to put spices on his body, and the paint is very thick.Men who have used perfume know that if the perfume is too strong, it will be quite unpleasant after being mixed with sweat, especially if the perfume is of low quality.As for women, I don't know.Xun Yu not only applied spices, but also brought seven or eight sachets.Since he doesn't sweat much, he smells fragrant everywhere, but today it's cold, Xun Yu is wearing thick clothes, and after being roasted so fiercely by the coal stove, the smell of the spices on his body wrapped in the sachet is no longer there. Mixed with the smell of sweat, if Xun Yu dared to take off his clothes in Cao's private room, he would call him Xiang Xun Ling, and he would immediately become stinky Xun Ling!However, Cao escaped a catastrophe, but the unlucky shopkeeper was tricked.

The shopkeeper struggled to get out of the room, and quickly opened all the doors and windows for ventilation.The shopkeeper sighed in his heart: My lord said that the gas produced by this coal stove can kill people. I really didn’t expect it to be so powerful, but didn’t the lord say that the gas produced by the coal stove is colorless and odorless, how could it be so stinky!Xun Yu didn't have as many burdens as the shopkeeper. As soon as he took off his clothes, the sweat disappeared immediately, and the smell of spices and sachets on his body also returned to normal.

When Cheng Yu saw Xun Yu coming in, he whispered in Xun Yu's ear, "I told you not to apply so much spices, but if you don't listen, you will be at a disadvantage today!"

"Who knew that Lu Feng's stuff was so shocking, I would have known that I would wear less!" Xun Yu is a dead duck!
Cheng Yu smiled and said: "Come on! If you wear less clothes, you will be frozen and lie down before entering the private room. The temperature outside is very low today. Someone died of freezing a few days ago, I don't want you Xun Yu is also among those who died of freezing!"

After Cao and Xun Yu were full of wine and food, they called the shopkeeper.Cao asked: "Shopkeeper, this coal stove is very good, can you install a few for our family? Of course, we can pay for it!"

"Since Cao Gong mentioned it, the lord has a letter saying: If you propose to install coal stoves for your own home and the homes of the generals under your command, I will tell you that the craftsman accompanying you is good at making and installing coal stoves, and you can hire him! As for the coal fired by the coal stove , but the lord made it with painstaking efforts. That thing is worth more than gold, if Duke Cao wants it, he can supply it cheaper!"

When Cao heard what the shopkeeper said, he understood a little bit.Cao laughed and said, "Brother Ba Xian is a businessman, so he wanted to do business with me, okay! For the sake of good results, if the price is fair, we will buy some."

"Your Majesty and Duke Cao are friends, how could you harm Duke Cao! This carbon is called briquette, and it contains sulfur, saltpeter and other valuable fire starters, as well as a large amount of coal essence, so even under the rule of the Lord, it is generally sold for One tael of silver each, plus the cost of transporting them to Xuchang, how much does Mr. Cao think is appropriate?"

"The shopkeeper is exaggerating!" Cao didn't understand, but it didn't mean that Xun Yu didn't understand either.Xun Yu has worked as an internal affairs officer for so many years, so he naturally knows to bargain.Xun Yu laughed and said, "At least ten pieces of this thing will be burnt a day, one tael of silver for each, ten taels a day, how much is it a year? Why doesn't Lu Feng go snatch it?"

"Master Xun is wrong! The coal stove can only be used in winter. Besides, my lord asked me to offer a price of one gold, and the lowest price is one or two. I will directly give the lowest price to Cao Gong, because it is because Cao Gong did not embarrass me last time." My face has been saved! If Mr. Xun doesn't believe it, then please hire someone else!" The shopkeeper seemed very dissatisfied with Xun Yu's questioning.

Cao laughed and said, "Treasurer, you said that Lu Feng's subordinates bought this thing for one tael of silver? What about Lu Feng's brothers?"

"Cao Gong is joking! When Cao Gong and my lord met in Luoyang, the fine nectar and jade liquid was worth a thousand gold jars. Did my lord ever accept Cao Gong's half a penny? My lord said that the court officials served the country, so it is natural to give them the best." Good treatment. Therefore, the coal of the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty is supplied free of charge, and then it is included in the national expenditure according to the cost! As for the people who need to buy carbon under the lord’s rule, it is some aristocratic families and businessmen. Ten pieces of gold each! It is the common dream of the families and businessmen in the three prefectures of Sibingliang to please the lord!" Cao also knows that I am very cruel to the big families, and since those big families are under my rule, they will naturally think about it ten times. Eight ideas please me.

Cao laughed and said, "In that case, just follow what Lu Feng said, one tael of silver each!" Cao didn't know the price, and thought he was very profitable for one tael of silver, but in fact, in my territory, you can buy five briquettes for one penny!What is the concept of a tael of silver? In the official market, the exchange rate between silver and copper coins is about one to two thousand, and the black market is also one to seven to eight hundred.On average, even if one tael of silver is equal to one thousand wen, Cao is being taken advantage of by paying four thousand times the price to buy things that are not worth the price at all, and he thinks he has made a profit!However, briquette was a new product in the Han Dynasty, and I have already monopolized this industry, so unless Cao does not use it, as long as he uses it, he has to listen to me!
Seeing that Cao agreed, the shopkeeper took out two contracts and said, "Master Cao, although my lord is very assured of your character, he thinks it would be better to sign an agreement with you! If you take our things but don't pay the bill , let's talk about things! If the lord takes your money but doesn't give you the goods, you also have a basis for saying that my lord is not trustworthy, don't you?"

Cao took a look at the contract and said, "These days, covenants and imperial edicts are no different from waste paper, Brother Ba still believes in this?"

"Prevent gentlemen but not villains! The lord said that this is just a form, but he wants to promote it. After unification, this form can bring benefits to merchants, allowing merchants to do business with more confidence, and the court can also be better. You must know that the land cannot make the country prosperous, at most it can only fill the stomachs of the people. What the Lord wants is the scene where the peasants wear silk and the princes bring precious jade, not just to make the people eat and wear warm! "The shopkeeper said that he was impassioned and very proud, but Cao felt a little uncomfortable.

Cao signed the contract, put on his clothes and took Cheng Yu and the others back.The general returned to the camp, but Cheng Yu and the others came to Cao's meeting hall.Cao looked at Cheng Yu and the others and sighed: "It turns out that Baxian's ambition is so great, no wonder I can't catch up with him, it turns out my vision is too short-sighted!"

(End of this chapter)