Ma Erniang's Splendid Pastoral

Chapter 156 Drunken Gold and Silver
Ma Min'er said: "It's not a solution to call back and forth like this all the time. Isn't there a better solution?"

"The other party is a nomadic people. They live in no fixed place and cannot grow food. They don't rob them. How do they make a living?"

"Can it be exchanged? Use their livestock to exchange with our grain."

Xia Zhen sighed, "There are exchanges, but the battle is still fought."

Ma Min'er pursed her lips and said nothing more. This kind of important matter related to the country depends on the strength of each country. It is a bit complicated. She was about to bow her head to eat when she heard the sound of footsteps and Xiaowen's greeting : "General --"

When Xia Zetao came in, his complexion was not good, especially when he saw the dishes on the table, he was even a little gloomy.

Xia Zhen and Ma Min'er quickly stood up and saluted: "General—"

"Father--"

Xia Zetao didn't respond, Ma Min'er quickly took a small bamboo chair and put it beside him, "General, please sit—"

Xia Zetao lowered his eyes to look at the bamboo chair, and the attendant beside him quickly reached out and untied the saber at his waist, adjusted the hem of his robe and waited for him to sit down.

Feeling that her father was in a bad mood, Xia Zhen turned her head and said in a low voice, "Bring some wine."

"Oh." Ma Min'er waved her hand quickly, and everyone in the small garden dispersed. She went to the wing room Duobao Pavilion to get the good wine from the collection, and Shan Xiaodan and Shan Xiaodan each hugged a small altar and took it. In the back garden.After putting away the wine, someone changed the bowls and chopsticks they ate, and gave up the space to the father and son.

After leaving the small garden, Shan Xiao asked, "Little Boss, where are you going to eat?"

"To the kitchen, with you."

"it is good."

The master and the servant were about to go to the kitchen, but the old uncle Shan entered the yard, "Little master, there is a woman at the door who says she is the general's wife!"

"Please come in!" Ma Min'er knew that Xia Zhen's mother had been living in the city with the general.

Uncle Shan was surprised: "Is it suitable?"

"Ah..." Now it was Ma Min'er's turn to be surprised, "Is it suitable?"

"This woman is not the county king... mother... right?"

"Uh..." Ma Min'er was overwhelmed by Uncle Shan's words, "The ancestors of the Xia family taught not to take concubines, of course she is the mother-in-law of the county king."

"Ah..." Uncle Shan was surprised, "Then...then..."

Shan Xiaodan glanced at Xiao Dong's house, pursed her lips, she never mentioned a word about the General's House, even if it was her own parents.

Ma Min'er has a headache, and Xia Zhen's mother and son's indifferent way of getting along with each other, not to mention modern people, even in ancient times with a high level of hierarchy, it is unimaginable for them to be in their position.

Now she can understand why the general came here sombrely, probably because he had a conflict with his wife, but she has already followed, it is impossible not to let her in.

Greeted at the door in person, "Ma'am—I have lost my way, please forgive me..." I saluted as a junior.

Zhao Suxin didn't have time to chat with her, so when she saw the courtyard door opened, she went in directly, "Where's Zening?"

"The general and the county king are having wine."

"Eat..." Upon hearing this, Zhao Suxin stopped, "He must be angry with me, that's why he came to drink."

Seeing that she was in a bad mood, Ma Min'er comforted her and said, "Ma'am, the general and the county prince and his son should drink some wine to relieve fatigue."

"Really relieve fatigue?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Ma Min'er replied with a smile.

"He's there, I'm going to accompany him."

The general came here, obviously trying to avoid her, "Madam, let the men drink, let them go, and when they get drunk, we will drag them back to the room to sleep."

Zhao Suxin turned to look at her: "Are you Zhen'er's future daughter-in-law?"

"Ma'am, you forgot, we met before, and you...you said I can't recite poetry!"

Zhao Suxin muttered: "I remember, you go to the mansion to see each other..."

"Yes, ma'am!" For some reason, Ma Min'er felt that her future mother-in-law was a little... a little... dazed.

After figuring out who Ma Min'er is, Zhao Suxin went to find the general again, "He can't drink, drinking too much will hurt his body..."

Ma Min'er looked at the girl behind her, and Shuanglian smiled awkwardly when she saw her looking over, looking at a loss.

She took a step back and asked softly, "What happened?"

Shuang Lian dared not say anything about the General's cruelty to his wife, "The General is away, and Madam is always worried at home, and she often has trouble sleeping, and her spirits are not good."

No wonder I felt that she was in a daze. It turned out that she hadn't slept well, so a thought suddenly occurred to me, and she smiled, "Ma'am——"

Zhao Suxin searched her eyes and ignored her.

Ma Min'er said patiently: "Madam, the men are drinking, how about we go for a drink too?"

"Shall we drink?" Zhao Suxin was obviously frightened.

Ma Min'er nodded: "Yes, ma'am, let's go, I'll take you there, and I'll make you pay for what the men drink."

"After drinking, will I be like Zening?" Zhao Suxin asked curiously.

"Hmm...about the same!" Ma Min'er didn't know how much they could drink, or how drunk they would be, anyway, just find something to divert and let the general and his son have a good meal.

"If it's the same as Zening, then I will pay it back." Zhao Suxin was tempted.

"Ma'am, have you ever had a drink before?"

Zhao Suxin shook her head: "Alcohol is not something women can drink."

Ma Min'er smiled, maybe, since she is the future mother-in-law, it's not easy for her to drink in the kitchen, "Miss Shan, bring the food and drinks to the small room."

"Yes, little master."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law went to the small side room and sat down at the small square table to have dinner, "Ma'am, eat some food to fill your stomach first, don't drink on an empty stomach and hurt your health."

Zhao Suxin kept looking at the small wine cup, which was poured with something like water. She used to watch Zening drink it often. She paid for it, and it was so hot that it choked her throat. She couldn't eat it at all, and she didn't know how he got it.

"lady--"

Zhao Suxin awkwardly picked up two chopsticks of vegetables, and she didn't know if she had eaten them in her stomach. Before Ma Miner persuaded her to drink, she raised her head from the small wine cup and took a glass.

"Madam..." Ma Min'er jumped in fright.

"Cough...cough..." Zhao Suxin lay on the table and coughed for a while before recovering.

"Husband... madam..." Ma Min'er wondered if she had made a mistake, "Xiao Dan, take the wine glass away."

"Yes, little master."

"Don't..." Zhao Suxin actually poured another glass of wine by himself, and then drank it with his head raised.

"Husband... ma'am..." Ma Min'er quickly stood up and snatched the glass from her hand, "Madam, this is not how you drink wine, it will hurt your body."

"If you hurt, you will hurt. No one cares anyway." Zhao Suxin wiped the wine stains from her mouth, and laughed again and again.

Ma Min'er frowned, her son was by her side, the general didn't have a concubine, this woman's life was not to mention in ancient times, even in modern times, she was a proper winner in life, but she had to live like a lovelorn youth .

Is there something inside that I don't know about, or is she doing too much?
Ma Min'er was afraid that the wine would burn her stomach, so she didn't care about her future mother-in-law or her dignity, so she stuffed the food into her mouth. He ate again, as if he had gotten used to it, he stopped coughing, and said: "After the heat is over, there is a wonderful feeling, the body seems to be much lighter, and the person is much clearer..."

Uh... so drunk?
Ma Min'er stuffed vegetables into her mouth again, and secretly poured a lot of wine from the small flagon, leaving only two or three cups for her to pass the time.

In the end, it was her own time that was wasted. The mini wine cups didn't have one or two of the three glasses. She drank six glasses back and forth, a total of two or two small wines. Nao, "Zening he ignored me, there must be someone outside him..."

Shuang Lian supported Madam's shoulders, and smiled apologetically at Ma Min'er, "Husband... Madam has never drunk before, but... she was drunk."

Ma Min'er said: "I'm sorry, I just want my wife to come and pay me back, then..."

"It's okay, it's okay..." Shuanglian could hardly support the noisy wife, and said, "Is there a place for her to lie down?"

To be honest, there is a room for the general and his wife in the courtyard of this small wooden house, but they have never lived in it.

"Have!"

"Then let's send Madam to bed."

"it is good."

Shan Xiaodan also came to help, and sent Zhao Suxin to the bedroom. The weather was very hot. Ma Min'er asked Xiaodan to bring a simple fan over, and poured a lot of well water into the room. It was quite cool inside.

She said to Shuanglian: "Please give her a scrub."

"This is what Shuanglian should do, thank you Erniang."

"Sister Shuanglian, you're being polite." Ma Min'er smiled, "If there's nothing else, I'll go out first."

"It's okay, it's okay, I'll do the rest."

"Okay." Ma Min'er said: "Wait a minute, someone will bring you some food."

"Er Niang is polite." Shuanglian didn't expect that the future princess of the county would be very polite, and she didn't want to find her by herself, and asked someone to bring her food. She was very happy.

Ma Min'er shook her head to signal her not to be polite, and left the room with a smile.

After the people left, Shuanglian wiped the sweat from her forehead, and looked at the lady on the bed, "I can finally sleep well!" After speaking, she looked outside the door again, "It seems that the princess of the county has a way, It's really good to make the troublesome lady drunk and sleep in two or three."

In the corridor, Xiao Dan asked, "Little Boss——"

"Clean up the little table, I'm going to the kitchen to have a good meal."

"Okay."

Xia Zhen and his son didn't seem to know what to say except chatting about the war. The two drank dully, and within a short while, they almost finished the two jars of wine. Xia Zetao seemed to be not enough, "Zhen'er, Bring your wine jar to my father."

Xia Zhen glanced at her father, without refuting or persuading, she reached out and handed it to him.

"Son—" Xia Zetao said while picking up the wine jar, "As a father, I understand how you have spent the past ten years."

"Father—" Xia Zhen was a little surprised, and looked at him, wanting to find out why he said such words.

"Your mother... Mother..." Xia Zetao became a little drunk, and his tongue was tied, "Your mother lives in a fairy spirit, not like a mortal, I..."

Xia Zhen lowered her eyes, picked up the wine glass in front of her, drank it, picked up vegetables with chopsticks, and in the hot night, cool air radiated from him.

"Zhen... Why doesn't Zhen'er speak?"

Xia Zhen still ate vegetables.

Xia Zetao sneered: "All the other women have descended from the celestial qi, but she is still living in the celestial qi. Is it wrong for my father?"

Xia Zhen raised her eyes, "Father is right."

"..." Xia Zetao looked up at his son in surprise.

Xia Zhen said coldly: "There are a lot of little girls in the boudoir who have been raised and abandoned in Beijing. I have seen them before."

"Zhen'er..."

"It's just that her life is good. There are grandparents and parents who take care of things, there are fathers who you spoil, and there are..." Xia Zhen pursed her lips, reached for the wine jar in her father's hand, poured herself a glass of wine, Go forward.

"Zhen'er..."

Xia Zhen looked straight at her, "I'm past the age where I need a mother."

"Zhen'er..." For some reason, Xia Zetao, a big man, was choked up by his son's words, "Father, I'm sorry..."

"Father, this is none of your business, everyone has their own destiny, I admit it..."

"Son...Son..." Xia Zetao lay on the table, beating the small table with one hand, "I don't even know how to live as a father..."

Xia Zhen smiled indifferently, "How I lived in the past, I still live in the same way now, life must go on."

"Zhen'er..." Xia Zetao looked up, surprised that his son understood him.

"Father... I want to be a child with a father and a mother..."

"Zhen'er..." Xia Zetao looked at his son in horror, "She treated you like that...you..."

"She gave birth to me after all."

Xia Zetao stood there for a long time without moving.

Ma Min'er didn't know that Xia Zhen had unknowingly maintained the integrity of the family, and neither did Zhao Suxin, who was raised and disabled, because she escaped a catastrophe because of her son, maybe she would never know too much about the world in her whole life , the matter of being the housewife, but... maybe she had accumulated too much virtue in her previous life, and reincarnated in this life to let her enjoy wealth and glory, have no worries about food and clothing, and die in bed.

Ma Min'er thought that the father and son would eat very late, but when she came back from the kitchen to take a shower and go to bed, Xia Zhen came and hugged her without saying a word.

Seeing that he wasn't drunk, but seemed to be in a bad mood, she wrapped her arms around his waist, cuddling in his arms obediently and docilely.

Xia Zhen's chin was on top of the little daughter-in-law's head. He was overwhelmed by his father's words, and even more frightened by his own reaction. He...he...Why did he treat his irresponsible mother well? He couldn't understand himself, Wouldn't it be good to let his father let go, at least he doesn't have so much resentment in his heart, but he still...

"Min'er..."

"what's wrong?"

"I want to hug you."

"Oh." Ma Min'er heard that something happened to this guy, and it was a family matter, but she didn't ask. At this moment, he just needs to listen and doesn't need anyone's words.

"Let's get married."

Ma Min'er chuckled, "Alright, take two sticks of incense, and let's go outside to pray to heaven and earth.

"No, that won't work."

Ma Min'er deliberately said: "Hey, it's not that you want to get married, this is the fastest way."

"No, I want to marry you in a grand manner, and I want everyone in Wei to know that you are my wife." Xia Zhen was a little childish.

Ma Min'er smiled: "Thank you, brother Zhen! I also hope that everyone in Dawei will know that I am married to you."

Xia Zhen said distressedly: "Min'er, why don't the days go directly from last year to next year, why do we have to have 'this year'?"

"Because God said, Xia Zhen, I will test you again to see if you can be a good general and a good county king."

"Min'er..." Xia Zhen said in a nasal voice like a baby, "I don't want anything, I just want to live with you until I grow old..."

Ma Miner patted him on the back, "I know, I know, yes, everything will be as we wish."

But what is so easy in the adult world, if everyone just recites poems and makes mistakes like Zhao Suxin, can this day really go on peacefully?
Of course not.

The next day, the sun was still the same, and of course the day was the same. Whether it was the generals in the army, or Huang Junyao, who repaired the canal, and others, they arrived at the camp tent early. Take out what you plan to take out.

Huang Junyao stood up first, "Jun Wang, this is all the accounts for the last four months of repairing the canal."

Everyone looked at Huang Junyao, beside the three grown men, there were three boxes each. He pointed to the largest box and said, "The biggest box contains the daily account, the second box contains the monthly account, and the third box contains the monthly account. There is a general ledger in the small box, please have a look at it.”

Xiaowen received Xia Zhen's signal, and took out the ledger from the smallest box, a total of five books.

"My lord, the thinnest one on the top is the simplest general ledger account, and the three major expenditures for the canal repair are all on it."

Xia Zhen opened it, and on the first page was written a total expenditure of 19 taels of silver, of which the labor expenditure was... material stone... He finished flipping through four or five pages, raised his eyes and said, "It's already finished? "

"Just wait for the prince to come back to inspect the work."

Xia Zhen nodded, and gave Xiaowen the account book, and Xiaowen put him back in the box, "I will let the specialists review these accounts."

"Yes, my lord."

"I heard that you have built two more branches?" Xia Zhen was quite satisfied with what Huang Junyao had done, and asked with a smile.

Huang Junyao replied: "Yes, my lord, it's rare that a large army is stationed here, and the people of Liangzhou City are willing to do it, so they built another underground canal to the east and west, expanding the area for water and cultivation."

Xia Zhen nodded, "Okay, I'll go to inspect tomorrow, no problem, and start planting winter wheat as soon as August is over."

The matter of planting wheat seemed to have nothing to do with him, so Huang Junyao didn't answer.

Xia Zhen said: "As the king of Beijun, I have the power to appoint local officials."

Huang Junyao raised his head suddenly, looked at King Beijun, saw him staring at him, and lowered his head again in fright.

Xia Zhen said, "You are the magistrate of Liangzhou!"

"Wang... lord... the villain is just a juren, not even a Jinshi, how can he take up the position of a fifth-rank official?" Although he had a faint feeling in his heart that he knew that he was good at cultivation and would be reused, but hearing such words , Huang Junyao was still taken aback.

Xia Zhen said: "Break the rules according to the circumstances, I will write to the sage."

"My lord..."

Xia Zhen continued: "Furthermore, I will give you a chance to appoint Liangzhou officials on your own."

"My lord, how did this happen?"

Xia Zhen said: "I am fighting outside, and the whole Liangzhou city is repairing canals. Who can investigate the people and things in it, no one knows better than you, right?"

"My lord, my lord, even though I said this, everyone..."

"You are only worried about the dissatisfaction of the crowd, but you are not worried about your lack of talent..."

"No... my lord, my little talents are not enough." Huang Junyao felt as if he had no humility.

"Haha..." Xia Zhen raised her head and laughed loudly, "It's too late. I'll give you ten days to quickly appoint government officials and subordinates. After ten days, you will start to divide the mu by Ding. Here's Ding is divided into two types. , One is the common people, the other is the soldiers, give them the land, let them farm the land, and pay taxes on a dime basis."

"My lord, farm the fields?"

"Master Huang is a Juren, he should have read similar articles."

"I've read it, but it's the law of governance in troubled times..."

"I don't care what the 'Government of the World' is, I want the 'Min Tun' and the 'Military Tun' to be carried out together, so that the desolate fields in Liangzhou City can be quickly planted with food to achieve self-sufficiency."

Huang Junyao was a little dazed, this was all a big move, he thought that the canal project was already big enough, but he didn't expect that there was a bigger one waiting behind him, and he, a Jiangnan native, was still allowed to lead the land of Liangzhou.

"Why don't you say anything?"

"Uh..." Huang Junyao was pulled back by Xia Zhen's words, "The county king... really asked me to appoint officials and subordinates?"

"Ah."

"If it's unfair..."

"I trust you to be fair and just."

"I..." Others believed him, but he was not confident anymore.

Seeing him hesitate, Xia Zhen said, "Do you know why I chose you?"

"Why?" This is what Huang Junyao has always wanted to know.

"First, you are not from Liangzhou City, but you have been here for three years. With your ability and knowledge, I am afraid that you already know the abilities and conduct of most officials and Xiaoshi in Liangzhou City..."

Huang Junyao admitted that he set up a chess stall in Liangzhou City, and he did accounts and letters for others. He also knew a lot of officials and rich gentry in the capitals of three religions and nine streams. From their mouths, he knew a lot of people and things.

"Secondly, after the canal was repaired, after you have personally experienced it, you must have an account in your heart of who will use it."

"Yes, my lord." Huang Junyao clasped his hands and told the truth.

"Then let it go."

Huang Junyao looked up at Xia Zhen, his eyes believed in himself more than his own, and suddenly he felt heroic, since he didn't need to be a Jinshi to be a fifth-rank official, why not give it a try, so he dropped on one knee, bowed and said: "Your Majesty will do his best."

Xia Zhen nodded, "I have already sent someone to Yangzhou to take your family."

"My lord..."

"Doing things well is the greatest reward for me."

"Yes, my lord." Huang Junyao bowed again and bowed to the ground.

"Mr. Wei—"

"The humble position is—"

Xia Zhen said: "You should cooperate with Mr. Huang to do the farming in the army."

"Yes, I understand.'

"Go ahead and do it."

"Yes, my lord."

Because Liangzhou City needs to grow winter wheat, it is not enough to rely on the wheat seeds of Longan Trading Company alone. Ma Miner has asked Qiu Baiyan to go to Huiyixiang to promote it. Many merchants brought wheat seeds to Liangzhou City, near the hills in the east. The open space has unknowingly become a commercial circle.

In addition to wheat seeds and other crops, many merchants also brought other commodities. Due to the construction of the canal, the people inside and outside the city had some money in their hands. The lack of supplies in Liangzhou City almost made them unable to buy anything with money. Now the merchants are here. , The money in their hands can finally be used.

The merchants reaped the sweetness and continued to go back to deliver the goods. In just three months, they had been back and forth several times.

At the end of August and the beginning of September, Ma Min'er simply named it Dongqiu when the commercial circle formed.

"Master Huang, the money in the hands of the people to buy seeds and daily necessities has been used to a great extent. Have you thought of a new way to make money for them?"

"Go back to madam, I really want to." Huang Junyao cupped his hands.

"What is it?"

"Still a businessman."

Ma Min'er smiled slightly: "Businessman?"

"Madam... is a businessman outside the pass."

Ma Min'er frowned, "It's not time to let businessmen from Liao, Mongolia, and Jin come in to do business."

"Then let 4 or [-] people earn money from businessmen?" Huang Junyao was at a loss.

Ma Miner asked back as a reminder: "Where are your craftsmen?"

"It's fixed and they're at home now."

"Then why not let them go to East Hill to build a pavement?"

"Pavement?"

Ma Miner smiled and said: "Yes, Master Huang, I have asked Qiu Baiyan to build a three-level standard shop. You can recruit craftsmen to build such a shop, and let the common people do odd jobs to earn money from the merchants."

"It turns out that this is what Madam said about earning money. I understand." Huang Junyao bowed his hands and hurried to do it.

This matter looks very simple, and it is actually simple to operate, but because of this, Liangzhou City has Ku Yin, why?Dongqiu land belongs to Liangzhou City. Does it mean buying land for merchants to build shops? It is expensive at any time.

Some merchants started to buy land, and some hesitated, but when they saw that Huang Zhifu built a new yamen here, many people did not hesitate. Liangzhou is a place bordering foreigners and the Western Regions, and there is a lot of business to do Yes, if it weren't for Xia Zhen, the wolf and tiger general, who was here, they would have wanted to come here to do business in April. Later, they heard that foreigners were blocked by him, and there was no business to do, so they didn't come.

Later, Anlong Commercial Bank went back inside and said that there was business to do here. They came here with the attitude of giving it a try, and it turned out that there was indeed business to do. Although it was not a foreign business or a business in the Western Regions, there was money to be made after all, so let him alone.

"You said I bought a shop, will foreigners come to do business?" A businessman asked cautiously.

"This... I think there is."

"do not know……"

"Is there anyone to ask, if so, I will spend 1 taels to buy the land."

"Me too, although I don't have the money you have, but I can still take out 5000 taels..."

……

A group of big businessmen are moving with the times.

In Xia Zhen's study room, there was only one person standing in front of him, and that was Mu Chengyu, who usually walked with his head bowed. In fact, his status in the Xia family was second only to the three masters, but almost no one knew about it.

"Little General—" he is still called by this name habitually, "Our gold mine has produced 30 taels of real gold and silver."

Xia Zhen tapped her finger on the table lightly, "I know."

"Little general, if there is no physical counterpart to the silver, it will be the same as wearing it on a woman's body as an ornament. It has no other purpose except to look good."

If Ma Min'er stood beside him, he would give him a thumbs up. This is definitely an economic theory. Gold and silver are worthless without a matching GDP.

Xia Zhen said, "After the grain grows, it will be exchanged with grain, and the gold and silver that flowed out will be recovered soon."

Mu Chengyu nodded, "There is one more thing to tell the little general..."

(End of this chapter)