Chapter 558: Fall

On the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, there was a sweet potato feast in the palace.
Every concubine with a high grade gets a bowl of sweet potato rice.
For concubines who are accustomed to eating delicacies from mountains and seas, sweet potato rice is not necessarily delicious, it is fresh and decent.
Decent is the most important thing.
Can the sweet potato rice rewarded by Emperor Wende be undecent?
The concubines got a bowl of sweet potato rice, but Weiyang Palace held a sweet potato feast.
Steaming, cooking and roasting, all kinds of cooking methods, the best imperial kitchen, played tricks on small sweet potatoes.
"Sure enough!"
Emperor Wen De ate a roasted sweet potato, and he felt full. The dishes beside me can't eat anymore.
Queen Pei personally filled a bowl of soup and placed it at the hand of Emperor Wende, "Your Majesty drink the soup and digest your food. Concubines must congratulate your Majesty for obtaining high-yield sweet potatoes, so you no longer have to worry about the people fighting famine."
Emperor Wen De drank half a bowl of soup, wiped the corners of his mouth, and said, "It's too early to draw a conclusion on this matter."
Queen Pei paused, "Your Majesty doesn't believe Gu Jiu?"
"I naturally believed in her. She didn't have the courage to lie about such a major event. But food is related to the national economy and people's livelihood, and I must treat it with caution. When the spring begins, I will let Huangzhuang grow sweet potatoes. By the autumn harvest, the output per mu will reach seven or eight hundred jin. Without needing to produce a thousand catties per mu, I ordered the government to promote the cultivation of sweet potatoes."
"Your Majesty should be considerate, and your concubines are not as good as your concubines. If this sweet potato does not reach 700 or 800 catties per mu, it will be rashly promoted, wouldn't it harm the prestige of the court?" Empress Pei said softly.
Emperor Wen De nodded, "This is the reason."
Empress Pei saw that Emperor Wende was happy, so she smiled and said: "Gu Jiu has done a lot this time, she is really a lucky star."
For the sake of her son Liu Zhao, Empress Pei didn't mind saying more good things about Gu Jiu in front of Emperor Wende.
Liu Zhao and Liu Yi are both her sons.
Let's talk about it first for my sons.
Emperor Wende laughed, "Don't worry, I will reward her. As long as the sweet potato is promoted, I will reward her again."
"The concubine first thanked your majesty for the elder wife." Empress Pei smiled.
She thought, Gu Jiu received a reward, and Liu Zhao would follow suit. This is a good thing.
At this time, Liu Zhao would be covered by his wife's light and stay in the palace to eat sweet potato rice.
Gu Jiu was with him.
Gu Jiu whispered, "I think I have committed a sin, so I will stay in the palace and eat sweet potato rice."
She was tired of sweet potato rice. She wanted to eat hard vegetables, but Emperor Wen De rewarded her with a bowl of sweet potato rice.
Huh huh!
She can't help but eat.
Liu Zhao silently picked up Gu Jiu's bowl of sweet potato rice, poured it all into his bowl, and he would eat it for her.
Gu Jiu smiled with joy, "Guess what will my father reward me?"
Liu Zhao shook his head, "I'm not sure."
Emperor Wende became the throne for two years and rarely rewarded people. Even if there are rewards, they are all trivial things, not to mention.
Gu Jiu asked again: "Guess, what will the father ask?"
Their husband and wife ate at the side hall of Weiyang Palace. This is decent.
However, both of them knew that Emperor Wen De had left them to eat in the side hall, and he would have something to ask for a while.
Liu Zhao finished two bowls of sweet potato rice in one go, took out a handkerchief to wipe the corners of his mouth, and said, "Perhaps it is about the cement road, you are ready to prepare."
Gu Jiu put down his chopsticks.
If Emperor Wen De asked about the cement road for a while, how would she answer?
Liu Zhao bluntly said: "Provide the cement prescription, provide the engineering team, and help the court build the road."
This is his advice to Gu Jiu.
The cement road is destined to be impossible for Gu Jiu to keep repairing.
It is a matter of people's livelihood and financial rights, and the court will not let it go.
Although the capital from the capital to Luozhou is in the cement, the nature of the gold swallowing beast has not been revealed because of the heavy snow. But it does not hinder the imperial court to control this weapon in its own hands.
Gu Jiu nodded, "I understand."
From the beginning, she did not expect to be a road construction expert, nor did she expect to build concrete roads.
The cement road is a new source of wealth for the imperial court.
Gu Jiu is already very satisfied with the 40-year toll right for the cement road from Beijing to Luozhou.
She is not greedy.
To make money, she has a way.
There is no need to confront the court and Emperor Wen De.
Sure enough, just after dinner, a maid invited the couple to the hall to talk.
Emperor Wende, Empress Pei, and Empress both sat on the Arhat couch, each occupying half of the seats.
The husband and wife bow down to greet you.
"Free! Is the sweet potato rice delicious?"
Emperor Wen De asked with a smile.
Liu Zhao said with a cold heart and expressionlessly: "I'm hungry. If it can be extended to the border, the ration problem can be greatly eased."
"That's right. I don't know if sweet potatoes can be grown in the arid area of ​​the northwest."
Gu Jiu whispered: "Shaofu and the Ministry of Households will work together, and sooner or later, they will be able to cultivate sweet potato seeds that can adapt to the climate and soil in the northwest. The yield per mu may be able to catch up to the south, reaching a thousand catties per mu."
Emperor Wen De liked to listen to these words, so he smiled eagerly, "It is very good. Shaofu and Hubu, with the best old farmers in the world, will be able to successfully cultivate seeds."
After speaking, Emperor Wen De's eyes swept across the two faces one by one.
When he was in Xingqing Palace before, Emperor Wen De didn't mention a word in the cement, just to guard against the household.
The Ministry of Households is crazy, and wants to get involved in any projects that can come in.
However, Emperor Wen De plans to incorporate the cement road project into Shaofu. Shaofu came forward to preside over the construction of cement roads to prevent toll collectors from collecting tolls.
To put it bluntly, Emperor Wen De just wanted to leave the household department aside.
So he chose to discuss the matter in Weiyang Palace.
"The cement road from Beijing to Luozhou is well-built!"
It really is a cement road.
Gu Jiu said very well, "It is the blessing of the emperor, that the cement road from Beijing to Luozhou can be completed on schedule, and tolls will be collected smoothly."
Emperor Wende laughed, "I heard that in October, he collected seven thousand taels tolls."
Gu Jiu answered honestly: "Exactly."
Emperor Wen De said: "In October, many places had already started to snow, the weather was freezing, and businesses did not go out. In addition, many people did not know that the cement road was fully connected. That’s it, the first month of opening. It's amazing to be able to charge seven thousand taels to toll.
When the spring begins and the weather is warm, the merchants will go out one after another. It is estimated that the monthly toll fee can be tens of thousands. "
Gu Jiu said: "Daughter-in-law thinks so too. After a year, the toll booths should be able to usher in a significant increase."
Gu Jiu won't be poor anymore.
It was generous and open, but it was praised by Emperor Wen De.
November, the twelfth lunar month, is even colder than October.
Compared with October, the tolls charged by toll booths have dropped significantly.
However, the two toll stations in Beijing and Luozhou rose instead of falling.
Beijing, Luozhou, the largest city in the world.
Towards the end of the year, don't be too busy visiting relatives and friends, traveling for business, and transporting goods.
There are fewer foreign merchants, but local merchants are very active.
In November, the tolls at the two toll stations alone add up to more than 4,000 taels. ,
With the addition of the other 18 toll stations, the tolls for all toll stations in November barely exceeded 6000 taels.
Some earn!
It's just that the opening time was not selected, and it was winter. There was no big explosion as expected.
But when the spring begins and the weather is warm, it will be fine.
On the way from Beijing to Luozhou, mountain bandits and road tyrants were hit hard. By the second year of Wende, more people will definitely come out to do business.
Emperor Wen De laughed, "The toll station looks inconspicuous, but it wins in the long flow of water and can also benefit the people's livelihood."
The key lies in the role of the military.
Of course, there is no need to say this.
Gu Jiu made a decisive decision, "Daughter-in-law wants to offer a cement prescription, please father to accept it."
Emperor Wende was happy, it was really rare, Gu Jiu was too informed today.
But he said: "How am I ashamed to ask for your cement prescription."
Gu Jiu felt disgusted for a while, so hypocritical!
On the face, she had to respectfully said: "My daughter-in-law is too weak to build concrete roads all over the world. Only the court, and only the father, can have this courage. Please father the empress must laugh at the cement recipe."
Liu Zhao also said: "This is the filial piety between the son and Xiao Jiu, please accept it from the emperor."
Queen Pei also said: "Your Majesty will accept the filial piety of the children."
Emperor Wende said happily, "Since you are showing filial piety, it is hard for me to refuse, then I will accept it."
Gu Jiu took the opportunity to give Emperor Wen De an idea to make money, "Cement can be used not only to repair roads, but also to repair houses, wipe walls, and wipe the ground. Especially if you wipe the ground, you don't have to worry about rainy days. Mud. With the price of the capital, ten liters and one load, this business is also promising."
"Oh?"
Emperor Wen De curiously asked: "Such a good business, don't you plan to do it?"
Gu Jiu said: "My daughter-in-law begs my father to allow my daughter-in-law to send someone to build a cement workshop in Jiangnan and sell cement in Jiangnan."
The implication was that Gu Jiu gave the northern market to Emperor Wen De, and she went to the south to open up new markets and stand in front of her.
Emperor Wende laughed, "You are shrewd. Okay, I allow you to start a cement workshop in Jiangnan. If one day, Shaofu also enters Jiangnan, you have to help."
"Father, don't worry, the Sihai Commercial Bank under the name of the daughter-in-law is the same as the Shaofu. Shaofu is the eldest brother and Sihai is the younger brother. The younger brother must always look up to the eldest brother."
Nonsence!
Gu Jiu was overwhelmed by his shamelessness.
Is this her?
Yes, this is her.
She has fallen!
Huh huh!
No, she is not depraved, she is a master of the times.