Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 1431

On November [-], the ninth year of Jianji, Shen Guangjin and Wen Zaixiong drove a donkey cart and stopped in front of a certain house.

The Beiping Fuzhou soldiers guarding the gate put the car in after a careful inspection.

"Your Majesty, the old man is back." Shen Guangjin said happily when he saw the elder sitting in the yard basking in the sun.

There are no heated kangs in Beiping. If you don’t burn a stove to keep warm, it is really better to bask in the sun in the courtyard when there is no wind than to stay in the house.

"You two lovers have worked hard." Da Chi Zhuan said while sitting there without getting up.

"It should be." Shen Guangjin said: "Today, when I went to Nanshi, I bought a Dou millet for 29 yuan and a Doumi for 46 yuan. I bought a dendrobium each, and the total cost was 750 yuan. It is a bit more expensive than ten days ago, because the imperial court confiscated the people to build roads. , After the warehouse was opened to release grain, it was replenished, and the price of grain was bought up."

Da Jianzhuan nodded, but in fact he didn't remember the price of grain ten days ago at all.Shen Guangjin is an old minister, so he shouldn't lie to him. If he said the price increase, it would be true.

"Where is the road to be built?" Da Kao Zhuan asked casually.

"I heard that it is a first-class national road from Ji County to Lu County, with a length of sixty miles. The people in Youdu, Ji, Lu, Anci and other counties have all been expropriated. There are tens of thousands of people, and the scale is not small." "Taiwei" Shen Guangjin talked about the news he inquired from the market, and then together with the "General" Wen Zaixiong, unloaded the grain and moved it into the warehouse.

"Your Majesty, I also bought some things." After moving the food, the two young officials of Bohai took a breath, and Wen Zaixiong took other things from the donkey cart and introduced them one by one.

"Changlu salt, 120 yuan a bucket, I bought a bucket, enough for a long time. Well, the price of salt has fallen sharply recently, and it was already 200 yuan earlier."

"Why did you fall?" Da Jianzhuan asked curiously, having really had too much time to spare.

"There are a lot of salted fish and dried meat in the market. Some people who are prudent don't buy mutton. They buy salted fish and dried meat instead, so they buy less salt." pickled head."

"Shao Shude stole my fish again!" Da Chiao said angrily.

Shen Guangjin and Wen Zaixiong looked at each other, not daring to answer.

My Majesty, Shao Shude bought so much salted fish and preserved meat, on the one hand, he brought down the price of meat, and on the other hand, he also brought down the price of salt, and the people of Youzhou praised him.It's fine to talk about it at home, but don't go out and make a fuss——er, forget, His Majesty can't go out now.

"Is the jerky also from Liaodong?" Da Chi Zhuan asked again.

"It seems to be." Wen Zaixiong hesitated, and said: "I heard that it was a ship from Yanzhou, Tokyo, full of meat and fish. They also found a few islands outside, hunted down tigers and wolves, and specially raised deer."

"Hmph!" Da Xuezhuan stood up angrily.

He is not stupid, he knows that Shao Shude has thought of a good way.If there are lush vegetation on the island and there are no tigers, wolves and other ferocious animals, the number of deer herds that lack natural enemies will increase rapidly.

To put it bluntly, it is just to use the land resources of Liaodong.

If there are not enough people to cultivate the land, it will only be full of weeds and cannot be used.But if livestock are raised, the livestock can use these weeds. Although it cannot be compared with the yield per mu of farming, it is better because of the large area.

After the deer herd grows to a certain level, hunting can be organized. This is actually a good way to train troops.

"Shao thief stole my deer again!" Da Chiao walked up and down in the yard.

"Your Majesty calm down." Wen Zaixiong stepped forward to hold Da Chiu Zhuan's arm, pulled him into a chair and sat down, then returned to the donkey cart, took out a large bag of tea, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, the minister is in the South today. I also bought some Fuliang tea in the city, and I can brew some later."

"Yeah." The big man replied in a muffled voice.

"General Wen, His Majesty must be thirsty, cook now, I'll cook." Shen Guangjin said with a wink.

"That's good." Wen Zaixiong said, "Today's tea is very good."

"Where is the magic?" Shen Guangjin asked while fetching some water while washing the rice.

"Something happened to Jia Ke's family, and I was in a hurry to sell it. I bought a half pack for only a hundred dollars." Wen Zaixiong said, "If the normal market price is used, it will be more than ten dollars more expensive."

"That's really profitable. Xia Guo Honglu Temple only gives such a small amount of money every month, which is really not enough. General Wen bought this tea well, and His Majesty can drink it until the new tea is released in Qingming next year." Shen Guangjin joked.

After all, I laughed with Moon Jae-hung and the two of them, looking very happy.

"Fuliang tea in Raozhou?" Da Jianzhuan suddenly said: "Tang Xianzong Yuanhe, Fuliang County produces 700 million packs of tea every year, and the tax is more than 15 guan. At that time, the price for tea was [-], [-] Tuofuliang tea only costs more than two hundred renminbi, and your tea is not much cheaper."

Shen Guangjin and Wen Zaixiong were at a loss for words.

"What do I have to do with the tea that people in Xialiba drink!" Da Chiu flicked his sleeves and went straight back to the house.

"Oh!" Shen Guangjin sighed, and continued to wash the rice.

Wen Zaixiong also shook his head and said, "The queen hasn't come for more than half a month, and His Majesty is angry. Forget it, I'll make tea first."

In addition, he can also understand that this tea is indeed very ordinary.

There are many shops selling sencha in Beiping City, some of which use Fuliang tea, which is a distribution center for low-end tea in the region, mainly relying on quantity.It was in the hands of Zhong Kuangshi in the past, but now it is in the hands of the Xia people. It must be another good source of income-it is said that there are nearly 50 yuan in tea money a year.

Yes, numbers are that scary!Not only because of a certain increase in tea sales, mainly because of the increase in tax rates.

During the reign of Emperor Xizong of the former Tang Dynasty, in order to raise money to pacify Huang Chao and Qin Zongquan, the Tang court searched the south extensively, and once raised the tax rate of tea from "three out of ten" to "eight out of ten".You know, the Xianzong Dynasty still "takes one out of ten", which has risen too fast, and it also reflects the Tang Dynasty's extremely difficult financial situation, so that it is almost exhausted.

After Zhong Chuan ruled Jiangxi, because the tea tax rate was too high, private tea dealers prospered, and the tea revenue decreased day by day, so he ordered the tax to be halved, that is, "take four out of ten", and the Fuliang tea market regained momentum.

Tea is a bulk consumer product. Even peddlers, monks and Taoists will go to Sencha shops——

"Tea is food, no different from rice and salt. It is the capital of people, and it is the same as far and near. It can eliminate exhaustion and exhaustion, and it is difficult to give up the beard. Among the fields, the hobby is especially strong."

"From Zou, Qi, Cang, Di, and gradually to Jingyi, there are many shops in the city to sell sencha. Don't ask the customs, just pay for it."

To collect taxes, you still have to find a way on these bulk consumer goods - of course, if, like the Ming Dynasty, a large tea distribution center in the south of the Yangtze River only had a tea tax of more than ten taels of silver a year, then forget it, the cost of taxation is not enough Covering, and it is a naked mockery of the Ming tax authorities by the gentry and wealthy businessmen in the south of the Yangtze River.

Now that the Fuliang tea market is under the control of the Xia people, the income of the household department will definitely increase greatly, which is not good news for them, old and young in Bohai.

After Da Jianzhuan went in and sulked, Shen Guangjin and Wen Zaixiong continued to cook.

Poor two officials and nobles, who never touched the spring water with their ten fingers, but they had to do it themselves.Even after "practicing" for several months, it is still very awkward.

Da Jianzhuan was hungry, so he went out several times to check, but when he saw that he was still alive, he went back angrily.

They were busy until noon before Shen and Wen brought the food to the table.

Corn rice, broth, grilled fish with sauerkraut, plus dried meat, bean paste, and rabbit meat paste—the latter is a typical Bohai traditional food.

The three of them did not distinguish between master and servant, and sat around a table to eat.

"Life in Beiping is really good nowadays. Even ordinary city people now occasionally buy some dried meat..." Wen Zaixiong picked up a piece of dried meat, dipped it in the dipping sauce, and just halfway through his sentence, Shen Guang Jin stopped it with his eyes.

Which pot you really can't open and which pot to lift!Shao Shude improved the lives of the people of the Xia Kingdom, which was a good thing for the Xia people, but it was not a good thing for the Bohai monarchs and ministers.

It's okay, Da Xuezhuan ate his head in silence, as if he didn't hear it.

Wen Zaixiong was reminded, so he stopped talking, and the three of them sighed and ate happily.

"Your Majesty..." A timid voice suddenly sounded outside the door.

"Queen!" Da Chi Zhuan suddenly raised his head, put down his chopsticks with a "snap", and ran out of the room.

Shen and Wen hurriedly followed.

"His Majesty!"

"queen!"

A group of people greet each other in the courtyard.

Da Chi Zhuan looked at the two middle officials who were following Gao, feeling disgusted in his heart, but he dared not say anything.

"Your Majesty, my concubine was recently transferred to Changping Tang by Ye Ting, and I just returned yesterday." Gao Shi carefully explained.

Seeing that Da Chi Zhuan's face was not very good-looking, she was a little anxious and almost cried, only to hear her say: "Your Majesty, this concubine is not allowed to be free, there is really no other way."

"Okay, okay!" After making complexion for a while, Da Jianzhuan finally waved his hand generously and said, "Zhen——I don't blame you."

Gao Shi burst into laughter, lifted the food box in front of him, and said: "This is the snack made by my concubine, and it is what His Majesty usually eats."

Da Chi Zhuan's expression relaxed completely, and he said, "Come in and talk."

The group entered the house.

Gao took out the desserts and put them on the table.

Da Jianzhuan swallowed, his dissatisfaction with the queen had vanished.

Mrs. Gao did not forget about Shen Guangjin and Wen Zaixiong, she took out some tea leaves and said, "This is Shuzhong Mengding, Yixing Yangxian and Guzhu purple bamboo shoot tea that are often drunk in summer. Liancheng. The two division commanders have worked hard, so you can share a drink with His Majesty."

Shen and Wen were flattered.

Shuzhong Mengding, Yixing Yangxian, and Guzhu Zisun are famous teas in themselves, and the ones used in the palace are the best of the famous teas, which is naturally unusual.

From this point of view, Da Xiazi is not too much.It must be because of the guilt in my heart, so I rewarded the royal things in the palace.

As for why he feels guilty, it is mostly because Xing Wuming's attack on Bohai Sea is morally untenable.

"Rou Niang, let's sit down and eat together." Da Jian Zhuan first snatched the top of Shu Zhongmeng, and after a careful look, his smile gradually became brighter, and he stretched out his hand to greet: "Have you not eaten Bohai meat sauce for a long time? Look What is this? General Wen made it himself."

Gao looked around and saw a few pieces of dried meat next to a plate of bean paste, and a bowl next to it, which contained rabbit meat sauce. She smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I see you!" This sauce, I feel..."

Halfway through the conversation, I suddenly couldn't continue.Gao only felt nausea for a while, covered his mouth and went out, the sound of retching was endless.

"Queen, this is..." Da Xue asked because he didn't know why.

Shen Guangjin and Wen Zaixiong shuddered in their hearts, and they looked at each other in blank dismay.

The two middle officials who had been chatting outside the door changed their expressions drastically when they saw this, they stepped forward quickly and supported Gao Shi.

Gao's face was extremely pale.

She looked back at Da Jianzhuan, her eyes were full of fear, and her body trembled slightly.

(End of this chapter)