Cultivation of chastity

Chapter 160
Zheng Mingshang came to the Yue Palace, but was told that Li Tai was discussing matters with someone, so he was asked to wait in the side room.

Zheng Mingshang waited patiently until Li Tai met, and as soon as they met, Zheng Mingshang saluted Li Tai and said,
"King Yue, my Zheng family intends to buy Chang'an's feather trading rights again at a price of [-] guan."

"One hundred thousand guan, isn't it afraid of losing money!" Li Tai smiled calmly when he heard Zheng Mingshang's words.

"If you can drink some soup with King Yue, you won't be hungry after all!" Zheng Mingshang said flatteringly with his head down.

After all, Zheng Mingshang has really started working, and Zheng Fengchi handed over the tasks to Zheng Mingshang one by one. Compared with the beginning, after two years of training, Zheng Mingshang has clearly realized the huge gap between himself and Li Tai .

More importantly, Li Tai has never been short of money. Although he is a rich man, it seems to be just icing on the cake.

In the eyes of outsiders, the Zheng family is Li Tai's pocket, but in fact the Zheng family knows that their relationship with Li Tai is not close.

Even the relationship with Peacock was not as good as the outside world imagined, so the only choice Zheng Mingshang had was to spend money.

Even if he didn't make much money after the appearance of cotton cloth, he still said that as long as the Zheng family can maintain the relationship between Li and Tai, it is enough, and the rest is really not important.

"It seems that you want me to take your money and continue to be your political backer!" Li Tai looked at Zheng Mingshang and said, "But it's a pity, I may not be able to be your Zheng family's backer in the future Already!"

"Yue... King Yue, are you going to abandon the Zheng family?" Zheng Mingshang turned pale when he heard Li Tai's words.

"I didn't say that, it's just that if I want to seal it off, I won't be able to protect your Zheng family in Chang'an!"

Li Tai said calmly, "So, you should take this money and continue to find a new backer!"

Hearing this, Zheng Mingshang's face turned green and pale. He really didn't expect Li Tai to leave Chang'an.

From Zheng Fengchi's point of view, Li Tai's current popularity is very likely to compete with the crown prince. If he is sealed, then there will be nothing left!

But looking at Li Tai's attitude, it seemed that he wanted to accept this matter very much, Zheng Mingshang was stunned.

At this time, it is too late to say anything, it is absolutely impossible for a prince who is not in Chang'an to protect the Zheng family!
Zheng Mingshang couldn't help sweating when he thought of this, and said, "Do you know where you will be sealed, King Yue?"

"I don't know, the ruling has a sacred heart!" Li Tai said calmly, "I really don't know where I will be!"

Hearing this, Zheng Mingshang's expression changed, and he couldn't help but think of Zheng Fengchi's words,

"The aristocratic family has the possibility to make a new choice, but it is impossible for a merchant like myself to have another choice."

Now that he has boarded the boat of the king of Yue, don't think that overlooking the boat can avoid danger. If he really wants to jump off the boat, he might drown directly.

Zheng Mingshang took a few deep breaths and said, "Please King Yue accept the one hundred thousand guan, the Zheng family still wants this down monopoly!"

"Tsk tsk!" Li Tai said after hearing Zheng Mingshang's words, "Since you have made such a choice, then I can't go too far...

Although I don't know, I will seal it anywhere, but if your Zheng family can prepare enough weavers to come with me, it will not be difficult to earn ten more of the Zheng family's current assets in the future! "

Zheng Mingshang heaved a sigh of relief when he heard Li Tai's words, and thanked him all over his face, "Thank you King Yue for your guidance!"

To be honest, as Li Tai developed Gaoling in an unimaginable way as if out of nothing, almost all businessmen looked at Li Tai as if they were looking at the God of Wealth.

In particular, the profits occasionally leaked from between Li Tai's nails, like down jackets, are enough for any ordinary aristocratic family to eat.

Although Zheng Mingshang didn't know where Li Tai would go in the future, since Li Tai made such a promise, it at least meant that he regarded his Zheng family in Chang'an as a person.

And all I had to do was hug Li Tai's thigh, and let's talk about the rest.

Zheng Mingshang breathed a sigh of relief and left. At this time, Peacock came out from the next room with a complicated expression.

"Since the Zheng family is still willing to follow me, you don't have to stare at the Zheng family!" Li Tai said, looking at the peacock.

"Everything is according to the king's wishes!" Peacock's eyes flickered when he heard Li Tai's words, but he didn't say much.

Li Tai looked at the peacock, and understood that the peacock was only holding on to the Zheng family because of what he said back then, so he said,

"After I was appointed, although the Agricultural Institute was handed over to Lu Cai and Gaoling was handed over to Du Chuke, the entire business system can only be handed over to you.

So from today, you follow me first, and many things need to be placed in your hands...

You don't necessarily need to understand, but at least you can make the whole system run according to inertia!
These things cannot be completed by simple handover. In the days to come, you are afraid that you will have to stay by my side for a while! "

"Your Majesty's order!" Peacock saluted Li Tai when he heard Li Tai's words, and did not make unnecessary movements.

When Li Tai saw this scene, he didn't say much, but Li Tai knew very well that this girl who was three years older than him really worked hard to live.

Many orders were too much in her own opinion, but she gritted her teeth and overcame the past.

Maybe it was because the Zheng family threw him to her like an abandoned son, which made her realize something, or maybe it was because he provided her with a suitable platform, so that she had a real space to play.

But no matter how you say it, she is only 16 years old now. Although a woman in this era is basically an adult at the age of 12, she can gain a firm foothold in the capital at the age of 16 only by relying on her tiger skin. It is indeed not easy.

"I will take you to see the coal industry first, which is the industry you should pay most attention to!" Li Tai said seriously.

"Why? I think His Majesty seems to attach great importance to coal!" Peacock looked puzzled at Li Tai.

"Because the burning of coal can drive the boiling water to rise, and the rising force of the boiling water can form steam.

If the power of this steam can be converted into mechanical energy, then manpower can be saved! "

Li Tai explained: "It's like various steam engines to process wheat grains, I think you have seen it too.

There is a lot of potential and a lot of room for improvement. "

Peacock heard Li Tai's words, but had to say that even though Li Tai had painted the corresponding scene, Peacock still didn't understand.

"It feels like that thing is not easy to use at all, it is not as convenient as manpower, and it also consumes coal!"

"Improvement and continuous improvement are much easier than possible and impossible!" Li Tai laughed,
"At least this thing has a direction for improvement. As long as it keeps increasing and adding coal, the power will eventually increase.

But for humans, the upper limit of manpower is there, at least not stronger than livestock! "

"Although I don't understand the meaning of this, since the king said that we should pay attention to it, I will definitely pay attention to it!" Peacock said.

"As for the second point, it's cotton!" Li Tai continued,

"Since cotton has started to be planted, then you have to find ways to increase the cotton planting area and increase the number of weavers who weave cotton.

The cotton planting area can be increased as much as it can be, and the weaver girl can be increased as much as it can be.

This kind of thing is in short supply in winter! "

"Peacock understands! Dragonfinch will definitely increase the production of cotton and cotton clothes!" Peacock said to Li Tai.

To be honest, peacocks don't know much about coal compared to coal, so they can only follow Li Tai's requirements step by step.

Now when Li Tai talked about cotton, because he came from a family of weavers, and because he had put his own effort into the whole process of making cotton into cotton clothes, it was much easier for Peacock to ask Li Tai.

"In addition, we will also open a cotton clothing branch in Luoyang, and prepare enough female workers there.

Although it won't be used in a short time, if the situation in Youzhou really opens up, it will be very short of manpower! "Li Tai said.

"Follow the order!" Peacock immediately agreed when he heard Li Tai's words.

"As for the third point, that is women's education!"

Li Tai looked at the peacock, but couldn't help but sighed slightly, and said,
"I won't say any more, you just continue to accept orphans and enter the girls' school of the Agricultural Academy.

If some enlightened parents in the family are willing to send their girls to agricultural colleges, they can reduce the tuition fees a little. "

To be honest, although women's education was proposed a long time ago, the development of women's education is not easy.

The current agricultural college has set up a special orphanage, which basically takes in those orphans who have been abandoned.

After all, in the feudal era, patriarchal things were naturally unavoidable.

Especially as Gaoling became richer, the locals could still afford to have sons, so there were fewer boys.

But some people think that giving birth to a daughter is just an extra mouth to eat, which is meaningless. They might as well throw it in an orphanage and let it be raised by an agricultural school.

Therefore, the orphanages near Gaoling basically adopt more girls.

The only fortunate thing is that the cost of raising children in this era is not high, but it is not easy to cultivate them into adults thoroughly.

"Please rest assured, King Yue, I will take good care of them!" Peacock heard Li Tai say this, his eyes became firm, and there was a sense of responsibility that should not have appeared in Peacock.

Perhaps it was because she was abandoned by the Zheng family and given to Li Tai to be a maid, Peacock has a strong sense of responsibility for these orphans who were abandoned by her family.

Even when Li Tai entrusted this matter to Peacock, he even invested more in it than in the weaving industry.

And these orphans are also very close to the peacocks, I don't know if they are people in distress to warm each other.

Maybe it's because she saw her own experience in these orphans; maybe it's because she was injured, so she wants to hold up an umbrella for others; or maybe compared to the Zheng family, these orphans make Peacock feel a sense of belonging .

But in any case, Peacock is quite conscientious in taking care of these orphans.

For example, Li Tai's direction of development for these orphans is female doctors and weaving girls, while Peacock even paid for some girls from the Jiaofang Division to come and teach the outstanding female piano, chess, calligraphy and painting among them, and there is even a tendency to open a brothel .

Of course, compared to Li Tai's careers that require hard work to improve, in fact, in the feudal era, brothels were more or less one of the outlets for girls.

However, the main development direction of this brothel is not to sell oneself, but more to become an oiran.

At least in the Tang Dynasty, women had quite a status as a profession, similar to modern hosts.

Li Tai didn't stop the peacock, because this kind of thing couldn't be banned in the first place.

And taking ten thousand steps back, at least the brothel he owns should be more or less formal, and it is not too much to go to the doctor's house for a physical checkup every quarter!

But in the final analysis, it can only be said that there are still too few industries that can provide employment for women in this era.

Without entering the industrial age and without vigorous development of the tertiary industry, there were really not many paths for women to choose in the feudal era.

"During my absence in Gaoling, you should take care of three things." Li Tai looked at the peacock and said seriously.

"Here!" Peacock nodded and agreed. Peacock knew that if Li Tai really left Chang'an and was sealed off, then the environment he would face would definitely become much worse.

After all, the reason why he is being treated preferentially now is because of the talent Li Tai has shown and Li Tai's possibility of hitting the crown prince's position.

But as long as Li Tai is sealed, the situation will be completely different.

No matter how talented Li Tai was, he was still just a feudal lord, so the situation in Chang'an City would inevitably change, even if he wanted to pull Li Tai's tiger skin, it might not be easy.

After all, here in Chang'an, who is not a relative of the emperor, a son of a powerful family, and the tiger skin of a vassal king is nothing.

Li Tai knew what Peacock had to face after he left. In fact, not only Peacock, but also Du Chuke, Lu Cai, and even Ma Zhou who stayed in Gaoling would be suppressed to some extent.

If you want to compete for the throne, stay in Chang'an and Li Shimin's side all the time, this is the first choice.

But the reality is that if I want to display my abilities and earn merits, I can't stay in the vortex of Chang'an.

Because compared to revitalizing the local economy and being a little more pragmatic about my own foundation, my direct influence in the court is too small, and my foundation is too weak.

He might not even be that strong in the defense between open and dark arrows!

Therefore, the place is my best choice. I must rely on merit, and I need the wings and support of my subordinates.

Because their layout is exile officials, it will take more time for these people to grow.

But in Chang'an, I can only waste time, so I might as well go out to the sea and the sky, do some business and then come back to Chang'an.

"Then from today onwards, temporarily arrange the affairs in hand, and then follow me, watch me deal with affairs, and you can ask me if you have any questions." Li Tai looked at the peacock and said, "Got it?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Peacock nodded firmly.

(End of this chapter)