Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 425 Wandering Wu Fan
After making an agreement with Sun Shiwan, Zhu Wenkui and others left the scene, leaving behind a group of excited audiences.

However, even the retainers felt that the bet he made was unreliable.

After arriving home, everyone began to have doubts.

"Young master, we let the words out in front of so many people. If we can't do it later, we will be in trouble." Captain Jie Shika worried: "Our Wu Palace is based on face, if we don't If you lose face, what can you do..."

"That's what you said." The heroine Jeanna quickly smoothed things over: "It's not that serious."

"No, I was in Bohemia back then, and I have seen those things in the court." Captain Jesska insisted, "Some nobles lost their territories, or couldn't support themselves, so they ran to the king. These people are actually relying on face to make a living, so they all owe a lot of debt. It's not that they don't want to manage a good life, but because if they don't try to save face, they will only suffer worse."

"That's it..." Jeanna found out that it seemed to be the case, so she scratched her head and responded.

"Haven't you seen the daily interactions of the aristocratic class? In fact, there are not too many differences in each country. Although the sect and the form of the country in Rome are different, the upper class is actually those things." Captain Jessica said eloquently Talk, looks quite experienced.

"I, I know too! I just didn't think about it just now." Although he just mentioned it casually, the heroine Jeanna immediately defended: "I am also a noble, but I am not very familiar with the king's court."

"Hey? Isn't your family also the village head?" Zhu Wenkui was a little surprised.

Princess Ma next to her showed a hesitant expression, and little Rangna simply turned her head away from him.

"Village, the village chief can be considered a noble." Heroine Jeanne blushed and explained: "That's how it is here."

"Oh, it doesn't matter." Captain Jie Shika didn't care: "My family is only half a village, much poorer than you. But when I went to the palace, I also called myself a little nobleman for the sake of appearance. Anyway As long as you have some ability, people will turn a blind eye and won't expose it."

"That's right." Zhu Wenkui agreed, "And to be honest, whether you have talent or success has nothing to do with your background. In terms of background, my great-grandfather is not as good as your family, but there is no one in the world who is better than Daming." A powerful regime? A great mission from heaven, you won’t look at these things.”

Everyone agreed with this and nodded.

"We don't need to rush this time. I know the technical issues well." In this regard, Zhu Wenkui is indeed not too nervous: "I don't think the principle of jacquard bunching is too difficult. You should be able to do it once you try it. I can figure out the situation. I will make a model later to see if this is the case."

"Then shall I carry some more wood?" Captain Jessica asked.

"Wen Kui, can't you do something serious?" Ma Wangfei couldn't help but said, "You say you have a lot of work to do, but you find yourself something to do every day. Today I will fight for Brother Kang, and tomorrow I will be angry with those Yuan people." You have to toss wood. If this continues, it's hard to say whether you can do anything. Everyone knows that you are not doing your job every day..."

"Mr. Yang." She turned to Jessica and said: "We hired you because we hope that you can assist the prince, not only to build a career, but at least to do something. Therefore, if he has any unreasonable demands, Don't get used to him either. To be a minister, you have to be able to persuade him."

"Ma'am is right." Jessica nodded quickly.

Of course, this is not the first time Princess Ma has said something like this, and everyone knows it's useless, it's all a routine.In fact, in this case, they really have nothing to do.

Employers' affairs are more troublesome than the last.Moreover, when the two sides argue, they themselves cannot tell who they should listen to.

Captain Jessica has been targeted in this way more than once.And the reason why he was regarded as the "confidant of the prince" was actually simpler - he had been in the court for a while, and he had more experience than Jeanne, old Ivan and others.

In his experience, Bohemia and even the entire Holy Roman Empire had never heard of sons listening to their mothers in major palaces.In other words, even listening to my father is considered very filial.

In addition, since he came here, Zhu Wenkui has been personally arranging various things for him, so he naturally believes that compared to the "King Wu" who lives outside like a mercenary manager, this is the one who The one who really takes care of things.In this way, although he himself didn't realize it, others felt that he was a die-hard supporter of Zhu Wenkui.

However, compared to others, little Jeanne was very interested in that machine.She soon pestered Zhu Wenkui and asked him how he planned to make it.

"I have a lot of work to do, but this kind of thing won't take too long." Zhu Wenkui quickly said: "It's easy to say, I will draw the blueprint and find some carpenters to do it."

"Is it that simple?" Seeing that he suddenly changed his words, little Jeanna didn't quite believe it.

Zhu Wenkui himself didn't even believe it.However, he has to make a statement, saying that he is still focusing on business, and these things are just for fun in his spare time.So, he added: "You don't understand the design. If there is any situation, I will discuss it with Guo Kang later, and it will be resolved."

Little Jeanna had nothing to do about it, so she had no choice but to stop asking.

Probably knowing that it would be useless to persuade these people, Princess Ma also sighed, and took little Rangna back to the house.The other two followed Zhu Wenkui to the corner of the yard.

"Boss, look, the wood is almost used up." Captain Jesska immediately pointed to an almost empty shed next to him, and said familiarly: "The last time I made a car for Mr. Guo, I used up more than half of it. We only have these two pieces of hardwood left in our hands. Do you want to go to the Ross to buy them again?"

"The wood from last time was hard, but it was too heavy." Zhu Wenkui shook his head: "The machine this time does not have such high requirements on the quality of the wood. If the dead weight is too heavy, it will affect the flexibility of operation and reduce the quality of the wood." Efficiency. Ordinary wood will do, I think."

"Then I'd better go to them and buy something lighter and cheaper." Captain Jesska fully understood what he meant, and nodded immediately: "I heard people say that their boss is Ross named Alexander. The leader. From amber to slaves, this man has resold everything. Let’s buy some gray goods from there, and we can save a lot of money.”

"Grey?" Zhu Wenkui asked curiously.

"It came with the boat." Jeska said: "They cut down the trees, bundled them into small boats, and shipped them down the river. This kind of simple fleet can go as far as Crimea. Then, In order to save costs, this kind of small boat was tied directly to the back of the cargo ship, and slaves were used as oarsmen to row along the coastline and sell them along the way."

"When the things on the small boat are sold out, the boat is dismantled and the wood is also sold. When entering the port, this kind of wood is not considered a separate cargo ship, nor is it a special cargo. It is a tax avoidance method, so it is also very cheap. If the quality of the wood we need is not high, we can just buy this kind."

"You know how to do business?" Jeanne Heroine was a little surprised.

"As a mercenary captain, don't you have to understand these things." Captain Jessica took it for granted: "Participating in the war is only part of the job, and how to deal with various profiteers may be the most important thing. After all, the entire team needs You pay for it yourself."

"If the regiment leader is only going to pay for nothing, then it's okay. If you really want to improve the combat effectiveness of your team, you have to consider how to get more weapons and supplies under a fixed amount. Sometimes I feel that this is the most important thing. The main task." He talked about his past mercenary experience.

"The military level in Europe is so bad." Zhu Wenkui shook his head and sighed: "This thing really tortures everyone who wants to do something serious equally..."

"No wonder, back then, Tuhuan Taiji and I bragged, saying that we would help Brother Kang go out to fight after the work in hand was over, and we would attack the main force of the Alemanni in the first battle, and beat Sigismund up. .” He remembered the previous events, and showed a clear expression: “No wonder it’s arranged this way, isn’t it easier to fight on their side?”

"To fight Shinra's main force in the first battle?" Jeanna questioned: "That should not be his own command, it is probably just to be plated with gold."

"Actually...it's not that difficult." Captain Jesska thought about it: "I met Sigismund in the Prague court. To be honest, his military level...is better than nothing. Mr. Guo is a little wary Mind, it's really not that difficult to beat him."

"Don't underestimate the enemy." Heroine Jeanne reminded: "I have been fighting for at least half my life. After all, I have learned a lot."

"No, no, no." Captain Jessica shook his head again and again: "You have to know that being able to learn from past victories and draw lessons from failures is a very advanced ability, and most people can't do it well. of."

"And Sigismund is also this kind of person. He has been fighting for so many years, and I haven't seen any improvement in his command ability. Instead, his promotion is all about politics-this guy is getting more and more cunning. "

"As for the battlefield, let alone smart people like Mr. Guo, I can do anything." He said firmly: "Sigismund is really not an opponent worthy of special attention."

"Why are you starting to brag too?" Heroine Jeanne clearly didn't believe it.

"I'm telling the truth. Sigismund is like this." Captain Jessica was unwilling to give in.

"Pull it down, you'd better win the battle. You're going to challenge Emperor Shenluo when you come up?" Rangna revealed mercilessly.

"It's not that I lost the battle, it's just that I followed the wrong team..." Captain Jesska couldn't hold back his face, and he hesitated to explain: "It's just finding the wrong employer, which is quite normal. The matter of the mercenary group is not considered a defeat. ..."

"Okay, okay." Zhu Wenkui quickly stopped them: "Time is tight. I really have a lot of things to do these days. You guys can help me make these preliminary preparations first, and then look at the next step."

As they talked, they walked and soon came to a corner of the yard.

There is a small house here, covered with blue tiles.There is a cross painted on the slightly crude wooden door, which looks like a simple small church that is common in villages and towns.But there are no other decorations of worshiping God on the roof and surroundings. Instead, there is a flagpole and a sun and moon flag hanging on it.

Zhu Wenkui opened the door, walked in with the two of them, and began to pack things.

In the middle of the house, there is a tall shelf with a portrait of Zhu Yuanzhang hanging in the middle, and next to it are the ancestors of the Zhu family, that is, Zhu Yuanzhang's great ancestor Zhu Bailiu, great grandfather Zhu Sijiu, grandfather Zhu Chuyi, Huang Kao Zhu May [-]th, and the tablets of the late empresses.

On the small table in front of the shelf, there are sacrificial and ritual items such as crosses, rosary beads, and incense burners, and candlesticks are placed on both sides.In front of the small table there are several wooden brackets, on which are supported several small iron pots.

In front of the bracket, along the wall, there are several tall wooden shelves and cabinets.Zhu Wenkui walked to a shelf, picked up an account book on it with ease, and confronted the two of them.

This house is nominally the family temple of "Wu Wangfu".But in fact, due to the relatively limited space, it can be regarded as a temple, a church, and a storage room for valuables.

In theory, Zhu Wenkui is also a God worshiper.After starting to run his own family here, he also joined the religion of worshiping God.

Guo Kang told him before that it was not necessary.But Zhu Wenkui believes that everyone here is a believer, and if he doesn't believe in it, he will probably appear to be out of group, and it will be inconvenient to do things in the future.So, Lama Wang was baptized for him, and he was given the Christian name of "Konstantin Zhu" for dealing with Europeans.

After that, Zhu Wenkui took the opportunity to go to the church to cry for poverty, and went to ask for various sponsorships every three days.

According to him, he came all the way from the East and joined the church, so he had to take care of him.Otherwise, let alone those businessmen who traveled long distances, would not think much about it.Other believers might also feel that the church is too stingy and not generous enough to newcomers.Over time, believers will also become alienated.

The gold and silver wares in the house now, including those gold-plated crosses, silver-plated incense burners, and candlesticks, are all from the church during his time. I begged for it.Although they don't match each other, which makes the atmosphere of the ancestral temple here a bit weird, but at least there are some sacrificial utensils that can be handed out, and they won't be forced to make things carved out of wood like before.

When little Rangna first came here, Zhu Wenkui even used the name of little Rangna to take her to the Niangniang Temple every day on the grounds that her younger sister was more devout in her faith and wanted to eat vegetarian meals, trying to eat the holy meal. Save money on food.

Later, Princess Ma recovered a bit and started to take care of some housework. She was very speechless and told him not to go to the temple to beg for food all day long, so he stopped this behavior.

Of course, Zhu Wenkui's persistent begging for a long time is not useless.At least during that period of time, Prince Wu's Mansion was indeed more affluent, and even the family temple became regular.

The portrait of Zhu Yuanzhang in the temple was taken away by Zhu Yunqi when he fled, and it is the only original Ming Dynasty artifact so far.The other tablet tablets, as well as the wooden shelf on which the tablet tablets are placed, were made by the two of them sawing wood by themselves when Qi Tai was here teaching Zhu Wenkui to read.

Although it is not very in line with the rules of etiquette, according to Qi Tai, this is called "the right to have the scriptures", and it is understandable to make do with the limited conditions.Since then, it has been used like this.

Of course, a bigger reason may be that the entire design of the Wu Wang Family Temple did not comply with the etiquette regulations of the Ming Dynasty.Anyway, the general direction is already wrong, so why pay attention to these details...

Zhu Yuanzhang personally formulated the rules that required the princes and kings to set up two buildings, Zuozong Temple and Yousheji.Wu Fan is now a "vagrant prince's mansion" and has no territory at all, so the Sheji Temple saves money.And the five ancestral temples requested by the princes naturally cannot be assembled, even the second-level "one temple and five rooms" cannot be achieved, so everyone can only be crowded in the same room, and the first half of the room has to be used as storage room.

And most importantly, according to Zhu Yuanzhang's request, the vassal state can only sacrifice to its first monarch, not the emperor.But because Zhu Yunqi was still claiming his right of inheritance, he still imitated the Taimiao and filled in all the ancestors.

If this were in the Central Plains, there would probably be another big case. Fortunately, the mountains here are literally high and the emperor is far away, so no one would care...

Unlike his father, Zhu Wenkui no longer has such ambitions.He felt that both his father and father were not of this material, and even if they were capable, what could they do?Is it really possible to bring people back and kill them again?Instead of entangled in these, it is better to pull down one less thing.It's just that Zhu Yunqi's team is very persistent in this, so he has been so reluctant to maintain it.

According to Qi Tai, the imperial court's regulations during the Taizu period were due to a requirement in the Book of Rites that "branches are not sacrificed", that is to say, Zhou Li required that the Xiaozong could not sacrifice to the ancestors of the Dazong.But the problem is that according to the records of the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Zheng has been offering sacrifices to King Li of Zhou, and the State of Song even directly offered sacrifices to Emperor Yi, the king of Shang.Even the state of Lu, which claims to be a model of Zhou etiquette, has created a privilege, not from Duke Zhou, but from King Wen.

On the one hand, the rituals of the Zhou people often did not conform to the rituals of Zhou;Due to the large number of versions, it is natural to explain different or even opposite situations.Which is right and wrong, it is difficult to comment.

Although this sacrificial rule was indeed set by Zhu Yuanzhang himself, and it may have been done intentionally in order to control the power of the vassal kings, when great Confucians want to interpret the scriptures, they can draw other conclusions.

Everyone is embarrassed to directly say that the Taizu did not understand the scriptures and was uneducated, but like this, it is not a problem to accuse the Ministry of Rites of misinterpreting Zhou Rites and misleading the king.Therefore, Zhu Wenkui is very skeptical that these etiquette systems may not have a normative effect-the great Confucianists can make a lot of noise about it for any reason.

Therefore, for this place, he just had to make do with the attitude of maintaining the status quo.

Not far away, Zhu Yuanzhang crossed the cross in the painting, as if he was still looking at the crowd.However, Zhu Wenkui had long ignored the weird arrangement here, and after flipping through the books, he quickly came to a conclusion: "I have to ask for some money again!"

"Then what should we do?" Jeanne asked.

"Not only do we have no money left, but we are already in arrears!" Zhu Wenkui announced, "But everyone should relax. Miss Rangna, you came late, I don't think you know, the Palace is actually often unable to make ends meet, so it's not a problem."

"For the matter of timber, please trouble Mr. Yang to prepare." He gave Captain Jieshika instructions: "You can see which one is suitable. By the way - this month's expenses are too high, so write it down first. I You should be able to apply for some money from the Roman government this time, and make up for it after you get it."

"Can it be reimbursed this time?" Captain Jessica was overjoyed.

"What they mean is to challenge the technical level of the entire Haixi. If we can make it, not only will the Romans look good, but it will also bring great practical benefits. Not to mention anything else, this imitated machine also has production methods. , they will definitely be willing to buy it." Zhu Wenkui analyzed: "As long as you say that, they will definitely increase the money."

"That's right." Captain Jessica suddenly realized: "Young master is really smart, this is a good idea. I will bargain with them then, and scare them by saying that I am working for the government, which will be much more convenient."

"If it can't be done, wouldn't it be troublesome?" Jeanna pointed out.

"What are you afraid of? If you really can't do it, just make an agreement with the merchant and just buy it." Captain Jesska is confident: "Whether it's a bet or a lottery, it's just a means of business. Merchant, since doing so many things , it will definitely be sold in the end.”

"Conversely, as long as we help persuade, introduce the advantages of this thing, and push the Roman government to buy it, they won't make us ugly on purpose. I guess they will take the initiative to help us smooth things over, so that we can make money." .”

"I'll talk to Brother Kang today. It would be better if we can make it; if he has no idea, then this machine is indeed worth buying, and he will be willing to make one for research." Zhu Wenkui nodded: "Before, when he was making the water cylinder, he encountered a bottleneck and asked me to borrow money and materials. Now I ask him to borrow it, and he won't object."

"It's still reliable to have such a friend." Jeanna said with emotion: "Then our financial problems this month should be much better."

"After all, you still have to pay it back to others. And even if you get the funds this time, it's just a one-time income, not a long-term solution." Captain Jashka poured cold water on it in time: "The expenses of the palace are getting bigger and bigger, and we have to pay for other expenses. On the other hand, we should also increase revenue and reduce expenditure."

"The biggest expense this month is to participate in the various preparations for their triumphal ceremony." Zhu Wenkui muttered skillfully, obviously thinking a lot on weekdays: "The dresses of the three of them, the concubine, the princess, and my sister, directly exceed the All expenses for this quarter. Hey, no wonder Brother Kang said every day that life should be kept simple..."

"There's nothing we can do about it. In the aristocratic circle, clothes are the most basic thing. Many people are indeed facing the pressure of bankruptcy and insist on constantly changing and buying new clothes." Captain Jessica was not too surprised: "Besides, It’s all bought, so I can’t sell it again.”

"It doesn't seem to be impossible..." Zhu Wenkui began to think: "I can't control the clothes of the mother and the princess, but I don't know if there are other people who wear my sister's clothes. I have been helping to take care of her for the past few years." Now that it's a critical moment, a sensible child like her must be able to understand her."

"But according to what you said just now, it's not that important." Rang Na pointed out: "And didn't you make a bet with Yuan Ren yourself, sir?"

"We saw that the people of the Yuan Dynasty were still showing off their might, so how could we just sit back and do nothing?" Zhu Wenkui looked at the portrait of Taizu, had an idea, and said righteously: "My sister is also a clan, so of course I also have this obligation."

"Well, Mr. Yang, go and tell her, and then find a merchant to see if you can sell it at a high price." He finally decided: "You know a lot of merchants, and someone should be willing to ask for it. In this way, let's go Then there will be money to build the machine.”

"I can go to the merchant, but I'm not suitable for the little princess." Captain Jessica immediately said: "I'm just a mercenary leader, I can't do such delicate things, and it's not good to have too much contact with the female family members. Let someone more suitable go."

"Okay, Miss Rangna, I'll leave it to you." Zhu Wenkui nodded.

"Huh? Me?" Heroine Jean has not yet reacted.She also wanted to refuse, but Zhu Wenkui and Captain Jessica—as well as Zhu Yuanzhang in the painting, all stared at her.This environment was indeed quite stressful. She felt guilty for a moment and had to say, "I'm just trying. If it doesn't work, don't blame me."

"That's enough, that's enough." Zhu Wenkui nodded again and again: "But don't rush to go now, in a few days, the ceremony is completely over, and the clothes are no longer needed."

"Today..." He thought for a while, "Oh yes, where did Brother Kang go today?"

"Why don't you go and find him first. Tell him about my situation and see if he can come and discuss it." Zhu Wenkui thought for a while and ordered: "He should know a lot about this. If he can Deciding on the plan will also facilitate follow-up planning, and maybe save a lot of unnecessary expenses.”

"That's no problem." Jeanna nodded, got up and was about to go out: "I guess it's those places. I'll go to the cathedral first."

However, just as she opened the door, a figure suddenly jumped down from the roof.Jeanna dodged to the side reflexively, and threw out a few iron nails with a wave.The other party also turned around quickly and flashed past, and the iron nails were pierced into the tree outside the house with a few muffled sounds.

Captain Jessica also reacted, stood up, pulled Zhu Wenkui aside, dragged him two steps behind the stage, and hid.

But at this moment, another girl's voice came from outside: "It's me! Stop beating me!"

"Why is it this guy again..." Ranna Nv Xia looked quite helpless.

"Who is it?" Zhu Wenkui got up in a somewhat embarrassed manner and stuck his head out from behind Zhu Yuanzhang: "Do you know him?"

"This is also an acquaintance of Mr. Guo." Heroine Jeanne obviously didn't want to introduce too much, and shouted outside: "Okay, come on! I just want to go find your brother!"

A moment later, Meltem, who was wearing a linen burqa, ran in from the door.Jeanna nodded at her with a wry smile, and took back the remaining long iron nails in her hand.

"Hey, I said why the iron nails I hit before are missing a few every time, so they are here!" Zhu Wenkui had sharp eyes this time, and suddenly found something wrong: "I made these nails specially for the customized machine. Yes. If you want, don't take these..."

"Don't worry about this!" Meltem looked a little anxious and said loudly: "Can any of you help find someone? The more, the better."

"What happened today." Captain Jessica muttered, and then said, "I know you're anxious, but try to explain clearly. What's going on?"

"I'm going to help my brother!" Meltem said.

"Ah?" Zhu Wenkui and the others looked at each other in blank dismay.

　It's been a long time, sorry.After moving house in a few days, it should be able to recover
　　
　
(End of this chapter)