A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 401 New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve.

In the afternoon of New Year's Eve, the servants of Duke Yi's mansion were already busy.

New peaches for old symbols.

The gate is also affixed with Wu Huaiyu's new work, the statues of Qin Shubao, Wei Chigong and the two gods. The lifelike two gods are painted on the peach wood board.

The maidservants also hung red lanterns and colorful silks in each courtyard.

forecourt.

There are many large boxes in the hall, which are filled with boxes of copper coins.

Wu Huaiyu and Fan Xuanfu sat at the head, the concubines sat on the sides, and there were a lot of stewards in the hall.

The little housekeeper, Chen Runniang, took the roster and called her name.

The servants in charge of the mansion waited in line one by one.

Wu Huaiyu personally gave them lucky money. The Wu family is now prosperous, so they are naturally more generous to their servants.

However, servants and servants are also divided into three or six grades, just like in the Wu family's business, they are divided into junior apprentices, college apprentices, junior buddies, big buddies, senior buddies, the third shopkeeper, the second shopkeeper, the big shopkeeper, and the general manager. The number three shopkeeper, the second shopkeeper, the big shopkeeper, and family stewards, deacons, and general managers.

The servants and maidservants with the lowest status in the family were rewarded with one hundred coins each, and there were hundreds of Kaiyuan Tongbao strung on a rope, all of which were newly minted coins.

The price of food in Chang'an had risen a few years ago, but one hundred yuan could buy three buckets of rice, which was a good lucky money for ordinary servants. After all, it was not the usual monthly money, but just the lucky money for Chinese New Year.

"Thank you, sir."

The small Turkic servant who fed the horse knelt down to accept the copper coins in Tang dialect with Turkic accents outside the Great Wall, and thanked him loudly.

Hearing him say Xie Xianggong, Huaiyu smiled and patted him on the shoulder twice, "Don't call me indiscriminately, you can't call me Xianggong indiscriminately, only the prime minister who has entered the political affairs hall can be called Xianggong, remember to correct it, and you will not be called again in the future." Screaming."

The Turkic servant hurriedly pleaded guilty, he never had the chance to see Wu Huaiyu, and Wu Cheng, the hunchback in charge of the front concierge, taught him to call him this way when he came to receive the reward, and he didn't understand.

The butler said on the side, "Why don't you thank me again quickly."

The Turkic slave knelt there, stunned for a while, and then said, "Thank you, Lord Yiguo, for your reward."

"At home, it's better to be called Erlang."

Huaiyu saw that this boy was doing his job well, so he rewarded him ten more qian, and the boy quickly thanked Erlang and withdrew.

A servant who has worked in the Wu family for more than one year will receive two hundred dollars as a lucky New Year.

And for those with ministries, add another hundred.

The personal servants around Wu Huaiyu and his wives and concubines are also equivalent to the small stewards in each house, and the price is five hundred yuan.

Hanging copper coins were taken out from the box, clanging and clanging, and every servant who received the reward was very happy.

Important duties such as accountant, cashier, internal and external management, etc., have also received a thousand dollars, which is consistent and weighs six catties and four taels.

There are a lot of people in the courtyard, everyone is called by name, and money is given out, thank you.

Huaiyu personally distributed the rewards, and also took this opportunity to get to know more and more people in the family, and even asked them a few words occasionally.

In fact, in the young year, the Wu family had already paid the monthly money of the twelfth lunar month, and gave out another year-end benefit, including clothes, shoes, socks, food, cloth, and copper coins, although most of the money used in the Wu family courtyard is personally attached to the Wu family. Even though some of the slaves had to be exempted once, they were still Hakka women who belonged to the Wu family.

But Wu Huaiyu has always insisted that even if he is a slave in the family, he still needs to pay some monthly money in addition to food and lodging, and there will even be a reward. The monthly money is fixed and the amount is not much, but the reward is flexible. , Look at performance, such as attendance, whether you are diligent, whether you are not responsible, etc., there are points, there are bonus points and deductions, such as not paying attention to hygiene and rules, etc. are also deducted.

If you work hard, you can get a first-class reward, plus the monthly money, and you can save some personal property a month. This money belongs to them.
Whether they usually go to the kitchen to spend money to start a small stove, or buy some clothes and shoes for themselves is their own business.

Or they can save enough money to redeem themselves for freedom, or marry themselves a wife.

This can stimulate the enthusiasm of the slaves, and even reduce the resistance of these people, or prevent them from escaping.Some families use stricter means to manage the house under high pressure, but it is also prone to accidents, such as running away or stealing, etc., which happen from time to time, and there are even slaves who kill the master, or even rape the master.

During the Chinese New Year, the picture is just a joy, and the servants are very grateful for the rewards.

In addition to slaves and trilogy, servants, guards, stewards, and craftsmen hired by the Wu family can also receive rewards today. Although they are not from the Wu family, they still have a lot of rewards.

In addition, Wu Huaiyu's government officials, state officials and other friends and guests are treated even better.

When Wu Huaiyu gave them New Year's money, he had to stand up and put the prepared gifts on the tray with both hands and give them to them.

The New Year's money given to these friends is mainly based on their quality. For example, Changshi and Sima are both of the fifth grade, and Huaiyu gave them a lot. Twelve.

There are also many things such as the four treasures of the study, spices, sugar, green salt, and soap.

The grade is lowered, and the things are also reduced.

The lowest pawn is a New Year's money, and there are tens of thousands of dollars, which really shows the generosity of Duke Yi.Fortunately, there are only a few dozen people in the two teams of the state government and the government.

The lucky money Wu Huaiyu gave to his family was gold coins and silver coins, all of which were a batch of gold and silver coins specially minted by the Shuofang Qianjian. The pure gold ones weighed one penny, and the gilded ones were heavier, but they were only gilded on the surface. A layer of gold.

Silver coins come in sterling silver and silver copper.

The New Year's money that Huaiyu gave his wife Xuanfu were all pure gold coins and gold-plated coins, a box of shining gold, worth 66 taels of gold.

This batch of specially ordered gold coins gave Fan Xuanfu a pleasant surprise. She was not short of money, but these big boxes of golden coins really made people happy.

For a few concubines, the three sisters of the Fan family, as well as Duan Wan and Qiu Derou, each of the five concubines will get gold coins worth 16 taels of gold.

The eight concubines, Chen Runniang, Gao Huian, Gao Yanzhi, Irina, Cao Shisanniang, Qiu Sanniang, Tang Liuniang, and Pei Yunu, got gold coins worth six taels of gold.

As for Pei Xingnu and Zhu Jianji, they belonged to maidservants and had a higher status than ordinary maidservants. Each of them was given twenty gold Kaiyuan, worth two taels of gold.

Wu Huaiyu gave 66 pieces of pure gold to Kaiyuan for his children, hoping that the six will be smooth and the gold will be six and two six.

Brothers and sisters, regardless of their size, also have 66 pure gold Kaiyuan Tongbao coins per person.

The same goes for nephews and nieces.

This new year's money, just for my family, parents, wives, concubines, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, etc., gave out hundreds of taels of gold, which is definitely a big deal.

One tael of gold can be exchanged for [-] copper coins, which is enough for the living expenses of a family of several ordinary people for a year.

Fortunately, although the Wu family is an upstart now, they didn't have much background in the past, but Wu Huaiyu is not an ordinary upstart, not to mention all kinds of rewards. Inside and outside the pass.

In addition, the shochu of the samurai family, the tea of ​​the samurai family, and the white sugar of the samurai family are all very profitable. Although the shochu and the new tea of ​​the samurai family cannot occupy a place in the highest-end market, they have already entered the middle-end market. Part of the market, and even seized a lot of share.

There are also things like soap and perfume of the samurai family, which is also a very profitable industry.

Other pawnshops and farms are also highly profitable industries.

The Wu family's industry expanded rapidly, and everything was supported by Wu Huaiyu's current status. The Wu family also chose to make appropriate concessions, and cooperated with other families' dignitaries to make great strides all the way. The larger the scale, the more profits will naturally be made.

Last year, I bought slaves from Cheng Yaojin with my sister-in-law. Wu Huaiyu sold more than 1000 households of slaves and made a fortune. Later, he was in Shuofang, doing things like salt, horses, and slaves. Land, mines, and money have also made a lot of money.

When you have enough status, you will find that money in this world is very easy to earn, money can be picked up everywhere, and even money will rush at you desperately, slapping you hard on the face.

Those rich and powerful do not need any technology or decision-making to make money. The characteristics of their money-making are actually compradors and monopolies. Sometimes they are interested in some profitable industry. Send someone over to say hello, and those who are sensible will obediently obey. Shares, or even directly invest in the sect, you get the big head and the other gets the small head.

The properties of the Wu family are relatively normal, but they have also done many such things. For example, when the Wu family acquired land, Huaiyu acquired tens of thousands of acres of land in Lingwu and Shuofang, and they all took advantage of his status and position there. Convenience, poor information, etc., are almost like picking up land for nothing.

Another example is the barbarian slave brought by Cheng Yaojin. Although this thing was bought from the Datang government through formal channels, but this thing is so profitable, not everyone has the opportunity to buy it. Buy so much, buy it. The price is so cheap, that's what matters.

To put it bluntly, I got a note from Cheng Yaojin, governor of Luzhou, and got his approval.It seems that everything is formal, but there are many ways in it,
It is the same in any era, and the essence will not change.

Wu Huaiyu didn't dare to make sugar before, because he didn't have enough status. If he made it, someone would come over and eat the small fish. Maybe the food looks better, and they would say to cooperate together, pay you some money, and keep some share for you.If you look ugly, you will grab it directly, and even kill you.

The reason why there were no truly influential giants in ancient times is because there was no such environment. All merchants, no matter how good you look, are just pigs raised by the rich and powerful, or their white gloves.

It doesn't matter whether you are Shen Wansan or Hu Xueyan.

Aristocratic families don't live on dew, nor can they be superior just by reciting poems, making Fu and reading scriptures. Every powerful family, even local tycoons, needs to occupy a lot of resources. Without enough resources, they can't maintain it, so they want to The method is to annex fields, control industry and commerce, and lend usury.

"Ah Lang, an envoy from the palace will reward you."

Wu Huaiyu went to greet him, and Li Shimin was also sending out New Year's benefits. The officials of the capital all had an annual reward, and the emperor's confidants, not to mention the court veterans, also received a special reward.

Wu Huaiyu's New Year's reward included a pair of gold urns, a pair of silver vases, and four copper basins, as well as mink fur, ginseng, brocade silk, and spices such as pepper and cinnamon.

There is even a Diaochan Sanliang Jinxian Crown and a new Jinde Crown.

Huaiyu thank you.

It's Chinese New Year, not only noble officials are busy giving rewards to their families and servants, but the emperor is also busy, even the court has been busy with this during this time.

Wu Huaiyu, the minister of finance of the empire who is also the servant of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, lost his hair a lot because of this. Not only did he have to reward all the officials and subordinates, but he also had to give a reward to the elderly, widows, widows, and disabled people in Beijing.
And the biggest reward is actually the Nanya army of Fanshang Suwei in Beijing, as well as the imperial guards stationed at the north gate,

All together, there are less than [-] soldiers and horses.

It's the Chinese New Year, and their rewards must be there, and they must not be too thin. They have to wear new winter clothes, new shoes, and new hats, and they even have to reward wine, meat, and money.

I have to distribute some food, meat and vegetables to the Kanto refugees in Gyeonggi, so that everyone can enjoy two days of New Year's Eve. You can't be hungry on New Year's Eve and the first day of the new year, right?
If it weren't for Wu Huaiyu's suggestion to issue bonds this year and successfully borrowed a lot of money, Li Shimin would definitely have a lot of headaches this year.

Although the borrowed money has to be repaid, at least the current year can be lived well.

I have to tighten my belt for two or three years, and I will get better slowly.

In contrast to the empty treasury, Wu Huaiyu thought of the Wu family's current family business that he saw in the account summary years ago. The country is very poor, but Wu Huaiyu is very rich.

Wu Huaiyu owed a lot of money during the Chinese New Year last year, but this year he has achieved financial freedom.

There are thousands of acres of land, thousands of servants, groups of wives and concubines, and piles of children.

The New Year's gift money is directly distributed to gold coins, which is a bit too ostentatious.

Shouldn't you give the emperor a big red envelope to comfort him?

Otherwise, let's take the lead in buying more bonds from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

After sending the angel away, Huaiyu immediately made arrangements.

Subscribe for an additional [-] guan bonds in your own name, and then use the name of your parents to subscribe [-] guan each, and five younger siblings, no matter how big or small, each subscribe [-] guan in their names.

Fan Xuanfu subscribed [-] guan in his name, and five wives, [-] guan each.Eight concubines, one hundred guan each.

Add up to [-] guan.

In Huaiyu's letter of thanks to the emperor, this matter was directly stated.

Subscribing separately is not superfluous, but to avoid being too ostentatious. I took the lead in subscribing before, and now if I jump out and subscribe for nearly [-] more, it will inevitably make it difficult for other dignitaries.

Because although everyone has money, they have their own channels to lend money. Even if there is interest in subscribing to this bond, they still lose money.

Of course, Wu Huaiyu told the emperor that he still hoped to allow secret subscriptions and not directly disclose them. Anyway, he sent the money to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and when the money went to the treasury, he held the bonds and exchanged them when they matured.

For those who celebrate the new year, it can be regarded as comforting the emperor. Being an emperor is not easy.

Those who celebrate the New Year need money everywhere, and they will lend another [-] guan to the court.

The thank you table was sent to the palace, and at dusk, Li Shimin sent someone to collect the money, and by the way, gave him a treasured belt with ten thousand nails and two jars of imperial wine.

This belt of ten thousand nails is not simple, it is no worse than the belt of seven treasures stolen by Changsun Wuji before. During the Northern Zhou and Sui dynasties, the emperor most liked to reward the officials who had made great achievements with the belt of ten thousand nails.

In the past, Yehu Khan, the governor of the Western Turks, asked for marriage, and he sent Li Shimin a gold belt with ten thousand nails and five thousand horses.

"Your Majesty said that tonight's New Year's Eve palace banquet, I will give Yi Guogong this ten-thousand-nailed gold belt, and I will wear it to the palace banquet in a while." The eunuch also told Huaiyu that this ten-thousand-nailed belt is actually The one that previously unified Yehu Khan to pay tribute to the emperor.

(End of this chapter)