Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1187 Epilogue : Repeated tug-of-war between rookies
Eight maids stood around, holding various items in their hands, such as a golden basin filled with hot water and a towel.

At this time, "retirement" has nothing to do with retirement from the underworld.

The dining table was filled with gold, silver and jade.

Although Xie Yan looked calm, he felt somewhat resistant in his heart. He did not like this meaningless luxury.

Maids carrying dishes came in one after another. They prepared twelve dishes, mainly lamb, pork, fish, poultry, and vegetables. The table was almost full, and the dishes were all made of gold and silver.

The cook changed her clothes and stood by to explain the dishes.

Every time he talked about a dish, Zhu Tangxi would ask Xie Yan to taste it.

Finally, Xie Yan couldn't help it and asked tentatively: "Sister, do you usually eat like this?"

Zhu Tangxi did not give a direct answer, but said: "Since Liu Lang is visiting us for the first time, we must show him hospitality."

Xie Yan can pretend to be a scheming green tea man, but he is not a real bootlicker. He never hides his attitude when it is time to express it: "I appreciate your kindness, but there is no need to spend so much money. Besides, I am used to eating with porcelain bowls, so I am not used to eating with gold bowls all of a sudden."

Zhu Tangxi was not angry when she heard this, but smiled sweetly: "Liu Lang is blaming me for being too extravagant?"

"I dare not," Xie Yan stopped talking about this topic. He knew that the other party could understand, so he turned to flattery, "Sister is a beautiful woman, and these gold, silver and jade articles are just right for her."

"You are young, but you have so many thoughts." Zhu Tangxi's tone sounded both blaming and teasing.

Seeing that Zhu Tangxi was not really angry, Xie Yan felt that he could continue to test the princess's character.

The princess chose him, and he also chose the princess.

I am a time traveler!
Xie Yan picked up a pair of ivory chopsticks and picked up a piece of meat for Zhu Tangxi: "Sister, do you usually read novels?"

Zhu Tangxi said: "I've read a few."

Xie Yan said, "Last year, the court lifted the ban on a book called "Tears of an Orphan". Have you ever read it, sister?"

"Sixth Prince, are you pointing at me?" Zhu Tangxi smiled. "The rich are feasting and drinking, but the poor are freezing to death on the streets. I have read many poems by Du Shaoling. Your Majesty Taizu and Taizong have always been known for their frugality, and even stipulated the number of dishes for official banquets."

Xie Yan said: "Taizu and Taizong were both holy rulers."

Zhu Tangxi asked: "Do you know how the current official banquets comply with those regulations?"

"I don't know." Xie Yan shook his head.

Zhu Tangxi said: "Use special large plates to serve dishes. Each plate has at least five compartments. It is not against the rules to combine five dishes into one dish. My father once angrily rebuked the Minister of Guanglu Temple, and the state banquets and official banquets in Beijing finally became more restrained. From the dignitaries in the court to the wealthy people in the private sector, they all said that if the clothes and food are not luxurious, it will not be able to show the prosperity of our Ming Dynasty."

Xie Yan asked: "Sister, do you agree with this?"

Zhu Tangxi asked back: "What do you think?"

Xie Yan spoke frankly: "I think everyone has desires and likes to save face, and no one can escape vanity. I am a very vulgar person, and I also like fancy clothes and delicious food, but I think there should be a limit."

Zhu Tangxi pointed at the golden cups and jade butterflies, the various dishes on the table, and then at the maid holding the precious objects beside her: "Are you unhappy with these?"

Xie Yan put down his chopsticks: "Sister, are you testing me?"

Zhu Tangxi pretended not to understand: "What test?"

Xie Yan was even more certain in his heart: "See if I am a vain person who covets wealth and fame. If I praise these gold, silver and jade articles, I am afraid that the door of my sister's house will not be easy to open next time I come."

Zhu Tangxi neither admitted nor denied it, but explained: "These valuable artifacts were copied from the homes of criminals and have been kept in the royal storehouse. Occasionally, a few were taken out to reward meritorious officials. When I moved out of the palace, my father also gave me some. I used to use them for banquets, and all the guests praised them. But now I am not interested in them."

Xie Yan really wanted to ask sourly: Your ex-husband also likes pomp and circumstance, right?

Forget it, the dead person is the most important.

Anyway, your wife is mine from now on!
Zhu Tangxi recalled the past with some sadness, and raised his cup to clink glasses with Xie Yan: "Glory and wealth are nothing but passing clouds. The things I once thought were precious now seem to be the cheapest things in the world. He... Forget it, let's not talk about this person who spoils the fun."

Qingluan leaned over to pour wine for the princess and filled Xie Yan's glass.

It seemed that the eldest princess had many things hidden in her heart, but she couldn't find anyone to talk to.

She felt that Xie Yan had passed the test, so she said under the influence of wine: "You are quite good. The first time you came as a guest, you dared to persuade me not to be too extravagant with "Tears of an Orphan" in front of so many gold, silver and jade articles. My father was the first person to speak to me like this, and you are the second. I was indeed very extravagant in my time. Even the pomp of Prince Yong's family could not compare to mine."

Xie Yan once again turned into a scheming little green tea: "I like my sister, so I won't lie to her. I will say whatever I think."

Zhu Tangxi smiled happily when he heard this: "If you don't like these things, you can use them for the last time today. Send the gold and silver to the Baoquan Bureau to exchange for money."

"You can also keep a few things. I'm actually very tacky. These two gold cups are very beautiful, and I also like these pairs of ivory chopsticks." Xie Yan said in a joking tone.

The previous topic was a bit heavy, but this joke made the atmosphere more relaxed.

Zhu Tangxi glanced at him and said, "I finally understand. You are just a little rascal. You are just pretending to be honest."

Xie Yan immediately admitted: "Sister, you have a keen eye. Actually, I am full of bad intentions."

Zhu Tangxi took another sip of wine, raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile: "What kind of bad water is it?"

Xie Yan waved his hands repeatedly: "It's insulting, I can't just say it casually. If you want to know, there will be plenty of time in the future."

Zhu Tangxi seemed to have thought of something, her cheeks suddenly turned red, and she spat, "You are indeed a little bad guy. I don't want to listen to your dirty thoughts." The atmosphere was not only relaxed, but also a little ambiguous.

Xie Yan actually started to act innocent again, and asked with a confused look on his face: "Sister, what dirty thoughts are you talking about? How come I don't understand."

Zhu Tangxi was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and his thoughts were getting more and more twisted. "If you had said this to a girl today, you would have been beaten up and thrown out. You are a playboy, and you must have deceived many women. I must send someone to investigate your background."

Xie Yan complained, "It's unfair! I said all this because I like you, and I've never liked any other girl. And I didn't say anything, you must be imagining things."

"The thief cries thief!" Zhu Tangxi took another sip of wine to hide her emotions. She was already itching to do it.

While the princess was still drunk, Xie Yan said some nonsense and then got down to business: "Sister, I'm running out of money. When I left home, my parents only gave me three hundred strings of cash."

Zhu Tangxi completely relaxed and started joking: "Want to borrow money? And you said you're not after money!"

Xie Yan sat up straight, patted his chest and said, "How can a man of nine feet tall ask a woman for money? Sister really looks down on me."

"So what do you want to do?" Zhu Tangxi said, "I have a manor in the suburbs, but I don't live there very often. I can rent it to you and put all the expenses in the account. It will be convenient for you to study at the Imperial College or do research."

Xie Yan was filled with indignation: "Then I will become a rich woman's lover?"

"Hanging out with a rich woman? Hahaha!" The first time Zhu Tangxi heard this statement, he was so amused that he slammed the table and laughed.

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Xie Yan said: "I want to start a factory with my sister."

Zhu Tangxi immediately put away his smile and said with a serious expression: "You are the son of an official. According to the law, you are not allowed to engage in business. I am a princess, and I am not allowed to engage in business either. Although this law has become a dead letter and can be easily circumvented, the court is in the process of reform, and I don't know how many people want to make trouble for no reason. We can't touch this thing."

Xie Yan was silent. He really hadn't thought about these things.

Zhu Tangxi asked: "What do you want to run?"

Xie Yan said: "Cement."

Zhu Tangxi said: "If we build a factory to produce cement, I'm afraid it will be difficult to do a prosperous business unless I force the merchants to buy it as a princess. My father did not allow the rich and powerful to do business in order to prevent someone from bullying and dominating the market."

Royal family members without titles were allowed to engage in business.

So the decree has become a dead letter. It is too easy to circumvent it. Just find a poor clan member to be the legal representative. There is no need to specify the shares. As long as the real powerful people are not overthrown, how can the poor clan members dare to embezzle them?

Xie Yan explained: "My cement is different. I can sell it easily without relying on anyone's power. I don't have any capital, so I want to open a factory in Luoyang with my sister. I may also set up a factory in my hometown in Hebei, but everything will be handled by my family."

"What's the difference between your cement?" Zhu Tangxi asked.

Xie Yan said: "It is more solid and durable. If it is equipped with steel bars, pebbles and other materials, the houses can be built to at least ten floors."

Zhu Tangxi understood: "You improved the cement?"

"It still needs testing." Xie Yan said.

Zhu Tangxi said, "Then you should test it first. I need to ask the Queen Mother and the Prime Minister about setting up the factory."

Xie Yan added: "Please ask my sister to help me find someone who is good at smelting. I need to increase the furnace temperature as much as possible, but I don't know how high the current furnace temperature can be."

"Okay." Zhu Tangxi agreed immediately.

After finishing the business, Zhu Tangxi asked curiously, "Are you really confident that you can improve cement?"

Xie Yan said: "It's a sure thing."

Zhu Tangxi smiled and poured wine for Xie Yan himself: "I don't know what's wrong with your brain, you always have a lot of weird ideas. The agate balance you made has kept many scholars busy these days. Many of them stayed in Luoyang and lined up to use your balance for experiments."

Xie Yan smiled and said, "They wish they could be busier."

"That's true. We are all eager to produce results."

Zhu Tangxi asked all the maids to leave, leaving only her and Xie Yan drinking at the same table.

She kept picking up food for Xie Yan, fearing that the young man would be hungry. As she herself had a small appetite, she didn't eat much.

The two drank a few more glasses of wine, and both were a little tipsy. Seeing her blushing face, Xie Yan subconsciously started to act young again: "I want my sister to feed me."

Zhu Tangxi said with a straight face: "Eat it yourself!"

"Ah~~~" Xie Yan opened his mouth.

Zhu Tangxi looked outside and found that the door was closed.

She was a little tipsy, and she became more and more relaxed under the influence of alcohol. She actually stuffed some food into Xie Yan's mouth and complained like a spoiled child, "Who did you learn to be so shameless from?"

Xie Yan got the upper hand and acted cute, saying with a smile: "Sister feeds you really delicious food."

"Can the taste change?" Zhu Tangxi said as he started to pick up dishes again, while looking towards the door guiltily.

So exciting.

This little rascal just likes to play tricks on people.

(I had something to do during the day, so I will update once today.)
(End of this chapter)