Wind rises time and space gate

Chapter 555 The Wind Rises
By the time of the winter solstice, several snowfalls had already occurred in the northwest.

Princess Deyang also gave birth to a daughter. Jiang Wentao was so happy that he refused to leave the house and held his pearl tightly in his arms. It was snowing outside, and he was afraid that his daughter would get cold. He shivered with heartache, "My daughter is so miserable. How could she be born at this time of year?"

I wish I could hollow out the space under the house and fill it with a fire.

This made Princess Deyang sweat all over in the middle of winter, and she was so angry when she saw him coming that she drove him away.

The gift from the Prince Qi's mansion in the capital city to his granddaughter, nicknamed "Xiao Beibei", also arrived. Along with the gift, Zhao Guangyuan also received news from the capital and other places.

Zhao Guangyuan was so busy again that he was nowhere to be seen.

The entire Northwest is undercurrent, but it is full of vitality on the surface.

The enthusiasm for the high yield of more than ten dan per mu of potato has not dissipated. Almost all the people in the northwest, as long as they have land at home, go to the county post station or county government to buy potato seeds. Some people who originally followed the planting, after saving enough potato seeds, earned a lot of money just by selling potatoes.

The family became wealthy all of a sudden.

After distributing seeds to the people under his jurisdiction, he sold a lot of them to merchants in Da Qi, and the Yue Palace kept a lot for itself. Every day, various potato dishes were cooked on the streets of Hangu City, and dishes made with new potatoes were also served in major restaurants.

I make a lot of money every day.

Because of the limited supply, the less available it was, the more people flocked to it. The seeds bought by the people were later sold at high prices by merchants. Some people who were greedy for money secretly sold a lot of them.

Zhao Guangyuan sent people to stop them several times, and the number of secret transactions decreased.

The enthusiasm for potatoes has not yet faded, and cotton is harvested again.

In the cloth shops of Hangu City, there was a kind of cloth called cotton cloth. There were also semi-finished lint and flower velvet. The common people, whose wallets were a little fatter, were also willing to have a close contact with this new cloth.

After I bought cotton cloth and made clothes, I realized how good it was. I filled my quilt with cotton and never had to get up at night in the winter.

Cotton seeds were once again selling like hot cakes in the county government office of Hangu City.

Since this year's cotton was only planted in military fields, the cotton seeds were collected and collected. Like potatoes, cotton seeds were distributed to various cities by the county government of Hangu City.

Similarly, citizens of each city were required to purchase land in quantity based on their household register and land deeds.

This year, one mu of cotton field produces about 40 kilograms of cotton, and one mu can harvest about kilograms of cotton seeds. This year, hectares of military fields are planted with cotton. If we sell cotton and cotton seeds alone, we can earn enough food for the million-strong army next year.

It's really gratifying.

The entire Northwest Army was well fed and well clothed, and the more they trained, the more motivated they became. In less than a year, the Northwest Army had taken on a completely new look. Although not every soldier could defeat ten of their opponents, the so-called million-strong army was well-deserved.

The Lu family army had expanded from 10,000 elite cavalry to 100,000 elite cavalry. The shouts on the training ground frightened the soldiers.

"Full warehouse!"

In a deserted street in Hangu City, Luo Mancang suddenly heard someone calling him, and he stopped and turned back.

"village head!"

"Hey. It's me." The two were very friendly when they met. "I asked a lot of people and heard that you lived here, so I came to find you. Weren't you originally in Fufeng County? Why did you come to Hangu City?"

Originally, the villagers were reluctant to go to the northwest to find work because it was closer to the border. Even after the King of Yue defeated the foreign soldiers, the villagers only dared to find work in cities farther away from Hangu City.

"The work at Fufeng Guard Camp is finished, and we heard that the weaving workshop in Hangu City needs people, so we came here. This place is close to the market, and we also want to see the world there."

The whole family has been to the trade fair, and has seen the world.

The foreigners with high noses and deep eyes were all tall and mighty, with hair of various colors, speaking in languages ​​that they could not understand. It was really novel.

In the past, they would be scared and hide far away when they saw these people, but now seeing them doing business with the merchants and people of Da Qi by gesticulating with each other, they felt that the foreigners became much more approachable.

The village chief didn't expect that Mancang would bring his family to the market to broaden his horizons. He had only been there for a few days and had never been there.

After asking Luo Mancang a few questions, he wanted to go there to broaden his horizons before returning home. "Those foreigners even bought the pickles that every family in our village pickled for a high price. If I had known, I would have brought a few jars with me."

Who doesn’t know how to pickle pickles?

When the village chief heard Luo Mancang say that a jar of pickles was sold for half a tael of silver, he regretted it so much that his intestines turned green.

Looking at Mancang again, his back, which had been bent by life, had straightened up. There was light in his eyes. "You must have made a lot this year. You are coming to Hangu City now. Don't you want to go back to the village for the New Year?"

Luo Mancang laughed and scratched his head, "I didn't earn much, but I did earn enough to cover the expenses for the whole family next year, and I also saved some money for the children to get married."

"It seems like they made a lot of money."

The village chief glanced at the large basket on Luo Mancang's back and asked, "Is this lint cotton without the seeds? What are you going to do with it when you bring it home?"

Luo Mancang glanced at the basket that was tightly pressed by him, his eyes full of smiles, "It's lint. I brought the lint home from the princess's shop, and I took my father and the eldest son to pluck it, while the mother and the others peeled the fluff and twisted the thread. When it was ready, we sent it to the princess's shop."

The village chief nodded. His family had heard that the cloth shop in Hangu City was recruiting workers to make clothes and quilts for the soldiers, so they sent the women in their family here.

But his family was not like Luo Mancang, where the whole family went out, and now the winter solstice has passed, but they still look like they have no intention of going home.

"The King of Yue and the Queen have really saved the lives of countless people in the northwest." It is estimated that no one in the whole city is idle now. They are probably fluffing cotton, twisting cotton thread, or making clothes and quilts for the soldiers.

Luo Mancang nodded repeatedly, agreeing with the village chief's words.

He was not as good as the King of Yue and the Queen, but they taught the people in the northwest to grow potatoes with such high yields and to grow cotton that can be made into warm clothes. They were simply gods sent from heaven.

Their whole family benefited from it. Now the family took jobs and eight people could earn three taels of silver a day on average! They could save seven or eight taels of silver a month!

I never dared to think of this in the past.

This year, the family decided not to go home for the New Year. They would wait until next spring when the roads would be easier to travel, and then they would bring the potato seeds they bought back home. Then the family would never go hungry again.

There are many laborers like Luo Mancang who are hired by cloth shops. Most of them take the work home. After the cotton is harvested, it takes more than a dozen processes from peeling the cotton seeds and removing impurities to making cotton cloth, cotton quilts and cotton jackets. In today's era of pure manual labor, a large number of workers are needed.

Weavers like Mi Niangzi were freed from the tedious chores and could devote themselves fully to researching and weaving new fabrics, conducting trial and error day and night.

Finally, under the guidance of Lin Zhaoxia, they were able to weave two kinds of blended fabrics: cotton and linen, and cotton and silk.

Even Princess Deyang, Mrs. Jiang, and Mrs. Wen were alarmed.

They couldn't let go of the new cotton silk. Before the newly woven pieces were even put on the shelves, they were divided up by several people. Deyang also sent a piece of cotton silk as a New Year gift to the Prince of Qi's palace.

When the Princess of Qi received it, she was amazed. She sent it to a dyeing shop to have it dyed, and ordered people to cut it into clothes. When she wore them out, they caused a sensation in the capital.

After Lin Zhaoxia got the news, he gained more confidence in selling cloth next year.

Cotton and linen were also liked by Mi Niangzi and others. Because they had woven new cloth, Mi Niangzi and others were rewarded generously, which made the weavers and workers in the weaving workshop eager to show their talents.

The cloth woven in the weaving workshop gradually piled up, and the quilts and cotton jackets made by hired workers were also distributed to various military camps.

The soldiers received thick clothes and shouted in unison that the King of Yue would return to Changtai and Chang'an year after year.

Zhao Guangyuan's reputation among the people and the Northwest Army became increasingly unbreakable.

As December approached, the snow fell heavier in various parts of the Northwest. Some roads leading to the Northwest were blocked by snow. People from all over the country who went to the Northwest to find work stayed in various places in the Northwest.

In Beijing, the snow was not as heavy as in the northwest, but it was still quite heavy. There were fewer people walking on the streets.

On the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, all government offices in the capital were sealed. After a busy year, the court officials finally breathed a sigh of relief, took off their official robes, visited relatives and friends at ease, or stayed at home to enjoy the plum blossoms and snow.

"The prince wants to have a drink with me? In the reception building?" Duke Dingguo asked the servant who brought the message with some doubt, wondering if he had heard it wrong.

The prince has always known that he is the emperor's confidant, so he doesn't get close to him for fear of arousing the emperor's suspicion. He sealed him yesterday, but today he invited him to drink? "Who else did you invite?"

"I don't know. The prince's attendant personally delivered the invitation, so I didn't ask about it."

Duke Dingguo asked a few more questions before sending him away. After thinking for a while, he changed into his going-out clothes and went to the meeting.

In the private room, the prince had been waiting for a long time.

"I have seen the prince."

"Duke Dingguo, there is no need to be so polite. Please take a seat."

Duke Dingguo was still thinking about many things on the way here, but now he was thinking about nothing. He sat down opposite the prince with a calm expression.

Looking around, I found that the current Yingbin Building has also learned the elegance of the Xianlou. Calligraphy and paintings by famous scholars or talented people of this dynasty are hung everywhere in the building and in the private rooms, which has added some popularity to the Yingbin Building.

Huixianlou was not the only one to take the limelight. Of course, it could also be because the King of Yue and his wife were not in the capital, so the people below were probably not running the business with all their heart.

"I didn't know Duke Dingguo was also interested in calligraphy and painting. When I get back, I'll have someone look in the storehouse for a few good paintings and send them to your house."

"I am terrified. I am just a common man, how can I understand these things? I am just here to watch the fun. I just think the colors of these paintings are beautiful. There is snow outside, and everything is white. These paintings are red and green, which makes people happy just looking at them."

The prince glanced at the wall and frowned at the bright and boldly colored paintings of rich and famous flowers.

It's too tacky.

The level of painting appreciation in the Reception Building is not as good as that of the staff in the Eastern Palace.

"At the banquet earlier, the Crown Princess heard that Madam Zun missed the Crown Prince, and suggested that she write a letter to ask the Crown Prince to come back for the New Year. I wonder if the Crown Prince Zhan is on his way?"

Duke Dingguo was stunned.

What does it mean?
The Crown Princess had suggested that Madam write a letter to Qian Er, asking him to return to Beijing? What did the Crown Prince mean by asking this now?
"My son is now in the northwest, and I'm afraid he has no choice."

"Is he helpless? Considering the relationship between Duke Dingguo and the emperor, there is no such thing as being helpless. It all depends on whether you want him to come back."

Duke Dingguo's heart tightened.

The prince continued, "I just saw the Crown Prince's wife and two children a few days ago. Zhan Qian has been in the northwest for more than a year. If he has a beautiful woman to serve him there and doesn't want to return to the capital, I'm afraid the Crown Prince's wife will be worried."

What does the prince mean by this? Is he hinting that Qian'er has ulterior motives?
"Qian'er and his wife have been together since they were young. Even when his mother wanted to put someone in his room, he would get angry for a few days," Duke Dingguo smiled. "I know my son well. He doesn't have the guts to do that."

"Don't you have the courage?" The prince smiled.

He glanced at Duke Dingguo's waist, then glanced away. "Come, have a drink with me. It's cold in winter, and only this wine can warm people up." He picked up the wine pot and wanted to pour wine for Duke Dingguo himself.

"I am afraid." Duke Dingguo declined, how could he dare to let the prince pour wine for him? He took the wine pot and poured wine for the prince.

Seeing the prince drink it, he also drank up the wine in the cup.

In the palace, Emperor Zhizheng looked at the empty desk and felt a little uncomfortable. He then remembered that the imperial court had sealed the books, and unless there were urgent military and political matters, the various government offices would probably not submit memorials.

When he had some free time, Emperor Zhizheng suddenly didn't know what to do.

Until Liu Qi came in, "Your Majesty, the aunt in the Queen's palace came to pass on a message, saying that the Queen thought of your hard work this year and specially prepared some light wine and your favorite dishes, and wanted to invite you to come and have a seat."

Emperor Zhizheng was stunned. The Queen invited him?
He didn't want to move. This year, the crown prince and the queen cried in front of him many times, asking for the king of Yue to be punished and for him to be summoned back to the capital. But he never expressed his opinion. He was afraid to see the queen.

But when I thought about it again, I felt guilty about the fact that the Queen and the Crown Prince had suffered a lot this year because of the incident with the King of Yue.

He stood up and said, "Get ready."

"Show off!"