Ma Erniang's Splendid Pastoral

Chapter 161

old acquaintance?Maybe it's not even an old acquaintance, Qiu Baiyan lowered his head and smiled, "We have met a few times."

"That's also acquaintance, why don't you invite her to have a cup of warm tea?" Huang Yihan raised her small face slightly. She is from Jiangnan, and she is not tall. Standing beside the slender Qiu Baiyan, she looks petite and exquisite. The man laughed, and her little face flushed with excitement.

Man is such a strange animal. Things that he obviously thinks are impossible, but at that moment, everything feels right!
As if something changed Qiu Baiyan's mind, he raised his eyes, smiled and cupped his hands at the merchant: "My surname is Qiu, it's Anlong..."

"Wait, you are the manager Qiu Da of Anlong Trading Company?" the businessman asked in surprise.

"Yes, I'm here." Qiu Baiyan smiled gently.

"Oh, I really don't know Taishan with my eyes. It's Qiu Dazhang who is in charge. It's a pleasure to meet... a pleasure to meet..." The hostile businessman's expression changed instantly, and he became all-faced.

Qiu Baiyan glanced at the little lady standing beside him, and saw that she was full of joy, as if she could sit in a tea house and drink a cup of warm tea immediately. This child, who knows who he is, how can he drink with... a businessman? Tea, it seems that even himself has been belittled, he laughed.

"Brother Qiu, what are you laughing at?" Huang Yihan asked innocently.

Qiu Baiyan unconsciously touched his nose with the back of his hand, picked it up and put it down quickly, but very gracefully, especially fascinated the little lady, Huang Yihan was stunned, "Wow, Brother Qiu, you are so handsome."

Qiu Baiyan's face turned red when the little lady said it, but fortunately he had enough experience, so he said calmly: "It looks like it's going to snow, hurry back."

"The sun is so bright, why is it snowing?" Huang Yihan looked up at the sky, didn't believe his words at all, and was fooling her again, she was very angry, pouted her little mouth, pink.

"It's really going to snow, it's probably around midnight."

"Ah, such a beautiful sun, how did you know it would snow? Also, it didn't snow until midnight. Why do you let me go back now?" The little lady was so cute and cute even when she was angry.

Qingzhi finally knew what it meant to "beat the snake with a stick". After a while, the head of Qiu had a better attitude and was willing to talk to Yaoniang. As a result... she treated him as if she was a very familiar person, and she was very casual.

The corners of Qiu Baiyan's eyes moved almost invisibly, are you sure he is not raising a daughter?Look at the girl behind her.

Qingzhi immediately stepped forward, "Master Qiu, I'm sorry, I'll take Yaoniang back immediately."

"I'm not going back, I want to buy nice clothes!" Huang Yihan shouted angrily.

Qing Zhi teased her little master, she refused to go back at all, she felt extremely ashamed.

"Yongping, take Huang Niangzi to the ready-made clothing store of Anlong Trading Company, and let her choose as she pleases." Qiu Baiyan said to his attendant.

"Yes, in charge." Chang Sui stretched out his hand to ask, "Little lady, this way please—"

Huang Yihan didn't move, her big watery eyes stared at the Qiubai inkstone, her puffy eyes were very lively.

"You go first, I'll say a few words to my old acquaintance."

Hearing this, Huang Yihan's eyes lit up, and she replied crisply: "Oh, then hurry up!" After speaking, she happily left with Yongping.

Seeing that he finished handling the peach blossoms, the businessman narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, "Qiu is in charge, my surname is Xiao, and my name is Yuan."

"Master Xiao, you came to Liangzhou Dongqiu to..."

"I'm in the charcoal business, shopkeeper Qiu, do you need any in your restaurant?"

"Can consider it."

"Haha, that's great. It's really an honor for Xiao to cooperate with Shopkeeper Qiu."

"I have something to do. You can find me at Anlong Restaurant later."

Xiao Jiayuan acted as if I understood, "I understand, I understand..." What a little lady!

Qiu Baiyan looked towards Xiao Jiayuan, "She is yours..."

"..." Xiao Jiayuan couldn't figure out what the other party meant, so he bared his teeth, "She..."

Qiu Baiyan said: "She is the daughter of my old acquaintance, who entrusted me to take care of her for a while..."

"Oh...that's how it is!" Xiao Jiayuan's voice dragged on for a long time, "Well... I'm going to continue the string, and I'll have a banquet this time when I go back."

Qiu Baiyan smiled, but the smile was meaningful: "Master Xiao, the old acquaintance is also someone the King of Beijun knows."

Xiao Jiayuan's face immediately bloomed like a flower, "Shopkeeper Qiu, don't worry, there will be a banquet when I get home, not only that, but also let her go on the family tree."

"This is your business, it has nothing to do with me." Qiu Bai Yan said to Rou Yue: "Come over and sit down when you have time."

Rou Yue has been standing by the side without saying a word, following Qiu Baiyan's words, her eyes have been blurred by tears, she was kidnapped and sold since she was a child, she has no one to rely on, like duckweed being bitten by rain, she has never been treated like this before .

While being moved, she blamed herself deeply, why did she not see this man's intention until today, why, why, every time she always stood in such a mess in front of the man she admired.

yeah, why?There are always people who are stuck in the past and cannot extricate themselves. Even if opportunities come around, they are turned a blind eye. When they wake up or look back, they find that such a good opportunity and such a good person have slipped away quietly.

Time never waits for people, standing at the crossroads of life, once you miss it, you can only get well in your own life!

Qiu Baiyan raised his hand to bid farewell to them, turned around and left, his back in the cold winter sun, like a straight pine and cypress, green and powerful.

Xiao Jiayuan stared at his back for a while, then withdrew his eyes, his eyes were no longer as arrogant as before, and he did not walk in front, but walked side by side with Rouyue with a smile, "What do you like, I'll buy it for you?"

"It's too cold, I want to go back to the inn."

"Didn't you hear what Shopkeeper Qiu said, it's going to snow tonight, so we won't be able to come out tomorrow, let's go shopping again."

"Okay." Rou Yue's voice was very low, she lowered her head, and quietly wiped away the tears from her eyes, and couldn't help but look back at the back, maybe it's so far away from now on.

Zhang Nianmei and Wei Ren came from the camp. Seeing the bustling commercial street in Dongqiu, they couldn't resist getting out of the carriage, "Do you want to go shopping?"

Wei Ren wasn't in the mood for shopping, "Do you want to buy some handy gifts for your sister?"

"Those who know me, Wei Renye, yes, you can't come and see my sister empty-handed."

"That's true."

"My old sister doesn't lack anything, just like me, so novel to eat..." Zhang Nianmei stopped talking.

Wei Ren followed his gaze, it was nothing, then took a closer look at him, followed his gaze again, there was a beautiful woman standing next to a businessman, dressed in fox fur, she looked extraordinarily charming , "General Zhang..." He called softly.

Zhang Nianmei withdrew her gaze, "Let's buy some yogurt. My sister likes to tinker with cakes. Only the Western Regions can make authentic ones."

Wei Ren leaned over to him and whispered, "I remember seeing her there." He slapped his arm as he spoke, "After Huayue Tower was sealed up by the county king, I heard that she disappeared, It turned out that he followed the merchant."

Zhang Nianmei did not have a relationship with Wei Ren, this woman has been waiting for her for more than a year in Pingding, for people like them, there is no need to be narcissistic or bragging, it is normal for ten or eight women to have a crush on them, women It's not surprising that Fei'e rushed towards the fire.

Who made them not only rich but also expensive?It’s okay to be rich, just like the businessman Xiao just now, there are a lot of wealthy businessmen among the people, but expensive is not easy to see, expensive is power, and those who have power are either officials or relatives of the emperor. Woolen cloth?And Zhang Nianmei is such a person.

Rou Yue felt that someone was looking at her, turned her head and saw the familiar figure from the back. At the moment when she went downstairs and left the restaurant just now, she was still looking forward to seeing him by chance, but she only saw his back.

That back is still just like what she had in mind, tall and unrestrained, unrestrained, full of charm, but she has never kept this back, and this time it will be the same!
"What do you like?" The businessman asked, pointing to a snow fork.

Rou Yue quickly withdrew her gaze, "It's beautiful."

"Then buy it."

"Thank you, master." Rou Yue took the opportunity to look at the back, but the back had disappeared, and she looked up at the cold clear sky, leaving behind an aftertaste...

Ma Min'er was boiling water for the vegetables in the greenhouse, and the spinach and chives were growing well, "I can fry two dishes for lunch today."

Aunt Shan smiled: "This dish doesn't cost much, but this charcoal fire is worth a lot."

Ma Min'er raised her head: "Aunt Shan, do you want to say that poor people don't even have the carbon to start fires, and we still grow such things?"

Aunt Shan shook her head: "In the past, I would have said this, but I have been running around with my little boss, and I understand that some things cannot be solved by talking about them."

"Okay, Aunt Shan, I felt a little guilty just now, and it seems natural again when you say that."

"You..." Aunt Shan shook her head and laughed, "Not to mention anything else, just say that our shop in Dongqiu has at least provided a chance for hundreds of people to survive, so that they can have food and not suffer from the cold."

"But if I hire them to work, I'm also making money?"

"Other shops also hire people, but they don't pay as well as our shop." Aunt Shan replied.

"Hey, too." Ma Min'er smiled and said, "Then I can enjoy the prodigal life with peace of mind!"

Aunt Shan said: "Come on, you don't make money, and the prince's money is enough for you to lose."

"Haha... I still feel at ease in defeating myself."

Aunt Shan glanced at Xiaodong's house, and said in her heart that you still have skills, and if you don't have skills, you can't make money, so why don't you want to use the prince.

Shan Xiaodan went into the greenhouse, "Little Boss, General Zhang is looking for you."

"Oh." Ma Min'er replied, and finished pouring the water in the ladle in her hands, and put the things on the ground, "Aunt Shan, I only poured water in this row."

"Understood, you put it aside, hurry up and do your work."

Ma Min'er returned to the small living room, "Brother Zhang, why are you here?"

"Sister, what tone are you talking about? Are you happy that brother is here, or are you blaming him for not helping the prince?"

"Both." Ma Min'er grinned.

"Hmph." Zhang Nianmei pointed to the yogurt on the table dissatisfied and said, "Thanks to the cold weather, I will go and buy yogurt for you myself."

"You are hungry, you want to eat cake."

"You...you can't accept my love, thank you."

"That's the truth."

……

Wei Ren sat on the side, watching them quarreling with a smile, they are really closer than brothers and sisters, the relationship is really good, but does the prince know that they are like this?

Zhang Nianmei's casual parent: "Sister, what have you been up to lately? Have you made any new meals?"

"Have!"

"When will you invite me to eat?" Zhang Nianmei's eyes lit up.

Ma Min'er replied: "I gave the recipe to the restaurant, you go to the restaurant to eat."

"You..." Zhang Nianmei stared, then smiled flatteringly, "Can I put it on your account?"

"No, besides, I won't owe the bill if I go to eat, so you can't afford it."

"Sister, don't you want your brother?"

Ma Min'er curled her lips: "I said brother, don't be poor, just say whatever you want."

Zhang Nianmei grinned: "Fix the food first, and then talk about it, can I still have new food?"

"Yes!" Ma Min'er said, "My lord will treat you to a meal in two days."

"You even want to earn the prince's money?" Zhang Nianmei exclaimed.

"Of course, all brothers must settle their accounts clearly."

"But aren't you going to marry him soon, and you still have to count?"

"It's okay, this is my dowry."

"Haha..." Zhang Nianmei said with great joy, "My sister, my brother has seen a real money fan, okay, even the prince's money, I feel balanced."

Ma Min'er didn't even bother to talk to him, "What's the matter, brother, what are you talking about!"

"Recently, there has been no war. Those bastards under my command are in a hurry. What can you do to deal with them?"

Ma Miner frowned, "Aren't you training?"

"Training, but you can't train all day long, right?"

"Didn't the fields be distributed to them?"

Zhang Nianmei clicked her lips: "Yeah, but most of these guys pay for human races, so I'm still idle."

"Oh."

Wei Ren watched and found that the face of his future princess had changed, from casual to serious, with a radiance of her own.

For a long time, if it wasn't for the name of the granddaughter of the former emperor's teacher, this future princess would be looked down upon more or less by others, including him, Wei Ren, but the prince doted on her to the point that no one dared to murmur, but from the bottom of her heart In other words, how many people respect him is really a matter of opinion.

Zhang Nianmei looked at her sister, waiting for her idea.

During breakfast, he clearly said that he asked his sister to marry a soldier, but he didn't mention a word, Wei Ren was a little strange.

Ma Min'er said, "Brother Zhang, do all the farming soldiers live in the camp?"

Zhang Nianmei nodded.

"I understand where the problem lies?" Ma Min'er said.

"Sister, how to solve it?"

Ma Min'er replied: "They don't have a sense of belonging, and it can be solved by letting them have a sense of belonging."

"Belonging?"

Ma Min'er nodded: "They pay people to farm the fields. It is impossible to have a sense of belonging. If there is no sense of belonging, there will be trouble."

"Then how to solve it?" Zhang Nianmei seemed to be asking only this one question.

"Of course it's long-term self-sufficiency."

"Oh, how long will it be?" Zhang Nianmei leaned forward slightly.

"Of course, let them build a house and marry a wife!"

When Zhang Nianmei heard this, Chao Weiren, who was barely visible, was stunned, look, I didn't say anything, my old sister knew what I came for.

Seeing that Zhang Nianmei was frightened, Wei Ren didn't say anything in order to show off the girl's intelligence to himself, well, he admitted it, it was true.

"Old sister, why do you want to build a house and marry a wife? It looks simple, but it is difficult to do. Don't talk about building a house, let's talk about finding a wife. There are more than 20 people in the army, and at least more than [-] people want it." Get a wife."

Ma Miner asked back: "Have you told the prince?"

"He thinks it will be on such small things."

"This is no small matter." Ma Min'er said seriously.

"Even if it's a big deal, how do you let a rough man handle it?"

"He has a staff team."

"Oh." Zhang Nianmei turned her head and said to Wei Ren: "These are all your business, you can go to the prince."

Uh... How did it become my business, Wei Ren blinked, but he turned his mind quickly, and found that it was indeed his business, because there were no more battles to be fought, and a group of passionate men had already happened to him a lot, These days, he has solved a lot.

Wei Ren cupped his hands: "Husband... Ma'am, I... I am also a rough guy, so please give me some advice."

"This has nothing to do with the rough guy, it's your military affairs..."

"Yes, yes, ma'am, it's just that we are men, and we are always a little bit powerless in marrying a daughter-in-law."

Ma Miner looked at the smiling Zhang Nianmei and the fawning Wei Ren, and suspected that the two of them came together as a partner. They sang and chorused, just to make up their own minds, well, let's come up with something, anyway, marrying a daughter-in-law is also a good idea. It's not a major military matter, and she doesn't count as meddling in military affairs.

"I think houses should be built first to form a village."

Wei Ren nodded: "Ma'am is right."

Ma Min'er thought for a while, "Since the land in the hands of the soldiers can invite people, it means that the population is still sufficient, then these soldiers will redistribute some land to them."

"Ah..." Wei Ren and Zhang Nian Mei Qiqi were surprised.

Ma Min'er said: "I heard that the Turkic tribe has fallen and was annexed by the new Liao, Mongolian, and Jin tribes. The strength of these three tribes is fighting alone. Now they dare not use force against the Great Wei. When the Great Wei rests When we are resting, we can disperse these soldiers to the border, let them garrison while farming, and then farm for self-sufficiency, which will not only make our life easier, but also reduce the pressure on the court."

Standing next to Wei Ren, he cupped his hands and saluted, "This is exactly what I've been thinking about for a while. I didn't expect Madam to express the essence in just a few sentences. I admire you."

"I've also heard the prince talk about it." Ma Min'er smiled, and said in her heart, these words are just big talk, so it should be nothing.

Alas, Ms. Ma, you traveled here in the modern age with advanced information, and you are also an elite class in society. A few words that you think are simple are difficult for the ancients of the Great Wei Dynasty.

Wei Ren asked for advice: "Madam, I have already considered how many small towns are divided on the border, how many people are stationed, and how to station them. Please tell me in detail how to solve the problems of building a house and marrying a wife."

"To build a house, you must first build momentum."

"Positive?"

Ma Min'er said: "Yes, Mr. Wei, if you have a family, you can discuss with the prince, let the family come with you, build a house at the border, give money according to the number of people, and then divide the land according to the population, not only that, for To prevent someone from coming and cheating money away, An Jiayin can distribute it in three years."

"Three years..." Wei Ren secretly took a deep breath, how much money would the prince need, madam, although the method is good, it is too light and flimsy, I don't know if the prince will agree.

"Yes, for three years, these family members have basically settled down here, and there are not many who can escape back."

"That's true, but how do those bachelors marry new wives, and where do new wives come from?"

Ma Min'er grinned, "It's still money."

Wei Ren swallowed, "Madam, please tell—"

"This requires an incentive system. First, in the army, it is said that if a wife is found to marry, the army will replenish the money. The money that is replenished, the soldier will get seven floors, and the new daughter-in-law will get three floors. The seventh floor is for him to build a house. For banquets."

"What about the third floor of the new wife?"

Ma Miner smiled and said: "The young couple will use it slowly after they get married. As for how to use it, the money is in the hands of the daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law has the final say."

Uh……

Wei Ren and Zhang Nianmei looked at each other, don't those rough army men have to listen to their wives?
As if knowing what they wanted to say, Ma Min'er snorted, "Without money, who dares to marry in such a place where no shit is done."

"Madam is right, Madam is right!"

In charge of the army, Xia Zhen sneezed several times, and Mu Chengyu quickly handed over the towel, "My lord, it's cold, did you catch a cold?"

"No, it's probably because you came in, brought the air conditioner, and felt a little uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry, my lord."

"No defense!" Xia Zhen threw the cloth towel to Xiaowen, and after receiving it, he backed out and immediately cleared out the people around the tent. This is already a common practice, as long as Mr. Mu comes, he has to clear the place.

Xia Zhen felt that she still wanted to sneeze, so she held back and thought to herself, did someone say bad things about me?uh...not a bad word but your gold...lol...

"My lord—" Mu Chengyu cupped his hands.

Xia Zhen asked directly: "What's the matter?"

Mu Chengyu replied: "The gold mine we tried to dig in Xiangzhou Mansion has been targeted by the emperor."

"That's good."

Mu Chengyu said: "Now, we can dig the gold mine deep in Beishan."

"Well, be careful when you do it. People from Liao, Jin and other countries appear in Wei from time to time, so be careful not to be targeted by them."

"Yes, my lord, I understand."

Xia Zhen raised her eyes: "How much money do you have now?"

"Go back to the prince, there are 100 million taels."

"Ah."

Mu Chengyu asked: "My lord, do you want to exchange it for silver or something else?"

"let me see."

"Yes, my lord, if there is nothing else, I will go down." Mu Chengyu saluted and retreated.

-

In the living room of the small wooden courtyard, Wei Ren said: "Liangzhou City has always had a lot of footwork, so there are many local men and few young ladies. It is not enough for the people in the city, let alone marrying wives for soldiers. .”

Ma Min'er said: "Then spread the news to the five northern prefectures. If it doesn't work, then expand to the south. For the sake of money, there will always be people willing to come."

"But how do you get the news out?"

Ma Min'er smiled and said, "Dongqiu!"

"Dongqiu?"

"Yes, the businessmen in Dongqiu come from all corners of the country. As long as you let people chat in restaurants and tea shops, let me tell you, the news will be faster than the wind."

Wei Ren laughed, "That's true, but what if the news suddenly gets out of control and is not good for us?"

"It's not enough to marry a daughter-in-law?" Ma Min'er said.

"That's not necessarily true. It's rumored in the capital that the prince spent 100 million taels of silver to build the canal, so everyone wants to get the prince's idea?"

Hearing the news, Ma Min'er frowned instantly: "I'm not afraid of these, I'm afraid that the emperor will know that Zi'an has money, and that would be bad."

Zhang Nianmei immediately understood what Wei Zi was worried about seeing this kid in the morning, but this kid was too thieves, he actually wanted his sister to help him solve it.

"Yeah, the emperor knows, and he will definitely open his mouth to the lion king of the county. What should we do? It's really worrying?" Wei Ren said while quietly looking at the contemplative wife, expecting it, and feeling that if she could solve it , I can't hold back my face.

"Do the opposite."

"What do you mean, ma'am—"

"One million taels of silver, even if it is fake, the emperor is willing to believe it."

Wei Ren understands this.

Ma Min'er suddenly asked: "Recently, is there any order from the emperor?"

Wei Ren shook his head.

"It's unreasonable." Ma Min'er frowned even deeper.

Wei Ren heaved a sigh of relief, Madam said everything to the point, it is not common sense, heard 'one million taels' at least come to visit the county king, but the emperor was stunned and there was no movement.

No movement is the most terrible movement.

"It seems that the emperor believed it." Ma Min'er said.

Wei Ren wanted to say that not only did he believe it, but he had already set his sights on the prince's gold mine, but it was impossible for him to say so, so he continued to look at his wife.

Xia Zhen had already told Ma Min'er about the mine at home, she thought that maybe the emperor was eyeing the Xia family's gold mine, and raised her eyes: "Never mind, let's put the rumors to rest first."

"Ma'am, how do I pinch it off?" Wei Ren has been waiting for this sentence.

Ma Min'er replied: "Didn't I just say it, do the opposite."

"Madam—" Wei Ren was still puzzled, "Madam, please give me some pointers!"

"You have a canal repair list for 100 million taels of silver." Ma Min'er grinned and said, "The stones on it are written as ten taels and eight taels a catty."

Wei Ren thought about it.

"However, the canal repair map must be complete, accurate, and detailed, and the list items must be exact."

Wei Ren immediately understood, "Thank you Madam for your guidance."

It's winter, and the Chinese New Year is less than two months away. For ordinary people, what can they do?

The common people say that if you can find a job to do, the Chinese New Year will be over in a blink of an eye, and the money you earn can make you live a fat year and eat well, this is the greatest happiness.For businessmen, do more business, make a lot of money, go home to repair the ancestral house, accept concubines, the life of a rich man should not be too pleasant!

For officials, the Chinese New Year is coming, either when they are promoted or when they are making money, walking up and down, so busy that they don't even have time to take a nap!
But this winter, it was a bit different for the Great Wei Dynasty. Let’s talk about the capital first. Xia Zhen’s papers quickly arrived at Yuantai’s dragon case. Book."

Yuan Tai's eyebrows moved, "He alone has ten books?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Emperor Yuantai nodded.

The servant opened the topmost book, he glanced at ten lines, and before he finished scanning the booklet, he threw the book on the ground, "Absurd, nonsense..." His face turned blue with anger.

The servant was so frightened that he quickly knelt down, and quietly looked at the folded bag, which read impressively: ... two pieces of logs, two pieces of stones, one catty of stones...

Mother, what kind of canal is this repaired, it is clearly a golden way...

Emperor Yuantai opened the second booklet again, which was about the northward relocation of Liangzhou's capital city. He was repairing the government office, and it wrote that because I recruited artisans and migrant workers, those people refused to work, and there were signs of rebellion. Like, the minister is trying his best to stop it... and ask the emperor to punish the minister's crime... slap... Another book was thrown to the ground by Emperor Yuantai.

"I'd like to see what Mingtang you Xia Zi'an has built!" Emperor Yuantai picked up the third book again, which wrote that all the ministers are the kings of the North County, so how can there be no palace in Liangzhou City? Isn't that right? To be looked down upon by the people of the Liao, Jin, and Mongolian tribes, think of me as a dignified Wei, but I don’t even have a decent mansion.

(End of this chapter)