Ma Erniang's Splendid Pastoral

Chapter 177 Warehouse High Temperature Fee

Until now, Ma Min'er didn't know that Qiu Baiyan had already rejected Huang's sister.

While talking, it was noon, Shan Xiaodan came over and asked: "My lord, Xiaodong, lunch is ready!"

"Then open the table." Ma Min'er let go of her thoughts and said with a smile, "Everyone, please come to the restaurant for dinner."

A group of people quickly arrived at the dining room, and there were three tables inside. The master, subordinates, and main stewards all had seats. Restricted.

"Sure enough, the old man likes it. Thank you, Erniang." Mr. Tian still called him affectionately.

"Sir, please sit down, you are welcome." Ma Min'er called everyone to sit down and eat.

In June, the weather is very hot. The table is mainly cold dishes and light seasonal ingredients. The drinks are also light fruit wine and fruit juice. There are no ice cubes in the juice, but the containers for the drinks are taken out from the cellar. With cool air, it is just right to drink into the stomach, and it will not collide with hot food and cause stomach discomfort.

The originally restrained and reserved people were reluctant to stretch their chopsticks at the prince's house, but they couldn't get any delicious dishes, so they ate more without knowing it.

Father Huang couldn't help boasting: "I'm from Yangzhou, and I've never eaten such delicious boiled dried shredded rice and steamed lion's head. It's really light and delicious."

Everyone looked at the two dishes following Father Huang's eyes. One soup and one steamed, the light soup noodles had a few traces of green garlic and green onion leaves floating, which made people appetite. The steamed lion's head was wrapped in a layer of The crystal-clear glutinous rice, one bite into the mouth, the refreshing glutinous rice dilutes the greasyness of the gravy. In the hot summer, eating one or two can replenish physical strength without feeling greasy.

"Uncle Huang, if you like to eat, eat more."

Father Huang smiled and said, "I'd rather know how the dishes are made."

"That's easy to handle. After dinner, I'll ask Aunt Shan to tell you how to do it."

"Thank you ma'am."

"Uncle Huang is polite, please eat."

……

The dishes for lunch today are mainly soy products, such as Mr. Tian’s favorite cold skin, boiled vegetables and tofu, fish head tofu soup, and some light dishes, such as stir-fried chicken feathers, pickled fish, sweet and sour pork ribs, etc. It is a dish that goes well with meals, so that people who look tired and have no appetite can feast on it in the hot summer.

Satisfied with eating and watching, the Tianhuang family went back with satisfaction.The Huang family has a courtyard behind the government office, and Mr. Tian was also assigned to the courtyard on the back street of the government office. If it wasn't for the big wedding, he would almost live next door.

After everyone left, it was almost dusk, and Xia Zhen didn't go to the office to handle errands, "Let's go, it's rare to be free, let's go on the swing."

"Okay!" Ma Min'er was also happy, everyone is busy during this time, it's really rare to be free.

Under the setting sun, the evening sky was dyed with a thin layer of blush. The beauty is intoxicating and gorgeous! The fire cloud enveloped the western sky, like a gorgeous and colorful watercolor painting.

The majestic mountains in the distance, under the reflection of the setting sun, are painted with a layer of golden yellow, which looks extraordinarily magnificent.There is always a smell of cooking smoke in the air in the evening, which comforts the soul unconsciously.

Xia Zhen stood on the edge of the swing, "Sit down, I'm going to push."

"Well, it's ready." Ma Min'er grasped the rope tightly with both hands, waiting for Xia Zhen to push it up with a smile on her face.

With a smile on her face, Xia Zhen stretched out her hand and gently pushed it up. After a few strokes, the swing seemed to fly up to Yun Xiao under the impact of speed, "Ah..." The little daughter-in-law's sharp voice came.

Through the screams of the little daughter-in-law, Xia Zhen seemed to hear the sounds of his future sons and daughters playing and playing. It must be very beautiful.

I keep staring at my little daughter-in-law, how many children will I have?Is the first one better for a boy or a girl?If it is a boy, she can protect her younger siblings from being bullied. If the first one is a girl, she can take care of her younger siblings and be a heart-warming big sister.

Xia Zhen frowned in confusion, and didn't even notice that the little daughter-in-law's swing had stopped, "Hey, brother, what do you do?"

"Uh..." Xia Zhen recovered from her contemplation.

"Brother Zhen..."

"The wheat will be harvested soon."

It turned out that he was concerned about harvesting wheat, Ma Min'er nodded repeatedly, "Yes, we will harvest wheat, and your army will be able to stand on its own feet."

Xia Zhen smiled, but there was a secret Ma Miner didn't know about this smile, "Wei Ren asked me where to put the harvested food?"

"Don't you have a warehouse?"

"Probably not enough."

"That's really a problem." Ma Min'er thought about it and asked, "Are they directly assigned to the army?"

"Then there must be a transitional place." Xia Zhen said.

"That's it!" Ma Min'er thought for a while, her shop also had a warehouse, but it was only enough for her own household, and she couldn't help him at all. Suddenly, she called out, "Old Town."

"old Town?"

"Yes, I heard that almost all the people inside have moved to the new city."

Xia Zhen pondered the possibility.

Ma Miner said: "Thinking about it carefully, the old city is really suitable for storing grain. Almost all houses are built with stones, which are not easy to be affected by moisture and water, and there is a lot of open space in the north, where grain can be stacked and transported away at any time."

Xia Zhen nodded, "Well, it's indeed a good place."

Ma Min'er said: "If you are worried about the people left in the old city, you may ask the government to resettle them, empty the inside, and store food in the future. It can be a warehouse or a transfer station."

Xia Zhen smiled brightly, "I'll discuss it with Wei Ren tonight." After solving the problem in his mind, he was very relaxed: "I want to play on the swing too."

"Okay." Ma Min'er got down and replaced him, "Have you sat down yet?"

"Well, all right."

Hey, it's really heavy, Ma Min'er pushed it casually but didn't push it, "Brother Zhen, how much do you weigh?"

"120 one."

"It's not heavy, why can't I push you?"

"Haha..." Xia Zhen raised her head and laughed.

Ma Min'er pushed hard with both hands, and with inertia, finally pushed his big brother to the sky.Flying high, like Xia Zhen's heart flying high.

After dinner, Xia Zhen said to Ma Min'er: "Tomorrow, prepare for the day, and the day after tomorrow I will go to inspect the wheat collection."

"You mean going to the border?"

Xia Zhen nodded.

"Haha, isn't it a free trip!"

Xia Zhen smiled, "I'm going to see Mr. Huang, you need to get ready."

"Okay!" Ma Min'er was just about to turn around, "What about Mr. Tian's daughter and Master Huang...?"

Xia Zhen replied: "We will get married after the wheat harvest is over, and after eating their wedding wine, we will meet with my father-in-law in Xing'an Mansion, and then we will go to Beijing together."

"My father—"

"I'll send someone to pick them up."

Ma Miner nodded, "Okay!"

-

Huang Junyao stood in front of Xia Zhen in the Liangzhou Xinfu Yamen.

"How many people still live in the old city?"

"not much."

Xia Zhen asked: "Have you prepared for the summer harvest?"

"Go back to the prince, everything is in order, just wait for the sickle to harvest after the sacrifice."

Xia Zhen nodded, "The area around Liangzhou City will be handed over to you. You put the recovered food in the old city, and I will send troops to garrison it. As for the other families inside, you can find something to do for them and let them move out." .”

"My lord, what do you mean, the old city will be used as a granary in the future?"

Xia Zhen nodded: "The foundations of the houses in the old city are made of stone, which is moisture-proof and waterproof, and is suitable for storing grain. As for the open space in the north, you should quickly find someone to clean it up, so that when the wheat comes down, there will be a place to store it immediately."

"Yes, my lord."

Xia Zhen said again: "As for your marriage, let your mother prepare it. After the wheat harvest is over, I will go to Beijing and have a glass of your wedding wine before going to Beijing."

"...Yes, my lord." Huang Junyao didn't expect his marriage to be so hasty, but he was powerless to refute.

Xia Zhen said: "I've already told Mr. Wei that when you get married, I will give you 1 taels personally, and the Beijun Palace will give you 5000 taels. A total of 5000 taels will be given to you for your marriage."

"Wang... my lord, it's too... too much." Huang Junyao didn't expect Xia Zhen's handwriting to be so big, and he was really surprised.

Xia Zhen chuckled, "I just want you to put the wheat in the warehouse properly, and that's the best reward for me."

Huang Junyao's face was solemn: "I understand now." This is to throw money at him to clear his eyes.

"Well, it's good to understand. As for your future wife, I gave you 1 taels as a dowry."

Hiss... Huang Junyao couldn't help making a sound.

Xia Zhen smiled, "Don't be surprised. On the one hand, Mr. Tian and I have been with me for more than ten years, just like my father, and her daughter is also my sister. As a brother, it is not a big deal to give a little money to my sister. On the other hand, , I also hope that you will not be bound by your family and manage a prosperous Liangzhou City well."

"Yes, my lord." Huang Junyao was so excited by Xia Zhen's words that he was full of arrogance, and wanted to roll up his sleeves and do a big job right away.

Xia Zhen said: "Mr. Tian will stay in Liangzhou City until next year's wheat harvest. During this period, if you don't understand anything and need help, just ask him, and I'm going to the capital. If you can't go back to Liangzhou Mansion, everything here depends on you."

"Your Majesty, I understand."

"Well, go get busy."

"Yes, my lord."

Xia Zhen let out a long sigh.

When Wei Ren gave Mr. Tian Xia Zhen's dowry silver, Mr. Tian was also surprised, "This...is too much." When the eldest daughter got married, the prince gave 5000 taels, but this time it was doubled.

Wei Ren smiled, "Take it, if you don't take it, how can I ask the prince for money when I have a daughter in the future."

"You brat." Mr. Tian cursed with a smile.

Wei Ren said: "Sir, the prince treats you like a father."

Hearing this, Mr. Tian sighed, "Yes, the boy in his teens has grown up and is independent, so he doesn't need me by his side anymore."

"Sir, what you said is that if you are by the county king's side, then I still have a chance!" Wei Ren said with a smile.

"You brat." Mr. Tian cursed again.

"Sir, don't be emotional, you have only been here for a year, and there are still important tasks to be entrusted to you in the future."

"I'm just feeling that the world will always belong to you young people." Mr. Tian said with a smile, "I'll go to the county king and thank him."

"Okay, let's go together."

In the backyard, Tian Yuqing had heard about the addition of 1 taels of make-up by the king of Beijun, and she was also very shocked.

The girl said: "Second Mother, is it because you are also Second Mother?"

Tian Yuqing shook her head and laughed: "How can my second mother compare with the county king's second mother, it must not be the reason."

"When the eldest lady got married, the prince gave 5000 taels at that time, and it became 1 taels with you."

"Maybe he was a little general there, but now he is the king of Beijun."

"Oh." The girl nodded in agreement, "Maybe Er Niang, your guess is right."

Tian Yuqing stood up and looked towards the sky outside the courtyard, "I've always heard that Liangzhou City is desolate, but I didn't expect it to be not much worse than inside the Guan."

"Yes, I think the streets look more lively than the streets of our Xing'an Fucheng."

Tian Yuqing sighed with ease. She was actually sad when she heard that the county king was going to marry her to Liangzhou Mansion in the west. She once asked herself what she did wrong to let God treat her like this, but she knew that as For her daughter's house, she can't control her own marriage, and this marriage can't even control her father. Let yourself who was raised in a deep boudoir learn a lot.

The feeling of walking out was not bad, but after arriving at the destination, the future husband came into view again, Tian Yuqing's whole body became alive, and she felt that the future of life was promising.

Xia Zhen and Mr. Tian took his subordinates to the restaurant for a meal. It had been a long time since the guest of honor sat down to drink and talk about life.

After the wine was half full, Gu Dun and his gang were still eating and drinking. The two of them were sitting in the corner, looking out the window, having a drink.

Mr. Tian was not without emotion: "Zian, your road is getting wider and wider, I am very pleased."

"Thank you, sir, for accompanying me all the way. If it wasn't for my husband, I might..." Xia Zhen lowered her eyes, remembering the agitation and restlessness of her youth, and her body was full of hostility. If it wasn't for her husband silently accompanying him, he wouldn't even know How can I get through those years.

Mr. Tian smiled, "I'm getting old, but luckily someone will follow me to walk with you."

Xia Zhen smiled, held the wine glass, and looked out the window under the shade of the trees in the hot summer, "Sir, do you still remember the first time I saw Erniang?"

"Of course I remember." Mr. Tian said with a smile: "You never care about your business, and if you have business, you step on it. That will lift people up."

"Haha..." Xia Zhen was laughed at by Mr. Tian, ​​"Yeah, I always stepped on her, how could I pick her up? Gu Dun yelled at the time, asking if I wanted to treat her as a little wife..."

In the entire private room, there were 40 to [-] generals above the fifth rank, and the sound of their drinking and punching was about to knock the roof off, but Gu Dun heard these words accurately, and leaned his drunken body and threw himself at their table.

"My lord, you already have a little daughter-in-law, but what about my daughter-in-law, I'm almost thirty soon, and I don't have a daughter-in-law yet, and no one brings me tea and water, or warms my bed..." As he spoke, he wailed. burst into tears.

Mr. Tian looked disgusted, "Take him away, what kind of virtue."

Gu Dun was dragged away by several other generals, they were all in the same room, and he was heard whispering, "Brothers, you don't know what lovesickness is..."

"Fatty Gu, who do you miss..."

"I...you can manage..."

"Ha ha……"

……

Everyone laughed, and finally overwhelmed Gu Dun's howling voice.

All Xia Zhen's emotions were interrupted by this guy, "Sir, come and drink."

"Okay!" Mr. Tian picked up the wine glass, probably because he is getting older, he is getting more and more active, and he said, "Zian, do you still hug the little rabbit to sleep?"

"I don't have a daughter-in-law to hug, of course I have to sleep with the little rabbit."

"Uh..." Mr. Tian didn't expect him to tell the truth, and laughed so hard that he almost choked on alcohol, "Zi'an, Zi'an...you..."

"It doesn't matter if you tell the truth in front of your husband."

Yes, you still regard me as a family member. What other words are more touching than this, Mr. Tian said: "Going to the capital now, how can you return to the north?"

Xia Zhen snorted coldly: "I have plenty of ways to come back."

Mr. Tian raised his eyebrows in surprise: "You have a way to get away?"

Xia Zhen nodded, "However, I will come back after giving birth to two children in the capital."

"Two children... when will it be?"

"Two hugs in three years, soon."

"..." Mr. Tian was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Zian, you... good boy, come, let me toast you, and wish you all your wishes come true."

-

Ahhh... It's summer, Ma Min'er actually sneezed when she folded her clothes, "Is there any ice in the room?"

"No, it's well water."

"Oh." Ma Min'er said, "Could it be that dad misses me?"

"It is estimated that the master and the others are also packing up and preparing to leave for Fucheng."

"Yeah, hope they're doing well."

Shan Xiaodan said: "Little Boss, don't you want to fly to the master and the others right away?"

"Yeah, how did you know that?"

Shan Xiaodan smiled.

Ma Min'er immediately turned around, "Oh, I see, Xiaoyou is with my father."

"Little Boss——" Shan Xiaodan pursed her lips, "It's nap time, you should go to bed, I'll go to the kitchen to see how the sweet potato soup is being prepared."

Ma Min'er yawned, "Okay, then I'll sleep for a while, and if you don't wake up by then, call me."

"Ok."

Shan Xiaodan tidied up, and before exiting, she called Dongmei, another big girl in the house, to the door: "It's nothing to do now, go and rest."

"Thank you, Miss Shan."

"En." Shan Xiao went to the kitchen alone.

Dongmei stood under the porch and stood there for a while. She felt that it would not be easy to integrate into the side of the future princess. It turned out that she thought that the future princess would have no decent servants, and those big girls like them would soon have a place. Now it seems that it is so simple.

Dongmei entered her resting place, and found that other girls were also in the room, some crooked, some sitting, all listless.

"Sister Dongmei, you are the only one who can stand by Madam's side now, why don't you have nothing to do?"

"Ma'am is taking a nap."

"Oh."

The second-class girl Lanting said: "After tomorrow, we will have nothing to do."

"That's right, Madam and the prince went to patrol the border, and they only brought their own maid, not our share at all."

"I think when she gets married, she doesn't need girls like us to count her ability."

"Shh, Lan Ping, what nonsense are you talking about, she doesn't want us, do you think you can stay in the palace?" A girl suddenly looked out the door nervously.

"What do you mean by that?..."

"Let me tell you, if we can't be used by the princess, we are useless, and the old lady will sell us..."

"Sister Yuemei, it's not that..."

The beginning of the word 月 is a first-class girl, Yuemei sneered, "If you don't believe it, you can try it."

"Then she has nothing to do for us, what can we do?" Lan Ping and others complained.

Yuemei raised the needle and thread in her hand: "The prince and his wife are going to get married soon. On the prince's side, we all know that the old general not only went to the capital by himself, but also sent members of the Xia clan to take care of the prince's marriage. Nothing to say.

But on the princess side, I heard that his family is in Pingding, so I don't know how the preparations are going. As far as the girls around her are concerned, from what I can see these days, there are not many people who help him prepare for embroidery. "

As soon as Jing Yuemei reminded, "It seems to be?" The girls agreed one after another.

"There must be girls in the palace of the capital, but we are close-fitting girls, so we sent them to Madam in advance. When we arrive in the capital, the whole palace will not be like the small wooden courtyard now. There must be a lot of human exchanges. It must be rewarded, it’s fine if it’s silver, if it’s not silver, like these embroideries, wouldn’t the gadgets come in handy?”

"Sister Yuemei, you..."

Yuemei sighed, "Inside and out, you have also seen that the lord is either busy, or is with his wife, there are no other women at all, and according to the rules of our Xia Mansion over the years, the lord not only does not accept concubines, but also There will be no other women, except Madam, we have no other hostess to serve, if you don’t serve Madam well, then what do you want to do?”

Yes, what do you want to do? The girls were lost in thought.

The next day, Xia Zhen took Ma Min'er to watch the border harvesting wheat. The army was overwhelming and majestic.The first border Tuntian county they reached was Wangma County.It is more than 100 miles away from Liangzhou Prefecture, and Xia Zhen and others arrived at noon the next day after they set off.

In addition to the reclaimed land, other places, the heat wave is rolling, it is really not a place for people to stay, the heat is too hot to bear, but the wheat fields are full of people, and people have already started harvesting.

Ma Min'er wore a headscarf and covered her face. She was afraid of getting sunburned. Seeing the fields full of people, she was in a good mood even though it was hot. Everyone had successfully planted wheat in order to survive.

The head of the farm in Wangma County received the official document from the prince a few days ago, and he has already greeted the prince at the crossing ahead of time, talking to the prince, "My lord, if the enemy did not invade, the wheat would have been harvested a few days ago. done."

Xia Zhen nodded, "Is there anyone else coming now?"

"and also."

"Be careful." Xia Zhen said, "If you can, you can tell them to take medicinal materials and horses to Liangzhou City to exchange."

"Yes, my lord."

Xia Zhen said again, "In addition to your own grain, the public grain that should be handed over should be quickly organized and transported to the granary in Liangzhou City."

"Yes, my lord, I finally understand."

Wei Ren took a step forward, "Tun Chief Liu, tell all the tenants that the prince will release high temperature fees for everyone tonight."

"What is the high... high temperature fee?"

"It's just that the weather is too hot. Give everyone some money and let everyone buy some meat to replenish their strength."

"Yes, yes, I understand." Chief Liu wished that the money would go through his own hands, so that he could... In fact, he had no chance to handle it.

Xia Zhen held back her sleepiness, and spent most of the night getting her subordinates to send the money directly to Tunhu.

The villagers kowtowed happily. To be honest, in the poor frontier, they really tried everything in order to survive and grow into wheat. Many new daughters-in-law even put in the dowry money they just got It took a lot of effort to grow the wheat.

If the king of Beijun didn't pay close attention, they would all take out the wheat and sell it secretly in exchange for money to live on. Unexpectedly, the king of Beijun actually pays the high temperature fee, which is still paid according to the population, ten taels for men, five taels for women, children and the elderly Three or two each, the family with a large population will get rich directly.

God, God, it's easier, easier.

Wei Ren once consulted Ma Miner on how to get the grain on the border into the warehouse. The high temperature fee was Ma Miner's idea to pay him.

If the farming system is to be put into practice, one must rely on the constraints of the army and the yamen system, and the other must form a virtuous circle. For the frontier households that can grow food in the first season, on the one hand, it depends on the good weather, and on the other. On the one hand, they rely on hard work. If Xia Zhen pulls away the food without human touch, even if this part is agreed in advance, it will also dispel the enthusiasm of the villagers, so they borrowed the high temperature fee to subsidize the lost heart of the villagers.

At that time, Ma Min'er laughed and said, "This is out of your lord's pocket, I don't know if he feels sorry for you?"

Wei Ren smiled, "I'll go back and discuss it with the prince."

Judging from today's view, not only did Xia Zhen not feel sorry for the money, but he also gave a lot of money. He was determined to make the farming system work well.

Hey, why didn't Xia Zhen ask Ma Min'er directly?Well, on the one hand, these things are within the scope of Wei Ren's work, and he doesn't need to do what his subordinates should do.

On the other hand, Xia Zhen is also intentional. Unknowingly, he has erected the outstanding ability of the future princess, so that his subordinates should not look down on others. My little daughter-in-law is a "Mr.". Have to respect her.

For example, Wei Ren, he now has respect for Ma Min'er, his wife is indeed a heroine.

There are nearly 1 households in Wangma County. On average, each household has 30 taels. The high temperature expenses are really sweating. Liu Tunchang did not get greedy for money, and he was a little disappointed to send the king of Beijun gone.

"My God, how much money will the county king have to give out this way?"

The entourage read, "I'm afraid there are two or three million taels!"

"My God..." Tun Zhang staggered in fright, "With this money, it is enough to go to the south of the Yangtze River to buy grain."

"Who says it's not." The entourage said, "Oh, General Liu, Ha Shi, I wish you could handle the money distribution."

"Stinky boy, do you think I don't want to, but Wangjun doesn't let anyone touch it, I..."

"Hush, General Liu, someone is coming..."

The visitor jumped off the horse, reached out and took out a piece of paper and handed it to Tun Zhang Liu, "This is a reward from the county king, saying that you have grown wheat well, so you will continue to work hard."

"Ah..." Chief Liu was a little confused, why he didn't give rewards just now, and he turned around after walking, and what can this piece of paper do!He looked down, oh, my mother, it was actually 3000 taels of silver, and when he looked up, the prize giver had already left.

The entourage approached him and took a look, "Mother, it's actually 3000 taels."

(End of this chapter)