Chapter 524: A Family of Farmers and Scholars
Chapter 524: A Family of Farmers and Scholars
Time flies and three days pass in a flash.
Lu Yunyi, who was concentrating all his energy on concrete construction, heard a piece of news.
Because of the rebellion a few days ago, the Five Military Commands and the Ministry of War were feeling uneasy.
So he sent people to urge young talents from the military in various places to come to Yingtian as soon as possible.
Now, some people have arrived in the capital.
This news made Lu Yunyi very excited.
In fact, he doesn't care whether those young talents come or not.
The key point is that now that these people have arrived, the rewards that have been delayed for a long time should be issued!
He once took some time to go to the Five Military Commandery and ask the officers in charge of this matter.
The answer I got was, in order to inspire the world's military,
In order to spread the news better,
Rewards will be given only after young talents and generals from all over the country come to report on their work.
Now that he has arrived, the reward will probably not be far away.
The good news doesn't stop there.
According to the estimation of the Metropolitan Waterworks Bureau, the concrete road from the workshop to the official road will be completed in one or two days, and then all that needs to be done is to wait for it to slowly solidify.
Most of the soldiers who went to the countryside with the merchant company have returned.
With the help of cash, many nearby villagers took out their home stocks.
There are sewn insoles, clothes, and cloth.
There are also many well-woven brooms, bamboo hats, and raincoats.
Even, according to Zhang Yu's report,
Many people took advantage of them and even sold their daily necessities.
Just to exchange for silver and money to buy the supplies brought by the soldiers.
In this regard, adhering to the principle that building trust is more important than gaining benefits, the soldiers and officials accepted it all.
Although the first rural operation suffered a huge loss, it was not important.
Now people from nearly thirty villages know about this and have agreed on the time of their next visit.
In order to reassure the villagers, the officials also paid a considerable deposit to reserve the handicrafts they had made in the past few days.
After a lot of back and forth, the whole process seemed to be gradually getting on track, which made Lu Yunyi very pleased.
I am more and more confident in Zhang Yu’s work ability!
Deng Lingyun, Song Wan'er and others also successfully acquired the ownership of the ice room from Zeng Yanfu.
Probably some clever tricks were used.
The final transaction price was only 40% of the normal price, which was a great victory and made a lot of money.
Because Qin Qing's father was the Minister of Industry,
So they invited people from the Ministry of Industry to do the work, and the decoration progress was astonishingly fast, with a different look every day.
The only thing that is progressing slowly is the reconstruction of Yingtian Liu’s Fruit and Vegetable Shop.
Due to ample hints, construction became extremely slow.
Today I'm taking a rest, using the excuse that the weather is too hot.
Tomorrow they will say the feng shui is bad, so I will continue to rest.
The day after tomorrow, he said the wind was too strong, so he took a rest.
Nearly ten days had passed, and the entire foundation of the Yingtian Liu's Fruit and Vegetable Shop had not yet been cleared.
In contrast, the construction of Yingtian Commercial Bank, which is not far away, is in full swing.
Construction continues non-stop for twelve hours a day, and the project is progressing rapidly.
The Ministry of Works and the Governor's Office both arranged for their top craftsmen to come.
The Governor's Office obviously attaches great importance to this project.
Geng Zhong, the commander-in-chief of the Left Army, would come here to inspect whenever he had time to learn about the progress of the project.
He was also very generous and often bought a lot of food with his own money.
There are also some iced summer treats that flatter the craftsmen.
At noon today, Geng Zhong came here as usual and brought two carts of chilled watermelons.
It was lunch time and the craftsmen were very excited to see him arrive.
Geng Zhong didn't mind at all, and waved his hand.
The frozen watermelon was distributed to everyone and won widespread praise.
Lu Yunyi, who had just rushed back from outside the city, came to the construction site and was stunned when he saw this scene.
He quickly dismounted, stepped forward quickly, clasped his fists and saluted:
"Greetings, Master Geng."
Geng Zhong was particularly close to Lu Yunyi and quickly waved his hand and said:
"Don't be polite, from now on we are brothers who will share life and death together."
The two came to the shade in a corner of the business.
Geng Zhong pointed to the house in front of him that had been demolished beyond all recognition and said:
"I heard from Li Zhigang that you plan to tear down the outside and replace it with a flat surface. How can this be possible?"
Lu Yunyi smiled and nodded and explained:
"Don't worry, Master Geng. This is just a small change.
But it can make the business look more magnificent, neat and orderly.
Furthermore, the new cement developed by the Ministry of Industry can make the entire exterior wall surface extremely smooth.
By then, the four walls will be bare.
Only the four characters "Yingtian Commercial Bank" on the front were shining with gold.
This is both innovative and eye-catching! "
Geng Zhongshi couldn't imagine what the scene would be like.
"I don't understand these. I'll do as you say."
“Hahaha, Lord Geng, if you suddenly saw such a strange house in the city, wouldn’t you want to go in and take a look?”
Hmm? After hearing this, Geng Zhong instantly understood the cleverness of this, and his eyes suddenly lit up:
"Hey, this is a great idea of yours!
There are countless merchants coming to Yingtian every day. Just one person can make a lot of money by going in and taking a look!"
“That’s exactly why everything is done to deepen the impression on the guests.
As long as these merchants and common people remember it and pass it on by word of mouth after returning,
It would be unacceptable if the common people and merchants who come to Yingtian next time don’t come and take a look.”
Lu Yunyi was confident, and with cement, he was even more confident.
Then use cement to paste the wall and then make it smooth.
Huh.
He seemed to have seen Yingtian Commercial Bank standing out among the many buildings.
Geng Zhong was also immersed in the beautiful fantasy of making a fortune every day. The corners of his mouth rose unconsciously and he laughed.
"By the way, Yun Yi, I heard that the soldiers and officials who went to the countryside encountered some obstacles?"
Lu Yunyi's face became solemn and he nodded slightly:
“Sir Geng, some officials and gentry did try to stop it.
However, after the officials showed their identities,
Most of them choose to swallow their anger, and only a small number of them are still very stubborn.
But this is not a big deal and has no impact on the overall progress.
In some ways, this is actually a good thing.”
Geng Zhong understood the deep meaning and nodded slightly to show his agreement:
“We want to show the palace that the fact that the gentry and the gentry are blocking us just proves that we are doing the right thing.
If the imperial court wants to extend its influence to all directions and make money, it must pass this test.
If they don’t stop us, we should be on our guard.”
“It is for this reason that moderate difficulties can bring together internal strength.
As the number of exchanges increases, the wishes of the people will force them to make concessions.
Of course, this will inevitably be accompanied by bloodshed and possible unrest.”
Lu Yunyi's expression became more and more solemn.
With the emergence of the business and concrete, the intentions of the court have been guessed by more and more people.
There are already some opposing voices in the court.
There were many more memorials impeaching businesses for competing with the people for profits.
Fortunately, the company has a strong backer, and His Majesty and the Crown Prince are also strong enough.
Otherwise, it is possible that it will be strangled in its infancy.
Geng Zhong's face was equally serious. He looked at the craftsmen happily eating melons in front of him and said thoughtfully:
"Yun Yi, it's not a good idea to just be an enemy. You need to try to win them over."
He pointed to the craftsmen.
"Look, these watermelons cost less than ten taels of silver.
But it can make the craftsmen happy and make them more focused on their work.
The business of a business is huge, and if one tries to monopolize it, one will become an enemy of everyone.
It is better to distribute some benefits appropriately and win over some people. "
"You mean"
A gleam of light flashed in Lu Yunyi's eyes, and he asked softly.
Geng Zhong pursed his lips and said softly:
“Recently, tricycles and bicycles have been plying back and forth on the official road and have been seen by many people.
The people were very curious about this, and some officials also asked about it.
The Ministry of Revenue submitted a memorial stating that this product would benefit the country and the people and should be introduced to the public as soon as possible.
This suggestion was praised by some ministers.
Geng Zhong looked at Lu Yunyi and smiled:
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to be a lobbyist.
It’s just that the Ministry of Industry and the Governor’s Office are under a lot of pressure now. They control the businesses and bicycles, which is too conspicuous.
Of course, we can still bear this pressure for now.
If you have other plans, feel free to proceed with them.
We'll be there to support you, just focus on your work and don't be disturbed by others.
At worst, we can just accuse those noisy people of a crime and arrest them. The last time we investigated the traitorous party, the three courts had not yet closed the case.
His Majesty is also very dissatisfied, so this is a good opportunity to involve them."
Geng Zhong suddenly became murderous, with a fierce light flashing in his eyes.
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Lu Yunyi's eyes. After thinking for a moment, he said:
“Sir Geng, now is not the time to promote tricycles and bicycles to the general public.
When the concrete road outside the city is completed in a few days, I will invite you and the officials from the Governor's Office to go and see it.
Only on that can the bicycle run smoothly and unhindered.
And I also found many problems with bicycles when I went to the countryside these days.
Although the wheels are wrapped in thick leather,
However, it is easy to be damaged when driving on country roads and needs further improvement.
If we deliver the goods to the people now,
If it goes wrong three times a day, then a good thing will turn into a bad thing, and the people will definitely curse the court all day long."
Geng Zhong pondered for a moment and nodded gently:
"You have a point. I just mentioned it casually because I am really fed up with the noise these days.
Okay, I've seen it all, I'm here now, I'm leaving now, you go and get busy."
After saying that, Geng Zhong smiled and waved to him, then led a group of attendants to mount their horses and left Zhongzheng Street.
After Geng Zhong left, Lu Yunyi's face became solemn.
As a high-ranking official of the imperial court, Geng Zhong held a high position of power and was in charge of the capital's garrisons.
I am definitely not just saying this to him casually today.
This shows that the pressure has reached a certain level and the Governor's Office has begun to consider making concessions.
A trace of worry flashed across Lu Yunyi's eyes, and he sighed heavily.
Money is a motivating force. Not only the merchants in the city want to make a fortune from it, but so do the people in the court.
Lu Yunyi knew without hesitation who was pushing behind the scenes; it must be the Ministry of Revenue.
Ever since the Ministry of Works submitted a new budget for flood control, the palace and the court were interested.
But this made life more difficult for the Ministry of Revenue.
More than five million taels of silver would definitely not be enough if the palace did not take some out of the treasury.
Therefore, the Ministry of Revenue has recently been encouraging the palace to take money from the treasury, and its real purpose is naturally more than that.
According to the Broken Window Theory, the Ministry of Revenue is likely to settle for the next best option.
Seek exclusive rights for bicycles and tricycles as a compromise.
Taking a deep breath, Lu Yunyi shook his head.
The issue of the two trolleys has not been resolved yet, and the tricycle is about to be put into the hands of the people.
I really don’t know what kind of storm it will cause.
However, this is not something he can control. All he can do is to delay it for as long as possible.
At this time, Li Zhigang, with dishevelled hair and dirty face, came running hurriedly from a distance.
His eyes were still a little bleary and bloodshot.
"Why are you here, Lord Minister?"
"It's Lord Li. I'm here to see the progress." Lu Yunyi raised his hand absentmindedly.
Li Zhigang looked around, moved closer, and asked in a low voice:
"Lord Lu, Commander Geng is gone?"
"Leave, what's wrong?"
Seeing him so mysterious, Lu Yunyi couldn't help but ask.
"My Lord, you don't know."
Li Zhigang winked and lowered his voice even lower.
"Our business has now become a popular commodity that everyone is vying for.
Not only were various government offices in the capital paying close attention, but even the families of many noble lords came to inquire, hoping to get involved.
Yesterday, a distant cousin of Governor Geng came here.
He wanted to have a piece of the pie no matter what, which made Governor Geng furious.
In front of so many people, he was severely beaten up. "
"Ah?" A trace of confusion flashed across Lu Yunyi's eyes.
There are actually such shameless relatives?
This made Lu Yunyi secretly sigh that fortunately he had no relatives and had fewer worries.
“Not only that, Your Excellency, I also know a lot of merchants, and they have been asking about the business recently.
Some even went to Jie Jin and asked him to bring a message to me.
I hope you can ask me if there is any company willing to sell its shares.
They're willing to pay five times the price for it!"
"Xie Jin? Did they find you?"
Lu Yunyi suddenly felt it was absurd. Didn't scholars always avoid business matters?
Somehow he got involved.
Li Zhigang nodded repeatedly:
“At the time I thought it was something.
He chatted with me for a long time and said how good the Pu'er tea was.
Finally, he explained in a roundabout way,
Some farming and reading families took a fancy to this business and thought it was a long-term business. "
"A family of farmers and scholars?"
Lu Yunyi was stunned for a moment, then his face suddenly showed realization.
I'm afraid these are the only people who can persuade Xie Jin to do such a thing.
"How did you respond?"
"What else can I say? I will just try to evade responsibility.
I am just a doctor in the Ministry of Works, responsible for the construction of the company. How can I interfere in the affairs of the company? "
There was something strange on Li Zhigang's face, and his expression kept changing.
"Sir, I think they want to tell Lord Lu through me.
Even test Lord Lu's attitude.
If you are interested, Lord Lu, then it will be a natural thing to do. If you are not interested, then there will be no loss."
Lu Yunyi had the same guess and nodded slightly:
"I understand. Next time someone comes to you, just say that the business is the palace's business and no one can make the decision."
"I will keep it in mind."
Li Zhigang showed respect on his face, and then said:
"Sir Lu, I went to see the cement yesterday.
After screening, it is indeed finer than ash soil. I wonder when it can be put into use?"
"We need to wait for a while. The water company is still adjusting the raw material formula.
Once the final formula is determined, it can be gradually put into use.
If it’s fast, it will take about ten days, if it’s slow, it may take several months.”
"I understand. In the near future, the Yuheng Division will be mainly responsible for the internal affairs of the company and strive to complete the rectification within a month."
"Ah."
Lu Yunyi nodded, looked at his disheveled appearance, and said with a smile:
"Master Li, there is no need to work so hard, the right way is to combine work and rest.
The construction of the business is on track. You can take a day off and have a good rest."
As soon as these words came out, Li Zhigang's blood instantly rushed to his head and his face turned red!
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Minister! I will do my best and work hard until my death!!"
A hint of helplessness flashed across Lu Yunyi's eyes. Compared to the court officials,
Or the soldiers in the army get along better:
"This is what I really think, don't think too much about it."
"I think so too, Master, please rest assured!"
Li Zhigang was full of fighting spirit, with a somewhat flattering look on his face, and he moved closer:
“Sir, I heard that the Dushui Division is building a road, and many important people will go to watch.
I want to ask if I can go and take a look. "
Lu Yunyi had long heard of Li Zhigang's reputation for being a flatterer.
Lu Yunyi thought about his request and agreed:
"You are a doctor in the Ministry of Industry, so you should be present to check out any new products."
In an instant, Li Zhigang's eyes were as bright as stars and full of energy!
Just as he was about to express his gratitude, the sound of hurried horse hooves came from the south of Zhongzheng Street.
"Get out of the way!"
“Everyone, get out of the way!!”
Lu Yunyi looked over and saw four tall war horses galloping towards him from the end of the street.
The man on horseback was carrying a bag, wearing the uniform of the garrison, and looked hurried and tired after a long journey.
They sped through Zhongzheng Street and passers-by tried to get out of their way.
When the four war horses left, a burst of shouting and cursing suddenly broke out on Zhongzheng Street.
In the hot weather, the streets seem even more noisy and chaotic.
Li Zhigang's eyes flashed with disdain, and he curled his lips:
"Sir, these soldiers from other places don't know who they are after they have some military achievements.
This is the capital city, how dare they gallop like this! "
(End of this chapter)