W Chapter 79
by VolareThe stock of velvet flowers was visibly increasing, and Xu Youfang knew she couldn’t delay any longer and had to go to the county town.
Shen Chengshan put down the work at home and went with Xu Youfang. Hearing that they were going to the county town, Xie Qingya stopped his business for a day to go with the two elders.
Wang Juan wasn’t feeling well, and the medicine he needed wasn’t available in the town, so he had to go to the pharmacy in the county town to get it.
The temperature was gradually rising, and he had made a new batch of snake and insect repellent powder, which he would bring to Ling Xing, and he could also see his friend.
The two elders of the Shen family agreed, and the three of them were lucky enough to find an ox cart going to the county town just as they arrived at the town gate.
After getting on the ox cart, they felt much lighter.
Xie Qingya knew the address of Ling Xing’s shop and residence, so he separated from the two elders of the Shen family when they arrived in the county town. He had to go and get his medicine first.
After getting the medicine, he would go to the shop to find Ling Xing.
The two elders of the Shen family also had important matters, and the three of them left separately to attend to their own affairs.
Xu Youfang and Shen Chengshan didn’t go directly to find Ling Xing, but went to the jewelry shop on their own.
They had, after all, studied and knew how to read and write, and they were good at dealing with people, so they wouldn’t feel intimidated.
Although their clothes weren’t expensive, they were clean and tidy, with no patches.
Their hair was also well-combed. Shen Chengshan wore a hairband embroidered with green pine mountains, and Xu Youfang wore a misty blue velvet flower on her bun.
The shop assistant in the jewelry shop was very good at recognizing people. At a glance, he could tell that although the two were dressed plainly, their temperament was somewhat similar to the wealthy and powerful people who entered the shop. Figuring that they were probably customers who could afford jewelry, he immediately greeted them with a smile.
“What do you two need? Please feel free to tell me.”
Shen Chengshan said directly, “We’re not here to buy jewelry, but to talk to the shopkeeper about velvet flower business.”
Thinking that the shop assistant didn’t know about velvet flowers, Xu Youfang was about to cooperate and let the shop assistant see the velvet flower on her head.
Then she heard the shop assistant say in surprise, “Please wait a moment! I’ll go and call the shopkeeper.”
Liu Ji Jewelry Shop was one of the largest shops in Yunshui County, backed by the prefectural city. The shopkeeper’s name was Liu Feng, and he was a servant of the Liu family, the richest family in the prefectural city.
“Shopkeeper! Shopkeeper! Someone from Yunxia Town is here, saying they want to talk to us about the velvet flower business!”
Liu Feng’s hand trembled, and all the fish food in his hand fell into the tank. The koi under the lotus leaves opened their mouths wide to eat the fish food.
“Are you sure they’re here to talk about the velvet flower business?”
The shop assistant was best at observing people’s expressions. Seeing that Liu Feng’s expression was a little strange, he put away his smile and nodded, “Yes, they said it themselves.”
Liu Feng’s expression became even stranger.
Since last year, the ladies, young misses, and ge’ers with some status in the county had started wearing velvet flowers.
It was easy to find out where they came from, that they were flowing out of Yunxia Town.
After finding out where they came from, several jewelry shops in the county had sent people to the town to inquire.
They learned that the person selling them was a ge’er, and a widower at that.
At first glance, they thought he would be easy to handle, thinking that this business would soon be theirs, but they didn’t expect him to be a tough nut to crack.
After careful questioning, they learned that the wife’s younger brother of the County Deputy Magistrate had wanted the Ling Ge’er’s steamed bun recipe, but the other party had refused to give it to him, and even ran to the county government office, and actually got to see the County Magistrate.
They didn’t know what method he used, but Magistrate Lin really stood up for him.
Not only did he give him a plaque, recognizing his business integrity, but he also had Deputy County Magistrate Zhou personally come to deal with the restaurant shopkeeper who had ulterior motives.
That day, there were people coming and going outside the restaurant, and many people saw Shopkeeper Zhao kneeling on the ground, slapping himself until his nose was bruised and his face was swollen.
The people who were inquiring learned that Ling Xing had some connection with Magistrate Lin, and directly dismissed the thoughts they shouldn’t have.
They only politely asked if he wanted to sell the recipe or cooperate.
At that time, Ling Xing and the Shen family felt that everything in their family was just starting out, and they were afraid that if they took too big of a step, they wouldn’t be able to keep anything in the end, so they all refused.
The people from the jewelry shop could only sigh and leave, not daring to force him.
Back in the county town, watching the velvet flower fever in the county town get higher and higher, they had no way to stop it, watching the money slip away from their eyes.
The shopkeepers of several jewelry shops dreamed that they could sell velvet flowers in their shops.
It was stupid not to earn money when you had the chance.
Since the Yunxia Town side didn’t agree to cooperate, and they didn’t want to let the money slip away like this, they would just make it themselves.
If they figured it out themselves, not to mention the County Magistrate, even if the Emperor came, he couldn’t say anything to them.
Each family sent people to buy some velvet flowers back, and sent them all to the craftsmen, telling them to figure out how to make them.
They thought they could figure it out soon, but the first step, finding the materials, took several months.
But after finding out what the velvet of the velvet flower was made of, the next production steps became much simpler.
For the sake of the beauty of the velvet flowers, the craftsmen buried themselves in hard work, practicing the flower shapes and matching the colors. Finally, five days ago, news came from the prefectural city, saying that the shop could sell them in bulk.
Who knew that at this juncture, someone from Yunxia Town would come to talk about the velvet flower business…
Liu Feng clicked his tongue.
He carefully calculated in his heart.
Now, the only shops in the county that could accept Yunxia Town’s velvet flowers were probably a few small shops and some jewelry stalls.
That didn’t pose much of a threat. For Magistrate Lin’s sake, he shouldn’t drive them away.
After thinking it through, Liu Feng continued to feed the fish, looking for the fish under the lotus leaves, and said casually, “Tell them to leave, our shop doesn’t need velvet flowers.”
Not only did their shop not need them, but probably the other two big shops didn’t need them either.
He had received news that those two shops had also figured it out, but the flower shapes still needed to be polished, and they weren’t coming out as fast as Liu Ji’s.
Liu Ji could grab the first share of the velvet flower business in the county town.
The shop assistant guessed that their shop had already mastered how to make velvet flowers, otherwise they wouldn’t have told people to leave.
If the shopkeeper didn’t say anything, he wouldn’t ask any more questions. He only followed instructions and turned to leave.
Shen Chengshan and Xu Youfang were politely asked to leave Liu Ji Jewelry Shop. The two of them looked at each other, their brows slightly furrowed.
Comparing the attitude of the jewelry shop in the county town when they came before, it wasn’t hard to guess that Liu Ji Jewelry Shop had probably already mastered the method of making velvet flowers.
Large jewelry shops had more capable people. As long as they found the right materials for velvet flowers, it wouldn’t be too difficult for craftsmen with skills. After so much time, it was inevitable that these large shops would master the velvet flower craftsmanship.
Xu Youfang was open-minded and didn’t feel too disappointed. She had expected this to happen.
She said to Shen Chengshan, “There’s no need to go to the other two large shops, let’s just go directly to the small shops and stalls.”
The main families behind the large shops were all people with status and wealth. If they wanted to study and figure out how to make velvet flowers, they could immediately put together a team.
These three shops were also doing business with rich people. The velvet flowers she made, to be honest, weren’t aimed at the upper class.
But at the middle and lower classes.
Small shops and stalls were the most suitable.
Facts proved that it was the right choice not to go to the other two large shops.
Xu Youfang and Shen Chengshan ran four small shops and eight stalls, successfully selling out all of their stock at home.
The velvet flowers she made didn’t have any luxurious decorations, were cheap and good, and the small shops and stalls could sell them.
For large-scale sales, Xu Youfang reduced the price by one copper coin per flower, and would come to the county town every half month to deliver the goods.
Xu Youfang didn’t ask about the pricing of the shops and stalls.
After signing contracts with twelve shops, they went to the snack shop to find Ling Xing, it was already afternoon.
Xie Qingya had been helping in the snack shop for a whole morning. Ling Xing packed a lot of things for him, wrapped in oil paper, and told him to take them back when he left.
They had to get home before dark. Xu Youfang and Shen Chengshan didn’t have time to see Shen Hui and the others.
The two elders only stayed with Ling Xing for half an hour while eating at the shop, roughly talking about the big shops in the county town not accepting their velvet flowers, and then left with the food that Ling Xing had packed for them, together with Xie Qingya, sitting on the ox cart.
The fact that the big shops didn’t accept velvet flowers actually had an impact on the Shen family.
If the output of velvet flowers was small, it wouldn’t drive the development of the village.
They could only put in more effort and go to other towns, finding small shops and stalls one by one to accept the velvet flowers.
This matter fell on Shen Chengshan’s head. Everyone in the family had work to do, and the work in the fields had been hired out early because the family was busy with business.
Shen Chengshan didn’t have to go to the fields to work at all.
He was still energetic after running around outside for three days.
Compared to working in the fields under the scorching sun, it was obviously easier to go out and find sales channels under the scorching sun.
Because he saw more people and talked more, he was in better condition than before.
…
Another summer came, and the weather in Yunshui County was getting hotter day by day, and the price of ice was getting higher and higher.
Compared to last year, Ling Xing had accumulated a lot of money in his hands this year, and he didn’t have to buy the cheapest and most cost-effective ice like he did last year.
The small courtyard also had a cellar, which wasn’t small, about sixty square meters.
The cellar was filled with some herbs that Shen Lai had collected, as well as vegetables, pickles, and some carpentry tools brought from Xiao Liucun, but there was nothing else.
The ingredients in the snack shop were all made and bought on the same day, and they could all be sold out every day, so even in the hot weather, the cellar wasn’t used for storage.
Ling Xing wanted to take advantage of the hot weather to introduce new dishes to the shop that could relieve the heat and cool down.
This year, he had money to buy ice, and the space in the small courtyard’s cellar was sufficient, so there was a place to put it.
After thinking it over, he decided to make frozen milk custard.
The diners on Spring Rain Street were all wealthy people, and they didn’t look down on things that were too cheap.
Although the method of making frozen milk custard was simple, the raw materials weren’t cheap.
Even the rice wine was expensive.
Rice itself was expensive, and the rice wine made from it was also divided into grades. From ordinary to fine, the price per catty ranged from thirty to one hundred copper coins.
Ling Xing didn’t want the fine rice wine, he just bought the ordinary one for thirty copper coins a catty.
Even if he bought the most ordinary rice wine, according to the proportion of sweet wine used to make frozen milk custard, one catty of rice wine could only make two bowls after removing the rice grains.
Adding the cost of milk, honey, white sugar, dried osmanthus flowers, and ice, the total cost of frozen milk custard was very high.
Fortunately, it was on Spring Rain Street, and the expensive price could still be sold.
Moreover, Yunshui County had never had frozen milk custard before. If the market was opened up, there would be no worries about selling it on Spring Rain Street.
Ling Xing chose to make this because he had always heard that frozen milk custard was delicious in his previous life, so he had copied it.
After making it, he found that the taste was really good, and it was also good for relieving the heat in summer.
He handed over the snack shop to the Liu family brothers and the newly hired shop assistant. Ling Xing bought all the raw materials needed to make frozen milk custard and returned to the small courtyard to try making it.
Press the rice wine to drain the liquid for later use, boil the milk and add an appropriate amount of white sugar, remove the milk skin that condenses on the surface, otherwise it will affect the taste.
After the milk has cooled, pour in the rice wine and stir evenly, place it upside down on a small plate, cover it, and steam it for another quarter of an hour, then turn off the heat and simmer for another quarter of an hour.
After taking it out of the pot, put it in an ice box to chill for half an hour to an hour, drizzle with honey before eating, and sprinkle with some dried osmanthus flowers to add flavor and taste.
Ling Xing made a total of six bowls, tasted one himself, and the taste was excellent, even more fragrant and delicious than the one he copied in his previous life.
It should be because the raw materials here are better than in the previous life.
Ling Xing divided the rest into portions and took them out to give away.
Shen Lai had never told his family how things were going at the medical clinic. He took two bowls to the medical clinic, one for Shen Lai and one for Doctor Pei.
He could also see what Shen Lai’s situation was like at the medical clinic now.
Of the remaining three bowls, one was for Magistrate Lin, and the other two were for Shen Hui and Ling Yue.
The county government office was in the completely opposite direction. Ling Xing put the portion for Magistrate Lin in the ice box first, and would take it when he came back.
The county academy and the medical clinic were in the same direction. Ling Xing went to the county academy a street away first.
He didn’t have a county academy student certificate, so he couldn’t enter. The rules of the county academy weren’t that strict, and it was allowed to send food in from the outside.
However, it had to be handed over to the gatekeeper together, and he had to tell him which class and which student to give it to.
Ling Xing handed the two small bamboo food boxes to the gatekeeper, saying that it was food, and hoping that it could be sent as soon as possible.
He also gave the other party ten copper coins, carefully stuffing them in, “It’s hot, please accept this to buy a bowl of iced drink.”
This was what Ling Xing had learned from the shop, the unwritten rules about the gatekeeper of the county academy.
No matter what you wanted the gatekeeper to send to the students, you had to give them some errand money.
You couldn’t give too much, and you couldn’t give too little.
If you gave too much, the gatekeeper would be punished and lose his job if he was discovered by the county academy. If you gave too little, people would think you were sending beggars away, and they wouldn’t feel comfortable.
Six to ten copper coins was the number that wouldn’t go wrong. If you were anxious to send it in, give ten copper coins, and if you weren’t that anxious, give six copper coins.
Little by little, over the course of a day, the gatekeeper could earn a lot of extra money by running errands.
Especially in summer, the amount of ice in the county academy was limited, and there were no iced drinks to drink, so they all bought them from outside and sent them in.
At most, the gatekeeper could earn four or five hundred copper coins a day.
The gatekeeper skillfully put away the copper coins and nodded with a smile, “I’ll send it right away. It’ll be just in time for the students to get out of class for a break, and they can eat it.”
He still had to go to Silver Ear Street. Ling Xing, having received the other party’s words, nodded and left.
It was the hot time of the afternoon, and he walked through the alley, not taking the main road.
The alley was faster, there was more shade, and it wasn’t as hot.
The alley wasn’t empty, but rather lively.
Hawkers shouted as they went through the streets and alleys, and all kinds of small stalls were set up at the entrances of the alleys. Because of the heat, they had all put up simple sunshade cloth awnings.
Ling Xing’s eyes fell on the hawkers, looking at the shelves hanging with all kinds of goods.
Thinking of Xu Youfang’s words a few days ago that the big shops didn’t accept velvet flowers and the output was insufficient, Ling Xing was thoughtful.
Hawkers went to many places, and there were many people in this group. Their goods were sold mostly in alleys and villages.
If he could take over the velvet flower market in the small towns, plus the velvet flower market in the villages, he figured the output wouldn’t be less than what he had estimated before, but only more than what he had estimated before.
Ling Xing hurried away with the food box. He had to hurry to send frozen milk custard to Xiao Wu, or it wouldn’t be cold anymore.
When he got back, he would write a letter and send it home, talking about the hawkers, and letting his parents decide.
Inside the Silver Ear Medical Clinic, it was as quiet as ever, with not many people.
When Ling Xing arrived, Doctor Pei was still standing on the wooden ladder, grabbing medicine, just like when they first met.
Noticing that someone had come in, Doctor Pei turned his head to look, and frowned when he saw that it was Ling Xing, “What are you doing here?”
Ling Xing raised the two small food boxes in his hand, “I made a new food called frozen milk custard, which is cool and refreshing, sweet and not greasy. I specially came to bring it to Doctor Pei and Xiao Wu to taste.”
You shouldn’t hit someone with a smiling face, plus Ling Xing wasn’t here to report Xiao Wu’s grievances, so Doctor Pei’s face had less displeasure.
“You made it yourself?”
Ling Xing nodded.
Doctor Pei pondered for a moment, and slightly raised his chin, “Put it on the empty table, you can leave.”
Ling Xing thought that he would have to say a few more words before he could get Doctor Pei to agree to leave the frozen milk custard, but he didn’t expect that he would leave the things so easily this time.
He still remembered that the first time he came to give a gift, he couldn’t leave anything behind.
Doctor Pei glanced at Ling Xing, and then looked down to check the herbs in the oil paper package, casually saying, “Why aren’t you leaving yet?”
Seeing that Doctor Pei didn’t like him staying any longer, Ling Xing was afraid that he would anger Xiao Wu again, so he didn’t dare to open his mouth to say that he wanted to go in and see Xiao Wu.
In any case, Doctor Pei had accepted the frozen milk custard, which was much better than his attitude at the beginning.
Ling Xing put down the food box. Although he didn’t see Xiao Wu, he was in a good mood and left happily.
After the person left, Doctor Pei continued to grab medicine.
Before long, he came down from the wooden ladder and strolled to the table where the two small food boxes were placed, opening one of the food box lids.
Inside was a white porcelain pot with a lid.
Taking out the white porcelain pot, he could smell a strong milky aroma when he got closer, mixed with the sweet smell of rice wine, and a faint fragrance of osmanthus.
Doctor Pei raised his eyebrows slightly, it smelled really good.
No wonder Shen Xiao Wu crossed his waist every day and argued with the other few, yelling that his brother-in-law was the best and the most amazing.
It was a pity that he would have diarrhea if he ate anything mixed with milk, and he didn’t have the blessing to enjoy it.
A noisy sound came from the backyard again. Doctor Pei tapped the food box twice with his index finger, picked it up and went directly to the backyard.
“Do you, a ge’er, have no shame? How dare you touch my hand!” Xin Yi looked at Shen Lai with disdain, holding a handkerchief in his left hand, and vigorously wiping his right wrist, as if it was stained with something dirty.
Shen Lai was equally displeased, “Who wants to touch you? If the master didn’t say that I had to learn how to take a pulse, and asked me to press your pulse, I would think my hand was dirty if I touched you once!”
As soon as he said this, Xin Yi, who was already angry, became even angrier.
With a slap, the handkerchief was thrown on the ground, Xin Yi pointed at Shen Lai and shouted, “Say that again!”
Shen Lai had been fighting with people in the village since he was a child, and he wasn’t afraid of Xin Yi’s threats.
He raised his neck to fight back, but he thought that the master didn’t like him.
If he beat the master’s favorite big apprentice, the master would hate him even more, right?
Shen Lai suddenly had no idea what to do. Xin Yi rolled his eyes when he saw that he suddenly didn’t move, “Paper tiger.”
Shen Lai ignored him, anyway, he had been scolded a lot, and he didn’t care about this one sentence.
Doctor Pei watched for a while, carrying the food box, and seeing that there was no follow-up, he entered the backyard.
“Shen Lai, your brother-in-law sent food.”
Shen Lai’s eyes lit up, he was resurrected with full blood, ran to Doctor Pei, his eyes fixed on the familiar food box in his hand.
He didn’t expect Doctor Pei to personally send it to the backyard. Shen Lai thanked him nervously, “Thank you, Doctor Pei.”
Doctor Pei had never drunk the apprenticeship tea, and Shen Lai didn’t dare to change his words in front of him and call him master, he only dared to call him in private.
Doctor Pei had never corrected Shen Lai’s address.
He gave Shen Lai’s portion of frozen milk custard to him, and turned around and gave his portion to Xin Yi.
There was rice wine in the frozen milk custard. Although it was a sweet food, it wasn’t suitable for the young Kong Qing to eat on an empty stomach.
“Xin Yi, you and Rendong, Banhsia share this portion.” After sending out the food box, Doctor Pei reminded him, “The master wants to rest, don’t make any more trouble.”
Hearing that the master was knocking on him, Xin Yi reluctantly nodded.
After Ling Xing returned to the courtyard to rest for a while, he brought the remaining portion of frozen milk custard to find Magistrate Lin.
The sausage business was doing well, and more and more grilled sausages were being sold in the county. Magistrate Lin was happy in his heart, and his attitude towards Ling Xing was even better.
Learning that Ling Xing was bringing him new food to taste, he also ordered people to take out the snacks brought from the capital.
Four ice basins were placed in the pavilion to reduce a lot of heat.
The food box was a little cool, and Lin Qingyu was curious about what it was, so he directly opened the food box to taste it.
The surface of the white porcelain pot was covered with a layer of fine water droplets due to the alternating cold and heat.
Lin Qingyu lifted the small lid on the porcelain pot, and a strong milky aroma mixed with the sweet smell of wine hit his face.
He used a spoon to scoop out a small amount of frozen milk custard. A corner of the white and smooth frozen milk custard was missing, and the aroma was even stronger.
Lin Qingyu sent the frozen milk custard into his mouth, and his eyes lit up, and he quickly scooped a second spoonful to taste.
The taste of the frozen milk custard was dense and smooth, the milky aroma was strong, and it melted in the mouth. The taste was sweet with a slight aroma of wine, as well as the aroma of osmanthus flowers and the sweetness of honey. After eating it, the lips and teeth were fragrant. It was also cool and refreshing, relieving the heat and cooling down.
He ate most of it in one breath, and Lin Qingyu said with unfinished interest, “There is a snack shop in the capital that is good at using sheep’s milk to make cakes. The milky aroma is strong, and it is smooth and elastic in the mouth. This official loves to eat this sheep’s milk cake very much, but unfortunately the capital is far away, and sheep’s milk cannot be stored for a long time. Even if it is transported by water with favorable winds, it cannot be delivered before it spoils.”
“This food of yours is even more delicious than that sheep’s milk cake. In the future, it will be even more difficult to eat than sheep’s milk cake.”
Ling Xing smiled and said, “If the County Magistrate wants to eat, I will write down the recipe, and the adults can let the cooks in the house make it.”
Lin Qingyu waved his hand, “I guess you want to use this to do business, this official will just send someone to buy it from the shop.”
“This frozen milk custard is delicious. Compared to it, this official’s snacks are a bit inferior. In that case, I will give you a message as thanks for bringing the food.”
Ling Xing was serious when he heard that there was something to say.
The porcelain spoon touched the wall of the porcelain pot, making a crisp sound. Lin Qingyu lowered his voice, seemingly admonishing but actually reminding him, “It is difficult for ordinary people to accumulate wealth. If they encounter bad people and are misled, they can lose their family property overnight, and not a few families are separated as a result.”
“In order to make the people live in peace, some tumors need to be cleared. At the latest in five days, Yunshui County will begin to clean up.”
Ling Xing was stunned, he didn’t expect Magistrate Lin to tell him such an important thing.
Was he going to clean up the gambling houses?
Although he didn’t like that place, the gambling houses had been doing well before, why were they suddenly going to be cleaned up?
Why did Magistrate Lin specifically mention this to him?
After a moment, Ling Xing thought of Tu Hai.
Was Magistrate Lin specifically reminding him to tell Tu Hai to prepare in advance?
Lin Qingyu glanced at Ling Xing, and seeing that there wasn’t much doubt between his brows, he knew that he had guessed something.
The closure of the gambling house wasn’t what he wanted, but the request from above.
The national treasury really had no money.
From the beginning, he wanted to develop the sausage business in Yunshui County, and he would definitely use his family background and pave the way for himself.
He sent the best sausages to the main family in the capital early in the morning. The head of the family, Lin Minghai, was now the Minister of Revenue, in charge of the dynasty’s finances.
The Lin family had just recovered, and they were bound to observe the emperor’s preferences and send the emperor things that he liked from time to time.
But the new emperor was different from the previous emperors. He was deep-minded, didn’t like extravagance and lasciviousness, and was even more tired of flattery.
It was difficult to send things to his heart.
Thinking that the emperor was born of grass, and paid more attention to the lives of the people, secretly and openly weakening the power and wealth of the aristocratic families, and raising the status of the imperial examinations, he wanted to select talents from the common people.
Being the Lin family, which was feared by the emperor and had to be used because no one was available, was now like walking on a tightrope, with a bottomless abyss below.
Pleasing the emperor and becoming a sharp blade that the emperor could use was the only way for the Lin family to last.
When the Lin family received the sausages sent by Lin Qingyu, they found that they tasted good after eating them. Lin Minghai thought about it all night, and the next day he took some to the palace and presented them to the emperor.
He took the route between the common people, thinking of the people he respected when he encountered delicious things, the gift was light but the affection was heavy.
Things made from a little meat couldn’t be put on the table, and there were many gossips in the officialdom about the Lin family because of this.
They said that the Lin family had lost their integrity and face, sending such shabby things into the palace.
With their stingy energy, the national treasury wouldn’t get poorer and poorer.
The emperor didn’t say anything, and no one knew whether the emperor ate it or not, and what he was thinking.
Until the last day of May, the emperor suddenly mentioned in the court meeting that the Lin family’s sausages were delicious, and specially pointed out Lin Minghai and asked him where the sausages came from.
Lin Minghai couldn’t tell whether the emperor was happy or angry, so he had to truthfully say that they were sent by the magistrate of Yunshui County, Lin Qingyu.
When the emperor heard this, he said faintly, “How many common people can afford to eat such meat?”
Lin Minghai’s eyebrows twitched. He couldn’t let the emperor think that the Lin family was extravagant.
It was impossible for a family to prosper by relying on only one person. Lush branches and deep roots could last for a long time. But if it collapsed, it could be done by only one person.
Lin Minghai reacted very quickly and immediately said Lin Qingyu’s initial idea and concept of making sausages.
The implication was that Your Majesty, look, my family members are working so hard to make this food, not for their own desires, but to develop the economy of a county.
The ideas and starting points are all good, and they are really not indulging in pleasure, wasting money and manpower.
The emperor only nodded lightly after listening, and then said, “Thoughtful.”
Lin Minghai thought he could breathe a sigh of relief, but the emperor’s next sentence was: “If a family who had their family ruined by gambling before was under the rule of Magistrate Lin, they should be able to rely on a pair of hands to make sausages in the workshop and earn wages to fill their stomachs.”
When it came to money, Lin Minghai’s heart skipped a beat.
The national treasury was almost cleaner than his face.
And Lin Minghai felt even more trouble when the emperor mentioned the matter of a family ruined by gambling.
This case occurred in a large gambling house in the capital, Bafang Cai.
Originally, a family came to the capital from other places to do business. The man had good cooking skills, and even the palace would buy it to eat.
Later, for some reason, the man became addicted to gambling, and the shop was also lost. Finally, he sold his sons, daughters, and wife, and was crazy to gamble.
After losing everything, the man starved to death on the street.
If the man hadn’t been addicted to gambling, it would have been a matter of time before he gained a firm foothold in the capital with his skills.
Unfortunately, he got addicted.
Such things actually happen every day. Although it is a human life, in the face of national affairs, such things are like dust.
And dust cannot be seen by His Majesty.
Now that His Majesty sees it, there are only two possibilities.
One is that it is too big of a deal. But this matter is not big, and it happens every day. There are no officials or dignitaries involved.
The other is that this is what His Majesty wants to see.
Lin Minghai figured out some meaning.
The emperor was talking about sausages, and mentioned gambling, and specifically pointed out him, the Minister of Revenue.
How could he be chatting and discussing sausages?
The emperor wanted him to speak and say that he would clean up the gambling houses and fill the national treasury.
And the large gambling houses were all backed by aristocratic families. Whoever mentioned this would offend the aristocratic families.
The emperor wanted the Lin family to speak and force the Lin family to choose completely between the aristocratic families and imperial power.
If he said it, he would offend the aristocratic families and could only rely on imperial power.
If he didn’t say it, although he wouldn’t offend the aristocratic families, the Lin family shouldn’t think about getting up again unless there was a change of dynasty.
Lin Minghai knew that he couldn’t be a peacemaker, took a deep breath, followed the emperor’s lead, and spoke.
“Gambling houses destroy people’s minds, empty the people’s money, and are harmful. In my opinion, all gambling houses should be closed. All the confiscated gold, silver, and treasures should beBelongs to the national treasury and used for the people’s livelihood.”
As soon as he said this, voices of opposition rang out in the court.
Lin Minghai was very aware of being a knife and fought against the Confucian scholars for three days. Whoever raised an objection, he would say, “Then the national treasury has no money, don’t ask me for money in the future.”
The emperor also meant to say, “My dear, is it necessary to close all of them?”
Lin Minghai was suffering in his heart, my Majesty, please stop acting!
But he still said the same thing, “The national treasury has no money, Your Majesty, don’t ask me to approve money in the future.”
Under Lin Minghai’s tough attitude, the emperor “had to headache” and followed his proposal to issue a decree to close the gambling houses.
The national treasury urgently needed money, and the decree was issued very quickly.
Lin Qingyu received the news yesterday.
In fact, the closure of the gambling houses was just a matter of spending some money for the aristocratic families who had gambling houses. They couldn’t really be defeated because of a gambling house.
When the storm passed, the gambling houses would open again.
But the gambling houses in small places basically have no big background and cannot survive at all.
Lin Qingyu knew that the gambling houses were hiding dirt and filth, and cleaning them up was actually a good thing for the people.
He didn’t regret the gambling houses, he regretted Tu Hai.
According to his understanding, Tu Hai’s gambling house only had him and the brothers who were born and died with him.
In order to survive, relying on their fearless spirit, they finally made a name for themselves in Yunxia Town.
Tu Hai was smart and took over the gambling house from the previous shopkeeper and gained a foothold in Yunxia Town.
Magistrate Lin knew that Tu Hai hadn’t caused any trouble. On the contrary, Yunxia Town had fewer petty thieves than other places because of his relationship.
But the entire Yunshui County only had one Tu Hai.
None of the other gambling house shopkeepers were innocent.
Even Tu Hai, he was not a clean good person. However, Magistrate Lin reminded Ling Xing because Ling Xing had a good relationship with Tu Hai.
At the same time, he also had some selfish motives.
Lin Qingyu lowered his voice and said to Ling Xing, “Tu Hai and his brothers all escaped from a fishing village by the sea. The fishing village has been hit by typhoons and tsunamis all year round, and there are fewer and fewer people every year. In the end, only twenty or thirty people ran out of the entire village.”
“Ling Ge’er, I need Tu Hai and his men to get on the merchant ships and transport the sausages out.”
They were good at swimming, had skills, were united, and were not related to the people in the yamen.
They were simply perfect helpers.
The sausages could no longer