Gaoyang Restaurant is one of the top five restaurants in Tokyo.
The so-called official brewery must first have a brewing license issued by the imperial court. Dasong Brewing is a franchise, and official certificates are extremely difficult to obtain. If you cannot brew your own wine, you will not be qualified as a genuine brewery.
Secondly, the main store has a colorful door, which is a brothel.
Thirdly, the main store must have all the three-service layouts from private seats to private rooms to flower pavilions, so that it can receive guests with any needs.
To put it bluntly, the main store is a large wine shop that includes a brothel.
For a genuine store, it is extremely difficult to review and manage, and it is a place that requires rigorous review before it can be set up and operated.
There are only 72 genuine stores in the entire city of Tokyo.
Gaoyangzhengdian is a spacious three-story restaurant east of Daxiangguo Temple and below Panlou Street.
It is not like the four-sided layout of Fan Tower, but only one wide building covers all businesses.
If you want to say which restaurant in Tokyo has the largest single floor, then Goyang ranks first.
Zhao Tong only brought Zhang Xian here, not because other people in the house couldn't believe him, but because the fewer people who knew about meeting the Dali envoy, the better.
Zhang Xian is Xiao Niang's younger brother and can be considered as half of his disciple, so Zhao Tong brought him here.
Before coming, he carefully warned Zhang Xian that this place was very powerful. After hearing this, Zhang Xian naturally understood the key points and became cautious.
When they arrived at the Gaoyang Building, the two dismounted their horses. The receptionist in the store had already greeted them. After greeting them, they placed the horses and walked into the building.
I saw that this building was wide in depth and gorgeously decorated. There were hundreds of scattered seats on the first floor, and there were enough stairs to go up to the stairs for four, distributed in four directions.
It was not yet noon, and there were not many guests in the hall. The boy leading the way bowed and asked: "Are the two gentlemen on the first floor, or..."
Zhao Tong said calmly: "Go to Caiyun Pavilion on the third floor."
The third floor of Gaoyang Zhengdian is full of flower pavilions, which usually only serve customers in the evening. It is still early and they are all empty.
Although there were very few people entering the Flower Pavilion this morning, the servant usually saw a lot of people, so he did not show any surprise and invited the two of them to the third floor.
Zhao Yan had been here once before and knew that Caiyun Pavilion was in the back. There were no other guests at the moment, so it was peaceful and quiet.
After entering the pavilion, he ordered some wine and food, and then quietly waited for the messenger sent by Duan Yichang.
About a moment later, footsteps were heard outside, and the lady in charge of the Huage Pavilion ushered in three people.
Zhao Tong couldn't help but be stunned when he saw the leader of these three people. It turned out to be a snow-colored woman in white with a lotus step.
This woman has a slender figure and a slender waist. As soon as she enters the attic, she can smell the fragrance of orchid and musk.
Zhao Tong couldn't help but touch his chin when he saw this. Why did Chang Yi send a woman over to talk about this? This is too precarious.
It’s not that he thinks that women are necessarily worse than men, but that women attract more attention. From Dali to Tokyo, there are thousands of mountains and rivers, and men can’t guarantee that they will be safe. Who knows if a woman will be safe? Encounter any danger.
This woman wears a curtain hat on her head, which looks like a bamboo hat, with white gauze hanging down from the four sides, making it difficult to see her true appearance.
The two people following him were an old man and a middle-aged man. They were both tall and tall, walking like a dragon or a tiger, and they seemed to have fists and feet on their bodies.
At this time, the lady in charge of the pavilion withdrew, Zhao Tong winked at Zhang Xian, and Zhang Xian immediately went out and stood guard outside.
Zhao Tong's eyes fell on the woman again, squinting slightly.
The woman's hat moved, as if she was looking at the door of the pavilion, and then she spoke in a low voice, but it was like a pearl: "But in front of His Majesty the King of Qin?"
Zhao Tong glanced at her and nodded gently.
The woman seemed to be relieved, then took off her curtain hat, revealing a shy face, and said politely: "Duan Siyan of Dali, I have met His Highness King Qin."
Zhao Tong saw that his appearance was as bright as spring flowers, as beautiful as the autumn moon, and the peaches were shining brightly, and he couldn't help but said: "Who are you, Duan Yichang?"
The woman said: "Yi Chang is my younger brother."
After hearing this, Zhao Tong thought about it, and suddenly thought of someone in his mind, and said, "Are you Princess Zhaoqing?"
The woman was startled, then she said with a shy smile: "She is my little girl. I didn't expect that the prince would know my little girl's name."
Zhao Tong secretly shook his head. Princess Zhaoqing, Duan Siyan, was Duan Yichang's sister. Both Duan Yichang and Duan Yichang came from the Defei Wang family.
Duan Heyu's queen is from the powerful Gao family in Dali, and she has nothing to show for herself. Below the queen, the concubine De has the highest status, so the two siblings are very favored. Although Duan Heyu has many daughters, they have no title. The only one who is the princess is Duan Siyan.
But what is she here for? It would be fine if Duan Yichang didn't send someone reliable for such a big event, but how could he let Princess Zhaoqing come over?
Nowadays, the royal family of the Duan family in Dali is involved in a confusing incident involving the powerful Gao family. The head of the Gao family, Gao Taiming, passed away. In addition to his brothers, there are eight sons left. The entire family is fighting against each other, and there is internal strife. The most serious moment of power.
The Duan family secretly supported Gao Taiming's second son, Lord Chuxiong Gao Mingliang. If Zhao Tong remembered correctly, Duan Yichang should have married Gao Mingliang's daughter soon, and Princess Zhaoqing married Gao Mingliang's daughter. son.
Gao Mingliang's son was called Gao Liangcheng. He had little ambition and was versatile in both civil and military affairs. After Gao Mingliang's death, he invaded Chuxiong's territory.
After his uncle Gao Mingqing was killed in Shanchan for thirty-seven rebels, he led the army to quell the rebellion and was nicknamed "Dharma Protector". He later took over the position and became the Prime Minister of Dali.
Because his great-grandfather Gao Shengtai once usurped the power of the Duan family, changed the name of the country of Dali, and called himself the Emperor of China. Although he returned the power to the Duan family on his deathbed, his son Gao Taiming still called himself the Duke of the Great China, and Gao Liang became the emperor of China. The Gao family was orthodox and also received the title of Grand Duke of China from the Duan family.
This man governed Chuxiong, including the entire Weichu area, and turned it into another military and political center of Dali. It was known as "the four barbarians and eight barbarians gathered here." All the princes in Dali gathered here to form an alliance.
Later, Duan Yichang was able to successfully become the emperor of Dali precisely because of Gao Liangcheng's support.
Zhao Tong suddenly felt a headache. The Gao family of Dali has always produced talented people in large numbers. Their high-quality talents and learning skills were not weaker than those of Yelu Dashi of the Liao Kingdom. If the Duan family had not won the hearts of the people and he was tied down by the family, he might not have died. The next Yelu Dashi.
Siyan must marry Gao Liangcheng this time. This is an important chess piece for the Duan family, and nothing can go wrong. But at this time, she actually came to Tokyo. If something happens, let alone Tengjia. If the matter were to come to naught, even his private contact with Dali might be exposed to the sun.
Zhao Tong frowned, looked at Duan Siyan and said, "Does your father know that the princess is coming to Tokyo?"
Duan Siyan blinked her beautiful eyes and said: "The matter of Tengjia is secret, and my father will never know about it."
Zhao Tong smiled bitterly, knowing that she would be wrong, but looking at it this way, it became more solid that Duan Siyan had escaped secretly. Duan Yichang was so unreliable that he never considered what might happen on the road. The consequences of a mistake?
"My brother doesn't know about this either!" Duan Siyan added with a smile.
"Huh?" Zhao Tong was a little dumbfounded now, and Duan Yichang didn't know either? But Duan Yichang didn't even know about it, so how did you know about Tengjia? They even came to Tokyo to discuss it.
"The King of Qin should not be surprised." Duan Siyan continued: "At that time, the King of Qin sent people to find the rattan armor, and my brother and I discussed it privately. He was inconvenient to do things at the moment. In fact, I sent people to find the method of making the rattan armor in the mountain tribe. , the five pairs of old vine armor given to King Qin are also my private possessions."
"You mean..." Zhao Tong raised his eyebrows when he heard this. This Dali is different from the Central Plains. The princess is not raised in a deep palace and cannot go out. It is possible for her sister and brother to support each other and take care of the matter together. But why She went north this time, and even Duan Yichang didn't know about it?
"I know that the prince has questions. My brother is being watched very closely right now, and every move he makes will be noticed, so he asked me to handle this matter, so I came here by myself, and by the way, I saw the beautiful rivers and mountains of the Song Dynasty." Duan Siyan said. , a pair of small hands behind her back, her face full of cuteness.
Zhao Tong looked at her and was speechless for a moment, thinking that you are really brave. If something goes wrong, you will get someone killed.
"Princess, please sit down and talk." Zhao Tong thought that since he was already here, it was useless to say anything at this time, but he was still worried: "The princess has been away for a long time, won't your Majesty Lingci become suspicious?"
Duan Siyan sat down behind the desk, shook her head and said, "My parents knew I was going out, but they didn't know I was coming to Song Dynasty Tokyo. They just thought I was going to Diancang Mountain for fun."
Zhao Tong nodded. It seemed like she was a wild girl. She must have been used to being wild in Dali. Otherwise, how could even the Emperor and concubines of Dali not know about such a big thing.
At this time Zhang Xian came in and whispered: "Your Majesty, the waiter is here."
Zhao Tong nodded. After a while, the food and wine were served. After waiting for the guests to leave, Zhao Tong filled his glass with pride and bowed slightly: "Princess, you have come a long way and are tired from traveling and working on the vine armor. I would like to offer you a drink to the princess."
Duan Siyan held the cup with both hands and drank it all. Then she blushed and said, "The King of Qin is too polite, so it's not hard work. Besides, I received a message from the King of Qin before, but I haven't thanked him yet. I'm just helping the prince with this rattan armor thing."
"What did the princess say?" Zhao Tong was confused when he heard this.
"It's the Sauvignon Blanc. When my brother went back and told the King of Qin about it, the King of Qin immediately wrote the Sauvignon Blanc calligraphy in his own hand, which was very refreshing."
"Sauvignon Blanc..." The corners of Zhao Tong's mouth twitched. It turned out that Duan Yichang wanted this painting to be given to Princess Zhaoqing, but when did he become so cheerful? What's more, Duan Yichang didn't directly ask him for words. Instead, he used a lot of tricks and even dug holes for him to jump into.
"It's exactly Sauvignon Blanc!" Duan Siyan said: "The name of King Qin is well known in our country, and his poems are the most praised. However, the calligraphy of King Qin is rare. According to the booksellers in the Central Plains, no one can ask for it. That painting of Sauvignon Blanc But I envy many people.”
"As long as the princess likes it..." Zhao Zhao said politely: "I really didn't know that my own calligraphy treasures are so hard to find. Those booksellers are just spreading rumors."
"No matter what, I can't take anything from King Qin for nothing, so I naturally have to help with the rattan armor matter." At this point, Duan Siyan smiled playfully and filled herself another glass of fruit wine.
Zhao Tong looked at her and thought that Duan Yichang had also come up with a list of poems at that time, and it was probably written by Princess Zhaoqing. It seemed that Dali had admired the culture of the Central Plains for a long time, and people in the royal family also learned to write poems and lyrics.
He then thought again, is his family really so famous in Dali? What Duan Yi said last time was not intentional flattery?
If this is the case, I would really like to go to Dali if I have the opportunity in the future. After all, the scenery there is great, and being admired by others is also a kind of enjoyment.
The two drank a few more drinks, and Zhao Tong stepped into the topic and asked: "I wonder how the princess plans to make the rattan armor?"
At this moment, he knew that Duan Yichang was being watched by other princes, and the matter of the Tengjia would probably fall on this princess, let's see how she behaves.
Duan Siyan seemed to have already made up her mind and said: "Although Dali does not use rattan armor at the moment, it cannot be made blatantly, and there is no secluded place to hide in the city and suburbs, so I plan to put the rattan armor in some mountain villages. Go make it.”
"A village in the mountains?" Zhao Tong nodded. There are many vines in the mountains over in Dali and tung oil is produced. It can be built with local materials, saving the trouble of transporting materials. At the same time, this matter does not go out of the mountains and has been carried out in the mountains. The risk of exposure is avoided.
"It's the stockade in the mountains." Duan Siyan nodded: "The original method of making rattan armor was also obtained from those stockades. In fact, it is not a special secret. In some old stockades, there is always a family that knows how to make rattan armor. "
"I know that it takes about two years to complete a pair of rattan armor, but if it is done properly, it may not be impossible to make it in a year and a half, right?" Zhao Tong thought for a while.
"According to normal principles, a year and a half is indeed possible, but that requires less rain and sufficient sunshine. But the weather can always be like this all year round... Maybe it can be two months earlier, but there is no guarantee." Duan Siyan thought about it. road.
Zhao Tong frowned. This was different from what he thought. Although the steps in the manufacturing process of rattan armor could not be omitted, he felt that as long as the middle part was more precise, some time could still be saved.
"There is also the reason for the tung oil." Duan Siyan said: "The rattan armor needs to be soaked in tung oil. Although Dali produces tung oil, the armor is large. If we produce too much, there will not be so much tung oil to soak at the same time. We have to take turns, which will cause further delays. Some."
Zhao Tong pondered: "If there were enough tung oil, wouldn't it save time?"
Duan Siyan said: "If there is enough tung oil, even if the weather is bad, a pair can be made in about half a year. However, the village in the mountains is already barren, and even in the city, you can't find that much tung oil."
Zhao Tan smiled when he heard this. This is indeed the case. Even if Dali produces tung oil, a pair of rattan armor is almost the same size as a person. How many pieces of rattan armor are needed to soak multiple pairs of rattan armor at the same time? It is impossible for the village in the mountains to have those tung oil reserves.
He said: "There is a sequence of manufacturing, and not all villages can start at the same time. If it takes two years, how many rattan armors do you think the princess can make?"
Duan Siyan said: "Adi and I have calculated this. There should be about two to three thousand vice presidents."
"Two or three thousand pairs?" Zhao Tong couldn't help but shook his head.
Duan Siyan looked at Zhao Tong with slight doubts. Although she had never asked Zhao Tong what he wanted the rattan armor for, since it was done in private, he must be doing something shady.
It’s just that both she and Duan Yichang believed that it was impossible for Zhao Tong to rebel. After all, under the system of the Song Dynasty, it might be easy for bandits and refugees to rebel, but it would be difficult for people in the royal family to rebel, because the power of the Song Dynasty to mobilize troops rested with the Privy Council. , and with the Western Army outside, the royal family was restricted everywhere and had no chance to contact the bandits or coerce the refugees.
But if you don't rebel, why do you need so many rattan armors?
"Ten thousand pairs!" Zhao Tong held out a finger: "In two years, I will need ten thousand pairs of rattan armor. I have just made a rough calculation. As long as one village can complete a hundred pairs, then it only takes a hundred villages to make them. Come out with these vine armor!"
"Ten thousand pairs?" Duan Siyan was shocked when she heard this. If so many rattan armors were not rebelling, what were they trying to do?
Zhao Tong looked at her expression and shook his head slightly: "I use these vine armor to do something in the west, not what the princess wants."
Duan Siyan finally calmed down. You must know that Dali's annual treasury income is not much. Dali is a small town with few people and low taxes. Part of the income comes from trade with the Song Dynasty. But the price of these ten thousand pairs of rattan armor is probably It can be equivalent to Dali's trade income for one or two years.
At this time, the price of a normal Forbidden Army armor is about 80 guan for the cavalry, about 40 guan for the infantry, and the different armors of other arms are probably in the middle.
Originally, when the Song Dynasty was first founded, the price was only half of these prices, but by the time of Emperor Daojun, the cost of armor had doubled.
According to this price, converted into silver, a pair of cavalry armor already costs forty taels, and foot armor also costs twenty taels. After all, the exchange ratio of silver is no longer one to one at this time.
As for rattan armor, it can actually be used on both horse and step. If we take the median price of a pair of iron armor, which is thirty taels, and add 30% of the profit, it will be forty taels.
According to the results of preliminary discussions when Ouyang Bei went to Dali, the iron armor was purchased at 20% of the price, which was eighty taels of silver, and ten thousand pairs of rattan armors was eighty thousand taels of silver.
Eighty thousand taels of silver, nearly two hundred thousand dollars, which was a huge amount even for the Dali court.
But Duan Siyan was not sure that he would be able to produce 10,000 pairs of rattan armor in two years. After all, Zhao Tong said it was easy. There were one hundred villages, and each village had one hundred pairs of rattan armor. But these villages were all in the mountains, and they needed to be run one by one. To negotiate, these take time.
Seeing her hesitation, Zhao Tong suddenly smiled and said: "Princess, when I came here this time, I wanted to haggle over the price. After all, eight taels of silver a pair of rattan armor is not cheap, but..."
He paused after saying this, and Duan Siyan looked at him: "Your Majesty, what is it?"
Zhao Tong said: "If the princess can make ten thousand pairs of rattan armor in two years, then not only will the king not bargain, but I will also give the princess an extra twenty thousand taels of silver, for a total of one hundred thousand taels!"
When Duan Siyan heard this, she couldn't help but be stunned.
(End of chapter)
