Chongzhen took out two Havana cigars, which were modern products given to him by Yang Fan as tribute. He took out another airbrush lighter, puffed out a long blue flame, and lit the cigar.
"Thank you for the gift, Your Majesty." Gong Yonggu has never seen a cigar, but he can tell at a glance that this thing is much more advanced than cigarettes.
The two were smoking cigars and chatting.
Watching a group of servants from the Princess' Mansion lighting the fireplace with firewood. This room isn't cold, it's just for the atmosphere. Burn the fireplace in the large living room with an open space, and then arrange high-backed chairs around the fireplace. The family, plus pets such as cats and dogs, can warm up to the fire together. It is a mood to talk around the fire at night and try some sweet potatoes and corn.
Of course it would be better if there is a radio. But this has not been invented yet. Corn, sweet potatoes, and potatoes are already sold in Xinghe Supermarket.
The servants put the washed corn cobs, sweet potatoes, and potatoes in a peach-shaped cast-iron grill with upper and lower halves buckled together. Place it next to the flame of the fireplace and lean on it slowly.
After a while, Chongzhen heard the sound of water flushing several times in the bathroom. After a while, the wives came back with red faces. It seems the experience is good.
"Your Majesty, this house is so comfortable. You can take a hot bath before going to bed every day. All the imaginable living facilities are available in the house. It is very complete. Even things we did not expect have been arranged." Queen Zhou said happily .
"Your Majesty, let's not leave tonight, how about we stay here?" Concubine Tian, who had just gone upstairs to see the bedroom, said coquettishly. She liked the super large bed upstairs and the snow-white quilt very much.
"Okay, we will stay here tonight. We won't go back to the palace." Chongzhen also said happily, "Wang Chengen, please make arrangements."
"Yes, long live the Lord. I'll go and make arrangements now." Wang Chengen hurriedly mobilized three hundred households of Jin Yiwei to leave the palace from Di'anmen and come here to take charge of security work. At the same time, a group of eunuchs and maidens were mobilized to serve here.
This villa is very large, with three floors and a basement. The three underground floors are warehouses, and the second underground floor is the kitchen and servants' quarters, with patios and sunken courtyards for lighting. The ground floor is a semi-basement with a gym and swimming pool. There is no problem in housing thirty or forty servants.
"Yes, there must be a reason why Uncle Dingyuan's house is selling so well. When it comes to enjoyment, no one in the Ming Dynasty can compare to Uncle Dingyuan. I am envious of Uncle Dingyuan for his wealth-making skills." Chongzhen said. After walking around, he said with emotion.
He especially liked the glass-built sunroom. Lying on the rocking chair, enjoying the warm winter sun and reading a book, it was really pleasant just thinking about it. If it's daytime, it's even more pleasing to see the trees outside in the community full of red and yellow leaves.
"Your Majesty, Uncle Dingyuan is going to set up a railway company and build a bus railway in the city recently. I don't know if I can make money. I want to invest and give it a try," the Queen said.
"I haven't figured out what this railway looks like yet. I think Uncle Dingyuan's investment is quite large," the queen said.
Chongzhen said: "This railway was described in detail in the memorial he gave me, with pictures and texts. I will show it to you later. It is similar to the car we saw today, it is driven by a steam wheel mechanism, but it is It’s on two railroad tracks.”
"How much iron is needed to lay the track?" Queen Zhou said in surprise.
Over the past year, the Empress has been very effective in managing her inner treasury. She made money by investing in Yang Fan's business. Some have already started to make profits, and some have started to make a lot of money. Therefore, the Queen is very concerned about what Yang Fan is going to do.
Chongzhen knew that the queen came from a business family and had a high vision and level of management. Generally, I feel safe leaving the inner treasury to her to run.
"He also mentioned this railway line issue to me in a memorial. It goes far beyond the bus lines in the city. He planned a long-term plan and planned to build five railways within five years."
"The first one is a line from Beijing to Tanggu via Tianjin. The purpose is to solve the problem of the North Canal being unusable in winter. In the future, when shipping materials arrive at Tianjin port, they can be transported to Beijing by rail. He is also planning to build this railway to Zhangjiakou Go to Guihua City and Jiuyuan City. It is said to be convenient for transporting supplies to the frontier."
Seeing that everyone was listening to him carefully, Chongzhen took the black tea brought by the maid on a tray, took a sip, and continued: "There is also the Jinpu Railway from Tianjin to Nanjing Pukou. Qinhuangdao via Zunhua, and the Daqin Railway from Beijing to Datong. Railway. The Beijing-Guangzhou Railway from Beijing to Guangzhou via Wuchang. The Longhai Railway from Haizhou Lianyungang to Xi'an, Baoji, and Lanzhou via Xuzhou, Kaifeng, and Luoyang."
Gong Yonggu opened his mouth in surprise. Said: "Uncle Dingyuan is really a generous man. It's amazing. How much does it cost to lay a road with so many railway tracks?"
"He told me a lot about the benefits of railways, saying that railways can facilitate transportation, are of great benefit in strengthening the court's control over local areas, and can also make money. The court's land sales are a large amount of financial revenue, which is conducive to easing the current situation. Financial issues. I think this matter is too big and I still don’t understand many things, so I didn’t agree to it. I’m still considering it.”
The Empress said: "Your Majesty, it is better to build the rail transit in the city first and see the effect. If appropriate, we can build the railway from Beijing to Dagukou via Tianjin. If something happens to this short railway, we can detect it in time." .”
"Yang Qing's most important thing is the Longhai Railway and the Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan Railway. He said that troops will be sent to the northwest soon. If these two railways are repaired, there will be no big problems in transporting troops or materials." Chongzhen said.
"Your Majesty, the main purpose of sending troops this time is to attack northern Shaanxi, Hetao, and Maoge areas. The railway construction to Xi'an and Lanzhou will indeed play a big role. But the Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan line may not be enough." Gong Yonggu asked road.
"There is also an extension of this line, which goes from Zhangjiakou to Guihua City through the grasslands. It will eventually be extended to Jiuyuan and Linhe."
"He said that he would first lay an experimental track in the capital as a public transportation. I saw it right away. I have promised him to build an experimental track in the capital first and test it first. Let's see what it is. Whether it makes money or not. His It’s a big idea, but it occupies a lot of space. I have to watch it carefully and don’t cause trouble because of my anxiety. If it is really a good thing that benefits the country and the people, I will support it.”
Princess Le'an said: "Brother, I heard that Uncle Dingyuan has set up an exchange. It will open in the next two days. He will organize some companies and go public for financing, including railways. I want to buy some stocks to try. Try it and see if you can make money.”
"Hmph, he and Zhang Shize offended the nobles and civil servants, and were eager to appease them. This matter brought benefits to them. I saw that it was not easy for them both, so I turned a blind eye. Since, it is for the nobles. Naturally, you can make money by giving away money. Queen, you have to keep an eye on this matter, and if you have good projects, you can invest in them. Don’t let the nobles make all your money."
