What now? Now it’s time to enjoy the flowers and chat.
Gao Pingshi was like an incompetent tour guide, taking Princess Yongning to visit his unique Western-style courtyard in the Ming Dynasty.
The reason why he is incompetent is that he does not know many of the flowers in the garden at all, and he still needs the maids and gardeners around him to introduce them to me, Princess Yongning.
The courtyard of Baiyu Tower is very interesting. The main body is divided into two gardens, front and rear. In the middle is the irregular main building of Baiyu Tower. Flower gardens are not only in the front and rear courtyards, but also dotted around the main building. There is only a very wide square directly in front of the main building - this is also a habit of European-style palaces.
Because the courtyard was too large, Gao Pragmatic only took Princess Yongning to visit the front garden, and especially introduced her to the flower gardens with several scents used in Jinghua soap, including jasmine, laurel, orchid, magnolia, mint, honeysuckle, etc., and then came Go under some trees.
"These trees are called oak trees, also called oak trees. The foreigners from Europe prefer to call them oak trees. I personally took care of these trees and asked them to plant them here. For this matter, Enzo, the designer of Baiyu Building, Mr. Greco also argued with me and became red-faced - he insisted that even if these trees were to be planted, they could not be planted in this place, saying that they would seriously damage the overall beauty of the courtyard... or something. Anyway, he was very unhappy.”
Princess Yongning looked at it curiously, looked around again, nodded and said: "I also think what Mr. En said makes sense. These trees standing here are a bit awkward."
"Hahaha, he can't call him Mr. En. The correct name is Mr. Greco, because Greco is his surname and Enzo is his first name."
Princess Yongning said in astonishment: "I only heard that there is a compound surname, but I didn't know that there is a three-character surname... And why is his name at the end of the surname?"
Gao Pragmatic smiled and said: "Europa is different from our habits. Most of them have their first name first and last name last. As far as I know, there seems to be only one kingdom called Hungary that has the same order as ours. It is said that that is because Hungary The main ethnic group in the kingdom is the descendant of the Huns in the past. After the Huns were defeated by the Han Dynasty, some of them moved westward, and finally went to Europe, and they also brought this name habit with them.
As for the compound surname, Greco is actually just a phonetic translation. In their language, this word should mean 'Greek'. Greece is a place in Europe, east of his hometown of Italy—perhaps his ancestors were Greeks. "
Princess Yongning had a look of admiration in her eyes: "Young Master Gao is really a scholar. He even knows things about Europa thousands of miles away."
Gao Pingshi's smile froze, and he laughed dryly: "Miss Zhu is so complimentary, but in fact, my knowledge is very shallow..."
"A humble gentleman is humble enough to shepherd himself." Princess Yongning's face turned red: "Young Master Gao is truly a model scholar."
"Uh... haha, if Miss Zhu continues to praise me, I won't know what to do with myself." Gao Pingshi quickly changed the topic: "Miss, don't you want to know why I planted these trees here?"
"Why? Oh, let me guess..." Princess Yongning really started to think about it, paused for a moment, and turned her beautiful eyes: "Is it because of the tussah silkworms?"
In fact, although oaks and oaks (the same thing) are theoretically the same species as oaks, there are actually many specific varieties, and there are dozens of common ones. It generally refers to the Mongolian oak in China, but it doesn't matter, its leaves can indeed raise silkworms - that is, the tussah silkworms that Liaodong is now vigorously developing under the auspices of Gao pragmatism.
Although tussah silkworms and Jiangnan mulberry silkworms are both in the order Lepidoptera and the family Silkworm, the two types of silkworms are still very different.
Tussah silkworms were originally raised naturally in the wild and are one of the important species of wild silkworms. Its body skin is green and gray, and its cocoons are light yellow in color. Tussah silkworms are larger than mulberry silkworms. Since they can be reared in the wild, their resistance and vitality are better than those of mulberry silkworms.
As for silk fiber, it is slightly thicker than mulberry silk and has better elasticity than mulberry silk because only tussah silk is hollow. If made into a quilt, the fluffiness and warmth are slightly better than mulberry silk.
Both are made of real silk, so tussah silk is also very smooth, close-fitting and elastic. In addition, the advantages of tussah silk are not limited to this. For example, its toughness, acid resistance, alkali resistance and other indicators are also better than mulberry silk.
Of course, mulberry silk also has its advantages, the most intuitive of which are gloss and fineness. In terms of color, mulberry silk is mostly elegant and milky white, while tussah silk is slightly yellowish. At the same time, because mulberry silk is thinner, it has a better texture to the touch.
Since ordinary people think of "silk" as "high-end fabrics," Gao Jingjing, who develops tussah silkworms in Liaodong, has no choice but to define it as a more popular product that is slightly lower than mulberry silkworms. However, popularization is not necessarily a bad thing, because popularization means that the wider the audience, the greater the total sales can be in theory.
All in all, from a long-term perspective, he hopes that mulberry silkworms and tussah silkworms will complement each other and join forces to dominate the world's high-end textile market.
Princess Yongning was able to think of tussah from oak tree at once, which seemed to have really listened to what Gao Pragmatic said that day. Gao Pragmatic was also very happy, nodded with a smile and said: "Miss Zhu shows off her cleverness, and she has already guessed half of it."
"Is there another half? Then I really don't know." Princess Yongning was not disappointed. On the contrary, she smiled at Yan Yan. It seemed that she was very happy even if she only guessed half of it.
Gao pragmatically said: "The other half is shipbuilding."
"Shipbuilding? Are the ships of Jinghua Marine Trading made of this kind of oak wood?"
"Well... it's not all oak wood, but it does require a lot of oak wood, especially in certain parts of the ship. Oak wood can be said to be the best choice." Gao pragmatically explained: "The tree is a hundred years old to One hundred and twenty-year-old oak wood can be said to be the best wood for building ships. After being harvested, these oak trees must be placed in a dry and ventilated environment for fourteen years before they can be used to build warships.
The reason why oak trees that are more than 100 years old are so that oak trees of this age have better strength and higher hardness. Oak trees that are more than 120 years old are more susceptible to decay and holes. Suitable for building warships. The reason why these felled oak trees have to be dried for another fourteen years is to ensure that the wood does not crack or deform, and has dimensional stability. "
"I see." Princess Yongning said in surprise: "But I remember that Jinghua Maritime Trading lasted less than fourteen years in total. How did you build your fleet?"
"It is precisely because it is less than fourteen years old that only a few of Jinghua Maritime Trade's fleet are built according to warship standards. Their main purpose is to guard against large-scale pirate attacks." Gao Pragmatic began to tell lies with his eyes open.
"As for other ships, their hull strength does not meet the standards of warships. They are just ordinary civilian ships. Although they are still equipped with artillery to guard against pirates, the number of artillery they can carry is far lower than that of warships. , Jinghua’s armed transport ships are like this.”
"Then why did you plant these trees here?" Princess Yongning asked curiously.
“Just to remind myself, we’re still a few years away from starting to blow up.”
"Explosive ship?"
"Oh, it's a large warship."
"Build a large warship?" Princess Yongning asked in surprise: "Are there many powerful pirates in Nanyang?"
Gao pragmatic laughed: "That's right. Some countries seem to be one country, but in fact they are no different from pirates. If you want to do business with them, if you don't have a strong fleet, they won't do it honestly. What's the point of buying and selling by force? Selling, arbitrarily lowering prices, etc. are considered polite. Even if they directly rob, they dare to do it."
"Oh..." Princess Yongning nodded and suddenly asked: "Isn't it difficult to find a tree that is more than a hundred years old?"
Gao pragmatically said: "Fortunately, this tree is quite widely distributed in our Ming Dynasty, but I don't want to cut down too much inland, so the large oak trees that are cut and stored for drying usually come from the deep mountains and old forests further north in Liaodong. Then there are some in Guangxi and Annan. At the same time, Annan in Guangxi, including Myanmar and other places, also has some fine wood such as teak, and a lot of it is also stored.
To be honest, Miss Zhu said, if I can force the surrender of Myanmar this time, I have no intention of getting involved in the jade business that everyone is jealous of. My next goal is more about timber. Especially the teak business is bound to win. "
Princess Yongning smiled: "Master Gao seems to have a special liking for sea trade."
Gao pragmatic also smiled, and said with a hint: "It seems to be true. Maybe I am really 'ambitious'."
Princess Yongning smiled and smiled, but suddenly her face froze, she hesitated, and said: "Mr. Gao, when you said this, I suddenly remembered something."
Seeing her look like this, Gao Pingshi was a little surprised and asked, "Oh, I wonder what it is?"
"One time, the emperor's brother leaked something. It basically meant that someone had slandered him in front of him, saying that Mr. Gao had thousands of sailors and hundreds of ships under his command, and that he controlled hundreds of rivers. If...if he had bad intentions, I'm afraid our Ming Dynasty would be in danger of being overturned."
Gao Jingshi said calmly: "The country is hanging upside down? Interesting... Just rely on those thousands of sails and hundreds of boats? Could it be that these thousands of sails and hundreds of boats can land ashore? The emperor is wise and wise, and he will not be affected by such slander."
Seeing him like this, Princess Yongning seemed a little anxious and said: "Brother, I don't believe it, but if you talk too much about such slanderous words... it will inevitably be bad. Mr. Gao should not be careless."
Gao Pragmatic smiled bitterly and said: "Whether you are careless or not, it actually doesn't make much sense. Jinghua's future development will mainly be at sea. I can't stop doing this business just because someone talks nonsense in front of the emperor, right?"
Princess Yongning suggested opening her mouth, but she didn't know what to say.
Gao pragmatic continued: "Miss Zhu doesn't know something. She is focusing on developing sea trade. In fact, she has a deeper willingness."
"Oh?" Princess Yongning was slightly startled.
Gao pragmatic explained: "After nearly two hundred years of reproduction, the population of the Ming Dynasty has far exceeded that of the founding of the country by Taizu. Now the land of the Ming Dynasty has been overwhelmed. There are more and more landless people among the people. Coupled with the disasters in recent years, It happens frequently, and I am always worried that something will happen one day in the future...
At the same time, relatives and high-ranking officials, including my Gao family, own more and more fields. In other words, the land is becoming more and more concentrated, and the rich will always be rich and the poor will always be poor. If this continues, sooner or later it will ruin the affairs of the court.
That’s why I wanted to find a new way to lead more people to make a fortune without relying on the fields. Once these people who hold large amounts of land find that they can make more money at sea, perhaps they will sell their land and join in maritime trade. In this way, the crisis of the Ming Dynasty may be eliminated invisible. Miss Zhu, I can’t tell the world what I’m thinking now, but I still hope you can understand it. "
Princess Yongning was in awe when she heard this, she was happy and nervous at the same time, and she quickly said: "Young Master Gao is really talented, brave and courageous. There is no other person in the world who can match him. Yao Lao has really seen it today."
Gao Pragmatic waved his hands repeatedly, showing some humility.
Princess Yongning seemed to have remembered something. She thought for a while and said tentatively: "Since the sea trade matter has to continue, and slander may not be avoided, Yao has an idea that I don't know whether to talk about or not."
In fact, at this point in the conversation, it makes no difference whether you call her "Miss Zhu" or "Princess Yongning." However, Gao Pragmatic still deliberately kept the previous title and said: "Miss Zhu has good advice for me, so I should listen attentively."
"In front of Mr. Gao, how can Yao dare to think that he has any good ideas? It's just that a fool may have some good ideas." Princess Yongning's face was slightly red and she said shyly: "Although I don't know who the slanderer is, the slanderer is Basically, it's just that the fleet in the hands of Mr. Gao is too large, but it is not known to the court and the emperor's brother... Yao Nao means that if Mr. Gao doesn't mind, you can actually ask the emperor's brother if he is willing. Just like those nobles holding shares in the Beiyang Maritime Trade Alliance, they also invested one or two in this fleet and took some shares."
Before Gao Jingshi had time to answer, Princess Yongning had already hurriedly continued: "But Mr. Gao, please don't misunderstand me. Yao Yao didn't mean to let the emperor spy on you, but once you buy a stake, you will naturally know that this fleet is just for business outside." …”
"Miss Zhu is worrying too much. I know you have good intentions." Gao Pragmatic smiled and said: "Actually, I have always had this idea and even hinted it to the emperor. It's just that the emperor is worried that if you do this, those scientific and technical officials may have to do it again. It’s noisy, so I haven’t made up my mind yet.”
"Really..." Princess Yongning was suddenly disappointed.
Gao Pragmatic added, "But Miss Zhu came here to remind me that there may be a workaround."
Princess Yongning's eyes lit up and she asked, "How can we change it?"
Gao pragmatically said: "This method is not difficult to say: Miss Zhu, you will replace the emperor and become a shareholder of Jinghua Maritime Trading."
"Ah?" Princess Yongning was shocked: "How can I?"
"Why not?" Gao Pingshi smiled and said, "Miss Zhu, if you think about it carefully, aren't you the best agent?"
There are some words that are difficult to say clearly, but Gao Pragmatic knows that Princess Yongning will definitely be able to figure it out: she is the emperor's sister, a "married woman" in name, but in fact her husband's family has been completely destroyed, so the only one she can rely on is the emperor. myself. Not only could the emperor rest assured that she would secretly replace the emperor by buying shares in Jinghua Maritime Trading, but even if the outside world discovered the fishy nature of the matter, the emperor could just say that he didn't know anything about it and avoid being directly inundated by Yan Guan's saliva.
As for the officials who insist on punishing them, the emperor can use the excuse of protecting his sister to force them - "brothers, friends and brothers are respectful" is the ethics advocated by Confucianism. If the younger brother is like this, the younger sister can certainly follow suit. What's more, Princess Yongning's wedding status can be a bonus here: My sister is already so pitiful, and if you don't let me go, how can you rest your conscience?
In this way, the pressure on the emperor is reduced, and Princess Yongning herself will be fine. By the way, her pragmatic troubles are also solved. Killing three birds with one stone is perfect.
However, Princess Yongning is no better than Gao Pragmatic, who is addicted to conspiracy. It will take some time for her to understand the truth, so Gao Pragmatic said: "Miss Zhu, it's almost noon, the sun is a bit poisonous, why don't we go first?" Baiyulou, take a rest and think about it slowly?"
"Oh, okay, okay." Princess Yongning nodded, and suddenly her mind exploded. "Let's take a rest in the White Jade Tower first" echoed several times in her mind.
Gao Pragmatic had already turned around to lead the way, but she just subconsciously touched the sachet at her waist, holding it nervously, biting her red lips with her jade teeth, as if a young girl was about to get on the sedan chair.
Oh, she actually got on the sedan chair once, but she wasn't nervous at all that time, far less nervous than she is now...
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Thanks to book friends "Apodes", "1 Optimistic Good Young Man 1", "Book Friends 20191222082432915", and "Friend" for their monthly support, thank you!
PS: I tried my best to make the female characters appear less frivolous. I don’t know how the actual performance will be? Currently, there are three women who have received more attention. I personally feel that the differences in personality can still be seen. Of course, there are not enough opportunities for Liu Xin to perform now. This is because the plot has not yet arrived... Because from the setting point of view, her thinking is relatively "modern" and she is a little disgusted with talking about marriage as a teenager, so the plot for her is Stay further back. [The above number of words does not affect billing]
