Since its opening, the exhibition in the Glass Museum has become the most popular place in Chang'an, with an endless stream of people visiting every day.
At first, the people who came to visit were either rich or noble. Later, the common people discovered that they could also enter, so more and more people came to visit.
At first, the powerful people frowned. How could they, as noble as they were, live in the same room as a mud-legged person? It was too disrespectful to their status.
What's more, these mud-legged people can't afford it, so what's the use of letting them come here? Many people think that Changsun Wuji has lost his mind and did such a stupid thing.
But they soon discovered that they were the ones who were stupid.
When ordinary people also participated, the topic of glass was hyped to a new high.
Not long after, someone created a ranking list and asked everyone to rank these 300 pieces of glassware.
This aroused the enthusiasm of the people in the city, and even the beggars on the street began to discuss which of these glasswares was better.
And this ranking list is divided into three, one is the ranking among the powerful, one is the ranking of wealthy businessmen, and the other is the ranking of ordinary people.
The order of items in the three lists is quite different.
The first place on the list of powerful people is a set of glass Four Treasures of the Study, the second place is green peonies, and the third place is a gold and red vase.
The first place on the rich list is a golden red vase, the second place is a green peony, the third place is a gorgeous glass lamp, and the four treasures of the study are only ranked in the middle.
The first place on the list of ordinary people is green peonies, the second place is glass lamps, the third place is the four treasures of the study, and the gold and red vase is only in the middle.
But no matter how it is arranged, the appearance of the list makes glass more popular day by day. Correspondingly, the estimated price is also higher day by day.
Looking at the rising estimated prices, the powerful finally understood why ordinary people should participate.
Then while scolding Changsun Wuji for being cunning, he began to raise money and food in an intensive manner.
Buy, must buy.
This is something that has been on the list. Is there anything in the world that can better reflect your identity?
In the palace, looking at the three lists and the estimated price list, Li Shimin smiled so hard that he could hardly close his mouth.
"The auxiliary engine did a great job."
Changsun Wuji said modestly: "This is all the idea of His Majesty and Chen Jingke. I am just executing it and I don't dare to take credit."
Li Shimin said: "Hey, you can't say that. Without your execution, no matter how good the method is, it's just talk on paper."
Then he sighed again: "Chen Jingke, this kid, has so many clever ideas. He got everyone involved in one list, causing the price of glass to more than triple than before."
"If it can be sold at the estimated price, it will almost be worth 20% of the court's tax revenue."
Changsun Wuji was relatively calm and said: "The estimated price is a bit high, but I think five hundred thousand yuan is no problem."
"According to the information I have gathered, the Hu merchant Magsud has raised three thousand taels of gold and is still raising money from everywhere. It can be said that he is determined to get the golden red vase."
Li Shimin thought for a while and said: "Magsud? I remember that the Hu Shang who got the carrot seeds was called this, right?"
Changsun Wuji said: "It is him. It is said that he is a down-and-out nobleman of the Sasanian Kingdom. He wants to present this thing to the king to restore his title."
Sasan? Li Shimin was moved in his heart and said: "Let's get in touch with him and inquire about the situation in Sasan and the west of Sasan."
"It would be best to turn him into a masterpiece of the Tang Dynasty. If he is willing to use it for me, it is not impossible to get a title from the Tang Dynasty."
Changsun Wuji asked tentatively: "Your Majesty, do you intend to go westward?"
Li Shimin did not give a detailed explanation, but simply said: "It will be sooner or later to move westward. The earlier we make preparations, the better."
Changsun Wuji said: "Well, I will find someone to contact him."
Unconsciously, a month has passed, it has entered November, and the weather has become increasingly cold.
However, the cold weather could not extinguish everyone's enthusiasm for glass. Countless powerful and wealthy businessmen gathered in Chang'an City, and even the nobles sent people to get involved.
The closer to the auction day, the more lively Chang'an City becomes, and all kinds of rumors are flying around, and I don't know whether they are true or false.
Why did a certain aristocratic family and a certain powerful person want to reach a private agreement to bid together, but the negotiation failed and they got into a fight, and their noses were broken.
Why did a certain wealthy businessman prepare a hundred thousand yuan in one go, just to show off his skills on the auction day?
Why did a certain Hu merchant sell all his property at a low price and plan to buy glassware and return to his country to present it to the king in order to obtain a noble title?
Because there were too many buyers, the Glass Museum was forced to take out 200 more pieces of more exquisite glassware. The number of glassware for this auction reached 500 pieces.
No one knew which news was true and which was false, but Quan Changan's eyes were attracted anyway.
On November 15th, the much-anticipated auction finally began.
…
Early that morning, Chen Jingke got up from the bed and put on his cotton clothes under the service of the maid.
This is a real cotton coat, with cotton instead of kapok added.
The cotton planted by Changsun Wujia has been harvested long ago. The palace has already used quilts and cotton clothes, and Chen Jingke's share is naturally indispensable.
He has asthma and cannot wear furs, and last winter he was so cold that he stayed indoors most of the time and did not dare to go out.
This year, I have warm and comfortable cotton-padded clothes, and I can finally spend the winter comfortably.
After dinner, he went to Dongshi with his two guards, and successfully met up with Li Shimin and Changsun Wuji at a restaurant opposite the Glass Museum.
The two of them were sitting by the window on the second floor and could clearly see the situation outside the glass pavilion.
Chen Jingke was not too polite, he casually raised his hands to show respect, and sat down next to him.
After he sat down, Li Shimin smiled and said: "Don't tell me, this cotton coat is really comfortable and warm to wear."
Changsun Wuji also appreciated it and said: "With cotton, the Tang Dynasty has another thing to keep out the cold. Not only the people, but also the border officers and soldiers are all grateful to Jing Ke."
Chen Jingke said modestly: "Thank you both, I just want to give you an opinion. It is my second brother and my aunt who really rely on me to promote this product."
Li Shimin said: "Introducing this thing into the Tang Dynasty is a great achievement. I will remember this contribution for you and reward it together in the future."
Chen Jingke said: "Thank you, second brother. It's a pity that the soldiers want to use cotton-padded clothes until at least next year."
Li Shimin smiled and said nothing.
Changsun Wuji explained: "Jing Ke only knows one but not the other. The second brother bought cotton from Liuzhao as early as July and August. By now, winter coats are already being worn by the soldiers at the border."
Chen Jingke said with admiration: "Second brother is wise, this is the blessing of the soldiers."
Li Shimin was very proud of it, but said with some regret: "It's a pity that the Six Imperial Edicts didn't pay much attention to this thing, so not many of them were planted."
"The total cotton we purchased is only enough for some of the soldiers, and most of the soldiers still have to suffer from the severe cold."
The physical appearance of cotton cloth, cotton clothes, and cotton quilts allowed Li Shimin to see with his own eyes the advantages of cotton, and he had decided to convert thousands of acres of land in several imperial estates outside the city to cotton.
But if you want to harvest, you have to wait until next year. This year, you can only purchase a batch from Liuzhao.
I originally wanted to purchase it from the Western Regions, but unfortunately, the king of Gaochang, Qu Wentai, turned to the Western Turks and was unwilling to sell such strategic materials to the Tang Dynasty.
This is also one of the reasons why Li Shimin wanted to attack Gaochang.
Cotton, an important economic crop, can be promoted nationwide, but the reason why it has not been done so is for the sake of stability.
The people in the Central Plains are not familiar with the habits of cotton, so it is not a good thing to rashly order to plant cotton instead.
Moreover, food is the most important thing, and cotton can only be grown as an auxiliary crop for the time being. If you want to develop and utilize its economic functions, you must first solve the food problem.
This also strengthened Li Shimin's determination to obtain food from the Indochina Peninsula.
…
More and more people gathered outside the glass pavilion. Some were businessmen who often come here, and some were ordinary people who came to watch the excitement.
Since there were Imperial Guards standing guard, no one dared to make any noise or cause trouble.
The more people there are, the more business there will be. Many foresighted vendors came over with their stalls and walked among the crowd to sell their goods.
The three of them, Li Shimin, were chatting upstairs. Suddenly, Chen Jingke's ears perked up and he listened carefully to the sounds outside.
Li Shimin and Changsun Wuji thought he had discovered something and stopped talking.
"Shan...hong...shanli...hong..." After a while, Chen Jingke finally accurately captured the sound he wanted. It was indeed Shanlihong.
Then he shouted to the next table: "Xu Shanying, go down below and buy back all that person's Shanlihong."
"Here." Xu Shanying immediately got up and went downstairs.
Changsun Wuji thought he was greedy and said with a smile, "Does Jing Ke like to eat hawthorns?"
Chen Jingke sat down again and said with a smile: "Hawthorns are wrapped in sugar to make candied haws. It is sour and sweet, and it is indeed a delicacy."
"But I just remembered something. This thing is especially suitable for my second brother and all the gentlemen and ladies to eat."
Both of them were stunned for a moment, and then reacted immediately.
Li Shimin asked: "You mean..."
Chen Jingke affirmed: "Yes, the effect is very good. And this product can be eaten as a snack. As long as it is not eaten as a meal, it will not harm the body."
"Put some sugar in rice to cook porridge, and eat a small bowl after meals. It is more effective than taking medicine for a long time."
"When I was a kid, my neighbor next door was good at making candied haws. I still listened to what he said. It's just that it's been so long that I forgot about it. I just remembered it when I heard someone hawking it outside."
This is not a lie. In his previous life, when he was a child, his neighbor's house was selling candied haws. He rode his bicycle through the streets and hawked the candied haws, and even chased him around the market.
That person also made up a jingle, saying that the elderly take it to prevent the three highs, the children study well, they can replenish calcium and blood, and they often eat it to make the Lord of Hell angry...
This jingle sounded quite magical. Although he had forgotten most of it over the years, this melody would subconsciously come to his mind every time he saw the candied haws.
There were no candied haws on a stick in the Tang Dynasty, and he didn't think of it. He just heard someone selling mountain reds, and then he thought of candied haws, and then this familiar melody came to mind again.
Then I thought, this thing contains medicinal ingredients such as terpenes and brass, which have significant blood vessel dilation and blood pressure lowering effects.
It can also strengthen the myocardium, resist arrhythmia, and regulate blood lipid and cholesterol levels.
Among the more than 30 kinds of fruits commonly found in my country, it has the strongest anti-aging function and is truly a treasure.
For the Li Tang clan who was suffering from high blood pressure, it was a treasure.