Chapter 266 The eldest princess holds the sachet tight
What now? Now it’s time to enjoy flowers and chat.
Gao Pingshi was like an incompetent tour guide, taking Princess Yongning to see 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. Only there is one right in front of the main building.
A very wide square - 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 of 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, bringing this naming habit with them.
As for the compound surname, in fact Greco is just a phonetic translation. In their language, this word should mean 'Greek'. Greece is a place in Europe, east of his hometown of Italy - maybe
Maybe his ancestors were Greek."
Princess Yongning had a look of admiration in her eyes: "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 and said: "Miss Zhu is so complimentary. 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 Pragmatic quickly changed the topic: "Miss, don't you want to know why I planted these trees here?"
"Why? Oh, let me guess..." Princess Yongning said, she really started to think, paused for a moment, and turned her beautiful eyes: "Is it because of the tussah silkworms?"
In fact, although oak and oak are theoretically the same species as oak, there are actually many specific varieties, and there are dozens of common ones. In China, it generally refers to Quercus mongolica, but it doesn’t matter, it
The leaves can indeed be used to raise silkworms - that is, the tussah silkworms that Liaodong is now vigorously developing under the leadership of Gao pragmatism.
Although tussah silkworms and Jiangnan mulberry silkworms belong to the same order, Lepidoptera, and family Myriidae, 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. Their body skin is green and gray, and their 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.
Silkworms are excellent.
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 it is made into a quilt, its fluffiness and warmth are slightly better than mulberry silk.
Both are 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, such as its high toughness, acid resistance, alkali resistance, etc. It is also better than mulberry silk in some indicators.
.
Of course, mulberry silk also has the advantages of mulberry silk, the most intuitive of which are the 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, mulberry silk has
It is thinner, so the texture will be better to the touch.
Since most people think of "silk" as "high-end fabrics," Gao Qinggong, 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 volume 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 trees at once. It seemed that she had truly listened to what Gao Pragmatic said that day. Gao Pragmatic was also very happy, nodded with a smile and said: "Miss Zhu is so smart that 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. 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, while oak trees that are more than 120 years old are more susceptible to decay and holes.
It is suitable to be used to build warships. The reason why these felled oak trees have to be dried for 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 was less than fourteen years ago that there are only a few ships in Jinghua Maritime Trading's fleet that 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.
"To remind myself, we still have a few years to go before the shipwrecks begin."
"Explosive ship?"
"Oh, it's a large warship."
"Build warships?" Princess Yongning asked in surprise: "Are there many powerful pirates in Nanyang?"
Gao pragmatic laughed: "You can think of it. Some countries may seem like 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 will not be willing to do it honestly. What is the use of force?
Selling, arbitrarily lowering the price, etc., that is 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 widely distributed in our Ming Dynasty, but I don't want to cut down too much in the interior, 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 Guangxi and Annan. There are also some in Annan. At the same time, Annan in Guangxi, including Myanmar and other places, also has some excellent wood such as teak, and a lot of it is also stored.
To be honest with Miss Zhu, if I can force Myanmar to surrender this time, I have no intention of getting involved in the jade business that everyone is jealous of. My goal is more about timber. Especially the teak business, I am bound to win."
Princess Yongning smiled: "Master Gao seems to have a special liking for sea trade."
Gao Pingshi 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 expression, Gao Pingshi was a little surprised and asked, "Oh, I wonder what it is?"
"The emperor brother once let it slip, which roughly means that someone had slandered him in front of him, saying that Mr. Gao, you have thousands of sails and hundreds of ships under your command, and you control hundreds of rivers. If... if you have evil intentions, I am afraid that our Ming Dynasty will be in danger of being overthrown."
Gao Pragmatic said calmly: "The country is hanging upside down? Interesting... It depends 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, you better 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 opened 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 time when Taizu founded the country. 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 land. In other words, the land is becoming more and more concentrated. The rich will always be rich, and the poor will always be poor.
If things go on like this, sooner or later things will be ruined for the imperial court.
That’s why I want to create a new way to encourage more people to make a living without relying on the fields. Once these people who hold a large amount of fields find that they can make more money at sea, maybe they will sell their fields and join the
Through sea trade, the crisis of the Ming Dynasty may be eliminated invisible. Miss Zhu, I cannot tell the world about my thoughts now, but I still hope you can understand it."
Princess Yongning was in awe, happy and nervous at the same time, and said quickly: "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 tentatively said: "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 stage of the conversation, there is 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, but 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 who hold shares in the Beiyang Maritime Trade Alliance, they also invest one or two in this fleet and hold some shares."
Before Gao Pangshi had time to answer, Princess Yongning had already hurriedly continued: "But Mr. Gao, please don't misunderstand. Yao Lao 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 been able to make 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 to 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 Pragmatic smiled and said: "Miss Zhu, if you think about it carefully, aren't you the best agent?"
There are some things 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.
I, let her secretly replace the emperor by buying shares in Jinghua Maritime Trading. Not only can the emperor rest assured, but even if the outside world discovers the fishy nature of the matter, the emperor can still say that he has no knowledge and avoid being directly inundated with Yanguan's saliva.
As for the officials, if they insist on punishing them, the emperor can use the excuse of protecting his sister to suppress 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. Not to mention Princess Yongning
The wedding ceremony can also be a bonus here: My sister is already so pitiful, and if you still don’t let her go, how can you rest your conscience?
In this way, the emperor's pressure will be reduced, and Princess Yongning will be fine. By the way, her pragmatic troubles will also be 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 ahead?
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 lightly 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 ticket support, thank you!
PS: I tried my best to make the female characters appear less frivolous, but I don’t know how the actual performance will be? Currently, there are three women with more ink. I personally feel that the personality differences can still be seen. Of course, Liu Xin’s performance now
The opportunity is not enough, this is because the plot has not yet arrived... Because in terms of setting, her thinking is relatively "modern", and she is a little disgusted with talking about marriage as a teenager, so the plot for her should be later.【
The above number of words does not affect billing]
