Overlord's Road to Ancient Emperors

"Everyone is wondering what these cardboards are for?" Li Xu asked loudly.

Seeing everyone nodding, Li Xu collected twelve different cardboards from the box and said, "Look at each other, everyone's cardboards may be different, there are twelve in each box, and twelve are one Set, these cardboards are given to customers who buy tea as a meeting gift, it is very good to collect them as bookmarks, and they can also be given away.”

Everyone looked at each other, and sure enough, they saw that the colors and patterns of the cards in everyone's hands were somewhat different, and the twelve cards in their own boxes were also of different colors, but the patterns were the same, which looked quite unique.

This kind of card is thicker than the paper they use every day, and the quality of the paper is much better. With the simple and elegant pattern, people can't bear to put a little ink on it, and the girl at home will definitely like it.

When Li Xu first designed the gift box, he thought about putting some gifts, but he didn’t know what to put. If it’s too expensive, it’s definitely not practical, and if it’s too cheap, he’s afraid of lowering the quality of the tea. This kind of gift box must be sold at a high price. , the best gift is something simple and elegant, which can please people without spending too much, so he thought of bookmarks.

These bookmarks are not easy to make. Not only do they have high requirements on paper quality, but they also need to print dark patterns and patterns. In order to meet the aesthetic requirements, he spent a lot of effort, and he even bought a paper factory for this purpose.

Papermaking is not a very advanced technology for modern people. Li Xu only got whiter and thicker paper after a few more attempts. However, he does not plan to mass-produce it for the time being. The number of workers is limited, and they are all busy with packaging. Second, he wants to expand the factory after the tea leaves are sold to increase their popularity.

"Okay, everyone is hungry too, let's have dinner first, and it's not too late to have tea and chat after dinner." Li Xu entertained all the officials in the city for a cheap tofu banquet last time, but today he invited this group of local tyrants to eat It was Buddha Jumping the Wall. He didn't put this dish on the shelf in the grocery store, but sold it to Fulai Restaurant alone. The money from selling the recipe alone is enough to pay for today's food.

Buddha Tiaoqiang is a high-end dish, which cannot be afforded by ordinary people. Only when it is in front of this group of local tyrants can its value be raised.

Sure enough, when Xiao Er brought the altar with the words "Buddha jumping over the wall" printed on it to the table, everyone was amazed.

"Why are the jars brought up?"

The shopkeeper personally came over to introduce to everyone: "This is a new dish in the shop, called Buddha Jumping over the Wall. It is a delicacy that even the Buddha couldn't help but jump out of the wall after smelling it. You are the first ones to taste it."

"Shopkeeper Xu will exaggerate. You said the same thing last time when you produced a new roast duck. The result is not as good as the one from King Shun's grocery store."

"Don't worry, this Buddha Jumping Wall is the recipe given by King Shun, and it will only be sold in small shops in the future. If you eat well, you will come back next time."

Not much to say, when the lid was lifted, the fragrance that cannot be described in words overflowed, and everyone was stunned for a moment, and then collectively stretched their necks to look into the jar, and some even stood up regardless of their appearance.

"It's fragrant, it's really fragrant!"

Waiting for Xiao Er to distribute the food in the jar to everyone, everyone couldn't wait to take a bite, and each of them showed amazing expressions. Not to mention, the taste of this dish is really unique, the soup is thick and fragrant, and the meat is rotten in the mouth That is to say, the things scooped up in each spoonful are different, and I don't know how many delicacies of mountains and seas are gathered in it.

They also come to this Fulai restaurant often, especially in the past few months, they often come out with new dishes, and they are willing to invite friends to try them out, but none of the previous new dishes can be compared with this Buddha jumping wall. This delicious taste is really not A wall can withstand it.

Li Xu also ate a bowl himself. This Buddha Jumping Over the Wall contains more than 20 kinds of delicacies from mountains and seas. It was simmered slowly all night, and it is difficult for him to eat it usually.

"Master Xu, if someone wants to book [-] tables for banquets tomorrow, there must be this Buddha jumping over the wall. You can add some other dishes."

Shopkeeper Xu said in embarrassment: "Thank you, Mr. Wang, for your support, but some of these ingredients are too difficult to find. This trip was prepared half a month in advance by Mr. Wang. You have to book [-] tables at once, at least for the little ones." It takes five days to prepare."

"It doesn't matter, you can just go to my house to get what you need. If the host doesn't have it, the west can borrow it. There is only more and no less." After finishing speaking, Master Wang got up and bowed in front of Li Xu: "My lord, tomorrow is my little girl's wedding ceremony, can you please?" How about a cup of wedding wine to show your face?"

Everyone secretly thought that this old Wang is really shameless, he has dozens of daughters, and he randomly pulls out one of them to say that he wants to take care of the wedding ceremony, so he is taking this opportunity to curry favor with Shun Wang, maybe he even wants to give his daughter away, it is really shameless!I knew that I had already booked in advance.

Even if there is no daughter of the right age in the family, don't there still be parents who live long or a young child who has just reached the first month?It is not easy to hold a banquet.

Li Xu has heard a little about this Mr. Wang, he is good at drilling, his family has a lot of land, and he also does inland river shipping business, his pockets are very big.

He said very face-saving: "It is my king's wish to have good wine and good food."

Lord Wang happily cupped his hands, "Thank you, Lord, for your kindness."

Afterwards, someone came to invite Li Xu to a banquet, but Li Xu didn't agree, nor did he postpone it, he just said that we'll see when the time comes, and go when he's free.

He is very busy and has no spare time to spend on entertainment. He will agree to Master Wang's invitation. He is completely interested in his family's fleet. When other places start road construction, it is best to ship supplies. , fast and convenient.

Satisfied with wine and food, Li Xu asked people to remove the food and drinks from the table, and served tea and fruit again, ready to chat while drinking tea.

Speaking of which, he is more suitable for discussing business at the wine table. After drinking a bottle of wine, he will be [-]% sober and [-]% drunk. When his brain is most undefended, he can get twice the result with half the effort. However, Nanyue fruit wine is not intoxicating, so he can only rely on tea to communicate feelings. I don't know how many people I can fool today.

"I wonder if the masters can see the roads being built in the city?"

This topic is a hot topic recently, so of course everyone knows about it and has seen it, but to be honest, they still can't see how the cement has just been laid, and they don't know how good the so-called cement road can be, but some The well-informed already knew the purpose and usage of this cement, but they couldn't buy cement, otherwise they would have enough money and people to build houses and roads.

Everyone couldn't help flattering Li Xu, and then someone asked: "My lord, I wonder if this cement can be sold outside? My mother is old, her legs and feet are inconvenient, and the house she lives in is too dark, which is not good for her health. I heard that the house built with cement is bright and dry. If I can build a house for my mother, it will be considered a complete filial piety."

shameless!Everyone stared at the filial-mouthed guy, who didn't know that his mother was a stepmother, and she didn't even dare to say a word on weekdays, how can a mother be kind and filial.

Li Xu pretended to be thinking, and got Wu Jin to whisper a few more words, then frowned and said: "With the current output of the cement plant, it can only supply road repairs, and can't take away, but..." He paused, Looking at the crowd, he smiled and said, "You can wait for a few years, and after this king completes the road in South Vietnam, the cement produced can be sold to you."

several years?The road in Nanyue can't be repaired in a few years. I'm afraid Shun Wang has never walked the road in Nanyue. He doesn't know the terrain here. The place surrounded by mountains, not to mention the cement road, even the mud road can't be repaired. Come up with one, if King Shun's goal is so ambitious, then they should forget about it.

Someone thought about it, looked around, stood up and said, "My lord, there is something I want to discuss with you in private, could it be convenient for you?"

Everyone stared at the man for a moment, and then suddenly realized that the output of this cement plant is small, so it is not enough to sell, so how to expand the plant?If more cement can be produced, then they will have their share.The most important thing is that if you can get the formula, you don't need to ask for help, and you can make as much cement as you want.

Immediately, everyone scrambled for each other: "My lord, I have something to do.", "My lord, if XX is willing to contribute money to support a cement plant, how much do you think is suitable?", "My lord..."

Li Xu looked at this group of excited elders and almost spit out a mouthful of tea. Is it true that these people who are rushing to give him money are too ideologically enlightened or have too keen business sense?

He raised his hand and clapped it, "Be quiet first." Someone was still shouting loudly without hearing what he said, He Zun frowned and shouted: "Quiet." The penetrating power of that voice was so extraordinary that the whole building shook After three shocks, the scene immediately quieted down.

Li Xu stood up and said, "I appreciate everyone's kindness. If the cement plant can be expanded, it will be a good thing for road construction, but road construction is free and you can't make money. Why should you spend money?"

Everyone secretly thought: We are not doing it for road construction, we are doing it for the cement formula.If they can get the formula, then they can go to other places to build factories, and people will rush to ask for whatever price they sell at that time, which is much more developed than staying in a small place like South Vietnam.

Li Xu knocked on the table and thought about it: "How about this? There is no spare cement for a while, but everyone can make a reservation first. This king promises that no matter whether the road is repaired or not in three years, it will be given priority to the masters." Delivery, the order of delivery, let's start with the large quantity, I wonder what your intentions are?"

Shipped after three years?This... This account has been on credit for too long, if they get the formula in less than three years, wouldn't it be a waste of money.

"There is another point. Although everyone ordered the cement, the money is currently used for road construction, which can be regarded as benefiting the people. This king will engrave your names on the road signs for future generations to look up to. The order is still according to who Whoever buys the most is at the front to show fairness."

Can you still erect a monument?

Before they could think too much, they heard Li Xu say: "It just so happens that Mr. Ji's calligraphy has been passed down by Mr. Lu Shanzhang. This king intends to let Mr. Ji engrave the stele, so that this road sign will be passed down for a long time."

This sounds beautiful.

People like them who have no official position and no job, only have a lot of money and a little reputation in the local area, and they really don't have a chance to be famous in history. If they can engrave their names on the stone tablet, it will be the stone tablet carved by Mr. Ji, and it will be considered in the future. Their names are also immortal.

Someone asked in a low voice: "I wonder what the price of this cement is?"

That's right, don't be too hotheaded. I still don't know what the price of cement is?In case of a sky-high price, they dare not respond.

"One bag of cement is fifty catties. Counting by bag, one bag is ten taels of silver. Is this a fair price?"

Wu Jin pursed his lips hard to keep himself from laughing out loud. The prince is too black-hearted. How much does a bag of cement cost, and he dares to sell it for ten taels? Wouldn't it be a gold house after building a house? Room!

Sure enough, someone thought about this problem and asked, "I don't know how much cement is needed to build a house?"

Li Xu asked them to wait a moment and asked someone to invite Cen Jin, "I don't know this question, so why don't you ask a professional to answer you."

Regardless of the answer, everyone felt that King Shun was a real person, and he did not deceive them indiscriminately.

But Li Xu began to worry, how to give this answer, can't give a real answer, right?The cost is too high, no one will dare to use cement to build a house in the future.But it can't be said to be low, the dosage is real, and you can know whether it is true or not once you verify it.

Fortunately, the houses he is building now are all red brick buildings, and the walls and floors are not painted with cement. In this way, the amount of cement used to build a house is greatly reduced.

Cen Jin was on the road today supervising the road construction. Although he didn't get any official position, the prince ordered him to be a technical worker and technical support for the road construction. Master Ji was in charge of the matter. Wearing an official hat.

After receiving the summons, Cen Jin rushed over immediately. When he heard the prince's question, he silently calculated it and answered in public: "The amount of cement used can be large or small. It depends on how big the house you want to build. Secondly, it also depends on where you want to use it, if it is only used to build buildings, the ratio of cement to sand and gravel is about [-], and you will always need to prepare a thousand catties."

Li Xu sighed and said: "This cement factory has just been built, the technology is not mature, and the craftsmen are not skilled, so the output is low, and the road is not good, and the freight of raw materials is very high. After a while, once the road is repaired, the freight will be natural. It has been greatly reduced, and the price will drop a little at that time, you might as well wait for a while to see."

Everyone is in business, and of course they know how high the shipping costs are. If the roads are not too bad and difficult to travel, things from South Vietnam will not be unable to be shipped out. If the roads can be repaired, it will be much easier for them to do business in the future.

Thinking about it this way, it is not a loss to pay some money in advance. The road will be repaired one day earlier, and they will benefit one day earlier. Only short-sighted people will care about the gains and losses of this price difference.

You must know that many of them are not young anymore, and it is the dream of many people to get out of South Vietnam in their lifetime, not to mention engraving their names on stone tablets to last forever, even if it is for future generations, the money is worth the money.

After they pass away, the more fame they have, the more life they will have for future generations. There is no distinction between fame and fortune, and it is worthwhile to treat them as the fame they bought with money.

Master Wang was the first to raise his hand and said, "My lord, you don't need to wait for a few years, you can place an order today."

Li Xu scanned around and saw that many people were hesitating, and there were also many people with painful expressions on their faces. He was afraid that they were calculating the amount, so he said, "Well, this is also a private matter of each family, and it is not appropriate to publicize it." , if you want to place an order, write down the quantity and name on the cardboard, and we will sign the contract afterwards."

In this way, the embarrassment of some people was relieved, otherwise others would buy it, and he would look petty if he didn't buy it.

But Li Xu obviously didn't have such good intentions, "Don't worry, everyone, I have always done things fairly, and I will never break my promise to rank according to the purchase volume. If anyone has any objections afterwards, you can ask me to check."

What's this?This is the modern version of bidding, except that when others spend money to buy land and products, Li Xu asks the other party to spend money to buy rankings. As for the cement they want to buy, the price of that bit of cement after three years is nothing.

Hearing what he said, everyone started to compete in their hearts. They asked shopkeeper Xu for pen and ink, picked out a beautiful cardboard, wrote down the amount of cement they wanted to buy on it, and carefully wrote their names, and then Give it to the boy next to the prince.

Wu Jin held a wooden box, put the received cardboard into the box, and explained: "Only the prince has the key to this box. The prince said that he will personally keep the good deeds of the masters. If there is a chance in the future, the things in this box will be returned to you." It must be made public, so that the world can also see the kindness of the gentlemen."

Immediately, people who didn't want to buy cement before all wrote cards and put them in. Otherwise, this thing will be announced in the future, and people will comment, "Look, these masters gave money when the road was built, only so-and-so didn't, It's really shameless to eat a meal from King Shun for nothing", then should they live?

Some people also added another card and threw it in after hearing this, and it was bound to compete for the first place.

After eating a meal until the evening, Li Xu originally wanted to treat them to dinner before leaving, but everyone ate enough for lunch, this afternoon they drank a lot of tea and ate a lot of fruit, and they were still struggling, so they left one after another up.

Li Xu returned home, called Ji Hanyu, and opened the box with him to make statistics. This contract must have been signed early, lest these people go back on their word.

Ji Hanyu recorded while reading, and the more he wrote, the more frightened he became. Is this huge sum of money really silver?These people can actually spend thousands of taels of silver to buy cement, and they are only pre-ordered, and it will be shipped after three years. Don't be out of your mind!

After collecting the data, Ji Hanyu showed it to Li Xu, with a shocked and joyful smile on his face, "My lord, guess how much cement was sold in total?"

Li Xu also couldn't estimate the purchasing power of these people, so he skipped the details and looked at the total, his eyes immediately widened, "7000 taels?" This was the largest sum of money he had ever seen after his rebirth.

He only invited a dozen guests today, and he thought that if he could get 1 taels, it would be a big deal, but he didn't expect this group of people to be richer and more generous than he imagined.

Ji Hanyu said cheerfully: "It all depends on the prince's means, otherwise we would not be able to attract so much sponsorship money."

With this money, the road construction can be maintained until next year, at least the roads in Minzhou City can be repaired in all directions.

Li Xu took out the engineering drawings he had drawn in advance. These drawings were the first batch of routes he planned to repair. In addition to the inner city, there were roads leading to the wharf outside the city, and then the roads leading to other county towns. The road can be narrowed, but it must be flat.

He took a pen and drew a fast passage leading directly to Yantian along the coast. There are no residents in this area, and the road is flat. If the road is built, it will be very fast.

The last time he went on a stop-and-go inspection, he only arrived at Yantian in nearly half a month. If someone else drove the road at a fast pace, three days would be enough time. If the road can be repaired, it will only take six days to go back and forth.

He pointed to the location of the salt field, "There is not only the largest salt field in South Vietnam, but also the only navy at present. This road must be repaired."

Ji Hanyu understood as soon as he heard it, "Why don't we let people build this road first?"

"No, once the road is repaired, the location of Yantian can't be concealed. It's better to wait until General Kou trains his navy and comes back, so we can have more security."

"Speaking of this, Xiaguan went to the dock today. The dock is progressing well, but the dock seems to be stuck, and the big ship you want has not been built."

"Don't worry, this is not something that can be done in a day or two. Dozens of craftsmen gather together. As long as there is a little progress every day, the ship will always be built in the future."

"That's right. The old Qin you asked the officials to pay attention to is indeed a capable craftsman. The other craftsmen admire him, and there is a faint meaning that he is the leader. You really found a treasure."

This old Qin was the father of the boatman Li Xu met during his tour to the south. He was good at building boats and was successfully hired by Li Xu. The reason why Li Xu paid more attention to him was because he thought that this family had a good character and could be reused.

"The road from the east city gate to the wharf will be built first, and the other roads in the inner city will be subcontracted out to several merchants. Time to use it."

Ji Hanyu really doesn't know much about economic affairs, and it's a bit difficult to do. The affairs in charge of the county magistrate are complicated and hectic. He hasn't had a good night's sleep since he took office.

Li Xu looked at the blue color in his eyes, and persuaded: "Don't do everything yourself, use whatever the people below can use, and the group of students you interviewed, even those with a little less ability can be recruited into the mansion. As an aide, it’s always okay to write paperwork and run errands for you.”

Ji Hanyu knew that he wanted to prove himself too much with his political achievements. His official position was too easy, and there were many people who were dissatisfied. Without real talents, he could not conquer South Vietnamese officials at all.

He didn't want people to criticize King Shun for employing nepotism, but he was a novice in the officialdom after all, and he had to figure out many things before making decisions. There was a process, which made him a little tired.

"Don't worry, I know how to take good care of your body." Ji Hanyu raised his head and glanced at Li Xu, the fair and handsome face under the light was particularly attractive, making people's heart skip a beat.

He quickly lowered his head, put aside distracting thoughts, and talked to him about other serious matters.

After leaving Kou Mansion Xiyuan, Ji Hanyu stood at the door for a long time, just now he was moved by King Shun, and the sudden surge of emotion could not be stopped.

But he also knew that it was impossible for him. King Shun would accept his concubine and have a son in the future, so how could he be unmarried and unemployed brothers with him.