Emperor Renzong of the Great Song Dynasty

Matcha dim sum became popular overnight in Yangzhou.

I don't know when this trend started, but it was just overnight, from wealthy businessmen to women in brothels, everyone is proud of eating matcha desserts.

There are 100 million households in Yangzhou City. Even if only a small number of people accept matcha snacks, the daily consumption of matcha is huge.

The five merchant ships at Guazhou Ferry were empty in less than half a month.

The matter of Yangzhou's tea administration is coming to an end, Bao Zheng is out of personal danger for the time being, and it's time for Zhao Yiyi to return to Beijing.

Counting the days, the emperor's smallpox should also be cured.

Bao Zheng and Zhan Zhao stayed in Yangzhou to deal with the final aftermath, and then they could return to Tokyo to meet the impending censure.

The current Tokyo city is probably full of wind and rain.

When returning to Beijing, Zhao Yiyi saw Yunniang and Jiang Ping again at Guazhou Ferry.

Yun Niang drove her big boat to Guazhou Ferry, and stood on the deck to salute Zhao Yiyi from afar.

Jiang Ping said goodbye to Yun Niang and boarded Zhao Yiyi's boat.

Before leaving Yangzhou, Zhao Yiyi asked Jiang Ping if he wanted to go back to Tokyo with him.

Jiang Ping is a rare talent, and he is almost responsible for the work of buying tea and making matcha in Yangzhou this time.

Expanding the production scale to the scale that can consume five boats of tea within ten days is not something that anyone can do.

The reason why Jiang Ping was able to do this was because he didn't spare the benefits.

He disclosed the method of making matcha and mobilized other businessmen to produce matcha together.

Other businessmen saw the profit of matcha, so they followed suit one after another. Matcha workshops sprung up in Yangzhou City, and five boats of tea were sold out.

Zhao Yiyi admired Jiang Ping's approach very much.

Don't be confused by a little profit in front of you, but be able to focus on the big picture.

If Jiang Ping insists on monopolizing the profits of Matcha, it may be difficult to complete the task so beautifully.

What he needs now is this kind of talent!

So Zhao Yiyi threw an olive branch to Jiang Ping, hoping that Jiang Ping could go back to Tokyo with him.

The few things he is about to do require a professional manager with excellent quality to take care of him.

Jiang Ping pondered for a long time, and finally agreed.

He finally understood that Yunniang hadn't planned to keep him out of the matter from the very beginning, and she probably had already made plans to introduce him to the little emperor.

He was able to show his face in front of the little emperor because of Yunniang's overt and secret planning.

Otherwise, as an ordinary merchant, how could he get acquainted with the imperial envoy Bao Zheng, and how could he get the chance to serve the emperor?

He couldn't figure out Yunniang's plan, and he didn't bother to guess.

Anyway, his arms couldn't twist his thighs, neither Yunniang nor the little emperor could be offended by him.

That being the case, he might as well follow the two people's wishes and follow the little emperor to the capital.

Anyway, where to do business is not to do, the capital is not much more comfortable than Yangzhou, at least a certain ancestor's pirate ship would not dare to stop outside the capital.

After Jiang Ping made up his mind, he entrusted his business in Jiangnan, including the just-started Yangzhou matcha workshop, to a friend in Jinhua. The little emperor's ship.

In fact, it wasn't that he didn't want to bring more luggage, it was that the little emperor himself didn't have much luggage, if he got on the boat with big bags and small bags, it would be so overwhelming.

And his friend Bai Jintang is also a kind and righteous Confucian businessman, entrusting his family business to him, Jiang Ping can rest assured.

Zhao Yiyi brought a lot of gold and silver with him when he went to Jiangnan, and after going around for a month, he almost spent all of it.

Of course, matcha workshops are profitable, but now that the matcha market in Jiangnan has just opened up, the top priority of these workshops is not profit, but brutal expansion and production expansion.

Therefore, Zhao Yiyi doesn't want to get this part of the back money in a short time.

I hope Di Niangniang can help them with some activity funds after returning to Beijing, otherwise they may have to live with their belts tight for the next few days.

The boat had already sailed far away, Zhao Yiyi looked back at the Guazhou Ferry, and said to Jiang Ping with a smile: "Jiang Yishi can give up his wealth and go back to Beijing with me. I will remember this friendship in my heart."

Don't worry, when I'm in charge, I'll definitely bring you some delicious food and hot food. What's the wealth of Wan Guan's family? Wealth is beyond compare.

Jiang Ping hurriedly said he didn't dare, Zhao Yiyi called him into the cabin: "It's windy on the deck, come in and talk."

Jiang Ping followed Zhao Yiyi into the cabin, and saw Zhao Yiyi took a small wooden box from the table and handed it to him: "Look at this."

Jiang Ping took the small wooden box, half the size of a palm, and looked at it carefully.

The small box was flat, smooth from top to bottom, rough on both sides, rattled and rattled, and seemed to contain a few small wooden sticks.

Zhao Yiyi signaled him: "You can open it and have a look."

Jiang Ping took off the cover on the outside of the small wooden box, and saw more than a dozen short wooden sticks inside the box. The sticks and heads were wrapped in some rough dark dry mud, which smelled like sulfur.

Jiang Pingqi said: "Your Majesty, what is this?"

Zhao benefited with a ninja smile: "Take out one and use the round end to wipe the side of the box. Remember to move quickly."

Jiang Ping did as he said, only to hear a crack, and there was a burst of fire, and a bright flame ignited on the top of the small wooden stick!

"Drink! What!"

Jiang Ping was so shocked that he was about to throw the wooden stick out, and when he was about to let go, he remembered that it was in front of the emperor, and hurriedly grabbed the wooden stick back in his hand.

It doesn't matter if you burn yourself, at most it hurts, if you burn the emperor, hundreds of heads are not enough to cut off!

Companion to a king is like companion to a tiger, nothing more than that.

Liu En also laughed and said, "Just flick it and it will be gone."

Jiang Ping shook his hand several times, and finally extinguished the flame.With lingering fear in his heart, he said: "What is this thing, rubbing it can actually wipe out such a big fire!"

Zhao Yiyi said, "This is a match."

Ever since he watched Liu En use a fire-folder last time, he had the idea of ​​making matches.

The so-called Huozhezi is actually a tubular object that can be opened and closed, and a burning kindling is placed in it. When the opening is closed, the kindling will enter a state of incomplete combustion and can be stored for a long time.

When you want to use fire, you open the fire folder, and the kindling can be used to ignite objects after meeting the air and re-burning.

This kind of fire pocket, which is inconvenient to carry, inconvenient to use, and inconvenient to make, is of course incomparable with matches.

The advantages of matches are not only reflected in the portability and ease of use when going out, but also in the safety of home life.

When there is no match, it is inconvenient to make a fire. In order to preserve the kindling, many people's stoves are not extinguished all year round.In the dead of night, it is very easy to cause a fire.

With matches, a convenient prop for making fire, few people would light the stove all night in order to preserve the kindling.

All the firewood spent overnight is more expensive than matches, okay?

With these major advantages, Zhao Yiyi has full confidence in promoting Match to the entire Song Dynasty.

And this time, it was time for him to make money.

Matches are no better than matcha. Matcha is just a way for him to save the market. He doesn't really care if he can make money or how much money he can make, as long as he can mobilize the Jiangnan tea market.

And matcha is just a dispensable snack. How many people out of a hundred people really like matcha?Even if you love to eat, can you still eat every day?There are so many delicious snacks in the north and south of the Yangtze River, and matcha is just one of them.

Even if he spends a lot of money on marketing and hypes matcha as a snack for the whole people, the market in this area will not be so big that even an emperor like him will be tempted.

No matter how poor he is, he is still an emperor. What he needs is not hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars.This money is just a drop in the bucket for a huge empire that needs money everywhere.

But matches are different.

Matches are a must.

Anyone who lives in a civilized world needs fire.

Without fire, could it be that Rumao drinks blood?

If you want to use fire, you must either start your own fire, or find a way to preserve the fire.

Preserving tinder is extremely unsafe and expensive.It is too troublesome to make a fire by yourself—whether you drill wood to make fire or use flint or scythe to make fire, you can barely wipe out a little spark, use the spark to ignite the moxa, and then use the moxa to ignite the wood.

When one is unlucky, it is possible that the fire cannot be lit for half a day.

In contrast, a match, a device that can generate a large flame with a single rub, is simply a magic weapon that every family dreams of.

The market is vast, the consumption is fast, and the cost is low.

The profit generated by this product is the profit that can really benefit Zhao.

That's why he asked Liu En to make a box of sample matches and show it to Jiang Ping.

Jiang Ping looked at the match and exclaimed: "This is really a treasure! With this match, I don't know how much more convenient it will be to travel in the rivers and lakes in the future!"

He is a big businessman, traveling all year round to run business, so he can see the great role of matches at a glance.

Zhao Yiyi took a sip of tea: "Liu En, how much does this box of matches cost?"

Liu En said, "Five cents."

Jiang Ping counted the number of matches in the box.

Including the one he ignited, there were nineteen matches in the box.

The cost per match is...

Liu En continued: "If a workshop with ten people produces matches, the cost can be reduced to four and a half pennies. A workshop with fifty people can be reduced to four pennies. A workshop with five hundred people can be reduced to three pennies."

Jiang Ping's heart beat violently.

If the cost of a box of matches is really only three Wen, then...

"But..." Jiang Ping hesitated: "The government may not allow us businessmen to build a workshop with 500 people..."

Suddenly, he looked up at Zhao Yiyi, only to see Zhao Yiyi and Liu En laughing.

"With me here, what kind of government are you afraid of!"

Jiang Ping also smiled: "Look at me, in front of the real dragon, why are you still talking about bighead carp?"

With the emperor behind the platform, let alone a workshop with 500 people, a workshop with 5000 people can be built.

Zhao Yiyi wiped the tears from the end of his eyes and said, "I plan to build a match factory in Bianliang City after I return to Beijing. I will provide you with a capital of 10 taels of gold, and you must run the factory well. This matter is not the same as the matcha workshop. I don’t care about the profits of the matcha workshop, even if you take them all. But this factory is a big deal. I entrust this matter to Jiang Qing, and I hope you don’t let it go. I am disappointed. After it is done, I will be rewarded heavily."

He called Jiang Ping Qing, implying that at least one official position is included in this "heavy reward".

Jiang Ping said firmly: "The minister will not fail the grace!"

Zhao Yiyi nodded: "Liu En, bring the match formula to Jiang Qing."

Liu En took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to Jiang Ping.Jiang Pingzhen accepted it seriously.

"Oh, that's right," Zhao Yiyi said, "I forgot to mention the most important thing."

Jiang Pingdao: "I would like to obey the imperial decree."

Zhao Yiyi said: "The formula of the match is extremely important, and it must not be leaked out."

Jiang Pingdao: "I must keep it strictly."

Zhao Yiyi smiled and said: "When it is in your hands, you can keep it strictly. But when the match is produced in the factory, won't the workers know the formula?"

Jiang Ping hesitated: "Your Majesty means..."

Is it necessary to seal the mouths of the workers?

Hiss - this little emperor's cruelty is comparable to that of Yunniang.

Zhao Yiyi knew that he was going wrong, and was afraid that he would do something that would not end well, so he hurriedly said: "What I mean is that we can divide the process of producing matches into several different steps, and different people are in charge of different tasks. A step of."

"For example, I, you, and Liu En," Zhao Yiyi explained: "Jiang Qing, you are in charge of cutting the boards into sticks, I am in charge of preparing the materials for the match heads, and Liu En is in charge of sticking the materials on the sticks. In this way None of us know how matches are made."

Jiang Ping thought for a while: "This plan is very clever."

As long as the process of making matches is divided into more than ten steps, no one will be able to guess how matches are made.

Zhao Yiyi said: "There is also a movable belt to connect every worker."

Jiang Ping was confused: "A moving belt?"

He couldn't understand the little emperor's words more and more.

Zhao Yiyi introduced the concept of the assembly line to Jiang Ping as concisely as possible: "... In a word, with such a belt, workers can stand still and work at their own positions without having to walk around to be distracted. gone."

Jiang Ping nodded, half understanding: "Then, how should the belt move?"

Zhao Yiyi thought to himself, before I build the steam engine, what else can I do, pull it by manpower, so he said: "You can make a wheel and turn it by manpower."

Seeing that Jiang Ping still looked confused, he knew that he was overloaded with information, so he said, "Jiang Qing, go back and have a rest, and we will discuss the next details tomorrow."

Jiang Ping returned to his cabin in a daze, lying on the bed, recalling every word the little emperor said, thinking about it, and there was only one conclusion——

With this little emperor, prosperity and wealth are at your fingertips.

He turned over on the bed, smiled wryly in his heart: "Actually, I don't want to be rich and famous."

Occasionally, Jiang Ping would think that after a few years, the business in hand would be almost done. Maybe he would find a beautiful remote island to live in, drink and have fun with a few close friends every day, drifting away from the world. .

He is good at swimming, and he can swim in the water, see the scenery at the bottom of the water, chat with his friends, or occasionally hear that there is something wrong, and he will come out of the mountain with his sword-Master Jiang's water-dividing Emei thorn is also somewhat The kung fu is there--flick off the clothes after the matter, and hide the merit and fame deeply.

Such a day, how beautiful it must be.

However, ever since I met Yunniang and the emperor, these days have become farther and farther away from me.

He rolled over again.

Forget it, it's useless to think too much.

On the emperor's ship, do you still want to survive?

Let's think about what the "assembly line" is all about.

Capital, Kou Mansion.

Mrs. Song was sitting under the window, holding a handkerchief, and was embroidering the last petal of the peony pattern.

Kou Yaoniang came in with an agate plate: "Mother, there are freshly cut flowers in the garden today."

There were more than a dozen delicate and beautiful flowers on the plate. Kou Yao Niang put the plate on the table and fiddled with the petals: "Mother, which one should we wear?"

Song put down the handkerchief, and sighed: "I'm not in the mood for hairpins now!"

Kou Yaoniang took a bright yellow peony: "Mother, I want this one as a hairpin."

Mrs. Song sat behind her and helped her pin the peony on her head: "Okay."

He picked up the half-embroidered handkerchief again: "I'm about to finish this handkerchief, you wait for me here for a while, and I'll take it for you when it's finished."

Kou Yaoniang looked at the embroidery on the handkerchief: "The peonies embroidered by my mother are indeed the best."

Holding the handkerchief, Mrs. Song said in a daze, "Yes, your mother likes peonies the most..."

As he spoke, he sniffed: "Your brother sent someone to give the pillow to Bao Zheng already?"

Kou Yaoniang smiled and said, "It has already been sent."

Or she sent it herself.

"By the way, mother," Kou Yaoniang said, "I want to marry the emperor."

Song said: "Okay, after your mother's funeral is over, let the husband..."

She looked up: "What?"

Kou Yaoniang straightened her back: "Mother, my daughter wants to marry the emperor."

Song's lips trembled: "This..."

After a long time, he said: "I promised your mother that I will find you a good marriage."

Kou Yaoniang said: "The emperor is the most noble person in the world, so marrying the emperor is naturally the best marriage in the world."

Song took a deep breath: "The moment you enter the palace gate, it's as deep as the sea, how can this be considered a good marriage!"

No matter what Kou Yaoniang said, she just waved her hand: "I don't agree with this matter, and I will never agree."

Kou Yaoniang sat aside and did not speak.

Song held the handkerchief and looked at it for a long time: "Why do you suddenly think of marrying the emperor?"

Kou Yaoniang was silent.

Song said anxiously: "Speak up!"

Kou Yaoniang knelt at her feet: "Daughter will not marry unless she is an emperor in this life, so please mother!"

Song put the handkerchief aside and helped her up: "You! You...why are you so confused! Why are you so confused!"

She burst into tears: "Your mother entrusted you to me and asked me to find a good marriage for you, but you...how can you be worthy of your mother!"

As he spoke, he hugged Kou Yaoniang in his arms and cried bitterly.

Kou Yaoniang patted her on the back: "Mother, don't cry, don't cry."

Song said: "Why are you...why are you so confused!"

Kou Yaoniang said: "Mother, what should we do if our father passes away?"

Song was startled: "Why do you say such things!"

Kou Yaoniang lowered her eyes: "Now my father is still there, so my Kou family is full of flowers and brocades, and the fire is cooking oil. Once my father is gone, my Kou family will be ruined."

Song touched Kou Yaoniang's face: "Silly boy, you still have a mother!"

Kou Yaoniang shook her head: "Mother, to keep our Kou family prosperous, the only way is to let me marry the emperor. In this way, even after my father leaves, my Kou family will still be relatives. Even if it is not as prosperous as it is now, it will not be impoverished."

Mrs. Song shook her head: "Whether the Kou family will prosper or decline, fate is determined by God, and you don't need to plan it. You just need to marry a good man..."

Kou Yaoniang interrupted Song Shi: "Mother, my daughter has made up her mind."

She looked at Mrs. Song: "Mother has always loved her daughter the most, please ask Mother to make her daughter happy again this time!"

Song said anxiously: "You child, why are you so disobedient! Marriage is always the order of the parents and the words of the matchmaker. How can you say that you should marry whoever you want to marry! I don't agree, so don't think about it anymore. !"

He picked up the handkerchief and continued to embroider peonies: "Wait here, the handkerchief will be embroidered soon."

Kou Yaoniang sat aside, knowing that Mrs. Song would not agree, she felt depressed for a while.

It has been more than a month since she saw the little emperor in Yangzhou last time.

During this month, she had nothing to do, because Mrs. Song kept saying that she wanted to find a good marriage for her, and she was also shaken, imagining what kind of husband she could marry.

If it was an ordinary person, they might secretly fantasize about the wishful husband in their minds, but she is different, she is good at divination, so she divination for herself, to see what kind of person her destined husband is.

But she didn't take it out.

It is common to miss a divination, so she made another divination, but it still didn't come out.

When this happens, either she is doomed to have no marriage in this life, or her future husband has a strange fate, which is beyond her divination ability.

So she found another way and began to divination whether she would have children.

The hexagram made her heart sink to the bottom.

She is destined to have a pair of children in this life.

This pair of sons and daughters came into being as the times require, which is the fate of the emperor.

Since she will give birth to an emperor, it is already clear who her husband is.

She is destined to marry the emperor.

Marriage in the secular world is actually not a hindrance to a person like her who practiced outside the square.To Kou Yaoniang herself, it makes no difference whether she marries an emperor or a beggar.

But she is destined to give birth to an emperor. If she marries someone other than the emperor, there will be another disturbance in the world in order for her children to become emperors.

The change of dynasty will inevitably lead to the loss of life, and Kou Yaoniang cannot afford the karma brought about by countless lives.

She must marry the emperor.

Looking at Song's profile, Kou Yaoniang made up her mind.

She picked up the scissors Song put aside: "Mother."

Song looked back at her, but saw a scene that made her heart stop: "What are you going to do!"

Kou Yaoniang spread her bun and picked up a strand of her own hair: "If the mother disagrees, my daughter will have to shave her hair and become a nun, and she will die from the world."

With that said, the hair was about to be cut off.

Song hurriedly snatched the scissors off: "Mother promises you, mother promises you!"

Throwing the scissors far away: "Mother promised you!"