The Heart of the Red Chamber

Pretending to salute the emperor as if nothing had happened, to be precise, Wang Ren was still a little nervous, not to mention that modern people have no respect for imperial power. If you are not in this era, you will never imagine how powerful the emperor is. If it’s like those court dramas in the later generations, the emperor and the prince are not taken seriously. Even if the emperor is a puppet, he can still make you die without a place to bury him. The so-called companionship is like companionship. Tiger is definitely not an understatement In a word, if you offend a tiger, at most you will send it to the tiger yourself, and if you offend the emperor, there is a precedent for losing nine and ten clans.

The emperor naturally saw the small movements between the two before. Even though Wang Ren thought he was relatively calm, he had never worked hard in society in his previous life or this life, and he had no city. Naturally, he saw the clues. Sitting down beside Chen Yejun, he gave Chen Yejun a playful look, then smiled and glanced at Wang Ren who didn't know what to call him: "I'm his cousin, just call me Master Chen." !"

Wang Ren nodded: "Yes, Mr. Chen!" As he spoke, he sat down on the stool sideways.

It has been almost three years since Wang Ren was selected as Tanhua. In these three years, there has been another palace test. The emperor admired Wang Ren at the beginning, but now he doesn't have much impression of him. He is now 17 years old, and the little childishness he had before has disappeared. Although he is not tall, he can only be said to be medium, but because of his body shape, he can be considered slender. His hair is made of a simple ebony The hairpin is bundled up but not crowned. She is wearing a light blue gown embroidered with several green bamboo branches, a ribbon around her waist, a mutton fat jade double fish pendant hanging down to suppress the gown, and a sapphire blue day lily patterned gown Purse.Wang Rensheng is very good, with delicate features and a bookish look, he looks like a handsome young man.

"It's quite lively in this restaurant!" The emperor held his wine glass with a smile, watched a few waiters trotting to pass the food through the aisle, took a sip of wine, and said.

Wang Ren said on the side: "The country is peaceful and the people are safe, and the people have spare money in their hands. Naturally, restaurants also have business!"

These words are naturally flattering the emperor, the reason why the country is prosperous and the people are safe, isn't it the emperor's credit for running the country?The emperor smiled, and felt that Wang Ren could speak: "This can only be done if the food in this restaurant is good!"

Wang Ren said with a smile: "What Master Chen said is that if the food and drink in Chang'an is not good enough, it will be closed early. How could it be like this! But in my opinion, Songhe Tower's business is so good, it's not only Just because of how skilled the cooks are here!"

"Oh, what you said is interesting, let's listen to it!" The emperor seldom had time to go out of the palace, so he was naturally happy to have some fun.

"Not to mention anything else, no matter how good the cooks here are, they are no better than the imperial cooks! Moreover, there are so many rich and noble families in Chang'an, and there is no cook in any family who does not have a skill that is not known to the outside world. Even the restaurant has some exclusive secret recipes. The so-called It's hard to say, there are always two or three out of ten people who are not used to it!" Anyway, it's not a sensitive matter, Wang Ren was happy to please the emperor, give the emperor a good impression, and pave the way for himself in the future, so even if he didn't talk about the train, It's almost the same, "However, in this Songhe Tower, it is said that the Taizu of this dynasty had eaten the fish here and praised it as delicious. Since even the emperor thought it was delicious, then, even if you think it is not to your taste, your mouth will not like it. Li will definitely not say it, but will say that the fish here is indeed delicious! Taizu ate here, and then, the dignitaries in the court also ate here, and they were quite praised, and some of them were famous The literati and inkmen here still need to leave some ink treasures here!"

The emperor listened with gusto, and there he heard Wang Ren say: "Songhe Tower is also very good at pondering people's thoughts. Look at this, Mr. Chen, even the tables and stools in the lobby on the first floor are at least made of rosewood. , the ones on the second floor are all made of high-quality red sandalwood, and the tables and chairs in the private room reserved for dignitaries are made of huanghuali! Even the dishes here are at least made by official kilns. The blue-and-white porcelain and chopsticks are usually made of ebony and covered with silver! Gold cups and jade pots are not a problem! In addition to the calligraphy and paintings on the wall, and the screens that separate the aisles, which one is not piled up with silver! It is here Storytellers and singers are not worth a few thousand taels, and there are not many high-ranking officials to join them. Treating guests to dinner in this kind of place is called having face! In Chang’an City, those who are willing to spend 100 taels of silver for a banquet naturally don’t care about it. It costs 100 taels! The so-called Chang'an rice is expensive, and it's not easy to live in it! If you want to get along in Chang'an, you have to hold up this face no matter what!"

"For outsiders who come to Chang'an, if they don't come to Songhe Tower once, they won't be able to get on the table! As for Chang'an people, as long as they don't miss the money, if you have something to treat outside, don't come to Songhe Tower Doesn’t it seem that you are not worthy enough, so you will lose your face!” Wang Ren said with a smile, “Since this Songhe Tower has something to do with face, naturally you don’t have to worry about business!”

"What you said is quite reasonable!" The emperor was amused and laughed, but he also felt that Wang Ren's words were right. Although those aristocratic families don't need to fight for this face, those who lack confidence must rely on these, Do you want to show that you are also a person with status and status?

"Master Chen, let's just listen!" Wang Ren said with a smile, "Boy, that's all for now!"

The emperor glanced at the diners upstairs and downstairs again, with an inexplicable smile on his face: "It seems that there are many rich people in Chang'an City!"

Chen Yejun interjected: "Below the Son of Heaven, it has always been a place of prosperity! Now it's time to rule the world, so naturally it's even more so!" Chang'an is full of rich and powerful, with unlimited business opportunities.

Unexpectedly, the emperor suddenly sighed: "Since we are governing the world, why is the treasury so empty?"

Having said this, Chen Yejun blinked his eyes, and then said cautiously: "This is also hiding wealth from the people!"

The emperor snorted coldly and glanced at Wang Ren. Wang Ren felt his hairs stand on end. What's going on? Could it be that the emperor made some big moves? However, as a seventh-rank sesame official, he still has no real power. , so what?

Wang Ren thought about it for a while, and then said bravely, "Actually, there is no way to fill the treasury!" Anyway, it's not forcing the minister to pay the deficit.

The emperor originally just wanted to test Wang Ren. In his opinion, young people are always a little naive and passionate, and they like to make something unrealistic. During the last palace exam, someone was there saying that they should share their income. Parents, officials and gentry pay food and so on, just kidding, making such a big move at this time is simply sending the handle directly to his ambitious nephew!Guessing that he only made an edict, the civil and military forces of the Manchu dynasty would stand on the side of Yizhong County King.Therefore, according to the results of the examination, the one who could at least enter the second class was finally thrown directly at the end of the third class, and finally the officials directly kicked him to Yunnan.The emperor originally thought that Wang Ren would also talk about these unrealistic so-called national policies, but when Wang Ren opened his mouth, he realized that Wang Ren did have some ideas.

Wang Ren thought about it for a while, and said directly: "My boy also said before that this Songhe Tower was originally in Chang'an. Although the cook's skills are indeed good, it is just similar to the previous Zuixian Tower, but it is the same as the Taizu of this dynasty. It is only now that we have the current situation. With the addition of the word imperial use, the value of something will be very different!"

Without waiting for the emperor to continue asking, Wang Ren said directly: "My boy once heard that, in addition to the royal family's own use and rewards to foreign ministers, there is still a backlog of tributes that are brought in every year. Generally speaking, most of them can only be stored in the House of Internal Affairs. , There will be new tributes in the second year! If these backlogs are directly auctioned, even if it is just for the name used by the royal family, the rich and powerful in the world will flock to it!"

The emperor frowned: "How decent is this!"

Sure enough, for the emperor, face is also the first level of importance. Wang Ren curled his lips in his heart, but said resignedly: "Actually, it is very easy for the imperial court to make money! After all, all government orders in the world come from the imperial court, as long as people I feel that there is an opportunity to make money, so naturally there are people who want to spend this money!" Wang Ren has seen this kind of thing a lot, and why the house is so expensive in later generations makes people crazy? If you don’t buy it, the housing price will continue to rise. No, the government can wait to count the money as long as it sells the land.

"Huh?" The emperor glanced at Wang Ren.

Wang Ren thought for a while: "Master Chen, let me make an analogy first, how about you just listen?"

"Tell me!"

"For example, the Holy Majesty wants to build a palace in Xishan!" Wang Ren said directly, "Leaving aside the cost of the palace, the area outside the palace with a radius of tens of miles should also belong to the Ministry of Household Affairs! The Holy Majesty wants to move the palace, so the court will naturally If you want to move there temporarily, then the ministers of the DPRK and China cannot go to both ends of the Chang’an Palace every day! Therefore, a house must be built near the palace! Then, the land price near the palace will naturally increase. The ministers provide bricks, stones and wood, and the difference in the price is enough to turn a penniless poor man into a wealthy businessman! And the cost of the palace is naturally worthless in comparison!"

The emperor and Chen Yejun were dumbfounded by Wang Ren's thoughts. This is simply asking the ministers in the court to pay for the emperor's palace. The emperor has a palace for nothing, and the treasury can still have income.

The emperor is also a smart person, so this kind of thing can be learned and used!What Wang Ren meant was to promulgate a decree or decree that made people have to pay willingly. At that time, whether the Ministry of Households wanted to earn the price difference of raw materials or collect taxes, it would be a lot of money!

"I don't think you are suitable for studying in the Imperial Academy. You should be going to the Ministry of Household Affairs!" The emperor laughed, and suddenly asked: "Wang Ren still has no words?"

Wang Ren nodded and said, "It's the boy who is young and has no appearance!"

The emperor clapped his palms and smiled: "Seeing you today is also because we are destined, why don't I pick a word for you?"

"Then please trouble Master Chen!" The emperor bestowed the word, what an honor, Wang Ren immediately got up and gave the emperor a deep salute.

The emperor thought for a while: "You have the word benevolence in your name. There is a saying in "The Analects of Confucius" that those who know move and those who are benevolent are quiet. How about calling it Zijing?"

"Boy, thank you, Mr. Chen, for giving me the words!"