Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 1408 Beijing's first month

For the people in the deep palace, the first month of the ninth year of Jianji (909) was extremely deserted.

How can the women at home be in a good mood if the men don't go home and hang out in the outside room?

The queen Zhe Fangai came to the court to supervise the country, but in fact there was nothing to supervise.On the day of Zhengdan, she met with the envoys of various states and received some local specialties and various flattery.

Civil and military officials, even those with a little bit of status, all accompanied them to the expedition.A good emperor of the Central Plains should be like the monarch of the Northern Dynasty, who is nowhere to go.

With nothing to do, Zhe Fangai took the imperial concubine and the courtiers to make sweaters and leather jackets, which were nominally for the frontline soldiers, but actually for that heartbroken man.

"Foya, how are you doing in Zhigu?" Zhe Fangai asked as she skillfully cut a piece of mink fur.

Buddha Tooth is the nickname of Princess Shao Li of Meiyuan. In the fifth year of Jianji, she became a Jinshi in the new science department, and Zhao Feng, the order of Zhigu, gave birth to a son in the seventh year of Jianji. Most of the time she lived in the princess mansion in Beiping Prefecture, and occasionally went to Zhigu Take a look at your husband.

Just a while ago, she was still beating around to see if there was any real shortage in the capital so that she could transfer the son-in-law back, but she was taught a lesson by the empress.In a fit of anger, she simply moved to Zhigu County and didn't come back until years ago.

Foya carefully glanced at his birth mother, Zhaorong Yelishi, and saw that there was nothing special to say, so he replied: "Zhigu is very different now, the household registration is rich, the business travel is prosperous, and the daughter has started a village outside the city. comfortable."

"This is a different way to praise the son-in-law." Zhe Fangai laughed.

As a state supervisor, how could she not know the situation in Zhigu County?
The son-in-law Zhao Feng was under a lot of pressure and secretly slandered a lot.It is not impossible for Xinke Scholars to be county magistrates, but they are a minority after all, and most of them still start as county magistrates.

You started out as the county magistrate of Ji County. Isn't it right for others to say a few words in secret?

"It's good for the son-in-law to go deep into the fields, teach farmers and mulberry, and educate the Tibetans." Zhe Fangai put down the work in her hands, watched the other concubines busy, took a sip from her teacup, and said: "But he Do you know what the sages are paying attention to now?"

"I also ask the queen to give advice." Foya said.

"A few years ago, four ships were berthed at Nigu Pu, Zhigu County. Is there such a thing?" Zhe Fangai asked.

"It seems there is." Foya was not very sure.

"If there is, there is not. What does it mean to have?" Zhe Fangai said helplessly: "In mid-November, before Nigupu closed the port, four ships of the Ping Navy entered the port. The leather goods we are tailoring now were eaten a few days ago. The fish and crabs are brought by them."

Buddha tooth suddenly realized.

She was born in Tian's family, had no worries about food and clothing all her life, and was a woman, so she really didn't pay enough attention to these things.I heard it on weekdays, but I didn't bother to think about it.In fact, with her status, as long as she has the heart, she can provide great assistance to her husband's career.

"What the sage is most concerned about now is the business of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Liaodong." Zhe Fangai continued: "Let Concubine Zhao pay more attention to these matters. It is good to persuade the farmers and educate the Tibetans, but we must focus on the key points in everything. I heard that Nigupu can only enter two boats at a time. Does the county have no financial resources? Nigupu is the nearest wharf to Beijing, which is related to the great cause of the saint. The new trestle bridge has not been repaired yet. How should I explain it?"

Hearing this, Fo Ya felt anxious and wished he could go home now and tell the news one by one.

"It's not in a hurry these two days, just keep this in mind." Zhe Fangai smiled again, and said, "Ping Haijun brought back more and more novelty gadgets, and I also hope that Nigu Pu expand."

"The empress is right." Zhao Rongye Li Lingji said with a smile: "The Beizhu sent to the palace by the Ministry of Internal Affairs is big and round, everyone likes it very much."

"This thing is good, but it's hard to get." Zhe Fangai said: "I heard that the land of Mohe is densely covered with lakes and streams. The river mussels that gave birth to the North Pearl live deep in the water, protected by many mussels, like a city wall. If pearl people are not properly harvested, they may get injured if they stray into it."

The imperial concubine and the palace people were engrossed in listening, and even Zhao Yu, who had a bad complexion, cast their eyes on it.

"Every summer, pearl hunters come and plunge into the water with long wooden poles. If they can catch the big clams in the city first, they will get all of them. To On the shore, cut open the clam and take the pearl from the shell."

"Northern pearls are mostly in the abyss. The water is cold and swift. You can't get them unless you submerge them in the water. You can get one out of thousands of pearls."

Speaking of this, Zhe Fangai sighed: "It's not easy for the common people to pick pearls, and they often fall ill when they get old. The Ministry of Internal Affairs buys and sells pearls to subsidize the imperial court's expenses. There are many clothes and games in the palace. If you really like this Beads, you can ask me for them, don’t ask for them in private. Spreading them out will damage the reputation of the Tian Family.”

"Yes." Everyone agreed after listening.

The queen is very concerned about maintaining the image of the Tian family, and this kind of thing naturally occupies the moral high ground, and it is impossible for the girls to disobey her in this regard.

After Zhe Fangai finished her tea, she continued to cut and sew fur clothes until you time.

The whale oil candles were lit, and the Changqiu courtyard was brightly lit.

The queen listened to the palace official and reported some things.

Master Mani passed away and begged to be buried in Ganzhou before his death.After hearing this, Zhe Fangai ordered Honglu Temple to give the murder weapon, chariots and horses, and the Master of Ceremonies sent personnel to escort the coffin to Ganzhou for burial.

Also, Gao Renhou, the Duke of Ba, fell ill in central Guizhou.Zhe Fang Ai sent the medical officer of the Imperial Medical Office to bring the medicine and hurried south for diagnosis and treatment.

Yuhang County King Qian Liu said that several soldiers of Youping Navy returned to China on a Japanese ship. He said that he had escorted Master Huikong to Japan, and the ship sank in the sea off Japan. Most of the people on board, including Master Huikong, died.

Zhefang Ai ordered the palace to send people to Mount Wutai to express condolences to Master Huikong's disciples, and urged the Privy Council to provide compensation for the dead soldiers as soon as possible.

The last one is about King Zhao's Shangshu. The original copy has been sent to Longquan Mansion, and Shengren Xingzai, Zhongshu Province has transferred a copy to the Queen of Jianguo, saying that the Khotan Mission is stranded in Dunhuang, and it still needs to be determined where it will go.

"The Prime Minister of the Dian Ke Department of Honglu Temple immediately went to Dunhuang to greet her, and ordered her to Beiping Mansion." After Zhe Fangai gave the order, she looked at the empty room and sighed.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, she will also invite wives of all kinds to a banquet, and reward some whale oil candles, bead beads, and mink skins to keep the relationship between the monarch and his ministers close.

A bunch of things, but not exciting.

******
"The price of fish has fallen into the dust." In the Wangjing Pavilion, Lu Yan sighed while happily eating salted fish.

Many people say that you have to go to the seaside of Liaodong to get fresh fish on the spot and make fish sticks, which is the most delicious when eaten.

Lu Yan deeply thinks so.

He likes to eat fish cakes very much, but the sage does not advocate it, saying that most of the fish cakes in Tang and Xia dynasties are freshwater fish, and it is easy to get sick if eaten raw.However, if it is a cold-water sea fish, he has no objection and thinks it will be much safer.

Lu Yan suspected that the sage was lying to promote his salted fish.

Now people with a certain status can see that the sage is promoting everything related to the sea, such as sea fish, sea vegetables, sea trade and even sea transportation, because he is too hasty and too obvious.

At the end of October, news came from Chishanpu, Dengzhou, that a group of people were lucky enough to catch a giant whale at sea, and after rough treatment, dragged the whale back to the port.

Unfortunately, due to insufficient preparation, they only harvested the blubber, skin and a small amount of whale meat. When the whale carcass was dragged back to the pier, basically only the skeleton remained.

However, the skeleton is also of great value and can still be exchanged for money.

Not surprisingly, the sailors returning from whaling received huge rewards: the captain of the ship was given [-] pieces of money, [-] pieces of silk, and [-] pieces of woolen cloth, and he was awarded a nine-rank honorary officer.

From the [-]th year of the establishment of the pole, there was a whale stranded off the coast of Wudi County, to the [-]th year of the establishment of the pole, the whale was seen twice in four years, and both of them received generous rewards.This is enough to prove that whaling can be rich, which further stimulated the frenzy of whaling.

As for the possibility of going to sea and returning empty-handed or even being buried in the belly of a fish, few people mentioned it. Under the domination of fanaticism, these were subconsciously ignored.

And a few years ago, there was news that the Ministry of Internal Affairs purchased seal oil at the same price as whale oil, and the purchase price of seal skins, seal skins, beaver skins, and sea lion skins was equivalent to that of fox raccoon dogs, and another thousand gold for walrus ivory.

The news was so mysterious that people were dubious at first.

As a result, Li Yanling, the head of the Lifan Academy, mentioned at the wine table that the Jurchen offered walrus ivory, and the sage asked the Shaofu to make some chopsticks and distribute them to the ministers who had made great contributions.Now saints eat with walrus ivory chopsticks, which is said to prolong life.

What is Li Yanling's identity?No one does not believe what he said.As a result, there was a sudden walrus ivory craze in Beijing, but it was a pity that there was no market for it, and dignitaries offered rewards and paid a lot of money to buy it.As for the impact, just look at the private shipbuilding workshops that gradually emerged in Dengzhou, Mizhou, Qingzhou, and Haizhou: a lot of people are waiting to go to sea, and everyone is not afraid of death, but they are afraid of having no money.

Lu Yan watched coldly and only sighed secretly.

How many innocent people are buried in the belly of a fisherman who successfully catches a whale and returns?

He doesn't know whether walrus ivory has the effect of prolonging life, but he heard that many people plan to apply for immigrants from Liaodong Province and go to that bitter cold land to settle down, because seals, fur seals, sea lions, walruses, and beavers mostly live there.

Is this really good?Is it hurting Tianhe?

Lu Yan sighed again and again, dropping his chopsticks like flying.Well, don't tell me, although this fish is cooked, it is delicious.

"Fish prices have fallen, which means that more people go fishing." Fan Wenda, a student of economics in Xiazhou, said with a smile: "It's a pity that you can only taste it in Beijing. Luoyang may also be able to taste it, but Guanbei is too difficult."

The fishing season in Liaodong starts in July, enters its peak in mid-August, and ends in late September. After killing, cleaning, pickling, and air-drying, it is shipped to the Central Plains. It is almost the end of October and early November. The weather is cold and air-dried salted fish There is no need to worry about spoilage for long-distance transshipment, but the cost is another matter.

In short, Huaihai Road and Hebei Road are the cheapest, while Henan Road and Zhili Road are much more expensive.No matter how far away, there is no value for transportation. Even if someone wants to try and buy some, the quantity will not be large, so there is no need to do this business.

"The number of people going out to sea to fish has increased, but that's not the main reason. Speaking of it, the sage got the Liaodong Dao, so he can fish freely." Lu Henian, a student of Fengzhou Economics, said.

Lu Yan nodded, and said: "The world is so big, there are no surprises. Liaodong doesn't seem to be a poor place. However, when we go to Liaodong, the first thing we do is to educate the world and tame it."

Lu Yan was originally a soldier of the Beiping Mansion, Cao Shenjun, and was promoted to the seventh rank.

Fan Wenda has no background, his father and grandfather are both Tianshefu.I heard that my grandfather Fan Yanbo had seen a saint, and his father had gone out as a villager of Xiazhou Tutuan and died in a foreign land. Therefore, Fan Wenda was able to study Xiazhou Confucian classics. Some immigrants have been obtained, but there are still almost two thousand households, so it is a lower county, and the county magistrate is lowered from the seventh rank.

Lu Henian is very mysterious, his mouth is relatively strict, and he can't find out any background.What surprised Lu Yan even more was that he entered the Ministry of Education as a Lingshi as a student of Fengzhou Jing.

Ling Shi is an official and has no official status, which sounds like nothing.But are the officials of Zhongshu Province the same as the officials of prefectures and counties?This is a head-scratching errand, okay?

In addition, Lu Henian also served as a messenger, with ten palace guards by his side, making people look at him wherever he went.

This kid is going to enter the palace to face saints, and he is not the same as them.

After eating and drinking, seeing that it was still early, the three of them didn't want to delay, so they signed the painting at the postman, left the Wangjing Pavilion, and headed east, braving the wind and snow, to Longquan Mansion.

(End of this chapter)