Brother Jia Sheshu of the Red Chamber

With the support of Mo Gu, the textile business of the Great Jin Dynasty was advancing by leaps and bounds. Of course, after the introduction of industrialization, the demand for manpower was greatly reduced, and a large number of yarn workers lost their jobs. Fortunately, Mo Gu arranged for officials to assist in the transformation. This matter also passed smoothly.

Most of the yarn workers go directly to work in the spinning mill, or simply switch to weavers. In addition to developing the Zhen's spinning machine, Zhen Yingren also improved the loom and further improved the cotton and linen blend. Technology.

Because of the characteristics of cotton and linen, it didn't take long for many cloth shops to start selling cotton and linen from the Weaving Bureau.

For one thing, cotton and linen have the advantages of both cotton and linen. You only need to adjust the ratio of cotton and linen to weave thin or thick cotton and linen, and the price is cheaper than ordinary cotton. It was very popular when it was launched.

Second, because cotton cloth or linen cloth is mostly worn by ordinary people, most of the cotton cloth in the past was woven by peasant women during the slack season, and the merchants bought them one by one from the farmers. Stablize.

Only places like Songjiang, which is famous for its Songjiang cloth, have special workshops for weaving cloth, and the quality is relatively stable, and the cloth woven is exquisite and fine. Compared with the cloth woven by the weavers of the emperor's officials?

As a result, the cloth woven by this weaving bureau immediately hit the general cotton cloth market. There was no reason for the Great Jin Dynasty to arrange for people to assist in changing careers, but people from other countries were not so lucky.

The English merchants noticed that Dajin's weaving skills were excellent a long time ago. Over the years, they have rarely sold cloth to Dajin. Instead, they bought a lot of rare fabrics directly from Dajin, such as bird gold and the like. Back to England for sale, these rare fabrics from the East were very popular in Europe, and became one of the important goods exported from Dajin to England.

However, not every country has the vision of English businessmen. When North Korea paid tribute according to its past habits, it suddenly discovered that their Koryo cotton could not be sold!

The so-called tribute is actually just a kind of commercial behavior between countries. Through the tribute, the special products of North Korea were brought to the Jin Dynasty. Products are sold directly on the road.

Due to the banner of tribute, most of these goods can be sold quickly, and along the way to pay tribute, not only are the officers of the Jin Dynasty protected, but they can also live in the post station of the Jin Dynasty. contribute.

Moreover, the gifts from the Great Jin Dynasty were often higher than the tributes they brought. Paying tribute once could almost make North Korea a lot of money. If it wasn't for the Great Jin Dynasty's limitation of paying tribute once every three years, North Korean businessmen would want to go to court every year.

But this time it was completely different from before.

First of all... After the death of the Supreme Emperor, Mo Gu can finally give full play to his "profiteer" nature. The first thing is to change the post station to a fee system!Whether it is an official of the Jin Dynasty or the country that came to pay tribute, they want to live and live for free! ?

no way!

Again, North Korea was surprised to find that their Koryo cotton could not be sold!

The North Korean envoy had to reluctantly sell the Koryo cotton in his hand at a low price. This was a real high-rise auction. Every time a piece of Korean cotton was sold, the North Korean envoy’s heart ached. Reluctantly sell the backlog of Korean cotton.

The North Korean envoys were also puzzled. There were still many people rushing to buy ginseng, Korean tribute paper, Dongzhu, etc., but why no one wanted the Korean cotton they brought over?

Koryo cotton is one of North Korea's special products. Although it is also cotton cloth, Koryo cotton is more slender than Zhongyuan cotton. Coupled with the excellent technology of Korean weavers, the cotton cloth woven is also more delicate and comfortable than Zhongyuan cotton, with hidden luster , so that he was chosen as a tribute.

In the past, the Koryo cotton brought by the North Korean envoys was sold out, so how could it be unsalable this time?Although the quality of these Koryo cotton is not as good as the tribute goods, it is definitely a temporary choice. How could it not be sold at a high price in the Jin Dynasty?

Puzzled, the North Korean envoy also took a closer look, and only then did he know that cotton and linen are popular in the Jin Dynasty, and even wealthy families are proud to buy the cotton and linen produced by the Weaving Bureau. Naturally, no one came to buy it. Their Korean cotton.

Out of curiosity, the North Korean envoy also asked his followers to buy some cotton and linen cloth. When the envoy touched it, his face changed slightly, "Is this really cotton linen? This is clearly cotton!"

Linen has always been known to be rough, while cotton is smooth, and this cotton linen feels quite delicate, it is clearly a piece of high-quality cotton, how can it be called cotton linen! ?Although the luster is not as good as that of Korean cotton, it is not inferior to their Korean cotton in terms of fineness.

The attendant explained: "My lord, this is really cotton and linen. It is said that it is mixed with [-]% hemp. If it is pure cotton, the fabric is softer and more delicate, far from our Korean cotton."

The North Korean envoy didn't believe it at first, so he insisted on buying one from his entourage. When he touched it, his color changed. The fabric was so soft that he almost had the illusion that he was touching silk, and his hands felt warm, as if he was touching it. The skin of my concubine is generally comfortable.

The North Korean envoy exclaimed in surprise: "This is really cotton cloth!?"

If cotton can do this, then what kind of silk do they need, just wear cotton clothes.

The entourage nodded and said: "Isn't it cotton cloth? The owner of the cloth shop said that this cloth is their treasure. Cotton and linen cloth costs five taels of silver a bolt, and this kind of high-count cotton costs five taels of silver a bolt, and you can buy silk if you add more.”

Their Koryo cotton is only a tael of silver, and this high-count cotton is five times that of their Koryo cotton. It feels almost as beautiful as silk, but considering its price, the attendants feel that it is better to just buy silk.

Hearing five taels of silver a piece, the North Korean envoy couldn't help feeling a little heartbroken, and said, "It's just a piece of cotton cloth, how can it be sold at such an expensive price?"

Although they disdain the merchants for selling cotton cloth at the price of silk, the North Korean envoys could not help but envy them secretly. If only they could also sell the Koryo cotton at the price of silk, they would not be so poor that they almost could not even afford to live in a post station.

Cough, it is more than 1000 miles from North Korea to the capital, and the North Korean envoys brought a lot of tributes and commodities. They are busy all the way, and they have to walk for several months. For such a long time, the board and lodging of a group of people have to be paid. They spent a lot of money, and as they walked, the North Korean envoys found that the money was a bit insufficient. If it weren't for this, they would not have jumped off the building to auction off their own Koryo cotton.

"I heard from the owner of the cloth shop that the sage also felt that the cotton cloth was a bit expensive, so he asked people to improve it. He said that it must be reduced to three taels of silver per piece. This is the first batch of high-count cotton that was tried to weave. The boss also managed to find some connections, so he made it out to try something new."

The nobles in Beijing are not short of money, what they lack are some novelty things, this high-count cotton is just something new for everyone, otherwise it is such an expensive thing, who would buy it.

This North Korean envoy, surnamed Wen, is a descendant of Wen Yijian. He has always been proud of the Koryo cotton produced in North Korea. Out of curiosity, he studied this high-count cotton. He is also knowledgeable. The envoy was astonished. The softness of the cotton cloth was almost comparable to that of silk. The reason was that the cotton thread was extremely fine, so the woven fabric was also very delicate.

Envoy Wen's heart sank slightly. Since Emperor Jingrong succeeded to the throne, he has continuously introduced all kinds of new and novelty gadgets. Leaving aside the military Dajin rifle and Jingrong cannon, Wang's rice and that Even North Korea has benefited from the corn and sweet potatoes from outsiders, and fewer and fewer people have starved to death over the years.

But everyone also found that the gap between North Korea and the Great Jin Dynasty was getting bigger and bigger. Although the Koryo cotton in North Korea is famous, not everyone can afford it. Most people live in coarse linen.

The cotton and linen cloth of the Jin Dynasty was only slightly more expensive than ordinary linen, and it was much more comfortable to wear. If things go on like this, who else will come to buy their Korean cotton?

Those who can be envoys are mostly capable ministers of North Korea. Although they don't have much economic awareness, they can also feel that the Jin Dynasty is getting stronger and stronger, and it has reached the point where they can't catch up.

"Envoy Wen, this is not a good thing." Another envoy from North Korea, Envoy Jin, said worriedly.

The stronger the Great Jin Dynasty, the more unfavorable it is to North Korea. If things go on like this, North Korea will really become a vassal state attached to the Great Jin Dynasty.

The envoy Wen pondered for a long time and said: "Prepare a heavy gift, let's go see the eldest princess."

Before his trip, the king said that if something happened, he could ask the eldest princess who was married to the Dajin Rongguo Mansion for help. As the eldest princess, she might be able to know some secrets about the cotton linen of the Jin Dynasty.

When the North Korean envoys came to visit, Mrs. Jia opened the door wide and received them personally in the Rongqing Hall.

The older this person is, the more he wants to return to his roots. Since Jia Daishan's death, Jia Li's desire to return to North Korea has become more intense. Unfortunately, she is the former wife of the Duke of Rong, so it is absolutely impossible for her to leave Beijing and return to North Korea. In addition, her only daughter and granddaughter are both from Dajin, and this North Korea can only return to the last time in a dream.

Jia Lishi only glanced at the gift list brought by the Wen envoy, and the things inside were not much different from the past, mostly ginseng, Dongzhu, mink fur, gem noodles...etc, but never expected that this time there would be There are two bottles of famous Korean wine——Ganhonglu and Pear Ginger Wine. Seeing the taste of home, Jiali could not help crying.

She originally thought that the taste of this sweet red dew and pear ginger wine could only be tasted in her dreams, but she never thought that she would have a chance to taste it when she was getting old.

Jia Lishi sighed: "I haven't tasted this hometown flavor for a long time."

Since she married Dajin, the North Korean special envoy would also offer North Korean specialties to Princess Dachang every time she paid tribute, but most of them were ginseng, Dongzhu, mink fur, gem noodles...etc. Once, when she saw this traditional Korean wine, Jia Li couldn't help but smile.

All the envoys looked at each other in embarrassment, and kept silent by coincidence, because this post station was really too black-hearted, not only charged for people, but also charged for storing things, because the Jin Dynasty became more and more powerful, and the things that were originally intended to be brought to the eldest princess It's far more than that, but the money along the way is a bit out of hand, and it is inevitable to use some, which is not very good.

It happened that Jin Envoy was a good wine drinker, so he simply took the wine he brought to make up for it.

Jia Li didn't know the reason, and asked in Korean: "I don't know how my brother is in good health recently?"

Her father passed away as early as ten years ago. After the death of her father, Li Chong, the second son of concubine Yin, succeeded to the throne. When she left, her younger brother was just a newborn baby. It's not about the relationship between siblings, but since my sister left, my brother is the only brother she still has in the world.

The Jin envoy said respectfully: "Your Majesty is in excellent health. He always misses the Eldest Princess and hopes to welcome the Eldest Princess back to North Korea for a reunion."

Although Jia Lishi knew that the Jin envoy was just talking about it, but returning to North Korea was her dream, she couldn't help smiling, and praised: "My brother has a heart."

Everyone had a brief chat about North Korea, and Jia Li couldn't help but feel happy when they heard that North Korea introduced Wang's rice and corn, and the people's life became better, but...

The envoy Wen sighed: "The recent promotion of cotton and linen in the Jin Dynasty has made our Koryo cotton more difficult to sell."

Jia Li frowned slightly. As soon as the cotton and linen came out, the Holy Majesty gave some to the Rongguo Mansion, and she also had some clothes made for her to wear. The cotton and linen has both the softness of cotton and the breathability of linen. It is more comfortable to wear than silk. In comparison, although the Korean cotton they produced in North Korea is also delicate and comfortable, but at this price...

Jia Lishi just thought about it for a while, and couldn't help worrying about North Korea.

The envoy Jin said sadly: "Korea cotton is one of the most important goods sold in North Korea. I don't know how many people rely on weaving for a living. If this Koryo cotton cannot be sold, I am afraid that the life of our North Korean people will be even more difficult. gone."

Jia Li's heart tightened slightly, "What do you think, Brother Wang?"

The envoys bowed heavily to Mrs. Jia Li, "I implore the eldest princess to save the Korean people."

They studied for a long time and thought of many ways, and finally... still lost to the scientific power of the Great Jin Dynasty. After thinking about it, the best way is to directly steal the weaving technology of the Great Jin Dynasty and go back, just like he did back then. The ancestors of the Wen family stole cotton seeds from the Yuan Dynasty.

Jia Li's eyes darkened slightly.