It was almost noon, so Duanmu Nanfeng ordered people to hold a banquet.
I asked the nephew of one of the bosses in the family to accompany Zhuge Xiaosheng and the others in person, and told them to treat them warmly, but even if they were not drunk, I would not obey them!
But he took Xiao Chen to an elegant pavilion in the garden and ordered a banquet to be held there.
The atmosphere of a wealthy family was indeed numerous. Xiao Chen looked around and couldn't help but admire it.
But I saw beautiful trees and lush greenery, the garden was full of strange flowers, the rockery stood tall, and a streak of white water snaked from the depths of the flowers and trees and flowed under the stone crevices.
There are flying towers on both sides, with carved sills and embroidered sills, hidden among the trees in the mountains. From a distance, it looks like a castle in the air, a fairyland on earth.
The breeze blows slowly and the flowers are full of fragrance.
The pavilion faces a pool of clear water, with several meandering brooks flowing through it, and the stone washing is crisp and clear, like the sound of bells.
Suddenly, a dozen fairies in fluttering clothes suddenly walked out of the forest, holding jade plates filled with various delicacies from mountains and seas, fine wines and delicacies.
But it turned out that it was not a fairy, but the one who served the food...
There are so many dishes that Xiao Chen has never seen before, let alone eating them!
He couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "Uncle, I see that your banquet is much richer and more exquisite than the emperor's royal meal!"
"Master Xiao, you don't want to say this nonsense. If the officials in the court find out, they will make a fuss again!" Duanmu Nanfeng said with a smile.
This is quite interesting. He is not afraid of the emperor blaming him, but he is afraid that the official will take part in the performance?
That means you don't care at all.
"If I hadn't been here in person, I really wouldn't have known that there really was such a place as a fairyland in the world. I see how Uncle Guo lives his life, almost like a fairy." After Xiao Chen sighed, he began to envy him.
"Everyone knows that my Duanmu family is very rich. If you are frugal, people will say you are pretending to be so extravagant. They have nothing to say." Duanmu Nanfeng sighed.
Seeing that Xiao Chen was sweating on his forehead as he walked, he waved to a boy in Tsing Yi: "It's hot, let it rain quickly!"
You can tell me how surprised Xiao Chen was when he heard this!
Your kid still says you are not a god?
If you are not a god, why can you make rain?
I could only hear a squeaking sound in the pool, and four huge dragon heads slowly emerged from the water! As the dragon's mouth opened and closed, streams of water sprayed out toward the pavilion!
But it turns out that these four dragons have a mechanism to draw water through bamboo turbines hidden in their bodies. The principle is similar to the water dragons on the ship, and they need someone to operate them in the dark.
But the effect is the same as rain... It's a shame how they came up with it!
After the food and wine were served, Duanmu Nanfeng withdrew everyone and bowed to Xiao Chen.
"Uncle Guo, what are you..." Xiao Chen panicked and quickly stretched out his hand to help.
"That was a public gift just now, but this time it is a private gift from me. I have admired Brother Xiao for a long time! Brother Xiao said that I was a god, but I think you are the god! If you were not a god, how could you write such exquisite works?
Come on!" Duanmu Nanfeng insisted on bowing to Xiao Chen three times before getting up.
Moreover, the name he was given also changed. Every time he was called Brother Xiao, he was so affectionate!
It would be more affectionate if you call me brother-in-law, ahem.
"Sister, she is very cold. I have never heard her praise anyone since I was a child, but she is very fond of you, Brother Xiao! She also asked me to find the holy monk in Jilong Mountain to take a look at you in her letter.
, are you really a god descending to earth?" Duanmu Nanfeng said and laughed first.
"The imperial concubine is the fairy in heaven. I am just a reckless man in the world. But there is no need to bother some divine monks to tell fortunes. There is no need to be embarrassed." Xiao Chen also smiled.
The two laughed and felt much closer to each other.
This is what it means to feel like old friends at first sight.
Although Duanmu Nanfeng was young, Xiao Chen did not dare to treat him as a child, on the contrary, he respected him very much.
In other words, he is a young man who can independently support a huge family business. How can he be an ordinary person?
The two chatted for a while, and both felt very comfortable talking to each other.
Although Duanmu Nanfeng was young, his knowledge was quite extensive. He was the uncle of the imperial court and the richest man in the south of the Yangtze River, but he was full of inappropriate ideas.
Some of the forward-thinking ideas he spoke casually coincided with those of Xiao Chen from modern times.
For a moment, Xiao Chen almost thought that this kid had traveled through time like him.
For example, when the two were chatting about silk weaving, they came up with the idea of building a machine assembly line, which could greatly reduce costs and increase output.
Duanmu Nanfeng actually said that he had thought so too, but although there were many benefits to doing so, it had a big drawback, which was that it would cause many textile workers to lose their jobs.
Because once this kind of machine assembly line is manufactured, all silk merchants will definitely follow suit.
Silk is originally a luxury product that the rich like very much but the poor cannot afford.
If its value plummets due to lower costs, the rich will no longer like it, but the poor will still not be able to afford it, which will eventually lead to a backlog of products that are unsaleable.
Xiao Chen thinks this is not a problem. Silk is also very popular in other parts of the world. If it is unsaleable at home, it can be sold abroad. Isn't it good to make money from foreigners?
Duanmu Nanfeng said that this was of course good. In fact, he had long wanted to engage in international trade, but he had no intention of carrying it out.
Nowadays, not to mention that the surrounding areas are not peaceful, the country is also in turmoil, and the Silk Road is not smooth. How can you transport it?
The best option is shipping, but currently our maritime industry in Dazhou is not developed. Although there are many ships, they all operate along the coast and cannot go overseas at all.
Besides, pirates are now rampant along the coast, and the newly established Great Zhou Navy is unable to eradicate them at all, so it is impossible.
After all, the foundation of the Great Zhou Dynasty was unstable and wars broke out frequently, which greatly restricted business exchanges and restricted economic development.
The conversation between the two became more and more speculative and in-depth, and unknowingly, it gradually turned to state affairs.
"The emperor has just issued a decree to increase the revenue of Jiangnan County by 30%. Needless to say, he also wants to use troops to fight a war. How can we finish the war? Brother Xiao, just look at it. Within three years, Jiangnan County will not be able to support it.
Go down."
"After years of fighting, Jiangnan County has exported countless amounts of money and food, and it has long been unbearable. It's time to recuperate, but the emperor still wants to squeeze him. Does he have to destroy Jiangnan before he can stop?"
Duanmu Nanfeng's handsome face was slightly red, and he didn't know whether it was because he was drunk or because he was angry.
But the fact that he could complain like this to Xiao Chen showed that he did not regard Xiao Chen as an outsider.
Otherwise, just these few words are enough to send you to jail.
"The Emperor has no choice but to eradicate those bandits and bandits, it will be difficult to have peace in the Great Zhou Dynasty." Xiao Chen said something fair for Li Wanjiang.
Duanmu Nanfeng shook his head repeatedly.
"The difference what Brother Xiao said is that if you want peace in the world, you can't just rely on conquests. Haha, in fact, as long as the people live and work in peace and contentment and have food to eat, who will oppose the Great Zhou?"
"Just like Jiangnan County, although not everyone may be rich, at least the people can have enough to eat, so no one will think of rebellion. If anyone dares to invade, there is no need for the court to send troops. The people will take turns to drive them away with hoes.