area51novel Chapter 362
Chapter 362
Su Chen came to the manor square, where three carriages filled with bags of wool had just been parked.
"Oh! Old Wang, you delivered it yourself!"
Seeing Wang Defa stepping on the horse stool from the back of the carriage and landing on the square, Su Chen immediately greeted him with a smile.
Su Chen hadn't seen Old Wang for a while. The last time Li Shimin came to the manor, Old Wang didn't come.
"Marquis Su, I am here to deliver 100 kilograms of wool on the orders of His Majesty. These are the silver needles that Marquis Su wants, and there are also 20 copper needles."
Old Wang was businesslike and said business first, respectfully handing over the silver needles and copper needles wrapped in cloth strips.
"Okay, Old Wang, go in and have tea, and Wang Xi will send someone to deal with the wool later." Su Chen enthusiastically invited Wang Defa into the living room.
Wang Defa bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you, Marquis Su!"
Su Chen stopped and looked at Old Wang.
He didn't say anything either.
"Marquis Su, what are you doing..." Wang Defa was startled, not knowing why Su Chen was looking at him like that.
"Old Wang, how come you are so distant with me today after so long?" Su Chen asked seriously.
"Oh, Marquis Su, how dare I be distant with you?"
Wang Defa quickly took a small step back and bowed.
"Look, you still say you are distant." Su Chen always felt very kind to this old eunuch.
Maybe he watched too many TV dramas in his previous life, and few eunuchs were good people.
But Wang Defa was not that kind of person, and he felt very kind to others.
"How about this, Old Wang, when His Majesty is not present in the future, how about you call yourself 'I'? Don't always mention me."
Wang Defa was so moved that his eyes were filled with tears, and he choked up and said:
"I will listen to Marquis Su!"
Over the years, although Old Wang seemed to have a high status and seemed to be very respected.
How many people really looked up to him as a person with shortcomings?
Even if there was, it was with purpose and selfishness, just because he was close to the emperor.
But Su Chen was not like that. From the beginning, Wang Defa felt that Su Chen was different from others.
Su Chen didn't even give the emperor face, so why should he curry favor with a eunuch like him?
"Old Wang, sit down and have some tea!"
When he came to the living room, the servant had prepared tea.
This time, Wang Defa begged Li Shimin to let him deliver the wool, because the old Wang wanted to have a meal in the school cafeteria.
Li Shimin boasted to the old Wang several times, saying how good the food in the school cafeteria was.
Fortunately, Li Shimin was always kind to Wang Defa, so he agreed to it.
"Marquis Su, how should the wool be handled?" The old Wang drank a few sips of tea, remembered the task assigned by His Majesty, and asked about the wool processing process.
"Is all that wool cut from sheep?"
"Su Hou, you don't know! This wool is worthless and no one has ever collected it. The wool brought this time is all cut from live sheep. Two copper coins are used to buy five pounds of wool."
Su Chen was a little surprised. Even if the people didn't know how to make wool yarn before.
But this wool can also be stuffed into clothes. At least it should be able to keep warm.
Li Shimin had said before that winter clothes can be filled with animal fur.
Doesn't it include wool?
Su Chen was right. The sheepskins were not retained when the Tang Dynasty slaughtered sheep. The whole sheepskin was peeled off.
Some people would dry it to make sheepskin clothes, but it was not something that the people could have.
So it was extremely difficult to collect this hundred pounds of wool without skin.
"These wools will be washed several times with warm water to ensure that there are no other impurities and grease. Then they will be combed and straightened after drying, and finally twisted into wool yarn."
Su Chen told Lao Wang about the next steps. Su Chen only knew so much.
The old king silently remembered it in his heart. He needed to tell Li Shimin after returning to the palace.
"Marquis Su, do you need us to arrange for someone to clean the wool?" The old king asked in a flash.
Su Chen waved his hand and said, "No need for this. There are enough people in the manor."
Not long after, Wang Xi hurried back.
"Marquis, the matter has been explained... General Manager!" Wang Xi saw the old king and rushed to him excitedly.
"Get out! Marquis Su is here, how can you do this?"
Wang Defa kicked Wang Xi, who didn't care at all. When the old king was in the palace, he always "beat or scolded" Wang Xi.
Wang Xi was a dozen years younger than the old king. If possible, Wang Xi really wanted to call the old king "adoptive father".
The old king had been taking good care of him on the first day of entering the palace.
Su Chen did not give orders to Wang Xi immediately, leaving some time for the two old kings to reminisce.
"Wang Xi, sit down and have a cup of tea, and chat about the past."
Wang Xi straightened his body and bowed, saying: "Thank you, Lord! I will go and settle the wool first. May I ask how should I place the wool?"
Su Chen repeated the wool processing procedures.
"I will go and settle it right away."Place!" Wang Xi turned and walked towards the square to do business.
Su Chen nodded, then looked at Lao Wang and asked casually: "What is your Majesty busy with recently!"
Lao Wang's heart tightened, and he thought to himself: "Only this gentleman dares to ask about your Majesty so casually."
No one with a little bit of brains would ask this question. Can the emperor's affairs be asked casually?
"Marquis Su, today your Majesty left the palace early in the morning to go to the East and West Markets to see the pork sales situation, perhaps to see what the people's attitude towards pork is. "
Wang Defa answered truthfully.
If anyone else dared to ask him about your Majesty, Lao Wang would immediately order him to be arrested.
Su Chen nodded slightly, he also wanted to know whether the people bought a lot of pork.
However, according to Li You, the butcher shop receives several pieces of cloth or silk every day, which should be the funds used by the people to buy pork.
"Lao Wang, let me ask you, when does Lingnan pay tribute to sugarcane every year? "
The old king thought for a moment and replied, "Some sugarcane will be paid as tribute to Chang'an at the end of October, and the sugarcane paid as tribute at the end of November will be of the best quality."
Su Chen was calculating in his heart. It was mid-October and there were still more than ten days until the end of the month.
"So, you can get me 100 to 180 kilograms of sugarcane. Is that a problem? I'll be very useful!"
The old king immediately patted his chest and guaranteed, "Absolutely no problem. As soon as the sugarcane tribute from Lingnan arrives in Chang'an, we will immediately send the manor to Su Hou."
"Duke Zhao sent a thousand people to the Lingnan West Road to collect sugarcane at the beginning of the month, and it is expected to return to Chang'an in December."
"I heard about this from my brother-in-law. I want to try to get some sugarcane first."
"Haha, the prince and the others are back." Su Chen looked outside and pouted. Yesterday, he asked Princess Changle about the sugarcane but to no avail, and later forgot to ask Li Chengqian.
"See the prince and His Royal Highness the King of Wei! "Wang Defa immediately stood up to greet him.
Li Chengqian and the others bowed in return, "General Manager Wang, are you here to deliver wool in person?" Li Chengqian asked with a smile.
"Your Highness, I am here to deliver wool.
Your Majesty has sent me to tell Your Highness that the first ten days have passed and Your Highness must return to the palace within three days."
Li Chengqian thought for a while, nodded, and said, "Okay, I understand."
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