Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 487: Business Circle and Rectification
The emperor was not annoyed by Zhu Ying's criticism of his inexperience. He was never a glutton. In the palace, he had long been annoyed by all kinds of warm-cooked meals that were half cold when served and not tasty even when reheated. Although he left the palace more often than any other emperor in history, the emperor was not so capricious as to eat whatever he wanted.
Therefore, while recalling the taste of the more than 20 dishes, the emperor stroked his chin and said very seriously: "I am considering whether I should come to all the semi-finals and finals from now on."
Elder Wu, who was also enjoying the meal to his heart's content, finally revealed a look of shock this time. He coughed heavily in panic, and then said pitifully, "Your Majesty, if Kong and Zhang knew about what happened today, I would definitely be in a state of panic, and I would also be accused of being an accomplice of Your Majesty's mischief. It's okay to take the blame once, but if I take it twice or three times..."
Even if I am always scolded as the emperor's yes-man, I can't stand it! Wu Ge Lao's sad face fully expressed such a lament.
Facing his expression, Yue Shanzhang saw Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying smiling but not saying anything, neither trying to persuade the emperor nor helping Wu Gelao. Lu Wan, who was sitting in the first seat above him, looked as if it had nothing to do with him. And the former assistant minister of the Ministry of War, Liu Zhiyuan, who had been unemployed for a long time, seemed to have ignored the emperor's words.
At this time, after pondering for a long time, he finally spoke: "The emperor has come to this Xinglong Tea House in person. Not to mention that just guarding it is a large-scale operation, not to mention that this is an outer city with a chaotic flow of people. If suspicious people sneak in, it will be even more serious. For the sake of safety, I have to advise the emperor to be cautious. After all, the son of a rich man should not sit in the hall, let alone the emperor?"
Before the emperor could react to such a cliché, he suddenly changed the subject and said, "However, when I was entering the capital, I happened to pass by this place. I saw a large number of people, blocking the traffic and posing hidden dangers. I was dissatisfied for a while. Later, fortunately, the people from the South City Security Team who were familiar with the situation explained it one by one and sent me and the students to Xuanwu Gate. Only then did I know that this so-called imperial chef selection was only one of the reasons."
"The second is that it solves the livelihoods of a group of people."
As he spoke, he looked at Zhang Shou and said sincerely, "So I think that when the emperor just said that he wanted to come more often in the future, his praise should not only be for the food made by the three or four chefs, but also for the prosperity and prosperity of this place?"
As expected of the headmaster of the first academy in Fujian and Guangdong, what he said... I am embarrassed to say that I just want to go out of the palace to relax! The emperor thought to himself that if he were ten years younger, he might have been exposed because of his thin skin, but now he is older and thicker-skinned, so he can easily nod happily: "Yes, I really appreciate the miracle of this remote place."
Seeing that the emperor was indeed pleased with his flattery, Yue Shanzhang was able to better grasp the tone of the conversation. He smiled sincerely at Zhang Shou, and then actually bowed to him.
"Although the person from the South City Security Team explained to me the population that this area currently supports, he only knew the facts but not the reasons. Since Dr. Zhang is here, can you explain the mystery to me, a foreigner?"
"If I'm not mistaken, this connection should not only be applicable to the capital, but should be applicable everywhere, right?"
At first glance, what Principal Yue said seemed like a high evaluation and compliment, but Zhang Shou knew that if he couldn't explain why, people might criticize him. If he could explain why, then this obviously shrewd principal of Zhaoming Academy might just take his money elsewhere.
However, the Imperial Chef Selection Competition was just something he came up with on a whim in order to shirk the task assigned by the emperor, and the subsequent plan was just a plan made after a sudden inspiration, and there was nothing to hide from others. Moreover, this is a model that seems easy to copy. In the final analysis, it is just a difference of hundreds of years of knowledge and experience, but it is not so easy to copy it.
Because there is only one capital city and only one emperor in the world!
At that moment, Zhang Shou deliberately downplayed it and said, "What Principal Yue said is right. This is indeed a universal truth. My idea is very simple. I want to build a landmark building in an originally barren area, use new and interesting things to attract people, and at the same time attract more businesses to move in because of the momentum and the flow of people. Then, the scale of the businesses will further drive the flow of people."
"It's like a snowball. As long as there are enough businesses - they don't even need to be large-scale businesses, even small stalls and hawkers will do, but the premise is that they are willing to abide by the rules of doing business here - then there will be enough people. Because there are business districts such as Dongsi Archway and Xisi Archway in the capital, but to taste all kinds of food, you often have to go all over the capital."
"And now, all the delicacies in the world can be found in this corner of the world. In addition, there may be future imperial chefs among these chefs. Who wouldn't be willing to taste in advance the exquisite delicacies that only the emperor can taste in the future?"
Such explicit words, if replaced by a Taoist gentleman, would definitely stand up and denounce Zhang Shou for even using the emperor and father as a selling point. However, Yue Shanzhang listened attentively, and did not seem to be embarrassed or unnatural to ask for advice from a young and inexperienced person. Instead, he nodded slightly.
"Everyone in the world has a desire to seek novelty and to gather together to join in the fun, and Dr. Zhang really grasped this very well."
At this moment, although several old nobles including Huaiqing Hou Zhang Jingzhou were drinking and eating, the drinkers did not notice the wine dripping on their lapels, while the eaters were moving their chopsticks back and forth in the empty plates, and they were all listening attentively to Zhang Shou's words.
Especially Zhang Jingzhou and Zhang Qiong, their sons changed a lot under Zhang Shou's leadership, but these two fathers didn't know much about Zhang Shou, so they naturally wanted to take this opportunity to explore more about this young man who had suddenly risen.
When Zhang Shou saw that Shanzhang Yue had no intention of questioning anything, he continued speaking calmly.
"This piece of desolate land outside the city was originally intended to be used as a manor by a noble, but the plan changed later, so it has been idle for many years."
"I heard that after the selection of the imperial chef, he first generously lent the newly renovated building of Xinglong Tea House, and then generously took out the nearby plots of land. In this way, a plot of land was built with Xinglong Tea House as the center, and several horizontal and vertical alleys and small streets as auxiliary. In other places in the capital, even in the outer city, there is probably no such continuous land."
As soon as he said this, Shanzhang Yue realized that if Zhang Shou's words were taken to other places, it would be difficult to succeed unless there was strong support from landlords or the richest man who owned large tracts of land in the local center or even in the suburbs. Moreover, there was no figure with such high appeal as the emperor in the local area. As for using prostitutes to attract customers, what was the difference between that and going to the red-light district?
So he took a deep breath thoughtfully, and then said to himself: "I think I understand."
"Because the Imperial Chef Selection Competition is an opportunity for chefs from all provinces and prefectures to win glory and add luster. In other words, it is an opportunity for all places to become famous in front of the emperor, so they will naturally do their best to participate and strive for the best ranking. And the results of the selection are not just in the hands of one or two people, but many people will also be invited to participate in the judging, so the participation of the people is very high."
He is indeed a true celebrity in charge of a large academy, and he can see the key points at a glance.
Zhang Shou nodded with a smile: "Indeed, that's why many people linger here, hoping to be lucky enough to be selected as a civilian judge for a certain round of competitions, to be able to sit in this Xinglong Teahouse and share a floor with dignitaries, which will be a great topic of conversation in the future."
Yue Shanzhang did not relax at all and immediately asked, "Small vendors have low costs and can do business with just a small cart. They can make money by setting a lower price. But so many guild halls and restaurants are gathered here and they enjoy doing so. I think they are also trying to win over potential civilian judges? Dr. Zhang, aren't you afraid that cheating will eventually become a trend?"
“It is impossible to cheat because the number of civilian judges will never exceed half, and most of the time they only account for 40% of the total number. What’s more, the selection of these people is completely random. It’s not that you will be chosen if you come every day, and it’s not that you will not be chosen if you never come.” Zhang Shou smiled, but did not explain the specific method. Instead, he suddenly changed the subject.
"As for what you said about winning over, Master Yue, why do you have to say it so harshly? This should be called operation. If you want to send your own chef to the imperial kitchen, whether it is the guild hall or the old building restaurant, you should spend money to promote it. But when the food is displayed and promoted, people will naturally flock to watch the fun. These people are potential supporters."
"Even if not everyone has money and time, as long as a few people give positive reviews after trying the food, naturally there will be people who will try it out of herd mentality. In this way, buying and selling, it is like still water flowing. You are not giving it away for free, and while I encourage everyone to sell small portions of food, I also encourage merchants from all over the country to display and sell their specialties here..."
Zhang Shou spoke calmly about the simple truth that the catering industry brings in people, people attract businesses, and businesses attract more people. He also emphasized that consumption drives each other, so near the Xinglong Tea House, it is not just a matter of zoning, but a matter of mixed operations.
When he said that the consumption here is divided into various levels, so most Beijing citizens and even outsiders can afford it, and some people even regard this place as the best place to relieve boredom and fatigue and linger here, he laughed.
"Food is the most important thing for the people. Now even the emperor has come in person. Regardless of whether the emperor will come again in the next few selections, I hope that the emperor can spare no effort to restore the reputation of this place. In this way, even if the imperial chef selection competition comes to an end temporarily in the future, this place will become a new landmark in the capital."
"After all, this originally desolate place has attracted countless vendors who flocked here for business opportunities. A large number of people in the outer city have found jobs here. And because farmers need a large amount of vegetables, fruits and meat here, the transactions in the nearby vegetable market have doubled. The food from overseas is so novel that a vegetable garden nearby has even been repeatedly robbed..."
"The prosperity of a region can not only drive the flow of people to the region and enable people working and living in the region to earn more money, but it can also drive other areas. And how big this driving effect is requires precise calculation. I hope that once the students of Jiuzhang Hall have completed their studies, they will select the best ones to calculate these problems specifically."
"For example, after the imperial chef selection competition was held at Xinglong Tea House, how was the flow of people around here compared to usual days? How was the flow of people trading on the vegetable market street? How many more people were there in the shops around here than in other shops? How was the growth in the number of people doing business? Do people tend to just shop and eat, or do they buy other things while eating?"
Zhang Shou casually listed a dozen questions, enough to form a page of questionnaire. Such a novel way of looking at the problem naturally made other people have different expressions. Several old nobles who consciously watched from the sidelines looked at each other, and they all felt that the son-in-law of Zhao Guogong had so many ideas... If it was sixteen or seventeen years earlier, maybe the emperor would be so excited that he would keep him in the palace and sleep with his feet together!
At that time, the emperor had just taken power and was full of vigor and vitality. He really disliked all the civil servants in the court! If it weren't for the joint efforts of the elders to suppress them, the emperor would have promoted many ambitious young people... and who knows what would happen!
The current emperor, even though he was extremely tempted, just smiled and took a sip of tea. He ignored the fourth prince who was desperately poking him in the back, clearly hoping that he would agree to Zhang Shou's proposal, and instead quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind.
It was easy to agree to such a thing... He also wanted to agree, anyway, this piece of land was his, but now it was not publicized. Except for Zhang Shou and a few others, only Liu Zhiyuan knew it. All the other messy speculations about the owner of this land were blocked by Weinan Bo Zhang Kang who stood in the front.
But if he really agreed to Zhang Shou and wrote another inscription in large characters outside the Xinglong Tea House, plus his personal presence today, with the presence of cabinet elders like Kong Daxueshi and Zhang Yu, as well as ministers of the central government and even the censors, there would really be a big commotion.
Seeing that the emperor was obviously hesitating, Zhang Shou immediately glanced at Lu Wan opposite him. "Father Lu, it's your turn!"
At this time, Lu Wan, who knew his mission before coming, immediately said sincerely: "Your Majesty, since the opening of this imperial chef selection competition, all the profits from sales and rentals have been donated to the public school. However, now the public school is opened in the inner city, and most of the people who can come to study are the people of the inner city, and it has not benefited the outer city. I hope to establish a public school in the outer city as well."
This former Minister of War now acted like a leader in public welfare education, and spoke with great force and enthusiasm.
"Business in this area is booming, attracting countless merchants and vendors, but their children are inevitably left behind. Some children are left at home and scattered on the streets, while others are brought here and play in front of steaming stoves. Although the flower-shooting party in the outer city has temporarily stopped due to the fall of Wang Si, the tyrant in the south city, it is not a long-term solution after all. Although the court has repeatedly ordered that children of school age be sent to community schools, the number of community schools in the capital is less than that in the countryside."
"I have already thought about it before. The public school will have three levels: preschool, primary school, and middle school. Preschool is two years, primary school is three years, and middle school is three years. As for those who are over 15 years old and willing to learn a skill, whether they can read or not, they can be admitted to the special vocational school class."
"I have already chosen a good piece of land near the Xinglong Tea House to build a school. I beg the emperor to grant me a plaque!"
