Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 491: Counterfeiting must be investigated?
"The emperor named it Xinglongfang!"
There was no need for Zhang Shou on the third floor to shout out the good news. As the general manager of the imperial chef selection competition, Lu Sanlang, who was guarding the table at the second floor staircase and always listening attentively, had already announced the news loudly. For a moment, after the initial silence, all the wealthy merchants on the second floor burst into cheers.
In particular, the heads of several guild halls in Yangzhou, Suzhou and other places responded actively from the beginning, and occupied the central location closest to the Xinglong Tea House. They first built a bamboo house, and now they are doing business while building a large-scale project in the back. Later, they also bought shops nearby for local merchants to sell southern specialties. They all felt that this business was really profitable.
They can make a lot of money just by selling these shops!
Although Mr. Hua Si received many congratulations, even those who were twice or even three times his age had to smile and praise him for his wisdom and for seizing a good opportunity, and thus Suzhou Guild Hall became famous, he smiled on his face, but he was still heavy in his heart. Because he saw that the head of Yangzhou Guild Hall was the one who smiled the happiest.
Apart from anything else, Chef Fang from Yangzhou Guild Hall has not only secured a place in the imperial kitchen, but his first dish of noodles is also said to have won the emperor's favor!
When the last few dishes that took the most effort were served, all of them were exquisite in terms of thought and tasted excellent, including the one recommended by the chef of Suzhou Guild Hall, he could not help but sigh from the bottom of his heart. Even if you spend a lot of effort, forgetting that the amount of food that the nobles upstairs, including the emperor, can eat is limited, that is the biggest mistake!
Moreover, when Fourth Master Hua saw Young Master Jiang, who was the first to respond to the call for donations to support education and was now being hailed as the moon by everyone, he felt even worse. He and Young Master Jiang were relatives by marriage, but the one who married Miss Jiang was a cousin of his who was not particularly close. He only knew that Mr. Jiang was capable, but Young Master Jiang was mediocre. Now it seems that who says mediocre people have no chance to rise?
Just at this moment, he heard someone shouting for silence. As the surroundings gradually quieted down, everyone stood up. He realized that it was probably the emperor coming down the stairs. Although he lowered his head respectfully, he kept looking up from the corner of his eyes, and finally he managed to see the group of people coming down.
He saw a handsome young man walking slowly with his hands behind his back behind a young eunuch, looking around with a carefree look. At first glance, he could hardly tell the other person's age. He remembered that the emperor should be about thirty-six or seven, but at this moment, the young man looked no different from a young man of twenty-six or twenty-seven!
Because he lowered his head and dared not look around when the emperor and his entourage went up the stairs just now, he could not completely determine whether that was the current emperor. But when he saw a beautiful girl walking on the right side behind them, talking excitedly, and the handsome and elegant Zhang Shou walking leisurely on the left side behind them, he was sure at once.
Unless he was the emperor, who else could have this couple in the capital known as the immortal couple following him around?
Although Fourth Master Hua wanted to show off himself on this rare occasion, he knew it was just a stupid idea, so he only dared to think about it in his mind. But what he didn't expect was that when he reached the stairs on the second floor, the emperor suddenly stopped and turned around to look at the people behind him.
The emperor looked at the nobles who had been blackmailed by Zhu Ying today, as well as Xie Wanquan and Tang Ming, who seemed to be just visiting and made a guest appearance as judges, and suddenly laughed.
"You guys, either you were ripped off by Yingying today, or you didn't appreciate the food, so you just cowered there like quails, trembling with fear."
He raised the corner of his mouth and said with a smile: "Yingying ripped me off... How about this, Yingying presented me with a very good thing before, I will punish her by giving one to each of you. As for Tang and Xie, let Yingying go to her father's study and pick two ancient books for you, just as a reward for being the judge today."
The five Zhang nobles didn't take being blackmailed by Zhu Ying seriously, and now the emperor asked Zhu Ying for compensation on their behalf, which made them laugh. Huaiqing Marquis Zhang Jingzhou readily agreed, "Fortunately, the emperor has made the decision for us. I will be very tight on money in the next few months, and I have to calm down. I can't do without some compensation to comfort you."
Zhang Qiong, the Earl of Xiangyang, also smiled and said, "Thanks to the emperor for speaking up. I will wait for Yingying's goodies."
Zhang Shou looked at Zhu Ying in surprise. He was just wondering what good thing Zhu Ying presented to the emperor, when he was almost shocked by what the eldest lady said next. Because Zhu Ying immediately shouted: "Your Majesty, that is the rocking chair that Ah Shou made for me. I had a hard time tricking Xiao Guanqiu in his house to secretly make it for you. How can you be so generous to others!"
Miss, aren't you being generous to others? When Zhang Shou was in a state of confusion, Zhu Ying spoke again .
"Your Majesty, you want me to give one to each of the five people, including Marquis Huaiqing and Earl Xiangyang. That's not impossible, but you have to promise me that this is the blueprint drawn by Ah Shou himself. If there are counterfeits in the market in the future, I will punish one for each one, and I will punish two for each two! It's just like in the market, if any bookstore publishes a good book, there will definitely be people who will pirate it. This is also stealing!"
It turns out that Zhu Ying secretly tricked Guan Qiu into making a rocking chair from Zhang Yuan's workshop and gave it to the emperor. Was it actually to prevent piracy?
Zhang Shou only thought that the eldest lady's train of thought was really strange, but when he saw her looking at the emperor seriously and realized that she was serious, he realized that she was protecting him. It seemed that Zhu Ying took his joke seriously. In order to prevent the gift he had given her from becoming countless crude imitations, she actually planned to apply for the emperor's ban!
"Yingying, you don't even know how to behave yourself in public." The emperor pointed at Zhu Ying with both anger and amusement. However, seeing her frank appearance and thinking of Princess Yongping who liked to keep everything to herself, he couldn't help but think to himself, one is too frank and the other is too reserved. Can't these two little girls who were born on the same day of the same month of the same year complement each other a little?
Zhang Qiong and Zhang Jingzhou would be satisfied as long as they were compensated, so they naturally agreed with Zhu Ying. One said that those who were evil should be killed, and the other said that those who copied the version should be investigated. On the contrary, Weinan Earl Zhang Kang laughed and said that the government could not control it, while Linfen Earl and Dingtao Earl were cheering on the side. Xie was at a loss as to what to do, as Tang Ming and Xie Wanquan, who were neither refusing nor willing to do so, were at a loss.
Seeing this, Zhang Shou smiled and explained, "Your Majesty, don't listen to Yingying. Just like the new spinning machine cannot be hidden, the little gadget she presented to you cannot be hidden once it is released. Moreover, even if Your Majesty really issues a ban, it can only apply to the capital. Can you mobilize troops to issue a ban in all the prefectures and cities?"
The emperor nodded happily: "That's right. It's said that it's not that easy to enforce orders! Zhang Shou, you are good. You are not as greedy as Yingying."
Zhu Ying was immediately annoyed, and a "川" character immediately appeared on her smooth forehead: "Your Majesty, how could I be greedy? You are a man who is full and does not know the hunger of a hungry man. Ah Shou started from scratch and spends every penny carefully. How can you let the good things he has worked so hard on be given away to others? He is being polite, others should not take it as a blessing!"
Seeing Zhu Ying glaring at him as she spoke, with a look of disappointment in her, Zhang Shou couldn't help but laugh.
"Yingying, you are being polite when you say I started from scratch. I am actually poor, otherwise I wouldn't have calculated the rent of Zhang Chen and Lu Sanlang. But since the rocking chair is a gift to you, it is yours. Am I so poor that I would sell it for money? Even if I gave one to each of the five people including Huaiqing Hou, I would be able to afford it."
Fourth Master Hua was listening on the side. Although he didn't know what the rocking chair was, why Zhu Ying jumped up like a kitten when the emperor casually mentioned it, and Zhang Shou didn't take it seriously, he was keenly aware that this should be an opportunity he could seize. So, seeing Zhu Ying was unhappy and the emperor watching the fun, he immediately spoke tentatively.
"The rocking chair that Dr. Zhang just mentioned should be different from a spinning wheel. It can't be used for spinning or other production, right?"
Zhang Shou looked over and saw that it was Fourth Master Hua who walked out from the crowd calmly. He smiled and said, "Yes, that's purely for leisure."
"That's right." Fourth Master Hua was more confident and said with a smile, "Since it is not a tool that can produce anything, ordinary people certainly won't have the leisure to buy it and enjoy it. Those who would use this kind of leisure furniture must be middle-class well-off families or even wealthy families."
Feeling that everyone, including the emperor, was looking at him, he continued calmly, "Rich people care about face, and everything must be justified. Especially today, the emperor said that it was presented by Miss Zhu, and Miss Zhu said that it was given by Dr. Zhang. If so, this item was designed by Dr. Zhang, there is no doubt about it."
"As a wealthy family, if you didn't get the blueprints from Dr. Zhang and then hired a skilled craftsman to make it, or if you hired the skilled craftsman that Dr. Zhang used to design and make it, then it would be hard to escape the word of imitation. If it gets out, your reputation will be bad."
"And if they are middle-class well-off families who just want something new, then they don't have any connections and dare not ask Dr. Zhang for help, so naturally the goods will be sold to the ubiquitous craftsmen in the market. After all, they can afford to spend a little money to enjoy a little, so they don't care whether it is a knockoff or not."
The emperor burst into laughter. "Well, it's just a small thing, but you can analyze it so clearly. You are very thoughtful . Those who can sit on the second floor of Xinglong Tea House must be wealthy merchants. Tell me your names."
Mr. Hua Si took the risk to come forward just for the emperor's inquiry. At this moment, he was ecstatic and bowed respectfully and said, "Student Hua Si of Suzhou pays homage to the emperor."
The reason why he calls himself a student is very simple - although Mr. Hua Si is a genuine businessman and has been trained by his grandfather since he was a child, he has at least passed the imperial examination and become a scholar!
The next moment, the emperor suddenly realized and said, "So you are the head of the Hua family, the richest family in Suzhou! Tsk tsk, I have heard of you. Not only is you in charge of the family business at a young age, but you are also a leader in the business world, making a group of people who are one or two times your age look down. No wonder you were able to make those points just now. You even united a group of Suzhou businessmen to promote the construction of Cangzhou Port."
If Fourth Master Hua was inexplicably excited after hearing the emperor's previous praise, then after hearing the last sentence, it was as if a basin of ice water was poured over his head. Not only did he calm down, but he even felt a bit of a chill.
However, the emperor made a subtle reference, and then never mentioned the port building again. He even said to Zhu Ying with great interest, "Yingying, since you think Zhang Shoutai is extravagant, it's up to you to sell the things he gave you. This Suzhou Hua Siye can see through it, so you can work with him. He must know how to make sure no one dares to copy it."
Mr. Hua Si was already a frightened bird. Without waiting for Zhu Ying to agree or refuse, he hurriedly lowered his head and said, "I don't deserve the emperor's praise..."
Before he could finish his words, the emperor did not respond and smiled again, "Lu Sanlang, you did a good job in organizing the imperial chef selection competition. You have worked hard and made great contributions. Next, just follow what your teacher said and reduce the number of people. I have been out for too long today, so I will return to the palace without waiting for your score calculation."
"However, if we talk about the chefs today, their skills are generally pretty good and their ideas are very sophisticated, but the essence of home cooking lies in the word 'home cooking', which is to show the true taste in plainness. The guy named Song behind me has good ideas and skills, but he shot himself in the foot... Never mind, I'll just remember to count him as the last one to advance."
Song Juren had noticed from the beginning that the emperor seemed to be a little disgusted with him. After hearing the emperor's evaluation, he thought that he had no hope of promotion, but he didn't care. But the emperor's second half of the words actually instructed Lu Sanlang to let him advance directly, and he was immediately shocked.
His scalp was numb and he swallowed hard. Just when he was about to speak, Zhang Shou in front of him turned around and gave him a glare. He swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue. Sure enough, he saw Lu Sanlang agreeing without any surprise, and the old people around him who usually wouldn't even dare to think about it actually congratulated him half-heartedly.
That’s not all, Lord Wu even patted him on the shoulder with a smile and said to him... The young are to be feared!
He simply didn't know whether this was a tease, sarcasm, or even a warning!
It was not until they were escorted all the way to the first floor, and saw the emperor boarding the carriage under the protection of everyone, and then the sharp cavalry camps gradually gathered together, guarding the carriage and escorting it away, that Mr. Song felt his knees go weak. If Ah Liu beside him hadn't been quick to pull him up, he would have sat directly on the ground.
At this time, he heard Zhang Shou's words: "Misfortune may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Don't worry."
