Soon after Yun'er's body had fully recovered, Master Gan Lin came. said that there was something for the prince and Yun'er, as well as the Tian guards. What the master said was a big deal, and the prince said, "Master, please tell me, the disciple will do his best to do what you command." ”

Master smiled and said, "This matter is not for Master to do, but for you to complete a very important thing. In other words, an important mission that you must accomplish when you come into this world. If it weren't for this mission, I'm afraid you wouldn't have come to this world. ”

The three of them looked at each other, not understanding what the master was saying at all, but what the master said must be followed: "You say, as long as we can do it, the disciple has nothing to say." "The prince said very simply.

"It's not what you can do, it's beyond your reach. It's something you haven't been exposed to at all, something you haven't done before, but you can do well through learning. Your way is to learn, and you learn from not knowing. Isn't there a saying that 'learn and know'? Don't be afraid of difficulties, no one is born with everything, they all learn. ”

"Master is so right. I ask Master, what are we going to do? ”

"Investigate prices first."

"Tune ...... Surveying prices? What do you do to investigate prices? "The prince really doesn't understand what the master is saying. I am no longer a quartermaster, and I don't have to buy any food, but I still have to investigate prices?

"What you do later, what you have to do is what you say for the teacher, you can't negotiate the price with the teacher, right? Hasn't Huikong already done the matter of investigating prices? It's just that this time it's not about putting food in the most important place, but about what can be used in daily life, including food, clothing, shelter and transportation. Huikong also understood a little bit about this matter, and Mrs. Yun and Tian Guards might be full of chaos. Actually, it's not that complicated, but it doesn't matter, go to the market and ask about the price of life. For example, 'How much is a foot of cotton?' How much is a pound of salt? 'Master is a monk, and he doesn't deal with specific things in the world, so it's just an analogy. You have to know all kinds of prices clearly and record them. Don't ask why, just do it, the more detailed the better. ”

"The disciple obeyed. The disciple has something unclear, that is, Yun'er is a woman, does she also have to investigate the price? ”

"Huikong, you are all disciples of Buddhism, doesn't Buddhism teach everyone to be equal? Is there still sexism? Mrs. Yun is really more exposed to things that are closely related to life than you, she is a woman, so she investigates things related to women. The teacher also said to investigate the price of cotton cloth, isn't this what a woman can do? Mrs. Yun can bring the personal maid who usually serves you, first, she is a companion, and secondly, she can also help ask the price, and if you ask, you must write it down, and it will be useful in the future. ”

The disciple remembered. Is it useful to have a good price for everything that is sold on the street? ”

"No, what the teacher said is related to life, weapons and ammunition are not the content of your investigation, and real estate and land are not the content of your investigation, although some people sell knives and swords, some people sell children, and some women are not the content of your investigation."

"Disciple understood."

"Then you start investigating, and come back in a few days as a teacher."

"Congratulations to Master."

Although I can't fully understand what Master said, I have to do it. The prince told Fu Jin about this, and Fu Jin said, "Since it was ordered by the master, you, your sister, and Tian Guards will do it." But you guys must take good care of your sister, don't lose it? ”

"Look at what you said, it's not like she doesn't know her in the capital at all."

"That's not what the concubine said, my sister is young and beautiful, walking on the street must be attractive, you two men just ask the price, lose her, in case you meet the apprentice, she has no effort at all, the concubine is really not at ease."

The prince smiled secretly: "She hasn't worked yet?" As soon as I raised my hand, I had three pieces of meat missing from my neck. Of course, you can't say this in public, Yun'er will be very beautiful.

"It's very true that you say that, in this way, this king and Liangzi are close to Yun'er is one thing, and then she has to change into men's clothes, and then let her Yu'er Shui'er also change into men's clothes to follow her."

"That's pretty much it. My sister is a boy's character, lively and active, and she ...... million."

"Don't worry, Yun'er is the king's woman, can she lose it?"

"You must act together, don't break up the gang."

"You're pretty much the same as grandma. Rest assured. ”

The next day, Wang Ye, Tian Liang, Nalan and Yun'er, Yu'er, Shui'er, three real men, and three fake men went to the street together. Of course, there are several guards who are secretly following, following from afar, they are also wearing civilian clothes, who is the prince? The emperor and his second brother, the prince of the Qing Dynasty, who is under one person and above ten thousand, must not make the slightest mistake.

Yun'er and Yu'er, who rarely get out of the house, were like birds out of the cage, and they almost cheered.

After leaving the house, the prince and Tian Liang talked about the street south of Nanwaifu, and first asked about firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea. Yun'er was in charge of recording, and Yu'er Shui'er waited with pen and ink.

The pen I took in the last survey was a charcoal pen invented by Zhao Yong, which was relatively primitive and rough. The prince instructed Tian Liang to make a more delicate charcoal according to Zhao Yong's path, and instructed Yu'er Shui'er to use rice paper to make a slightly thicker rice paper, and cut the order. It's easier to use this way.

The three men came forward to ask for the price, and naturally Nalan and Tian Liang came forward. Nalan is okay to say, he is usually cheerful, he is not ashamed to speak, but he doesn't know much. Tian Liang is literate, introverted, doesn't like to talk, and usually speaks little. The prince said to Tian Liang and Nalan: "You two ask separately, and you can save a little time." Either Tian Liang asks about something, Nalan records. ”

Nalan was about to cry because of the rarity: "The prince, the prince, the words recognized by the subordinates don't add up to a liter, and those who forget to write are still ......"

"Negotiate the price with this king? Why don't you usually think about recognizing a few more words? Those who are talents are not born to read, right? Tian Liang's personality is a little dull, and he must strengthen his experience. It's still the two of you, the cloud master and the fish record, and the water waits for the pen and ink. “

They all thought that Tian Liang was dull and his expression skills might be very poor, but in fact, Tian Liang was not ashamed to open his mouth, but when he was cultivating in the mountains, no one talked to him except his Taoist master. Therefore, the matter of asking the price did not flinch at all, and the prince asked with a look:

"Shopkeeper, how much is your rice?"

"This guest officer, the rice is two cents and one liter."

I asked about rice and noodles, and then about oil, eggs, salt, sauce, vegetables, fruits, spices, silk, cotton, and so on. I don't know if I don't ask, but I was shocked when I asked. Only then did the prince know the distance between himself and the common people.

The prince was born with a golden spoon in his mouth, and even when he arrived at the temple, he never worried about firewood, rice, oil and salt, because he was not responsible for this. When you become a prince, a brother, a general, and a prince are far away from these things of people's livelihood, and a year's salary is 10,000 taels of silver and 10,000 Hulu rice. There is also a portion of the prince of the world, 6,000 carts of silver, 6,000 Hulu rice, and the harvest of the Zhuangzi. You don't need to know that.

After asking, I learned that the silk of the Qing Dynasty was 1 foot 18 wen yuan (silk is the general term for silk fabrics); Silk 60 Wen 1 foot (silk fabric is a plain weave, light texture, tough and crisp flat, common Tianxiang silk, sieve silk, etc.) Tianxiang silk can be used as women's clothing, children's clothing, etc., easy to fluff, should not be washed more); Hang Aya 100 Wen 1 foot (Aya is a traditional Chinese silk fabric with twill flowers on the twilled ground, which was developed on the basis of Qi. Smooth and soft, light and thin texture, it is used for the production of calligraphy and painting mounting, shirts and pajamas. According to the raw materials, silk silk is divided into pure silk fabrics, synthetic fiber fabrics and interwoven products. The common ones are flower vegetarian aya, wide silk, interwoven silk, cotton silk, etc.). The silk of the Shunzhi era was 50 to 100 wen per foot, and 5 taels to 10 taels per horse. The format of textiles is generally very narrow, about 60 centimeters, that is, 1 foot 8 inches, a robe costs 21 feet, according to the cheapest price per foot 18 yuan, not counting handiwork, the fabric costs 378 yuan. Cotton cloth is 15 to 17 wen per foot, and cotton is 50 to 80 wen per catty. If a man wears two clothes a year, he will get one tael of silver.

Although the three princes didn't know what the master asked him to investigate these things for, especially the prince, he thought that the master felt that he was too high and didn't understand the people's sufferings at all. However, through this kind of investigation, I really have an understanding of the economic situation of the Qing Dynasty, and I also understand a little bit about the suffering of the people: a family of five, in the environment of the capital, how can I get two taels of silver for a month's expenses.

Master didn't say exactly what range of prices he wanted to investigate, but he talked about daily life. The prince's understanding is that firewood, rice, oil, salt, cloth and cotton. I know better than anyone else how to frame Yun'er with ayako, but I don't know how to use ayako to make shirts and pajamas. I know a little bit about brocade and cotton, because I learned how to cut with my mother.

The group of five people asked what they saw, and they scared the sellers enough. I thought my price was wrong.

Yu'er and Shui'er are two followers, but they sometimes take the initiative to inquire and write them down.

"This gentleman, what do you mean by asking prices from door to door?" Finally, someone couldn't hold his breath anymore and challenged the prince, "Which yamen are you the uncle?" What do you do by asking about these? I don't even buy ...... just asking."

The prince was not angry: "Does someone buy your things without even asking the price?" ”

"Of course I asked, but I can't ask everything for what to buy, right?"

"Does someone stipulate that if you don't buy something, you can't ask for a price?"

"This ......"

"What are you afraid of? Is it two pounds less or is it shrinking? ”

"No, I don't do that kind of thing."

"Then what are you afraid of?"

"Don't you have to buy and sell too?" The man's attitude was much better.

The prince smiled: "Do you think that these few of us are materials for trading?" Not everyone has this talent. ”

The man may have been a shopkeeper, and when he heard this, he became happy: "Hey, this master, you don't see that your party is not a businessman, it must be an adult in some yamen." ”

"I'm not an official, and I don't work in the yamen."

"Then you must have come from the south and brought your son and daughter to the capital for sightseeing."

The prince shook his head. The heart said, "This one's eyes are not very good."

Tian Liang and Yu'er have been married for several years and even have children, but the two are still very restrained, and they don't talk when they walk together, like strangers. Yun'er and Wang Ye are different, and they can find an opportunity to speak. Yun'er's attention was very distracted, she wanted to see everything, and the candy blower's stall had to stand for a while and ask for a price. But she didn't want to buy it at all, and when she thought that the candy man was blown out of the human mouth, and then ate it in the mouth of another person, she wanted to grin her teeth.

The prince spoke: "Go home!" ”

Yun'er's reaction was fast, and she was the first to climb into the carriage that followed behind, and put a big word on the car: "I'm tired!" ”

The prince and Yun'er sat in a car, and Yun'er put her head on the prince's lap and slept all the way to the door of the mansion.

The prince was very distressed when he saw Yun'er's tired appearance, and he wanted to hold her in his arms so that she could sleep well. However, he can't.

It was a middle-aged handlebar who had been on an errand for many years in the house to catch the car for the prince, and he was very honest and didn't say a word.

The other car was Tian Liang driving the car, Nalan was sitting side by side with him on the wheel, and Yu'er Shui was in the car. They rarely come out to relax like this, and they are very excited after a tiring day. Shui'er said, "Sister Yu'er, did you see the sachet on that stall?" Before April, the sachets for the Dragon Boat Festival are ready. It's so good-looking! Hey, your eldest brother Tian usually doesn't like to talk, I really don't know if he is eloquent. ”

Tian Liang said outside the car: "It's the first time I've heard that I have eloquence, the prince took us out to ask the price, can you let the prince ask?" You're all women, don't you have to ask me and Nalan? ”

Yu'er said, "We also asked for the master." But Xianggong, what did he do when he asked the price and wrote it down? ”

"I don't know, I always feel like it's not easy. How could Master ask the prince to investigate prices?

"yes, it's weird."

After returning home, I sorted and copied the prices of the inquired about, including cloth and food, which were divided into vegetables, meat and eggs, spices and other items, as well as cultural supplies, including the pen, ink, paper, inkstone of the four treasures of the study and the paint, felt, pen washing, etc., the food category was more complicated, and even pickles and pickled eggs were asked. Yun'er also passed by a ready-to-wear shop and asked about the price of men's and women's ready-to-wear, the price of shoes and socks, and the price of various hats.

The fish also asked the price of the sachet, purse, head rope, yarn flower, and fat powder head oil on the stall, and the price of these things depends on the quality of the goods. After copying, it is placed in a wooden box.