From the Xuan Pavilion to the chef's kitchen, to the shopkeeper, all of them knew Baili Yan, and they all came suddenly, and they were all flattered:

"Yo, the arrival of the Hou Ye is far away, I hope the Hou Ye will forgive the sins." The shopkeeper greeted him diligently, full of sycophants.

"Arrange a secluded private room for Benhou, serve pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and order four xiaolongbao and two bowls of tofu soup."

"Okay, I'll order someone to prepare immediately, Hou Ye upstairs, please."

A few years ago, xiaolongbao was still the secret dim sum of the Hou Mansion and the Ouchi, and in recent years, the palace and the Hou Mansion will make more cooks, so the class has trained a group of cooks from the Xuan Pavilion to make fancy dim sum.

In the past 20 years, there have been more than 200 kinds of snacks, snacks and dishes from Bailiyan's hands, which has greatly enriched the current food consumption.

After the realization of large-scale breeding and private breeding of agricultural and sideline foods, the supply-demand relationship with the city as the consumer market has been basically formed, and the city has consumed a large number of meat products, which has stimulated the radiation of the aquaculture industry to the county and village level, and after solving the grain problem, the rapid development of non-staple food is the inevitable result.

The shopkeeper arranged the northernmost private room on the top floor, which is usually closed to the public because you can peep into the palace with a telescope.

Baili Yan and Wei Qijing took their seats, and the aroma of oranges came to their nostrils. It was the shopkeeper who lit the steamer.

"Shopkeeper, do you still use perfume in the Xuanting Pavilion?"

"Yes, now the dining is specially set up for women's rooms, and steaming some perfume is quite popular with some women."

"Is there an additional charge?"

"Generally, there is a package fee for private rooms, which are all included in it."

"Oh...... I see. ”

Bailiyan suddenly realized, this is obviously forced consumption.

But all those who can come to the Xuan Pavilion to dine are high-ranking officials and nobles, after the social atmosphere is further relaxed, there are more opportunities for women to show their heads, especially in the new generation of women studying in the school, the idea of imprisonment for thousands of years has been loosened under the impact of education, and the bold ones dare to show their heads, and one or two have formed a demonstration effect after becoming a trend, and gradually radiate to the entire middle and upper class.

As the main raw material for producing aroma, spices are very expensive, whether they are plant spices or animal spices, they are not easy to come by.

At the same time, thanks to the industrial production of alkali and the large harvest of soybeans, rape, coconut oil, and animal fat, the price of soap has fallen sharply, and the transaction is not limited to gold and silver.

On the one hand, to promote the production of preserved fruits, enrich food, promote the cultivation and development of cash crops, and increase the income of farmers and localities, on the other hand, the peels and flowers produced by preserved fruits are extracted from aromatic essential oils through high-temperature distillation.

Preserved fruit can not only supply the market for consumption, but also as a high-sugar calorie food, the shelf life is also long, and it is not a big problem to store for a year and a half.

The peel is a by-product of fruit products, can it be used as fertilizer, and can also be used to make essential oils. After obtaining essential oils, Bailiyan launched bath soaps, and planned to invest in workshops to produce preserved fruits and essential oils in melon and fruit producing areas across the country.

After several years of development, there are as many as 23 varieties of natural floral and fruit perfume essential oils, and even the sawdust of Yongxing Woodworking Workshop Rosewood can also obtain sesame oil through distillation, and the price is expensive, and the fumigation furnace supporting it has also become popular.

Don't look at the fragrance of flowers in the house, in fact, as long as a small amount of essential oil drops are heated in water, it is easy to create a rich fragrance, and Xuan Tingguan counts it in the room price to force consumption, and unconsciously earns an additional fee, and also promotes the consumption of perfume.

The way of the economy lies in vitality and innovation, and if we grasp the scale within the general principle, everything is fine, but if we go out of line, sharpen our heads and go crooked, it is a crime. Rising to the national level, it is war.

When I was young, the shopkeeper personally sent xiaolongbao and tofu soup, and the overflowing vinegar fragrance made people appetite greater.

When the shopkeeper retreated, the guards closed the door of the private room from the outside, Wei Qi couldn't wait to reach out to take the chopsticks, saw Baili Yan stretching paper and pen, and held his temperament and waited.

"Master Hou, is this a letter?"

"You eat first, and after eating, send this letter to Yongxing City immediately and hand it over to the head of the Ligong faction, and the head of Duan is not in the hands of the master of the left and right sects of the Ligong faction or Mr. Zongbo or Mr. Zhao, and must not pass through the hands of others.

Remember, after this letter is handed over, wait for a few days in Yongxing City, and be sure to wait for a reply from the Gang Workers before coming back to me. ”

"Yes!"

The process of boiling and dyeing the golden ginseng has yet to be perfected, and a feasible method must be found as soon as possible to persuade the Manchu Dynasty to give an explanation to the King of Xian. The specific idea is that the details still need to be improved and quantified in the process workshop.

After writing the letter and reading it to confirm that it was correct, Bai Liyan sealed it and handed it to Wei Qi:

"Put it away."

"Hmm."

Taking the letter and putting it in his arms, Wei Qi said while eating:

"Master Hou, there has always been something that my subordinates have never figured out, and I still want to tell Master Hou when I think about it."

"Oh, why haven't you figured it out for so long, let's come to Ben Hou to listen."

"My subordinates remembered that it was unfair for God to endure hardship and poverty at that time, but then I felt that if I had hands, I could support myself. But now I feel that the imperial court has always controlled the taxes, money and grain, and the people still can't take care of themselves, and leave all their own harvests to themselves. ”

"Hehe......" Bai Liyan smiled noncommittally, this question is obviously beyond the real background, it is a complex political and philosophical issue. After thinking for a while, he said: "Then let me ask you, everyone does not pay taxes, the state does not collect money and food, do you still need to support the army?" ”

"The army can be self-sufficient in farming and animal husbandry, isn't it."

"Where did the armours and weapons of the army come from, and the state treasury should not be used to pay the people's taxes. According to what you said, the army raises itself, and each army makes its own ordnance, and how can such an army be controlled by the king, and when it rebels, it will not harm the people. Taking a step back, the Jin Xuedi people came to attack, and the army lacked money and food, and the armor was not ready, so it was impossible to fight.

Where does the money, grain, and baggage required for the war require a large amount of people and animal power?

In other words, the country will build water conservancy and widen roads, build cities and build schools, all of which will not require tax expenditures. ”

"But the world is so chaotic, the people can support themselves by themselves, but the princes go back and forth to attack and kill only for the land and false name, regardless of the life and death of the people. If everyone does not pay taxes, how can the countries have money, food, and mercenaries to start wars? ”

"Alas......"

Bai Liyan sighed, stopped the chopsticks in his hand thoughtfully, Wei Qi was puzzled, and asked:

"Why is Master Hou sighing?"

"You, you, the few pieces of bread that were given to you back then made you stupid."

"Without Hou Ye, Wei Qi is not stupid." Wei Qi shook his head in denial.

"There are some things that you can't think about at your age and right now. There is nothing wrong with what you asked today, but you should remember that all the good things in the world must be held on to and fought for, and for the sake of a peaceful life, sometimes you need to pay for it with blood and life, just as the common people will rise up to resist in the face of tyranny in order to make a living.

But everything has a scale and a bottom line, within which is survival, and beyond this is death. In order to maintain this bottom line and scale, the state needs to collect taxes, and the people also pay taxes to the state for a bottom line and scale. ”

"I don't understand."

Wei Qi said frankly, Bai Liyan didn't blame him:

"That's right if you don't understand, if you understand now, sooner or later you will be in prison. I remember talking to Jiang Jie back then, and I will send this to you today. But whatever is in the tongue is your own, and what is outside the tongue is someone else's, and all the causes of misfortune come from the mouth. ”

"Understood, subordinates keep it in mind."

"Just remember, you have to go to Jiang Jie to ask for teaching, he is in Yongxing City, and the lecture martial arts hall has compiled a lot of good books over the years, you have time to read more."

Bai Liyan doesn't know whether Wei Qi has been brainwashed by the Black Turban Army since he was a child, or whether it is a sense of happiness out of thin air caused by the environmental gap, Wei Qi's advanced consciousness in the past two years is more like a utopia, which can be regarded as a family of philosophical schools, and will never be the mainstream thought of the current ruling class.

He had no intention of suppressing the development of ideas, but there must be a yardstick and principle, especially the development of science and technology in the early days, which led to the rapid increase in productive forces, and it was easy for intellectuals at the middle and high levels of society who did not know the suffering of the people to have material illusions.

After using dim sum, he sent Wei Qi to take people to Yongxing, Bai Liyan stayed in the Xuan Pavilion until after noon, led Fei Yu to continue to walk around the street, and when he turned to Liuxiang Street in the west of the city, he saw Bai Lifang and Xu Wei's master and servant figures playing with right and wrong.

Bai Liyan was very angry, and decisively straightened her face:

"Fang'er!"

Bai Lifang was taken aback when she heard the news, and decisively restrained her "arrogant" color, like a mouse seeing a cat, and suddenly became a lot more honest:

"Dad, you didn't go to the court."

"Dad can't go to court, when do you need to ask. Dad asked you, if you don't want to find a serious thing to do, what are you doing in the west of the city. ”

"It's a three-day school holiday, come out for a walk. Dad, you see, this stall is really treacherous, not honest in business, but cheating people. ”

Bai Lifang was busy changing the topic, where did Bai Liyan eat her set, and at this time, the middle-aged man who was setting up a stall on the side was busy shouting injustice:

"Nobleman, you are being wronged."

Bai Liyan asked the middle-aged man in his early thirties for unknown reasons:

"Don't be afraid, brother, where did my child wronged you."

As soon as the words came out, Bailifang's eyes jumped sharply:

"Daddy!"

Bai Liyan glared at him and said in a deep voice:

"Let people finish talking."

Bai Lifang held back her resentment and stepped aside, and Bai Liyan continued to ask:

"Don't worry, this brother, this official will make the decision for you."

"Lord Xie, Lord Xie."

"Then you say, how did this official's child wronged you?"

"That's the case, Xiaomin set up a stall here to sell some ornaments, this son valued an object of Xiaomin and wanted to buy it, but it was damaged by Gongzi, and Gongzi abandoned it and did not sell it, Xiaomin wanted him to lose money, but he didn't give it, and the adult said what the truth is."

As soon as the man's voice fell, Bai Lifang defended:

"Dad, it's clear that he didn't do well, the child broke as soon as he got it in his hands, this is not a pit man."

"Where's the stuff!"

Bailiyan said in a deep voice, Bailifang jumped suddenly, and immediately became much more honest, picked up the ornament from the stall and handed it over.

Bai Liyan took it and took a closer look at it, was taken aback, and hurriedly asked the man:

"You made this?"

"It was made by Xiaomin. Because it's too thin, it's easy to hold. ”

"Nonsense, if it is not a bad texture, how can it be bad when touched!"

Bai Li Fang said strongly, and Bai Li Yan immediately returned the color:

"You have itchy skin, if your mother doesn't discipline you."

"Dad, I don't have an itchy skin. Dad also saw it, the porcelain jar at hand is as thin as paper, where can it be used. ”

"If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense, just stand up."