Seeing that the Chinese New Year is approaching, this is the first Spring Festival after the founding of the New Army, and Li Buqi wants to stay in Chunze to spend the New Year in Chunze to enhance his relationship with the soldiers of the New Army and the people at the test site, so that he can have a firmer grasp of the New Army and the test site. But it could not give the emperor the impression that he was in harmony with the soldiers. Therefore, the emperor asked Li Buqi to participate in the banquet on Yuan Xi, and Li Buqi had to go back to Beijing in person to pay New Year's greetings to the emperor in advance, and at the same time explain to the emperor his intention of staying in the barracks. Moreover, Li Buqi also had one thing to think of asking Fan Dawenhao in person.

Because of this incident, Li Buqi became more and more incomprehensible to this Fan Da writer.

As Li Buqi expected, Zhao Zhen was really curious that he would not go home for the New Year but stay in the barracks. Li Buqi explained it like this: "Your Majesty, there are no teahouses and wine shops in Chunzejian, there are no tiles, and there are even very few people, if it were an ordinary forbidden army, I am afraid that it would not be able to stay there for a long time." These more than 600 strong-blooded men have no family around them, and there is no entertainment, does Your Majesty know that they have not made trouble for more than half a year? ”

When Li Buqi said this, Zhao Zhen was also curious: "Why is this?" ”

Li Buqi said: "It is because the daily heavy training exhausts their energy, and they have no time or heart to think about anything else. But during the Chinese New Year, they should take a few days off, both from the perspective of human favor and reason, and then they will have time to think about things that they don't have time to think about on weekdays. This is the time when things are most likely to happen. ”

Zhao Zhen's biggest headache was the mutiny, and he immediately said: "I see." So are you going to stay there for bounce pressing? ”

Li Buqi said: "Bullet pressure is not the solution, it is better to find something for them to do." It's good to let them connect emotionally. ”

He also deliberately said to Zhao Zhen: "In fact, the first time the minister was in charge of the army, there was always something unexpected, so the minister asked Li Gemen and Wang and Ge to stay, and if there was any accident, it was good to discuss." ”

Oh, all four of them stayed. Then there are three people who are installed by the emperor, and the emperor is relieved. also praised Li Buqi heavily, and sent the reward of the New Year's Festival to Li Buqi in advance.

This year, because of the profit support of the glass workshop, the emperor was not too sad this year, and he rewarded Li Bu with ten Shu brocades at once.

It was still early to come out of the interior, Fan Zhongyan should still be in the central office, Li Buqi rushed home to arrange gifts to familiar families, and he also had to look at the dealings and distribution of New Year's festivals everywhere. Lu Xiaopang has already drawn up a list of these things, Li Buqi only made a slight adjustment, added some more to the backbone personnel everywhere, and added some to the anointing fire of several gentlemen of Yixue, especially the treatment of a group of brothers and the treasurers of several industries must be approved by him personally.

When he was discussing this matter with Lu Xiaopang, Feng Da, who was guarding the door at home, came in and reported that someone had come to give gifts, and when he took the post, he saw that it was Cui Wangxi. This person Li Buqi didn't know, but Lu Xiaopang had some impressions, as if he was a famous cloth merchant, but he had never dealt with him.

Now that Li Buqi can give gifts to a small official with no grade, and the gifts are rich, you can't be too arrogant, and immediately order to invite in to serve tea. This shows that the problem of the small courtyard is coming, and there is no extra place to entertain guests, so I have to invite to the hall. As soon as people came in, Li Buqi was shocked - this is a mountain of meat, and even the sun was blocked when he entered the door.

This big fat man was saluting Li Buqi with the support of the servant, but seeing that this man's big belly really made him unable to bend down, Li Buqi hurriedly asked him to sit down.

"In Xia Cui Wangxi, he is a cloth merchant, he has heard the name of the official for a long time, and he is not presumptuous, he disturbs the official, and hopes that the official will forgive his sins." The big fat man leaned over and said.

Li Buqi said: "I am just a petty official, Your Excellency does not need to be so polite. It's just that I met Your Excellency for the first time, and Your Excellency gave me such a valuable gift, which really made me ......."

Before Li Buqi finished speaking, Cui Wangxi preemptively said: "Although the official doesn't recognize him, he really admires the official's name for a long time, and the official has a great favor to me, and giving this little gift is just a gesture of gratitude." ”

"Am I gracious to you? Where does this begin? Li Buqi was confused.

"Didn't the officials get on a copy of "Please Support Industry and Commerce"? That's what a businessman like me is all about. The fat man said sincerely.

"But it's useless. It is said that it has been given no. ”

"Although the advice of the officials was not adopted in the end, it was like a long drought for us businessmen. Officials can know that our businessmen have been looked down upon in all dynasties, and they are all silverfish of the country. is like this, only you know how much you have cried for this family business, and even earned it after nine deaths. But in the eyes of outsiders, since I have this business, I must rely on clever means of robbery, and I have a hard time arguing. Even the children in the family are looked down upon by their classmates. ”

"The officials don't know, I feel bitter for this matter. I have suffered since I was a child, I am hungry and afraid, I love to eat and drink when I have money, and when I am depressed, I will eat a big meal, and I will become like this. But the official's recital made it clear where the merchant's money came from, and we all felt like we had been empowered. I was also comfortable and willing to be a director, so I ate less. Since I read the official's recital, I have lost thirty pounds of fat. Aren't officials gracious to me? ”

Uh, my recitals can still help people lose weight? Li Buqi was also speechless.

Cui Wangxi continued: "The official is really a wise person. There are also many talented people in our businessmen, but no one has ever been able to explain this truth clearly. If it weren't for the officials, we don't know how many years we would have been kept in the dark. ”

Li Buqi had no choice but to say: "I went to that book for the sake of the country's prosperity and people's strength, if you think it is good for you, it is also an unintentional move, Your Excellency does not have to thank me." ”

Cui Wangxi said: "The official is really a downright person. It's just that the officials don't want to accept the gift because they dislike my identity as a white businessman, right? ”

"Where, where. It's just that it's useless. Li didn't give up, and he was in a hurry.

After some excuses, Li Buqi said that he could accept a few gifts, but the valuable ones were still for Cui Wangxi to take back. Cui Wangxi is a person who can look at the eyes, so he doesn't insist. But he said: "Official, I don't know something, I don't know if I can ask the instructor?" ”

"Please."

"Hmm. I heard that the officials planted a lot of grass and cotton in Zhuangzi outside the city this year, but I don't know what it was used for? ”

"This man has such a keen sense of smell." Li Buqi couldn't help but glance at this fat man. Since this fat man sells cloth, then selling cotton is also the right way. The royal shop stewards were either eunuchs or petty officials with grace, and their relationships were intricate, and a lot of profits were lost in the process of their hands. Therefore, in fact, Li Buqi has been thinking about diversifying the sales channels of goods. What's more, building your own sales network is also a process of accumulating contacts.

So Li Buqi didn't intend to hide it from Cui Wangxi: "Your Excellency is a person with a heart. I am going to make winter clothes out of cotton from grass and cotton. ”

Cui Wangxi had thought about various possibilities before he came, but he didn't expect Li Buqi to be so angry. He hurriedly said: "There are some difficulties in making winter clothes with this grass and cotton. One is that it is too labor-intensive to remove cottonseeds, and the other is that there may not be silk cotton to keep warm. Therefore, although there are also those who use straw cotton for winter clothes, there are not many people who use them, and those who make winter clothes are mainly silk cotton, and there are also those who use kapok, but it is rare grass cotton. ”

At this time, Li Buqi showed domineering: "I know what you said, but I have a way to solve these two difficulties." ”

Cui Wangxi's eyes suddenly opened alive. Li Buqi continued: "This promotion of grass and cotton is a way to make money, but it is also a major event related to the clothing of the people in the world. I have the heart to find more capable and powerful people to do it. To tell you the truth, next year and the year after tomorrow, this grass cotton should make money. ”