At the door of the small courtyard behind Meixiang Building, Shi Qin flashed a pair of big eyes and asked He Ziming, who was looking sad, "Brother He, do I owe you money?" ”

"Huh?" He Ziming was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly replied, "I don't owe it!" ”

"Then why do you have a look on your face that I owe you money?" Shiqin said with a wrinkled nose.

"Ahem!" He Ziming was almost choked by himself, and said with a bitter face for a long time, "My son-in-law is a very busy person, and there are many important things waiting for him to do, but since Miss Yuwen came back, he has been running here twice in three days. I'm worried about being ...... If the old lady finds out, she will punish the son! ”

Shiqin wrinkled her nose and said, "Hmph, are you afraid of being discovered by your young lady?" What else to say about the old lady. ”

"Huh? How do you know? He Ziming asked in surprise.

Shi Qin smiled and said, "Brother He, you won't lie, your face will turn red when you tell a lie." ”

"Huh? Is it? He Ziming's face turned even redder.

"I really didn't expect you to blush more easily than us girls!" Shiqin said with a happy smile.

He Ziming also laughed innocently.

Actually, today He Ziming really wronged Li Guanqi a little, since the last time he was fortunate enough to have a double feiyan addiction, Li Guanqi is indeed a taste of the marrow, and he runs here every once in a while, but today he is really here for business.

At this moment, in Liu Hanyan's room, the table was full of thick ledgers, and Yuwen Xiyue was reporting the accounts of various brothels and carriage and horse shops under the Intelligence Department one by one, and finally said: "Up to now, the Intelligence Department can call a total of more than 1.1 million taels of cash. ”

Li Guanqi nodded and said, "In a year and a half, the wealth of the Intelligence Department has more than increased tenfold, which is a good job. However, there will be more and more places to use money in the future. Moreover, before that, the Intelligence Department was mainly aimed at domestic forces, and there were relatively few foreign forces, so I want you to stretch your tentacles outward! ”

Liu Hanyan said: "Your Majesty means. Take advantage of the opportunity of foreign trade to sow the seeds of the Intelligence Division? ”

Li Guanqi glanced at her approvingly and said, "Not bad! The neighboring countries have always been eyeing our cadres, and doing a good job in their intelligence work is a very important matter. Moreover, from the point of view of money, where is the pleasure of earning foreign money from a big cadre? What's more, the silk and porcelain of my Daqian are very profitable in foreign trade. ”

"There is also tea and salt, when I went to Hedong a while ago, I heard that the Turks buy salt and tea almost without bargaining. How much they want, how much they give! Yuwen Xiyue said excitedly.

Li Guanqi shook his head lightly, smiled slightly, and said: "Although tea and salt are very profitable, these two things are military supplies for their nomads, so I will not allow private merchants to sell these two things uncontrollably." ”

"Our intelligence department is not a civilian businessman, and it's not up to you to decide how much the quota is?" Yuwen Xiyue said with a smile.

Li Guanqi waved his hand again and again and said, "Xiyue, you still haven't understood. Sell tea and salt to the Turks. It is equivalent to the Turks selling horses and iron tools to us, which is an act of the enemy. Therefore, this must be controlled by the imperial court, and ordinary merchants can only have a small quota each year. ”

"So what are we going to take?" was counted by Li Guanqi for a while, and Yuwen Xiyue pouted.

Li Guanqi smiled and said, "Luxury! ”

"Luxury? What is that? Liu Hanyan and Yuwen Xiyue asked at the same time.

Li Guanqi walked to the dressing table, picked up a delicately made hairpin, and said: "Jewelry, rouge gouache, wine, etc., these can be, and the more expensive the better!" ”

"Huh? How many people can buy it? Yuwen Xiyue frowned again.

Li Guanqi laughed again. said: "As long as the thing is good, no one will buy it, and the more expensive it is, the more people will buy it." For example, how much silver did you spend on this hairpin, including cigarettes? ”

"It's only twenty taels!" Liu Hanyan didn't know why Li Guanqi asked this, and replied very casually.

"Twenty taels! Twenty taels is enough for an ordinary family to live for a year. There are hairpins for a few dollars of silver, and there are even dozens of hairpins, including cigarettes, why do you have to buy this twenty taels? Li Guanqi continued to ask.

Liu Hanyan's face suddenly turned red, and he lowered his head and said, "Hanyan is wrong!" Smoke should not be greedy for vanity! ”

Li Guanqi smiled and said, "I just used this hairpin as an example, and I didn't say that you were wrong to do this. Twenty taels is a lot of money for ordinary people, but it's nothing to you. Therefore, never be afraid of expensive things, no matter how expensive things are, you don't have to worry about not being able to sell them. Moreover, the profit that can be earned by a hairpin of twenty taels is by no means what a hairpin of one hundred taels of silver can earn. ”

"Got it!" Yuwen Xiyue said with a smile, "It's a pity that you don't go into business." You're a natural profiteer! ”

Li Guanqi laughed and said, "It's a pity that I am the emperor, and the king does not compete with the people for profit, so I have to let you help me make money." As he spoke, he stood up and said, "I've got to go, I just remembered a good thing, and if I can make it successfully, it will definitely be a great profit." ”

"Oh? What is that? Again, the child asked at the same time.

"The secret of heaven cannot be revealed, in short, the mountain people have their own clever plans!" Li Guanqi continues to remain mysterious. In fact, he didn't mean to sell it, mainly because he didn't know if he could make what he just thought of.

Li Guanqi thought of "clocks", watches have always been one of the most important luxury goods in later generations, that is, when Western countries just entered China, they also relied on the so-called "self-striking clock" to take the lead in opening the market.

After leaving Mei Xianglou, Li Guanqi went directly to the "Bingjia Research Institute", which brought together the best physics talents and skilled craftsmen in Daqian, and if he wanted to invent clocks, this was undoubtedly the best place to study.

When they heard that Li Guanqi had a new project to do for everyone, Zhao Zheng and Gao Tiangong were very excited, and they were going to convene a meeting immediately.

Li Guanqi hurriedly stopped him and said: "This subject is not used in the military, of course, it is also used in the military, but it is mainly used in civilian use. Therefore, don't call the people who are working on the project, just call some students who are still doing internships. ”

Zhao Zheng glanced at Li Guanqi suspiciously, but still agreed, turned his head and called a few students over. (To be continued......)