It was dawn, but the snow in the sky was still falling, and the whole land had been dyed white.

Hong Chengchou was silent as he looked at the goose feathers and snow falling outside the window, while his little concubine Yingniang was curiously touching the window next to him, and said happily while touching: "Look, sir, this window is also amazing, it is transparent, so that the house no longer needs to be lit during the day!" ”

"Well, this stuff is really good!" Hong Chengchou nodded, when glass was not yet mass-produced and popularized, every winter, every household closed the windows, and there was no ray of sunlight in the house, so that they had to light oil lamps in broad daylight. Although Daming also has glass, but the glass at this time is a rare commodity, naturally no one will use this kind of luxury jewelry as a window, Hong Chengchou didn't expect to be able to see this scene just after living in the Hou Mansion.

It's just that Hong Chengchou didn't think so, he shook his head and said: "Although this thing is good, it is just a strange skill, and it is not of great use to the country and the people, Yingniang, you need to remember." ”

"Oh!" Yingniang, who was originally overjoyed after seeing the glass, responded with some grievances.

Hong Chengchou stroked his beard and shouted in a deep voice: "Someone! ”

As Hong Chengchou's words fell, the burly Hong Antong immediately pushed the door and walked in with his fists and said, "Master, what do you command!" ”

Looking at Hong Antong, who was covered with a layer of snowflakes all over his body, Hong Chengchou said unhappily: "Antong, you are my personal general, not a subordinate who serves tea, why do you keep waiting outside, what if you freeze?" Who will lead the personal soldiers under the command of this official, this kind of thing can be handed over to others, understand? ”

Hong Chengchou's words were very harsh, but he felt warm in his heart when he stopped in Hong Antong's ears. He smiled innocently: "Master, the villain is used to doing these things, and he can't change it for a while, besides, the master always has to have a competent person to serve him, and others are not at ease when they serve the villain." ”

"You!" Hong Chengchou shook his head helplessly. I had to go with him.

At this time, Yingniang on the side came over, pulled Hong Chengchou's arm and said coquettishly: "Master, when the slave was in Beijing, I heard that this mountain northwest road has been thriving under the governance of Marquis Yue over the years, and it can be said that the road is not left behind, and the night is not closed, since we are here, why don't we go out for a walk?" ”

Hong Chengchou stroked his beard and nodded: "Well, Yingniang is right, it's okay today anyway, let's go out for a walk!" Anton. You can arrange it immediately, just bring a few subordinates, don't make those useless pomp! ”

"Yes!" Hong Antong has no objection to Hong Chengchou's words, this is Yueyang's territory, if Yueyang wants to be unfavorable to Hong Chengchou, it is useless for them to bring all the people, but it is despised by bringing too many people.

"Thank you, sir!" Seeing that Hong Chengchou was willing to take him out shopping, Yingniang was so happy that she hurriedly went to change her clothes. looked at Yingniang's happy appearance. Hong Chengchou couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt in his heart, was he a little too harsh on her, after all, she was still a woman less than twenty years old.

However, this feeling was only fleeting in his heart, and soon Hong Chengchou became the governor full of majesty and solemnity.

Then. Hong Antong suddenly remembered something, patted his forehead and said, "By the way, master, the Marquis of Shicai Yue asked someone to send you a gift, but the villain hasn't gotten up yet." I didn't dare to disturb you, and now the villain asked them to send it to you, do you think it? ”

"Gift-giving?" Hong Chengchou's brows furrowed first. Then he quickly unfolded, "That's it, just let them bring it in." ”

"It's sir!"

Soon, a man who looked like a butler walked in, followed by a servant with a tray. The leader saluted Hong Chengchou and said with a smile: "My lord, the villain is the housekeeper of the Hou Mansion, and the villain is called Cao Youqian, this is the Hou Ye ordered the villain to send a small gift to people, and the Hou Ye said, the adult is the governor of the border pass, the pillar of the country, and these things are very suitable for the adult." ”

After speaking, Cao Youqian ordered the servant behind him to step forward and take away the tray of red cloth he was holding in his hand, revealing two things.

"This is ......" Seeing the things on the tray, Hong Chengchou was stunned for a moment, then quickly stepped forward and picked up a black double-barreled thing, and asked with some surprise: "Could this be the rumored ......?"

"Good eyesight, this is a telescope!" Cao Youqian's words were full of pride, "This thing is a treasure purchased by my Hou Ye from the West, and the situation can be observed three to five miles away. ”

Hong Chengchou picked up the binoculars and walked to the window to look out of the window, with a look of surprise in his eyes. In recent years, the monocular clairvoyant has flowed into the Ming Dynasty, and Hong Chengchou, as the governor, will naturally not lack these things, but it is the first time he has seen a binocular, such a clear observation of objects, he has long heard that this Yue Yang is good at using strange tricks, and today he saw that it was so. It would be nice for an ordinary clairvoyant to see the outline of something two miles away, but when he looked at the outside of the house, he could even see the grass swaying in the wind on the wall outside, which had to surprise him.

Cao Youqian picked up another round metal-like thing on the tray, he pressed it lightly, only to hear a soft "pop", and the lid of this object popped open, revealing a white dial and three small black hands. Cao Youqian pointed at them and said proudly: "My lord, please see, the name of this thing is called a pocket watch, which is a timekeeping thing." The smallest hand is called the hour hand, the longer hand is the minute hand, and the longest hand is the second hand. One rotation of the hour hand is six hours, one rotation of the hour hand is half an hour, and one rotation of the second hand is one minute, so adults can count it like this......"

Hong Chengchou is a smart man, after Cao Youqian said it again, he immediately figured out the role of this so-called pocket watch, although his face was still silent, but his heart had already set off stormy waves, the exquisite workmanship of the pocket watch, the telescope that can see four or five miles, this qiē and qiē all show Yueyang's ability. If it is something like glass, Hong Chengchou may still say that it is a strange skill, but things like telescopes and pocket watches Hong Chengchou can't ignore it, how can he not know what kind of effect things like binoculars and pocket watches will have on the battlefield if they are as popular!

After taking a deep breath, Hong Chengchou handed the things in his hand to Hong Antong on the side, and said to Cao Youqian: "The official has accepted the things, and after you go back, you thank the Marquis Yue for the official." ”

"Yes, the villain must bring the words!" Cao Youqian said respectfully, and then retired.

Looking at the figure of Cao Youqian who disappeared at the door, Hong Chengchou sighed lightly and said: "This loyal and brave marquis, this official is becoming more and more unable to understand him. ”

Hong Antong, who was on the side, looked at the two things in his hand, his eyes were about to pop out, and he stammered: "Old ...... Master...... These are all good things, if we can have these two treasures in wartime, we will be equivalent to an extra pair of clairvoyance! ”

"Of course the official knows!" Hong Chengchou sighed lightly and said: "It's just that this kind of thing that we treat as treasures, I'm afraid that the Yingzhou Army has already had one." ”

"How is that possible?" Hong Antong was a little dumbfounded, it is not that there are no clairvoyants in the Ming army, but which of the generals who have them does not hide them as if they are treasures, but according to Hong Chengchou's statement, these things are simply standard equipment in Yueyang's army, but any officer with a little status is one person, when did this clairvoyant mirror become a cabbage on the side of the road.

"And what about this thing that can see the hour?" Hong Antong pointed to the pocket watch on the plate again.

Hong Chengchou shook his head: "I haven't seen this thing yet, but this thing is very good to use to see the time, and if it is used well, it is also a very useful thing." ”

Half an hour later, Hong Chengchou took Hong Antong, Yingniang and several personal soldiers out of the Zhongyong Marquis Mansion and walked on the street.

Although it has now entered the depths of winter, there is still an endless stream of pedestrians on the street, and it is still a girl-hearted Yingniang who looks at the dazzling array of shops and things on the street, and only feels that her eyes are not enough. After obtaining Hong Chengchou's consent, she rushed into the shop next to her with two personal soldiers.

As for Hong Chengchou, he naturally will not be as shallow as Yingniang, he will only look at the rouge gouache and beautiful clothes on the side of the street, and what he sees from the crowded crowd and pedestrians on the side of the street is the rich life of Hunyuan Prefecture and Yueyang's dominance in the local area. Hong Chengchou also found that many pedestrians coming and going on the street were dragging their families to buy New Year's goods, and these people seemed to be just some ordinary people, and his heart suddenly couldn't be calm.

He went to a grain store and asked a busy fellow, "Man, how do you sell all this bran?" ”

The man didn't raise his head and said, "Bran is one tael of silver and one stone, and japonica rice is one tael of silver and one stone!" ”

"So cheap?"

Hong Chengchou hadn't spoken yet, but Hong Antong on the side had already exclaimed. Today's Daming grain prices have already risen to the sky, due to the drought for many years, a stone of japonica rice in Shaanxi and other places has been sold to five taels of silver and there is no market, but the grain price here is still at the level of thousands of miles, how not to make the two exclaim.

Hong Chengchou took a deep breath and said, "Man, why is your grain here so cheap, aren't you afraid that grain merchants from other places will come and buy it and hoard it?" ”

As soon as Hong Chengchou's words were finished, the busy guy who lowered his head and said impatiently: "I said that you people don't buy food, if you don't buy it, don't take it seriously, don't see that I'm busy!" ”

"Hey...... How dare you talk to our family like that! "Hong Antong has never been so angry, he stepped forward to teach this guy who didn't know whether to live or die, but was stopped by Hong Chengchou in time. (To be continued......)