The play didn't start for a while, after the two finished eating, someone came to clean up the dishes, Cao Shuyu's personal chief drank water and ordered soup for sipping, Wu Yan was busy with Ai Youwei, and after rinsing his mouth, he handed over a hot towel to wipe his hands.

After cleaning up, Chang Sui served the fragrant tea, and then lit incense in the house to drive away the turbidity left by the food. Wu Yan smelled this fragrance is particularly light, not like the incense with a strong aroma in the palace.

"What kind of incense is this? Strange light. ”

"It's a very common incense, commonly known as 'poor four harmony', have you ever heard of it? There is also an elegant name, called 'four abandoned incense', and the incense in the pavilion used by Empress Wencheng in the Song Dynasty is this kind. ”

"Oh, no matter how ordinary it is used in the palace, it is also extraordinary, and it is generally the noble population who is disgusted with the pig, then the bamboo shoots are fond of it, and the nose is disgusted with the dragon musk deer, so it is strange to be fragrant. The queen likes this kind of quiet, and Concubine Qian Zhao likes ambergris. ”

Cao Shuyu couldn't help laughing, and said a little helplessly: "It's really just an ordinary four-discarded incense, the nobles in the palace are indeed different from mortals, and Yan Sizhen doesn't need to compare with me." ”

"That's right," and then for a long time, the two of them didn't say anything, each playing with their fingers, as if they were waiting for the other to speak.

Wu Yan thought to himself that this would not work, he had to find a topic to talk about, so he asked again: "Are you ......?"

Cao Shuyu reacted quickly and immediately answered: "What am I?" What does Sizhen want to ask me? ”

"Uh...... Just talk about it, for example, what have you done this year? Why did you suddenly appear in the capital again? ”

In fact, she has always been curious to ask, but she didn't have a chance just now.

Cao Shuyu wrung his hands, muttered for a moment and said: "You also know that my Cao family, the business is not small, this year I went to Europa mainly for the family business. Well, I just wanted to find a machine to press silver coins. ”

Wu Yan didn't pay attention to the previous sentence, but when he heard the latter sentence clearly, his eyes lit up instantly, and the words rushed out: "Stamping minting machine?" Did you find it? ”

Cao Shuyu was a little surprised, and couldn't help asking, "You know?" ”

"Uh...... I've heard it," Wu Yan was stunned for a moment, and quickly explained: "Isn't there a flower ferry head in Liuhe, where there is a grocery store opened by an Italian merchant, and I used to go to it." ”

"I see, the grocery store, I know, seems to be opened by the Jesuit Society."

"Yes, yes, yes, that's what the Jesuits will do," Wu Yan echoed him, and then asked, "Have you found a suitable coinage machine?" ”

Cao Shuyu picked up the purse around his waist, opened it, took out a gold coin and handed it to Wu Yan. She took it and played with it in her hand, and saw that the gold coin was beautifully pressed, with a woman's head on the front and a cross and a royal coat of arms on the back.

Wu Yan played for a long time, a little unable to put it down, Cao Shuyu smiled when he saw this: "If you like it, I'll give it to you." ”

"Yes, thank you," she really liked and recognized this gold coin, and this Vigo gold coin was a rarity in the later coin collector's market.

Wu Yan thought about it, but couldn't help but ask, "Your Cao family is cooperating with the Kingdom of Britain?" ”

Cao Shuyu was surprised again and asked, "Do you know this gold coin?" Did you know it was from the Kingdom of Britain? ”

Wu Yan thought to himself, of course I knew, and I knew that the queen on the gold coin had died four or five years later, and that she had no heirs.

"The gold coin is printed with Anne, this is Queen Anne of Britain, and the gold that suppressed this coin should have come from a naval battle, the Battle of Port Vigo in Spain."

Cao Shuyu was a little speechless in shock: "You ......" He looked at her stunned, and couldn't help but have doubts in his heart, and the doubts about her 'life experience' before came to his mind again.

"Since you're in Europa, why don't you tell me about the situation there?"

Cao Shuyu quickly retracted his thoughts, and after sorting out his thoughts, he continued: "You are right, this is indeed the queen's gold coin, and the gold minted comes from the American tribute of the Kingdom of Spain. The current king of Spain is from France, not the son of the old king, who is from the Habsburgs, and it is for this reason that a struggle for the throne broke out, and almost all of the major dynasties of Europa were involved. ”

It seems that the history of Europe today is not much different from that known by later generations, Wu Yan secretly pondered.

"In fact, this queen also has no heirs, and her health is not good, I am afraid it is difficult to have it again, and it is difficult to say whether there will be another battle for the throne after her death."

"Has the Americas, now ruled by the Kingdom of Spain, been robbed by the kingdoms of Britain and the Netherlands?"

"It's about the same, and in my opinion, although Nanyang is still in the hands of Spain, I'm afraid it will return to Britain sooner or later."

Wu Yan thought deeply and nodded in agreement: "The same is true of the Malaga Strait." ”

Cao Shuyu couldn't help laughing, and said with emotion: "Yan Sizhen seems to have a clear understanding of the outside world, but it is different from ordinary women." ”

"Hehe, that is, I like to inquire about all kinds of gossip on weekdays, and there are a lot of Westerners in Nanjing's racecourse, and it is not a secret to know after a little inquiry."

Cao Shuyu didn't want to mention this to her again, and talked about the minting machine again.

"Speaking of minting machines, this time there are two set, and the company set up by the Kingdom of Britain in India has been entrusted to transfer them on behalf of you, and I don't know if you can arrive before the spring of next year?"

"Oh? Tell me more," Wu Yan's eyes lit up again.

"Uh...... How so? I've only seen the finished product, not actually done it. One of them was specially made for the Segovia Mint in Spain, and I have seen the finished silver coin, which is extremely beautifully pressed and difficult to counterfeit, but there is a fly in the ointment. ”

"Huh? And a fly in the ointment? ”

"Yes, it's just that the silver coin is a little bent when pressed, but other than that, the others are very satisfied. The other one has a long pole with a spiral attached to it...... It should be the stamping mint you are talking about. Using this and the auger to press the silver coins had to be done by two people, and it was slower, much slower than the first machine. ”

Wu Yan imagined the two machines he had described, and asked, "The first machine should have two rollers, and when it turns at the same time, both sides of the silver coin will be suppressed?" Otherwise, the silver would not be crooked. ”

"Heh~ That's right, Yan Sizhen is smart, I guessed the truth at a guess, and my subordinates couldn't figure out why it was crooked when it was suppressed for a long time."

As long as there is a steam engine, this should be eliminated in the future, and the steam engine mints faster.

"Then did you set these two machines for your family's ticket number?" Wu Yan asked again.

"It's not counted, the Cao family's bill of exchange is generally exchanged for large amounts of silver, after all, this kind of silver coin is small, and the exchange is troublesome. The main thing is to learn more about Western technology. ”

Wu Yan was right, after all, personal needs are different, but if this mechanism of silver coins is circulated in the market instead of silver taels...... It couldn't be more convenient.

"But don't you think it's easy to use? I'm sure this kind of silver coin was already circulating in the coastal area a hundred years ago, right? ”

"Well, it's convenient to be convenient......"

"If only the imperial court could introduce this kind of minting machine, then it would be abolished and the yuan could be changed."

"Abolish two yuan?" Cao Shuyu was surprised again when he heard this.

"Well, I always feel that the silver is too troublesome to use, the official silver ingot is fine, but I am afraid that the broken silver, the size is different, the fineness is also different, every time you collect it, you have to scale, the scale has to be converted, and it is troublesome to take it to pour and fry it into ingots, and you have to give a handling fee. Not only that, but that small scale must be corrected at any time, otherwise the scale will not allow itself to lose ......."

These are all things that my grandmother and several aunts have said when they complain to her, and they usually manage money and accounts, and the most troublesome and fearful thing is weighing and exchange.

"It seems that Yan Sizhen's complaint is really not small," Cao Shuyu said with a smile.

"Not really!" Wu Yan felt that his grumbling could finally be confided in others.

"Also, that copper coin is even more messy, all kinds of them, issued in various periods, and all kinds of materials...... Hey, in a word, it's too messy! We, Haidilao, are ready to refuse to accept copper coins. ”

"So how do you usually solve it? After all, I will receive such silver taels and money every day. ”

"We are now vigorously promoting the stored-value card business, saving a sum of money first, anyway, every time we consume, the amount directly on the card will be over, so it will be much more convenient."

Cao Shuyu nodded and praised: "This method is good, you can also collect a sum of funds first, and the most important circulation funds for business should be abundant." ”

"Hehe, it's still Cao Dangjia who understands......"

Cao Shuyu was smiling and looking happy, the two of them chatted quite speculatively, and before they knew it, time had passed. At this time, the opening gongs and drums on the stage sounded, indicating that the play was about to start......

The originally noisy sound in the pear orchard gradually sank, and at the same time, the lights in the whole environment also changed, only the stage was still bright.

This design makes the audience feel novel, Wu Yan didn't expect that the idea of the prince is quite fashionable, and the whole stage effect is matched with the artificial scenery, and there is quite a feeling of being in the Jiangnan garden.

Just as people sighed at the magic of this artistic conception garden, a shallow female voice slowly rose: "Dreaming back to the warbler, the chaotic years are all over, people stand in a small courtyard and a deep courtyard, burn all the smoke, throw the residual embroidery thread, and this spring is like last year's ......"

Wu Yan was caught by the voice, and she stopped all movements, only listening quietly.

"The silk blows to the idle courtyard, swaying the spring like a line. Stop for a long time, the whole flower, no diamond flower, steal half of the face, and the funny colorful clouds are ......"

Wu Yan sneered, she understood the second half of the sentence, it turned out that this Du Liniang was really naughty, she was startled by the beauty of herself in the mirror, and she was disgusted with the mirror.

Cao Shuyu looked at her, and a smile gradually appeared on her originally shallow appearance, it turned out that she didn't understand it, she was pretending to be stupid.

How did he know that Wu Yan was taught and nurtured by his mother-in-law and mother at home all day long.