After a good night's rest, Xiaoliu's complexion recovered, and Hua Zhi took him to a vegetarian restaurant early in the morning.
As usual, Madam Sun arrived first. She looked at Hua Zhi with extremely complicated eyes. Hua Zhi knew she was in the wrong, so she admitted her mistake as soon as they met.
"I don't blame you." The unusually young Madam Sun sighed deeply. "I knew he couldn't be avoided, and I made some preparations over the years. But I never thought he would be involved in this way, and he also tied the Hua family together. It's been so many years, and the Hua family has never taken sides."
"There was no need for the Hua family to take sides before."
That's right, Madam Sun smiled helplessly, the Hua family has always only had to follow the emperor. To be honest, Xiao Liu'er got a bargain this time, although the Hua family has collapsed, the volume may still be there.
"I received a letter from the master the other day. He asked me to ask if the meat jerky and fried noodles were to be provided to the army. I wonder if the young lady has any rules. He also asked me to ask if there are any other things."
Both of them were smart people. One did not ask why it was given to General Sun, and the other did not say much, but they both knew what was going on.
Hua Zhi thought for a moment and said, "I thought it was too simple before. Now I think this thing is not suitable for the Hua family to make. Why not hand it over to the Ministry of Revenue for military supplies? My grandfather will be here today, so we can talk about it later."
Madam Sun looked at her deeply and had no objection. She was well-informed and had learned some things from her grandson. She knew that Hua Zhi was a person who would not suffer any loss. Before they met, she was worried that she was feeling aggrieved and acting too impulsively. Now it seemed that she had underestimated her. She was definitely resentful, but she knew the seriousness of the matter.
Duke Anguo and Zhu Bowen came in together. Yan Xi could not come to such an occasion, so Hua Zhi borrowed a few people from him. Seeing that everyone was there, he signaled them to keep guard to prevent any eavesdroppers from spying on them.
Duke Lu already knew that Hua Zhi had become the emperor's money-lover, but no one spoke first at this moment.
Hua Zhi glanced around, thought for a moment, and started talking about the meat jerky and fried noodles.
Zhu Bowen did not agree to this immediately just because Hua Zhi proposed it. He thought about it and said, "I'm afraid it won't be possible to supply the entire army. The cost of meat is too high and we can't afford it."
"This is a typical example of wanting a cow to run without giving it grass to eat. Soldiers risk their lives to fight but can't even eat a piece of meat. How can they have the strength to fight desperately? Not to mention the Chaoli tribe, which is known for its bravery, even the grassland tribes are stronger than the soldiers of Daqing. Why? Because meat is their staple food."
After saying this, Hua Zhi realized that she had said something rash, and she quickly stood up and confessed her guilt to her grandfather.
"This is indeed the truth, but now it is..." Zhu Bowen waved his hand to signal her to sit down, without mentioning the empty treasury.
Madam Sun's family is a family of military generals. She knows best how hard it is for the soldiers on the border. Naturally, she fully agrees with Hua Zhi's words. She looks at her with much more enthusiasm, hoping that she can say something more practical.
Hua Zhi couldn't say anything more. If she hadn't had the canal construction issue to worry about, it would be fine. But now she had no energy to think about anything else. Moreover, even if she really had a solution, the emperor wouldn't approve it. It was good enough that he didn't cut the army's expenses. She wanted him to allocate money to improve the army's food? Dream on!
Thinking of that, Hua Zhi handed the plan to Madam Sun, who was closest to her. The salt had to be transported to various places, so she mentioned both water and land transportation, trying to combine the two things into one.
There are quite a few words, and it takes quite a while to read them all.
Madam Sun, who finished reading first, lowered her head in thought. After reading it, she finally understood why the Sun family had a part in this matter. It was a good thing, a very good thing, and probably no military general would not support it. But on the other hand, it was difficult to cut flesh and bleed from so many people.
Then it was Duke Anguo. The look he gave Hua Zhi was so complicated that it was indescribable.
His grandson, who had not visited him for a long time, suddenly came to him last night and pointed out his relationship with Hua Zhi. He also stood on her side. From what he said, he seemed to be involved in this matter to a great extent. However, when he actually saw the thing, he realized how serious the matter was.
If this could be accomplished, needless to say, the Lu family would become the biggest winner. The temptation was simply too great.
When he saw Zhu Bowen finish turning the last page, Duke Anguo couldn't wait to speak first, "Is the salt output really that high?"
"Yes, this is still my conservative estimate. As the salt farmers become more experienced, the output will increase. Xuzhou's geographical location is also very suitable for building salt fields. After the Qingzhou Salt Field is built, we can build salt fields in Xuzhou."
Even though Duke Anguo was able to remain calm, he was a little excited at this moment. Xuzhou was the base camp of the Lu family. If they could get around the Lu family in Qingzhou, no one in Xuzhou dared to take action.
Hua Zhi added, "What I mean is that the Lu family might as well prepare wedding clothes for others in Qingzhou first, so as to avoid being criticized for eating in an ugly way. Besides, although private salt is difficult to ban, it must not come from the Lu family. Duke Anguo needs to have an idea in mind, otherwise it will not only be you who will have a hard time."
Duke Anguo calmed himself down and nodded, "My Lu family will fully cooperate with this matter."
The Lu family expressed their views, and Madam Sun said, "Don't blame me, Miss. I need to ask first, can we really use the disabled soldiers who have retired from the army? Can we also use those who have retired for many years?"
"Yes." Hua Zhi's idea was to establish a balance of power. The transportation line was handed over to military officers to check and balance each other with the newly established Seventh Department. The natural incompatibility between civil officials and military officers would make them wary of each other, so it would not be easy to play tricks.
"If this is true, not only will my Sun family fully support it, but other military families will also help." Madam Sun solemnly promised. The military generals were not united, but those who had led troops would care for them. After each war, in order to get more subsidies for the wounded and disabled soldiers, they would unite to put pressure on the Ministry of Revenue even if they disagreed. If there was such a way out, those who were fighting hard in the front would have fewer worries.
The few of them decided on the general direction of the two matters and roughly divided the directions in which each of them would exert their efforts. What followed was private actions and negotiations in the court, and these had nothing to do with Hua Zhi.
When the few people had almost finished their discussion and were about to leave, Hua Zhi suddenly said, "Please leave the matter of transporting the generals to Xiaoliu... His Highness the Sixth Prince."
Several people understood instantly that Hua Zhi wanted to win favor for the Sixth Prince among the military generals. This was not surprising, as he was the grandson of General Sun and had a natural convenience in terms of his identity.
"Sister Hua..."
"Duke Anguo doesn't need it. Grandfather, you are a civil servant and cannot stand against the civil servants. The Sun family doesn't need it either. As for me..." Hua Zhi chuckled, "Do you think the emperor will give me this credit? It won't be wasted."
Zhu Bowen stroked his beard and said, "This is the work of His Highness the Sixth Prince. How can it be wasted?"
Duke Anguo smiled and said, "Minister Zhu is right. This is the Sixth Prince's credit, and he should be awarded."
Madam Sun bowed to the two of them, and Xiaoliu did the same, then she bowed deeply to Hua Zhi.
He remembered everything, every detail.
PS: Three updates to make up for it. I have finally finished writing this story and will get back to doing business later.