The next day, it snowed lightly in Tokyo. The tiny snowflakes drifted slowly between the sky and the earth, making the ancient city scenery hazy. A horse-drawn carriage slowly drove from the street to the old house of the Guo family.
There were still people every three or five steps in the snow, and men wearing bamboo hats and straw raincoats walked casually on the streets. The armored warrior in front of the mansion walked up a few steps, looked at the eunuch who had just dismounted and asked, "Eunuch Yang, who is in the carriage?"
The eunuch took out a piece of paper and said, "This car cannot be searched. Open the gate."
Wu Fu read the note and waved without saying anything. The old wooden door creaked open.
When the carriage drove into the yard and stopped, the gate was closed. A moment later, a woman got off the carriage. She was wearing a veil that covered her head tightly, a black fur cloak, and a ribbon tied tightly under her neck. Only her exposed shoes made others know that she was not an ordinary woman. Even the embroidery on her shoes was inlaid with gold thread, which showed that she was either rich or noble.
"Mrs. Shen, please." Yang Shiliang, the eunuch in the palace, also said politely.
A quiet voice said, "Thank you, Eunuch Yang."
Mrs. Shen is Chen Jiali. She should be the richest woman in the entire Daxu Dynasty and even in the world.
The eunuch took Chen Jiali to the door of the wooden house by the lake and then quietly left. This was a slightly quaint house with no one around. Just as she was about to walk in, she heard a man's voice inside saying, "This house is by the water but not by the mountain. It's very humid. The Feng Shui master also said it's not suitable for living. But there is no perfect thing in the world. If you want good ventilation, lighting and scenery, you can't care about anything else."
… Chen Jiali walked into the door, bowed and said, "I pay my respects to Your Majesty."
"Mrs. Shen, please don't be polite." Guo Shao sat beside the desk and looked at her tightly wrapped appearance with interest.
She finally pulled her hand out of the cloak and took off the veil on her head. Her hands were as white as cream, with bright red patterns on her nails and a sparkling gem ring on her ring finger. The contrast with the black cloak was great, just like seeing fireworks suddenly in the dark night. She took off the veil weakly and slowly untied the cloak.
"As a person living alone in seclusion, I shouldn't meet a man, but I cannot disobey the emperor's order," she said with some grievance.
Guo Shao joked, "Even if she is a noble lady from a minister's family, I can see her whenever I want. Madam Shen took off a snow-covered cloak, and I felt as nervous as if I was watching her undressing. It's really interesting."
Chen Jiali said coquettishly: "Your Majesty..."
But he would not deny that Chen Jiali was hypocritical, she had always been like this anyway. In fact, she could make a small thing so interesting, wasn't that also charming? Guo Shao always thought that women who were tired of everything were boring.
After Chen Jiali took off her veil, there was actually a layer of translucent silk gauze on her face... Guo Shao believed that the purpose of that thing was not to cover up her "stunning beauty". Not to mention that Zhou Xian, who was more beautiful than her, was not as particular as her. Even the pink open-necked lining she wore, although not low-necked, revealed the snow-white skin under her collarbone, which was more than exposing her face.
Without the cloak, Chen Jiali appeared in front of Guo Shao in a jewel-filled outfit. The fine silk and fair skin made her outfit gorgeous and eye-catching, but not tacky. The gorgeous and exquisite Chen Jiali appeared in this house, which was originally a villa of a noble family. She seemed like a fairy descending to earth, eclipsing the surrounding environment.
Chen Jiali has a good appearance and figure, but her beauty is different from Zhou Xian and Jinzhan. She is really beautiful because of her expensive decorations and makeup. Who said that her wealth can't be spent in eight lifetimes
"I'm not being pretentious, it's just that the officials in Yangzhou built a chastity arch for me not long ago." Chen Jiali said faintly, "If I'm not wrong, such a commendation requires approval from the court. Did your Majesty approve the memorial?"
Guo Shao rubbed his forehead, "Will it be considered unchaste if I ask Madam Shen to come over?"
Chen Jiali said: "I usually don't meet men, let alone this... a single man and a single woman."
Guo Shao really didn't understand why he suddenly wanted to tear off Chen Jiali's expensive clothes, as well as her framed things, to see another view.
He took several deep breaths and finally calmed down for the time being. He pointed to the chair next to him and said, "Mrs. Shen, please sit down. I asked you to come here today because I have something important to discuss."
"Oh?" Chen Jiali stared at him with curious and excited eyes, and sat down on the chair carefully and reservedly, with her legs close together. She seemed a little too reserved, and Guo Shao didn't understand why something was wrong. This woman had so many businesses in so many places, and she had countless business partners and people to deal with. It was impossible for her to pretend to be a white rabbit.
Guo Shao tapped the things on the table, a cloth bag and a piece of rag, "The seeds of Indian cotton and the cloth woven from it."
After hearing this, Chen Jiali glanced at the cloth, then stretched out her delicate fingers, gently twisted it with her fingertips, and then looked at Guo Shao's face with interest.
Guo Shao said: "When the fleet of the Jiaolong Army of the Daxu Imperial Army visited Tianzhu, they brought back seeds. I ordered the Agricultural Department to plant some. Cotton is warmer and softer than linen, and cheaper and stronger than silk..." After he said that, he reached out and touched Chen Jiali's sleeve.
The silk material on the wall is "fine, but very frugal. It will tear at the slightest touch."
"Your Majesty, aren't you talking about serious business?" Chen Jiali glared at him.
Guo Shao said: "I am not talking about business, and it is a big deal."
He pondered for a moment and said, "Let's look far ahead and look at business from a long-term perspective. Weaving has great potential. The current salt merchants are profitable only because the court has implemented salt and iron control and monopoly. Weaving is different. Everyone needs clothes. Even the poor want to make new clothes during the New Year. Cloth is both a necessity and a luxury.
Madam Shen believes in my vision. If you promote cotton seeds and expand the textile workshop into an industry, you don't have to worry about sales. There will be great potential in hundreds of states and the expanding provinces overseas."
Chen Jiali said kindly: "I believe in Your Majesty. Your Majesty's talent is unmatched in the world."
Guo Shao nodded calmly, without any modesty, and encouraged Chen Jiali to invest. But all this was just to give others confidence. He never thought that he was a genius beyond ordinary people, but he knew that the industrial revolution started from the textile industry... Why should we abandon the path that mankind has already taken, the feasible path proven by reality, and choose another path
Chen Jiali whispered again: "I will do whatever your majesty asks me to do. Now I have so many properties. If it weren't for your majesty's support, I don't know how many people would be eager to take them by force."
Guo Shao said, "Do you remember the night of the Tokyo mutiny, when I hid in Madam Shen's house?"
Chen Jiali raised her head and looked at him.
Guo Shao said in a deep voice: "I have always been clear about gratitude and resentment, and I never want to let down those who trust me. As long as the great Xu Dynasty is here, anyone who wants to make things difficult for Madam Shen is my enemy."
Chen Jiali was deeply moved after hearing this, "Your Majesty has given me such a great favor, I don't know how to repay you..."
"If Madam Shen wants to repay me, I'm afraid the only way is to repay her with her own body," said Guo Shao.
Chen Jiali's face behind her veil suddenly turned red like the sunset glow, and she choked up and said, "Many people who are jealous of me have cursed me badly behind my back, saying that I am both a concubine and a chastity archway... and now the chastity archway in Yangzhou has been repaired, so isn't it really as others have cursed me?"
Guo Shao said solemnly: "Being loyal is also being loyal. Isn't serving the emperor also being loyal?"
He then tentatively reached out and placed his hand on the back of her beautiful hand. Chen Jiali lowered her head and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, who do you think is better, Zhou Ehuang or me?"
Guo Shao: “…”
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