pdf-ebookys Chapter 85 It's time to make some money.
Chapter 85 It's time to make some money.
Chapter 85 It's time to make some money.
Zhao Sheng's tone was full of disdain for the students of the Imperial Academy.
"The imperial court favors civil officials, granting them unrestrained hereditary titles and privileges. It also allows officials of the seventh rank and above to send their sons to study at the Imperial Academy, resulting in the Imperial Academy now being filled with the sons of officials."
Most of these sons of officials were ignorant and incompetent, and they ruined the atmosphere of the Imperial Academy.
Those who aspired to further their studies either went to the four great academies or to private schools.
"Brother Zhao, be careful what you say," Wang You cautioned.
"There are no outsiders here, what's there to be afraid of?" Zhao Sheng said nonchalantly.
Brother Zhao should understand the principle of a virtuous person being cautious even when alone.
Wang You said solemnly, "I chatted with Brother Zhao before and learned that he wants to take the imperial examination and enter officialdom to benefit the people."
Since Brother Zhao has such ambitions, he should be careful with his words and actions.
Otherwise, sooner or later, a slip of the tongue will bring disaster upon him.
Zhao Sheng's words, to put it mildly, were merely a discussion of court politics.
To put it more broadly, it is a denigration of officials throughout history.
After all, the preferential treatment given to civil officials by the imperial court did not begin recently; it started at the very beginning of the founding of the nation.
Moreover, those civil officials would definitely feel uncomfortable hearing such words.
It will be difficult for Prince Yong to compete for the throne then.
"I misspoke."
Zhao Sheng put away his smile.
Seeing that Zhao Sheng realized the seriousness of the problem, Wang You didn't say anything more.
He himself also finds lecturing annoying. Zhao Sheng is only a teenager, and constant lecturing only annoys him.
The two didn't talk about these things anymore, they just chatted casually.
The meal ended half an hour later.
When they parted, Princess Jiacheng and Sister Mu were still somewhat reluctant to leave.
"You're quite likable."
Seeing that his younger sister was in low spirits, Wang You smiled and pinched her cheek.
The little girl is indeed endearing; she gets along well not only with Rulan and Minglan, but also with Princess Jiacheng.
It's clear that Princess Jiacheng really likes Mu Jie'er, and she's been taking care of Mu Jie'er's meals.
"snort!"
The little girl puffed out her cheeks, and Wang You didn't dare to use force, so his hand simply slipped away.
"Second brother, Sister Jiacheng said she'll prepare a backup gift for me next time we meet, so I want to prepare a backup gift for Sister Jiacheng too," said Mu Jie'er.
"Hehe, you do know the importance of reciprocity," Wang You said with a smile.
He understood somewhat why Sister Mu was so popular.
Wealthy families are very strict about their children's education.
Wang You had also met some daughters from official families in Shouzhou, and most of them behaved like little adults.
But this is not the mindset that should exist at this age; it is something that has been cultivated through teaching and discipline.
It's easy to imagine that if children are taught rules at a very young age, and told what they can and can't do, it would be strange if they were lively and energetic.
Although Madam Feng was strict with Mu Jie'er, Wang You would play with his younger sister, which helped her maintain her lively personality.
When Minglan was young, she seemed very sensible, but she was actually quite lively.
It was only because Wei Xiaoniang had suppressed her nature since childhood.
But after all, they are still young and their hearts are still full of childlike innocence.
Princess Jiacheng may not have had her personality suppressed, but the peers she usually interacted with were all very proper and well-behaved.
In fact, most outgoing people don't like to be friends with quiet and reserved people.
Princess Jiacheng usually interacted with the lively Mu Jie'er, who would call her "sister" repeatedly, so naturally she liked her.
"Second brother, can you help me think of something to give to Sister Jiacheng?" Mu Jie'er said.
"Um--"
Wang You pondered for a moment and said, "I don't know what to give either, and since it's your return gift, you should choose it yourself."
"But I don't know what to give as a gift?" Mu Jie'er's face fell.
"Then your second brother will take you around, and you can choose whatever you want, okay?" Wang You said.
"Yes." The little girl nodded repeatedly.
Wang You told the driver to stop the carriage and got off with Mu Jie'er.
"I'm going to take a look around. Yongbo, you wait here for me."
Wang You gave instructions to the driver, then, holding Mu Jie'er's hand, he and Xiao Man and Shi Tou began to wander around.
Fanlou is located near Nanmen Street, which is the largest and most prosperous shopping center in Bianjing.
Nanmen Street is also known as Zhuque Street or Yujie Street.
Its streets were modeled after the Zhuque Avenue in Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty.
Zhuque Avenue was the central axis of Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty and was also the imperial road. Therefore, the South Gate Street also had these names, but it was not the actual imperial road.
The streets on both sides of Nanmen Street are lined with shops, and the people coming and going are either rich or noble.
Unlike other streets where there are temporary stalls outside shops, there are no temporary stalls on Nanmen Street.
After visiting several shops, Sister Mu lost interest.
The main problem is that these shops sell products for adults, and very few of them meet the aesthetic standards of children.
Wang You also realized he had come to the wrong place, so he took Mu Jie'er to another street.
There were many stalls selling various snacks on both sides of the street, emitting heat and aroma.
Steam filled the streets, creating a lively atmosphere.
"Second brother, I want to eat that!"
Mu Jie'er pointed to a meat pie stall and swallowed hard.
"Don't forget, Sister Mu, we're here to choose gifts. If we spend all our money, we won't have any left to buy gifts."
Wang You dared not let her eat any more. If she ate too much so late at night and got bloated, not only would she suffer, but he would also get scolded.
"oh."
Upon hearing this, Mu Jie'er glanced longingly at the meat pie stall before resolutely turning her head away.
It's as if this way you can avoid seeing it and get rid of it.
However, her twitching nose and swallowing motions did not escape Wang You's notice.
Wang You suddenly felt like he had committed a heinous crime and said, "Actually, it's okay to eat a little. How about we buy one and split it half?"
To be honest, the meat pie was really delicious; even Wang You wanted to eat it after smelling the aroma.
"no."
The little girl asked earnestly, "What if we don't have enough to buy a gift for Sister Jiacheng?"
As she spoke, the little girl pulled Wang You forward, as if afraid that he would be unable to resist buying something.
Wang You touched his nose, surprised that the little girl was quite persistent.
After walking for a while, the little girl stopped in front of a stall and looked it over.
The stall owner said enthusiastically, "Young master and young lady, these are all Bian embroidery round fans and lacquerware. They are exquisitely crafted and reasonably priced."
Wang You nodded slightly and said, "Let's take a look first."
How exquisite can a roadside stall be?
However, the Bian embroidery fans and lacquerware on this stall are indeed of decent quality.
It couldn't compare to the finest pieces Wang You had seen, but it wasn't crudely made either.
"Sister Mu, is there anything you like?" Wang You asked, looking at Sister Mu who was sizing her up.
Upon hearing this, Mu Jie'er squatted down, looked at it for a while, pointed to a round plate carved with a jade rabbit pounding medicine in the moon palace and a picture of children playing, and said, "I want these two."
There are many types of lacquerware, and they are not all utensils.
The two round plates that Mu Jie'er chose were decorative items.
"How much are these two?" Wang You asked.
"Two for a total of twenty taels of silver," the stall owner said with a smile.
Wang You said calmly, "Too expensive, at most four taels of silver."
The stall owner objected immediately, even though he had indeed asked for more because the two people didn't speak with a Bianjing accent.
But lacquerware making itself is not cheap; his purchase price is more than that.
After some haggling, the two plates were finally sold for twelve taels each.
Judging from the vendor's wide smile, you could tell he made a good profit.
The stall owner took out a wooden box, put the disc inside, and Wang You asked Xiaoman to pay.
"I asked you to buy a gift, and you even bought one for yourself." Wang You rubbed the little girl's head.
His savings are running low; he needs to find a way to make some money.