A Business Deal

Her intelligence and competence were only highlighted by the contrast with her peers. Now, her noble character can also be highlighted by herself.

Without comparison, how can one truly see the depth of this loyal and dedicated heart?

She asked, "Who came to ask me what reward I wanted? I have a business deal to discuss with the Emperor."

Xiao Lingyan raised an eyebrow.

Only my own wife has the courage to talk business with the emperor without fear or hesitation.

Even their sons didn't dare.

He summoned Xiao Liuzi and said, "Go to the palace tomorrow and tell Eunuch Xie that Consort of the Prince of Qi wants to do a deal with the Emperor. If it's convenient for Eunuch Xie, have him come to Prince of Qi's Residence when he has some free time."

Previously, Xiao Ge could directly summon Zhao Ruxi to an audience; one was the emperor, and the other was a subject, so no one would say anything.

But now that they've become father-in-law and daughter-in-law, it's inconvenient for them to meet.

If someone else were to relay a message, and their wording were slightly off, changing the meaning even a little, Zhao Ruxi would be in deep trouble.

Therefore, it would be most appropriate to have Eunuch Xie, a devoted fan of Zhao Ruxi, deliver the message.

"If you say that, the Emperor might misunderstand," Zhao Ruxi said.

"Don't you understand the concept of 'suppressing before elevating'?" Xiao Lingyan reached out and tossed a grape into his mouth, then casually fed one to Zhao Ruxi, looking extremely relaxed and content.

Zhao Ruxi patted him on the shoulder. "Young man, you're doing well in Chinese, you have a bright future."

Sure enough, after Xiao Liuzi ran to the palace, Eunuch Xie reported the matter to Xiao Ge, and Xiao Ge immediately misunderstood.

He frowned and said, "Could it be that Zhiwei wants to privately manufacture this harvester to make money?"

As the chief eunuch by the emperor's side, Eunuch Xie always kept to his duties and rarely spoke.

But now he couldn't help but speak up for Zhao Ruxi: "Your Majesty, the harvester is different from those two farm tools. Those two tools are small items, and most farmers can afford them if they grit their teeth."

Those who could afford to spend money on harvesters were mostly wealthy families and local gentry; ordinary people struggled to even buy a cow, let alone a harvester. They were afraid to spend money, but willing to put in the effort. Therefore, they would not buy harvesters.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ge nodded repeatedly. "You're right, I was just assuming things."

Xiao Ge didn't have much affection for those powerful families and gentry who owned large tracts of land.

Because many of these people had families with members holding official titles, they owned a large area of land exempt from taxation, which resulted in a significant loss of tax revenue for the imperial court.

Moreover, this has created a strange phenomenon: wealthy families don't have to pay taxes, while poor families are worried sick about paying them. In other words, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

As an emperor who aspired to achieve great things, Xiao Ge repeatedly sought to solve this problem.

However, he still needs scholars to govern the country. Those who can be exempted from taxes are the Jinshi, Juren, and Xiucai. If he abolishes the tax exemption rules, he will infringe on the interests of all officials and the upper class of the Great Jin Dynasty. These people will definitely try every means to remove him from the throne and let someone else sit on it.

He dared not defy public opinion. Therefore, this contradiction became an unsolvable one.

Wouldn't it be foolish to harm the interests of one's own daughter-in-law and the imperial family, allowing those powerful families and local gentry to profit at their expense?

Thinking of this, he secretly rejoiced that Eunuch Xie had reminded him.

He waved his hand and said, "Zhiwei wants to do business, then let her. Go ask her how she wants to do it."

Although making money from farm tools would harm the interests of powerful families and officials, and those scoundrels in the court would surely gossip, Zhao Zhiwei was as shrewd as a little fox. If she wanted to do this business, she would definitely have a good plan.

Then he wouldn't have to worry about her anymore.

The next day, while Eunuch Zhang was on duty and he was resting, Eunuch Xie went to the Prince of Qi's Residence.

At that moment, Zhao Ruxi had just finished painting a picture, so she asked Eunuch Xie to come into the study to give his opinion, "Eunuch Xie, you've come at the right time. What do you think of my painting?"

"Don't just say nice things, tell me where it's lacking so I can improve. Just saying nice things isn't very meaningful," she added before Eunuch Xie could speak.

Eunuch Xie, of course, spared no praise in his comments, concluding, "Your Majesty, I find this painting excellent; there's nothing wrong with it. If you insist on finding fault, wouldn't that be putting me in a difficult position?"

Zhao Ruxi waved her hand helplessly. "Never mind, let's go sit over there and talk."

The group went to the main hall and sat down according to their social status.

Zhao Ruxi asked, "Have you come here with any imperial decree?"

"Yes," Eunuch Xie said with a smile, "Didn't Her Majesty send Xiao Liuzi to convey a message that she wanted to discuss a business deal with the Emperor? So the Emperor sent this servant to ask Her Majesty for her specific thoughts."

Zhao Ruxi waved to the outside.

As soon as Eunuch Xie arrived, Qingfeng had everything ready.

At this moment, Dianjiang brought forward a tray and placed a small cup of yellowish-brown liquid and two kinds of dried fruit on the table in front of Eunuch Xie.

Eunuch Xie was taken aback, then looked up at Zhao Ruxi: "This is..."

"This is wine I brewed in Nanyang. Your Excellency has tasted many fine wines while in the palace; could you taste it for me and tell me how it tastes?"

Eunuch Xie saw that Zhao Ruxi wasn't talking about the harvester, but instead asked him to taste the wine, he wondered what she was up to.

However, he did not hesitate. He picked up his glass, took a small sip, closed his eyes, and slowly swallowed. Then he took two more sips.

He opened his eyes, put down his wine glass, and exclaimed, "Excellent wine! It's smooth on the palate, mellow and fragrant, with a sweet taste and a lingering aroma. It's a top-quality yellow wine."

"How does it compare to the various tribute wines His Majesty has received? Is it even worth mentioning?" Zhao Ruxi asked.

Eunuch Xie knew this might affect whether the "business deal" Zhao Ruxi mentioned could be done. He dared not just offer nice words and influence Zhao Ruxi's judgment.

"Among the yellow wines received by the palace, Immortal's Brew is smoother, and Rosy Cloud Wine is sweeter. As for the other four, they cannot compare to your wine. Your wine can already be listed as a top-grade tribute."

Zhao Ruxi laughed, "My wine needs to be aged for two years to reach its best flavor. It's only been half a year now, so the taste isn't quite at its peak yet. I imagine that after two years, the taste won't be any worse than the two you mentioned."

"Furthermore, I don't know if those two kinds of tribute wine you mentioned have any health benefits. My sealed-jar wine is made from high-quality glutinous rice from Nanyang, with added herbs for saccharification and fermentation. It has a mild alcohol content, is as mellow and thick as honey, and contains a variety of nutrients needed by the human body. Regular consumption can nourish and strengthen the body, ward off evil spirits, and Yannian."

Eunuch Xie's eyes lit up, and he rose to bow to Zhao Ruxi: "If this wine can be successfully brewed, it will surely be a blessing for the Great Jin if His Majesty can drink it."

"Once the wine is ready, we will naturally be the first to present it to His Majesty," Zhao Ruxi said hastily.

After Eunuch Xie sat down, she continued, "The reason I called you here today is to discuss this matter. I intend to partner with the Emperor to trade in sealed-jar wine, planting glutinous rice in Nanyang and brewing the wine. What do you think?"

Even though Eunuch Xie was somewhat prepared, he was still taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "That's certainly good. However..."

He glanced at Zhao Ruxi and said, "When this servant came, I thought Your Highness was going to sell harvesters."

"I won't make money off farm tools," Zhao Ruxi shook her head. "As an official of the Ministry of Works, it's my duty to make farm tools for farmers across the land. Besides, agriculture is the foundation of the Great Jin. It's my honor to contribute my meager strength to the court and the people, to make the Great Jin more prosperous, and to alleviate the hunger of the people. How could I possibly make money off farm tools? It's not like I'm starving."

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Xie stood up with excitement and bowed deeply to Zhao Ruxi: "Your Majesty is merciful, please accept my bow."

"Father-in-law, please don't be like this." Zhao Ruxi quickly helped him up.

Eunuch Xie returned to the palace and relayed Zhao Ruxi's words, Xiao Ge was deeply moved.

"I knew I hadn't misjudged Zhiwei," he said.

"Indeed! When I returned, I thought about it and realized that all the businesses Her Highness the Princess engaged in were made from the wealth of powerful families; she never competed with ordinary people for profit. Moreover, she used most of her earnings to build girls' schools and provide education for impoverished girls."

After hearing what Eunuch Xie said, Xiao Ge also remembered this point, and felt even more emotional, which strengthened his resolve to pass the throne to Xiao Lingyan.

With such an empress, the Great Jin, once passed down to them, will surely usher in another golden age.

"What does she want me to do about that rice wine deal?" he asked.

"I didn't ask Your Majesty to do anything. When the wine is produced, if it tastes good, I'll let you praise it and designate it as tribute wine. Then, noble families will surely follow suit and buy and drink it. Once everyone praises this wine and considers it an honor to drink it, its reputation will be established, and even if the price is high, everyone will still scramble to buy it," said Eunuch Xie.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ge felt even better.

He laughed and said, "This girl is really something. Over the years, I've tried every possible way to get money out of those people's pockets, but it's been incredibly difficult. They only take in money, never give it out. The national treasury isn't even as full as their private coffers."

"Zhiwei brought out the harvester, refusing all rewards, and gained fame; then she made a fortune off them at the wine shop, reaping real benefits. This girl, I think she's wonderful no matter how I look at her. Luckily, Little Five acted quickly and married her into the royal family, otherwise it would have been a pity no matter who she married."

"Who says otherwise?" Eunuch Xie said with a chuckle.

"I hope Little Five recovers quickly so that Zhiwei can give me a big, healthy grandson. Then I will have no regrets."

Zhao Ruxi brought Xiao Ge and the ministers more than just the combine harvester. She then manufactured a foot-operated threshing machine and a winnowing machine. At the same time, she improved the combine harvester and created a wheat harvester.

In the end, Xiao Ge was unwilling to simply give these farm tools away to powerful families. He directly ordered the Ministry of Works and provincial government offices to produce them uniformly and sell them at a unified price.

For the sake of Zhao Ruxi's reputation, he did not give Zhao Ruxi a share of the profits, but instead gave Zhao Ruxi a large estate in Nanyang and a shop in the capital as a reward.

As time passed, the autumn harvest ended, and the first snow of winter arrived. Xiao Lingyan was finally fully recovered.

"Your Highness, Madam Tao, the wife of the Ministry of War, has sent an invitation and wishes to pay her respects," a palace maid reported to Noble Consort Cen.