I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 373 Discussion Meeting

In the Jin family ancestral home, Jin Ge presented the tea-frying recipe to the Jin clan chief as if it were a precious treasure.

"Can tea leaves prepared using this method be processed in the same way as those prepared using the Thousand Teas and Hundred Teas method?"

"Grandfather, rest assured, I have already tasted it, and it is exactly the same as the tea from Qiancha Baihui."

"Good!" Chief Jin stroked his beard. "Make three copies of the tea-frying recipe and send them to the other three families immediately."

The manager took the prescription and turned to leave, but was stopped by Jin Ge.

“Grandfather, this recipe was obtained by the Jin family with great effort. Why give it away to others?” Jin Ge took the recipe from the steward, slowly tore it into pieces, and threw it into the incense burner to burn. “I think this is a great opportunity for the Jin family to replace the Yang family.”

Chief Jin gripped the sandalwood walnut in his hand tightly. "Tell me in detail."

“Grandfather, hundreds of years ago, the four great families stood tall in Jiangnan. The Jin, Yang, Zou and Jiang families took turns being the most prominent families in Jiangnan. However, since the previous dynasty, the Yang family has been the most prominent of the four families. It has been more than a hundred years since the Jin family last became the most prominent of the four families.”

"Although the Jin family is now ranked second among the four great families, in my opinion, the Jin family is no longer worthy of its name."

Chief Jin slowly turned the walnut in his hand.

Yes, nowadays, fewer than ten members of the Jin family hold positions in the court, with the highest-ranking official being only a fifth-rank official. There are no members in the military either. Under Tang Zhao's suppression, Jin Ge has been marginalized in the Salt Transport Commission and cannot gain any benefits or money.

The Jin family has tens of thousands of members, and their daily expenses are enormous. Relying solely on ancestral farmland and shops, they will eventually run out of resources.

The new generation of Jin family members is about to come of age. For the sake of the future, they must be sent to official positions. In the officialdom, how can one lack money for personal relationships and mutual favors among colleagues?

"If we don't give the tea-frying recipe to the other three families, they might hold a grudge."

“It’s not that we won’t give it to them, it’s just a little later,” Jin Ge explained. “We’ll give them the recipe once the Jin family’s tea has opened up trade routes between the Turks and Tibet.”

By then, the Jin family, having secured the first batch of tea, had made a fortune and shared the leftovers with the other three families, thus fulfilling their friendship.

Chief Jin hesitated. "When Tang Zhao was in the Northwest, she had close ties with Tibet and the Turks. Would she just stand by and watch the Jin family's tea be sold to the Turks and Tibet?"

"Has Grandfather forgotten? The Jiang family and the Yang family joined forces to prevent Tang Zhao from buying tea," Jin Ge sneered. "The tea that Tang Zhao had stockpiled before is almost gone after this period of sales."

Otherwise, Qiancha Baihui would not have imposed purchase restrictions.

Chief Jin breathed a sigh of relief, "Let's do as you say!"

With the clan chief's support, Jin Ge went all out. He summoned the Jin family's capable stewards and managers, ordering them to secretly purchase tea leaves. He also found a secluded estate and selected hundreds of household servants to learn how to process tea.

A steady stream of fresh tea leaves was delivered to the farm, where they were processed, sealed in boxes, and hidden under fur clothing before being transported by caravan to the Northwest.

“Young lady, the Gao family has sent word that the Jin family is secretly buying up large quantities of tea,” Wu Yier emphasized, “and they are doing it behind the backs of the other three families.”

Tang Zhao chuckled, "Wealth can be very tempting!"

"Young lady, should we leak this information to the other three families?"

“What others tell you is never as interesting as what you discover yourself,” Tang Zhao said. “Have the Gao family keep an eye on things and report back immediately if there is any news.”

"Yes!" Wu Yier accepted the order and left.

"How much does a pound of ordinary tea cost these days?"

Chunfeng immediately said, "Eighty coins a catty, which is 30% higher than in previous years."

Tang Zhao reclined on the soft couch. "Grain prices are cheap in Jiangnan. Rice costs fifteen to twenty coins per jin, and one jin of tea can buy four jin of rice. If you were a farmer, what would you think if you knew that?"

Without hesitation, Chunfeng replied, "If it were me, I would definitely not plant rice next year, but tea instead!" "But what if someone is blinded by greed and wants to switch to tea this year?"

“The rice in Jiangnan has already been planted, how can we switch to planting rice?” Chunfeng said. “Even if the tea merchants wanted to plant rice, the people wouldn’t listen.”

"The common people might not listen, but what about the tenants?"

Chunfeng was startled. "This servant will immediately send someone to inquire about the situation."

Tang Zhao looked at Dongmei who ran in and said, "No need."

Dongmei: "Young lady, a large landowner from the four prefectures of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Hubei has forcibly ordered his tenants to switch to planting tea trees!"

Tang Zhao sighed.

Inside the Yang family ancestral home, the second master of the Yang family received the news and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

After planning for so long, he can finally reap the rewards.

"Announcement was released that Hongshan Academy would hold a grand gathering for intellectual discussions on April 23, inviting scholars and literati from all over the world to participate."

The news that Hongshan Academy was going to hold a grand gathering of scholars spread throughout Chongqing overnight, and students and literati who admired the reputation of Hongshan Academy set off for Jiangnan overnight.

Hongshan Academy, which hosted the Qingtan (pure conversation) event, also attached great importance to it. Not only did it give its students a three-day holiday in advance, but it also personally supervised the renovation of the entire academy.

The shops in Suzhou Prefecture were also very happy. Every time Hongshan Academy held a grand event, it would attract a large number of people to come and watch the excitement, which boosted the commercial development of the entire Suzhou Prefecture.

In response, Min Zhuang, the prefect of Suzhou, allocated three thousand taels of silver to Hongru Academy as a gesture of support.

As the person in charge of Emperor Wu'an in Jiangnan, Tang Zhao unsurprisingly received an invitation from Hongru Academy. Looking at the elegant and graceful characters on the gold-flecked paper, Tang Zhao had to admit that although Master Yang was not a very good person, his scholarship was still quite impressive.

Gu Ci: "Do you want to go?"

Tang Zhao countered, "Why not go?"

Gu Ci worriedly said, "This discussion is clearly aimed at you. If you go, you will become the target of everyone's criticism."

Tang Zhao scoffed, "I don't believe they dare to point their fingers at me and curse me."

If any fool dared to do that, she would imprison him for disrespecting the royal family!

Tang Zhao stroked the gold seal engraved with Princess Zhaoshan's name on her waist, feeling happy.

Gu Ci grasped Tang Zhao's hand. "I'll go with you. If anyone dares to insult you, I'll beat them up." He vowed, "I'll know my limits. If you want him to stay in bed for a few days, I'll make him stay in bed for a few days."

Tang Zhao couldn't help but laugh. "Gu Ci, you look just like a tyrant who's been blinded by beauty."

"Don't talk nonsense," Gu Ci said lightly.

Before long, it was the 23rd. The gates of Hongshan Academy were wide open, and a long line of fine cars and carriages stretched out at the foot of the mountain, creating a bustling atmosphere.

Mr. Hongru personally went to the entrance of the academy to welcome the literati and scholars who came to participate in the grand discussion.

Tang Zhao timed it perfectly, arriving at Hongru Academy just before the mountain gate closed.

As the most prestigious academy in Jiangnan, Hongru Academy teaches not only renowned scholars of the time but also successful candidates in the imperial examinations. With such excellent teaching staff, Hongru Academy accounts for 20% of the number of students who pass the imperial examinations each year in Jiangnan. The lifelong dream of parents in Chongqing is to send their children to study at Hongru Academy.

Correspondingly, Hongshan Academy charges an astonishingly high tuition fee.