Chapter 257 Don’t come back until you’re drunk
The banquet is still going on.

He Shen filled Li Hu’s glass, then filled his own, then raised his glass and said, “General Li, please.”

Li Hu also raised his glass: “Please.”

They both drank together.

He Shen: “To be honest, I like eating crabs. Unfortunately, I came too early this year and too late last year. I always miss the right time.”

Li Hu smiled and said, “That’s not difficult. I’ll have someone send a few baskets to you.”

Heshen smiled and said, “Thank you very much, General Li.” Then he refilled Li Hu’s glass of wine.

Li Hu took a bite of the food and asked, “You are not coming to Beijing just for the 100,000 dan of grain this time, right?”

He Shen put down the wine pot and said: “I came here just for food.”

So direct? !
Li Hu was stunned for a moment, then asked, “Is Liaodong short of food?”

He Shen pondered for a moment and replied, “There is nothing to hide. The spies your emperor planted in Shengjing have already sent back the information. Last year’s harvest was really bad. This year’s situation is not much better. In February, there was a bowl-sized hailstorm that hit an area of ​​1,300 miles, killing thousands of people, houses, livestock and food.”

Li Hu looked at him and smiled, “The situation is so bad, aren’t you afraid that we will tear up the contract?”

Heshen spat the wine onto the ground and then burst into laughter.

Li Hu looked at him.

After laughing, He Shen said: “General Li is still too young, no, he has not experienced much. Let me put it this way, even if the Qing Dynasty has no harvest this year, it will not starve to death a Jurchen. Do you understand?”

Li Hu said nothing.

He Shen poured himself a glass of wine and said, “You should be thankful that the two countries signed a contract and that those profit-seeking merchants have continuously transported grain to Liaodong.” He drank it in one gulp and continued, “Otherwise, it would not be me who came.”

Li Hu looked at him and still said nothing.

He Shen: “Although the battle last year was very fierce, except for the Zhengbai Banner that was severely damaged by you, only the Zhenghong and Zhenglan Banners suffered some losses, and the vast majority of those killed in the battle were Han Army Banners and Mongols. Oh, by the way, the Zhengbai Banner has recovered its combat effectiveness.”

Li Hu smiled slightly: “My mansion is of the standard of a marquis’s mansion, and it just lacks a great military achievement.”

He Shen also smiled and said, “General Li is a hero, but what about your emperor and the court? Especially those civil servants who represent the interests of the gentry, they would definitely prefer to spend money to avoid disaster, not to mention that we are paying for it.”

At this point, his eyes flashed, “The situations in our two countries are different. In the Qing Dynasty, as long as the emperor opens his mouth, the money of the Han people in the Qing Dynasty will be continuously sent to Shengjing City. But your emperor can’t do it.” After saying that, he filled his own glass with wine.

Li Hu nodded. This is the difference between civilization and barbarism.

Heshen: “Okay, let’s stop talking. Let’s do business in harmony, make money together, and drink wine together, what’s wrong with that?” He said as he picked up the wine glass.

Li Hu also picked up the wine glass and they both drank.

He Shen picked up the wine glass again, and while pouring the wine, he said: “This glass of wine, I wish us to make a fortune together!”

Li Hu smiled and said that having money but no real power is just a large piggy bank.

He Shen raised his glass with both hands: “General Li, please!”

Li Hu also raised his glass with both hands: “Please!” and drank it in one gulp.

At this time, the shopkeeper’s voice came from outside the door: “Second Master! Second Master!”

Li Hu put down his glass and asked, “What’s the matter?”

The shopkeeper said, “The people from the Imperial Household Department are here.”

Li Hu: “Oh? Please come in.” Then he said to He Shen: “The gift I prepared for you has arrived.”

Heshen became alert and looked towards the door of the box.

The door opened and a senior eunuch from the Imperial Household Department came in. He half-bowled to Li Hu and said, “My Lord, this is what our ancestors sent to you.” He then took out a small red gourd from his bosom, and then took out a small yellow gourd and placed them in front of Li Hu.

Li Hu was slightly stunned. These two gourds actually looked like a house, and there were landscape paintings on them. What a fun thing to do!

He Shen spoke up: “Is there a katydid in here?”

Li Hu: “Does Heshang also like to fight crickets?”

He Shen: “Of course! I have a katydid at home. I helped the emperor write a poem during the New Year, and he gave it to me as a reward.” Li Hu pretended to be surprised: “Oh, your emperor also likes to write poems?”

He Shen was even more excited: “Our emperor likes to write poems, such as landscapes, people, flowers and birds, etc. As long as he is inspired, he can immediately write a poem. Over the years, the emperor has written at least 7,000 or 8,000 poems.”

The eunuch’s eyes widened, as if to say: Is this still a human being?!

Li Hu smiled secretly and said, “Oh, this talent surpasses all the poets in the Tang and Song dynasties. I think this poem must be very good. Please open our eyes with the adults!”

Heshen suddenly started coughing loudly.

Li Hu: “With adults?”

Heshen waved his hand and said, “It’s okay. I have some experience in fighting crickets.” Then he picked up the yellow gourd and flicked it lightly. The cricket inside immediately made a loud cry.

“Top quality!” Heshen praised loudly.

At this time, the red gourd also made loud sounds.

Heshen placed the two gourds together and stared at them intently.

Li Hu smiled. It seemed that he also knew that Qian Xiaosi’s poems were not up to standard.

Gradually, the cry from the yellow gourd weakened, and finally became silent.

The katydid in the red gourd is still chirping loudly!
“Good!” Heshen cheered again.

Li Hu smiled and asked, “How is it?”

He Shen folded his arms and said, “Thank you for your trouble, General Li!”

Li Hu: “As long as the master likes it, it’s fine.” Then he asked the eunuch: “Where is the cricket?”

The chief eunuch said: “The old princes only have katydids in their homes. We are still looking for crickets. Once you find one, send it to me immediately.”

Li Hu: “No need to send it here, just send it directly to where Master He lives.”

The eunuch answered “yes” but showed no intention of taking a step forward.

Li Hu: “Anything else?”

The chief eunuch hesitated and said, “These two katydids belong to Prince Leshan. We paid a high price to get them from Prince Leshan, and they are still waiting for the money.”

Hearing this, Li Hu wanted to curse. This matter was not his personal matter, but a plan for the royal family and the court. The emperor was unwilling to pay even this little money. It was difficult to say anything in front of Heshen, so he said to him: “Go to the counter downstairs to withdraw money.”

The chief eunuch then responded and walked out.

Li Hu calmed down his emotions and looked at He Shen: “Are there many people fighting crickets in Shengjing?”

He Shen was very smart: “Are you saying that we should treat this as a business?”

Li Hu: “How is it?”

He Shen thought about it and said, “We also have this stuff in Liaodong. If we send it so far, no one will want it if it’s too expensive, and we won’t make any money if it’s too cheap.”

Li Hu smiled and said, “This is easy. We will first use our price advantage to seize the market, kill the local vendors, and monopolize the entire market. Then we will hold cricket fighting competitions, spend real money, and package cricket fighting into a profitable business. In the future, we only need to take out a small portion of the money every year, and we can continue this business forever!”

Hearing this, Heshen’s eyes lit up.

Li Hu smiled and asked, “What do you think of my idea?”

“I submit! I submit!” He Shen filled Li Hu’s glass with wine, and then filled his own glass, then raised his glass and said, “General Li, please!”

Li Hu also picked up the wine glass: “Please!” and drank it in one gulp.

He Shen suddenly remembered: “Regarding the grain issue, please ask General Li to help speak for me.”

Li Hu shook his head: “The court has rules. It is a serious crime for military officers to interfere in government affairs!”

He Shen nodded somewhat disappointedly, and picked up the wine pot again: “Drink, I won’t go home until I’m drunk today.”

Li Hu smiled and said, I’ll drink you to death!
(End of this chapter)