Golden Branch

Princess Ping An and others: ...Is the fish the important thing?

Well, okay, it really is a fish.

These fish are of many varieties and bright colors. Even royal nobles like them have only seen one or two of them.

The East China Sea is more than 2,000 miles away from the capital.

In order to transport it to the capital in good condition and alive and well, the manpower, material resources and financial resources required would be enormous.

If the censor knew about this, he would definitely accuse us of "wasting people's time and money".

It is already very rare for it to be transported to the capital smoothly.

It is extremely difficult to continue to keep it in the courtyard.

Sea fish live in the sea and are different from river fish and lake fish.

These nobles were all knowledgeable and knew the "little-known fact" that marine fish could not survive in fresh water.

In Princess Langya’s mansion, these rare sea fish were swimming freely in the water, oh no, under her “feet”!

The road is transparent.

There is no soil or stone under the road, but water!

There are colorful and strange-looking fish in the water that can only live in the sea!

"Sister, what is this? A coral tree?"

The little princess had already gotten off the cart pulled by the iron-eating beast. She squatted down curiously, pointing her finger at the "ornaments" under the transparent glass plate.

Bright coral!

How high at once!

Fish were swimming around the coral trees, and bubbles were faintly heard bubbling.

This scene is just like the Dragon Palace in the East China Sea imagined by people!

However, Princess Pingan and other nobles were all adults after all. After a brief shock, they carefully observed -

These clusters of coral trees do not "grow" on the bottom of the water, but are arranged as potted plants.

Although it is not a "natural" dragon palace, a coral tree of this height and quality is worth a lot of money.

And Princess Langya's Mansion——

Princess Ping'an raised her eyes, looked around and gazed into the distance.

She was sure that this transparent "road" first extended dozens of meters into the water from the shore of the pavilion, and then directly reached the pavilion in the middle of the pavilion.

Princess Ping'an couldn't help but wonder: Will this "Dragon Palace" surround the entire pavilion?

The "pier" is several dozen meters long, and it takes two to three hundred meters to circle the pavilion.

Even if it was just a transparent passage, and not covering the entire water pavilion, there would be a reef every three or five steps, and a coral tree every seven or eight steps... Even someone as wealthy as Princess Ping'an would not dare to calculate the cost in detail.

Money!

This is no longer just sea fish, coral trees... or the Dragon Palace, but piles of silver and gold mountains!

Wang Jiu, a mere servant girl, how could she be so rich?

Or is it Lou Yu behind her who is as rich as a country?

You should know that the Lou family has occupied Yizhou for more than ten years and has seized a lot of wealth by relying on the Yi River, shipping, etc.

First, there was the extravagant spending of the Duke of Anguo’s Mansion, and then there was the large-scale construction of the Duke of Qi’s Mansion.

The reputation of the Lou family's wealth has long been quietly circulated among the powerful and wealthy.

This Lou Hanzhang is not only a "jade man", but also a "golden" boy.

Princess Ping'an withdrew her gaze, lowered her eyelids slightly, and hid all her emotions.

"Yes! It's coral!"

Wang Heng didn't care about the guests' reactions or imaginations after seeing the "aquarium".

She answered Princess Changning softly.

"Wow! What is this transparent, umbrella-like thing?"

“It’s a jellyfish!”

"...Sister, is it like this throughout the water?"

"No, there's only this way. This transparent thing is called glass. My sister had a craftsman make a box out of it and put all these fish, shrimp, jellyfish, and corals inside it."

Wang Heng tried her best to explain this wonderful design in words that children could understand.

"Sister, this glass is so nice, it's like there's nothing there!"

The little princess carefully stretched out one foot and stepped on the transparent glass panel.

She lowered her head, feeling as if she would miss a step and fall into the underwater world full of fish.

When the little feet stepped on it, there was no empty space and the glass did not break. It felt like the ordinary ground, and there was a sense of solid ground.

But there are fish swimming freely under your feet, and the corals, clams, pearls and other ornaments in the water are sparkling brightly in the sun.

There is no obstruction, it seems within reach.

This feeling is very wonderful, as if you are in a dream world.

"Sister, I like it!"

The little princess was surprised at first, and then she was happy.

Wang Heng smiled. "As long as Changning likes it! If you like it, I'll give you a small Dragon Palace, okay?"

It is necessary to show the seller that you can sell your products and also provide some "samples" appropriately.

Moreover, it may not necessarily be a "trial product".

Perhaps the small glass fish tanks and other products designed by Amian can be sold at a very good price and become luxury goods that are popular in Beijing.

"Okay! Okay! Thank you, sister!"

Changning nodded happily. "Little Dragon Palace!" sounds very interesting.

Changning ran happily as she spoke. She walked along the glass bridge and came to the pavilion in the middle of the waterside pavilion.

Everyone followed slowly.

When they arrived at the pavilion, everyone looked around.

Sure enough, just as Princess Ping'an had guessed, a circle of glass platforms extended around the pavilion.

Under the glass, there are still those swimming marine creatures.

There are also guardrails around the platform.

Leaning on the guardrail and stepping on the transparent glass panel, you have the illusion of walking on the water.

Walking on the water?

Dancing with the fishes?

Wonderful, it’s really wonderful!

Princess Ping'an and other noble ladies were not young children like Princess Changning.

In addition to being surprised, they also accurately grasped the key point: "Glass?"

Princess Ping'an, who considered herself the eldest sister, was the first to ask, "Langya, are you saying that this thing that looks like colored glaze is called glass?"

"Sister is truly knowledgeable, intelligent, and sharp. She revealed the secret of the glass in one sentence!"

Wang Heng sincerely praised Princess Ping'an.

She was really grateful to this "sister" who brought up the topic of glass among so many distinguished guests.

Besides Princess Langya's first appearance in the circle of the powerful, the main purpose of this house-warming banquet was to market glass!

Wang Heng and Lou Yu signed a military order in front of the prince.

They wanted to use their glass business to raise three years' worth of food and wages for the imperial court's 300,000-strong army.

In addition, we must use glass to create a steady stream of business and provide continuous and large amounts of money for canal repairs.

Therefore, this first seller’s show must be stunning and shocking enough to attract the powerful and influential people to scramble for it.

"This glass, like colored glaze, is transparent and precious!"

"Not only can it be made into glass plates, but it can also be made into various utensils and ornaments!"

However, the glass made by Amian is cheaper than colored glaze, and there are various "blowing" methods.

If Wang Heng hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would never have imagined that glass could be "blown".

It comes in various shapes and can be dyed, making it colorful and shining like glass!

On the stone table in the pavilion, there are several plates of crystal clear "fruits".

"...are these made of glass?"

The usually calm King Yan couldn't help but become interested when he saw these little things.

He picked one up at random; it was cold to the touch and had some weight.

The key is that the shape and color are great, and it is so similar!

Yellow pears, red apples, purple grapes in bunches, and leaves that are either dark green or light green.

Lifelike, bright colors and transparent texture.

Each one looks like a polished top-quality crystal, becoming more and more dazzling under the sunlight.

King Yan never thought that glass could be made into a fruit platter!

Wang Heng & Wang Mian: ...More than that!

Fruits are nothing compared to the various types of glass products that are even more shocking.

Wang Mian had to sigh again: Ancient craftsmen, YYDS!

Wang Mian only roughly proposes an idea each time, while the specific process and detailed craftsmanship are all experimented and improved again and again by the craftsmen.

Then, Wang Mian obtained glass products that were not inferior to modern craftsmanship.

Awesome! Great!

"This glass can be used to pave roads and can also be made into ornaments! Then, can it be used to make windows?"

The King of Wei was young and active in mind.

He had those big panes of glass and thought of square doors and windows.

In fact, his association is not too unusual.

Colored glazed windows have existed since ancient times.

However, the texture of colored glaze is far less transparent and translucent than glass.

Colored glass is more colorful and slightly translucent, but not as transparent as window paper.

Glass is different, it is completely transparent, as if it does not exist.

The King of Wei couldn't help but think that if this thing was embedded in the window, it would definitely be more transparent than window paper.

Wang Heng and Lou Yu couldn't help but give a thumbs-up. "Your Highness is indeed a brilliant thinker."

The two of them have such a good understanding.

Even if one person stood among the male guests and one person was standing among the female guests, with several people in between, they could still make consistent reactions.

Some of the noble ladies, including Princess Ping'an, noticed it, while others did not.

After all, compared to "brothers and sisters" or something, people are more concerned about glass.

"Everyone, please move!"

After Wang Heng finished praising the King of Wei, she invited everyone to go to the next attraction—

Ahem, there was nothing she could do. The guests had already learned to “answer quickly”, so she couldn’t keep the question in suspense any longer.

Everyone followed Wang Heng and walked all the way to a courtyard.

"This is--"

Everyone was stunned.

The house that appeared in front of me was completely transparent!

If the Crystal Palace just now was more like an underground passage, although it was shocking, it was not enough to make the nobleman lose his composure.

But, the house in front of them allowed everyone to truly see what a "Crystal Palace" is!

roof!

wall!

Doors and windows!

They are all transparent.

Oh, not exactly.

If you look closely, you will find that this house, which is as big as three rooms, still has a "skeleton".

There are beams, columns, door frames, window frames, etc.

The only difference is that instead of traditional bricks, tiles and wood, it is made of glass throughout!

Large glass panels replaced the roof tiles, wall bricks, door panels and window paper.

From the outside, you can see all the scenery inside——

"Wow! So many flowers!"

"Is this, the flower room?"

In the huge glass room, rows of shelves are placed against the "wall", but the heights of these shelves are not consistent.

They are either tall or short, and are arranged in a staggered manner.

There are pots of flowers on the shelves.

Peony, peony, rose, lily...

There are also decorations on the ground, including potted pomegranates and hydroponic hibiscus.

There are also hanging baskets hanging from the "roof", which contain spider plants and wisteria.

It is already April, the end of spring and the beginning of summer, and flowers of all colors are in full bloom.

The flowers are in full bloom, colorful and beautiful.

Looking from afar, even through the "wall", you can still see the breathtaking spring scenery.

"To be exact, it's a glass greenhouse!"

Wang Heng corrected him with a smile, "In this greenhouse, you can also grow flowers and crops in the winter!"

Wang Heng likes flowers, but she also likes fresh fruits and vegetables in winter.

When in Yizhou, Amian built a greenhouse.

Despite the bitterly cold winter, the greenhouse is lush and green.

It is snowing, you are roasting by the fire, eating mutton in a copper pot, and eating all kinds of fresh and tender vegetables. It is simply the most pleasant enjoyment in winter.

"The glasshouse?"

The Prince of Yan was older and had already joined the Six Ministries.

He still understands the national economy and people's livelihood quite well.

He accurately captured the word "warmth" in Wang Heng's words.

Almost for the first time since they met, Prince Yan looked directly at his adopted sister, Wang Heng. "Langya, are you saying this is a greenhouse? You can grow crops in it even in winter?"

He was also worried that his words could not fully express his meaning.

After thinking about it, the King of Yan gave an example: "Is it like Tangquan cuisine?"

In the previous dynasty, fruits and vegetables were grown in Tangquan Palace.

As the saying goes, "The hot springs moisten the melons and vegetables, making them ripe ahead of time and ready to be offered to the mausoleums and temples."

The King of Yan had eaten vegetables grown in Tangquan Palace, but it was extremely wasteful and unnatural, so it was not advisable to publicize it too much, let alone "promote" it.

"Your Highness is absolutely right. This is indeed a greenhouse. It is more convenient for lighting and better for keeping warm than traditional greenhouses!"

Is it convenient?

Even the roof is glass!

As princes, the King of Yan and the King of Wei were more concerned about state affairs. They strode into the greenhouse and experienced the various benefits of the glass greenhouse firsthand.

The women were more concerned with the flowers and plants in the greenhouse.

The peonies are in full bloom, with large, richly colored flowers that exude elegance and luxury.

Orchids are elegant and unique, and they appreciate themselves calmly and are full of coolness and nobility.

Peony, rose, camellia, jasmine... each has its own beauty.

In addition to the blooming flowers in the greenhouse, many flowers and trees are also planted outside the greenhouse.

The pink and white flowers of the crabapple trees are in full bloom.

There are also magnolias, either white or pink.

The spring plum blossoms have passed their blooming season, and there are still some fallen petals on the ground.

The female relatives admired and marveled at the scene. Princess Langya was truly remarkable, as she could transform one of her courtyards into a garden with blooming flowers!

Among the crowd, only Princess Hengyang was not only appreciating the flowers, but also rolling her bright eyes around.

Princess Hengyang roughly counted and found that there were more than a dozen flowers and trees in the entire yard, of four or five varieties, but the crabapple trees were the most numerous.

"...So, Princess Langya likes Haitang?"

"Yeah, when I get back, I'll write to my brother and tell him this little secret!"

Princess Hengyang felt that she was a good sister and was really worried about her brother's lifelong affairs.

……

"Brother!"

Lou Lang, relying on his young age, took two maids with him and rampaged through the princess's mansion.

After turning left and right, she actually plunged into this garden and found Lou Yu in the crowd...