"Old Xue, do you believe the words of this brat?" Old General Ma looked at Old General Xue and asked.
Old General Xue gulped down another bowl of wine and said, "It doesn't matter whether I believe him or not. What's important is that the issue of rations has been resolved. In the future, our soldiers will have less to worry about. Tomorrow, I will go to the emperor to claim credit for this brat. In my opinion, if he does a few more things like this, his title of nobility should be promoted."
Li Yi's current title of nobility was a county earl. If he were to go up a little, he would be a county marquis. At the level of a duke, he would be considered a noble among the nobles.
Among the old generals, Old General Xue and Old General Ma had fought for their entire lives and achieved countless military merits. As for the other old generals, they had great prestige in the imperial court, but their title of nobility was only that of a county marquis.
"How can you monopolize the matter of claiming credit?" Old General Ma snorted coldly and said, "Tomorrow, the few of us old fellows will go with you."
Li Yi was a little stunned as he watched from the side. These old men seemed to have forgotten something.
Didn't they need to ask for his permission to claim credit?
In reality, he was already very indifferent to things like titles and ranks. After the old emperor passed away, these would all be for naught. He might as well reward them with a few million taels of silver.
"Cough, Old General Xue, there's no need to claim credit." Li Yi put down his chopsticks and said, "Why don't you discuss with His Majesty and see if it can be converted into silver..."
"Converted into what?" Old General Xue raised his eyebrows.
"There's no need to claim credit." Li Yi waved his hand and said, "It's all for the country. You see, I am already a county earl at such a young age. If I were to be rewarded, there would be many people in the imperial court who would be dissatisfied. It would not be good for the stability of the imperial court. It's better to convert it into silver... forget it."
"Bullsh * t!"
Old General Xue fiercely slammed the table and said, "Meritorious service should be rewarded, and crimes should be punished. This has been the case since ancient times. What are they unconvinced of? If they have the ability, they should help His Majesty solve the problem of military rations. If they don't have the ability, then stop talking nonsense. If anyone dares to say anything else, I will crush his balls!"
The proud Lolita tugged at Li Yi's sleeve and asked, "Sir, what is an egg?"
"Cough!" Old General Ma coughed heavily. He glared fiercely at Old General Xue and said, "Even though Old Xue usually spouts a lot of nonsense, what he said is reasonable. Meritorious service should be rewarded. You don't have to worry. If anyone dares to utter a single word of nonsense in the imperial court, I will crush them … Cough, cough. I will have a good talk with them."
Li Yi was extremely unwilling. The old Emperor had conferred him the title of County Earl, and many people in the court were already dissatisfied. If he were to be promoted even further, what would those officials who had worked hard for the country for their entire lives but had yet to obtain a title of nobility think?
It wasn't his style to offend people as much as possible. Being hated by so many people for no reason wasn't his style!
When he returned home today, he would probably have to stay up for another hour to write a book called "The Complete Collection of Military Rations". He didn't know what the old Emperor would reward him this time. As for silver, there was probably no hope. The old Emperor was stingy. He could even name ten thousand copper coins as' Ten Thousand Gold Coins'. There was no way he would get a generous reward.
Could it be that he owed the Old Li family a lot in his previous life? Not only did they work so hard to build an academy, but they also had to write a book, eat and drink with him. Now, they even had to raise two daughters for him. What exactly was he after?
Forget it, he didn't want to think about it anymore. He lowered his head and ate. The Xue family's food was very bland, and the taste was average. The plate of wild vegetables in front of Li Yi was quite to his liking. When he was young, he liked to eat the wild vegetables his grandmother dug out from the ground. It should be called the steamed vegetables. He ate it with porridge and it was almost a fixed meal every day.
Although the taste was different now, it brought back many memories.
The proud Lolita couldn't stand the Xue family's food. She often ate at the Li family and was cooked by Li Yi or Ruyi. Now, she even disliked the royal chef's cooking. Seeing that Li Yi only ate the dish in front of him, she rolled her eyes and took a big bite. However, it was so bitter that she almost vomited.
Generally speaking, families with a bit of status would have more etiquette requirements. They didn't talk when eating or sleeping. The proud Lolita before coming to the Li family knew this very well.
However, the old generals didn't know what table etiquette was. They drank from bowls and ate meat. The problem of military rations had been solved, and they were happy. As they chatted about everything, Li Yi thought of something and suddenly said, "I wonder if the old generals are interested in the military rations business?"
"Military rations are military rations, and business is business. How can these two things be related?" Old General Xue asked with a frown.
Li Yi shook his head and said, "Military rations are also rations. Why can't we do business? Moreover, it's something to eat. If the soldiers and generals can eat it, the commoners can eat it too. Naturally, we can do business."
Instant noodles were good stuff. They had created many sales records in the future and were something that even brats couldn't live without. There was almost no need to consider the risk when doing business.
He also saw that the Xue family's situation didn't seem to be that good. He guessed that the old generals were probably in the same situation. These old generals usually protected him in the imperial court. If there was anything they could help with, he would naturally help them.
Moreover, there was no better partner for this business than a family of generals.
The old generals also understood what he meant. Old General Ma looked at him and asked, "You mean that we should produce our own military rations and do business with His Majesty?"
"Not just with His Majesty. If we produce enough military rations, we can also sell it to the commoners …"
The old generals were speechless. They looked at each other and saw a hint of desire in each other's eyes.
They naturally knew the situation of their family better than anyone else. As long as they, the old generals, were still around, the entire residence would still be able to get by. However, if a few more years passed, everything would be uncertain.
When it came to arranging military formations and fighting on the battlefield, they were all top-notch experts. However, when it came to doing business, they knew nothing at all.
The speed at which the family of generals declined was even faster than the other families of civil officials. They had to leave behind more things for their descendants before they were buried in the earth.
"Is this really feasible?" Old General Ma looked at Li Yi and asked.
Before Li Yi could speak, Old General Xue laughed and said, "He might not be able to do other things, but this fellow is a top-notch expert in doing business. However, doing business with His Majesty — won't we be taking advantage of His Majesty?"
Old General Xue stood up and paced back and forth in the hall, "As an official, isn't this disloyal to His Majesty?"
Old General Ma nodded and stood up, saying, "Eating the emperor's salary, sharing the emperor's worries, and solving the problem of military rations is what we, the officials, should do. How can we use this to discuss business with His Majesty?"
Li Yi looked at them and asked tentatively, "So, generals — how much silver do you intend to offer?"
"One thousand taels," Old General Xue said.
"This old man is not as rich as the Xue family. Even if I scrape together everything and sell everything I have, I should be able to gather one thousand taels," Old General Ma said with a smile.
"This old man will also offer one thousand taels," Old General Song said while stroking his beard.
"This old man will offer eight hundred!"
"This old man will also offer eight hundred!"
Li Yi put down his chopsticks, "Deal!"
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