Read Novel Full Chapter 794 - 388 A Guarded Heart is Necessary_2
Chapter 794: Chapter 388 A Guarded Heart is Necessary_2
In recent years, the people of Great Zhou have increasingly embraced the use of fragrances, gradually turning them into an indispensable part of daily life. However, when it comes to playing with fragrances in a sophisticated way, it’s still the noble families who excel.
The noble families have pioneered the fragrance competition, similar to how tea merchants conducted tea competitions. Initially, these fragrance contests were popular only among the noble families and officials, but over time, they evolved into a national pastime. Of course, there is still a distinction between the fragrance contests held by the officials and those by the common people.
Nowadays, playing with and creating fragrances has become an essential skill for the aristocracy. Both noble women and the daughters of officials must learn how to make fragrances. If they can craft exquisite scents, they become very popular and are considered highly marriageable.
Besides women, men who can create fragrances are also highly sought after. A certain playboy, though uneducated, is exceptionally talented in making fragrances, which has made him very popular. Many officials invite him to their homes to create fragrances for them. Moreover, many women of good standing in the capital are willing to marry him.
The ministers in court also enjoy making fragrances. They often gather with a few close friends, drinking wine while crafting scents.
If it weren’t for the emperor’s dislike of fragrances, who knows what the ministers would have turned them into.
In the beginning, court ministers applied a lot of fragrances on themselves, to the extent that it was overwhelmingly aromatic. The emperor was so irritated by the ministers’ scents that he sneezed continuously and scolded them fiercely. Since then, ministers have dared not use fragrances on themselves during court. However, they still use them in their daily lives, albeit more subtly.
Nowadays, using fragrances has completely permeated the lives of the common people in Great Zhou. They burn incense regularly, wear sachets, scent their clothes or beddings, apply fragrances to their faces or bodies, and some even hold fragrances in their mouths.
Zhao Yao was the one who introduced foreign fragrances into Great Zhou, though he never expected the people to become so obsessed, to the point of being crazily infatuated.
For Zhao Yao, the obsession of Great Zhou’s people with fragrances turned out to be a good thing. Over the years, he has made a lot of money from selling fragrances.
"Uncle, do you like the tea fragrance I made?" He Lianfang doesn’t like fragrances and rarely uses them. Zhao Yao is also not particularly fond of fragrances, but he enjoys the scent of tea leaves. Therefore, on a sudden whim, he decided to combine tea leaves with fragrances to create a unique tea fragrance.
"The tea fragrance is not bad." He Lianfang loves tea, and naturally, he enjoys the tea scent. "Aren’t you planning to sell the tea fragrance you created?"
"Of course, I will sell it, but not right now," Zhao Yao chuckled mischievously, "I’ll sell it before I go to my fief."
"Are you planning a strategy of feigned retreat to lure the enemy in?"
Zhao Yao snapped his fingers and said, "Exactly. Once I go to Lingnan, I will thoroughly develop Lingnan’s tea leaves and then create a tea fragrance unique to Lingnan. By then, I’ll surely make a huge profit."
He Lianfang was silent, secretly admiring Zhao Yao’s business acumen.
"By the way, Uncle, how are the mulberry silkworms from Jiangnan doing in Lingnan?" The climate in Lingnan should be suitable for silkworms to thrive.
"Quite a few died on the way, and of the remainder, half again died after reaching Lingnan, leaving only a small portion. But they are reproducing quickly."
Zhao Yao was relieved, "That’s good." A few years ago, Zhao Yao purchased a lot of mulberry saplings from Jiangnan and transported them to Lingnan for planting.
The survival rate of mulberry trees in Lingnan is very high, and the trees planted a few years ago have grown significantly. Their leaves can be used to feed silkworms.
In fact, Lingnan also had local mulberry trees and silkworms. However, the silkworms there were inferior, producing poor-quality silk. Therefore, Zhao Yao sent the best silkworms from Jiangnan to Lingnan.
Zhao Yao believed the poor quality of silkworms in Lingnan was related to the mulberry leaves. Indeed, the mulberry trees in Lingnan were not as good as those in Jiangnan. So, he sent a lot more of Jiangnan’s superior mulberry trees to Lingnan.
The silkworm-raising skills in Lingnan were also lacking, so Zhao Yao arranged for skilled silkworm farmers from Jiangnan to go to Lingnan.
Raising good silkworms isn’t enough; there also need to be skilled weavers. The looms in Lingnan were still old models left over from the previous dynasty, and the cloth produced was not as soft and exquisite as that from Jiangnan.
Seven or eight years ago, Zhao Yao improved the weaving machines in Great Zhou. The improved looms were not only lightweight and easy to use but also produced excellent fabric. Three or four years ago, Zhao Yao developed new looms that were even more effective than the previously improved ones, producing even better cloth.
The new looms have long been widely used in Jiangnan, the capital, and other places, but not yet in Lingnan. Therefore, Zhao Yao sent many new looms to Lingnan, along with a number of skilled weavers. He also sent many skilled embroiderers.