Lady of the Lord From the East

The servant Felix sent to the next county to sell pasta successfully completed his task. Not only did he exchange the pasta he brought out in exchange for the equivalent wheat, but he also brought back a lot of repeat customers for Sardinson County. Among these repeat customers. Some of them are nobles, but more are businessmen who have heard the news. They have brought a lot of supplies to Sardinson County that are lacking locally, and they have also given the Sardinsons who have some money on hand recently to spend money. The place.

These merchants all gathered in Dingle, which is the closest town to Fort Sardinson and the most prosperous one, and the pasta factories in the other two towns will deliver the dried pasta to Dingle came to sell with the pasta here, but Claude shipped most of the pasta not long ago, and the subsequent production could not satisfy the latecomers. The late merchants didn't want to go home empty-handed, so they Had to wait in town for a while.

While waiting, merchants found that there are really many special and valuable goods in Sardinson, such as meat sauce and lemon sauce, which have recently appeared, and agreed to be very popular, but the production of both is less than pasta That's it.

These businessmen stay in Dingle, and naturally they have to eat and stay. The only tavern in the town cannot accommodate all the guests. The townsmen’s houses have become their second choice. Compared with the tavern, the lower house price is very popular. , If there is a woman who is good at cooking in the family, it is easier to pull the guest.

After Nissen and his deputy Peter arrived at Dingle, they did not go to the castle immediately. Instead, they found a family of townspeople and rented their spare room here. One silver coin can be rented for half a month, and a meal is included. This price It was impossible to open in Sardinson County in the past. If it weren't for the fact that there were too many outsiders recently, the housing supply was tight, and everyone had increased the price at the same time, they could rent a room for one silver coin a month.

But this price is very cheap compared to other areas, and the latter does not include food.

After spending a day in Dingle Town and getting acquainted with this small town, they were ready to go to Sardinson Castle.

The owner of the rented house told them: "If you want to go to the castle, you can ask those coachmen to take you for a ride, that is, the carriages at the town entrance. They run back and forth several times a day. You only need to pay a little fare."

Neeson and Peter went to the coachman according to the landlord's instructions, and they saw such a group of people at the entrance of the town.

These coachmen were hired by Felix to transport the goods. On weekdays, they mainly transported the bolognese and lemon curd produced by the castle to the town to sell to those foreign merchants, and then returned the ordered glass jars and other items for the castle.

They usually do it with one or two people to the castle, as long as there is room in the carriage, so when Neeson and Peter asked, the coachman said yes.

Sitting in the spare seat of the carriage, Peter said to Nissen with a look of emotion: "Saddinson County doesn't look poor at all. I now believe that the Count here really intends to build a concrete road."

Neeson also had the same idea. Although Sardinson County does not look very good, judging from the degree of the merchants' preference for local goods, the Earl of Williams is probably very rich.

When they arrived at the castle, they found that it was even more lively than Dingle Town.

At the gate of the castle, carriages filled with goods came in and out in an endless stream. In the atrium, hundreds of women were busy, and the scene of loud voices was something they could not see in other noble castles.

The guards of the same castle explained their intentions, and they waited at the gate for a while before being brought into the castle by the servants.

Once inside the castle, they once again discovered the difference here.

"It's so clean here." Following the servant's walk all the way, Peter approached Neeson and said in a low voice and inconceivable: "Do you smell it? It seems that there is still a scent."

As a member of the construction team, they have visited many castles. Except for the newly built castles, the old castles are always filled with an unpleasant smell of musty and odor. The former is a combination of ventilation and air. Insufficient lighting is unavoidable, and in addition to the blockage of the sewer system, the odor also comes from the unclean living habits of the people in the castle.

But the castle where they are now is completely different. The air inside is more or less damp, but there is no musty or stink at all. Not only is it not unpleasant, but there is a faint fragrance. The exposed walls The body was covered with tapestries, and the floor was covered with thick carpets, which made the corridors look clean and free of any clutter, and the servants who worked in the castle looked very clean and decent. In comparison, the two of them It just looks out of place here.

The servant who led the way heard Peter's words and told them proudly: "Miss Weiwei, the fiancée of our Count, is very clean, so the main paths in the castle need to be cleaned up so that no mess or smell can be seen. Yes, the musty smell and stink have been eliminated with special methods."

The so-called special method is actually to put some quicklime in the corners of the castle to absorb the moisture to keep the interior of the castle dry. As for the source of the fragrance, it is the fragrance of the orange, which is cut in half and then dug out the pulp and only the peel is left. Fill it with salt and place it in the corners, so that the surrounding space will be filled with a touch of orange fragrance.

The servant led them to the parlour.

"Lord Earl is walking with Miss Weiwei, please wait here for the time being."

Another servant brought herbal tea and snacks, and politely withdrew with the talking servant.

After the two servants left, Peter took a deep breath and relaxed: "I was really nervous just now, boss, the servants here are too polite. It's completely different from what we've seen before."

Nissen also felt the same way. In the past, not only the nobles, but even the servants of the nobles treated them with a high-level look to people like them. How can they not only treat them politely but also prepare tea for them.

At the other end, Felix, who was walking with Wei Wei, had a smile on his face as bright as the sun in the sky. Everyone could tell that he was in a very good mood.

Of course he was in a good mood, because just yesterday, our Count finally proposed to his sweetheart, and got a satisfactory answer to him.

Felix had said before that he had been preparing for a marriage proposal, but he had not taken any action, because he had ordered a wedding ring from a famous jeweler in the capital. The jeweler was very famous and asked him to do it. There are many nobles in jewelry, and Felix had to wait in line for a long time to get his turn. In addition to the time it took to make the ring and the distance it took to send it back, it took almost half a year to go back and forth.

It can be said that he ordered this ring when he established the relationship with Wei Wei. If it hadn't been completed, the proposal would not have been delayed until yesterday.

And after Felix was ready, Felix took the ring and knelt down on one knee to propose to Wei Wei in the flowery garden.

Dolores and the maids watched the scene secretly from the sidelines.

So, after Wei Wei agreed to Felix's proposal, the news quickly spread throughout the castle, and everyone was happy for their master.

There is no engagement, because it is not popular among people at this time. The marriage of the nobles usually involves an agreement between the parents of both parties. The elder of the man proposes to the elder of the woman. After the elder of the woman agrees, the relationship between the man and the woman will be confirmed and they will become unmarried couples. And unless there is force majeure - such as the accidental death of one party, the sudden feud between the two families, etc. - otherwise, it cannot be dissolved.

So in the eyes of others, getting engaged is actually the same as getting married.

Neither Felix nor Wei Wei has elders, so the process of elders is naturally omitted. When Wei Wei wears the badge that has both the Williams family crest and the word "Wei" she once showed to Felix After the ring, their relationship was immediately confirmed.

Butler Patton was even in high spirits and wanted to start preparing for their wedding immediately, because Wei Wei was already sixteen years old. This age is still a minor for future generations, but in this era, the church stipulates the legal age of marriage for women It's 12 years old. Wei Wei, who is 16 years old, is actually a little old. Even Dolores, regardless of her young age, if it wasn't for the negligence of the old earl, she should have already decided on a suitable fiancé. , maybe even married.

So the housekeeper felt that it was absolutely necessary to start preparing for the wedding immediately.

Of course Felix also wanted to get married earlier, but he remembered that Wei Wei said that the age of marriage in her country is after the age of 18. In order to respect her, Felix felt that he should consider marriage after discussing with Wei Wei.

Today's walk is the time when Felix is ​​going to talk to Wei Wei about this issue. Of course, the people will not disturb them at this time, so the two guests will be treated far more than before - because the housekeeper has no notice fee at all. Lix, there is a visitor.

When asked by Felix about her opinion on the wedding, Wei Wei felt a little guilty, because the marriage age she said was a lie, and Felix's age was not too young in this era. He hadn't been fighting to be a knight all the time, and maybe his kids were about the same age as Dolores.

So it's no wonder that the servants in the castle are so concerned about Felix's marriage. After all, there is only Felix left in the entire Williams family. If they don't have an heir as soon as possible, for the family, it is very dangerous thing.

Everyone can't wait for Felix to propose today and get married tomorrow and have a child the day after.

Wei Wei couldn't feel this urgency originally. Although the servants kept guessing when they would get engaged in private, no one dared to say anything to the party before Felix made a clear move, lest he violated the law. the will of the master.

But things are different now. Felix proposed, and Wei Wei agreed. In addition to congratulating them, the excited servants started to ask them when they were going to hold the wedding.

In just one day, Wei Wei had already experienced marriage inquiries from Butler Barton, Mrs. Nancy, the two maids and Dolores.

And today, even Felix started asking her for her opinion on the wedding.

In this regard, Wei Wei, who has been said to have a guilty conscience, had to say: "People on our side are used to calculating the virtual age, that is, the actual age is not calculated from the date of birth, but is set as one year old when you are born, and then New Year's Eve every year. It is one year older, so the virtual age is one to two years older than the full year—that is, the actual age.”

Felix pondered this calculation method carefully, and soon found the key point, and his eyes lit up: "You mean, your current age can be counted as eighteen years old?"

"It's seventeen." Wei Wei felt that if she said she was eighteen now, she would probably be sent to the auditorium immediately, so she decisively lost one year: "I will be eighteen when next spring comes."

Although she knew that her statement was somewhat inconsistent, Felix didn't care about this, but immediately climbed the track: "Then can the wedding be on January 1 next year?"

Although this decision seems a bit hasty, since everyone agreed to propose, Wei Wei is also ready, so she can actually accept it when she gets married...

"Ok."

Although it can't be seen from the outside, she is actually the same age as Felix. 24 is not too old, but it is indeed the age when most people choose to get married.

- Every day I hear people say that Felix is ​​too young to get married, and she is also under a lot of pressure.

Seeing her nodding, Felix's face was full of joy. He suddenly hugged Wei Wei, lifted her up, turned around several times in the latter's exclamation, and then kissed her several times before letting go. Wei Wei, who was a little terrified because of the sudden action just now.

"I'm going to let the housekeeper start preparing!"

It takes time to make dresses, send invitations, and prepare for the wedding. I don’t know if I can do it in less than three months!

"Of course! Please rest assured, Master Felix."

The housekeeper, who knew that the castle was about to have a wedding, was very happy, and he promised to arrange the wedding properly.

In addition to being happy, Butler Barton did not forget to remind Felix, who had completed the major events in his life: "You have a guest visiting, and you are the leader of the construction team invited by Pierre Architects."

Felix was a little surprised: "They have come, when?"

"It wasn't so long ago that you were not notified because you had something important to do."

"Okay, I'll go see them now."

Anyway, Wei Wei has gone to teach Dolores a class now, he can't kidnap people, just go to work.

So after eating snacks and drinking a pot of herbal tea, the two of Nissen finally met Count Williams, who they had been waiting for.

"Pierre should have already told you that I plan to rebuild the road of Sardinson." Felix said straight to the point: "This is the first thing to be repaired at present."

He took out a newly drawn map of Sardinson County. Although it was still very simple, the roads and villages and towns were clearly marked.

Neeson and Peter looked at the map. Before that, they guessed that the road that the Count is going to build should be the road from the castle to Dingle, which is the one they took today, of course, it may also be in and out of Sardinia. Mori County's main road, or they will be closed together, after all, they should be the most important route in Sardinson County at present.

But Felix is ​​not referring to either of the two. The road he is referring to leads to the pasture, but from the map, this road does not lead to anything important, not even a serf village. None, the surrounding area is just ordinary farmland.

Felix is ​​now waiting for everyone to know that he is engaged, and he can't hide his pride: "This road is what my fiancee wants to build, and cement is used throughout the whole process. The sooner the repair, the better, of course, the quality cannot any question."

"Of course, it would be better if you had enough people to take over this road and this road at the same time." This time Felix moved his finger to the two roads that Neeson and Peter had in mind. .

Neeson took this opportunity to ask: "My Count, I heard from Pierre, you seem to have plans to repair all the roads in Sardinson County?"

Felix touched his chin and pondered: "Not all of them have to be repaired. What needs to be repaired are the main roads connecting various places. The route has not yet been planned, so let's start with the most important ones."

In fact, Felix not only wanted to build roads, he also wanted to build a city, a prosperous city that met Wei Wei's expectations.

However, this cannot be done in a day or two, so Felix has only delineated a location on the map, which he intends to use as the foundation of the future city, but he has no plans to start construction. For this goal, he first has to earn enough money.

However, with the current commercial income of Sardinson County, it should be possible to start construction in about two or three years.

Nissen swallowed and confirmed, "Are all roads to be built into concrete roads?"

Felix nodded: "If you want to repair it, of course you have to repair the best."

Then this is a big business!

Whether it is from the map or the distance they have actually experienced, the area of ​​Sardinson County is not small. If they can take over this business, don't say next year, their construction team will not be short of work for several years.

Felix stepped into the topic: "So, what is your offer?"

If Nissen wanted to make more money by asking for a higher price before, now he can't use the original price for future cooperation opportunities.

"Yes, our construction team charges according to the distance for road construction. If we are responsible for all of them, the materials and transportation costs are... If only manpower is provided without materials..."

Nissen quoted the price, which was a very reasonable and standard market price without any water added, but it was still a little short of his bottom line, which was room for bargaining for the other party.

Felix obviously already knew about this, and he quickly said: "The price of workers is fine, but the cost of materials is a bit too high. If you can lower the price a bit, this project will be handed over to you."

Nissen said cautiously: "I don't know what the price is that will satisfy you, Lord Count?"

Felix gave a price, which was much lower than Neeson's offer, but still within his acceptable range, and the workers' wages did not decrease, which meant that the income of the construction team members did not actually suffer much, at most Not so much money.

Felix: "If you can accept this price and guarantee the quality and speed, then when you get the manpower and materials together, the road can be repaired. Of course, I will send you to discuss the details and the deposit. ."

He rang the bell, and the servant who was guarding the door came in.

"Go and call Ward."

Ward is the nephew of Butler Patton. Originally, Felix planned to put him in charge of the essential oil factory, but now that the factory building has not been established, and the castle is short of manpower, useful people will naturally have to double the work.

Ward was called over quickly. He had received an order from Felix before, and he knew that he would be responsible for the road construction in the next period of time. He also made a lot of preparations early in the morning and knew about Felix. What kind of result Lix wants.

- In addition to the price being sufficiently favorable, recruiting people to attract more free people to settle in Sardinson is also a top priority.

Now called by Felix, he quickly entered the state and took over the detailed discussion with Neeson.

Felix just had to sign the contract and prepare a deposit after they had negotiated the contract.

Leaving the space for the reception room for them, Felix walked out of the room, preparing to go back to work. Recently, more and more businessmen want to buy essential oils, and after the sales of essential oils keep up, Felix doesn't mind if he talks to Claude. They sell some to other merchants in the same way, but they are limited to lemon and orange peel essential oils, and it has been said in advance that these people cannot sell these essential oils in the capital.

Of course, compared to Claude, the discounts these people can get are much less.

In addition, other business needs him to handle, which makes Felix more and more aware of the lack of talents around him who can stand alone.

But where to dig people?

On the way to the study, Felix's mind was full of this question.

"Lord Count, here is a letter that seems to have been sent by the king!"

The servant hurried over and handed a letter to Felix.

King's?

He took the letter, which indeed had the royal emblem printed on it, and Felix returned to the study to open it and take a closer look.

The letter was indeed the king's, or he wrote it in his own hand, and it used a lot of words to praise Felix's contributions to the empire - the essential oils he sold brought a large business tax to the king - and finally it explained that he The reason for writing the letter.

"His Majesty the King invited you to the Queen's birthday party?"

At the dining table, Wei Wei and others heard the news together.

"Yes." Felix nodded: "The Queen's birthday is at the end of November. If we want to catch up, we'd better leave before November, so we don't have much time left."

Butler Patton was worried: "Will this affect the wedding?" He wanted to say that otherwise, he would not go, but Felix was invited to an important banquet such as the king's and the queen's birthday, and it was obviously impossible not to go. .

Felix's expression was also a little heavy: "You prepare as usual, we will try our best to come back before the wedding, if it is really impossible, we can only postpone it."

Fortunately, the invitations have not started to be distributed, and rescheduling is not troublesome, but it is really unpleasant.

"We?" Wei Wei noticed his words: "Am I going too?"

"Of course." Felix nodded: "It's not just you, Dolores is also going with her, and it's almost time for her to enter the social circle."

Dolores, who was suddenly named, was stunned.