A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 18
"Erlang has been working hard all the way and helping to buy and dispense medicines. Let's go with Siqi to the guest house for a rest."

Seeing that it was getting late, Li Sanniang asked her maid, Siqi, to take Huaiyu to rest. Before the medicine was finished, Li Sanniang sent him back without any intention, and asked him to stay at Li's residence at night.

Li Jing's mansion is really like the Grand View Garden.

Siqi led him to the guest room outside, "Does Xiaolang need to change?"

"No need." Huaiyu looked at his Jiangong uniform, which he had just changed in the morning. After traveling for nearly a hundred miles and being busy for half a day, it was covered with dust and sweat, but he didn't bring any clothes when he went out.

Siqi covered his mouth and chuckled, which made Huaiyu a little strange.

"San Niang has already ordered that Xiao Lang will get some clothes to change later. The servant girl asked about changing clothes because she has other intentions. May I ask if Xiao Lang needs to go east?"

"Dengdong?"

"It's just to act," Siqi saw that he was still puzzled, so he had no choice but to say, "It's to clean your hands and show respect."

"Hey, girl, just say it straight, you go to the bathroom as soon as you go to the bathroom, and you talk about changing clothes, ascending east, walking, cleaning hands, showing respect, so many words."

Siqi was made to blush, but he didn't dislike Huaiyu's ignorance and vulgarity, after all, this is a distinguished guest invited by the third lady, and he is also an accomplished doctor.

"Please tell me the way, miss. What's the point of going eastward?" Huaiyu asked as he walked.

Siqi explained very politely. It turned out that ordinary rich people would not directly say such a vulgar word as going to the latrine. In the Han Dynasty, it was common to say changing clothes. Therefore, it is called Dongyu. Tang You sometimes said Xingke, and sometimes Dengdong, both of which meant going to the toilet.

"Thank you for telling me, miss." Seeing Huaiyu's frankness and sincerity, Siqi felt that Wu Erlang was a pretty good guy.

Lead him to the east corner of the small courtyard in the west wing, that is the east corner of the guest courtyard. It is a very unique and elegant hut with flowers and trees planted beside it. There is no peculiar smell at all, and there are no flies flying around. It wasn't Siqi leading the way, he thought it might be a tea room and piano room.

After entering, incense was still burning inside.

There is also a landscape painting screen enclosure, and a few tables are placed, on which there is a large plate of dried red dates, but they are a little smaller.

The rich and nobles are different, and refreshments are provided in the toilet.

Behind the screen is a lacquer toilet, which is very delicate, especially the lacquer, which is like a work of art, making it hard to bear to sit on it.

He knew that this thing was originally called Huzi, because when Li Yuan became the emperor, his grandfather Li Hu's tiger had to be taboo, so the folks called Huzi Mazi, and the Gong bucket was also called a toilet, and the tiger was changed to a big worm. , if you don't pay attention to talking nonsense, it's taboo and disrespectful.

Lifting the lid of the bucket, there is still a thick layer of ash under it. This ash exudes a fragrance, not ordinary stove ash, but incense ash.

Except for the lack of soothing music, going to the toilet here is really enjoyable.

Li's bathroom even provided toilet paper for wiping buttocks. When Huaiyu saw this thing, she was moved to tears. When it comes to the most uncomfortable thing in the Tang Dynasty, it is not the diet, but the hygienic conditions. There is no toilet or shower in the bathroom, which can be tolerated.

But you have to use wood chips to wipe your butt, and you have to sharpen it yourself, which is really hard for people to get used to. At first, he didn't remember to sharpen it by himself, but he used it at home, but it turned out to be too rough and thorny, what a taste!

He misses Qingfeng so much!
After that time, Huaiyu quickly got used to the matter of cutting small wood chips for the toilet by himself, and even took out the pocket knife that he carried with him when squatting in the pit, took out the pre-cut toilet chips with him, scraped and polished them round .

But Li Jing's house actually provides toilet paper.

He picked up a few pieces of paper and studied them carefully. They were not discarded old papers, but rough papyrus made of straw. It was so rough that one could even see the obvious grass stems inside and some scraps.When he had just returned to Longqiao Castle, he seemed to have seen Lao Wu use this paper, but it was used to burn it, it seemed to be called fire paper, and it seemed to be used instead of burning silk to confess his ancestors.

It's rough, but it's not cheap either.

The Li family actually used it to wipe their ass.

Next to the fire paper, there was also a very round scraped toilet paper, with words on it, which seemed to be scrapped and modified. He picked up a few pieces and studied them for a while, and found that they were not classics of classics and history, but rather Some simple accounts recorded.

Although it was remade from old bamboo slips, it was not only rounded and rounded, but also incensed, with a fragrance.

The class gap between the rich and the low class is reflected everywhere.

It is said that the emperor of Japan used cicada wings when going to the toilet, the king of England used salmon, and the elders of ancient Rome used hemp rope. The picture is too beautiful to imagine.

In the end, Huaiyu took out a small piece of wood from the syringe that he carried with him, and cut it by himself, so he could rest assured that the syringe was originally used to hold documents and the like, and it could prevent rain and moisture, etc., but Huaiyu used it to Installed small pieces of wood.

After walking out of Dongyi, Huaiyu didn't smell at all, and there was even a faint smell of spices.

Siqi brought a basin, which was golden and shining, probably a copper basin. In the Tang Dynasty, copper was money.

Another maidservant came over with a glazed bowl, and there were some things in the shape of pink beans, which also smelled fragrant.

The glazed bowl doesn't look very transparent, it's not as good as an ordinary glass bowl, but this is the Tang Dynasty, and the glazed bowl can be regarded as a valuable thing like jade.

"Is this a bath bean for washing hands?" Huaiyu asked, there is no reason to go to the toilet and provide snacks.

Siqi nodded, "The red dates inside are roasted for stuffing noses, and the bath beans are for cleaning hands." While talking, she looked at Huaiyu, she had neglected to tell Huaiyu just now, she looked at Huaiyu's expression , I was afraid that he would eat the red dates inside, but fortunately Huaiyu's face was as usual, without the slightest bit of embarrassment.

Before Li Jing's subordinates came to the mansion, there were really stories of old and rough generals from humble backgrounds who ate the red dates in Dongyili, and then ate the bath beans and drank the water for washing their hands when they came out.

Huaiyu wet his hands first, then grabbed two bath beans and rubbed them in his hands, "Your bath beans are quite fragrant, but the soaking didn't do anything, and the effect of decontamination and cleaning is not very good."

The maid next to Siqi was not happy when she heard this, "The bath beans in our Yongkang mansion are a gift from the palace. Do you know what expensive ingredients are used in it? It will scare you if you say it."

"Let's hear it." Huaiyu disagreed.

"This bath bean uses many fragrant medicines, such as clove, agarwood, green wood, stalactite powder, jade chips, cherry blossoms, plum flowers, red lotus flowers, papaya flowers, etc., musk and pearls are also added. It is said that eighteen kinds of Spices, eighteen kinds of flowers, crushed and ground into powder, combined with soybean powder and grinded thousands of times, it is very precious, hence the name Thousand Gold Bath Beans, a pair of bath beans can cost tens of thousands of dollars."

Huaiyu looked at the girl's proud expression, and laughed, "The materials may be very precious, but the effect is really mediocre. In fact, it doesn't need to be so complicated at all. The things you just said are optional. The most important material But you didn’t say that, in my opinion, the main function of this bath bean is to cleanse, and the fragrance is just an addition.”

"If you want to decontaminate and clean, you must add pig pancreas, add some lard, and then add some plant ash to make a very strong decontamination pancreas. If you add some spices, it will be fragrant pancreas. It can remove stains and retain fragrance.”

Tang people used mutton as the top meat, but the nobles looked down on pork, calling it cheap meat.

That girl didn't believe that such worthless things as pig pancreas, lard, and plant ash could make such bath beans worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Huaiyu chuckled and didn't argue with her.When he was studying medicine with an old Taoist, he saw some ancient medical books that said facial fat and hand ointment, fragrant clothes and bath beans, officials and people, were all what he wanted. Today's medical school is extremely secretive, and his children are not allowed to reveal it. This method is not passed on between father and son.

Translated into the vernacular, these are facial fat and hand creams. These are beauty products, which are the favorite of dignitaries and dignitaries, so the profits are the most lucrative. The formula is strictly kept secret among doctors, even father and son.If you can master one or two popular recipes, you can make a lot of money.

These bath bean noodle medicines made by the doctors are not used for decontamination and cleaning at all, they are used as beauty products and fragrant medicines, so naturally the more expensive the ingredients in the ingredients, the better, and the more expensive the selling, the more in line with the aristocratic family their identities.

However, Huaiyu believes that no matter what the secret recipe of noodle medicine, hand ointment and bath beans, no matter how many spices and flowers are used in it, pig pancreas and lard will definitely be used, because this is the core raw material, spices and flowers It's just for flavoring, but not for decontamination. At most, the bonded soybean flour has a little detergency.

Sure enough, if a product that is associated with luxury goods or noble ladies in any era can also be associated with beauty, it must be huge profits.

The spices of the Tang Dynasty were called Xiangjin.

After this incident, Huaiyu discovered a new world. In the Tang Dynasty, he could not only prepare healing medicines and tonics, but also make money from such things as fragrant soap and toilet water. It was definitely good money.

After all, the thousand gold bath beans, which are known as the special tribute of the palace, cost tens of thousands of dollars, but the effect is only mediocre.

"Can you really make bath beans with pig pancreas and plant ash? Seriously?"

Just about to go back to the house to rest, a group of women came outside.

Huaiyu looked at the group of women who came suddenly, the first two women were dressed in extraordinary clothes, they looked like famous ladies, probably Li Jing's wives and concubines.

"Pork pancreas plus plant ash and lard fat can't make bath beans,"

"Then you were talking nonsense just now?" Another younger lady asked dissatisfiedly.

"Pork pancreas plus plant ash and lard can't make bath beans, because you can't make bath beans without soybean powder, but you can make pancreas. Add spices to make bath beans. In terms of decontamination, cleansing and fragrance , but definitely better than bath beans.”

"What a big tone, do you know that this thousand gold bath bean is the prescription of the King of Medicine, or it is made by the disciples of the King of Medicine, and it is even enshrined by the Palace Pharmacy Bureau?"

Who is the medicine king?

Huaiyu thought for a while and thought of one person. In the early Tang Dynasty, there seemed to be a medicine king named Sun Simiao. It is said that he lived for several dynasties. He was very famous among the people. He was called an old god. He seemed to be living in seclusion in Zhongnan Mountain. He should be hundreds of years old now. He seems to have an apprentice or grandson enshrined in Li Tang's court.

Huaiyu smiled and said: "I'm not that talkative person, I can make some fragrant soap according to the law just said, and then I can ask this lady to try and evaluate it!"

At this time, the noble lady next to him said, "You are the young man who came back with Sanniang today. I heard that you are a child of the Forbidden Army at Longqiao Fort next to our Sanyuan Zhuangzi. Your surname is Wu?"

When Huaiyu heard this, he felt the tone of a future mother-in-law, even a little wary and hostile, and replied truthfully, "Responding to my wife's words, Wu Huaiyu is in Xiasanyuan Longqiao Castle, my father is a sergeant and a sergeant. He is the commander-in-chief of the imperial army, his elder brother Huai Yi, and he is now a hundred cavalry in Beimen Garrison."

The lady sized him up and said, "Looking at your crimson official uniform, is it possible that you are already an exile official, and I don't know which yamen you work in in the capital?"

"Back to my lady, I was just selected by the magistrate in Sanyuan County as a money catcher. Although I wear a Jiang official uniform, I am actually just a miscellaneous official who works in an official position and has no foreign qualifications."

Seeing that he was neither humble nor overbearing, Zhang Chuchen had a better attitude. She prevented Changsun from directly asking about his relationship with Sanniang, but said, "Wu Erlang is a good-looking talent at a young age, and he is doing money-catching in the county so early. Lang, it seems that the future is boundless."

But Changsun couldn't help asking: "What are you and Sanniang doing here?"

Huaiyu didn't know why this noble lady was always aggressive and hostile, so she directly retorted, "This lady can ask Sanniang directly, or this chess player, and she will know the reason."

The Changsun family and Zhang Chuchen went directly to Li Sanniang's just now, but they didn't see the handsome young man. They asked the people in Sanniang's courtyard, and they only knew that this young man was Wu Erlang from Sanyuan Longqiao Fort, and now he is here The guest house is here.They didn't startle Li Sanniang, so they came here directly to look for someone.

Siqi stepped forward and told the truth about the cause and effect.

When Zhang Chuchen heard that it was Sanniang who had found the person who dispensed the medicine, he was relieved and became suspicious of Huaiyu. He was so young, did he really know any medical skills? Precious medicinal materials?
"I don't know if I could ask who gave Wu Erlang this prescription, and what ingredients did he use?"

"These are all secret recipes passed down by my master. The three medicines have their own effects and are used according to the symptoms. Although it is inconvenient to tell the two ladies about my prescription, my elder brother was seriously injured before, and it was because of my medicine that he recovered very well. " Huaiyu briefly explained the situation of the three herbs, and also said the main medicinal materials.

Zhang Chuchen asked Siqi some words, and learned that Brother Huaiyu was still riding and shooting as usual after being seriously injured and taking Huaiyu medicine. On the head of the public house, it's not the kind of wandering doctors and ostentatious warlocks who can escape with just a few tricks. Wu Huaiyu can escape the temple even if he escapes.

Zhang Chuchen was thoughtful, and became polite to Huaiyu, invited him to drink tea on the porch, and asked a lot of questions, mainly to find out whether Huaiyu had other relations with Li Sanniang.

When she confirmed that Huaiyu was only looking for Sanniang to 'give' medicine, and the two had only known each other for less than a day, she let out a sigh of relief.

Although this Wu Erlang is young and handsome, and looks very smart, but the two families are not in the same family.

"Thank you Wu Erlang for being so generous and helpful, we will definitely thank you generously."

At this time, Siqi introduced the identities of the two, "This is the eldest lady of our Yongkang Duke's mansion, and this is the eldest grandson wife of the fifth younger brother of Yongkang Duke."

Huaiyu also understood when she heard it, so this is Li Jing's wife, the Hongfu girl Zhang Chuchen who ran away at night, a geisha in Yang Su's mansion back then, abducted Li Jing, a famous boy who came to visit her, and eloped , quite impressive.

The eldest grandson didn't figure it out at first, but soon learned from the conversation that this was Li Shimin's wife's eldest grandson Wugou's cousin, no wonder her words were always domineering.

"Siqi, you take Wu Erlang to take a shower and change clothes, and take a good rest. Tonight, Wu Erlang will be resting in the guest courtyard of the mansion. The mansion will host a banquet to thank you. After the medicine is prepared, send Wu Erlang back to Sanyuan. "

After finishing speaking, Zhang Chuchen got up to bid farewell, and stretched out his hand to call for the servant woman, "Go to the money bank to get three hundred bolts of silk, and send them to the Wu Family of Longqiaobao together tomorrow."

At present, the special price is very expensive, rice is expensive, and silk is also expensive. A piece of silk is 360 yuan, a hundred pieces of silk is more than 30 guan, and three hundred pieces of silk is at least [-] guan.

You can exchange rice for thirty shi. If you buy horses, you can buy three or four horses. If you buy cattle, you can buy more.

This thank you is already very amazing.

"Don't dare. The medicinal materials are all bought by Sanniang, and I just prescribe and dispense the medicine. We are all neighbors in Sanyuan, fellow villagers. How can we receive such a big gift with a little effort? I dare not dare."

Zhang Chuchen saw that the young Wu Huaiyu was not at all surprised and impolite when faced with such a big gift of three hundred pieces of silk, and could immediately decline it. This calmness and composure is indeed extremely rare for a child of the Forbidden Army.

But three hundred bolts of silk are not worth mentioning to Longxi Li Family Yongkang Duke's Mansion, she said with a smile, "I still want to trouble Erlang to prepare more pills, and then I will send some to other relatives and friends in the clan. "

Changsun's side also said: "You can accept it, you deserve it, but you must also remind Erlang that Sanniang is not married after all, so remember to keep a distance from Sanniang in the future. Li Ye!"

As soon as this remark came out, the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Huaiyu understood immediately, it turned out that there was such a meaning in giving more money to the silk, so you don't have to be polite with the silk.

(End of this chapter)